All the Raiders Jacket details in one place...
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:13 am
I have collected and averaged; however this may not represent the "end all be all" of the Raider's jacket... So, please feel free to do your own research (in fact I encourage that!), watch the movie yet again, frame by frame if you must, to get those dimensions/details right in your mind. I have collected what I could find here, in one place, to save someone from a lot of the work I did to get this far.
Note that there are several vendors who make a quality product. Some are more receptive than others to making changes to their patterns. Here is a list of some vendors you may wish to contact about making a one-off custom jacket (in alphabetical order):
Gibson & Barnes http://www.gibson-barnes.com/leather_expedition.html
Magnoli Clothiers http://magnolic.ipower.com/catalog/prod ... 09e136c78f
Todd's Costumes http://www.toddscostumes.com/indy/indiana_jones.htm
Tony Nowak http://www.tonynowak.com/
U.S. Wings http://www.uswings.com/aviatn.asp
Wested Leather http://www.indyjacket.co.uk/
Also, please read the IndyGear Raiders jacket info here as a supplement to this data for a bit of background: http://www.indygear.com/igjacket-RotLA.html
A post by _ back from the turn of the century where he examined a Raider's stunt jacket first hand:
http://www.indyfan.com/vault/forum/messages/47309.html
Here is some reference information on Harrison Ford's height:
http://www.celebheights.com/s/Harrison-Ford-152.html
Other sizes (height seems to be in question; however I agree it was closer to 6' 1" than 5' 10", average is 5' 11.5") Shall we call it 6'?
(From Noel Howard)
Harrison Ford's sizes :
5' 9 1/2" (1.765 m) height, 40 chest and 34 waist with a 15 1/2" collar.
Shirt : Medium
Trousers : 34"
Web belt : 44"
Gunbelt : 38"
Bag Strap : 65"
Boots : 10.5
It would be nice to have his sleeve length too...
Finally, this is from _, who recently had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Ford himself. Though it was a long time ago, Mr. Ford did recall some details from way back before the turn of the century...
"Ford wore a lot of different jackets in Raiders - too many to keep track of. During the Ellstree shoots, he swapped back and forth with Martin. In Africa he swapped back and forth with the stunt guys and wardrobe. He confirmed there was (at least) one jacket with a satin lining, and he knew he was wearing it during the fight with the mechanic (flying wing). He had only one jacket he wore in Hawaii. The jackets were always ripping or the zippers were breaking. The wardrobe people were just trying to keep them together. "
(I hope _ doesn't mind me using that bit of text. He has not replied to me regarding this thread... It will be removed if he wishes so.)
So, with all that in mind, here is my ever evolving list:
Leather: No question. It was Lambskin, and this has been documented. Many other hides look great too, but that is not the point of this thread...
• Cotton lining for body, sleeves and pockets
• 5 gauge silver colored zipper (aluminum used in movie) with small zipper pull (note: many were painted an antique brass color due to being too bright on screen in some scenes.) Here's a quote from Peter, who made the jackets for Raiders on the zipper...
"In the original film the jackets were supposed to have brass zips but
because of the time factors involved, many of the jackets had aluminium
zips that were painted to give an Antique Brass effect. Obviously,
during filming the paint came off revealing the aluminium underneath.
So the Authentic Jacket was supposed to have authentic brass..."
Many say it goes to the bottom of the jacket; however look at this photo and notice, at least on the stunt jacket, that it does not. It is known Ford swapped with the stunt ment regularly as mentioned above...
(From _) "Vic did have one jacket that did supposedly make an appearance in all three movies. His "hero copy" from Raiders was worn while he did filler shots for Ford at Ellstree while Ford was out with his back injury. Vic supposedly used that jacket for filler shots for LC as well after principle shooting wrapped. "
• NO leather facing on zipper area interior
• Storm flap 1.5” width; square and rounded top corner both seen in movie)
• Collar ending halfway between the zipper and the storm flap
• Collar width average 2.875 inches wide at the tip
(J!m spec 3")
(Agent5 spec 2.75")
• Pocket Average: 7.417” tall x 6.292” wide
(Platon Pockets 7.00" tall x 6.5" wide)
(Nowak pockets 8.00" tall x 6.0" wide)
(Chris_King pockets 7.25" tall x 6.5" wide)
(agent5 pockets: 7.50" tall X 6.25" wide)
(Holt pockets: EDIT)
(Rom Hunter pockets: 7.25" tall X 6.5" wide)
• Pocket on storm flap side should be positioned 1 inch from storm flap stitching and [one opinion is] the bottom of the pocket should be positioned 1.75 inches up from the bottom edge of the jacket.
