got the cash to buy my wested jacket........... but which one?

Kt Templar

New member
Wested's lamb does not tear 'easily'. The Todds is in fact more costume like.

Wested's started off as costume jackets but they are constructed much better now.

The lambskin on regular Indy jackets is nappa lambskin. It is soft luxury grade leather and usually used for dress occasions. Therefore it is perfectly durable for day to day wear and use. And people who wear it for normal city wear have jackets thet they have worn for years with no mishaps.

It's when people have treated it like utility clothing and then rolled around in the dirt where it's not supposed to go that it will get damaged eventually. Catch it on a jesus thorn or door handle and you have a chance of ripping any 'polite' clothing.

Now if you are going to do that, then get something like a US wings. The cut a bit crude, and the zipper is on the wrong side, but it is constructed like a utility jacket, but make sure you get it in goat or cow if heavy utility usage is important.

I've never torn a Wested in the 10 or so years I've been wearing them... but I don't go rolling round in the dirt in them either!
 

Goodeknight

New member
Nurhachi1991 said:
I actually cancelled my order -_-

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Nurhachi1991 said:
But I have heard some people say the Wested jacket tears easily so I might even go with the Todd's jacket when I finally make the purchase

I'm sure they're talking about the Wested lamb that tore. My Wested in goat is heavy duty. (Light weight and soft, but heavy duty.) Worn it in Africa, Alaska, camping, etc., etc. It's taken a beating, and withstood it all very nicely. Again, goat is known to be a very durable yet soft leather. More durable than cow, and much more durable than lamb. Softness is somewhere in between cow and lamb, so it's the perfect middle ground.

I highly recommend going with a Wested over Todds. While you'd love Todds (great jacket), I believe you'll find infinite satisfaction in knowing you own a real Wested.

Okay, I'll stop pushing now. (And, no, I do not work on commission from Wested.:) )
 

Djd1

New member
I agree with KT... Wested's lamb is as tough as any lamb jacket is going to be and they're well made. Bottom line is that if you want a jacket to drape and crease like the jackets in Raiders or ToD lamb is the only way to go. A heavier leather just isn't going to get that look. If you want a jacket that looks as rigid as the CS jacket then go for cow or even horse hide. I'd not want to fall off a motorcycle in any of these jackets so I'm not sure what difference it really makes... I've owned 7 lamb Indy jackets now (from a variety of manufacturers) and none of them have ever torn, ripped or otherwise disintergrated :)
 

Goodeknight

New member
Kt Templar said:
It's a special process they do at the tannery. To be honest I have no idea how they do it.

Here is an example of one of my jackets:

Brand new predistressed leather:



Still new, but after distressing.


Nice job on the distressing!! My Wested (not predistressed) looked much like your "new" pic, but was so brown it was almost black. A considerable amount of my distressing time was spend using acetone to get the color right. That predistressing had you off to a good start.

That said, I'd still go with what I got, as it allowed me to tailor the color variation.

Again, great jacket. How many do you own? And who made them all? What's your favorite?
 

Djd1

New member
Again, to mirror what KT said earlier that darker colour (almost black as you describe it) is much more suitable for a Raiders or ToD look. The lighter colour of the jacket KT shows is LC or CS . Just depends on the look you want! :D
 

Kt Templar

New member
Cheers DJD.

@goodeknight

I've had jackets from all the main makers apart from Magnoli and Nowak.

Westeds I've had Standard cowhide, Novapelle cowhide, Worn look cowhide, Thin dark cowhide, Horse, Washed Goat, Lamb and Merino Sheep. I even have one in shearling. All of them served well, I only sold some of them to make room in the wardrobe!

G&B Lamb. Didn't fit. Sold it.

Todds lamb. Thin and over PU coated leather. Sold it.

US Wings Several. Really kooky sizing and crude cut. Gave a couple away, sold a couple

S & J merino lamb. Still in the trying it phase. Not entirely sure about this one yet. Leather is light but a good mix of striations colour and mattness.
 

Djd1

New member
I love my Steele and Jones in the merino. It's cut to the same basic pattern as the TNO Raiders which was apparently taken from a screen used Raiders jacket. It's really badly fitting around the shoulder /neck area so it slides backward all the time which is exactly what you see in the Raiders jacket on screen. The leather is very light and quite fragile but again if you look at the Raiders Bluray, so is the jacket on screen. You are not going to get a tough leather jacket that really replicates the Raiders look.

I also have a wested Hero in the shrunken lamb. This is quite a tough leather and has a good Raiders vibe to it although it doesn't move in the same way as what's on screen. The Hero pattern is pretty good although it's cut in a far more practical fashion to the Steele and Jones of TNO Raiders in so far as the collar is designed to fit.

I've previously owned a few more Westeds, one of Todd's original custom jackets in calf and a Magnoli Raiders in lamb. To be honest, I'd be hard pushed to say which one as made the best of worst. No major construction issues with any of them but plenty of variation in fit and the texture and appearance of the leather.
 

Paladin1cd

New member
Howdy, nothing really to add other than to offer some support from someone else who is also beginning to budget for the jump and I am learning a lot reading this thread.

Thanks to all.
 

Goodeknight

New member
Paladin1cd said:
Howdy, nothing really to add other than to offer some support from someone else who is also beginning to budget for the jump and I am learning a lot reading this thread.

Thanks to all.

Welcome, Paladin. Nice to see a simple note of "thanks" as a first post. Check around this Gear and Props section, and look over at Club Obiwan for more info on Indy jackets. Plethora of information (and a double measure of personal opinions!). Good luck in your quest.
 

Matt R

New member
Just to add to the already comprehensive discussion. I have the Wested ROTLA in horse, it's got some weight to it which gives it a really substantial feel, not that I am planning to get dragged behind a truck any time soon...;)

Over the 2 years I have had it, it is weathering nicely on it's own without the need to add artificial distressing.
 

Djd1

New member
I have a wested Rocketeer jacket in horse. It certainly is tough. It's not that stiff but you'd want to wear it a lot to really break it in. If you are really looking for a tough, practical jacket then horse is a good option. It would take a hell of a lot of wear to make it look indy though (might be ok for LC or CS I suppose). Many of those war time A2s are made of horse so in to fifty years or so that hide can certainly soften up and look fabulous
 

Matt R

New member
Never found my jacket to be stiff, in fact it surprised me how pliable & comfortable it really was when new. I have not needed to treat it with anything yet either. It has become softer with wear but not drastically so. Like most leather garments, it will probably be at it's most comfortable just before it decides to fall apart...hoping that won't be for a decade or two yet though.;)

I went for the Wested jacket for several reasons, one being that their workshop is only about 50 miles from where I live in case of problems...of which there have been none.
 

Goodeknight

New member
Matt R said:
I went for the Wested jacket for several reasons, one being that their workshop is only about 50 miles from where I live in case of problems...of which there have been none.

So yet another reason a Wested is a good choice, particularly for you. If Wested was 50 miles from me, I would have placed the order online, picked up the phone, and asked, "Can I come over and watch you make it? Pretty please?"
 
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