Vanson! Vanson! Vanson!

[ZeroDelta]

What’s your IG account called?

crossfacer

 

[MSG13]

I need to do a Instagram post today anyways so I will see if I can get some good pictures of it if the sun allows

Sounds good.

 

[Bluechel]

crossfacer

Oh yeah! I follow you, You do a great job, great photos.

 

[ZeroDelta]

Oh yeah! I follow you, You do a great job, great photos.

Thanks my dude. Its an admittedly weird hobby for a 43 year old man to start but I have been having fun with it.

 

[ZeroDelta]

Sounds good.

Colorado has been sunny and 60 degrees all winter long and for some reason it decided to be cloudy today. Here are a couple of older pictures that capture the leather.

 

[thenillplaydirty]

Hi everyone! I’ve been a member here for about a year, but this is my first time posting images.

I wanted to share my Vanson Chopper in Competition Weight Cowhide.

I finally acquired this in December 2024. It’s a "new old stock" find that had been sitting in a Japanese shop's inventory since July 2018. To be honest, Vanson isn't very popular in Japan these days, so this jacket sat unsold for years. While the brand as a whole might be overlooked here, it was the perfect opportunity for me to find exactly what I wanted!

This dealer-stock model is the standard US pattern (not slimmed down) and features a clean design with no snaps on the front.

Sizing/Fit Note: I also own a size Medium Vanson in XL leather (which I imported directly from Vanson), but for this Chopper, I went with a Small. In the photos, I am wearing a thin sweater. However, it feels quite constricting if I wear a thicker sweater. Since it's heavy Comp Weight, the break-in will be a challenge!

My stats:
Height: 175cm (5'9")
Weight: 62kg (137 lbs)
Size: Small

Glad to finally start the journey with this 2018-era hide.

 

[Aloysius]

The Swedish Motorcycle Jacket is back in the Vanson stock line.

 

[MSG13]

Colorado has been sunny and 60 degrees all winter long and for some reason it decided to be cloudy today. Here are a couple of older pictures that capture the leather.

Looks like a beautiful leather! Love the color variation. I wonder if the Aero leather is of a thicker hide? Did you go the custom route with Vanson and order through Thurston or did you buy direct from Vanson a stock jacket?

 

[ZeroDelta]

Looks like a beautiful leather! Love the color variation. I wonder if the Aero leather is of a thicker hide? Did you go the custom route with Vanson and order through Thurston or did you buy direct from Vanson a stock jacket?

I went through Thurston. I think its a leather that Thurston sources. I don't know if you can go though Vanson and get Bainbridge. I'm also pretty sure that Aero dosen't carry it as a normal option as well.

 

[MSG13]

I went through Thurston. I think its a leather that Thurston sources. I don't know if you can go though Vanson and get Bainbridge. I'm also pretty sure that Aero dosen't carry it as a normal option as well.

I agree. The Bainbridge isn't a listed option on the Aero website but I know that you can get it as an option through Thurston although I'm not sure of the process. Still waiting on my first order through Thurston to arrive.

 

[ZeroDelta]

I agree. The Bainbridge isn't a listed option on the Aero website but I know that you can get it as an option through Thurston although I'm not sure of the process. Still waiting on my first order through Thurston to arrive.

Thurston does a nice job. The whole sending you a fit jacket is a really good practice if you don't have much experience with jackets. I don't know if I would get a custom one from them now that I know what works for me but for my first expensive jacket it was a really great experience.

 

[LordOfLeather]

Hi everyone! I’ve been a member here for about a year, but this is my first time posting images.

I wanted to share my Vanson Chopper in Competition Weight Cowhide.

I finally acquired this in December 2024. It’s a "new old stock" find that had been sitting in a Japanese shop's inventory since July 2018. To be honest, Vanson isn't very popular in Japan these days, so this jacket sat unsold for years. While the brand as a whole might be overlooked here, it was the perfect opportunity for me to find exactly what I wanted!

This dealer-stock model is the standard US pattern (not slimmed down) and features a clean design with no snaps on the front.

Sizing/Fit Note: I also own a size Medium Vanson in XL leather (which I imported directly from Vanson), but for this Chopper, I went with a Small. In the photos, I am wearing a thin sweater. However, it feels quite constricting if I wear a thicker sweater. Since it's heavy Comp Weight, the break-in will be a challenge!

My stats:
Height: 175cm (5'9")
Weight: 62kg (137 lbs)
Size: Small

Glad to finally start the journey with this 2018-era hide.
View attachment 758844
View attachment 758846

Perfect fit! How do you feel about the lack of lapel snaps? It looks great zipped up, but I find I use the snaps on my chopper when it gets warmer on the bike to allow air flow.
I recently picked up a Vanson Portland in the classifieds and, while I like the stripped down aesthetic, my one complain is that I can’t snap the lapels down in the open position.

 

[DRW62]

It’s kind of like seeing your first true love again and remembering what conjured all those emotions to begin with. Vanson leathers provided me my first real leather jacket, back in the early 90’s, cost me a whopping $40 and looked like something Sly wore in Rocky III. It opened my eyes to what a leather jacket could be! Purchased at a thrift store in Sycamore, IL…it was love at first sight.

I’ve had an on again/off again relationship with Vanson ever since. I would speculate that I have owned around 30 Vanson jackets, spanning the companies entire existence, across a fairly broad range of styles. From the RJ and sport rider styles to the Derby and well documented love for the model E. They keep me coming back, and I’m always looking. That says something, particularly given my tendencies in the hobby.