• Side entry pockets? I say yes. Here's a bit from Michaelson: "Yes, they did, or at least we know for certain the stunt jackets did. That's what the Expedition was based on...a screen used, privately owned Raiders stunt jacket, and it did indeed have the side entry pockets, so we can probably make a safe assumption that the 'hero' jackets had them as well. "
• Scalloped flaps: flap should be 3 inches at the longest measurement and the sides of the flap should be approx 1.75 inches long BEFORE the radius of the bottom corner starts. Not happy with the shape of yours? try this maybe... viewtopic.php?t=27987
• Nickel snaps should be used for pocket flaps (Silver in color anyway)
• Side strap ranging from 7-8.75” length [7 seems popular], 1”width. This depends on the buckle configuration, and the 'look' you want. My suggestion is to get them long, and trim them to what you see on screen...
(Holt: EDIT)
(Agent5: 7-8.75" long; 5" w/ tri-glide buckle)
(Platon: 6.5" w/tri-glide buckle)
X-BOX (or K-box) stitching pattern for straps, double stitched.
[one opinion] top of strap should line through with lowest tip of pocket flap which (if you use these pocket measurements) would put the top of the strap at 6 inches up from the bottom of the jacket - measured from the same part where the pocket is located (the front panel), not the back panel.
• Strap buckles: SEEM to be the two-piece rectangular ones (not D-rings in any case) Threading the strap properly seems to replicate the look we see on scren pretty well... It has been shown as a "tri-glide" buckle also...
shows a tri-glide and
shows a dual rectangle
Here's a thread on the elusive buckles to further confuse the issue...
viewtopic.php?t=21401&highlight=jacket+specs
If you have D-rings and want to change them to boxes, read this:
viewtopic.php?t=23094
• Pleat depth average 1.375"
(Agent5 1.25")
Several others-1.5”) - this seems to be one of the few things most agree on... (photo below shows jacket with 1.5 pleats compared to shot of Ford between scenes- NOTE the sise of the jacket used for comparison is not known)
Michaelson's advice on properly adjusting the straps:
"I'll offer what I do, and my reasoning....with my arms down to my side, I have my wife (or in your case, somebody who understands what the heck you're doing ) loosen my straps until she sees the action pleats closed completely from top to bottom of my jacket. She then snugs the straps until she just sees the pleats starting to open at the top (which they will, as pulling the straps to tight causes the tension to move upward), then backs it off slightly. That's my set, as now anytime I move, the pleats will adjust to what I'm doing, but close back when my arms are back down to my sides. Any tighter than that, your pleats will constantly gap open at the top, and eventually sag outward from the strain of the to-snug side straps. Straps to tight also causes strain at the point that they're sewn on your jacket, as anytime you zip your jacket and move your arms around, instead of your action pleat moving with your 'actions', (that's why they're there!), your strap is pulling tighter and tighter against the seam of your jacket. It can (and in most cases WILL) finally cause the threads to pop, creating a repair that could have been avoided. Bear in mind...your straps are there for adjustment of the pleats, and NOT as the side anchors of your jacket! They're strong, but not THAT strong."
• Arm seam should be 1” BELOW the yoke seam, OR raise yoke seam 1 inch higher. This depends on the maker and what they are willing to do. This is a major change, and may incur additrional cost...
• Back panel should extend all the way out to the arm seam
• One pocket on the left inside only (that much is agreed upon!)
(some say THIN leather facing [trim])
(some say no leather in here.)
This is a good photo. I cannot tell for sure if that is cloth or leather trim on that pocket myself... Tony Nowak recently replicated a screen-used jacket, and this is his inside pocket:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... Pocket.jpg
Check this closely... It is a different jacket than the one Mr. Nowak copied, but has the same pocket design. My vote is this is the "Screen Accurate" inside pocket, because it is the only inside pocket we see on screen!
