Repro 1930s Sears Original Hercules jackets; whose is best?

regius said:

He removed the cord neck flap for this one?


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Canuck Panda said:

Resurrecting a very old thread.

Who is the best? Depends. I think the GW version is going to fit the best, based on my Acadia, it will have a nice taper that the others two won't have. BK version is going to be most accurate to the original, based on my BK archive jacket, that seems to be his thing - historical accuracy. Aero version is the best value and would slide in between the other two for fit and historical accuracy.

Thanks to the Classifieds here I got an Aero Original Hercules in Kudu. I've long been after one of this early Sears design. But the sizing just throws me off. And it was too much of a gamble to buy new from Aero. So when this used one came up here with the unicorn dimensions and the rare leather I jumped.

Jacket pics first:

Kudu leather is awesome. Very rustic. Not period correct but I love it. Thicker than CXL FQHH, maybe 4.5oz thick, very pliable. Love deer/antelope family skins.

View attachment 448151 View attachment 448152

The seller gave dimensions of:
Chest (pit to pit): 21.5” (This should actually 23.5" with the side gussets, 21.5" is for the front panels only)
Sleeve: 25.5”
Shoulder: 19”
Back: 25”
Front: 23”

I jumped when I saw the 19" shoulder with the 21.5" P2P combo. This is unicorn for me. I thought someone was able to get Aero to build an Original Herc on a Hooch Hauler block or "Ridley" it. Every size 40/42 Hercules jacket I've seen has the shoulders in the 18"s, and P2P in the 23" to 24" range. Well, I got the shoulder I wanted, but didn't luck out on the P2P.

And it's about 21.5" side to side at the false belt, and about 21" at the hem. For a size 40 these mid torso numbers are on the very relaxed side. The GW Acadia HB I have, has a drop 6 ratio, so 20" at the false belt and flares out to same 21" at the hem. The tapered GW really gives a much more flattering shape than Aero's relaxed cossack. But historically, I believe the 30s jackets have no more than a drop 2 to 3 taper. So in that sense I guess it's historically correct. A way around this is to put the cinch belt at the middle where the false belt is, like how Thurston specs their Hercules. But then it's no longer a "Cossack" but a half belt? I am just being nitpicking here.

Anyways. One other major thing for me was the neck wool felt rain guard, or the lack of. I wished the Aero version would've included that feature. If I were custom ordering. I would ask for one for sure. It's really this tiny little detail that got my interest in the original Hercules HH jacket design. BK's Heracle has it from what I see in the photos.

Fit pics in the https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-jacket-are-you-wearing-today.82949/post-2940187

Thanks for reading.

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Hide'n'seek said:

This isn't Kudu it is Chromexcel Bison. We never had black Kudu

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Canuck Panda said:

My bad, just forwarding what was said from the original selling post.

I was also confused. It was a lot thicker than my tumble black FQHH and that was already quite thick. And this jacket is very pliable, more so than any CXL jackets I have. And very rustic natural marking. It also has the same game hide feeling I get from my other game hide jackets like the deer/elk but thicker. The funny thing is I actually have both CXL Bison and Kudu. It just goes to show how little I actual know vs what I think I know. Haha.

Anyways, Go CXL Bison! I hope my other CXL Bison gets patina and soft like this Herc.

Any plans on bringing back CXL Bison into the leather range? The bison feels stronger and more pliable than the steer.

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Canuck Panda said:

Resurrecting a very old thread.

Who is the best? Depends. I think the GW version is going to fit the best, based on my Acadia, it will have a nice taper that the others two won't have. BK version is going to be most accurate to the original, based on my BK archive jacket, that seems to be his thing - historical accuracy. Aero version is the best value and would slide in between the other two for fit and historical accuracy.

Thanks to the Classifieds here I got an Aero Original Hercules in Kudu. I've long been after one of this early Sears design. But the sizing just throws me off. And it was too much of a gamble to buy new from Aero. So when this used one came up here with the unicorn dimensions and the rare leather I jumped.

Jacket pics first:

Kudu CXL Bison leather is awesome. Very rustic. Not period correct but I love it. Thicker than CXL FQHH, maybe 4.5oz thick, very pliable. Love deer/antelope family skins and Bison.

View attachment 448151 View attachment 448152

The seller gave dimensions of:
Chest (pit to pit): 21.5” (This should actually 23.5" with the side gussets, 21.5" is for the front panels only)
Sleeve: 25.5”
Shoulder: 19”
Back: 25”
Front: 23”

I jumped when I saw the 19" shoulder with the 21.5" P2P combo. This is unicorn for me. I thought someone was able to get Aero to build an Original Herc on a Hooch Hauler block or "Ridley" it. Every size 40/42 Hercules jacket I've seen has the shoulders in the 18"s, and P2P in the 23" to 24" range. Well, I got the shoulder I wanted, but didn't luck out on the P2P.

And it's about 21.5" side to side at the false belt, and about 21" at the hem. For a size 40 these mid torso numbers are on the very relaxed side. The GW Acadia HB I have, has a drop 6 ratio, so 20" at the false belt and flares out to same 21" at the hem. The tapered GW really gives a much more flattering shape than Aero's relaxed cossack. But historically, I believe the 30s jackets have no more than a drop 2 to 3 taper. So in that sense I guess it's historically correct. A way around this is to put the cinch belt at the middle where the false belt is, like how Thurston specs their Hercules. But then it's no longer a "Cossack" but a half belt? I am just being nitpicking here.

Anyways. One other major thing for me was the neck wool felt rain guard, or the lack of. I wished the Aero version would've included that feature. If I were custom ordering. I would ask for one for sure. It's really this tiny little detail that got my interest in the original Hercules HH jacket design. BK's Heracle has it from what I see in the photos.

Fit pics in the https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-jacket-are-you-wearing-today.82949/post-2940187

Thanks for reading.

Click to expand...

ton312 said:

Insane in the grain!!! I love Horween bison. It’s outstanding stuff. I also love the OG Herc from Aero. It’s my absolute favorite jacket. Ever.

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Canuck Panda said:

This older CXL Bison is really something very awesome! And the Herc fancy back is one of the cooler designs out there. Double point yoke with delicate French seams throughout. I forgot if I saw an original here before or not.
So is it safe to assume there‘s a heavy steer CXL Herc in the works as dubbed as the Boot Mk 4?

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RiteStuffBryan said:

For posterity’s sake, I’ve gone through some of the Sears fall catalog listings for the Hercules and put them in chronological order:

View attachment 492192

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Click to expand...

RiteStuffBryan said:

For posterity’s sake, I’ve gone through some of the Sears fall catalog listings for the Hercules and put them in chronological order:

View attachment 492192

View attachment 492188
View attachment 492189
View attachment 492190
View attachment 492191

View attachment 492194
View attachment 492195

Click to expand...

RiteStuffBryan said:

For posterity’s sake, I’ve gone through some of the Sears fall catalog listings for the Hercules and put them in chronological order:

View attachment 492192

View attachment 492188
View attachment 492189
View attachment 492190
View attachment 492191

View attachment 492194
View attachment 492195

Click to expand...