Best leather for a lifelong jacket?

[navetsea]

i think the biggest enemy of leather is salt, including your own sweat , so if you wear leather jacket in warmer days just don't forget to wipe the inside of the collar that touches your neck, the rest of the jacket as long as it is not a lambskin will last a lifetime, if you're in doubt then have 2 leather jackets then it will surely last your lifetime, as long as you don't gain weight.

I remember there was a photo here about rotting cxl that was worn by a japanese guy (of raw denim community perhaps), probably same analogy as how a heavyweight raw denim can be a tattered mess within 1 and half year worn by some people yet similar denim would look pristine after 4 years of wearing on some others, probably the intention comes to play here, if what the wearer's desire is wear and tear then they would wear the jacket or jeans to ruin it day by day probably they don't use sand paper to fake it but in every activity they do, their sole hope is to mark the clothes to give character by exaggerating their activity in them, if that's the wearer's wish then it will come true. But if we just wear it with common sense even if we wear it daily then a leather jacket and jeans will last forever.

 

[willyto]

i think the biggest enemy of leather is salt, including your own sweat , so if you wear leather jacket in warmer days just don't forget to wipe the inside of the collar that touches your neck, the rest of the jacket as long as it is not a lambskin will last a lifetime, if you're in doubt then have 2 leather jackets then it will surely last your lifetime, as long as you don't gain weight.

I remember there was a photo here about rotting cxl that was worn by a japanese guy (of raw denim community perhaps), probably same analogy as how a heavyweight raw denim can be a tattered mess within 1 and half year worn by some people yet similar denim would look pristine after 4 years of wearing on some others, probably the intention comes to play here, if what the wearer's desire is wear and tear then they would wear the jacket or jeans to ruin it day by day probably they don't use sand paper to fake it but in every activity they do, their sole hope is to mark the clothes to give character by exaggerating their activity in them, if that's the wearer's wish then it will come true. But if we just wear it with common sense even if we wear it daily then a leather jacket and jeans will last forever.

Some Denim guys won’t wash their jeans, reason why they just go to waste in so little time.

It obviously depends on how much you wear them and what you do though.

Same goes with shoes. One MUST brush them every time they’re used or the dust and filth stays in the creases basically sanding your leather and creating cracks. It doesn’t even take a minute to do so.

 

[photo2u]

Love Horsehide, however, goat is my top choice. For comfort, I go with the benado.

 

[navetsea]

Some Denim guys won’t wash their jeans, reason why they just go to waste in so little time.

It obviously depends on how much you wear them and what you do though.

Same goes with shoes. One MUST brush them every time they’re used or the dust and filth stays in the creases basically sanding your leather and creating cracks. It doesn’t even take a minute to do so.

I must say I rarely wash my jeans too probably 1 -2 a year, but i didn't get them dirty, I brush my shoes and canvas sneakers, and along the seams of my jeans as it might capture dirt, I think it is in the midset, some really want to beat up their jeans and boots and jacket real fast... so they might purposefully lean against rough treebark or exposed brick or sit against rough concrete or sit on dirt wear their jeans to mix concrete with concrete dust allover their jeans, and the worst "sun clean" them by baking their stuff under full exposure of sun's UV radiation for hours on end.

 

[MrProper]

Some Denim guys won’t wash their jeans, reason why they just go to waste in so little time.

It obviously depends on how much you wear them and what you do though.

Same goes with shoes. One MUST brush them every time they’re used or the dust and filth stays in the creases basically sanding your leather and creating cracks. It doesn’t even take a minute to do so.

I think the concern is slightly exaggerated. I have "normal" jeans, wash them frequently and they last for years. I usually don't like them at some point, well before they would break.
My very first good pair of shoes were horsehide, moderately well cared for, and were in use for 20 years. I think they are even still in some box.
I think no matter what clothes you buy, as long as the quality is reasonably good, everything lasts a really long time. I at least don't worry about that anymore (unlike in the past, where I would buy the exact same shoes, pants, shirts twice or three times in case they broke and I didn't get that exact model anymore. Used I have it in the rarest cases lol)

 

[Marc mndt]

I have "normal" jeans, wash them frequently and they last for years. I usually don't like them at some point, well before they would break.

I actually think 'normal' non 15oz+ jeans last longer than those heavy raw denim ones because they don't form hard creases.

This is four years of regular wear on a pair af heavy raw denim. I've never experienced wear like this on a pair of $100 levis for instance.

