Aero CXL FQHH and CXL SH owners, please post pictures here

[Prodigal_Jess]

Looking ****** man!

Thanks, man. I finally purchased an Aero. Just came in the mail.

 

[Prodigal_Jess]

I’ll post more pictures soon with some better fitting jeans.

 

[Peacoat]

I’ll post more pictures soon with some better fitting jeans.

Did you know Sam Phillips?

 

[Prodigal_Jess]

Did you know Sam Phillips?

No. I’ve just been a fan of a lot of the early rockabilly recordings at Sun records. A buddy of mine was traveling through Memphis and picked that T-shirt up for me. I wore it the other night when I met Anthony Corder, the lead singer for one of my favorite hard rock bands, Memphis-based Tora Tora. I’ve been a fan since their first album came out in 1989. I’m pretty sure that I read that they recorded their most recent album, “*******s of Beale“, at Sam Phillips recording service. Here is a pic with Anthony.

 

[Capt. Panerai's Valet]

1 year old Highwayman in Brown Steerhide CXL with custom Cornish Hunting Tartan lining by Lochcarron.

 

[Alfredodelavega]

Aero Horween black chromexcel horsehide 1 year

 

[Buick]

Aero Horween black chromexcel horsehide 1 year View attachment 774888

1 year?! That jacket must be seeing some hard wear!

 

[bobjones]

I have no doubt all the information you seek can likely be found elsewhere, as others have linked existing threads for your perusal, but I'll share my own experiences as well.

I currently have two CXL Steer jackets -- the Schott posted above, and an Aero Board Racer shown here:

View attachment 770242
View attachment 770243
I bought the Schott new in 2019 and have worn it extensively, though not as much as I would have if I owned less jackets. I just bought the BR last year, pre-owned but in good condition. I have only owned CXL FQHH for a brief time, but the jacket didn't fit well so I moved it along (I have other HH jackets though).

The break-in period for CXL can be a bit more challenging than some other leathers. Occasionally you hear people say their jacket is ** years old and still not broken in. I think this is nonsense (unless it has truly been hanging in a closet all that time). I think, instead, that their expectations of broken in are unrealistic. Different leathers wear and feel differently from one another. Some leathers, CXL being one of them, will just never feel like other leathers. To some, this means it will never be as comfortable as some other leathers, but to many around here, the thick, somewhat unwieldy armor feeling is exactly what comforts them -- like a weighted blanket.

As far as break-in goes, just wear the damn thing. Wear it particularly while doing activities that require movement -- shoveling snow, raking leaves... Oh, wait, you're in Florida... Fishing? Yardwork? I don't know your lifestyle. Don't bother sleeping in it or any of that nonsense. Just wear it and perhaps roll and kneed the leather to loosen it up a bit.

Once broken in, I do find my CXL jackets comfortable. HOWEVER, this can depend on the day. Some days I put one on and immediately know I don't want to feel trapped in it, and then I reach for a different jacket. For this reason, I suggest not having a CXL jacket be your only jacket. It's a unique, characterful leather that ought to be in someone's collection (if they like the characteristics), but I think having other leather jacket options is wise.

As far as Aero goes, I currently own three. I like them all, but I will probably never buy another Aero. Their zippers are just too insubstantial for the leather weight, and I have had to replace the main zipper on every single Aero I've owned. They have beefier zippers now and I'm happy, but Aero refuses to put "better" (my opinion) zippers on them during production, and I just can't justify investing in more jackets that will need an expensive repair.

Another negative IMO about CXL is that in the cold no matter how broken in the jacket is, it will feel very stiff. I am not sure if it is the waxes inserted into the jacket or the hide itself due to the fibers, but when the temp was 30 degrees F or less, it became like cardboard. It is why I would never buy another CXL jacket again, and would only consider much thinner, more flexible HHs like pinnacle.

 

[LordOfLeather]

Another negative IMO about CXL is that in the cold no matter how broken in the jacket is, it will feel very stiff. I am not sure if it is the waxes inserted into the jacket or the hide itself due to the fibers, but when the temp was 30 degrees F or less, it became like cardboard. It is why I would never buy another CXL jacket again, and would only consider much thinner, more flexible HHs like pinnacle.

This has been my experience too, and it's somewhat ironic. The super heavy leather is often too warm for a mild day, but then when it's too cold, it gets stiff. There's a somewhat narrow temperature window where CXL makes sense.

 

[bobjones]

This has been my experience too, and it's somewhat ironic. The super heavy leather is often too warm for a mild day, but then when it's too cold, it gets stiff. There's a somewhat narrow temperature window where CXL makes sense.

It is also the weight of a CXL jacket, which is almost always going to be well in excess of 5lbs. My Stockman (sold to another member here) was in the range of 7-8 lbs, and I think I might have aged out of CXL.

My latest purchase from Schott is a 562 and is a thick cowhide that is much easier to wear out of the gate than CXL, has a warm wool lining, but still is breaking/moulding to me.

I would still grab a HH jacket today if I could, maybe something like this below but it would have to be in a lightweight HH, like a pinnacle. This jacket is superb:

HV Horse Single Riders Jacket (HVR-42) - Black

Y'2's horsehide single rider jacket was a must-purchase for us. We're big fans of the single rider, it has everything we love about a good leather jacket, without being as immediately "motorcycle" as a double rider or cafe racer jacket. The single chest pocket, two hand pockets, and adjustable...

standardandstrange.com

Tragically, this is no longer available, or I would have jumped on it:

P540H | Shinki Horsehide Delivery Jacket

Based on a classic square-pocket style that originated the the 1950s, Shinki Hikaku teacore leather comes from a renowned Japanese tannery founded in 1951, specializing exclusively in horsehide and shell cordovan using traditional mimosa vegetable tanning and extended curing methods. This...

www.schottnyc.com

It is available in cowhide which might be good enough, I will have to try it on to be certain.