Recent content by Mark Ricketts

Some local tailors are great, but I have had some muck up a job as simple as hemming trousers. I would not even think about having my Johnson Leather jacket adjusted by anyone except Johnson Leather.

Here's something to save you carrying a rucksack

To be honest, my usual go to jacket is over 4.25 oz steer CXL and it's as stiff as steel in the cold. I do not wear it when it is bitter for fear that it would crack at the elbows rather than bend.

You want to stay away from anything with CXL when it's proper cold. All the oils stiffen up and it's no fun at all. Personally, I stick with the Parka every time below minus 20.

The most important advice I can give is to not order a custom jacket until your weight stabilizes. I ordered a made to measure Johnson Leathers jacket just before I took up long distance rowing. It fit perfectly on the day it arrived, but I then dropped 45 lbs in a few months. Let 's just say...

The price is the price, and the right price is whatever the market will bare. I find it an interesting comparison with Goodwear, but rather than ask if a Himel jacket is worth an extra $1000, rather ask is it worth losing 4 years of your life just to save $1000. Personally, I would never buy a...

Talking to many ex Falklands era Navy lads the military has exactly 2 sizes. Too big and too small!

I find it difficult to understand why there is an argument here. One person had an underwhelming experience with the only Himel jacket he has handled and would not personally want to risk spending a lot of money on a full priced Himel when he has had better experiences with alternative brands...

I have never tried it with leather, but one thing that works excellently with wood is to burnish it with raw, unwashed sheep's wool. It takes forever, but the lanolin gives it a special texture and sheen.

It all depends what you want. Without a doubt a nice trim leather jacket looks the best when you are playing, but my proper wool coat a full two sizes too big beats it hands down for working in the cold. It's just a shame it looks like a sack of spuds.

If it is generally accepted that the leather in new Aero jackets is significantly heavier than vintage jackets, historical accuracy does not seem to be of paramount importance to Aero. It might be sensible to offer lighter zips with lighter leathers to create a jacket indistinguishable from an...

Minus 28 here, and I'm working outside all day. What joy!

Nip down to Johnson Leather 1629 Jackson Street. I do not know if they are doing custom work since the fire, but their work is equal to anyone's, they are local to you and they are very friendly and helpful. Their website does not do them justice.

Please stop referring to people who do physical work as if they were a thing of the past and a historical curiosity. We still exist, even if we appear invisible to people who work inside, and the world could not run without us. As the old saying goes, " Even on the space station you still need...

Stay away from any fakery and keep it natural. Simply wear the jacket for a week doing outside manual labour. It doesn't matter if it's digging holes, cutting wood, farmwork or gardening. If it's hot. sweaty and dirty the coat will quickly look aged.