Advice on choosing a new Aero

[Steven65]

Greetings and salutations on this Easter weekend.

I am headed to the UK and Galashiels in a few weeks to order a new Jacket. I have lost so much weight in the past 3 years that my previous two Aero's no longer fit me and I really miss them.

Having owned a few Aero's in the past my experience tells me what I am looking for in the future.
I want a mid weight jacket to wear from 15c to 5c comfortably with some rain/water resistance.
If necessary I would like to have something that I can layer a thicker polartec jumper/hoodie underneath.
I really want a jacket with as little break in time as possible that is easy and comfortable to wear in moderate temperatures.

After much thought and research here I think I have decided on the following.....

Long Half Belted
Seal Goat skin
Delete large flap pockets (just hand warmer pockets like the HB)
Single horizontal inside pocket no fastener (Right side)
Either Olive Cotton Drill or Corduroy lining
Olive stitching
Antique Brass Hardware
Leather pulls on the zips

What do you folks think of this choice? Hide selection? Lining selection?

I was also considering mid-weight Tan Battered Horsehide. Thoughts?

All advice from the knowledgable folks here is much appreciated!

Kind regards

Steven

 

[zebedee]

1950s Half Belt (will fit like a LHB). Get olive cotton drill lining, seal goat, don't get inner pockets (they pull on mid-weight hides), definitely get the contrast stitching (for cool factor). That's a description of one of my previous Aeros- it's pretty much a perfect jacket, wearable out of the box and enough room for a hoodie underneath.

J.

 

[Sloan1874]

Your choice of hide depends on what you want from your jacket. The seal goat will remain very much as it is the day you took it out of the box. The tan battered HH will change comparatively quickly and develop a worn look.
Cord is a very warm lining compared to cotton. You need to work out if it's a summer or winter jacket that you want. I personally like the cargo pockets on my LHB, they are very distinctive. You might want to consider the Hercules or Wayfarer as longer designs, the later has handwarmer pockets.

 

[Steven65]

1950s Half Belt (will fit like a LHB). Get olive cotton drill lining, seal goat, don't get inner pockets (they pull on mid-weight hides), definitely get the contrast stitching (for cool factor). That's a description of one of my previous Aeros- it's pretty much a perfect jacket, wearable out of the box and enough room for a hoodie underneath.J.

Excellent advice, I will definitely follow your recommendation about the inner pocket.
I actually have a '50s HB and I have been yearning for something a little longer which is why I went for the LHB. But I will look at both at the factory. Cheers mate.

Your choice of hide depends on what you want from your jacket. The seal goat will remain very much as it is the day you took it out of the box. The tan battered HH will change comparatively quickly and develop a worn look.
Cord is a very warm lining compared to cotton. You need to work out if it's a summer or winter jacket that you want. I personally like the cargo pockets on my LHB, they are very distinctive. You might want to consider the Hercules or Wayfarer as longer designs, the later has handwarmer pockets.

Thanks for your sage advice particularly about the lining. I think its going to be the cotton drill with layering for warmth. I want maximum use.
Thanks for pointing out the Hercules and Wayfarer. I definitely prefer the Herc and hopefully I can see one at the factory. Thanks again.

 

[Monitor]

Congrats on the weight loss.

I still strongly believe that the type & weight of leather doesn't have much if any effect on the warmth of the jacket. It's all about the lining. What @Sloan1874 said, corduroy will make your jacket significantly warmer than the regular cotton drill. It's best suited for cold-ish weather. Having said that, at 5c to 15c, I'd definitely go with corduroy. 5c is cold. Cotton drill won't suffice without serious layering.

Water resistance is also something that shouldn't be used in the same sentence with leather. All leather except that really nasty, plasticized stuff will eventually get soaked. Some sooner than later but it's a matter of minutes and it takes days for a wet leather jacket to dry off. Aero is using high grade hides that aren't heavily coated so while the CXL will fight water relatively well for a while, due to its oily properties, it'll still get soaked.

In my experience, although heavy, oil pull CXL is a very easy wearing hide with no break in period and it's the most water resistant leather from Aero that I've handled.

Jerky Horsehide is also a fantastic hide that is somewhere between goat and CXL. It won't age as quickly as CXL but it will get immediately stained in the rain (though only temporary).

Last, if you're after a longer jacket, go with a style that's initially longer. Stretching a short(er) design never works.

 

[Sloan1874]

From my experience, Horween's CXL and FQHH will repel all but the heaviest rain for a decent period of time - don't think it'll keep you dry for hours in a deluge but it'll keep you good even in a heavy shower to get you where you need to go.
The Hercules is a really nice design. I tried one on in the factory in cordovan steer and it looked the bee's knees. You might want to consider it in a lighter weight tumbled leather.
As far as linings go, I would split the distance and go with a tartan wool. It's not too heavy but it's a bit warmer than the straight ahead cotton. Cord's a heavy duty lining that would limit the extent of your use.

