New pioneer

[Fanch]

Here are initial self taken, very marginal pictures of my new Pioneer in seal goatskin that arrived earlier today. The pictures don't do justice to what feels like an ideal custom fit. Even my wife who fails to understand my passion for leather jackets agrees that the fit couldn't be better. As a point of reference, I am 6'2" and the Pioneer is a size 42 with 27.25" sleeves and 26.5" back length. The lining is cotton drill and has one inside vertical pocket without closure.

 

[Sloan1874]

Brilliant, Fanch, you've nailed that fit perfectly, the style obviously suits you, and the colour is great - I'd say your best yet :eusa_clap. All you need now is for the temperature to drop a few degrees and you're set!

 

[Fanch]

Thanks, Craig; the temperature needs to drop at least 20 degrees. :eeek: Here are a couple of additional pictures, including the vertical pocket without closure. I apologize for the combination of poor lighting and even poorer photographic skills. I forgot to mention that Julie Leitch made my Pioneer as well as my Teamster, and her work is flawless! :thumb:

 

[Boyo]

Very, very nice Fanch! An all around great jacket.. What are your initial thoughts on the goat skin? ( weight, feel, grain, stiffness, etc...smell )

 

[Jeff M]

Very very nice! I like the clean cut simple design.
Fits you very well.
Congrats!

 

[winterland1]

So nice to have a great fit. Looks great.

 

[Fanch]

Very, very nice Fanch! An all around great jacket.. What are your initial thoughts on the goat skin? ( weight, feel, grain, stiffness, etc...smell )

The goatskin on the Pioneer "feels" only marginally thinner than the brown FQHH on my Teamster but is much more flexible. The Aero goatskin is thicker and has more "body" than the goatskin on my three G&B goatskin jackets, all of which which seem more stiff and less flexible than the Aero goatskin. The grain of the Aero goatskin is better than anything else that I have seen. The overall quality is outstanding but very difficult to express in words. My brown FQHH (Teamster) and seal brown goatskin (Pioneer) stand alone over ANY other skins that I have seen on any leather jacket. Of course there is new leather smell that always seems to dissipate with time.

 

[53Effie]

Cool jacket Fanch. Congratulations!

 

[pauleway]

Very nice. Fit is perfect, and goatskin is very durable, and light-weight. You will probably get more wear out of that one than your other heavier weight jackets living in that Texas climate. Congrats!!

 

[wdw]

Very nice indeed and I think your best yet, although the Teamster isn't far behind at all.

Going down a size for this and the Teamster, like I think you've done from your earliest jackets, has paid off in terms of fit, especially when you get the arm length right.

We all know it won't end there, so what's next?

 

[Zombie_61]

I really like leather jackets like this with clean, simple lines. That's really a good classic color (that I'm sure doesn't translate well in photographs), and appears to fit you perfectly. The only downside is, it would be too snug on me if you ever decided to sell it.

 

[Don Tomaso]

Fit is good, even with that bit of excess in the shoulders. This I have in my Pioneer too, seems to be the general cut. Leather is nice, a keeper, I'ld say.

 

[Grayland]

Very nice jacket and fit, Fanch. That Aero goatskin is pretty nice, huh? It is every bit the equal of their FQHH - just different.

 

[Worf]

Great jacket and the fits superb. Now you just need the "right" weather to wear it. Come for a visit it's perfect leather jacket weather here in the Northeast. Pefect for leaf-peepin'!

Worf

 

[Edward]

Gorgeous jacket. I'm a big fan of the Aero goatskin. I had my eye on the Pioneer for a bit, but I'm now leaning towards the Speedster as I want a breast pocket (the main cosmetic difference there is the zip breast pocket and no yoke on the front with the Speedster, otherwise very similar, though the latter might be tighter and shorter, I'm not sure). It's a really nice design. The Aero goat is a fantastic hide, I've owned a couple of jackets in it.

 

[nabottle]

That's an EXCELLENT fit indeed. It looks absolutely amazing!

 

[simonc]

Fanch that is the best fit so far, not a thing wrong with any of that, I thought the Bronco was outstanding but this is next level stuff. Welcome aboard the Pioneer Club, we shall have our first "bro-down" soon.

 

[ButteMT61]

Fanch, I think the cut is perfect for you. That goat needs some water though. I've noticed goat needs to be wetted more than even the HH for me to like it. Since the cut/fit is spot-on, once it gets some wear and relaxes a bit, it will likely be your favorite jacket (for a week or two anyway) Congrats.

 

[pauleway]

Gorgeous jacket. I'm a big fan of the Aero goatskin. I had my eye on the Pioneer for a bit, but I'm now leaning towards the Speedster as I want a breast pocket (the main cosmetic difference there is the zip breast pocket and no yoke on the front with the Speedster, otherwise very similar, though the latter might be tighter and shorter, I'm not sure). It's a really nice design. The Aero goat is a fantastic hide, I've owned a couple of jackets in it.

You can get a breast pocket on this jacket if requested. I have the Wool/Leather Type II and it is essencially a Pioneer in wool, and I had the breast pocket put on it!

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

It looks great, I love front yokes.

If its as stiff as my goatskin cheyenne then I had to completely wet the collar back and front with warm water to be able to mold it.

My front wanted to swing out but here it was enough with holding a wet (not dripping) warm towel against the area, mold and then place it on the ground until dry. Just a tip.

Complete breakin might take some years, mine is my first jacket so atleast 3 years and it looks like new hot water treatment wont help here, I suggest living atleast a season in the wild after a nuclear holocaust that might make it look atleast worn.

I love the hide.