Aero jacket - some leather advice please

Cyber Lip · Mar 7, 2021

I had a Premier Highwayman in CXL and I'd recommend against CXL on a Premier style Aero. Reason is, the cut of the neck hole/collar is really funky...it's a narrow vertical oblong/oval shape, kind of like a button hole almost, and the collar will dig into the sides of your neck. On a softer more forgiving leather it's not really noticeable, but w/CXL it's very unyielding and you'll find it uncomfortable, especially if you want to wear it zipped up. I found it pretty much unwearable zipped up even halfway, and I'm a slim enough fellow with a normal to skinny neck. Not sure what they were thinking with that cut. With a regular Highwayman CXL is fine. That one has a normal round neck hole

HoosierDaddy · Mar 7, 2021

I had several affairs with Aero's CXL FQHH and CXL steer over the years. However, I finally came to the conclusion that CXL's 'patina' mainly consisted of marks and scars because of the stuffed finish rather than a smooth blend of wear that most other hides develop.

abone · Mar 7, 2021

A new mid-weight leather Thurston Bros are now offering is Dark Hickory Vancouver. The pic of the sample below illustrates dark hickory on the left, and chestnut Vancouver on the right.
I don’t know if they’ve made any jackets yet, but oh man, check that grain out. I’m seriously considering this for an Aero half belt.

dudewuttheheck · Mar 7, 2021

This is just me, but no matter what situation is, I would choose Badalassi from Aero every time. It's just such a beautiful leather. It should handle the rucksack just fine, as all the other leathers would. It will be more comfortable than CXL and just has such beautiful grain and depth of color that Vicenza just does not have from what I've experienced.

As others have said, the liner is where the warmth comes from. If you want something versatile, I would keep the liner fairly thin and rely on layering to get warmth rather than the jacket itself. That's what I do at least. When I went to Japan and experienced 20F weather at night, I used sweatshirts, a thermal, and a scarf to stay nice and warm. If you were relying on just the jacket, you'd need some seriously warm liner that would make the jacket unwearable in warmer weather.

AeroFan_07 · Mar 8, 2021

So my perspective here may be a bit different for your situation. I don't know where you are located and the associated climate, etc. However I am in the USA - Midwest. We see a lot of wind/rain and snow for 3-4 months, then moderate to rather warm/humid temps come summer.

I learned to appreciate leather jackets - begining with an old school cowhide Excelled at the University of Illinois, where I would walk ~ 2 hours each day out in the elements. Looking back, (that was the early '90's) I'm sure I looked rather funny wearing that heavy black leather "perfecto" syle jacket almost everywhere. It worked, and naver gave me any issues at all.

Point being, when wearing a rucksack, I would be considering durability first & foremost. Not to mention comfort and the ability to work with you as you keep your step count high and get a nice cardio workout as a bouns. So my suggest would be to consider CX Steerhide for your Premier Highwayman with simple cotton drill lining. Nice and durable, simple yet will break in nicely.

That said - maybe you would do a bit better taking a look at either the Lost Worlds Suburban: http://lostworldsinc.com/Motorcycle_Jacket_Leather_Horsehide_Suburban.htm

Or even a Vanson Enfield. See here:https://vansonleathers.com/mens-lea...-jacket-B.html?search_query=ENFIELD&results=5

BobJ · Mar 8, 2021

@ David r

CXL, whether horsehide or steerhide, is so stuffed with wax and oil, that it does not breathe. It will be like wearing heavy rubber for your two long daily walks.

I have just one leather jacket, it is a half belt in the seal jerky horsehide. It is my daily wearer here on the wet and windy Oregon coast. I have worn it for walking many hundreds of miles, in all kinds of weather, over the past eight years... and I love it.

As the top coat wears off, the lighter brown will show through, developing a nice character. But it is not accerlated wear like some modern finishes - you have to earn you patina. I get compliments on mine. It will eventually show where your rucksack straps wear, mine shows where my seatbelt lies.

If you want to keep up the water repellance where the top coat has worn off, just treat it with some leather oil once every year or two. I use a light coat of Bag Balm - it's like Vasoline but with a smidge of lanolin. Makes my jacket soft and silky. I don't remember if it was stiff eight years ago, but for as long as I can remember, my jacket is about as stiff as a terry cloth bathrobe.

I have the cotton drill lining, and appreciate the durability and absorbancy. I don't know about Aero's sateen, but I once had a jacket with satin lining that felt a little sticky and clammy when I sweated a bit.

