Club Obi Wan

Hello everyone. I had the bug and bought used a G&B Expedition from a forum member. He was very helpful in explaining how this jacket fits on him plus I was able to see photos of the jacket on a previous owner who posted them here.

I originally bought a small bomber at Jos. A Bank but it was 23.5" wide zipped and had short arms causing squirrelidge galore and had to return it. I posted 3 of those photos for reference. Standing straight it looked good on me any other position it was a balloon.

So this Expedition feels tight in the shoulders. It is a size 40 I tried on suits and I am a 40 short there. My shoulders are 18" and chest 38". G&B said they would probably put me in a 40 which is really(in this jacket) 44" and 19" shoulder to shoulder seam. But I can't explain the tightness in the shoulders. Maybe the jacket being 3.5 pounds is heavy and I am not used to leather, maybe it is the way it fits the shoulders because of long or short seams, maybe it is the arm cut. But the chest feels a bit tight even though there is some room. As Indy jacket owners you probably have a better gauge on shoulder feel.

It seem like it might be fine with a polo but with a sweatshirt it seems too tight. But it seems to look good on me but disappointed it doesn't seem like it can be a 3 season jacket though maybe even that might be me getting used to it.

How does it look on me? G&B makes a killer jacket for sure. Amazing build quality.

Here is link to the photos in Picasa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/corvairfan/ ... dW2kd_SugE#

Looks good to me at a cursory glance. Sleeves seem about the right length and I don't notice anything that shows it being tight across the shoulders.

If it's goatskin (a safe guess on my part) it will surprise you how wide a temperature range it will be comfortable in.

As far a fit, it does look a bit snug in shoulders and across the chest. This surprises me because G&Bs tend to be cut more generously. Thing is, the rest of the jacket looks right. Either it's a rare size goof, or perhaps you just have a body type that doesn't work well with the cut of a G&B. That can happen, and just with a G&B. If your instincts are telling you it doesn't fit right, it probably doesn't.

About the layering, though; most Indy jackets are not sized for thick under layers. If you want that option, you have to buy up a size. Except maybe with US Wings.

This is actually one of the pre-mods from what 6 or7 years ago. Turns out I will be like the 5th owner. So perhaps back then when they made a 40 they cut it for 44" instead the 46"-50"???they might be cutting now. I was reading that a size 42 Expedition measures 25" pit to pit which would make it 50" wide. Seems like that would be pretty wide for my size perhaps.

Oh, nothing wrong with the original pocket design. Seem nice to me just missing a lining but they feel substantial and don't bunch up but maybe that is because they had time to soften up. Love the arm movement and the ability to sit down with the jacket closed that and the pockets really led me to this jacket.

In researching jackets here it seemed like I would have had to gone small in Us Wings but worried about the 27.25 length. That would make it 3.25" lower on me than these photos. Pretty low with my short legs. I loved looking at the Expeditions and the rave reviews said jump on the used one in my suit size cause I can't afford a new Expedition.

If anything I expected it to feel bigger because just about every leather jacket locally is much bigger on me.

The sleeve length and body length look good. the fit doesn't look like it should be as tight in the shoulder as you describe.
Is it tight under the arms when zipped up?

Rc. It doesn't seem too tight under the arms zipped up. It is a really close to the armpit fit and feels a bit funny but not anything that has been obvious to me.

I do however feel the back strap that holds the pleat closed running against my upper back even with the jacket zipped 1/2 way. Is that just the feel of the Expedition design perhaps?

[quote="Corvairfan"]Hello everyone. I had the bug and bought used a G&B Expedition from a forum

So....I don't think it looks good on you, but I don't think it's tight around the shoulders either. It's just droopy looking, too much hanging past the shoulders, too much stunk in pit-to-pit.

It's similar to the way G&B fits on me, I think.


After 8 years of wearing the thing day after day, eventually I decided it didn't have the vibe I wanted as much as I thought it was a cool jacket and I eventually sold it (and it looks much better on Mark Seven)

That's just my opinion, but it seems like you having a similar vibe.

BTW I'm a 40R, and the jacket is a 38R after trying a 40R in a G&B.

