Club Obi Wan

Greetings all,
I’ve been back on my Indy kick for a lil while now and had a question about my 11 year old Nowak Raiders in 747.
It has been my Goto jacket and worn any chance I can. It’s super broken in and in some areas it’s starting to look/feel thinner. Will these areas eventually tear ? You can see the marks circled in red.
I worry because I want this jacket to last as long as it can! Ask Michaelson and Holt how long and how many jackets I went through before this gem. Lol

also, anything i can do to prolong its life?


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Hey Jude, don't be afraid (sorry, couldn't resist ). I suspect your jacket is just loosening up, as I can't imagine why the leather would be getting thinner. However, if you're starting to feel worried about wearing a jacket that is by now almost irreplaceable, Bill Kelso's relic hunter was made using patterns taken from a Nowak Raiders jacket.

Mulceber wrote:Hey Jude, don't be afraid (sorry, couldn't resist ). I suspect your jacket is just loosening up, as I can't imagine why the leather would be getting thinner. However, if you're starting to feel worried about wearing a jacket that is by now almost irreplaceable, Bill Kelso's relic hunter was made using patterns taken from a Nowak Raiders jacket.

hahahah! thank you for the reply and song!

I hope its just really really breaking in! Has anyone ever had an issue with the leather ripping or breaking in these spots ?
Thank you again for the reply and suggestion.
I have been thinking about a interim jacket to wear (LC S&J)
I don't want to sell this.. the wife would kill me if I got another jacket though.... I might have to let go my Vanson Wolverine to fund a new jacket from S&J

Leather is a natural material and it is not unusual for some panels to be thinner or softer than others. This may only become aparent when the hide softens. It is highly unlikely leather has worn thinner. The surface would need to be abraided for that to happen. I think Nowak used a thickness of 2.5oz for that hide. Even if it is thinner in parts it should be plenty tough enough. Some makers may be more particular about matching hide thickness in a single jacket.

CM wrote:Leather is a natural material and it is not unusual for some panels to be thinner or softer than others. This may only become aparent when the hide softens. It is highly unlikely leather has worn thinner. The surface would need to be abraided for that to happen. I think Nowak used a thickness of 2.5oz for that hide. Even if it is thinner in parts it should be plenty tough enough. Some makers may be more particular about matching hide thickness in a single jacket.

Thank you CM for the guidance. much appreciated!

Since I am on deployment in Japan, I had the wife snap some updated pics of my jacket.



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Looking at pics of Magnoli's Adventure Jacket White label, the hide looks very similar to the 747.. or is it my bad eyes?

It's a moment of choice, isn't it? Keep wearing, really mess it up. Patch it up. Have a really beat up jacket.

Or retire it and have a beat up jacket that gets taken out for Sunday drives. Only you know what you want its end to be.

Don't forget to "feed" the leather every year with a good nutritive leather oil to avoid broken or wrinkled in the leather causing damages in years of wearing,i recommend a vegetable oil like "Saphir leather oil"in spraycan..and whatever you add on the leather,always make a try on a hidden aeras ..