If you could keep only 3 leather jackets...

[So33]

Tough question for me.
My choices today would be fitted Langlitz Timberline and Cascade.
Third is harder. Today I’d say my early edition Vanson Highwayman tomorrow maybe something different.
I pick these jackets from a Harley riders focus.

 

[Poltung]

Unfortunately I haven't found a civi-styled jacket to crack the top three, so all of mine would be reproduction military flight jackets. No reasons for selecting each jacket other than their fit/ esthetics, wearability/ comfort, and accuracy when compared to originals. Someday I'll order a Hercules repro from John Chapman that would take the place of the Rough Wear A-2 in my top 3.

#1. Good Wear Bronco Mfg Corp 1761 A-2 in Horween horsehide

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#2. Eastman Leather Clothing D-1 mechanics jacket

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#3. Good Wear Rough Wear 18091 A-2 in Pakistani goatskin

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Welp, gotta get my hands on some Eastman and Goodwear now.

 

[Poltung]

I have a one-off custom GoodWear Admiral Byrd and it's my #1.
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Man that's amazing, reminds me of Mushmans' "indiana jones" jacket in badalassi steerhide

 

[Zoro]

Curious how people here choose between a halfbelt and a cross-zip when only one can stay.

Not everybody does. It's all a preference. There's so many different styles some may never consider one of them to begin with. Several users already posted their top 3 without a halfbelt and/or crosszip.

 

[bobjones]

Unfortunately I haven't found a civi-styled jacket to crack the top three, so all of mine would be reproduction military flight jackets. No reasons for selecting each jacket other than their fit/ esthetics, wearability/ comfort, and accuracy when compared to originals. Someday I'll order a Hercules repro from John Chapman that would take the place of the Rough Wear A-2 in my top 3.

#1. Good Wear Bronco Mfg Corp 1761 A-2 in Horween horsehide

View attachment 822057


#2. Eastman Leather Clothing D-1 mechanics jacket

View attachment 822058


#3. Good Wear Rough Wear 18091 A-2 in Pakistani goatskin

View attachment 822060

Not a huge fan of vintage military jackets but your #1 and #2 are quite superb. They also fit you rather perfectly.

 

[coolhandluke_7]

Not a huge fan of vintage military jackets but your #1 and #2 are quite superb. They also fit you rather perfectly.

Thanks for the kind words Bob. The Rough Wear looks pretty good too, it's just not the most flattering pic of it that I posted. Rough Wears are cut more relaxed with wide shoulders and chest and baggy sleeves, while the Bronco is a more athletic looking cut.

 

[bobjones]

Thanks for the kind words Bob. The Rough Wear looks pretty good too, it's just not the most flattering pic of it that I posted. Rough Wears are cut more relaxed with wide shoulders and chest and baggy sleeves, while the Bronco is more athletic looking cut.

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Gorgeous piece, damn....to be young and slim... That's the problem when you get old and fat like me; you see how other people look wearing a jacket and you think that is how it will look on you.

Sadly, it doesn't, as I tried on some jackets recently in the store that the staff was wearing, who are all in their 20s in great shape, and then I put it on and look in the mirror - and well....

That jacket, color and hide look incredible. I knew of Eastman / Goodwear 2-3 decades ago when I was getting my Aeros, and back then they were a very well respected manufacturer. The patina on the jacket is incomparable.

Anyone seeking an A2 / G1-style jacket should strongly consider them.

 

[TLW '90]

I only have 4 at the moment and 1 has sentimental value.

LESCO

Cooper A2

pioneer wear

Taylor's CMPD

if we consider the CMPD a given since it has sentimental value for me, then I could just stick with my other 3 not buying any more.

if not maybe I'd nix the LESCO due to condition if my life depended on it, but I really do love my LESCO.

