Rugged West - custom Rugged Rider 3.0 (Buco J-24 inspired) - Initial impressions / review

[AeroFan_07]

Well, that's the "rugged" part of the jacket
I don't think you should overestimate terms like "rugged". Ultimately, it's just marketing. I got my RW jackets relatively cheaply, made to my measurements, and I like to wear them from time to time. But if I had to choose between the Aeros and the RW, I would definitely keep the Aeros.

Edit:BTW, I think I'm responsible for the two-way zip on this jacket, because I wanted it and then it was used on other jackets from then on.

Ah ha!! so the truth comes out

And yeah, for what it is, and for someone who really wants a slick looking jacket it's a good option. I certainly didn't pay new price for it. I will give it a few days and if no one expresses interest in it, I may just put it on and wear it around to "test local reaction" to this jacket. It does certainly look impressive with the glossy finish and brass hardware, and that 2-way zipper.

 

[Zoro]

So the Rugged West Rugged Rider 2.0 (Size L) arrived yesterday. This was a "tried on new" jacket purchased via ebay, and there are many initial photos of it, in its "For sale" ad. That's right, it is already for sale. Why? Primarily as it does not fit me well at all. Let me start with the fit as that's the first thing we need to "get right" with a jacket, and this being a new to me maker, I realize manufacturing differences do occur. However, looking at the fit chart from their website, a Size Large should fit my 6' 1" / 195 lb person fairly well.

View attachment 755095

Here are the dimensions I found on this jacket - see the fit photos on this thread: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/rugged-west-rugged-rider-2-0-brown-leather-m-long.121258/

Dimensions:
Pit to PIt - 22"
Waist ~ 19.5 - 20"
Shoulders - 19"
Back - 25.25"
Torso - 24.5"
Sleeve - 25.25"
Width - elbow - 6" OD
Width - upper arm ~ 7" OD
Width - cuff - 5" OD
Weight ~ 4.7 lbs

Learn more about this jacket here: https://ruggedwest.co/products/the-...5594&pr_ref_pid=10053496799578&pr_seq=uniform

Some initial thoughts on this Rugged Rider 2.0

- Sleeve fit and elbow room is oddly slim
- Midsection fit is also slim, but manageable
- No waist adjustment without a belt
- Sleeve fit at the end of the sleeve (cuff ends) is actually rather wide and does not tighten down with the zipper. (see photos of this below)
- Brown "smudges" of paint ? on the four brass lapel snaps - appears to be for some sort of topcoat or finishing of the jacket?
- Color is more of a dark brown than cordovan
- Jacket is lined with black cotton throughout, including sleeves
- Chemical or leather tanning (top coating?) smell is noticeable putting this jacket on
- Brass YKK double zipper is actually challenging to use - left hand dominant zipper
- Is a 2-way zipper really a benefit on a cross-zip, which rarely is zipped fully shut?
- Their website claims the brown steerhide is 1.8 - 2 mm or 4-oz thick. I cannot see this on this 4.7 lb jacket
- The leather on this requires no real break-in, it's soft of hand right out of the box

So what does this jacket really look like? Well here's some full-sun photos:
View attachment 755100 View attachment 755101 View attachment 755102 View attachment 755103

Use the photos on the sale ad to compare (indoor verses outdoor) - it looks deeper of brown in the slightly glaring, snowy & sunny bright light outside. Overall, a fairly clean and neat D-pocket crosszip, and I find this part quite attractive. I did not notice any glaring stitching flaws on this jacket. As the ad photos show, there is noticeable wear on the main zipper that seems odd & out of place.

Fitting photos with sleeve photos as well:


View attachment 755109 View attachment 755110 View attachment 755111

And the sleeve details illistrated:

View attachment 755112 View attachment 755113

There you have it - and maybe you can have this jacket! It really is sharp to look at, just insure the fit will work first.

Please reach out if you have any questions on this jacket.

Good review! But I must say that the fit pics look like "I just bought this jacket, do you guys think it looks good on me? It's a bit tight, but will the leather stretch, mold to my body and be comfortable over time? Or should I size up?"

 

[Khilij]

I picked up my 3 rugged west jackets either in 2024 when they were a good bit cheaper, or during archive sales. I think I paid about $600 USD for the most expensive of the three (Black Bison and Cordovan Rugged Riders and a Seal Brown Trojan Repro). I'm really happy with them for the price I paid, but I agree that at $700 USD and up the jackets become much less of a value proposition given their proximity in price to other makers.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Good review! But I must say that the fit pics look like "I just bought this jacket, do you guys think it looks good on me? It's a bit tight, but will the leather stretch, mold to my body and be comfortable over time? Or should I size up?"

