johnnyjohnny
Practically Family
- Messages
- 633
- Location
- lake balboa
First off, let me say, aero does nOt make a ‘luftwaffe’ version...of aNything...I did however order a Highwayman horsehide with all options that would be as close to a luftwaffe jacket as possible...from the photos of the Highwayman it seemed it was basically a ‘hartmann luftwaffe’ in basic design...so I went ahead on that basis...
In the end my attempt to recreate a luftwaffe jacket with a 50s design motorcycle jacket exceeded expectations on one hand, and ultimately couldn’t quite pull it off...however, I appreciate this amazing jacket as simply an aero Highwayman that, probably, is closer to the hartmann luftwaffe jacket than most jackets the actual ww2 luftwaffe pilots actually wore
but, to the jacket...I have just bought a sigma ringflash for my canon 20d, so pictures will be coming...however, the shot from the aero website is totally true to this jacket as I received it...except I had a second zip pocket put on the chest a la luftwaffe style...my collar is almost imperceptibly shorter to point (on request) than the pic, and mine is very darK horsehide brown vs. black of the pic...also I opted for the zip vs. cuff sleeves, and being in caFiLoRnia (mixed up spelling apropos of our state currently) I opted for the lightest lining possible, the brown cotton
the verdict is, this jacket is enough to cure one of the hunger to keep buying leather jackets...but don’t worry, if you really want to, you can keep doing so...however, I was in a paroxysm of jacket-buying addiction that arrival of this amazing piece has cured...that doesn’t mean the jacket experience was without a few bumps
the jacket is flawless, except for one flaw...which is the rule breaker that, they say, proves the rule...that ‘flaw’ being the seam on the faux belt at the bottom of the jacket...the top seam of that wraps around to the inside, left of jacket and right of jacket..however, on the right side (zipper pull side) the seam is bulky on the inside, somehow is raises further than it likely should, and more so than the one on the other side...this has it bumped by the zipper head as it pulls up...with about zips until I realized what was ‘snagging’, the raised portion of the seam is nicked in a very small, 2mm, spot through the top layer...I have taken to leaving a steel flat spring clip pressing on just that bump to flatten it out (when not wearing the jacket, obvioiusly), and until then easing the zip over that bump so as to prevent wearing any further...that being the only found flaw, I’m not too upset...like getting the first almost imperceptible paint chip on your new car...
I had worked with mark moyes, the u.s. rep for aero, on what to get option-wise in this jacket, and the sizing, and in the end he was spot on...the horsehide I got was perfect for calif, a little stiff when new, but already after several brief wearings conforming to my shape...and very comfortable aside from some slight pulling when I lift arms and such, which will disappear as the jacket stretches and conforms to my movements...so much more comfie and light than what I’ve heard from many luxo-priced horse jackets that people order and talk about here on the fedlounge...I forget what horse leather it was, but if you ask mark for the lightest, he’ll steer (no pun intended) you the right way
anyway, the jacket couldn’t be constructed better, or look better, prettier, more perfect (except for the slightly larger seam bump mentioned)...
Which brings me to some of the options I ordered...
Often I’ll look at jackets, even from amazing companies like aero, and say, ‘who the heck designed that...it’s a great jacket, but...’...well, I was able to fix those ‘buts’ here...I love the luftwaffe look of the double zip pocket on the chest (hartmann-style, though others I know had other combos)...so I added a second zip pocket up there...which is probably the single-most thing that makes this look virtually as much like a hartmann luftwaffe jacket as anything eastman et al is making...I’m kind of blown away by that
it doesn’t have the neck and waist buckle, as the eastman/hartmann do...but in reality, many real luftaffe jackets didn’t either...and I think practically, you would not want to muck up a Highwayman with those extraneousities (yeah, coined word)...but the main lines and beauty of the design of the most famous of luftwaffe jackets is clear here in the Highwayman, which itself was designed on moto jackets of the 50s, which, de facto, were often almost twin relatives of the luftwaffe jacket, which was in fact store bought moto jackets of the late 30s...so aero has rendered true the bloodline of this amazing jacket...