 

[Canuck Panda]

CXL super fan here. I've not seen a crumpled CXL, not here or on the internet. But I get it, there is beef tallow in there and that's organic and if not laced with some type of formaldehyde in theory it will decompose like all organic compound does.

Goat is one of the toughest out there. Diamond crust on the grain side, marsh mellow soft on the flesh side. Many navy jackets survived years of natural salt spray tests and still look new. I replaced some of my CXL jackets to goat not because CXL is not strong. But it requires warm up time and goat doesn't. Making goat the easier choice in wet cold winter mornings.

 

[roadking04]

CXL super fan here. I've not seen a crumpled CXL, not here or on the internet.

I am on team CXL. I think I will crumble WAY before my 4.5oz. CXLHH jacket ever wears out.

 

[morrison2951]

I have a couple rare Vanson HH jackets- Enfield and Comet.

They are indestructible!

 

[nick123]

I was also surprised at all of the CXL hate that this thread inspired. I always hear that Chromexcel is tough as nails for boots and belts, and I used to read that it was tough for jackets, too. Now it seems like the thinking on that has changed...at least around here.

It’s not hate per se, but I was more wondering what caused the change in perception.

I’ve found CXL to be too much in the past, but it’s just phenomenal to look at.

 

[Maxwell Von Chesapeake]

It’s not hate per se, but I was more wondering what caused the change in perception.

I’ve found CXL to be too much in the past, but it’s just phenomenal to look at.

Maybe it's obvious, but I've had a few beers. What do you mean it's "too much in the past"?

 

[handymike]

Trust me- he’s right.
CXL is too much for LA (But gorgeous to stare at).

 

[Edward]

I haven’t been around here as much as I used to be, but I’m curious as to when the views of CXL’s longevity shifted?

As I understood it, CXL was always subject to fast wear and aging. I can see the idea of the topcoat flaking off being an effect of extreme aging, but I’m reading that it disintegrates now?

When did this shift in view regards to CXL longevity occur, and are there several examples out there?

I only have one CXL jacket now, but kind of alarmed!

I've seen a few alarmist claims on the internet, but I don't think anything much has changed in reality.... Certainly, though, CXL FQHH is not the be all and end all it once was round here. It's hard to believe it now, but there was a time when even CXL steer was seen as "lesser" than horse. Still popular, but many folks have discovered other hides too. After all, even on a forum dedicated to the clothing styles of a fixed, historical period, fashions still come and go. The heavyweight denim is a good comparison: a lot of folks get into the idea of getting jeans as heavy as they can find, but it's no guarantee of qualitative improvement or more 'historically accurate', and many people over time find a lighter weight denim suits their needs better. The old horses for courses caper again.

I was also surprised at all of the CXL hate that this thread inspired. I always hear that Chromexcel is tough as nails for boots and belts, and I used to read that it was tough for jackets, too. Now it seems like the thinking on that has changed...at least around here.

I don't think it's so much hate as changing fashion. When I first came onto TFL maybe fifteen or so years ago, it was all CXL FQHH and a one piece back or go home. When Aero and (to an extent, though none of them are quite as common in the West for varying reasons) the Japanese brands started promoting a wider range of hides, I think that helped to change things, much as new, multi-panel back designs became viewed as a desirable feature rather than the one-time association between those and cheap / low quality / "mall jackets"/ et cetera. In terms of leather weight, of course, the rise of some of the lighter, Shinki-branded hides was another factor. Also, many folks realising that a lighter hide can still be durable, but also more wearable in warmer weather / climates.
Some of the wild, internet claims that FQHH is lacking in durability really don't jive with my own experience at all. The only damage any of mine have sustained over the years (I've owned three or four) was a bit of mothing to wool liners (one reason I now much prefer cotton), and a couple of bites out of my Bootlegger by a dern carpet beetle, since exterminated. Any weight of leather would be vulnerable there.

I must say I rarely wash my jeans too probably 1 -2 a year, but i didn't get them dirty, I brush my shoes and canvas sneakers, and along the seams of my jeans as it might capture dirt, I think it is in the midset, some really want to beat up their jeans and boots and jacket real fast... so they might purposefully lean against rough treebark or exposed brick or sit against rough concrete or sit on dirt wear their jeans to mix concrete with concrete dust allover their jeans, and the worst "sun clean" them by baking their stuff under full exposure of sun's UV radiation for hours on end.

