On a Shearling Liner: Leather lined hem vs. Corduroy

[Windstorm81]

In an Aero Jacket with sheepskin shearling liner, would a leather lined hem be more durable vs. the standard Corduroy?

Or is the Corduroy somehow better suited to hold up the shearling lining?

Thanks

 

[Peacoat]

I like the leather strip much better than the cord, but I don't think Aero does that anymore. I got a ThunderBay with Shearling about a year ago, and the leather strip wasn't an option. I went with the cord, which is a little saggy.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I agree with PC.
I had an Aero Longshoreman a few years ago that had a quilted strip of lining at the bottom of the shearling. I felt it did little good at keeping the shearling from sagging ..the quilted lining strip finally just sagged a little below the hem due to the weight of the shearling lining above it. Seems a stiffer strip of leather at the bottom should eliminate the sag rather than just a strip of material.
HD

 

[Windstorm81]

I thought the Leather lined hem would be stronger to hold up the shearling liner ... However, I spoke with Aero on the phone and they said they feel that the leather hem would not hold up too well and that the Corduroy is a better option......I just hope the Corduroy won't sag too much down the road in few years [huh]

 

[Plumbline]

have 2 with a cord hem ( LHB and Barnstormer) and shearling liner and have had 2 with a leather trim ( HBD and Highwayman) with shearling liner.

The leather strip works well with a shorter style ( HB/HBD/Highwayman) as the leather strip is only about 2-3" and as such doesn't add too much weight to the jacket.

The cord strip works better with the longer styles (Barnstormer, LHB, Stockman etc. where the additional weight of the leather panel is noticeable on a jacket which is more than substantial in itself !

The cord doesn't overly sag ( my LHB is 8 years old and shows only minimal sag and certainly not sufficient to be visible below the hem) equally the cord has proven really durable and is showing little wear even after 8 winters.

I had the quilted lining on a longshoreman a few years ago and it was possibly the least durable lining I have ever had and it tore to pieces in less than a couple of years ... it looked great .... but was as durable as tissue !

Based on experience I'd go moleskin or cord on a longer length 3/4 jacket and cord/moleskin on a shorter length if it was a heavy hide and leather on the mid weight hides.

Just MHO

P.S a shorter jacket with a shearling liner is like wearing two jackets at the same time ..... I eventually traded mine out as they were too warm for summer and not long enough for winter ..... my LHB is still my go-to jacket for winter

 

[Peacoat]

The corduroy strip on my ThunerBay started sagging within a few weeks. After just now looking at my Aero and other jackets, I think it is more a function of how tightly the lining is stitched inside the jacket rather than the type of strip at the bottom. The corduroy at the bottom will wear better than any of the linings used by Aero, except perhaps the heavy cotton drill lining.

On jackets the belt line is right where the corduroy is installed. There is a lot of wear in this area, and fragile linings need some protection. While I prefer the leather, I think the corduroy will serve the purpose.

 

[Edward]

Aero announced they'd stopped doing the leather because it complicated relining a jacket, should that be necessary, that and several other issues. I'm sure I recall it being mentioned that Ken considered it over-engineering, amounting to charging customers extra (iirc, it was a £50 mark-up) for something they didn't really need. I would be inclined to go for the corduroy myself to protect sheepskin at the belt line. Of the jackets I have without any sort of bottom strip, I've not experienced any sagging, though those are cotton drill and wool linings, not shearling. Not had any significant wear on them either, fwiw, given very regular wear, though I do find on lighter coloured linings the bottom edge can get a bit grubby (especially with unwashed selvedge rubbing on it!) rubbing against trousers and blts. Nothing a good clean won't shift, but that's the worst of it in my experience. The shearling-lined jackets do seem to all come with either corduroy or quilting to stop this. I'd probably go with the cord, myself, given the options.