dudewuttheheck
I'll Lock Up
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I thought that it would be fun to post my current collection of leather jackets as it stands today. As of today, I have 5 leather jackets and all of them are Freewheelers and all are size 42 and all are made with Shinki leather and all are teacore except the deerskin. One is deerskin and the rest are horsehide. Each jacket will be posted in the order that I got them and most have been purchased due to/with the funds of other jackets sold (and one with the proceeds from a watch sale). Two of them have had their sleeves shortened, but the other three are good as is in my opinion. I suppose I am doing this partly because now they all fit me well now and the most recent one was one that I definitely could not have even dreamed of wearing a few months ago. It is not necessarily on purpose that all of my leather jackets are now from the same brand. I suppose this ended up happening for a combination of reasons including Shinki leather, the fit/pattern of the jackets, the designs, and the quality. This is a lot of leather jackets for someone in Southern California, but we have a lot of micro climates here and I can wear these all day for at least 6 months of the year and in the mornings and evenings for a couple of months beyond that. I am able to wear them to work and wear each jacket on average at least once a week.
For fit reference, I am 5'8" and currently 165lb with a 41" chest and a 32.5" waist. My torso is proportionally longer than my legs which helps these size 42 jackets not look insanely long on me. All of these photos are quite recent and all of the front shots were taken close to or at my current weight.
Freewheelers Caboose in Dead Leaf Brown horsehide: This one had it's sleeves shortened back in November and it really needed that work done. Now, this is probably one of the two best fitting jackets on me. It was certainly a bit small when I was bigger, but now it's perfect, especially with the shortened sleeves. It's a real shame that they haven't made this model in a while. It's a gorgeous jacket in my opinion and in terms of appearance, it is my favorite Freewheelers leather. The redness of the brown is gorgeous, but isn't overly red either. I had admired and desired to own a Freewheelers jacket before buying this one, but this one clearly was only the beginning and truly sent me down the rabbit hole. At it it's core, it is a basic half belt. However, everything is dialed up to 11. The leather is stunning, the collar is perfectly proportioned, the liners are all varied and beautiful, the back is a real stunner, and there is ornate and unnecessary stitching around the pockets that I just adore. This was my first straight zip half belt and technically it still is. I guess I got it right the first time.
Measurements:
Chest: 21.5"
Sleeve (measured straight): 23"
Shoulder: 19"
Waist: 19"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 24.25"
Freewheelers Sunset in Yellow Ochre deerskin: This is my first and only deerskin jacket I have ever owned and it is by far and away my favorite leather jacket. I love all the other jackets that I have and go genuinely cannot rank them in any order aside from this one. Apparently I am a fan of lighter brown/tan leathers because I really adore this color. It is aging quite slowly, but it definitely has gotten darker since I got it. The deerskin is fairly substantial and has a sort of nubuck feel too it and despite its weight, is incredibly soft. The comfort is helped by the brushed flannel liner which is the same throughout the entire jacket, including the arms. That combination of deerskin and soft flannel lining make this a joy to wear. Additionally, it is my favorite leather jacket design. It is a cross zip, but is more of a casual sport jacket than a biker jacket which fits well with the leather chosen. Most people don't like this one as much as I do, but thankfully it is my girl's favorite jacket on me as well
Like the Caboose, this one also had its sleeves shortened in November and now fits beautifully.
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 23"
Shoulder: 18"
Waist: 20"
Opening: 20.5"
Back Length: 24"
Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Black horsehide: Freewheelers has several different versions of black. Vintage Black, Rude Black, and Black Jack off the top of my head. Vintage Black is their traditional black teacore with a light brown/tan color underneath while Black Jack has a more mid/dark brown color underneath and Rude Black has grey underneath (not the same as a solid black). A common misconception is that all tea core is tan/natural, but this is not the case. It may have been true originally, but it is not so now. Back in the day, I thought the Mulholland was a little too much, but the design grew on me a lot partly because I really loved the Italian collar. This fit marvelously when I first got it and it was the first black leather jacket that I owned that I kept for more than a few days. It fit so well when I got it that I was shocked. It fits a little loose in the waist now, but I still think it fits quite well. I really love the pattern of this jacket so much that I bought a second one in brown. This was the jacket that made me realize I could wear and enjoy black leather jackets.
