G&B Historical Horsehide (another one)

[Feraud]

I assume we all enjoy these jacket threads so here is another one.
My new Gibson & Barnes HH jacket is on the right. Next to it is a McCoy I purchased but will sell because the arms are a bit long for me.

I purchased a size 42 but it was too big in the body. G&B customer service is excellent. They day after I received the jacket they called me to inquire if I received and was pleased with the jacket. After discussing my concern about the size I ordered a 40 to compare the fit. The representative, Alvin Almar was extremely pleasant to deal with. He told me they were out of size 40 and would be in stock the following Friday. I received the second jacket that following Friday.

Thoughts on the fit -
The body is just right. Not too snug but not baggy.
The shoulder seam lines up perfect to my shoulder.
The armhole is cut high. There is no "flying squirrel" syndrome when I lift my arm.

Here is a picture of the label and liner.

The color shown is accurate. The jacket needs some serious wearing to break it in.
Mark me down as a happy customer.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Very nice...

... very nice, indeed. I love the color.

Of course, I would love to see it on.

Awesome jacket, my friend.

 

[scotrace]

Can't see enough of these things!

Excellent jacket. Your patience has paid off!

 

[Feraud]

Thanks for the kind words.
I have trouble getting those "in use" photographs. I promise to eventually update the thread with one.

 

[Technonut]

Great looking jacket Feraud... :eusa_clap How does the quality of the G&B compare with the Real McCoy in the pic? Just by looking, it seems just as good to me...

 

[Feraud]

Based on my limited knowlege I say the G&B compares favorably in quality to the McCoy. I do not count stitches, distance of pockets, etc. and would not know how to review those points.
The leather on the McCoy is very soft and broken in. It shows a lot of grain.
The G&B needs time to break in. The leather is thick with a distinct leather smell. The color and surface is even.

I almost wish the temperature would drop so I can wear it for a while.

 

[scotrace]

Oh, Buddy...

It is 86 here and sunny. Got my A2 on all day, in office and out. I wet it down again at lunch. The good news is that it is slowly shrinking to fit me very nicely.
You may want to keep that new, well-fitting jacket dry!

They are, after all, classified as "jacket, summer, flying!"

 

[Feraud]

It is 86 here and sunny. Got my A2 on all day, in office and out. I wet it down again at lunch. The good news is that it is slowly shrinking to fit me very nicely.
You may want to keep that new, well-fitting jacket dry!

They are, after all, classified as "jacket, summer, flying!"

Say what? I cannot imagine wearing this jacket in 86 degree weather. It was around 75 degrees in the city yesterday. When the sun hit the jacket I felt like I was melting. Can I assume the summer classification is technically, "jacket, summer, flying at 15,000 feet?

 

[Kevin Popejoy]

The sweat helps break it in.

Kevin

 

[Mr. 'H']

Can't see enough of these things!

Excellent jacket. Your patience has paid off!

Is it just me or has there been a major up-swing in interest in jackets at the FL??!! I caught the bug the other month and now I am addicted!

(I've only 1 - still on order....)

 

[MrBern]

The pix compare favorably to seeing it in person.
The G&B quite suits him.
In fact, helooks great in it. Classic w/o pretension.

 

[scotrace]

Give out!

(I've only 1 - still on order....)

What'd you order?? Details!

 

[Peacoat]

Turn the A/C down to about 68, and you can break it in while wearing it inside. I did that when I got my Highwayman about a month ago, then, fortunately the temperature dropped for about two weeks. It is well broken in now. Can still stand by itself, though.

 

[Raymundo]

Feraud,

Great looking jacket. For the money, G&B is the best buy on the market. Congrats for being a smart buyer. As previous posters have stated, you can wear your jacket inside if the room has A/C. It is a good way to break it in without waiting till Fall. Also, to speed up the break-in process, you could mist the jacket lightly with water and then wear it til it dries. This helps horsehide to drape better on your frame. Just a thought.

Ray

 

[scotrace]

Today, it even works with a Panama.

 

[Feraud]

Thanks. It took some trial and error but I am very happy with the jacket.
I will try the misting technique. Does the water temperature matter? Should I use warm or cold?

Feraud,

Great looking jacket. For the money, G&B is the best buy on the market. Congrats for being a smart buyer. As previous posters have stated, you can wear your jacket inside if the room has A/C. It is a good way to break it in without waiting till Fall. Also, to speed up the break-in process, you could mist the jacket lightly with water and then wear it til it dries. This helps horsehide to drape better on your frame. Just a thought.

Ray

An a2 with a panama? Hmmm, I never thought of that..

Today, it even works with a Panama.

 

[Raymundo]

Hello again. Water temp does not matter if you mist your jacket. Fedora Lover has done this to his new Aero jacket and it is starting to break-in very nicely. Give it a try.

Ray

 

[fedoralover]

Did I hear my name?? Here's my Aero after only 5 days of misting and wearing.

fedoralover

 

[Feraud]

fedoralover, I really like what is happening with you sleeves.
I should give the mist & wear technique a try!

 

[fedoralover]

Faraud, the sleeves on the Aero fit fairly snug and were pretty uncomfortable at first. But the misting and and doing a lot of driving around town where I had to do a lot of turns really creased the arms and up by the shoulders. You can really see that in this photo. It made the jacket basically fit like a glove. I just used cold water out of the tap. I dampened the jacket, but I didn't soak it, it would dry out in about 10 minutes.

fedoralover