do you dare to commit to wear a single jacket for a month through all your waking hours?

[antoine p]

Been wearing my G-1 indoors the entire week. I even slept in it for two nights. Trying to get some creases in that goatskin (not gonna happen but ey you gotta keep trying).

What kind of g-1?

 

[Fifty150]

(= looks like a more expensive leather )

Ha ha. Okay.

I don't know about that kind of shortcut. I was taught to oil the leather, and just wear it. The jacket will become yours after years of use.

 

[Fifty150]

I even slept in it for two nights.

When we went camping on our motorcycles, we did that too. Roll it up and use it for a pillow. Or maybe sit on it as a seat cushion. Hang it in the backyard, as a practice pinata.

 

[navetsea]

Ha ha. Okay.

I don't know about that kind of shortcut. I was taught to oil the leather, and just wear it. The jacket will become yours after years of use.

I dont know about shortcut, you mean washing the jacket? I simulate rain.
I have the jacket for about a year, dont really need to shrink or or stretch already fit great from start, just adding bits of worn in character. Oiling this kind of leather doesnt work. What i did was waxing the surface.
Adding some gloss to the dull surface, since beeswax is yellow it adds some warmth to the color with the right lighting.

 

[Fifty150]

That's something that I have never seen done. Thanks for the insight. I didn't even know that you could wash a leather jacket. I thought leather cleaning was a professional process. How do you do it? Washing machine?

washing the jacket? I simulate rain.

 

[navetsea]

I washed all mine once or twice after some wear probably after a year, just to get more live in character, not to clean it, I will not do this regularly or even annually, just once if the leather easily taking in character or twice if the leather is stubborn like this blue jacket.
washing machine no soap for my case, I don't need to clean it or remove odour just having it wet and tumbled, hang to dry on wooden wide shoulder hanger, to clean leather if needed if stained by something I just use saddle soap, it doesn't get cleaned thoroughly but better than none, sometime non alcohol wetwipe do the job too.

if your leather is raw natural vegtan, then probably I won't do any washing, finished/ pigmented chrome leather at least I feel they easily getting their original shape back not easily distorted, while vegtan is a lot easier to get permanently distorted by wetting, by looking at the shape of my wallet after I wear it inside a wet jeans don't think I dare to machine wash a vegtan jacket, probably a soak if needed to.

 

[SpencerD.]

I want to challenge myself to wear one leather jacket for a month (at least can be extended if the goal is met) everyday, 12+ hours a day, and see how it does to the creasing, fading, character it gets by the end of the month, anyone dare to join the mission ?

I accept that challenge and it could not come at a better time as I just got a Chopper Continental from Vanson in the XL-X150 leather that is stiff as a board. Besides, nothing I’d like more that wearing my Biker jackets 12+ hours a day (except for having somebody make me wear them 12+ hours a day...smile) I’m new to the forum, and it helped me find and purchase this great jacket as I was nervous about the changes going on to Vanson leather. The 15% discount and supporting a small business also helped sweeten the deal. Even before the Coronavirus lock in I had been looking at my collection and decided it was time to start wearing and enjoying them instead of letting them sit in the closet and tease me every day. I originally wanted a model E, but they were out of my size and I wanted something to enjoy now. Since I work from home and I have a tolerant partner, I am taking this push to break in all of my biker jackets and a pair or two of Wesco boots I own.

 

[SpencerD.]

I want to challenge myself to wear one leather jacket for a month (at least can be extended if the goal is met) everyday, 12+ hours a day, and see how it does to the creasing, fading, character it gets by the end of the month, anyone dare to join the mission ?

One of the jackets I’m going to wear and try to break in is this unusual Schott 118 (or at least I think it is a 118, the production tag was removed) that I found on E-bay. It has the one star tradition on the epaulets, and is number 75/200 jackets signed by Oren Schott of the Schott family. The only issue it has is that it’s lost its leather smell in trade for a bit of closet smell. I currently have is folded in a box with a brand new pair of Wesco boots I just bought hoping it takes on that awesome scent...

 

[SpencerD.]

I want to challenge myself to wear one leather jacket for a month (at least can be extended if the goal is met) everyday, 12+ hours a day, and see how it does to the creasing, fading, character it gets by the end of the month, anyone dare to join the mission ?

The Vanson Chopper I will be working on for the next 30 days

 

[Seb Lucas]

That's something that I have never seen done. Thanks for the insight. I didn't even know that you could wash a leather jacket. I thought leather cleaning was a professional process. How do you do it? Washing machine?

