horsehide jacket - how long to break-in?

[jtmac71]

HD standing outside in a drenching downpour of rain in a FQHH jacket is a rite of passage. I would do it myself if it ever were to rain in Texas.

HD standing outside in a drenching downpour of rain in a FQHH jacket is a rite of passage. I would do it myself if it ever were to rain in Texas.

Same here in Tucson, can,t remember the last time it rained!!

 

[AeroFan_07]

Wow! A thread from 2013 - then revived in 2019, just now revived as if it was updated yesterday

Seems like we're all still searching for this answer -- how to break in Horse hide and specifically Chromexcell FQHH!!

My way was easy - sell it off...for all but one CXL FQHH jackets...

 

[Alfonzo Von Doom]

My view on this is what I what I would call a “religious” view. By this I mean that I have very very strong, deeply held and inflexible rules of what is right and wrong. At the same time, I know that there are some people with a different religion, which is fine. They are entitled to their ”religion.” In my heart of hearts though I know that I belong to the one true faith. That being said, allow me to explain my thoughts.

-Thou shalt not “break in” thy jacket, or attempt to create patina, aging, etc. Thou shalt WEAR thy jacket. Then God willing and the crops dont fail, over time your leather jacket will become a part of you. A trusted old friend. It will soften and mold and acquire the colors and wear that reflect who you are. If you attempt to artificially break in or patina a jacket, than you are making it for a fake you, and every time you wear it, you are living a lie and all will know you for the fraud that you are and you will cower inside yourself knowing that you are unworthy for having knowingly damaged a fine garment out of some twisted vanity. You have to earn that softness, comfort fit and patina.

to do anything else is to break from the true faith.

Of course, if it happens to rain while you are outside wearing your nice new leather jacket, or if you happen to forget to take it off before you go into the sauna….. well who could fault you for such a thing? or, if you should accidentally fall into a swimming pool and walk it dry because that is the only jacket you have…. this is understandable, and blameless. Or if you happen to be in the woodshop and accidentally fall into a wastebin full of old sandpaper and spend 1/2 hour struggling madly to get out, well this is just the normal adventures of life that a man and his leather jacket go through, and perfectly fine. You may use it as a pillow, blanket, emergency bandage, etc.

The key thing is that you never deliberately (admit) to doing anything to age or break in your jacket. You just wear it. A man buys a stiff shiny jacket. He puts it one, and he immediately pronounces it broken in, and he is not allowed to notice anything about its state until and unless it literally disintegrates off his body. Between the moment of first putting it on and until the moment it completely falls apart it shall be described as ”fine.”

once a year you are allowed to clean it and put on some saddlesoap or conditioner or something. If it rips or tears you can fix it or have someone do it, but other than that you are to leave it alone wear it and live in it.

If you are like me there will come a time when your jacket has truly become your friend and favorite trustworthy garment. You wouldnt dare think of leaving it behind, and you will smile every time you reach for it.

Inevitably it will be stolen from you out of a hotel room right at this moment, or your wife or daughters will decide it is theirs, or your new puppy will chew it to shreds, or it will get destroyed in a freak sawmill accident, or it may die protecting you from road rash.

When this happens you are allowed to be bummed out and say something like “Damn, I really liked that jacket.”

if you follow all these rules you are them allowed to spend any amount of money on. Replacement since what you lost was by definition priceless.

 

[Alfonzo Von Doom]

Oh, and if what I said sounds wrong you should get a lambskin, calfskin, goat or suede jacket.

This is what you sign up for when you buy horsehide.

 

[Trouser Bark]

I have a Lost Worlds leather pea coat and was wondering something similar. When I first rec'd the coat it was so stiff that fastening the buttons would make me wonder if I were going to hurt my fingers or break a button (or both). The coat was sort of a chore to wear at first so it spent a lot of time in the closet and I finally asked here what to expect.

The response was that the coat wasn't going to break itself in and wearing it was key.

I now wear it at least 5 days a week and it's still loud, stiff, heavy and it feels somehow protective in a way that few casual coats do but there's a cost.

I'd estimate that this coat will need to be worn for at least six months before it'll seem effortless to put on or wear. Truth be told that's more of an investment than I had signed on for but it's a nice coat. Really nice... and it gets a surprising number of compliments.

I might not have been up for that much break-in effort when I bought the coat but after having worn it and gotten slightly accustomed to it I'm ok w/ the longer break-in. I've never had a coat like this before and am guessing the time spent will refine something pretty special.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Alfonzo Von Doom​

^^That's pretty darn well said sir!

 

[moktabe]

Managed to pick an Aero FQHH jacket up from ebay a while back and they've dated it (via the label) to be approx 35-38 yrs old, current model is listed as a Cheyenne.

Looks like it's had the ass knocked off it and has likely been worn as a work jacket However it will still stand up by itself

 

[X83]

Alfonzo Von Doom​

^^That's pretty darn well said sir!

This was only about 2 months of wear, and the arm rolls began to form. Aero has some of, if not this thickest, CXL I've ever seen. It does not hurt to get caught in some light rain. I try not to pay any attention, and after a while, you can just feel it has settled in. Also, if you snap a pic day one out of the box and another after a few wears, you will see it in the photos for sure.

 

[mdgnowles]

Stick it in a washing machine - with detergent - that helps break it in. I've found that HH takes a long , long time to become civilized.

That will ruin the stitches and other small details as time goes forward.

 

[Trouser Bark]

I've been wearing my Lost Worlds leather pea coat nearly every day since my prior post about it a month ago and yeah, it's horse and it's thick.

I took it to a local leather shop to have cuff knits put in the sleeves ($54USD). That was a massive improvement along w/ 3-4 days of not being worn.

The jacket still periscopes my hat off and is still stiff for sure but it's getting a little more compliant and I'd bet a nickel it'll be a heck of a lot less stiff by the end of the coming summer but I don't have high hopes that it'll come sooner than that.

I have about a dozen leather jackets and after having made a couple small modifications to the LW pea I could easily see myself narrowing my closet selection down from 12 to 2 ...a roughly fifty year old Vanson white label and this LW pea. They're the only two that are getting shoulder time now.

 

[mdgnowles]

I've been wearing my Lost Worlds leather pea coat nearly every day since my prior post about it a month ago and yeah, it's horse and it's thick.

I took it to a local leather shop to have cuff knits put in the sleeves ($54USD). That was a massive improvement along w/ 3-4 days of not being worn.

The jacket still periscopes my hat off and is still stiff for sure but it's getting a little more compliant and I'd bet a nickel it'll be a heck of a lot less stiff by the end of the coming summer but I don't have high hopes that it'll come sooner than that.

I have about a dozen leather jackets and after having made a couple small modifications to the LW pea I could easily see myself narrowing my closet selection down from 12 to 2 ...a roughly fifty year old Vanson white label and this LW pea. They're the only two that are getting shoulder time now.

They should only go to good homes. But remember, sometimes we revert retroactively which isn't bad but makes us miss a good 'thing'.

 

[zebedee]

Wear it in all weathers and to pubs where you should try to get many drinks in. Walk it home (better if raining: surpassingly brilliant if a monsoon). Repeat this as often as possible.

Steerhide has been far harder to wear in and therefore tougher on the liver.