Quarantine splurge

JCSD · May 11, 2020

My daily routine has consisted for the past few months of entertaining and educating my 1.5 and 3.5 year olds at home, catching up on posts here on FL, doing what work I can for my business despite the current pandemic and then, once again, catching up on posts on FL. I don’t post much here but am very much reliant upon the forum as my daily escape from the stress of these uncertain times. The downside (according to my wife) of my participation here is that I am constantly hit with a barrage of images of exquisite jackets that I can’t get out of my head. I’ve had the Mister Freedom Campus jacket on my radar for a while so I bit the bullet and it arrived today.

Thus far it’s everything I had anticipated in terms of quality. Fit is good and I’m relieved as I had read that it has a particular cut that only works for some. This is my first unlined jacket and I think it’ll be perfect for cooler, summer nights here in San Diego.

Fit pics to follow.

marker2037 · May 11, 2020

Awesome jacket. I know I've had my fair share of splurging lately too. I can't count the amount of jackets on one hand I have bought in 2020...

Show us some pics of the unlined inside if you could. I'm interested in seeing that.

Mattofumi · May 11, 2020

Love the idea of the undyed leather. Will evolve beautifully once you’re out in the sun. Looking forward to seeing the fit pics.

jeo · May 11, 2020

Fit pics?

dudewuttheheck · May 12, 2020

Definitely need fit pics!

JCSD · May 12, 2020

marker2037 said:
Awesome jacket. I know I've had my fair share of splurging lately too. I can't count the amount of jackets on one hand I have bought in 2020...

Show us some pics of the unlined inside if you could. I'm interested in seeing that.

Unlined leather in the Campus is so much better than the one I had in a Schott Duke.

JCSD · May 12, 2020

Mattofumi said:
Love the idea of the undyed leather. Will evolve beautifully once you’re out in the sun. Looking forward to seeing the fit pics.

Pretty stoked about enjoying the process. The great thing about the raw leather is that I have no choice but to wear it and let it evolve naturally. No real shortcuts like your typical brown and black variety where water treatments and the like are options.

chollie · May 12, 2020

For me it's been stereo gear. Had it been winter, I'd probably be running a tab at Thurston Bros. by now.

Mrfrown · May 12, 2020

The leather is stunning.

Planning to avoid wearing it around the kiddos? Or will their mess just add to the patina?

I have 2 little ones too and I’ve done pretty well embracing the idea of them getting grubby hands on my nice things, but it doesn’t come naturally.

Funny that you mention the Duke. I have one and part of the appeal was that I really don’t mind em getting all over it

Good luck with the stress!

Looking forward to the fit pics

handymike · May 12, 2020

Was it @Sloan1874 who said that the best thing to do with these hides is to get the whole jacket drenched, so the drop of whatever no longer bothers you?

dudewuttheheck · May 12, 2020

JCSD said:
Pretty stoked about enjoying the process. The great thing about the raw leather is that I have no choice but to wear it and let it evolve naturally. No real shortcuts like your typical brown and black variety where water treatments and the like are options.

Actually, there are a lot of shortcuts people take with this jacket. Dunking it in water, conditioning it, hanging it out in the sun, etc. It looks great either way. People usually take these shortcuts because of how much they don't like how the jacket looks initially with its pinkish tone.

JCSD · May 12, 2020

chollie said:
For me it's been stereo gear. Had it been winter, I'd probably be running a tab at Thurston Bros. by now.

Whatever our interests, we definitively need them to stay sane these days.

JCSD · May 12, 2020

Mrfrown said:
The leather is stunning.

Planning to avoid wearing it around the kiddos? Or will their mess just add to the patina?

I have 2 little ones too and I’ve done pretty well embracing the idea of them getting grubby hands on my nice things, but it doesn’t come naturally.

Funny that you mention the Duke. I have one and part of the appeal was that I really don’t mind em getting all over it

Good luck with the stress!

Looking forward to the fit pics

It’s been a hard road getting used to the kiddos changing my (previously) pristine life full of beautiful things. But now I’m there and I’ve embraced the insanity that comes with 2 toddlers- I dare say that I love it. So bring on the spills and stains and I’ll just chalk it up to more character for my Campus.

JCSD · May 12, 2020

dudewuttheheck said:
Actually, there are a lot of shortcuts people take with this jacket. Dunking it in water, conditioning it, hanging it out in the sun, etc. It looks great either way. People usually take these shortcuts because of how much they don't like how the jacket looks initially with its pinkish tone.

I’ve read about a lot of these methods with Vintage Engineer Boots being the most informative. Not sure if I can fight the temptation to do more than the suntan but that’s the intention as of now.

navetsea · May 12, 2020

yeah I think waterspot would show the first time some water get to it (unless you drench it all equally), but these irregularity also add the charm when dried water spot overlaps newer waterspot, might look like watercolor effect.
there are leather finisher products like varnish by fiebings and the like if you want to somewhat protect it from too easy to get random stains.

dudewuttheheck · May 12, 2020

JCSD said:
I’ve read about a lot of these methods with Vintage Engineer Boots being the most informative. Not sure if I can fight the temptation to do more than the suntan but that’s the intention as of now.

Oh yeah if you did it all the natural way, that would be quite impressive!

red devil · May 12, 2020

This jacket will tell a great story if it is allowed to

Sloan1874 · May 12, 2020

I would recommend wiping the whole thing over with water and wearing it while letting it dry. It'll help with shaping it to your body shape but also give an all over 'water mark', which means you don't have to contend with the mottling that you'll get. Also, just brace yourself for the day you get a dirty great mark on it. It'll come, and you'll hate yourself for it, but after a bit of wear you'll stop thinking about it.

Will Zach · May 12, 2020

I don't know if I could take ballpoint pen marks on a jacket like that.

Edward · May 12, 2020

chollie said:
For me it's been stereo gear. Had it been winter, I'd probably be running a tab at Thurston Bros. by now.

Yeah, I've spent a lot of my rare downtime during the last eight weeks in some serious online 'window shopping'. Unfortunately / fortunately, as we spent much of last Summer dealing with my hoarding problem, I'd be lviing on borrowed time if I started to bring in a lotmore new stuff without clearing out a bunch first.

Some day I do fancy something in this sort of hide... maybe some kind of hunting vest, so that it will actually get worn out in the Sun and develop. The nearest I've ever had were the natural straps on my LW B3, which gradually went a honey colour. Oh, and the leather slip-case for my Surface, which doubles as a mousemat when it's in use. That was a touch darker to begin with, but now it has dark marks where the machnie edges are in it, probably from rubbing inside another leather bag, the odd inkspot, scuff, coffeemug ring.... it looks great.

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