There's no "stretching" this jacket to make it fit better!

This was a test, and only a test, to check out a brand and their products. Ultimately, I knew there was a bit of risk doing it, and I am glad I did. It's just time to move it along.

 

[TartuWolf]

They're still struggling with the design, pattern, etc. - Some of the problems Aerofan mentioned are typical of early, yet unrefined versions. But if they're made in the UK then that's another story, standard and all and people have to be paid but the way I see it, additional three hundred Euros puts you in the Aero territory and that's not that far off.

Overall I agree with you, but you need more than an additional 300eur to get an Aero these days, unless you wait for the rare sale. You CAN get a SB for 200-300eur extra though, which is probably better value.

 

[Tom71]

I have always been temted by RW. I liked the niche, Leilah was aiming at., and thought the prices looked very fair. One has to see how the new approach gets off the ground. Many established competitors in the upper tiers of te market.

The Rugged Rider looks unique enough to make it a very attractive jacket, at least to my eye. Certainly not particularly "rugged" as @ABCD pointed out, but I do like the glossy finish and contemporary silhouette. A bit like a slim-fit Y2 but at half the price.

Very helpful info re size and fit, @AeroFan_07. I guess the jacket works well for slender folks. Deviations on measurements for a stock product are unfortunate though.

 

[TartuWolf]

Regarding "ruggedness" I'd say the pigmented 2mm bison leather with a #10 ykk would be plenty "rugged". These 1.3mm fancier steerhides are exactly that - "nicer" and fancier, but not as beefy/rugged.
I think some of the decisions made by RW are off/odd, including sizing like back length and cuff width, but it's a growing/young maker and perhaps Leilah will improve upon her styles and patterns.
My main dissapointment is that she is not focusing on the initial reason the whole brand was created - offering women "heritage" style jackets. Small demand though, so understandable.

Funny how my review thread became the official RW discussion thread after the admins closed the main RW thread without any explanation.

 

[ABCD]

Funny how my review thread became the official RW discussion thread after the admins closed the main RW thread without any explanation.

Very weird that they closed that thread. Why kill a meaningful discussion? Just as weird as installing a chastity filter on a forum where the nastiest word one might use when discussions get heated is scoundrel.

I think some of the decisions made by RW are off/odd,

I think it's a shame that she decided to move to the mid tier. Lots of options there already, she'll have a difficult time competing against established makers who have the advantage of brand recognition.

I think her golden ticket was at the enty level of the market. Below $500, offering designs that can only be be found at much higher price points. No extensive customization or fancy leather options, just RTW classic designs in a standard size range.

 

[Zoro]

I think the "rugged" from "Rugged Rider" is just a reference to the "Rugged West" brand name, no additional meaning beyond it.

Understandable misunderstanding, easier to ignore as a non native English speaker.

Similar to how Superdry doesn't make anything waterproof.

 

[Bfd70]

2 way zippers all day everyday as far as i’m concerned.

I think we all want RW to succeed. A member with an obvious love for leather jackets is a no brainer for us. I think it needs to be said though that the brand went to market too soon. Patterning is complicated and I don’t think RW has it figured out. RW is certainly not the 1st maker to encounter this. I can think of another that came out of the gate with a much higher sale price and similar issues. The fact that the rugged rider is on its 3rd iteration in under 2 years suggests to me that the market is being used as test pilots.

 

[Bluechel]

I very much appreciate the chutzpah Leilah has shown and I certainly hope she ends up successful! She has taken her own love of leather jackets to the farthest example (making and selling them) and the journey is fascinating so far. Now…where’s that original RW thread????

 

[jchance]

I’m just speculating. Maybe there’s a fee to be an official vendor that RW is not willing to pay, so admins shut its thread down. And it’s not kosher to discuss money, so no explanation was provided.

I agree that RW should have stayed in the entry-level tier. Maybe there wasn’t much money to be made there, and the margins were too small, with not enough customers to keep the operation running.

As you can see, I always suspect money is involved and behind the scene of seemingly unexplainable motivations for strange decisions.

 

[MrProper]

Whatever it may be, RW seems to strike a chord. I get the most likes on Instagram for RW jackets, and the most enquiries about where to buy them or how much they cost.
I also think that RW should remain in the lower price segment for a while before introducing exclusive offers. For example, I don't know what the difference is between the jackets from Pakistan and those from the UK. That would make it rather difficult for me to make a larger investment.

 

[AeroFan_07]

*Update on the jacket*
Today we had storms, wind and rain blow through our area in the morning. I saw the RW jacket just hanging there, wishing someone would, you know, "break it in" a bit. So I thought, well, might as well start on this now. How is this thinner, lighter leather going to do, especially it's glossy topcoat? Will the topcoat start to disintegrate with a bit of rain & wind?

