Club Obi Wan

Well, now that I might have the money, I think I'm gonna get me a Wested this year. So, I have a few comfort issues I was hoping some of you proud owners could clear up.

1) Without any mods, is the standard Raiders jacket pretty comfortable, fit wise? Can you move around in it pretty well? Can you cross your arms over your chest without fear of ripping the seams in the back(Properly fitted of course)?

2) Wested lists Goatskin as "Durable Goatskin", by choosing this, am I sacrificing durability for softness of the leather to the touch(or basically, is Goatskin still a smooth, soft leather?)?

3) I'm a tall (6'2"), slightly heavy set (230 lbs) guy, and I don't wear my pants right at the waist (I'm sure some can understand this). Will the Raiders jacket cover my torso to the top of the pantline (which is right about the tops of my hips) or should I order, say a TOD or mod it out to an extra length?

These above all things concern me the most, as I'm looking for a comfortable, durable jacket that will last me a long time and will be well worn and appreciated. I'm not too much of a stickler for accuracy as I am comfort, and that is indeed the choice to be made, it seems. Let's hope I'm "Choosing Wisely."

Regards,
IndyCoil

It is totally custom. You can get the jacket length to your specifications. However, it is a tight fitting garment. You probably should go up a size over what you would normally do, as many have if they planned on wearing sweater or other bulky shirt underneath. You can also have the armholes made bigger to be less restrictive. A lot of people also get an extra inch to inch and a half added to the front as it tends to ride up in front when zipped.

Oh, don't worry about about the sweaters and stuff, I live in Phoenix! "Sweater" is what we usually refer to the locals as.

And the reason I was asking such questions is, is that I don't know the first thing about custom garment manufacturing, so I wouldn't know where to add an inch or subtract an inch or add a gusset or shift a pocket over, or anything like that. That's why I was curious as to how a "stock" Wested fit if I were to say, order it ina 44R or something.

You don't have to specify anything about pockets if you don't want to. You can add an extra inside pocket or have a zipper put on it but you don't really have to add anything. You can just send them the size that you want and they will take it from there. However, it is a tight form fitting style and you may want to order a size larger than normal because you said it was important to you that it is comfortable. The added inch is simply because the jacket rides up on a lot of people when it is zipped and looks like it is too short in the front. I wish I would have added it to mine, but I didn't. It really is not that big a deal for me as I rarely wear it zipped up.

I had my ToD goat lengthened by 2 inches when I sent it back for alterations. The first jacket felt too short, on me that is. For me it depends on what pants I'm wearing where the belt will end up. I'm 6'4" and I think I have a long back, not sure. 2 extra inches did it for me though (Raiders plus three formula) and I feel very comfortable wearing it as it is not too long and not too short for my needs. I'd go ahead and have yourself measured and then tell Peter how long you want it so that you will not have to send it back later on. I sent the jacket back for other reasons in the first place and was lucky I had the opportunity to alter this detail aswell, normally I don't think they will alter jackets lengthwise as it will mean creating a whole new jacket.

Good luck and tell hus how things proceed!

Regards,
Swindiana

IndyCoil,
It has been my observation that standard sizes in the UK are generally much smaller than their counterparts here in the US. For that reason, I would be hesitant to order off-the-rack when you could submit your measurements to Peter.

For instance, I ordered a 46 from Barbour (a waxed cotton jacket made in Scotland). I typically wear a 43L suit jacket and, if I want something baggy, I get a 44. Consequently, I am also 6'2" and weigh in around 205. The Barbour jacket fit, but it was snug, by American standards, which means in the UK, it fight perfectly. Generally, Europeans, and more specifically those in the UK, perfer tighter fits than we baggy-cladded Americans.

In summation, if you are going to order a standard size, I would consider ordering a size up, or telephoning Peter and consulting with him -which is probably the best option.

Either way, Wested is a great company, enjoy the process and good luck.

Alright, thank you for the kind and sound advice folks. By the looks of it, I'm gonna have to get myself down to get measured somewhere! I wanna make sure I have a nice, comfortable jacket that will last the ages(The jacket I had in high school wasn't so fortunate).

Thanks again!