Club Obi Wan

I really love the TN CS jacket, but I live in Louisiana and I was wondering if the cowhide the jacket is made of would be too heavy, "hot" for the mild winters down here? Would I be better off ordering one of his Indy 1 jackets in goatskin? I was also wondering if he would make the CS jacket in another hide? I am not really worried about screen accuracy.

Just looking for some opinions of people who own these jackets and actually know how warm the different hides are.

I think you'll get limited wear in Louisiana. To me it feels lighter than some other cowhide jackets I've owned, but here in Mid South central Tennessee, when it gets above 60 F, it's a bit warm.

He'll make any jacket in any material you want, from what I've read.....

Regards! Michaelson

The best thing is for you to call and discuss this with him. He will give you all options available.
Different hide, lighter lining, less interfacing or whatever it has. He knows what he can do for you.

I definitely plan on calling him to discuss my options, I just wanted a few opinions from fellow members first.

This past weekend it got warm enough to go back to my TN1 and put up the CS I've been wearing for about the last 3 mos of winter (I'm in Al so close to your climate) ....ahhh getting back to the TN 1 was like your Mom letting you have your "Banky" again ....nothing fits or feels like it (have tried lots of others) ..........If you like the look of the CS it might look even better in the Shrunken lamb but I'm sure TN can come up with some newer goat hides also......just don't know if it will fit and drape like the shrunken lamb...the CS cow is definitely a warmer jacket....good luck, you won't go wrong with TN recomendations......

With the cold front heading down at week's end, I may get a few more days wear before it gets hung up for the duration.

Regards! Michaelson

But it'll be a good excuse to pour a wee drop of that Jack Daniels you're so close to

Well....yeah...

Regards! Michaelson

This is probably the reason I would either opt for the Indy I or ask the Indy IV to be made in a lighter leather. You don't get much use (1, maybe 2 months at the most) of heavier leather jackets where I am.

I rented a convertible so I could wear my first CS
from Tony while driving around at night in August
but, for me, it feels most comfortable when it's at or
below 60 degrees out.

I usually reserve the CS for colder weather. Like others have said, if you get above 60 F, it starts to get too warm to be comfortable imo.

Man, you guys are COLD blooded! I'm not happy until the temperature is at least 80. I'll discuss it with Tony when I go to his shop to order my jacket, but I'd like something a little heavier than normal for my climate.


Mike

I live in Houston, so the climate is pretty much the same, and during the winter my TN CS feels fine. As weird as it may sound, I even wear it when its 80 degrees outside.

Kyle

I'm pretty much the same Kyle. It's not just the climate you're in, but a lot of it is what your comfortable in.

I would venture to say it's the ideal jacket to wear between 30 (with a sweater underneath) and 70 Fahrenheit.
it's not a very heavy cowhide and the lining is very thin but very strong, and has some windbreaking qualities.
It surprisingly feels much lighter than my cowhide perfecto.

Oops, I forgot to mention I live in Canada about an hour from Toronto.

It's not so much the 'heat' as it the humidity that make me hang mine up. I just can't stand the humidity anymore.

Regard! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:It's not so much the 'heat' as it the humidity that make me hang mine up. I just can't stand the humidity anymore.

Regard! Michaelson

I think you've hit the nail on the head with that remark Michaelson. Out here in the Netherlands it hardly ever gets warmer than about 80 degrees farenheit, but anything above 70 will make it "too hot" for leather jackets. This is caused mainly by the fact that the Netherlands are actualy a drained swamp and pretty humid. I have been able to wear leather jackets in France an Spain during temperatures that I wouldn't even considder it back home.
So if you live in a humid climate my guess is you won't be able to get much wear out of your TN CS during the warmer months, but if you live in a more arid climate you probably will.

Regards, Geert

No wonder Harrison Ford keeps griping about them putting him in a jungle in one !!

This is an interesting thread; I have a jacket in Crystal Skull cowhide on the way too.
It's Summer here in Australia, and probably too hot for any leather jacket, except at night, for the next few months.
I did however wear my Wested Novapelle far more than I thought. It was heavy, but not hot, if that makes any sense.
I'm hoping Tony's leather will be similar, and for this jacket I'll be getting no facings, so weight will possibly be less than
the old Wested.

Kevin, what's the humidity usually run in your area of Australia ??Saw where the Queensland area had been getting hammered by storms !

Quite the opposite to where I am. Very much south of those wonderful storms and floods.
It never rains here. We have had severe water restrictions for years. So humidity is not a problem!
It's a funny old world, bushfires and dry as a bone on one part of the island, too much water on another.
When I first spoke to Tony regarding my jacket, it was 40 degrees celcius, and it just got hotter and hotter.
Up to 46 degrees.
I thought it was absurd to be buying a leather jacket in such weather! (It's cooled down since though!).

Then Michaelson's above holds up "it's not the heat it's the humidity".............

One minor point to take into consideration might be the "zipper problem" with the CS jacket. If you order a SA jacket without the more heavy-duty zipper, you might want to wear the jacket open all the time to avoid possible damage to the zipper; although if that should happen, Tony is very good about repairing it for you quickly.

Wearing the jacket unzipped most of the time has not been a problem for me, but it may limit your desire to wear it a lot in colder weather.

