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Langlitz: Why not horsehide?

himelator

Vendor
Messages
121
Location
toronto
horsehide

In fact horsehide is preportionally stronger by weight than other hides. This is due to the fact that horsehide has a higher density of fibres (proteins and collogens) running in multiple directions. If you combine that with early tanning processes that involved considerable shrinkage of the hide, the strength per weight ratio of horsehide is the best of all the leathers. It was preferred for its durability and fantastic grain which would often help in the "breaking in" process when properly assembled. Horses were more common in the olden days, however the big problem today is not the availability of horses more the availability of tanneries. Most have closed their doors and moved to China where cheaper labour and lack of environmental regulations allow for a competitive advantage. This resulted in a generally unavailability of horse leather. Furthering that, the demand for expensive quality leathers is virtually nil, so the few surviving tanneries in North America work mostly as specialty operations. Europe is slightly ahead as the europeans still value high quality over cheap price which affords many high end tanneries to operate in France, GB, Germany and Italy. Its just plain easier to work with cheaper more readily available leathers. I routinely blog about these things on my blog "The art of vintage leather jackets" . Horsehide will always be a superior leather for safety applications, steerhide comes a close second. The goat skin has its own benefits, it is thin, flexible and tough, which is why it was prized for glove weight garments and gloves. Fundementally it was always cooler due to breathability and lighter weight making it a perfect hot weather leather for summer riding and tropical flight jackets.
 

feltfan

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,190
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Langlitz mystique?

I have never been able to figure out what the
big deal is with Langlitz jackets. The design looks
generic, the leather doesn't seem to have much
grain or character and the styles are limited.
I know there's a history and that you have to wait a
long time and pay a lot. But for half the price you
can get what seems like a better jacket with almost
no wait, virtually custom, at any number of local jacket
makers, like Johnson Leathers of San Francisco.

Then there are unique makers, like Good Wear of Seattle
or Aero of Scotland or Lost Worlds or... by and large they
charge less and offer similar customization options.

Not trying to knock Langlitz, I'm sure I'm missing something.
Anyone interested in posting pictures of a prime example of
what makes Langlitz great?
 

HDRnR

A-List Customer
Messages
362
Location
Jersey
My Columbia is the best mc jacket I've ever owned, and I've never seen cowhide like that, easily the heaviest I've encountered. I have a Cascade on order in medium weight for when the weather warms up. I was always a horsehide snob myself owning several Lost Worlds but I do not miss it at all, thats how good Langlitz cowhide is. Also even tho the jacket is so heavy, the fit is so perfect that it is completely comfortable.
 

feltfan

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,190
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
HDRnR said:
My Columbia is the best mc jacket I've ever owned, and I've never seen cowhide like that, easily the heaviest I've encountered. I have a Cascade on order in medium weight for when the weather warms up. I was always a horsehide snob myself owning several Lost Worlds but I do not miss it at all, thats how good Langlitz cowhide is. Also even tho the jacket is so heavy, the fit is so perfect that it is completely comfortable.
So leather quality (though some seem to prefer to send horsehide
to Langlitz instead) and fit are important benefits of the Langlitz jacket.

Any photos, HDRnR?
 

carouselvic

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,976
Location
Kansas
The idea that there are fewer horses in the USA today is incorrect. The population of horses has never been higher. I tried to find the national numbers but was unable. I drink morning coffee with a group of retired veterinarians so I asked them. They all agreed, never in the history of this country has there ever been more horses than present times. The use of barb wire in this country would have a big effect on hide quality.
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
It's just harder than ever, and more expensive, to get them to slaughter. You can't sell their meat here thanks to law and tradition. Thanks to half a century of cow being the default heavy duty hide, you can't get tanneries to handle their outsides. And there is a serious body of public opinion that wants to end all horse slaughter, lest healthy animals be harvested again.
 

HDRnR

A-List Customer
Messages
362
Location
Jersey
feltfan said:
So leather quality (though some seem to prefer to send horsehide
to Langlitz instead) and fit are important benefits of the Langlitz jacket.

Any photos, HDRnR?

No photos but it if you go to the Langlitz website its the basic Columbia, no extra outside pockets, just an added leather lined gun pocket inside.
 

himelator

Vendor
Messages
121
Location
toronto
Horsehide facts and fiction

Horsehide is still quite available today. It was used in garments due to its durablility and its natural water repelentcy. Horsehide also has a superior fibrous structure with multidirectional collogens which allow for greater strength. Horse slaughter for non veteranary purposes was banned in the U.S. so horses are now exported from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico when owners no longer wish to pay for the up keep. Slaughter is primarily for the food industry in Europe where horse is quite commonly eaten. Hides are readily available, the real shortage in North America is Tannerys. This was always seen as a dirty non environmental labour intensive industry. Of course like everything else, most moved off shore to China or South America where cheap labour and dumping of chemicals is the norm, the rest went under. The largest manufaturer of Horsehides was probably Dominion Tanners of Canada. They went out of business in the last 10 years. I have a blog on vintage leather jackets and am always available for questions and answers.
 

feltfan

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,190
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
It is my understanding that Horween Leather, out of Chicago, IL
still cranks out an awful lot of horsehide here in the USA today.

Still hoping someone will post pictures showing what givees Langlitz
such a good reputation.
 

himelator

Vendor
Messages
121
Location
toronto
Horween

Yup
they crank it out, they buy it all from Canada, they even bought Dominion Tanners and their client list, Horween is very difficult to deal with, they are very busy and tend not to return phone calls or emails
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
If himelator is still looking in, I'd like him to fill in a little "unknown" in his explanation: why won't the Chinese tan horsehide? I'd think China would make or supply anything there was still a market for.

His argument was more or less thus:
- Expensive (or at least intensive) labor and tough environmental regs mean less HH is tanned in the west.
- But despite cheap labor and loose environmental regs moving much tannery trade to China, they handle little or no HH.

What are we leaving out here? Lack of horses in the far east? High cost to ship untanned HH versus demand for tanned HH?
 

himelator

Vendor
Messages
121
Location
toronto
huh

jac said:
Anyone know where this link and/or info of Bladerunner's has been relocated?
I'd like to read it....

http://www.robbreportcollection.com/...of-Leather.asp

*Thanx!*


Im pretty sure that is not what I was saying. I dont think that I or anybody else into serious leather would want to buy a Chinese horsehide or leather. Like my bbq that I purchased last year for 700 dollars that disintegrated in 8 months I have had my fill of crap made by exploited labour. The cost savings has made billionaires all over the world and filled the planet with garbage.

Real quality materials re quire real quality. Tanning is not a mass process so much as it was a craft that was corrupted in the 20th century. Like many things...the ease and speed with which China produces junk sacrifices the health and beauty and craft from which great things are produced. There are four or five tanneries left that know how to make cordovan leather on the planet. In some cases these guys pickle their leather in vats for up to three months in a tannage of rotting specialized woods. The result is something more beautiful that any mass produced crap that is what I was saying. And no river was dumped in, child was exploited, or people were poisoned and likely no horses were tortured


http://vintageleatherjackets.blogspot.com/
 

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