Actually looks pretty good, perhaps the it feels snug because the armholes come up higher than many "fashion" jackets.
Maybe you just need to get used to the fit, different from the way most jackets are made now, and closer to a classic motorcycle jacket.
I think I could live with it...

Tight in the shoulders? From the way it looks on you I would have never guessed that I do think it looks good on you and you seem to have some extra room in the shoulders, but of course I can't see how the liner sits on you. For all I know the liner is actually a lot tighter in the shoulders than the outer shell of the jacket Does the mentioned tightness restrict your movement in any way? is it overly uncomfortable, or just a weird feeling?

Going only from what I can see it looks like an Indy jacket should look on you, maybe even a bit much shoulder droop.

Regards, Geert

Of course (and something I neglected to touch on in my first post), the most important thing is whether you're happy with it. Irregardless of what we can tell going on pictures, if you think it feels too tight, then you're not going to like it. I had a jacket that I felt was too short. Everyone said that it looked the part, and it probably did, but it felt too short so I eventually got rid of it.

My limited experience is that, if it's bugging you enough to mention it specifically on a post about the jacket, then it's a major issue for you. As such, you're probably never going to be completely happy with it.

Of course all of this could be a load of horse manure on my part...it's been known to occur.

I appreciate all the feedback. I posted pretty soon after receiving the jacket. I knew it was a snug fit on a 41 chest from the previous owner so I figured it would still feel pretty loose on a 38 chest.

So,

Do all Indy jackets get tighter in the chest as you zip them? That might be what is really bugging me here. I just tried on and Andrew Marc jacket at TJ Maxx. The straight no cuff Indy style sort of. When that is zipped in either a medium or large there is not much change in the pulling in of the jacket at the top or bottom. Yet on the Expedition, as I zip up, everything tightens in noticeably, especially mid chest on up, as you can see from the photos.

Corvairfan wrote:........... Yet on the Expedition, as I zip up, everything tightens in noticeably, especially mid chest on up, as you can see from the photos.

Is your own mid chest measurement larger than your chest measurement under your arms?

You also said you feel the elastic closer across your back. Maybe it is too stiff/needs more elasticity.

Still measure 38" though I measure that at the center of the chest than slightly smaller right under my arms and smaller at the lower sternum?? I do hit 39" at my bellybutton yet I still feel there is room at my belly despite being slightly wider than my chest. That's kind of evident in the photos too where I pull out the belly and the chest.

Don't know what to say on the elastic they feel straight and it is an older jacket so they shouldn't be as tight as new.

I will buy some Lexol ph cleaner wipes(maybe liquid because I have leather car seats) and some Lexol conditioner and clean up the jacket a bit tonight even though I know it won't effect the fit but it will look nice.

Then I will wear it over the next few days and come to a conclusion. It really seemed like I was buying the right size.

It's a strange fit for you, I think. It looks to be the right size but it sits strangely on your upper chest.

I don't think it looks to bad opened up, however I don't like the way it looks on you zipped up.

I used Lexol cleaner and separate conditioner last night and the jacket looks much better. The grayish cast/dryness in the pleats and gussets are gone so it looks much richer.

As I wore it last night and on the way to work this morning I really think it comes down to shoulder fit. Like Texan Scott's it tends to want to lay backwards off the shoulder bringing the chest tighter. Pulling it up is better but haven't paid attention if it creeps back or not. The horizontal shoulder seam tends to want to sit on the back part of the shoulder not on top of it like I would expect not sure what that means fit wise or if that is just the design.

I figured out what I am feeling in the back is not the strap for the pleats but the thick horizontal seam on the top of the back. I am aware of this zipped and unzipped. I clearly have room in the jacket so maybe the extra room in the shoulders causes the jacket to pull tighter in the back somehow. Nobody was around last night to view this on me to see if the seam was tight or not or if the strap pleats are keeping the back snug and it is just a feel thing to get used to.

