ok, I need to find out about this duties thing. If there was a way in Italy too it would be awesome.@twistdh
In terms of the duties :
There is a rule that if you're importing something that is MADE IN UK and have proof for it then you can skip customs fees. In the context of Estonia that would have saved me 8% if I had known that.
If you're really set on an Aero - go for it, it's far from a bad choice, just not as good as it used to be before the price increases. And it's very hard to find similar Aviator style jackets for anything less than an Aero and outside of JP and related pricing.
If money was not a question I would order a black CXL steerhide J-106 today without hesitation.
I would have absolutely no worries about water if I were you, no matter what leather you select. Wear it in pouring rain and dry it properly.
With the newly added upcharge for FQHH I'd take the CXL steerhide without any doubts. If Badalassi had no upcharge - would love to try that even more than the CXL steerhide. Again, if the upcharge is no issue for you - totally go for the badalassi.
I've never handled it, but have heard that it is on the stiff side (which I LOVE) and CXL steerhide would be more pliable and break in sooner.
A corduroy strip on the hem won't do much against the thick belts and belt loops, but it should help a bit. Not sure if they would agree but I'd even consider a strip of leather instead.
In terms of measurements why do you even want to deal with measuring yourself if you're visiting Aero? Let them measure you. Unless you have strong preferences of certain jacket measurements (like I do) - then it would be good to really nail down what kind of measurements you want yourself and at least give that info to Aero.
And definitely ask them which jackets share the most similar pattern to the hooch hauler and whether they have 34-36 sizes in those. Most likely they won't because the smaller sizes are more rare.
For example I see that they have a goatskin sheene in 36 right now - that should be a very close pattern to the hooch hauler. The FQHH cafe racer that they have in stock as well.
Asking for custom measurements is tricky and dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - ideally stick to stock sizing as then you can also return the jacket if it does not fit. I took the risk with some custom adjustments because I knew pretty well what I want. And still screwed up with body length and sleeve length.. Learning experience!
I would definitely not rule out an inside pocket - the chest is rather small and not very practical.
The mobility is not horrible by any means, just can't hold a candle to my Vanson model E (which has a FULL ACTION BACK, so it's apples to oranges), today I wore it for 7 hours outside with kids, feels great, especially when the leather warms up.
I think there's two influences of the leather in terms of mobility - softness/pliability and "give" or stretch. FQHH gets very nice and pliable when worn in and warmed up, but it won't "give" at all. Maybe badalassi has a bit more give, I don't know.
Kelpie is definitely much softer and a bit thinner than both CXL and Badalassi - I've seen some gorgeous examples of it though! But I wanted the "classic Aero leathers experience" and could not pass up getting a CXL jacketKelpie was 2nd on my list.
I think CXL steerhide would work better for the hooch hauler than FQHH but still not ideal. Don't know about badalassi. Kelpie would work great. Personally I would not even consider Vicenza, especially if you're concerned about the leather standing up to rain.
Would this also work if I were to directly purchase an already available jacket? I don't know, maybe declaring it at the airport...I have to inform myself...
For the inside pocket: ok i'll think about it...maybe with a button or some tipe of closure i would be more relaxed in using it
I really hope that they will have some jackets similar to HH in my size (more or less...). I already told them my approximate measurements...we'll see
Thanks again, you were very precious