Instead of thinking that I’m paying homage to the fine style taste of luftwaffe pilots by seeking that style, I see it as returning to the roots of the most classic of motorcycle jackets coming out of the late 30s, which the luftwaffe pilots gravitated toward because of the style, and that their government had not created an ‘official’ jacket for them...so they wisely chose the most stylish...I give them that much credit, if not using the same acumen in choosing a leader or cause to fight for
away from the divergence into past politix, I must point out the fit...if you give mark moyes or the aero people all the measurements they ask for, they WiLL come up with the right size...trust them...I didn’t believe it, and drove them crazy...but in the end I just let them choose, and it couldn’t have been more perfect...for me that was a 45.5" chest and 33.5" waist working with an aero size 44 (which measures out to 25" armpit to armpit, or 50" chest circimference...not baggy at all, pulling a bit when I raise my arms heavenward to praise Aero for this jacket, which will not pull once the conforming stretch kicks in
otherwise, I did have the collar distance from fold to collarpoint trimmed from their 3.25" down to 2.75" because I prefer the sharper, less ‘SHaFt-can-U-diGGiT’ 70s collars of many jacket designs, and aero creeps in that direction (I said I like to redesign)
the collar verges on being a tad more than I’d like, however, to trim it anymore would have made this an inauthentic style
also, I kept the back length at 26" collar seam to back bottom...about an inch or so more than many moto jackets...but my preference...and I kept the zip jacket sleeves at the normal size, where the 26" back is considered a ‘long’ and normally came from aero with added length in the sleeves
I also had them use steel hardware (zip and pocket zip)...I found ‘ball and chain’ zip pulls on the chest pockets, which are very reminiscent of the kind of nipple piercings one might find on the west hollywood crowd out here in LaLaLand...however, I think they’re very cool and wouldn’t change the look
I added ‘tang’ style buckle on the side buckles...the original is just leather pulled through a loop, which over time kind of wears the leather...the ‘tang’ buckle (no, not for moon flights) has a watch-type steel point that fits through buckle holes that are lined in grommet steel...very industrial and not prone to wear
the only thing nOt luftwaffe, aside from the neck and waist buckles, are side panels going all the way up to the underarm, rather than mini-triangular side panels that only go up a few inches on the true hartmann luftwaffe, at the side buckles...when I accepted this as a Highwayman rather than a recreated luftwaffe jacket, that was actually very fine indeed
which brings us to one glitch that occurred...which was when I originally ordered the jacket, with my recreation of the hartmann in mind, I specified a one-piece back (though, in the end, many luftwaffe jackets did have a top yoke/2-piece back)...well, when the jacket came, it had the Highwayman ‘V’ yoke, even though some Highwayman, and the one I ordered, have a one-piece back
I called and left mark at aero a message that I could either return it, though i didn't want to wait 2-3 months for another, or accept it with some money off...his answer was that he would start a remake immediately and get it out to me in 2-3 weeks if I wanted one with the one-piece back...otherwise he would indeed take some money off for the error
this is customer service you find virtually nowhere...mistakes do happen, but how many merchants correct them like that...
Eventually, (a few hours), I decided to accept this beautiful jacket as a Highwayman, rather than an ersatz luftwaffe hartmann, and hungrily put the jacket back on, and called mark to say I’d accept the discount...he asked me several times whether I’d be happy with doing that...stating that the one thing he didn’t want was for me to look back and not think of my experience, and my jacket, as fully positive...blew me away
well, the discount went toward my possible future luftwaffe replica fund...but this aero jacket is so satisfying, it may cure my addiction to buying endlessly...though I may buy another aero at some point
as said, I will get the ringflash and the 20d out and get some pix this week, but this jacket is one of the finest purchases I have made of any pure enjoyment product (though it is highly practical), and the customer service couldn’t have been any better...
The only experience I could compare it to, after wearing some very very nice mid-range authentic and govt. issue mil jackets, is how I felt owning and driving a 68' mercedes 280se about five years ago...it just had the feel of the real deal...by 1973 mercedes had stopped handbuilding their cars, going to the standard assembly line...
The 280se was not fast, anything but, and the straight six did guzzle at about 15 per gallon...but it was a purely blissful driving experience that is hard to describe...
I couldn’t afford to keep that thing when the engine finally went out...but I don’t think I’ll have any upkeep expenses with this aero...except for some conditioner in a year or so
happy,
johnnyjohnny