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"
Shoulder: 18.75"
Waist: 20.25"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 25"
Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Brown Horsehide: This was a limited release given that Freewheelers has only been offering this jacket in black recently. They used to offer it in brown, but this was the only brown release in the past few years from what I can recall. I managed to find the very last one in my size in the world that I could see and I looked pretty hard because the place I bought it from would not ship to the US so I had to proxy it to my friend Mike from Wild Frontier Goods who was kind enough to ship it over to me. It fits basically the same as the black one. I was hesitant at first to buy the same jacket in a different leather given that I had never even considered doing that before, but I loved the black one so much I pulled the trigger and I am glad that I did. This is my least favorite leather of all the jackets I have, but it is a nice and versatile darker brown color and will definitely look better over time given that it is teacore. A lot of dark brown leather jackets look almost black, but I am glad this one is quite clearly brown. My only real complaint with this jacket is the fact that they put a black liner in the body. Navy or any other color would have been better than black on a brown jacket. I love it anyway though.
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"
Shoulder: 18.5"
Waist: 20"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 25"
Freewheelers San Mateo in Rude Black: Finally, we get to my most recent acquisition. This one was purchased used from @Carlos840 (interestingly, both black jackets were purchased used while the brown ones were all purchased new) and I was quite lucky to get it given how long it was on sale for. When I first saw this jacket model I thought it was wildly over the top. It grew on me over time like the Mulholland, but even more. This is the most extreme jacket I own and while I have owned it for only a few weeks at this point, it has gotten more stares than any other jacket I have owned. Technically, this avoids the biker connotation because it is based off of an old aviator jacket and not a motorcycle jacket, but everyone thinks its a biker jacket anyway. All my other jackets can be worn to work easily, but I get gawked at in this one. I don't care though because I really love it and I suppose it was a reward to myself for finally being able to at least slightly pull it off. As of right now, it actually fits the best of all my jackets when zipped up, but I think the Caboose fits/looks best unzipped. I think most leather jackets look best unzipped, but this one looks best zipped thanks to those insane lapels. As of right now, it is my second favorite jacket, but that is probably recency bias clouding my judgement.
Measurements:
Chest: 21.5"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.75"
Shoulder: 18.75"
Waist: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)
Opening: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)
Back Length: 24.5"
I realized halfway through this post that I was wearing the same sunglasses in every shot
I have several other pairs, but I guess this works for the sake of continuity. Also yes, I am still trash at posing. I swear I'm a real boy! I am not going to be naive and say that this is where my collection ends. I am happy with it, but I could definitely see myself adding more. There are a couple more Freewheelers models that I would like to try on next time I am at Desolation Row and there are definitely other makers that I am interested in. Anyway, that is enough rambling from me. I just thought I would share this.
I thought I would add a poll as well to see which jacket the lounge likes the most. The choices are in order of the jackets posted.
For fit reference, I am 5'8" and currently 165lb with a 41" chest and a 32.5" waist. My torso is proportionally longer than my legs which helps these size 42 jackets not look insanely long on me. All of these photos are quite recent and all of the front shots were taken close to or at my current weight.
Freewheelers Caboose in Dead Leaf Brown horsehide: This one had it's sleeves shortened back in November and it really needed that work done. Now, this is probably one of the two best fitting jackets on me. It was certainly a bit small when I was bigger, but now it's perfect, especially with the shortened sleeves. It's a real shame that they haven't made this model in a while. It's a gorgeous jacket in my opinion and in terms of appearance, it is my favorite Freewheelers leather. The redness of the brown is gorgeous, but isn't overly red either. I had admired and desired to own a Freewheelers jacket before buying this one, but this one clearly was only the beginning and truly sent me down the rabbit hole. At it it's core, it is a basic half belt. However, everything is dialed up to 11. The leather is stunning, the collar is perfectly proportioned, the liners are all varied and beautiful, the back is a real stunner, and there is ornate and unnecessary stitching around the pockets that I just adore. This was my first straight zip half belt and technically it still is. I guess I got it right the first time.
