Aero jacket - some leather advice please

David r · Mar 7, 2021

Hi
I’m a first time poster so please go easy on me. I’m just about to order my first Aero and after much deliberation I’ve decided on a premier highwayman. Now I just need to decide what leather I want.

I will be wearing the jacket to work, which involves quite a long walk with a rucksack so I need the leather to be handle that.

I also would like to wear the jacket as much as possible (spring-autumn) so say 5-17c. I want brown leather that develops character over time.

I have spoken to aero and they’ve suggested tumbled CXL with a sateen lining or goat.

I’d like the views of people who have worn these leathers over time. My worries are that the tumbled CXL may be too warm and that the goat won’t develop the character in after.

Any suggestions or thoughts gladly welcomed.

Thanks in advance

MrProper · Mar 7, 2021

cxl is not warm. At least with mine it was the case that this was the jacket that was most likely to let the cold through. tumbled cxl sure is nice. Otherwise I like Vicenza a lot, but jerky should be the hit.

David r · Mar 7, 2021

Thanks very much. I’d assumed that as CXL was a heavier leather than goat that it would be warmer

handymike · Mar 7, 2021

Linings create the warmth, the leather blocks wind.
Tumbled CXL is a good suggestion. I have a CXL P Highwayman, and it feels like a motorcycle jacket. If you want something more “casual” I would go for a mid-weight leather. Vicenza and Jerky are good suggestions. Tumbled CXL is softer than regular CXL, but it is still pretty substantial.

David r · Mar 7, 2021

handymike said:
Linings create the warmth, the leather blocks wind.
Tumbled CXL is a good suggestion. I have a CXL P Highwayman, and it feels like a motorcycle jacket. If you want something more “casual” I would go for a mid-weight leather. Vicenza and Jerky are good suggestions. Tumbled CXL is softer than regular CXL, but it is still pretty substantial.

Thanks very much, the sateen lining from Aero makes sense then as I think it’s the thinnest lining they offer. The battered steerhide was the leather I really wanted but the sample they sent me marked very easily so I worried it wouldn’t cope with a rucksack as I do about an hour of walking with it every day.

the seal jerky sample I got felt really nice but do you know if it develops the same sort of patina as CXL over time?

handymike · Mar 7, 2021

No it doesn’t.
CXL is unique that way, it will show obvious signs of wear from the bag too.
FWIW the battered seal steer is the leather I really like for this model, but the blackened brown Vicenza also interests me.
Goat will hold up, but the look is very different from CXL as well.

torfjord · Mar 7, 2021

Yeah, cxl is not warmer than other leathers. In fact, it feels much colder to wear when it is cold in my experience. I believe this is because there’s so much oil and wax stuffed in it that it’s almost like wearing a wet jacket. It gets stiff and cold when it’s cold out. Conversely, it gets too warm when the sun is shining and it’s warmer.
As handymike noted, leather stops wind and lining is what adds warmth. I would go for a mid weight leather. If you want something that will develop character the jerky HH seems like the leather to go with it. I really like Aeros goat and their Vicenza as well, but they will take a lot longer to develop fades and patina.

torfjord · Mar 7, 2021

David r said:
Thanks very much, the sateen lining from Aero makes sense then as I think it’s the thinnest lining they offer. The battered steerhide was the leather I really wanted but the sample they sent me marked very easily so I worried it wouldn’t cope with a rucksack as I do about an hour of walking with it every day.

the seal jerky sample I got felt really nice but do you know if it develops the same sort of patina as CXL over time?

Any leather from Aero will handle a rucksack, it won’t damage the leather, but the leathers that are designed to show wear quickly (cxl, jerky) will shed top coat in the areas that are in contact with your rucksack. Vicenza and goat will keep their top coat longer.

Will Zach · Mar 7, 2021

You might be surprised how heavy a CXL jacket can be. Best to ask Aero if you are planning to take long walks in it. I personally don't care for heavy jackets. Anything over 5 lbs is too heavy for me, long walks or not. Others feel just the opposite, for them anything below 5 lbs is not substantial enough. To paraphrase Mr. Wolf from Pulp Fiction - "are you a heavy jacket man"?

In addition, there is a line of thought that Aero jackets do not distribute their weight onto the shoulders properly, burdening the neck and leading to fatigue. I don't know that from my own experience, though.

MrProper · Mar 7, 2021

if i wanted to walk a lot and always carry a backpack, i would take goat. robust, not too heavy, comfortable to wear.