So I slipped it back on, worked my arms through the tight sleeves once again, put on a Aussie oiled cotton hat, and took off for 6-minuite walk in my neighborhood. When I got back to my house, I looked like this:

After I made my way back inside and got off the wet shoes, I moved around - a Lot - in the jacket. Did some arm stretching, upper body stretches, reached out a lot, danced around some. You know, all the "normal" things you do in a leather jacket when it's almost soaked. I still looked like this.



What is not shown here as clearly, the arms loosed at least a touch. I did wear it till it was dry, and I have to admit, it's not all that bad to wear, now that my arms can move around somewhat freely. No topcoat spoilage, no seams came loose, of course the sleeves still are not a good fit at the ends, and it's still for sale. But I do like to look of this jacket, the dark brown, fairly glossy leather with the brass hardware. We'll see how it goes here...

 

[Bluechel]

Now we’re talking…going deeper on the wear and tear…

 

[misho]

Hi all, this is my first post here, and unfortunately it’s a rather unpleasant one. I’ve been lurking in this forum for the last six months, reading pretty much everything and enjoying the pictures a lot. You guys are all crazy and yes, so am I. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I really enjoy reading all the comments, the debates, and the level of detail everyone goes into. That jacket addiction is real, and I can definitely relate to it.

This was my first more “high-end” leather jacket that is neither cowhide nor lambskin, so expectations were naturally high. The jacket in question is the Rugged Rider 2.0, made from bison leather, and it was meant to be a step up from what I owned before.

Unfortunately, the overall customer experience was disappointing. My initial inquiry was answered quickly, but communication afterward was inconsistent and often very slow. In August, I explicitly asked her not to send the jacket at the beginning of September, which was the originally planned delivery time. That message went unanswered. At the end of September, I reached out again to ask for a status update, and only four days later did she respond.

The jacket eventually arrived at the end of October. The delay itself was fine for me, since I already knew I wouldn’t be wearing the jacket during winter anyway. What wasn’t fine was having to chase replies and wait weeks for responses.

After delivery, I was offered a discount on a second jacket, and she said she would check whether there was enough of the same leather left to make another one. Since then, I haven’t heard anything back to this day.

Now regarding the jacket itself: The measurements are a major issue. I ordered size M. According to the size chart on the website, the back length should be 59.7 cm (23.5 inches). My jacket measures over 64.5 cm (25 inches). I own another jacket with a 59 cm back length, and the difference when worn is huge.

without claiming to be an expert, the leather initially felt a bit lifeless and boring to me, which I mostly attribute to the fact that this is my first bison leather jacket. That said, I wore the jacket every single day for at least 4–5 hours indoors, and I can clearly feel that a break-in has already happened. The leather has become noticeably smoother and more pliable, and I’ve started to like how it feels. I’m still curious to see how it will develop further.

The cuffs remain a weak point. They are still far too wide, and the sleeve zippers are purely decorative with no real function. I was told this had been taken into account, but the result says otherwise.

Fit-wise, the shoulders work very well, and the upper part of the sleeves fits nicely. The gussets are still squeaky, and the collar remains quite stiff. Interestingly, I actually like that stiffness, because it helps the jacket keep a clean, uniform shape across the chest, which I appreciate.

The main zipper feels a bit rough and slightly grabby, which makes me question how well it will hold up long term.
The biggest issue remains the body length, especially at the back. There is simply too much leather, which creates a standing wave that constantly sticks out. From behind, the jacket looks too big even though it technically isn’t. This is not a compact, classic D-pocket that ends at the belt line. It’s just long, and honestly, that long body bores the sh*** out of me.

Right now, I see two options: wear it and learn to live with it, or sell it. Given the price range, I’m leaning toward keeping it for now and seeing if I’ll be okay with it once I start wearing it outside regularly when the weather gets warmer.

 

[MrProper]

Hi all, this is my first post here, and unfortunately it’s a rather unpleasant one. I’ve been lurking in this forum for the last six months, reading pretty much everything and enjoying the pictures a lot. You guys are all crazy and yes, so am I. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I really enjoy reading all the comments, the debates, and the level of detail everyone goes into. That jacket addiction is real, and I can definitely relate to it.

This was my first more “high-end” leather jacket that is neither cowhide nor lambskin, so expectations were naturally high. The jacket in question is the Rugged Rider 2.0, made from bison leather, and it was meant to be a step up from what I owned before.

