Show us your most broken in Lost Worlds HH jackets

[JMax]

Stuart has his process and Thedi has another. More often than not, both nail it. LW demands more trust for sure. Could be unsettling on the first try. Was a bit for me.

That I recall- None of my HH 44s or 46s have or had 26” sleeves. They vary between 24-25, maybe 25.5 on one.

Call Stuart rather than email for a detailed response and discussion. Many people here have stated this. Have you talked to Thedi?

 

[bigmanbigtruck]

26” sleeves is too long to “just go with it” on a 2k+ investment.

So don't "just go with it".
Just directly tell him that sleeve length is a concern and you normally wear jackets in size 44-46 with 24" sleeve length (making up the numbers) and see what he says.
He may upcharge you - but at least you walk out of the interaction with an answer.

And if you can call him rather than email, I think you'll have an easier time talking to him.

“We size by comparing a customer's
dimensions to our database of Trojan and J24 customers. Both are avail. in 3 oz. and 4 oz. Horsehide. We don't size by numbers; these are secondary. I will not provide dimensions because they are not relevant. Possible comparisons to a customer's other jackets bear little or no comparison to our jackets.”

Maybe I'm just bad at recognizing when someone is throwing a princess-hissy fit... but that reply didn't strike me as one

 

[BarryMcCockiner_PhD]

So don't "just go with it".
Just directly tell him that sleeve length is a concern and you normally wear jackets in size 44-46 with 24" sleeve length (making up the numbers) and see what he says.
He may upcharge you - but at least you walk out of the interaction with an answer.

And if you can call him rather than email, I think you'll have an easier time talking to him.


Maybe I'm just bad at recognizing when someone is throwing a princess-hissy fit... but that reply didn't strike me as one

Have some kids, you’ll be an expert

 

[red devil]

Late to the party it seems, just came back from a trip.

@BarryMcCockiner_PhD , aren't you being a bit too sensitive here? Genuine question, I really don't see what could be interpreted negatively from Stuart's response.

As for the sleeve length, not sure if you it was said earlier, he tends to have the sleeves on M/C jackets longer, because the original jackets were designed for riding.

 

[BarryMcCockiner_PhD]

Late to the party it seems, just came back from a trip.

@BarryMcCockiner_PhD , aren't you being a bit too sensitive here? Genuine question, I really don't see what could be interpreted negatively from Stuart's response.

As for the sleeve length, not sure if you it was said earlier, he tends to have the sleeves on M/C jackets longer, because the original jackets were designed for riding.

You’re right. Maybe I am.

At the end of the day my impression of Stuart is he’s the leather jacket world’s answer to Dr. Bronner’s soap—if Dr. Bronner also yelled at you through a dial-up modem. Running Lost Worlds out of what may or may not be a Cold War fallout shelter, Stu handcrafts some of the toughest, most obsessively detailed jackets on Earth… but first, you must survive the ordering process. His website is a relic from the GeoCities era, his email replies read like encrypted proclamations, and his attitude suggests he’s fighting an invisible war against zippers that aren’t Mil-Spec.

The jackets themselves appear bombproof, obsessively detailed, and built to outlive you. I believe that If you can get past the attitude (and the manifesto-length product descriptions), you’ll end up with one of the best-made jackets out there. Just don’t expect hand-holding or modern UX, this is Stu’s world, and we’re all just ordering in it.

 

[JMax]

Your posts are manifesto length.

 

[JMax]

Not HH but a LW Trojan.

 

[red devil]

You’re right. Maybe I am.

At the end of the day my impression of Stuart is he’s the leather jacket world’s answer to Dr. Bronner’s soap—if Dr. Bronner also yelled at you through a dial-up modem. Running Lost Worlds out of what may or may not be a Cold War fallout shelter, Stu handcrafts some of the toughest, most obsessively detailed jackets on Earth… but first, you must survive the ordering process. His website is a relic from the GeoCities era, his email replies read like encrypted proclamations, and his attitude suggests he’s fighting an invisible war against zippers that aren’t Mil-Spec.

The jackets themselves appear bombproof, obsessively detailed, and built to outlive you. I believe that If you can get past the attitude (and the manifesto-length product descriptions), you’ll end up with one of the best-made jackets out there. Just don’t expect hand-holding or modern UX, this is Stu’s world, and we’re all just ordering in it.

View attachment 711855

I didn’t know about Dr. Bronner’s soap — just checked and saw they’re sold here too.


As for Stuart from LW, I take it you never gave him a call?

