New member who needs some advice (likes Aero)

[I would go out tonight]

I have been dropping in here for years and am a serial Aero buyer but have not got it quite right yet.

Aero 1
Second hand steer Barnstormer. Sold as too small. It had been relined and the size label was missing.

Aero 2
Brown FQHH Long half belt. Size 44, 0.5 inches added to sleeves. Very nice but after three years was still so stiff I could not tell if it fit me or not. Sold

Aero 3
Seal jerky Barnstormer. Size 44, 0.5 inches added to sleeves. Very nice but sold as I found the double breasted and belt awkward if worn open. Sold but possibly should have kept.

Aero 4
Seal Jerky LHB. Size 46 as I thought maybe the 44 was too small. Very nice but too big. Sold.

Aero 5
Brown FQHH custom single breasted Barnstormer with button cuffs. Size 44, turned at seams, 0.5 inches to sleeves. This was modelled on a LW Bedford. Returned to Aero for refund as this did not work out at all and has put me right off modifications

Aero 6
Apprentice made black steerhide 50's half belt. Size 46. Sold as too short in the arms. Leather was unusual, soft and spongy. Good value and lost very little on the sale.

Aero 7 and current jacket
Brown FQHH Mulligan. Size 46. 26 inch sleeves. 27 inch back. I asked for the lightest FQHH in stock and from previous experience, it is lighter and slightly more pliable than other jackets.
However, this one is going to be sold or traded as I have finally conceded that FQHH is not for me. I want to change to something lighter and easier to live with.

I am looking for advice about lighter hides. For example, anyone who has both FQHH and battered horse. Mid-weight oilpull. Goat. What about the shinki or the Italian horse.

I need some fit advice as well but I have gone on long enough for now. Thank you in advance for your patience.

 

[Plumbline]

I've got a LHB ( Long Half Belt) in MWHH and it's soft as a very sof thing ... I really rate it 2oz and lovely to wear no stiffness at all.

I've got 2 aero goat jackets M422a and AN6552 ... again the goat is a little stiffer now but still 10x more pliable than FQHH even when new. Top material and almost indestructible ... next to Buffalo my favourite of the Aero hides..

I've got a Highwayman in vintage/tumbled FQHH and while is't a little softer than std CXL it's still got a fair heft to it (3oz) ... really heavyweight and took about 2 years to get comfortable and bendy.

I've got a VDR ( Vest De Rallye) in CXL FQHH and it's 10 years old and still quite stiff and unweildy .... this thing is Clyde built and weighs over 8lbs.

I had a Longshoreman made in (heavy) A-2 Seal Brown HH ( as used in the Real Deal A-2 range) and it was stunning .... I wouldn't hesitate in doing this again .... this jacket was soft as anything straight out of the box and developed the most amazing graining really quickly.

I had a Californian in Russett Buffalo .... for a long time this wasa my goto jacket ... thick yet soft and with the most stunning grain ... again for a balance between heft and softness this was hard to beat.

Not tried many of the new hides other than in samples ( Battered HH etc. ) and haven't got samples of the veg tanned HH yet .....

HTH

 

[I would go out tonight]

I had a Longshoreman made in (heavy) A-2 Seal Brown HH ( as used in the Real Deal A-2 range) and it was stunning .... I wouldn't hesitate in doing this again .... this jacket was soft as anything straight out of the box and developed the most amazing graining really quickly.HTH

Many thanks Plumbline. You were one of the members I was hoping to hear from. Extensive experience.

I loved the Seal jerky barnstormer but prefer no belt. The Seal Brown HH you mention sounds interesting.

 

[Otter]

Have you thought about a Hercules if you like a longer style?

 

[Sloan1874]

The tumbled cordovan of my BR was very easy to wear straight out of the box, but it's still FQHH so it's never going to be butter soft. Aero's new goat is fantastic stuff and will be very easy to live with, but something like the oil pull would be a good MWHH to go with.

 

[I would go out tonight]

Many thanks Sloan.
Another member I had hoped to hear from. I am hoping to post up some pictures in another thread and would be interested in your view of sizing between styles.
Didn't you pick up a shinki jacket. Do Aero have any in stock?
Goat is definitely on my shortlist (again)

 

[Sloan1874]

The Dust Bowl was a test jacket made from a sample of shinki, I'm afraid, but as far as I'm aware they don't have any plans to introduce the leather full-time. IMO their seal goat is similar in finish to my DB, though, both in finish and weight.

 

[I would go out tonight]

Sloan, what do you think of the premier work jacket in seal goat?

 

[Sloan1874]

That could look really good, though I notice that Aero are offering the jacket in FQHH, so you'd need to ask them if it was do-able, as goat hides tend to be small, for obvious reasons, which could make a longer jacket a trickier task, especially if you're on the larger size.

 

[Damo]

Wow, that's quite the journey you've been on so far. I'm sure you'll get great advice from these members. Whatever jacket you decide on make sure to post pics. These guys are even more helpful with fit pics.