Jack

It's true the standard zipper is lighter, but it's not a 'throw away'. I've used mine zipped up all winter when worn, and experienced no problems at all.

Regards! Michaelson

I can't remember, has anyone posted pics of a CS made in shrunken lamb ?? Agree with above no problem with original zipper here either.......

Michaelson wrote:It's true the standard zipper is lighter, but it's not a 'throw away'. I've used mine zipped up all winter when worn, and experienced no problems at all.

Regards! Michaelson

I must have gotten a defective zipper, because the pull snapped off shortly after I received the jacket; but Tony repaired it free of charge, sent me extra zipper pulls in case it breaks again, and even offered a free replacement of the zipper with the heavy duty version that he recommends and uses on his own jacket.

Jack

Understood.

Granted, they're NO where near as strong as a standard Gibson and Barnes zipper, or Wings for that matter....but the one on mine isn't a wind breaker strength either. With normal use, I've had no problems myself....but that's me and my experience.

Others will vary, of course.

Regards! Michaelson

Also, please understand I in no way intended to bash Tony's work, which has been incredible. I saw the zipper as only a very minor glitch ( and a necessary one if you want total SA) in an otherwise exemplary product.

When he learned I had followed Arnold's career from way back, Tony also promised me a complimentary "Arnold" jacket as an added compensation, and then forgot about it! But I spoke with him yesterday and he says it's on it's way-- so, all in all, I'm glad my zipper broke!

I find Tony to be a forthright guy who stands behind his work and will go out of his way to make sure you are happy with what he sells you.

Jack

Oh, no, it wasn't read as a bash, my friend. It was a very good point, as it is a much lighter zipper than we usually see on our jackets. Thanks for mentioning it.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Oh, no, it wasn't read as a bash, my friend. It was a very good point, as it is a much lighter zipper than we usually see on our jackets. Thanks for mentioning it.

Regards! Michaelson

Jack

The zipper info is good advice. I think easybox though is the only one who has reported a problem with the 'SA' zipper.

Well, we went from a high of 80 yesterday to a high of 52 today, low of the mid 30's at night, and it's supposed to stay that way for the next 7 days.

Guess I'm not out of jacket wearing season just yet!

Regards! Michaelson

I'm just going to have to call Tony and see what he can whip up.

Kevin Anderson wrote:This is an interesting thread; I have a jacket in Crystal Skull cowhide on the way too.
It's Summer here in Australia, and probably too hot for any leather jacket, except at night, for the next few months.
I did however wear my Wested Novapelle far more than I thought. It was heavy, but not hot, if that makes any sense.
I'm hoping Tony's leather will be similar, and for this jacket I'll be getting no facings, so weight will possibly be less than
the old Wested.

I'm in Australia too (near Kevin, I think) in Melbourne. We've had plenty of days recently where I can wear a solid leather jacket. I stop wearing them at around 77 (in our measurements 25 degrees). The amazing thing about Melbourne is that you can have a day or two of 107 followed by a day or two of 66.

In Sydney where it is very humid, I would not wear a leather jacekt past 68. Mind you I have many friends who never wear any kind of jacket at all unless they are in Europe. Many people in Australia would only wear a suit coat for work, if it ever got cold, it would be a fleece or sloppy joe type thing.

How much does a size 42 TN CS weigh? That is a key question.

Without having a scale to measure its weight, I'd have to use another vendors jacket, a Wings VIP cowhide Indy, that arrived at a measured weight of just over 5 pounds.

The TN cowhide CS is lighter in actual physical feel to me in comparison, so I'd say around 4 pounds.

Can anyone confirm?

Regards! Michaelson

ive warn my leather jackets in 100 degree weather

Michaelson wrote:Without having a scale to measure its weight, I'd have to use another vendors jacket, a Wings VIP cowhide Indy, that arrived at a measured weight of just over 5 pounds.

The TN cowhide CS is lighter in actual physical feel to me in comparison, so I'd say around 4 pounds.

Can anyone confirm?

Regards! Michaelson

Sounds about right but I will say mine was lighter when it arrived in June (not that much heavier than my Lamb) than it is now. I think this due to the nature of cowhide to soak up oil, moisture and dirt... not to mention Pecards.

My opinion is that fudementally any Indy jacket is suited for temps between 45-65 degrees F. To me my Goat G1 is warmer than my Cow TN because the goat is dense and doesn't breath at all- when paired with a sweatshirt this makes a good winter jacket.

eazybox wrote:
When he learned I had followed Arnold's career from way back, Tony also promised me a complimentary "Arnold" jacket as an added compensation, and then forgot about it! But I spoke with him yesterday and he says it's on it's way-- so, all in all, I'm glad my zipper broke!

Jack

Just as an update, I received not only one free Arnold jacket, but two-- one as an Easter present for a relative.

Both jackets came as a complete and very pleasant shock. After Tony forgot he had promised me the first one, he made up for it with the second. I thought at first that he must be putting me on, but they arrived today via prepaid Fedex-- just in time for Easter, as he said they would.

As far as I'm concerned, Tony is good as gold. You should have no worries at all about dealing with this wonderful guy.

Jack