Mine get a run through when they need it, that's it. A lot of folks do love the worn-in look, some even love them looking - to my eyes - worn out. Even back in the eighties, before my vehemently anti-fashion days, I always hated the look of jeans with holes in them, not repaired. I don't even care for 'fades' - my ideal denim would be a traditional indigo that was somehow treated so it would break in in terms of softening for wear, but would retain its colour as-new. A sort of chrome-tanned, goat leather of the denim world. The ultimate what I supposed would nowadays be called "dress jeans" (though that's a concept I struggle with; I wear my jeans like many wear jogging bottoms - round the house and when I'm not especially going anywhere, really. Certainly not 'out out'). I've yet to find it.... probably because I'm obviously in a serious minority there. Each to their own, but I've always found it pretty funny whether it's jeans, guitars or anything else, just how many people will sneer at those who buy pre-distressed anything, but then want stuff that is designed to artificially age at a rapid rate, like a teacore hide created to look seventy years old in a month. There are some guys who sneer at "Relic" guiars (made to look years old and beaten up as new), yet pay over the odds to have a new looking one with a particular, old-fashioned varnish on it that wears away (unlike a modern poly urethane finish) - because it will look decades old much faster. Perceptions of authenticity are a fascinating thing that way.

If you buy the right stuff and promote it right, you could probably wear new things on a regular basis, and sell them to that target market as soon as they wore out enough.

I actually think 'normal' non 15oz+ jeans last longer than those heavy raw denim ones because they don't form hard creases.

This is four years of regular wear on a pair af heavy raw denim. I've never experienced wear like this on a pair of $100 levis for instance.

View attachment 451180

Indeed. Puts me in mind of steel-toecapped boots, and how they always scuff faster / easier than boots without such a rigid shape to the toe.

 

[navetsea]

Mine get a run through when they need it, that's it. A lot of folks do love the worn-in look, some even love them looking - to my eyes - worn out. Even back in the eighties, before my vehemently anti-fashion days, I always hated the look of jeans with holes in them, not repaired. I don't even care for 'fades' - my ideal denim would be a traditional indigo that was somehow treated so it would break in in terms of softening for wear, but would retain its colour as-new. A sort of chrome-tanned, goat leather of the denim world. The ultimate what I supposed would nowadays be called "dress jeans" (though that's a concept I struggle with; I wear my jeans like many wear jogging bottoms - round the house and when I'm not especially going anywhere, really. Certainly not 'out out'). I've yet to find it.... probably because I'm obviously in a serious minority there. Each to their own, but I've always found it pretty funny whether it's jeans, guitars or anything else, just how many people will sneer at those who buy pre-distressed anything, but then want stuff that is designed to artificially age at a rapid rate, like a teacore hide created to look seventy years old in a month. There are some guys who sneer at "Relic" guiars (made to look years old and beaten up as new), yet pay over the odds to have a new looking one with a particular, old-fashioned varnish on it that wears away (unlike a modern poly urethane finish) - because it will look decades old much faster. Perceptions of authenticity are a fascinating thing that way.

If you buy the right stuff and promote it right, you could probably wear new things on a regular basis, and sell them to that target market as soon as they wore out enough.



Indeed. Puts me in mind of steel-toecapped boots, and how they always scuff faster / easier than boots without such a rigid shape to the toe.

if I have a skinny black jeans I want it to stay black forever, if an indigo raw denim I like it when it looks new-ish, perhaps a lighter shade of blue showing here and there is fine too, but I hate it when it turns into vintage medium blue throughout or when it finally turns into light blue and dirty white like majority of raw denim pictures after 2 years of wearing on most denim forums, luckily after 4 years my raw denims are all still dark blue I wear my double knee a lot and wash it once a year I mostly vacuum clean my jeans and jackets from dust whenever I vacuum my sofa and carpet every 1-2 weeks, and spray the inside with antibacterial/ deodorizer spray

 

[nick123]

Maybe it's obvious, but I've had a few beers. What do you mean it's "too much in the past"?

Oh! Just too heavy!

 

[TheDonEffect]

Went through my raw denim phase, glad I'm done with that. Stretch selvedge is all I'll ever wear now, and I've even gone "cheap" with that by buying Uniqlos. What's funny is that I wear them without care and they've been holding up great, whereas I respected my raw stuff and they look worn down fairly quickly, but not in the cool patina way, just looked old.