 

[Edward]

Interesting concept. I think for me it would be these three:

1] Aero Bootlegger with button cuffs mod, in cordovan FQHH

2] A brown Aero halfbelt in a pre-war style, *probably* a seabiscuit, likely in seal vicenza

3] An Aero Rockerfella in a black Vicenza

Picked these options as I like to wear a leather jacket Howard-Hughes-style, as an alternative to a blazer, over a collar and tie or even as a replacement for the coat of a three-piece suit. Much as I love a bike jacket (whether P-style or D-pocket), they're not as flexible in terms of what they work with in my wardrobe. Not gone for anything cold-weather appropriate as I have plenty of options other than leather for that, and would prefer the range of colour-choices for jacket season.

Honourable mention here must go to a black leather trench-coat, which I always found an excellent option for rainwear. And easier to wear now nobody under fifty remembers Herr Flick of the Gestapo, and the vast majority in the street think of Keanu rather than Ron Lacey when they see one.

 

[floater]

I’ve been thinking about this one, it’s really tough to narrow it down to just 3, 5 or 6 would be easier.

Only way I could make sense of picking just 3 is to break them down to weigh class, so this is how I’m approaching this, and I’m only picking from the 15 I currently have considering I’m pretty much done and not craving anything else other than maybe an oilve roughout chp, but that would be custom and likely not in my top 3.

Lightweight, 3oz/1.3mm and lower

Middleweight, 3.25-3.75oz/1.4-1.7mm

Heavyweight, 4oz/1.8mm and higher


My first and easiest pick would be the lightweight class, elmc black hh highway star, it’s borderline lightweight at around 1.3mm but it feels lighter when worn, this eastman leather is something else, I heard the praises but wasn’t expecting this nice of a leather, to me this hh feels like thick grainy calfskin, oily, buttery smooth but lots of character, and the lining is equally impressive, silky smooth, very dense but it feels light and fresh when worn, it’s the newest in my closet but has quickly become my go-to black jacket, this would be my daily beater jacket.

My second pick is the heavyweight class, naked sun red/black shrunken buffalo thunder road, it’s 2mm thick and most of the front is double paneled, it’s a tank, but it’s extremely flexible and non-restrictive when worn even though it doesn’t have any type of extension or gussets, I also like how unique it looks, it’s wild seeing how it grabs random people’s attention and by far the jacket that gets the most compliments, this would be my special occasions jacket.

My last pick for the middleweight class is really tough, I can’t do it sorry, it’s a full blown tie between fw brown deerskin bodie and fw brown hh mulholland, you’d think it’d be easy to pick one over the other since they’re both brown spread collar straight zip jackets, but the leather type and how they feel when worn is totally different, mulholland is the structured, tough and protective jacket, while the bodie is the super comfy, drapes like a chunky cardigan jacket, these would be my versatile dress up or down jackets.

 

[TartuWolf]

I only have 4 at the moment and 1 has sentimental value.

LESCO
View attachment 822310
Cooper A2
View attachment 822311
pioneer wear
View attachment 822312
Taylor's CMPD
View attachment 822314

if we consider the CMPD a given since it has sentimental value for me, then I could just stick with my other 3 not buying any more.

if not maybe I'd nix the LESCO due to condition if my life depended on it, but I really do love my LESCO.

Holy cow you really upped you photo taking game didn't you?

 

[barnabus]

I was about to say that I don't even have 3 leather jackets, never mind 3 I'd want to keep.

But then I realised I'd completely forgotten I have this. These pictures are from 2023, which is probably the last time I wore it.

It's from Superdry Premium, if anyone's interested. A rightly maligned brand, who can sometimes do the business when they pull their finger out.

 

[Poltung]

I’ve been thinking about this one, it’s really tough to narrow it down to just 3, 5 or 6 would be easier.

Only way I could make sense of picking just 3 is to break them down to weigh class, so this is how I’m approaching this, and I’m only picking from the 15 I currently have considering I’m pretty much done and not craving anything else other than maybe an oilve roughout chp, but that would be custom and likely not in my top 3.

