Heavy Chromex FQHH

[Superfluous]

IMHO, wearing certain of the aforementioned leather jackets is akin to . . .

 

[mygar]

I don't feel the weight of any of my jackets, even the 4+ oz. Johnson Leather or the Vanson Competition weight. Our friend @Seb Lucas feels differently, but it just doesn't bother me. I can wear it all day and not notice it.

As to the weight of the Aeros, I was told the Aeros were at 3 oz. and that is what they feel like to me. The weights differ, depending on the batches received from Horween. The ThunderBay may be a little heavier, but it is hard to tell because of the thickness of the shearling. The Sheene is definitely a 3 oz. hide—very comfortable and very soft, now that it is broken in.

Same here doenst feel heavy to me when wearing... at least the CR i had. It fit as a 40 and was around 5.5lb...

 

[Fanch]

The only CXL I own is a brown FQHH Aero Teamster. Everything else I own is either goatskin or mid-weight Vicenza or Shinki HH. My CXL Teamster is packed with waxes that provides significant water resistance that allows me to wear it with confidence on rainy days without worry of staining or soaking through. With body shell lined in moleskin and cotton sateen sleeves, it is also my warmest leather jacket, used especially on cold, rainy days. If I started unloading my jacket collection, it would be one of the last two or three to go.

 

[Mich486]

My brief experience tells me that Aero CXL FQHH from Horween is always stiff but can be of different thickness/weight. Take a look:

The black on the left feels to the touch and is in fact thicker.

I like CXL but it will never be comfortable to wear like Vicenza. Who says otherwise I think is not being honest.

Both of my CXL (HWM and Grizzly) are boxy cuts with wide armholes and generous chest. That makes the stiffness and weight bearable to me. I wouldn’t want a tight jacket in CXL.


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[Edward]

CXL is a trademark for a tannage process, not a weight. The CXL leather that Aero uses comes in a variety of weights. Also, they did use some even heavier weight CXL in the past, which they do not currently offer.

The picture is also a bit clouded by the fact that there may still be a few unidentified storse jackets floating out there; if memory serves, the main period these were being put out under Lauder was 10/11, but there was at least one identified during the trial that went back to 2007.

Indeed. Although I'd say Aero has /or had quite recently the heaviest CXL I've ever handled. Steer mind you. They had it in 2012 and they had it when they made my HB. I've never found FQHH CXL to be heavy at all. It's stiff, not heavy tho. It holds that stiffness longer than steer and I think that's what turns people on/off to it.

As with anything, it's all subjective. Some folks don't care for heavier leather, others prefer it, and others of us - often those of us who cut our leather teeth on bike leathers in the eighties when CE-rated armour didn't yet exist and your only real option for protection was hefty hide - don't even notice hide weight unless it feels unusually light.

Two further questions:

1) what's specifically good about stiffness lasting longer?

2) would you (Ton, but everyone else feel free to answer) not prefer heavier CXL FQHH than less heavy? If so, why?

1] - purely a matter of personal preference; a lot of folks like a jacket they have to beat into submission during a break-in process (though TBH I've never found any leather, no matter how thick or heavy, needed more than a month's regular wear to feel broken in).

2] FQHH weight is a bit luck of the draw - Aero for example offer one type only (though you can ask for the heaviest or lightest version they have and let them judge). Thing is, leather being an organic material, the one thing you cannot fully guarantee is consistency of thickness; horsehide may come within a set of average parameters, but there will always be some variation from horse to horse - same as any leather. Again, as to which folks prefer; different people like different hide weights for different reasons, just like some folks like soft, soft cotton while others prefer 22oz denim...

John Chapman has 2.5oz horween cxl, in russet. Or at least, he did .This is the only cxl I'd be interested in for jackets. The stuff aero uses in my opinion - and the opinion of many respected makers I might add, JC included - is too heavy for garments, in spite of whatever a handful of guys on here like to routinely say about it. Probably a good choice for falling off a motorbike in, granted

The key word here is, of course, opinion. Different strokes for different folks. Objectively, Aero and some other brands do use some hides of a heft that was not commonly seen much outside of German bullhide motorcycle jackets back around the mid-20th century, though clearly neither they nor the customers think them unsuitable. I'm always reluctant to go too far into the idea of there being a 'correct' weight for civilian gear especially in this period,though - given that there was always going to be that variation in organic hides.

For motorcycle wear, certainly hide weight can help with abrasion resistance in the event of a slide following an off, though other factorscan help here too. Goat and Roo both have incredible abrasion resistance relative to their light weight, so it's not always necessary for a bike jacket to be heavy-heavy.

Outside of the CXL hides, I don't tend to find the stuff Aero use noticeable heavier than other, comparable brands, but yes the CXL seems to be their most popular seller.