Measurements:
Chest: 21.5"
Sleeve (measured straight): 23"
Shoulder: 19"
Waist: 19"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 24.25"
Freewheelers Sunset in Yellow Ochre deerskin: This is my first and only deerskin jacket I have ever owned and it is by far and away my favorite leather jacket. I love all the other jackets that I have and go genuinely cannot rank them in any order aside from this one. Apparently I am a fan of lighter brown/tan leathers because I really adore this color. It is aging quite slowly, but it definitely has gotten darker since I got it. The deerskin is fairly substantial and has a sort of nubuck feel too it and despite its weight, is incredibly soft. The comfort is helped by the brushed flannel liner which is the same throughout the entire jacket, including the arms. That combination of deerskin and soft flannel lining make this a joy to wear. Additionally, it is my favorite leather jacket design. It is a cross zip, but is more of a casual sport jacket than a biker jacket which fits well with the leather chosen. Most people don't like this one as much as I do, but thankfully it is my girl's favorite jacket on me as well
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 23"
Shoulder: 18"
Waist: 20"
Opening: 20.5"
Back Length: 24"
Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Black horsehide: Freewheelers has several different versions of black. Vintage Black, Rude Black, and Black Jack off the top of my head. Vintage Black is their traditional black teacore with a light brown/tan color underneath while Black Jack has a more mid/dark brown color underneath and Rude Black has grey underneath (not the same as a solid black). A common misconception is that all tea core is tan/natural, but this is not the case. It may have been true originally, but it is not so now. Back in the day, I thought the Mulholland was a little too much, but the design grew on me a lot partly because I really loved the Italian collar. This fit marvelously when I first got it and it was the first black leather jacket that I owned that I kept for more than a few days. It fit so well when I got it that I was shocked. It fits a little loose in the waist now, but I still think it fits quite well. I really love the pattern of this jacket so much that I bought a second one in brown. This was the jacket that made me realize I could wear and enjoy black leather jackets.
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"
Shoulder: 18.75"
Waist: 20.25"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 25"
Freewheelers Mulholland in Vintage Brown Horsehide: This was a limited release given that Freewheelers has only been offering this jacket in black recently. They used to offer it in brown, but this was the only brown release in the past few years from what I can recall. I managed to find the very last one in my size in the world that I could see and I looked pretty hard because the place I bought it from would not ship to the US so I had to proxy it to my friend Mike from Wild Frontier Goods who was kind enough to ship it over to me. It fits basically the same as the black one. I was hesitant at first to buy the same jacket in a different leather given that I had never even considered doing that before, but I loved the black one so much I pulled the trigger and I am glad that I did. This is my least favorite leather of all the jackets I have, but it is a nice and versatile darker brown color and will definitely look better over time given that it is teacore. A lot of dark brown leather jackets look almost black, but I am glad this one is quite clearly brown. My only real complaint with this jacket is the fact that they put a black liner in the body. Navy or any other color would have been better than black on a brown jacket. I love it anyway though.
Measurements:
Chest: 22.25"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.5"
Shoulder: 18.5"
Waist: 20"
Opening: 20"
Back Length: 25"
Freewheelers San Mateo in Rude Black: Finally, we get to my most recent acquisition. This one was purchased used from @Carlos840 (interestingly, both black jackets were purchased used while the brown ones were all purchased new) and I was quite lucky to get it given how long it was on sale for. When I first saw this jacket model I thought it was wildly over the top. It grew on me over time like the Mulholland, but even more. This is the most extreme jacket I own and while I have owned it for only a few weeks at this point, it has gotten more stares than any other jacket I have owned. Technically, this avoids the biker connotation because it is based off of an old aviator jacket and not a motorcycle jacket, but everyone thinks its a biker jacket anyway. All my other jackets can be worn to work easily, but I get gawked at in this one. I don't care though because I really love it and I suppose it was a reward to myself for finally being able to at least slightly pull it off. As of right now, it actually fits the best of all my jackets when zipped up, but I think the Caboose fits/looks best unzipped. I think most leather jackets look best unzipped, but this one looks best zipped thanks to those insane lapels. As of right now, it is my second favorite jacket, but that is probably recency bias clouding my judgement.
Measurements:
Chest: 21.5"
Sleeve (measured straight): 24.75"
Shoulder: 18.75"
Waist: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)
Opening: 19" (can be adjusted smaller or larger with the laces)
Back Length: 24.5"
I realized halfway through this post that I was wearing the same sunglasses in every shot
I thought I would add a poll as well to see which jacket the lounge likes the most. The choices are in order of the jackets posted.