Lightweight, 3oz/1.3mm and lower

Middleweight, 3.25-3.75oz/1.4-1.7mm

Heavyweight, 4oz/1.8mm and higher


My first and easiest pick would be the lightweight class, elmc black hh highway star, it’s borderline lightweight at around 1.3mm but it feels lighter when worn, this eastman leather is something else, I heard the praises but wasn’t expecting this nice of a leather, to me this hh feels like thick grainy calfskin, oily, buttery smooth but lots of character, and the lining is equally impressive, silky smooth, very dense but it feels light and fresh when worn, it’s the newest in my closet but has quickly become my go-to black jacket, this would be my daily beater jacket.

View attachment 822360

My second pick is the heavyweight class, naked sun red/black shrunken buffalo thunder road, it’s 2mm thick and most of the front is double paneled, it’s a tank, but it’s extremely flexible and non-restrictive when worn even though it doesn’t have any type of extension or gussets, I also like how unique it looks, it’s wild seeing how it grabs random people’s attention and by far the jacket that gets the most compliments, this would be my special occasions jacket.

View attachment 822359

My last pick for the middleweight class is really tough, I can’t do it sorry, it’s a full blown tie between fw brown deerskin bodie and fw brown hh mulholland, you’d think it’d be easy to pick one over the other since they’re both brown spread collar straight zip jackets, but the leather type and how they feel when worn is totally different, mulholland is the structured, tough and protective jacket, while the bodie is the super comfy, drapes like a chunky cardigan jacket, these would be my versatile dress up or down jackets.

View attachment 822361 View attachment 822363

That buffalo looks ridiculously amazing, congrats!

 

[Poltung]

I only have 4 at the moment and 1 has sentimental value.

LESCO
View attachment 822310
Cooper A2
View attachment 822311
pioneer wear
View attachment 822312
Taylor's CMPD
View attachment 822314

if we consider the CMPD a given since it has sentimental value for me, then I could just stick with my other 3 not buying any more.

if not maybe I'd nix the LESCO due to condition if my life depended on it, but I really do love my LESCO.

The CMPD, seeing that patch with the ***** bone, I can only assume it's tied to your pet(s) and absolutely pick your choice too, I love my dog!

 

[Poltung]

Interesting concept. I think for me it would be these three:

1] Aero Bootlegger with button cuffs mod, in cordovan FQHH

2] A brown Aero halfbelt in a pre-war style, *probably* a seabiscuit, likely in seal vicenza

3] An Aero Rockerfella in a black Vicenza

Picked these options as I like to wear a leather jacket Howard-Hughes-style, as an alternative to a blazer, over a collar and tie or even as a replacement for the coat of a three-piece suit. Much as I love a bike jacket (whether P-style or D-pocket), they're not as flexible in terms of what they work with in my wardrobe. Not gone for anything cold-weather appropriate as I have plenty of options other than leather for that, and would prefer the range of colour-choices for jacket season.

Honourable mention here must go to a black leather trench-coat, which I always found an excellent option for rainwear. And easier to wear now nobody under fifty remembers Herr Flick of the Gestapo, and the vast majority in the street think of Keanu rather than Ron Lacey when they see one.

Bootlegger in fqhh Cordovan looks absolutely amazing, and Vicenza horsehide are definitely among the best leather I've handled. We need pics!

 

[Gabsy]

For heavy duty weather, layering, or riding. Competition weight hides take forever to break in, but once they mold to you, nothing touches them for raw durability.

 

[TLW '90]

The CMPD, seeing that patch with the ***** bone, I can only assume it's tied to your pet(s) and absolutely pick your choice too, I love my dog!

yes.
my current pitty pup and my last 2.
I sent the jacket out to have the patchwork done last year.

it's not necessary the nicest leather out there, but it's not a bad jacket.
Chicago municipal Police department issue from 1991, bought surplus 6 years ago and is the first leather jacket I ever bought.
I got pretty lucky with it fitting me quite well, even if it isn't the most flattering of jacket styles.

 

[TLW '90]

Holy cow you really upped you photo taking game didn't you?

I did ?
maybe it's just the better camera on my new phone or I've found a perfect location to take the pictures ?