Club Obi Wan

O.K. I think that i'm a bit closer to making a decision. I am really leaning toward the U.S. Wings Roo. But am curious to know what this jacket is like.
How does it compare to the G&B Goat Expo? (Is one better made than the other)
How heavy is it?
How well built is it?
What type of liner does it have?
What climate/season suits it best?

Forgive me for all the questions but I regret that I have not done too well with locating a lot of info regarding this particular jacket. Thanks in advance for your input.

Blue Skies,
Soulman

I know nothing about this first hand, but I do remember someone on this forum that owned one said the material was so soft and floppy, he had to sew the handwarmer pockets shut for appearance reasons. I am sure one of the "old-timers" will remember the post and can point you in the right direction...Good luck.

It might be a good idea to first give USWings a call to see if they even have one in your size first since “quantities are limited” and once they’re gone they will be unavailable. I believe this happened once before, but with USWings you can never really be sure. It seems to me that they’ve been on sale for ages.

These links may be a bit old and refer to the original batch they had, but they’re worth checking out barring no other input:

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... t=kangaroo

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... t=kangaroo

My guess is that there probably is a reason you’re not getting “a lot of info” from most people here and why most members go with a goatskin (or other leather) over a kangaroo hide, and it may not all have to do with the hide itself.

Hokay....I've kept quiet, as I seem to be replying to almost all questions lately (windy old bugger, ain't I? ), but since no body has stepped up to the plate, here goes again.....the roo jacket is VERY light in weight, and pound for pound probably the toughest leather out there, even tougher than goatskin. Problem with it was the color. It's to red, especially if you're trying to go for any kind of screen accuracy. _ owned one, and really liked it, but due to the color, he sold it not to long after he got it. The lining is the same as all the other high end Wings jackets, and made and sized exactly the same. It's expensive because the leather is so hard to get here in the U.S. in hides so large, especially for a jacket maker, so the price reflects this. The jacket leather mentioned above that was floppy and had the pockets sewn shut was the FS deerskin, not the 'roo. Roo does not stretch out like deerskin, or lambskin for that matter. As I also recall, roo doesn't distress worth a hoot, if you're wanting to distress naturally or unnaturally. It's just as tough as it gets fiber wise. If you're not caring about color accuracy, distressing, or want a jacket your grandkids will probably inherit, then the 'roo is for you. Regards. Michaelson

Michaelson,

Well, I did my best. Maybe everyone else was too busy looking around at one another waiting to see who the old “old-timers” really were, not thinking it was themselves - I'm just assuming.

Hummm. Well, heck, I'm not ashamed....I'm old. You can tell. You provided hard proof with links from your research of the site, I rambled on about the 'good old days'. Regards. Michaelson

You’re not really considered an old-timer until you reach 92, at least that’s what my grandfather use to say. And personally I don’t think you look a day over... well, you don’t look that old yet, you're hair ain't even white.

Oh, and besides, he said with age comes wisdom.

The jacket leather mentioned above that was floppy and had the pockets sewn shut was the FS deerskin, not the 'roo.

D'oh! My memory is worse than I thought. I guess I can go back into hiding

Age and wisdom go hand in hand!? Good. Then I'm younger than I thought!!! Regards. Michaelson

Someone call the cops this thread has been hijacked

Also, not mentioned is the fact that the Kangaroo, if it does start to
get any marks or distressing to it at all, will usually be almost black!

For some reason, the hide under the color layer is very dark, almost
black, and any distressing will look dark, and not the lighter shade of
tan that we all desire.

If you want a tough jacket, in a more russet color, I would go with a
Horsehide Expedition in Russet.

It will be extremely tough, though heavier than the kangaroo, but it will
distress very nicely, and it is one fantastic leather!!

Also, even with the added expense of the horsehide, it should cost
around the same as the expensive kangaroo Wings jacket. But, unlike
any Wings jacket, the Expedition can be made to fit your EXACT
measurements! You will never, ever get that from Wings.

And if you did ever have a problem, Dave Marshall will take care of you
no matter what. You will not get that at Wings. Once you cut the tag
off the Wings jacket, its yours forever. No matter what happens to it.
You can't change your mind like some of us do, and want to send it
back for an exchange like Wested or F.S.. You will be stuck with
a jacket you don't like, and you will have to try to sell it, at a huge loss,
if you do.

If you are not an "off the rack" size, you could be in for some trouble
trying to get a Wings jacket to fit you properly. They won't alter the
sleeve length for you. They won't add or take away any body length if
you are shorter or taller than most. And you will have to stick with a
one-size-fits-many sizing, and not a custom made jacket like Wested or
F.S. Its just not worth the high cost for the kangaroo jacket in my
opinion to not be able to get it custom made like the others.

And I will not even go into what can happen to you if you did have to
actually send it back for a refund or exchange! Do not get me started on
that one!!

Flathead

Michaelson wrote:Age and wisdom go hand in hand!? Good. Then I'm younger than I thought!!! Regards. Michaelson

Then you're younger than everyone thought!

FLATHEAD wrote:If you want a tough jacket, in a more russet color, I would go with a Horsehide Expedition in Russet....

...But, unlike any Wings jacket, the Expedition can be made to fit your EXACT measurements! You will never, ever get that from Wings.

In early October I tried to order my distressed cowhide Expedition with an extended zipper and Ehren explained that it would cost a couple hundred additional dollars because they would have to come up with modified patterns to accommodate the request. Needless to say, I didn't want a 50% increase in the price. However, there is a $30 charge if you want an Expedition in a leather other than lambskin or goat. So, horse or cow is going to cost an extra $30. Anyway, my point is that I just want some of the newer gearheads to keep in mind that getting a custom-fitted Expedition will cost a lot more than the original retail price of the jacket.

I.J.

The following is a penciled memo in Michaelson's day planner for the next QM summit, and I quote..."Be sure to short sheet Indiana Jess's bunk before turning in." Unquote. Regards. Michaelson

Anyway, my point is that I just want some of the newer gearheads to keep in mind that getting a custom-fitted Expedition will cost a lot more than the original retail price of the jacket.

The kangaroo jacket from Wings already costs more than an expedition.
It is currently $495.00 from Wings.

The Expedition is about $400.00 for the lambskin, plus the extra money
for the different leather, plus about 50 bucks for any alterations you would
want.

This puts a custom made Expedition jacket just slightly ahead in price
over an off the rack, no customizations what-so-ever, one size fits
many Wings kangaroo jacket.

The slight price difference, for a custom made Expedition horsehide
jacket, over the kangaroo Wings jacket is well worth the money.

Remember, that we are comparing the Expedition, made in another
leather type, against the Wings kangaroo, not against a Wested, or
a regular lambskin Expedition. The Kangaroo Wings jacket is almost
50 percent more than the standard Wings Lambskin or Cowhide offerings.

Flathead

I bought _'s Kangaroo jacket for my brother. He's sitting here as I write this, and he says it's a great jacket. The jacket is a lot redder and somewhat lighter than either of my Wested Jackets or my Expedition. He hasn't let the jacket get distressed, as he likes it to look like a dressy jacket. The style can go either way. He wore the jacket with a shirt (sometimes the NH Indy shirt) and tie and got a lot of compliments on it.

Thanks,

John D

Thank you all for your input! Y'all are the best