• underarm gussets: Some of the original Raiders jackets had underarm gussets and some didn't. It is assumed some of this was determined by whatever scene was being filmed and what they needed the jacket to be able to do for any particular scene, such as stunts [also could be simple lot differences as detailed on the main page]. It sems there is only evidence of a 1-piece gusset being used as can be seen in the film. However, for film accuracy you're interested in then a small, 1-piece gusset or no gusset will do. Also, read this: viewtopic.php?t=8268
And also this, From Peter, who made the jackets used in Raiders:
"I can confirm that the gussets in the Indy films were all of two piece contruction, I can also confirm that some of the jackets had gussets and some did not which is why it confuses and causes controversy.
One must remmber that the jacket seen in the films was not one jacket but several. It was only partway through the first film that we were asked to provide extra jackets with gussets for the fight sceenes but as a film is shot out of sequence jackets with and without gussets keep reappearing.
All the stunt mens jackets had gussets whilst most of Harrison Ford's did not. Without doubt when making the film the continuety dept never envisaged that 20+ years later they would be so well scrutinised. Especially H.F's arm pits
Hope that helps a little
Cheers
Peter"
• Jacket length: read this. All of it... viewtopic.php?t=22195
Make sure the fit is right for you, because you are not Harrison Ford in 1980 (and if you are, my apologies!)
• Making the jacket look "used": Many people like the rugged look of Indy's jacket- it looks well worn and 'lived-in'. there are several techniques for this, as well as letting time do it's thing naturally. read this, and do furter investigation yourself as well... viewtopic.php?t=30608
viewtopic.php?t=30682
viewtopic.php?t=26338
viewtopic.php?t=28173
viewtopic.php?t=28023
viewtopic.php?t=27835
Collar shaping...
viewtopic.php?t=24676
PS I also wanted to mention that I personally scaled up the pocket size as the jacket size increased. Anyone other than a size 40 (if we agree that is Ford's size in '81) should consider scaling some details on their jacket. From 40-42 is 5%, so I scalled up 5% on the pocket dimentions for my personal jacket ordered in size 42 to keep the look right...
Here's a bit Playton did to scale up the pocket size and placement for a size 48 and 52 jacket...
viewtopic.php?t=28696
viewtopic.php?t=31012
Note that there are several vendors who make a quality product. Some are more receptive than others to making changes to their patterns. Here is a list of some vendors you may wish to contact about making a one-off custom jacket (in alphabetical order):
Gibson & Barnes http://www.gibson-barnes.com/leather_expedition.html
Magnoli Clothiers http://magnolic.ipower.com/catalog/prod ... 09e136c78f
Todd's Costumes http://www.toddscostumes.com/indy/indiana_jones.htm
Tony Nowak http://www.tonynowak.com/
U.S. Wings http://www.uswings.com/aviatn.asp
Wested Leather http://www.indyjacket.co.uk/
Also, please read the IndyGear Raiders jacket info here as a supplement to this data for a bit of background: http://www.indygear.com/igjacket-RotLA.html
A post by _ back from the turn of the century where he examined a Raider's stunt jacket first hand:
http://www.indyfan.com/vault/forum/messages/47309.html
Here is some reference information on Harrison Ford's height:
http://www.celebheights.com/s/Harrison-Ford-152.html
Other sizes (height seems to be in question; however I agree it was closer to 6' 1" than 5' 10", average is 5' 11.5") Shall we call it 6'?
(From Noel Howard)
Harrison Ford's sizes :
5' 9 1/2" (1.765 m) height, 40 chest and 34 waist with a 15 1/2" collar.
Shirt : Medium
Trousers : 34"
Web belt : 44"
Gunbelt : 38"
Bag Strap : 65"
Boots : 10.5
It would be nice to have his sleeve length too...
Finally, this is from _, who recently had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Ford himself. Though it was a long time ago, Mr. Ford did recall some details from way back before the turn of the century...