Mr Knight · Mar 7, 2021

I’d say the lining has more influence on the warmth of a jacket than the leather, considering I’ve had CXL & Vicenza jackets in different seasons and they were no warmer or cooler than each other.

handymike · Mar 7, 2021

Have you seen the tobacco Badalassi? It looks like amazing stuff if you like the color.

https://www.thurston-bros.com/produ...badalassi-cowhide?_pos=1&_sid=d95cb13f7&_ss=r

ton312 · Mar 7, 2021

All good answers above. I would chose something that can handle water if I where to make a leather jacket my daily driver. I still have yet to see any real evidence on how vic does with water. I’ve had one vic jacket and I babied it, probably more than it required.
From what I can tell jerky HH is almost waterproof. Far more than CXL which will eventually absorb some water. I’m not sure if jerky is of interest to you or if water repellency even matters but it’s a thought and something to consider.
As far as current batches of CXL goes, my last two jackets have been fairly light, around 6.5lbs.

David r · Mar 7, 2021

handymike said:
Have you seen the tobacco Badalassi? It looks like amazing stuff if you like the color.

https://www.thurston-bros.com/produ...badalassi-cowhide?_pos=1&_sid=d95cb13f7&_ss=r

Wow the Badalassi looks lovely. For some reason Aero don’t have it on their website so this is the first time I’ve seen it. I will call them tomorrow and ask about it. Thanks

Robbie79 · Mar 7, 2021

David r said:
Wow the Badalassi looks lovely. For some reason Aero don’t have it on their website so this is the first time I’ve seen it. I will call them tomorrow and ask about it. Thanks

Depending on what you are searching and what you prefer I do also highly recommend tobacco Badalassi - I personally like it as much as I like Shinki HH (if not even more). rather pliable and no real break-in needed, intoxicating smell, shiny appearance, perfect mid-weight leather (my two are heavier as the newer batches as far as I know). My personal Aero Leathers leather ranking is: 1. Badalassi 2. Battered Tan HH 3. Rust Goat Suede + Jerky HH (I regret that I sold it) + CXL HH+steerhide 4. Vicenza (however easy to wear mid-weight leather).

Robbie79 · Mar 7, 2021

I would ask them for leather samples. Then you can better imagine what you like better even if it’s still difficult to decide as the samples are small

David r · Mar 7, 2021

Robbie79 said:
I would ask them for leather samples. Then you can better imagine what you like better even if it’s still difficult to decide as the samples are small

They have sent me some samples but to be honest I find it difficult to imagine what they’d look like as a full jacket. I’ve been looking at the various threads here to try and see some real life pictures as I find this a bit easier to see what the leather looks like in reality

Fonzie · Mar 7, 2021

If you're going to be walking long distance and specially with a rucksack I would stay away from CXL (tumbled or not).

IMO it's an amazing leather aesthetically, develops incredible character and looks overtime and it's probably good protection if you ride bikes, but as a daily driver it's not very comfortable, as it's very stiff specially when it's cold and can feel very cumbersome and awkward to move in it.
Sometimes I feel like I move like a robot when I'm wearing mine and putting on/taking off a rucksack can be a full on mission.

The warmth of the leather jacket is more relative to the lining than the leather itself so with that in mind, if you want something hard wearing and supple but doesn't age in a hurry, go for the goat.
If you want something hard wearing, easy to wear and that develops character fairly quick, Jerky HH or Oil pull HH are your best bets.
If you want something not too heavy, looks good and develops character but not too fast, Vincenza it is, although I have found that they can be very different depending on batch and colour and some can be stiffer than others.

My choice for a daily wear Premier Highwayman wearing a rucksack on long walks would be blackened brown Vincenza, satin lining on sleeves and quilted lining on the body for temperatures between 5-15C (anything above 15C and that lining would be too hot).

NYDRH · Mar 7, 2021

David r said:
They have sent me some samples but to be honest I find it difficult to imagine what they’d look like as a full jacket. I’ve been looking at the various threads here to try and see some real life pictures as I find this a bit easier to see what the leather looks like in reality

A tip I was once given us to lay the swatch over your wrist and your mind's eye fills in the rest. It has worked quite well for me imagining what a suit would look like from a scrap of cloth. Not sure if it works for everyone but it's been very useful for me.

Spiney · Mar 7, 2021

David r said:
Wow the Badalassi looks lovely. For some reason Aero don’t have it on their website so this is the first time I’ve seen it. I will call them tomorrow and ask about it. Thanks

I think the Badalassi is a £100 extra charge . Vincenza is £75.

Aero jacket - some leather advice please

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