Club Obi Wan

I was thinking that I would like to have a U.S.W. Indy jacket, but which one? Of all the choices offered what would be considered the most durable? I'm sort of partial to goatskin. How does their goat compare to G&B's? (I currently have an Expo) Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Blue Skies,
Soulman

From what I understand, the kangaroo hide, though pricey, is the strongest of what they offer. You figure that's what high end whips are made off. Of course, this info is from mere research and not experience, so take it with a grain of salt...

You also have to keep in mind that kangaroo might end up being too durable! From what I understand it's so tough it won't distress without quite a fight. Like was already mentioned, kangaroo hide is what they make high end whips out of, and think of the kind of abuse those whips take. I think goatskin is durable enough for most people's purposes

I have a USWings VIP which I’ve had for nearly two years, and it hasn’t shown a bit of appreciable wear in all that time and is a bit more supple than goat, but not as much as lamb; but then again I also have a G&B Dark Goat, and I can pretty much the same, although I believe it is thinner than the USWings Goat (at least at that time) and is lighter in weight than the VIP. With all that said, the main concern you may encounter with USWings is getting the fit exactly right because of their sizing and then there is customer service to deal with should you have a problem although I might add that I had no problem with my jacket and is one of the better jackets I own.

I did come across these threads where Minnesota_Jones compares a USWings Goat and Cow to his Expo Seal Chrome Goat:

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... be00dbfef1

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... be00dbfef1

Here's the pic of my Expo "Seal Chrome" Goat (in the middle) and my USWings Goat on the right. It's a lot darker than the Expo and a lot thicker hide too. Good for cooler weather than the Expo. The USWings Cowhide (on the left) is even thicker still over the USWings Goat. The USWings are great jackets and tough as nails. They do have the cloth lining (better again for cooler temps) and you may need to tweak them a bit if you're not a good fit for off the rack sizing (I had to have the sleeves brought up just a tad, but other than that, they fit just fine.