I do tend to hyperfocus on things so I will keep wearing this and seeing what happens. The weight and feel of a slim jacket is unusual for me so that contributes for sure. Worse comes to worse I can try a US Wings(worried most about the 27.25" back that is mid butt on me) or maybe a newer cut G&B if they do allot for 10" beyond stated size. That could give me better fit shoulder wise and a tad more room in the chest than this one.

Corvairfan wrote: As I wore it last night and on the way to work this morning I really think it comes down to shoulder fit. Like Texan Scott's it tends to want to lay backwards off the shoulder bringing the chest tighter. Pulling it up is better but haven't paid attention if it creeps back or not. The horizontal shoulder seam tends to want to sit on the back part of the shoulder not on top of it like I would expect not sure what that means fit wise or if that is just the design.

This "off the shoulders" thing is something that TN Raiders jackets all have. Since that was copied directly off of a screen used jacket it means it is supposed to do that. So if this is the only cause of the perceived tightness in the shoulders then congratulations: you have a jacket that behaves just like the original It also explains why I saw nothing wrong with it when zipped up: if I don't pull my TN forward before zipping it more than half-way it will do the same. When I pull it forward onto my shoulders I can zip it all the way to the top comfortably and it will stay put.

Regards, Geert

The top seam of the back yoke along the shoulder line doesn't sit exactly in the middle of the shoulder of any Raiders jacket.
If your whole jacket is falling back off your shoulders and moves around on your shoulders like it has a bit of mind of it's own it is acting like a TN Raiders, as Geert says. From what I've read that's unusual for a G+B, but yours is an early cut so maybe it does. The bottom seam of the back yoke of yours looks low and in line with the arm seams. maybe for some reason that jacket is cut narrow for the jacket size along the seam? That would make it more taught across the back and perhaps you feel it because of this.
Could this be a reason that jacket has changed hands so much?

gwyddion wrote:This "off the shoulders" thing is something that TN Raiders jackets all have. Since that was copied directly off of a screen used jacket it means it is supposed to do that. So if this is the only cause of the perceived tightness in the shoulders then congratulations: you have a jacket that behaves just like the original It also explains why I saw nothing wrong with it when zipped up: if I don't pull my TN forward before zipping it more than half-way it will do the same. When I pull it forward onto my shoulders I can zip it all the way to the top comfortably and it will stay put.

Regards, Geert

I agree with that. Mine behaves exactly the same way.

Looking at the side view photo again of the jacket unzipped I don't see the jacket falling back, the collar is up against the neck. The upper yoke seam at the shoulder is fairly centered too.
In the 3/4 zipped up photo of the back the seam of the bottom of the yoke does not look taught across.
Going by the photos I can't tell what the jacket is doing.

VERY HELPFUL EVERYONE. This sounds a bit more positive because the jacket seems to be behaving and fitting somewhat like it should. I was in the store earlier and looked in the mirror and saw the fall off and thought it had an Indy vibe for sure. It is a weird feeling of the collar not staying flat against the neck and after walking around at lunchtime it won't stay that way after the tug and zip. But sounds like that is the design and I can live with that.

I guess the last concern is I am experiencing back pain with the jacket. Basically from the base of the neck straight down to the center of the back. My guess is I just have to get used to the weight of the jacket because the shoulders and neck are supporting 3.5 pounds.

True?

Gotta get back to hitting the weights and that solves that pretty quickly I bet.

Going to keep searching for a thin brown full zip fleece with a collar I know that will look great with this jacket. It's 43 degrees outside and 1 long sleeve Izod shirt with the goat is not quite enough. Close but not quite.

So positive information and my old gf saw the photos and liked the jacket especially WITH the big fat sweatshirt. LOL.

Corvairfan

Glad to hear you are starting to bond with it.

Corvairfan wrote:

I guess the last concern is I am experiencing back pain with the jacket. Basically from the base of the neck straight down to the center of the back. My guess is I just have to get used to the weight of the jacket because the shoulders and neck are supporting 3.5 pounds.

True?



Corvairfan

I suppose if you're used to wearing much lighter jackets, that might be a factor. I don't know. I had a G and B in goat and never experienced any discomfort when wearing it. I was a huge fan of the texture of the leather but it was actually one of the most comfortable Indy jackets I've owned.