Miss the FQHH CR I had (aka monitors jacket). It was thick and just started molding to me. Thick heavy leather that i hope to replace at some point.

I can tell you no way would i feel protected on a bike (extent that you can... add armor lol) with italian hh.... or any mid weight leather.

It's obviously never been done because that's not their primary market, but it would be fascinating to see the results of abrasion testing on the range of popular leathers here. If memory serves, one of our members here at TFL had an off a year or two ago in a Vicenza cafe racer and it held up very well. I'd expect that same of goat, given that it has impressive abrasion resistance, and goathide is often used in the motorcycle clothing industry for Summer-weight jackets.

 

[Carlos840]

My brief experience tells me that Aero CXL FQHH from Horween is always stiff but can be of different thickness/weight. Take a look:

The black on the left feels to the touch and is in fact thicker.

I like CXL but it will never be comfortable to wear like Vicenza. Who says otherwise I think is not being honest.

Both of my CXL (HWM and Grizzly) are boxy cuts with wide armholes and generous chest. That makes the stiffness and weight bearable to me. I wouldn’t want a tight jacket in CXL.


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Leather is usually skived before being folded, it's not impossible that the brown one was just skived more than the black one.
Not saying it definitely is, but i don't think looking at a fold is the most accurate way of judging thickness.
Measuring the thickness on a flat panel would be much more accurate.

 

[Colin G]

I prefer the weight and thickness of heavy steer hide but my next jacket will probably be heavy FQHH.

I had a Vicenza sample sent to me and did not like it. I felt it was too thin for my wants and needs.

 

[red devil]

BTW, what do you guys consider heavy?
I noticed that my most worn jackets are 2.61 kg / 5.77lbs and 2.77 kg / 6.12lbs. Is this mid weight or heavy?
It certainly is a good feel to me, my heaviest is 3.78 kg / 8.33lbs (this must be heavy ).

I find though that having a certain weigh is important, need to feel the jacket. But probably more important is how that weight is balanced.

 

[Carlos840]

BTW, what do you guys consider heavy?
I noticed that my most worn jackets are 2.61 kg / 5.77lbs and 2.77 kg / 6.12lbs. Is this mid weight or heavy?
It certainly is a good feel to me, my heaviest is 3.78 kg / 8.33lbs (this must be heavy ).

I find though that having a certain weigh is important, need to feel the jacket. But probably more important is how that weight is balanced.

Here is everything i have:

ELMC Californian: 1.53 kg / 3.37 lb
DC J-100: 1.80 kg / 3.98 lb
Lewis Leathers 551: 1.94 kg / 4.25 lb
Schott 644: 1.95 kg / 4.31 lb
DC JH-1: 2.09kg / 4.61lb
Schott B3: 2.11kg / 4.66 lb
RMC JH-1: 2.21kg / 4.87lb
Himel Chevalier: 2.23 kg / 4.93 lbs
Aero Bootlegger CXLFQHH(brown): 2.31 kg / 5.09 lb
Aero Bootlegger CXLFQHH(black): 2.55 kg / 5.63 lb
Freewheelers La Brea: 2.61 kg / 5.76 lb
AL Cafe Racer: 2.72 kg / 5.66 lb
Apparel Annex CHP: 2.73 kg / 6.03lb
Vanson Chopper: 3.60 kg / 7.95 lb

To me the ELMC Californian feels lightweight. (1.53 kg / 3.37 lb)
I can't say i feel an obvious difference going from the DC J-100 up to the Himel Chevalier, they all feel pretty even to me, i would call them medium weight. (1.80 kg / 3.98 lb to 2.23 kg / 4.93 lbs)
Weirdly the Bootleggers do feel much heavier than the medium weight group even though there is barely any difference between the brown one and the Chevalier. IMO it is because the bootlegger pattern puts a lot of the weight of the jacket on the neck, and it feels heavier during wear. I think the more rigid CXL also adds to that impression.
The Freewheeler LaBrea is the exact opposite, it is heavier but when worn the collar doesn't even contact the neck, all the weight is on the shoulders, it feels much lighter than the bootleggers.
I think i would put the Bootleggers up to the Apparel Annex in the heavy category. (2.31 kg / 5.09 lb to 2.73 kg / 6.03lb)
The Chopper is a whole other beast, it feels like a ton of bricks, i would call that the super heavy category.

Like you said, weight itself doesn't tell the whole story, fit and leather type influence the feel a lot.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I think Carlos is right when he says the weight doesn't tell the whole story. I had a 10 year-old Aero FQHH that never stopped being stiff and awkward to wear. It never broke in.

Edwards says this is down to opinion - I'd say it is down to empirically tested comfort factors. We do have diffferent preferences and part of this is where we live and how warm it is. So here, for instance, even 2.5oz (what some would consider a lighter hide) is only fit for wearing a few weeks of any year.