Unfortunately, the overall customer experience was disappointing. My initial inquiry was answered quickly, but communication afterward was inconsistent and often very slow. In August, I explicitly asked her not to send the jacket at the beginning of September, which was the originally planned delivery time. That message went unanswered. At the end of September, I reached out again to ask for a status update, and only four days later did she respond.

The jacket eventually arrived at the end of October. The delay itself was fine for me, since I already knew I wouldn’t be wearing the jacket during winter anyway. What wasn’t fine was having to chase replies and wait weeks for responses.

After delivery, I was offered a discount on a second jacket, and she said she would check whether there was enough of the same leather left to make another one. Since then, I haven’t heard anything back to this day.

Now regarding the jacket itself: The measurements are a major issue. I ordered size M. According to the size chart on the website, the back length should be 59.7 cm (23.5 inches). My jacket measures over 64.5 cm (25 inches). I own another jacket with a 59 cm back length, and the difference when worn is huge.

without claiming to be an expert, the leather initially felt a bit lifeless and boring to me, which I mostly attribute to the fact that this is my first bison leather jacket. That said, I wore the jacket every single day for at least 4–5 hours indoors, and I can clearly feel that a break-in has already happened. The leather has become noticeably smoother and more pliable, and I’ve started to like how it feels. I’m still curious to see how it will develop further.

The cuffs remain a weak point. They are still far too wide, and the sleeve zippers are purely decorative with no real function. I was told this had been taken into account, but the result says otherwise.

Fit-wise, the shoulders work very well, and the upper part of the sleeves fits nicely. The gussets are still squeaky, and the collar remains quite stiff. Interestingly, I actually like that stiffness, because it helps the jacket keep a clean, uniform shape across the chest, which I appreciate.

The main zipper feels a bit rough and slightly grabby, which makes me question how well it will hold up long term.
The biggest issue remains the body length, especially at the back. There is simply too much leather, which creates a standing wave that constantly sticks out. From behind, the jacket looks too big even though it technically isn’t. This is not a compact, classic D-pocket that ends at the belt line. It’s just long, and honestly, that long body bores the sh*** out of me.

Right now, I see two options: wear it and learn to live with it, or sell it. Given the price range, I’m leaning toward keeping it for now and seeing if I’ll be okay with it once I start wearing it outside regularly when the weather gets warmer.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm surprised you didn't get a replacement. With a difference of 1.5", that should be possible.
I don't understand why the cuffs on some of the RW jackets are so wide either. Fortunately, mine are tight enough. I think the sleeves are often the weak point on Pakistani jackets.

 

[jchance]

The biggest issue remains the body length, especially at the back. There is simply too much leather, which creates a standing wave that constantly sticks out. From behind, the jacket looks too big even though it technically isn’t. This is not a compact, classic D-pocket that ends at the belt line. It’s just long, and honestly, that long body bores the sh*** out of me.

Right now, I see two options: wear it and learn to live with it, or sell it. Given the price range, I’m leaning toward keeping it for now and seeing if I’ll be okay with it once I start wearing it outside regularly when the weather gets warmer.

I’d sell it. You’re not going to magically forget about the issues (back length, cuff) and they would keep bothering you every time you put it on. You’d grow to dread wearing the jacket, and wouldn’t touch it.

But you don’t have to sell it now, and can do that later once you’re bored of the jacket and bored of trying it out. Until then, you can test it and try to style it to see whether you like the design, color, etc. with the rest of your closet.

 

[misho]

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm surprised you didn't get a replacement. With a difference of 1.5", that should be possible.
I don't understand why the cuffs on some of the RW jackets are so wide either. Fortunately, mine are tight enough. I think the sleeves are often the weak point on Pakistani jackets.

Funny enough, you’re the first one to respond. When I placed the order, I actually told Leilah that I liked the way your RR fits on you I said that so she could take into account how I like the fit of my jackets, which is very similar to yours. I didn’t measure the back length after getting the jacket, only a couple of days ago when I ordered a different jacket to avoid making the same mistake with the length on the new one. And at that point I was very annoyed, with her slow responses.

Seeing all the other RW jackets on here, I thought she had fixed the cuff problem much better. For me it’s always tricky with slim wrists, but I tried some jackets from Noble House in Ulm and, despite the lower quality of the leather, the sleeves and cuffs were perfect when zipped up.

 

[misho]

I’d sell it. You’re not going to magically forget about the issues (back length, cuff) and they would keep bothering you every time you put it on. You’d grow to dread wearing the jacket, and wouldn’t touch it.

But you don’t have to sell it now, and can do that later once you’re bored of the jacket and bored of trying it out. Until then, you can test it and try to style it to see whether you like the design, color, etc. with the rest of your closet.

Thanks, man. That´s exactly what I´m going to do.