Thinner aero leathers, query

[NZJono]

Hi
I'm looking at getting another custom Aero , possibly a Royale for milder weather.
I already have an Aeromarine in battered steer which is apparently one of the lighter leathers. I'm wondering what is the lightest aero leather?. I don't want another in battered steer, possibly looking at goat. The samples I have received show the goat (especially the black) being light, with a good drape. Anyone have any comments?.
thanks

 

[Sloan1874]

Goat is the lightest. After that, you're into Vicenza territory.

 

[Fonzie]

My brown oil pull HH is considerably thinner than my Vincenza jackets. I’m not sure if it’s a random lot of a few years back, but it’s the supplest jacket I own.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Didn't they have a lightweight HH a while ago? Epaulet NY had some jackets made in it.

 

[zebedee]

Goat- it's thin but tough. It drapes very differently. I have a battered tan cafe racer jacket which is mid-weight - I would, if I were to re-order my other Aeros, get them all in mid-weight hides.

 

[Sloan1874]

My brown oil pull HH is considerably thinner than my Vincenza jackets. I’m not sure if it’s a random lot of a few years back, but it’s the supplest jacket I own.

It's a medium weight leather. I've not seen many oil pull, but they tend to vary quite widely in look - some are shiny, some matt - so the same might apply to weight as well.

 

[Fonzie]

It's a medium weight leather. I've not seen many oil pull, but they tend to vary quite widely in look - some are shiny, some matt - so the same might apply to weight as well.

Mine has a matt finish, almost a suede-like appearance but oily and very soft. I quite like it, doesn’t crease too much but drapes quite nicely.

 

[Peacoat]

Goat will look new for 20 years or longer. If you enjoy patina and graining, goat probably isn't for you. I have a G-1 from the early 60s that still looks fairly new.

 

[Fanch]

My Aero veg tanned black goatskin Maxwell seems considerably heavier than my two chrome tanned goatskin military issue G-1 (Irvin B. Foster) and Gibson & Barnes Expedition (Indy) jackets. Both weight and drape between my goatskin Maxwell and my two Aero Sheenes seem comparable, with a slight nod in drape in favor of the goatskin Maxwell. Of every hide in my closet, my favorite is Vicenza for drape, hand, and feel. Just my personal preference from jackets too numerous to remember.

 

[Jejupe]

(Aero) Goatskin is excellent for a beater jacket. You can do pretty much anything with / to it and it will keep looking like new.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I've had 7 different goatskin jackets by different makers and don't agree with people's general observations on goat.

Some goat is pretty heavy - 2.5 to 3 oz and stiff and wears heavier than medium horsehide which is often 2.2oz.

My last Iron Heart Cafe Racer in French goat was a substantial size 42 jacket that weighed 4 pounds. It was not a jacket for warmer weather or easy wearing.

Some goat does look new for a long time (depends on the tanning process).

The English veg tanned goat Aero used about 6 years ago started to age very quickly and stopped looking new in about 8 weeks. Faster than any hide I have owned.

Here is my only photo of the fading on the sleeve of my half-belt after just 6 months. The whole jacket had patina and graining.



I had a lighter veg tanned goat from Johnson's Leather that also developed patina and broke in quickly - it was 2.2 oz and 3.5 pounds for a size 44. The photo doesn't do justice to the burnished look and delightful wear and drape.




I wouldn't always assume how goat will wear or age unless you know if it is veg tanned or chrome tanned or and how thick it is. I imagine the properties of Aero goat may vary according to the batch they have.

 

[Rich22]

When I received a sample of the aero goat last year it felt/looked/reacted like it was coated. Bulletprooof stuff. Is that right, is there a coating of some sort on it?

 

[Seb Lucas]

When I received a sample of the aero goat last year it felt/looked/reacted like it was coated. Bulletprooof stuff. Is that right, is there a coating of some sort on it?

I guess is dye is a coating and maybe the bit you have had some glaze effect on it. The goat I had isn't the same as they use now I hear. But it did seem to have a crisp finish when new.

Personally I find getting a sample pretty useless other than to see colour. You can't tell how heavy or how a jacket will wear or drape from a little piece of hide. I learned that the hard way when I had a jacket made in 4oz steer.

 

[breezer]

I have an A2 in 'soft Italian horse hide' - which is light weight
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/aero-a2-soft-italian-horsehide.91236/#post-2286893