We’ve discussed at length what makes Vanson so great. A working class, work horse of a jacket. Not priced in the stratosphere, no pretension, just a solid jacket built for life based on jackets designed to save people’s lives. Warrantied against failure, no compromises and no *******t.

My closet holds three right now and I’ve gone into some detail about two, but my latest really has me appreciating the brand on an entirely new level.

Comp Weight Cow:
Vansons flagship hide, some of the nicest leather I think one can own, time tested and beautiful. I experienced many flavors of comp weight. Smooth as a board and hard as a rock. Grainy, almost CXL like, and the newer, heavily pored and much maligned. I’ve also had thin and crispy white labels, and oil slick rubbery soft modern labels. With the exception of the last two, I’ve loved them all.
Older (80’s-90’s):
Model E, brown core, size 44”, weight: 6.40lbs
View attachment 372007 View attachment 372008
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight 5.96lbs:
View attachment 372009 View attachment 372010

Dark Maple Bainbridge:
I was not a fan from what I’d seen before. Looked a bit too couch-y. But having it in hand…What a spectacular hide. It smells identical to Horween CXL and shares Horweens water repellent and pull-up properties. It’s like CXL without the pain and suffering! I suspect it will age quite beautifully as it dulls and becomes both lighter and darker.
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight: 5.07lbs
View attachment 372011 View attachment 372012
The true beauty of Bainbridge doesn’t reveal itself until you take it outside. Then it becomes like a bag of Red Man chewing tobacco.
View attachment 372017 View attachment 372018
It’s an absolute delight to wear. I will have at least one more jacket in it, maybe the redwood, not sure. This hide seems to take some of the biker vibe out and makes the jacket just feel a bit more refined. You wouldn’t frame a house with a sledgehammer, so you save the big ***s for when they are needed.
Thank you for indulging me folks. I am extremely pleased with…
View attachment 372020

Wow...sweet jackets, all. That E really speaks to me ! I have a few older ones and some new ones, and while the style is still there, and still well built for the money, the latest comp weight hide just doesnt quite measure up imho.

 

[thenillplaydirty]

Perfect fit! How do you feel about the lack of lapel snaps? It looks great zipped up, but I find I use the snaps on my chopper when it gets warmer on the bike to allow air flow.
I recently picked up a Vanson Portland in the classifieds and, while I like the stripped down aesthetic, my one complain is that I can’t snap the lapels down in the open position.

Thanks for the insight! Actually, I don’t have a motorcycle license and I don't ride, so I only just realized that lapel snaps were meant to prevent flapping in the wind!

For me, it's strictly for town use. I usually wear it fully zipped up, or I just leave it wide open when it gets too warm. I don't really do the "half-zipped" look, so the lack of snaps hasn't bothered me so far.

By the way, I also think the Vanson Portland is a great-looking model. I was a bit sad to see it disappear from the Vanson website recently. You’re lucky to have found one!

The irony is, I ride the subway almost every day wearing a Vanson with quilted padding on the shoulders and elbows. And when we go out by car, my wife does all the driving while I sit in the passenger seat wearing my leather jacket just to look tough!

 

[LordOfLeather]

Thanks for the insight! Actually, I don’t have a motorcycle license and I don't ride, so I only just realized that lapel snaps were meant to prevent flapping in the wind!

For me, it's strictly for town use. I usually wear it fully zipped up, or I just leave it wide open when it gets too warm. I don't really do the "half-zipped" look, so the lack of snaps hasn't bothered me so far.

By the way, I also think the Vanson Portland is a great-looking model. I was a bit sad to see it disappear from the Vanson website recently. You’re lucky to have found one!

The irony is, I ride the subway almost every day wearing a Vanson with quilted padding on the shoulders and elbows. And when we go out by car, my wife does all the driving while I sit in the passenger seat wearing my leather jacket just to look tough!

I’ve worn leather jackets much longer than I’ve ridden motorcycles, so I get it. When I’m not on the bike, I look really tough getting out of my Kia Soul. Haha

I was also bummed to see the Portland vanish from their site. I had wanted to get the olive green version for years and just assumed it would be around when I was ready.

 

[polarWhite]

Hi

I've been trying to figure out the actual color/hue/shade of Vanson's Roma Brandy hide but there seems to be a variation of the colors from the photos that I found.

I don't know if it's due to the actual variation of the dye or the lighting condition or the camera.

The photos are from fellow members posted here, Vanson's website and Thurston Bros' website.

Can someone with a Vanson's Roma Brandy jacket shed some light on which of the following photos depicts the most accurate color of the actual hide in front of you in real life?

Thanks and Happy New Year to you all!

pw

 

[JasonY]

It definitely depends on lighting. I took these two photos at the Vanson showroom.

View attachment IMG_7169.jpeg

 

[JasonY]

Either way, I thought it was a very good looking leather.

 

[Zoro]

Hi

I've been trying to figure out the actual color/hue/shade of Vanson's Roma Brandy hide but there seems to be a variation of the colors from the photos that I found.

I don't know if it's due to the actual variation of the dye or the lighting condition or the camera.

The photos are from fellow members posted here, Vanson's website and Thurston Bros' website.

Can someone with a Vanson's Roma Brandy jacket shed some light on which of the following photos depicts the most accurate color of the actual hide in front of you in real life?

Thanks and Happy New Year to you all!

pw


View attachment 759200

The problem is not only the lighting but also the camera, the different leather batches and even how your screen is showing you the colors.

 

[JasonY]

The two pics I posted accurately reflect what I was seeing in person