Club Obi Wan

Very nice, large images of their line of leather jackets, etc, subtly different from the images on their website.
Had also asked them via email for actual dimensions of their Expedition jacket, as some had commented on how "full sized" they are cut.
From the numbers they provided, I was able to determine that their 38 R or 40 R is close to the chest size and shoulder width of my US Wings M, but the sleeves on those sizes are 1" or more SHORTER than the sleeves on my US Wings, which would put the cuff right at my wrist, not on the back of my hand.
Or put another way, to get the sleeve length the same, I'd have to go to a 42 or larger chest...and I don't like the baggy, "off the shoulder" fit of an oversized jacket.
Do Expedition purchasers buy oversize as a matter of course?
Or do they just prefer the "off the shoulder" look?
Custom made to get the sleeves right?
???

That's something I've experienced with G&B's from the get-go, but my arms are a bit longer than standard sizing. A 42R always fit me like a tailored fit (pre-middle age tummy, that is, though they still fit). Problem I've always had is the sleeves were at least an inch and a half too short for my arms.

A 44R or T on the other hand has perfect sleeve length, though the shoulders are just a bit wider, not enough to make that big a difference.

So, in my personal experience, the answer is 'yes' to your last question, but have personally found the Wings medium to be closer to the G&B size 42R myself. I've read of others saying the same thing you have regarding 38-40, though, so you're not alone in your theory of sizing matchup.
Thing is, I've tried to put on a size 40 in the past, and there was absolutely no way I could have ever zipped up the jacket....even when I was in my prime 'back in the day'.

Regards! Michaelson

I was primarily curious about the Expedition as a shorter "Raiders" jacket.
I'm thinking I'd have to perhaps order a tall to get the combination of chest size and arm length comparable to my US Wings.

Just curious- What were the measurements they gave you for a 38R and 40R? Thanks!

Sorry for the long delay, I hadn't checked back on this thread in a long time.
These are the dimensions I received. Note that "Neck to Waist" clearly has some typos, but I've not contacted G&B for corrections.

38R:
Chest: 49
Waist: 42.5
Hip: 41
Shoulders: 19.5
Sleeve: 33.5
Neck to Waist: 17.5

38T:
Chest: 49
Waist: 42.5
Hip: 41
Shoulders: 19.5
Sleeve: 34.5
Neck to waist: 17.5

40R:
Chest: 51
Waist: 44.25
Hip: 42.75
Shoulders: 20
Sleeve: 34
Neck to waist: 18

40T:
Chest: 51
Waist: 44.25
Hip: 42.75
Shoulders: 20
Sleeve: 35
Neck to waist: 18

42R:
Chest: 53
Waist: 46.5
Hip: 44.5
Shoulders: 20.5
Sleeve: 34.5
Neck to Waist: 25.25

Though absolutely correct tailoring, I'm still not used to measuring sleeve lengths by taking it from the center of spine, over the shoulder, then down to 1" or more below the wrist break. That's where those sleeve lenghs come from above.

I'm used to measuring from the sleeve connection to the shoulder to below the wrist.

Like I said, it all depends on the person. I've found that a medium in Wings matches a 42R in a G&B, but both their sleeves are too short for my arms. I have to go with a 44 in a G&B, and a Large in a Wings to get the right sleeve length....and you're right, you have to compromise with the bit of extra shoulder width to make that work, though it's not THAT large.

Custom is always the very best way to go if you're looking for that tailored fit.

Regards! Michaelson

My US Wings M and Expedition 42 R do, overall, fit similarly.
Sleeves fall to exactly the same place with either jacket.
I do notice the relative proportions or the two jackets as being subtly different.
Here is a photo of the right shoulder and sleeve seam, taken with the jackets zipped up and lying flat, and with the left shoulder seams aligned.
The difference at the top of the shoulder amounts to an inch.
I can live with either one, but given my choice, I'd select the fit of the US Wings both for appearance (IMHO, less droop looks "better") and comfort.
The best way I can describe it is that, between these two particular jackets, the Wings "feels" slightly better with regard to fit when I have it on.
If I were to buy another Wings, I'd get another M. If I were to buy another G&B, I'd likely go down a size to a 40 R.