"Ford wore a lot of different jackets in Raiders - too many to keep track of. During the Ellstree shoots, he swapped back and forth with Martin. In Africa he swapped back and forth with the stunt guys and wardrobe. He confirmed there was (at least) one jacket with a satin lining, and he knew he was wearing it during the fight with the mechanic (flying wing). He had only one jacket he wore in Hawaii. The jackets were always ripping or the zippers were breaking. The wardrobe people were just trying to keep them together. "
(I hope _ doesn't mind me using that bit of text. He has not replied to me regarding this thread... It will be removed if he wishes so.)
So, with all that in mind, here is my ever evolving list:
Leather: No question. It was Lambskin, and this has been documented. Many other hides look great too, but that is not the point of this thread...
• Cotton lining for body, sleeves and pockets
• 5 gauge silver colored zipper (aluminum used in movie) with small zipper pull (note: many were painted an antique brass color due to being too bright on screen in some scenes.) Here's a quote from Peter, who made the jackets for Raiders on the zipper...
"In the original film the jackets were supposed to have brass zips but
because of the time factors involved, many of the jackets had aluminium
zips that were painted to give an Antique Brass effect. Obviously,
during filming the paint came off revealing the aluminium underneath.
So the Authentic Jacket was supposed to have authentic brass..."
Many say it goes to the bottom of the jacket; however look at this photo and notice, at least on the stunt jacket, that it does not. It is known Ford swapped with the stunt ment regularly as mentioned above...
(From _) "Vic did have one jacket that did supposedly make an appearance in all three movies. His "hero copy" from Raiders was worn while he did filler shots for Ford at Ellstree while Ford was out with his back injury. Vic supposedly used that jacket for filler shots for LC as well after principle shooting wrapped. "
• NO leather facing on zipper area interior
• Storm flap 1.5” width; square and rounded top corner both seen in movie)
• Collar ending halfway between the zipper and the storm flap
• Collar width average 2.875 inches wide at the tip
(J!m spec 3")
(Agent5 spec 2.75")
• Pocket Average: 7.417” tall x 6.292” wide
(Platon Pockets 7.00" tall x 6.5" wide)
(Nowak pockets 8.00" tall x 6.0" wide)
(Chris_King pockets 7.25" tall x 6.5" wide)
(agent5 pockets: 7.50" tall X 6.25" wide)
(Holt pockets: EDIT)
(Rom Hunter pockets: 7.25" tall X 6.5" wide)
• Pocket on storm flap side should be positioned 1 inch from storm flap stitching and [one opinion is] the bottom of the pocket should be positioned 1.75 inches up from the bottom edge of the jacket.
• Side entry pockets? I say yes. Here's a bit from Michaelson: "Yes, they did, or at least we know for certain the stunt jackets did. That's what the Expedition was based on...a screen used, privately owned Raiders stunt jacket, and it did indeed have the side entry pockets, so we can probably make a safe assumption that the 'hero' jackets had them as well. "
• Scalloped flaps: flap should be 3 inches at the longest measurement and the sides of the flap should be approx 1.75 inches long BEFORE the radius of the bottom corner starts. Not happy with the shape of yours? try this maybe... viewtopic.php?t=27987
• Nickel snaps should be used for pocket flaps (Silver in color anyway)
• Side strap ranging from 7-8.75” length [7 seems popular], 1”width. This depends on the buckle configuration, and the 'look' you want. My suggestion is to get them long, and trim them to what you see on screen...
(Holt: EDIT)
(Agent5: 7-8.75" long; 5" w/ tri-glide buckle)
(Platon: 6.5" w/tri-glide buckle)
X-BOX (or K-box) stitching pattern for straps, double stitched.
[one opinion] top of strap should line through with lowest tip of pocket flap which (if you use these pocket measurements) would put the top of the strap at 6 inches up from the bottom of the jacket - measured from the same part where the pocket is located (the front panel), not the back panel.