 

[Steven65]

Congrats on the weight loss.
I still strongly believe that the type & weight of leather doesn't have much if any effect on the warmth of the jacket. It's all about the lining. What @Sloan1874 said, corduroy will make your jacket significantly warmer than the regular cotton drill. It's best suited for cold-ish weather. Having said that, at 5c to 15c, I'd definitely go with corduroy. 5c is cold. Cotton drill won't suffice without serious layering.

Water resistance is also something that shouldn't be used in the same sentence with leather. All leather except that really nasty, plasticized stuff will eventually get soaked. Some sooner than later but it's a matter of minutes and it takes days for a wet leather jacket to dry off. Aero is using high grade hides that aren't heavily coated so while the CXL will fight water relatively well for a while, due to its oily properties, it'll still get soaked.

In my experience, although heavy, oil pull CXL is a very easy wearing hide with no break in period and it's the most water resistant leather from Aero that I've handled.

Jerky Horsehide is also a fantastic hide that is somewhere between goat and CXL. It won't age as quickly as CXL but it will get immediately stained in the rain (though only temporary).

Last, if you're after a longer jacket, go with a style that's initially longer. Stretching a short(er) design never works.

Thanks for the compliment and great advice. Year 3 of Keto and I am almost 60lbs down! Time for a new jacket.

What is your opinion on Rayon Quilting? I like the look. Cape town has cool blustery weather in winter and Johannesburg is cold in the morning and evening. I just hate to have something I have to peel off immediately I go inside because it is to warm.

I'm not really looking for waterproof, I just want something a little more resistant to showers than Vicenza. My black CXL Steer HB has been excellent in the rain but I just can't live with the weight.

From my experience, Horween's CXL and FQHH will repel all but the heaviest rain for a decent period of time - don't think it'll keep you dry for hours in a deluge but it'll keep you good even in a heavy shower to get you where you need to go.
The Hercules is a really nice design. I tried one on in the factory in cordovan steer and it looked the bee's knees. You might want to consider it in a lighter weight tumbled leather.
As far as linings go, I would split the distance and go with a tartan wool. It's not too heavy but it's a bit warmer than the straight ahead cotton. Cord's a heavy duty lining that would limit the extent of your use.

Thank you Sir. I do like the Hercules and I look forward to seeing one at the factory. Your advise about the Tartan is appreciated. What are your thoughts on Rayon Quilting? To warm?

I must say that some of the custom Tartan patterns available from Lochcarron are super!

 

[Canuck Panda]

I Waldo suggest wool lining. Cotton lining gets clammy for me when I sweat in them. Rayon will eventually smell bad...

 

[zebedee]

Seal Jerky HH - as mentioned above - is a nice hide and is substantial without being too heavy. It'll keep the rain off for a while and is, like goat, pliable and easy to wear.

J.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I have owned dozens of jackets over three decades and have learned the following to my satisfaction.

Linings are the weak point of any jacket and cotton drill is the strongest and won't need replacing for many years.

A more conservative pattern (Sheene, half-belt, Hercules - long or short) will be more versatile.

Shorter jackets lengths look better on thin people. As do jackets with knits.

Sleeve length is critical - you may need longer than you think for a good fit.

Weight or leather thickness has an enormous impact on comfort and whether the jacket is too warm to wear. But that is true for where I live, where the weather is warm. I personally don't like the feel and lack of flexibility of 3oz FQHH and tired for some years to enjoy an Aero half-belt in that material.

But it is also true that leather doesn't provide warmth when it is cold. It has no insulating properties so a sweater or fleece will do that work for you under the leather if you size the jacket appropriately.

At 6ft 2 and 185 pounds, my ideal jacket would be a slightly loose fit long Hercules in goat with cotton drill lining. Pit to pit 23.5 inches; sleeve length 26 inches; back length 29 inches.

 

[zebedee]

I agree with all the above points, although I have a fqhh Highwayman that, over the years, has become very comfortable. Aero's goat or seal jerky hh are great options.

 

[Edward]

I would echo Sloan's comment on lining - stick to the cotton if you want it to be versatile. My Bootlegger has Lochcarron wool tartan and moleskin in the sleeves, and that tends to mean I can wear it a few weeks less in the year than other, similar jackets which have only cotton in the lining. The cotton is the hardest wearing of all the linings I've had.

In terms of models, you have the great good fortune to be visiting the factory in person; try on everyting you think you might like, you'll be surprised how sometimes you might fidn something catches your eye that is very different from what you started with. Talk to Aero about the sort of features you want - sometimes they might have another model which is actually closer what you're after than modifying another pattern, for instance.