11 inches of room? God, winter jacket would fit under G&B jackets. Don't you feel they are oversized?

Curious. I have a 42 Tall and it is cut on the slim side. I am close to 6 ft 2 and and 185 pounds. Of all teh jacekts I have bought, I consider G&B as those which run true to size.

I don't know where they get that figure on their size chart of 51 inches for a 40, or 53 for a 42.
My 42 Expedition has a LOT more room than my 42 Schott Perfecto.
It actually IS close overall to my Wings M.
While it is roomy enough, there is nothing like 13 inches of extra room, maybe 6 or so (estimated by pulling tight and overlapping the zipper).
CM, what is the back length on your 42 T?

Back length is 25 3/4 inches. And, naturally, the Perfecto, being a classic bike jacket will be form fitting. The 1980's designed Indy jacket is not that kind of jacket, and fits looser.

Wow...am I scracthing my head at this point. My experience in the past has been that the US wings medium swam on me and my G&B 42R was a bit constricting. I do think that if you looked carefully at the backs of the US Wings and the G & B, you would find that the "cut" of the sleeves at top where they connect to the jacket body are such that the Wings is cut more generously in an arc and the G & B is less so, thereby resulting in the Wings feeling a little less constricting even with LESS shoulder width and the G & B feeling a little more constraining even with MORE shoulder width. OK...I am done confusing everyone.

*** Hence...the need with a G & B to go up a size for some of us and the resultant shoulder "droop."

Better late than never

Those chest sizes are pretty excessive if those are the correct measurements. A 40R would measure pit to pit at 25.5 inches! Most 40R jackets should measure about 22 inches.

ron521 wrote:Or put another way, to get the sleeve length the same, I'd have to go to a 42 or larger chest...and I don't like the baggy, "off the shoulder" fit of an oversized jacket.
Do Expedition purchasers buy oversize as a matter of course?
Or do they just prefer the "off the shoulder" look?
Custom made to get the sleeves right?
???

If you are working with the right salesperson, you can request sleeve length and even back length, but you will need to sign a form stating that the jacket is non-returnable.

I agree, the chest measurements from the respective size charts seem crazy large.
This 42 R Expedition measures 24 inches pit to pit, indicating roughly 48 inches chest size, not the 53 on the chart.
The US Wings M measures 22 inches, so 44 inches. Their size chart says an M is supposed to be 24 inches, for a 48 inch chest?
So the Expedition is 6 inches bigger than it's "marked" size, but still nowhere near as big as the size chart.
The Wings is 5 inches bigger than the average of the (38-40) which it is claimed to fit, but also nowhere near as big as the size chart.
This is actually what I would expect if both sizes were close to accurate.
The larger marked Expedition SHOULD also have a bigger chest and wider shoulders than the Wings...and it does.
I can only surmise that both G&B and US Wings are actually closer to their marked sizes than either size chart would lead you to believe.

It's amazing what you find when you dig through old posts...

I've been doing a similar comparison myself right now between a GB and USwings as far as fit, except I'm focusing on the Legends, which I hear have a trimmer fit in comparison. I've never had a USwings or seen one in person as of yet, but have had in my hands almost every other coat out there. I've actually been to GB's store and was sized and fit by the staff there as a 42R years ago but thanks to a new jacket purchase (I bought a Schott 40 R cafe racer that fits me like it was specially made for me) I'm re-evaluating the sizing they did with me, especially since, now thinking back, they didn't measure and just "eyeballed it." I know sizes can vary, but I'm normally a size 40R suit and I run around 175 lbs now (I've bulked up since GB, at the time they were FS, sized me) and I'm personally finding my GB 42R fits me like Ford's coat in CS.

Now I'm really looking at the USwings legends, debating about a size 40R GB, but overall I want a better fit (and a Schott made Indy really appeals to me). Right now I'm waiting on a legend sent by a buddy to try out and maybe purchase but I'm itching to know some other's experiences/info. Does anyone have notes/experiences that can give me some good info/feedback?

Oh... I've forgotten how hard it was to wait for gear!


P.S. Anyone interested in a 42R GB goat expedition?

I've owned a couple of G&Bs and in my experience they are wide in the shoulder and short in the sleeve by about an inch or so. (And this was in "tall" sizing.)