• Strap buckles: SEEM to be the two-piece rectangular ones (not D-rings in any case) Threading the strap properly seems to replicate the look we see on scren pretty well... It has been shown as a "tri-glide" buckle also...
shows a tri-glide and
shows a dual rectangle
Here's a thread on the elusive buckles to further confuse the issue...
viewtopic.php?t=21401&highlight=jacket+specs
If you have D-rings and want to change them to boxes, read this:
viewtopic.php?t=23094
• Pleat depth average 1.375"
(Agent5 1.25")
Several others-1.5”) - this seems to be one of the few things most agree on... (photo below shows jacket with 1.5 pleats compared to shot of Ford between scenes- NOTE the sise of the jacket used for comparison is not known)
Michaelson's advice on properly adjusting the straps:
"I'll offer what I do, and my reasoning....with my arms down to my side, I have my wife (or in your case, somebody who understands what the heck you're doing ) loosen my straps until she sees the action pleats closed completely from top to bottom of my jacket. She then snugs the straps until she just sees the pleats starting to open at the top (which they will, as pulling the straps to tight causes the tension to move upward), then backs it off slightly. That's my set, as now anytime I move, the pleats will adjust to what I'm doing, but close back when my arms are back down to my sides. Any tighter than that, your pleats will constantly gap open at the top, and eventually sag outward from the strain of the to-snug side straps. Straps to tight also causes strain at the point that they're sewn on your jacket, as anytime you zip your jacket and move your arms around, instead of your action pleat moving with your 'actions', (that's why they're there!), your strap is pulling tighter and tighter against the seam of your jacket. It can (and in most cases WILL) finally cause the threads to pop, creating a repair that could have been avoided. Bear in mind...your straps are there for adjustment of the pleats, and NOT as the side anchors of your jacket! They're strong, but not THAT strong."
• Arm seam should be 1” BELOW the yoke seam, OR raise yoke seam 1 inch higher. This depends on the maker and what they are willing to do. This is a major change, and may incur additrional cost...
• Back panel should extend all the way out to the arm seam
• One pocket on the left inside only (that much is agreed upon!)
(some say THIN leather facing [trim])
(some say no leather in here.)
This is a good photo. I cannot tell for sure if that is cloth or leather trim on that pocket myself... Tony Nowak recently replicated a screen-used jacket, and this is his inside pocket:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... Pocket.jpg
Check this closely... It is a different jacket than the one Mr. Nowak copied, but has the same pocket design. My vote is this is the "Screen Accurate" inside pocket, because it is the only inside pocket we see on screen!
• underarm gussets: Some of the original Raiders jackets had underarm gussets and some didn't. It is assumed some of this was determined by whatever scene was being filmed and what they needed the jacket to be able to do for any particular scene, such as stunts [also could be simple lot differences as detailed on the main page]. It sems there is only evidence of a 1-piece gusset being used as can be seen in the film. However, for film accuracy you're interested in then a small, 1-piece gusset or no gusset will do. Also, read this: viewtopic.php?t=8268
And also this, From Peter, who made the jackets used in Raiders:
"I can confirm that the gussets in the Indy films were all of two piece contruction, I can also confirm that some of the jackets had gussets and some did not which is why it confuses and causes controversy.
One must remmber that the jacket seen in the films was not one jacket but several. It was only partway through the first film that we were asked to provide extra jackets with gussets for the fight sceenes but as a film is shot out of sequence jackets with and without gussets keep reappearing.
All the stunt mens jackets had gussets whilst most of Harrison Ford's did not. Without doubt when making the film the continuety dept never envisaged that 20+ years later they would be so well scrutinised. Especially H.F's arm pits
Hope that helps a little
Cheers
Peter"
• Jacket length: read this. All of it... viewtopic.php?t=22195
Make sure the fit is right for you, because you are not Harrison Ford in 1980 (and if you are, my apologies!)
• Making the jacket look "used": Many people like the rugged look of Indy's jacket- it looks well worn and 'lived-in'. there are several techniques for this, as well as letting time do it's thing naturally. read this, and do furter investigation yourself as well... viewtopic.php?t=30608
viewtopic.php?t=30682
viewtopic.php?t=26338
viewtopic.php?t=28173
viewtopic.php?t=28023
viewtopic.php?t=27835
Collar shaping...
viewtopic.php?t=24676
PS I also wanted to mention that I personally scaled up the pocket size as the jacket size increased. Anyone other than a size 40 (if we agree that is Ford's size in '81) should consider scaling some details on their jacket. From 40-42 is 5%, so I scalled up 5% on the pocket dimentions for my personal jacket ordered in size 42 to keep the look right...
Here's a bit Playton did to scale up the pocket size and placement for a size 48 and 52 jacket...
viewtopic.php?t=28696
viewtopic.php?t=31012