 

[Fanch]

I have a brown jerky MWHH Mulligan, russet jerky MWHH Bronco A-2, brown FQHH Teamster, brown veg tanned goatskin Pioneer, and a black veg tanned goatskin Maxwell. The russet jerky MWHH Bronco A-2 hide has broken in nicely and developed patina from a combination of its previous owner and me to a lesser extent. The brown FQHH Teamster hide has a somewhat waxy feel and is very flexible, somewhat broken in as it is my cold weather coat. The brown jerky MWHH Mulligan hide feels almost as thick as the brown FQHH and somewhat stiff but not yet broken in. It "feels" thicker and less supple than the brown jerky MWHH of my Bronco A-2. Probably lighter weight than the FQHH. My brown veg tanned goatskin Pioneer and black veg tanned goatskin Maxwell hides are virtually identical in texture (lots of grain), feel (very flexible), and thickness with essentially no break in needed, at least for me.

I have never seen the battered horse, MWHH oilpull, Italian MWHH, or Shinki MWHH but have heard good things said about all of them. I think the Italian MWHH may be restricted to Insurrection in Seattle and would not go that route unless you are in the US.

Based on my personal experience, my recommendation would be FQHH vs goatskin, although both Italian and Shinki MWHH sound appealing. My two favorite jackets are my Teamster and Maxwell, and I would be hard pressed to say which of the two I prefer over the other. BTW the body length of my Teamster is 28.5" and my Maxwell is 26.5" for my 6'2" frame. Hope my very limited experience might be of some limited value to you.

 

[I would go out tonight]

Damo you are right. This one needs to be it. Because you can trade in to Aero, or sell on eBay reasonably easily I would say it has cost me approximately £2500 over the last 10 years.

Sloan and Plumbline's descriptions are pushing me towards goat.

Does anyone know how the new Aero goat wears? I have some samples from about 5 years ago and it feels like it might never age.

 

[Superfluous]

I too find the Horween FQHH too rigid/stiff/heavy for my liking.

I much prefer the weight and pliability of Shinki HH. This is my favorite HH. Unfortunately, it is not widely available (Good Wear, Himel, Real McCoy, Freewheelers, Rainbow Country, Flat Head, etc.)

I also have a Vincenza HH jacket. The Vincenza is similar in pliability to the Shinki. The benefit of Vincenza is that you can order any Aero model with Vincenza through Thurston Brothers, and full customization is available.

I do not have any experience with mid-weight Horween leathers.

 

[I would go out tonight]

Superfluous, many thanks. The Vincenza hide does sound interesting. I could talk to Aero to find out if they have an exclusive deal with Thurston.

Fanch, thank you for dropping by. Another member I had hoped to hear from. You and I have similar tastes. There was a picture you posted of when you were at work in your Mulligan and a pair of olive bullards. That is me about every other Friday.

Does the finish on your goat jackets show any change in colour at the wear points? Do they show any reddy brown undertone?

 

[Don Tomaso]

I would suggest the oil-pull HH as a lighter (considerably so!) and much easier to control hide for a jacket. I recently got a Teamster in that hide and it is very nice indeed.



If you are unsure about how the buttons can be operated in a thick hide: They work perfect, very easy from the beginning.

 

[ykurtz]

You seem to like barnstormers but are put off by the belt. The LW Bedford you mention is a single breasted version, and looks fine if worn without a belt. That said, it looks like you're in the UK so I understand going with an American vendor might be inconvenient and more expensive due to shipping/customs. I think you're figuring out what kind of jacket hide works best for you, which I think next to fit is key to enjoying a jacket long term. Good luck in your search.

 

[Fanch]

Don, I really like the appearance of your oil-pull MWHH Teamster, which appears a bit longer than mine, relatively speaking. My concern with a long FQHH Teamster would be the jacket riding up over one's ears when sitting but should not happen in your case with the lighter weight hide. My Teamster has football buttons which Ken said would be more user friendly than the flat ones. I do have flat buttons on my Maxwell (goat) and Mulligan (MWHH) and was able to use them easily from the beginning, especially with my Maxwell.

To the newby who originated this post, what is the location of Sunny Portavoe? Ireland? Just asking.

 

[I would go out tonight]

To the newby who originated this post, what is the location of Sunny Portavoe? Ireland? Just asking.

Fanch, Portavoe is the name of the Townland where I live. It is on the coast about 20 miles east of Belfast

 

[Fanch]

Fanch, Portavoe is the name of the Townland where I live. It is on the coast about 20 miles east of Belfast

That's just a stone's throw away from Galashiels where you can get the straight info from the horse's mouth, not the other end of the horse, which would be us! lol

 

[eggleman]

That's just a stone's throw away from Galashiels where you can get the straight info from the horse's mouth, not the other end of the horse, which would be us! lol

Nice one Fanch !:eusa_clap