Anyway, CXL is great, probably my favorite to look at and smell, but for my climate it's just too much, and like raw denim it sacrifices too much comfort. My last two jackets made were a simple low weight steerhide that feels very much like lambskin and CXL steer. My CXL HH is now a closet queen because it just feels like a suit of armor vs a jacket, and for my climate it's totally unnecessary. If I did those two over again, I'd probably go with goat and be done with it, but my CXL steer is that sweet sweet burgundy color that I can't find anywhere else.

 

[Edward]

Went through my raw denim phase, glad I'm done with that. Stretch selvedge is all I'll ever wear now, and I've even gone "cheap" with that by buying Uniqlos. What's funny is that I wear them without care and they've been holding up great, whereas I respected my raw stuff and they look worn down fairly quickly, but not in the cool patina way, just looked old.

Anyway, CXL is great, probably my favorite to look at and smell, but for my climate it's just too much, and like raw denim it sacrifices too much comfort. My last two jackets made were a simple low weight steerhide that feels very much like lambskin and CXL steer. My CXL HH is now a closet queen because it just feels like a suit of armor vs a jacket, and for my climate it's totally unnecessary. If I did those two over again, I'd probably go with goat and be done with it, but my CXL steer is that sweet sweet burgundy color that I can't find anywhere else.

I found Uniqlo stuff quite good in the past. Folks in these parts were impressed by the quality of their selvedge for the money. The killer for me was, of course, the cut: Uniqlo cut them all to a contemporary fashion fit, so it's all too tight and WAY too low in the "waist" (actually significantly south of the natural waist) for my tastes. My latest jeans are actually a pair from Collectif, bought deep discount for about £25 in their January sale. Probably about a 12oz, by feel, which is very close to the original 40s denim too. Not sevledge, though I'm no longer particularly hung up on that having in the past discovered that within my price range at least 'selvedge' has that nice little tick at the cuff, but makes not a jot of difference to how well they fit and wear over time. YMMV, natch!

 

[jonbuilder]

i think the biggest enemy of leather is salt, including your own sweat , so if you wear leather jacket in warmer days just don't forget to wipe the inside of the collar that touches your neck, the rest of the jacket as long as it is not a lambskin will last a lifetime, if you're in doubt then have 2 leather jackets then it will surely last your lifetime, as long as you don't gain weight.

I remember there was a photo here about rotting cxl that was worn by a japanese guy (of raw denim community perhaps), probably same analogy as how a heavyweight raw denim can be a tattered mess within 1 and half year worn by some people yet similar denim would look pristine after 4 years of wearing on some others, probably the intention comes to play here, if what the wearer's desire is wear and tear then they would wear the jacket or jeans to ruin it day by day probably they don't use sand paper to fake it but in every activity they do, their sole hope is to mark the clothes to give character by exaggerating their activity in them, if that's the wearer's wish then it will come true. But if we just wear it with common sense even if we wear it daily then a leather jacket and jeans will last forever.

I have a WW2 issue G-1 that I have worn sailing for the last 7 years taking a lot of salt water spray. I have replaced the female side of the zip and the knits yet the goat skin is still in marvelous condition. I do wipe the jacket with a damp wag getting home on days when I took a lot of spay if I was not too tired. After getting hoe after a long day on the water I am ready for a warm-up supper and bed

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I actually think 'normal' non 15oz+ jeans last longer than those heavy raw denim ones because they don't form hard creases.

This is four years of regular wear on a pair af heavy raw denim. I've never experienced wear like this on a pair of $100 levis for instance.

View attachment 451180

Agreed in my experience as well. I get annoyed by denim guys bragging about how durable their heavy jeans are when in reality, lighter weight jeans will probably be more durable in regular wearing situations. Heavy denim is more self-abrasive by a wide margin.

 

[Aloysius]

Agreed in my experience as well. I get annoyed by denim guys bragging about how durable their heavy jeans are when in reality, lighter weight jeans will probably be more durable in regular wearing situations. Heavy denim is more self-abrasive by a wide margin.

The LVC 1890 (and of course the originals its a repro of) are a good illustration of the point. The denim is 8oz and–despite the fact that most of us who bought the repro bought it in our waist size–the originals that survive are oversized, because in reality they were worn as a lightweight but protective outer layer (hence the ‘waist overalls’ term) over their trousers.