I have washed many many leather jackets in a machine (front loaders - less agitation) with a little detergent and dried them slowly in the shade. In most cases it makes the jacket fit better, breaks it in and softens the leather. In some cases you can't even tell it's been washed. Lots of folks wash jackets to help get them to look a bit less shiny new and conspicuous. Some people occasionally report shrinkage and torn linings. Maybe it happens but having washed too many to remember, I have never had anything but good results - goat, cow, horse, lamb. But if in doubt don't do it.

 

[SpencerD.]

The Vanson Chopper I will be working on for the next 30 days

Day three

 

[El Marro]

I accept that challenge and it could not come at a better time as I just got a Chopper Continental from Vanson in the XL-X150 leather that is stiff as a board. Besides, nothing I’d like more that wearing my Biker jackets 12+ hours a day (except for having somebody make me wear them 12+ hours a day...smile) I’m new to the forum, and it helped me find and purchase this great jacket as I was nervous about the changes going on to Vanson leather. The 15% discount and supporting a small business also helped sweeten the deal. Even before the Coronavirus lock in I had been looking at my collection and decided it was time to start wearing and enjoying them instead of letting them sit in the closet and tease me every day. I originally wanted a model E, but they were out of my size and I wanted something to enjoy now. Since I work from home and I have a tolerant partner, I am taking this push to break in all of my biker jackets and a pair or two of Wesco boots I own.

SpencerD,
Welcome to the lounge man!
You’ve chosen a very worthy jacket for the 30 day challenge and I’m a little jealous. I have a Chopper in the newer competition weight cowhide but I wish it was x150 like yours. Look forward to seeing the progress on this one.

 

[SpencerD.]

Hey there!
Thank you good to be here and glad I found this spot. I actually wanted the chopper in the CW, even the new CW, but could not find it so I decided to try this version. This leathers finish reminds me of the finish on my Schott 118 HH, very shiny and lots of grain. It does have a thinner feel than the old CW, yet it ‘feels’ pretty heavy in the hand. I noticed your Chopper in the avatar, how in the new CW breaking in? I’m betting it sill looks awesome!

 

[Xopher]

I have done it. Maybe not 12 hours but definitely 8-10 hrs for 2 or 3 months. I kept the house temp low and car heat off. It created a lot of character in the jacket. I don't really know how necessary it was after the fact. Most of the patina came from accidentally brushing against brick walls and the like while out and about. The leather grain showed up a lot after getting caught in the rain several times. Im of the opinion now "why rush it" I paid $1300 for a really nice jacket that will look well loved in 2 years anyway, it doesnt need to be in the first 3 months for me anymore. It was a rather unpleasant undertaking when I think back to it. I wouldn't do it again

 

[El Marro]

I noticed your Chopper in the avatar, how in the new CW breaking in? I’m betting it sill looks awesome!

The new CW is breaking in nicely, at this point the jacket is actually comfortable to wear. With some more hard use I’m sure it will look great but I really like how the x150 looks right out of the box.

 

[SpencerD.]

So it’s been a few days and the Chopper is making progress...although slow. Two of the things I missed on this jacket have now started to appear, creaking and a great leather smell. I was a bit disappointed out of the box that the jacket was pretty quiet, and had a minimal leather smell. Now that the leather is being worked it is becoming more fragrant and is creaking more. Very happy so far, I do see that the overall construction seems a lot sloppier than my Schott jackets and my older SanDiego Leathers jacket.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Your Schott and San Diego Leathers jackets are better constructed than a Vanson? That's a new one....!!
HD

 

[SpencerD.]

For sure! It’s been a while sine I bought a new Vanson, but it seems like they were in a hurry when they made this one. Crooked label, extra liner bunched up in one corner, crooked adjustment belt on the side. Again, still loving it but not as clean looking as some of my other jackets, some which were a lot less expensive.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

That's a shame even if tolerable. The photos look good though. Hopefully it's a one of fluke.

 

[El Marro]

I have owned seven jackets made by Vanson, four of them I bought new and the other three were picked up here and from eBay. The quality on all of these jackets has been good but I had some similar issues with the first Vanson I purchased, which was the Enfield. Some of the seams were rather sloppy, and there were a couple panels at the front that had not been trimmed cleanly which led to some weird leather bulges around the zipper in front. None of this affected the function of the jacket at all but I was surprised because I had heard such good things about Vanson. All of the jackets I have bought since then have been much better and my last one, the Commando, is superbly constructed.