Over 30 years experimenting with 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 oz, I have found my sweet spot is 2 to 2.2 oz hide. Probably closer to the weight of vintage leather jackets I have seen and worn. I would prefer a jacket that weights no more than 1.6 kilos 3.3 pounds. I just have no need for anything heavier even when the leather is soft - I had a lovely buttery soft 3 oz Steerhide half-belt. I wore the thing 4 weeks a year, it just didn't suit my lifestyle. Sold it.

 

[ton312]

On the flip side, Chicago can go from 80 to 45 degrees in a single day and the winters are so cold they become leather prohibitive. When I can wear one I want it thick and lined in a toasty cotton or quilt nylon.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yeah, when it gets cold here, I would never wear leather. The weight only feels warm and heavy in warmer weather.

 

[Bigbenbs]

Here is everything i have:

ELMC Californian: 1.53 kg / 3.37 lb
DC J-100: 1.80 kg / 3.98 lb
Lewis Leathers 551: 1.94 kg / 4.25 lb
Schott 644: 1.95 kg / 4.31 lb
DC JH-1: 2.09kg / 4.61lb
Schott B3: 2.11kg / 4.66 lb
RMC JH-1: 2.21kg / 4.87lb
Himel Chevalier: 2.23 kg / 4.93 lbs
Aero Bootlegger CXLFQHH(brown): 2.31 kg / 5.09 lb
Aero Bootlegger CXLFQHH(black): 2.55 kg / 5.63 lb
Freewheelers La Brea: 2.61 kg / 5.76 lb
AL Cafe Racer: 2.72 kg / 5.66 lb
Apparel Annex CHP: 2.73 kg / 6.03lb
Vanson Chopper: 3.60 kg / 7.95 lb

To me the ELMC Californian feels lightweight. (1.53 kg / 3.37 lb)
I can't say i feel an obvious difference going from the DC J-100 up to the Himel Chevalier, they all feel pretty even to me, i would call them medium weight. (1.80 kg / 3.98 lb to 2.23 kg / 4.93 lbs)
Weirdly the Bootleggers do feel much heavier than the medium weight group even though there is barely any difference between the brown one and the Chevalier. IMO it is because the bootlegger pattern puts a lot of the weight of the jacket on the neck, and it feels heavier during wear. I think the more rigid CXL also adds to that impression.
The Freewheeler LaBrea is the exact opposite, it is heavier but when worn the collar doesn't even contact the neck, all the weight is on the shoulders, it feels much lighter than the bootleggers.
I think i would put the Bootleggers up to the Apparel Annex in the heavy category. (2.31 kg / 5.09 lb to 2.73 kg / 6.03lb)
The Chopper is a whole other beast, it feels like a ton of bricks, i would call that the super heavy category.

Like you said, weight itself doesn't tell the whole story, fit and leather type influence the feel a lot.

Not a bad list

 

[Willybob]

My 3 to 3.5 CXL Aero FQHH LHB has loosened up nicely and in very comfortable. It's thicker than my Veg tan BK Victory horse, which does not shed water like the Aero and is much looser. Both leathers seem denser than my CXL steer hide Aero and my CXL Atlantic buffalo Aero, which also don't shed water like the CXL FQHH. I like them all equally. Different jackets for different applications. If I could personally only have one leather jacket I'd go with the 3 oz CXL FQHH. But variety is the spice of life. I'm still hoping to get a goat and a kangaroo some day.

 

[jonesy86]

IMHO, wearing certain of the aforementioned leather jackets is akin to . . .

My Aero Hercules CXL Steerhide Sheerling just weighed in at 10 Lbs.

I may wear it someday.

 

[TheMarriedHermit]

Too easy -- must resist.

Is that what does the trick? What do you--just keep it in a pocket, or grind it with mortar and pestle, then rub the powder on the leather?

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[Peacoat]

I don't feel the weight of any of my jackets, even the 4+ oz. Johnson Leather or the Vanson Competition weight. Our friend @Seb Lucas feels differently, but it just doesn't bother me. I can wear it all day and not notice it.

As to the weight of the Aeros, I was told the Aeros were at 3 oz. and that is what they feel like to me. The weights differ, depending on the batches received from Horween. The ThunderBay may be a little heavier, but it is hard to tell because of the thickness of the shearling. The Sheene is definitely a 3 oz. hide—very comfortable and very soft, now that it is broken in.

And I should have mentioned my Sheene comes in at an even 5 lbs. (2.2 KG). Not a heavy jacket.

 

[ton312]

My Aero Hercules CXL Steerhide Sheerling just weighed in at 10 Lbs.

I may wear it someday.

Best you have IMHO. Perfect fit!

 

[Bobby Peru]

What size is it?

40. I didn't forget about your question! I finally had time to visit the jacket barn today.