 

[Steven65]

Excellent gents, thank you so much! I will definitely check out the Seal Jerky HH.

I have owned dozens of jackets over three decades and have learned the following to my satisfaction.

Linings are the weak point of any jacket and cotton drill is the strongest and won't need replacing for many years.

A more conservative pattern (Sheene, half-belt, Hercules - long or short) will be more versatile.

Shorter jackets lengths look better on thin people. As do jackets with knits.

Sleeve length is critical - you may need longer than you think for a good fit.

Weight or leather thickness has an enormous impact on comfort and whether the jacket is too warm to wear. But that is true for where I live, where the weather is warm. I personally don't like the feel and lack of flexibility of 3oz FQHH and tired for some years to enjoy an Aero half-belt in that material.

But it is also true that leather doesn't provide warmth when it is cold. It has no insulating properties so a sweater or fleece will do that work for you under the leather if you size the jacket appropriately.

At 6ft 2 and 185 pounds, my ideal jacket would be a slightly loose fit long Hercules in goat with cotton drill lining. Pit to pit 23.5 inches; sleeve length 26 inches; back length 29 inches.

Brilliant advice thank you. Opinions from someone who has already been down this road are so valuable.

Although I have not owned dozens of jackets I have had Aero CXL FQHH, and CXL Steer, both of which are just to much jacket for me at this time. I want something medium weight, easy to live with that I can travel in and layer when needed.

My original CXL Steer HB was lined in cotton drill and I layered a jumper underneath. As I was in London at the time I felt I needed more warmth so I ended up changing the cotton lining to a heavy wool tartan. I always regretted that. Every time I went indoors I had to immediately take the jacket off. Even travelling on the Underground was unpleasantly warm. With the cotton Drill it was much more usable.

I am looking very forward to visiting the factory and seeing the hide options for myself. It's just so hard to choose without actually looking and feeling in person.

 

[Steven65]

I would echo Sloan's comment on lining - stick to the cotton if you want it to be versatile. My Bootlegger has Lochcarron wool tartan and moleskin in the sleeves, and that tends to mean I can wear it a few weeks less in the year than other, similar jackets which have only cotton in the lining. The cotton is the hardest wearing of all the linings I've had.

In terms of models, you have the great good fortune to be visiting the factory in person; try on everyting you think you might like, you'll be surprised how sometimes you might fidn something catches your eye that is very different from what you started with. Talk to Aero about the sort of features you want - sometimes they might have another model which is actually closer what you're after than modifying another pattern, for instance.

Thank you Sir, excellent advice. I think we are heading in the right direction.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Although I have not owned dozens of jackets I have had Aero CXL FQHH, and CXL Steer, both of which are just to much jacket for me at this time. I want something medium weight, easy to live with that I can travel in and layer when needed.

My original CXL Steer HB was lined in cotton drill and I layered a jumper underneath. As I was in London at the time I felt I needed more warmth so I ended up changing the cotton lining to a heavy wool tartan. I always regretted that. Every time I went indoors I had to immediately take the jacket off. Even travelling on the Underground was unpleasantly warm. With the cotton Drill it was much more usable.

I think this part of jacket wearing is important for some of us. The realty is I need to be able to wear my jacket on trains and buses and inside (I go inside and outside constantly) and while I walk long distances. So it has to be a medium weight with a drill lining that can be worn in a range of circumstances.

 

[Sloan1874]

Thank you Sir. I do like the Hercules and I look forward to seeing one at the factory. Your advise about the Tartan is appreciated. What are your thoughts on Rayon Quilting? To warm?

I must say that some of the custom Tartan patterns available from Lochcarron are super!

It'll be pretty warm, certainly much more so than the lighter tartans, and not breathable like wool or cotton and probably not as hard wearing.

 

[Steven65]

It'll be pretty warm, certainly much more so than the lighter tartans, and not breathable like wool or cotton and probably not as hard wearing.

Got it. Thank again........

 

[Dbrn]

Sleeve length is critical - you may need longer than you think for a good fit.

Very informative post! I'm also looking into my first Aero - I'm a complete newbie - and I've seen this matter brought up a few times. I assume you're recommending longer because sleeves will crease over time, and shorten a bit as a result? In your (and others'!) experience, how much longer should you get sleeves in order for them to fit well after breaking in - 0.5"? Does it depend much on the leather choice? For the record, I'm looking into a Bootlegger in CX steer, Jerky HH, or goat.

 

[Sloan1874]

Aero will be able to advise you on this, but generally up to 1 inch will keep you right on fqhh. Goat is less prone to wrinkling, so you may needless.