I remember when I first joined the forum and came across LW jackets. Everyone seemed to agree they were very well made, but that Stuart could be difficult to deal with. I figured the best approach was to call and see for myself. That first conversation actually went really well, and I ended up ordering my first LW — a russet Suburban.

I don't think I ever placed an order without either meeting the people physically or calling them.

Ordering a leather jacket that will fit you well is not that complicated when you go with serious people, just tell them what you want and they will advise you, or if you want, let's discuss it here:

- What do you wnat the jacket for? Day to day? Riding?
- What style are you most drawn to?
- What type of leather do you want?

 

[jchance]

Not mine, but the owner has to spend 4 hours conditioning (and heating)

 

[photo2u]

Not mine, but the owner has to spend 4 hours conditioning (and heating)

View attachment 713365 View attachment 713366 View attachment 713367

That is a very dedicated and thorough approach to conditioning the leather. In principle, I use the basic same approach. However, I truly do not have the patience to be so dedicated. If heat is needed for conditioning a jacket, I use the attic approach. I place my jacket inside a plastic bag to prevent attic odors to contaminate the jacket. My attics get about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. After a heavy conditioning, I let it hang for about 3 hours in the nice attic heat. Cal leathers use a similar approach, but they hang the jacket directly to the sun in the same black trash bag.

 

[Bfd70]

I’ve only read back this page. 2 jackets ordered from lost world. Couldn’t have been easier. You could call his replies curt. I think of them as efficient. LW has been at this a long time. If you give them your body measurements and trust them you should be fine.

 

[NamoAmituofo]

I’ve read another thread whereby someone conditioned a LW jacket this way and he did several coats… when it was later sold to someone else, the new owner discovered LW top coat does not absorb a single drop of conditioner - all that wax/grease was just sitting on the surface.

I do love conditioning leather which is why I prefer a leather coating which is not so plasticy.

 

[cbez]

I agree, most of the lost world topcoat I have seen would not be very conditioner friendly.

 

[red devil]

LW don't need any conditioning, they only need to be used.

 

[Peacoat]

LW don't need any conditioning, they only need to be used.

That is the case with all of the high quality jackets. After maybe 20 years, they might need some conditioner. Or a motorcycle jacket that sees use in rain and lots of sun, will probably need it every year or so. Otherwise, just wear them.

 

[bigmanbigtruck]

Not sure why the convo took a turn on conditioner absorption - but LW's horsehide is made in such a way that one doesn't have to worry about those things until a significant amount of time has passed. And this applies to many other hides - conditioning a leather jacket is not supposed to be some weekend ritual. I'd rather just have a jacket I could throw on without having to worry about maintenance frequently. It's fine if it's "plasticy" as long as it's waterproof and articulates great grain over time and wear.

I did see the thread about the suburban where the grease/oils stayed on the surface. Sometimes when I notice it on the LW homepage, all I can think of is what a slathered mess it must be getting it on.

Anyway the main thing is it still looks good, so what harm is there showing it off after all?

 

[thor]

My Lost Worlds A-2 with 5 steady years of wear on her; I agree with @Peacoat, just wear them!

 

[Trouser Bark]

I've taken a LW leather peacoat in twice for tweaks at a local leather shop. Once to have arm length tailored and again to have knits installed. Both times they asked if I'd like them to slather leather conditioner on while I had it in for alteration.

Noop. The leather acquires character over time but it doesn't seem to dry out much. At least not in the time I've had it.

I had a thick mouton ruff made for it this week. Should be able to pick it up next. Come on, cold!

I'll toss a pic up when I get it back.

 

[cbez]

I agree with the general idea that ppl condition too much. However blanket statements like no high quality jacket needs it will prevent people from learning more about tanning and topcoat.

LW uses pigment coat (basically, paint) and acrylic (basically, plastic). this gives waterproofing, durability, prevents stains, and keeps it looking the same without fading. It also means the conditioner will not get through into the actual leather.

an aniline/veg tan is more like a patina'd car with no clear coat and can definitely need more frequent attention.

 

[Bluechel]

I've taken a LW leather peacoat in twice for tweaks at a local leather shop. Once to have arm length tailored and again to have knits installed. Both times they asked if I'd like them to slather leather conditioner on while I had it in for alteration.

Noop. The leather acquires character over time but it doesn't seem to dry out much. At least not in the time I've had it.

I had a thick mouton ruff made for it this week. Should be able to pick it up next. Come on, cold!

I'll toss a pic up when I get it back.

Pic ready yet? CAN'T wait to see the mouton....