I wish you the best, and hope that you keep us all apprised of the process, up to the point of pics of you wearing it with a big smile!

Bob

AeroFan_07 · Mar 8, 2021

BobJ said:
@ David r
CXL, whether horsehide or steerhide, is so stuffed with wax and oil, that it does not breathe. It will be like wearing heavy rubber for your two long daily walks.

Having owned ~ 12 different CXL Steer and FQHH jackets, I have never once had this problem.

skybert · Mar 8, 2021

BobJ said:
@ David r

I have just one leather jacket, it is a half belt in the seal jerky horsehide. It is my daily wearer here on the wet and windy Oregon coast. I have worn it for walking many hundreds of miles, in all kinds of weather, over the past eight years... and I love it.

As the top coat wears off, the lighter brown will show through, developing a nice character. But it is not accerlated wear like some modern finishes - you have to earn you patina. I get compliments on mine. It will eventually show where your rucksack straps wear, mine shows where my seatbelt lies.

Bob

The jerky horsehide sounds super nice, but I think I've only seen Monitor's trucker in this hide. Could you post pictures/fit pictures of your jacket?

JMax · Mar 8, 2021

Given the amount of actual activity you will do when wearing the jacket, the CXL will be broken in and easily wearable quickly enough. It’s just not out of the box groovy, but you will get there. It feels heavier, so if that is a turnoff there you have it. But I love my CXL jackets. That said, that Badalassi is bad assi. I honestly don’t think there is a wrong answer here.

AeroFan_07 · Mar 8, 2021

^^ Exactly.

I also have a Vicenza FQHH Aero Ridley, and frankly it's a bit more on the "thin" side to me for wearing a backpack with. I prefer to keep it for dresser occassions.

I would mention to avoid Alpaca wool lining as that can be fairly warm and a bit itchy in certain circumstances.

David r · Mar 8, 2021

Thanks all for your advice, it’s much appreciated. I spoke to Aero today and as they are on a 14-16 week lead time due to Coronavirus I thought it made sense to get my order in and then ask them to send me a sample of all the leathers mentioned here and some different linings so I can do as best a comparison as I can.

mjay · Mar 9, 2021

David, thanks for posting this. Another newbie here. I am exactly in the same position as you. I have ordered for an Aero PHWM. I am going for Seal Vicenza with cotton drill lining. Have been digging through various posts pictures of leathers here in TFL and others online. Seal Goatskin, Jerky HH & Seal Vicenza were my main choices. Somehow the lure of vicenza and the images online tipped the scale to Vicenza. As most people advice, you can't go wrong with any of these

cheers -mJ

Jin431 · Mar 9, 2021

mjay said:
David, thanks for posting this. Another newbie here. I am exactly in the same position as you. I have ordered for an Aero PHWM. I am going for Seal Vicenza with cotton drill lining. Have been digging through various posts pictures of leathers here in TFL and others online. Seal Goatskin, Jerky HH & Seal Vicenza were my main choices. Somehow the lure of vicenza and the images online tipped the scale to Vicenza. As most people advice, you can't go wrong with any of these
cheers -mJ

Welcome to the lounge. Congrats on your incoming premier HWM order, seal Vicenza is a great choice in this pattern.

Jasonindenver · Mar 13, 2021

David r said:
Thanks all for your advice, it’s much appreciated. I spoke to Aero today and as they are on a 14-16 week lead time due to Coronavirus I thought it made sense to get my order in and then ask them to send me a sample of all the leathers mentioned here and some different linings so I can do as best a comparison as I can.

Smart move there! My 12 week initial time stretched to 22 due the time period they had to totally lock down. Glad everyone there was safe and I was happy to wait longer than usual since it was not like I could go anywhere anyways!

I ended up with dark seal vicenza. I personally have not fallen in love with any goat hide I have yet seen but I know people love it for its shear durability. The jerky horsehide was a close second. Badalassi would also have been a contender if it was available in a darker shade.

mjay · Mar 31, 2021

Just a brief follow up on my earlier post. Finally received my Aero PHWM jacket in Seal Vicenza. Pretty happy with this choice. Softer and lighter than the CXL FQHH (Aero Teamster). Easy to wear, feels quite tough leather too. I like the color & feel of the leather too. A pretty good daily wear jacket for me..

Couple of pics from daily wear thread:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ou-wearing-today.82949/page-1606#post-2797692

cheers -mJ

Aero jacket - some leather advice please

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