What does a fully broken in CXL jacket feel like?

[Jeef]

Is the tumbled CXL comfortable from the start? I don’t think I could tolerate wearing CXL long enough to break it in. Do you guys enjoy the process of breaking it in?

 

[ton312]

In my experience CXL never loses its stiffness. I think a warmer climate would suit it better, keep the wax soft and the jacket wearable. Even my oldest cxl jacket that was made in the 80’s-90’s and was absolutely broken in was still stiff as a board on any given cold Chicago winter day.

Despite its beauty, it’s a leather I’d never even remotely consider again. I love the way it looks but have truly grown to hate the way it wears. I never found it even remotely comfortable. So the answer is cxl feels about the same depending on the temp you wear it in., broken in or out of the box. It’s wax stuffed and that never really goes away.

 

[Joe C]

I just got a HH from the Aero stock page. I'm planning on using it as much as as possible, and not being gentle with it. I was told that these jackets can take a beating, and that I shouldn't baby it.

 

[MrProper]

Do you guys enjoy the process of breaking it in?

No.
Nevertheless, I liked the jacket. But it was still stiff even years later. And I wouldn't buy it again in this leather.

 

[Harris HTM]

As others already mentioned: it will get softer but it will always be thick, heavy and stiff.

 

[Will Zach]

In my experience CXL never loses its stiffness. I think a warmer climate would suit it better, keep the wax soft and the jacket wearable. Even my oldest cxl jacket that was made in the 80’s-90’s and was absolutely broken in was still stiff as a board on any given cold Chicago winter day.

Despite its beauty, it’s a leather I’d never even remotely consider again. I love the way it looks but have truly grown to hate the way it wears. I never found it even remotely comfortable. So the answer is cxl feels about the same depending on the temp you wear it in., broken in or out of the box. It’s wax stuffed and that never really goes away.

Finally. A science-based reply. Wax is soft in warmer temps and hard in cooler temps. CXL is full of wax and behaves accordingly. It's shoe leather.

 

[zebedee]

My fqhh Highwayman was comfortable after a month or so. I've had it for almost 16 years and its quite flexible (but I live(d) in Shanghai/Hong Kong). My steer hide jackets are far less flexible and heavier, but I've only owned them for three or four years and wear them irregularly, so they might become more flexible over time. Mid-weight tumbled cordovan is lighter and was, again, flexible after a year and not too heavy.

The most immediately flexible heavy leather I've ever worn is Blattwerk bullhide on a SBV2. It's thick but very pliable (almost rubbery). The most immediately flexible and lightest is goat hide. The happiest medium overall is Vicenza. Vicenza doesn't get that much appreciation, but I find it ideal. The discontinued mid-weight bettered tan HH and battered seal HH that Aero had were also great.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Finally. A science-based reply. Wax is soft in warmer temps and hard in cooler temps. CXL is full of wax and behaves accordingly. It's shoe leather.

And this is my perspective as well.

Works great for boots as your feet & legs get the leather warmed up pretty nicely. I have one Aero left made of CXL FQHH and that's it. The best feature is the smell, without question.

 

[MrProper]

The happiest medium overall is Vicenza. Vicenza doesn't get that much appreciation, but I find it ideal.

+1

 

[Harris HTM]

Vicenza doesn't get that much appreciation, but I find it ideal

The only thing I don't like with vicenza is the lack of colour depth. Especially when compared to CXL FQHH.

 

[zebedee]

The only thing I don't like with vicenza is the lack of colour depth. Especially when compared to CXL FQHH.

Yes, agreed. Goat is the same way.

 

[JasonY]

The one CXL(SH) jacket I have is a well broken in Schott p613s that has been in a few hands here on TFL. It is everything that has been mentioned so far as well as very comfortable. It is my go-to jacket in temps up to 50's/60's. Wore it daily this winter in New England. Markedly more pliable in above freezing temps. Feels similar to a weighted blanket when warmed up by body temp and draping. It is somewhat oversized (layering jacket, but still ok with a t-shirt) which I think makes a big difference in wearability. Stiff + tight = no fun.

 

[zebedee]

The one CXL(SH) jacket I have is a well broken in Schott p613s that has been in a few hands here on TFL. It is everything that has been mentioned so far as well as very comfortable. It is my go-to jacket in temps up to 50's/60's. Wore it daily this winter in New England. Markedly more pliable in above freezing temps. Feels similar to a weighted blanket when warmed up by body temp and draping. It is somewhat oversized (layering jacket, but still ok with a t-shirt) which I think makes a big difference in wearability. Stiff + tight = no fun.

Aero's jerky HH is medium-weight, immediately flexible and very comfortable. The outer colour will start to wear through to russet/brown/pale bits in about three weeks at points of wear (see attached).

 

[JasonY]

I don't know why it is so hard to capture the teacore effect on digital, but here is some of my wear points.

 

[JasonY]

Not sure if it is just in my head or reality, but I think frequency of wear makes a difference in the short term as well i.e. it is more flexible today after wearing it for a week than if it had been sitting on a chair for seven days.

 

[Luc Punksblood]

Not sure if it is just in my head or reality, but I think frequency of wear makes a difference in the short term as well i.e. it is more flexible today after wearing it for a week than if it had been sitting on a chair for seven days.

I experienced this last night and today. I finally got myself a nice jacket but couldn't bring myself to wear it riding to and from work so I revisited an admittedly cheaper brand for a daily rider. They've changed their designs and are apparently using a new veg-tan cowhide which sounded good but had to be pryed open and has been painful to wear... though I've been assured that it starts stiff but should form and soften up with wear I got desperate this week.

Tuesday night I oiled it up. I know that no new jacket should require conditioning and have heard mixed results of oil affecting softness but figured it couldn't hurt to try. By Wednesday morning there negligible if any difference but at least it didn't squeak. Keep in mind I've been wearing it around the house nearly every waking hour while doing chores, puttering, and walking like a crazed flailing lunatic in slow motion between rooms. Also changing positions constantly when lounging for any period of time.

Thursday night I took some water from the tap with a splash from the hot kettle I had on for tea and spritzed the whole thing quite well in effort to replicate a ride in a light drizzle which I had expected to happen on the weekend but never fell. I let it absorb for a bit as not to drip about the house then returned to previous night's routine. It felt like it was working. Eventually I need the jacket off to do something and so I set it down [stood it up] on the kitchen floor to spritz liberally again.

More flailing! Almost out of excitement at this point. The idea of being able to put my helmet on without pinching nerves on my inner arm or being able to undo the lapel snaps to zip it all the way up without rendering myself unconscious from reduced flow through my jugular had me pumped. It was working. The jacket almost collapsed on itself rather than standing alone, the collar began moving with my neck instead of trying to move through it, and it finally would bend in the torso as opposed to attempting escape thwarted by the strength of my chin along with my strength of will. Finally I would be able to shoulder check on the bike in this thing... or so I thought...

Once it dried fully the squeaks became unbearably audible so I gave it another very light oil. Just rubbing it down with a single glistening hand while looking forward to Friday. During this I massage rigorously every problem area, focused, until my hands hurt more than a day of hard work. It seemed so promising I slept like a log. I woke up excited for the ride to work and decided to pop it on while I made one more coffee for the road, a spanish latte, working the arms and shoulders with my manual lever operated La Pavoni espresso maker to make myself a sweet morning treat to counter the bitter reality that there are no guaranteed shortcuts to be had with this jacket. [Edit: one shortcut I attempted was to set the dryer to 'air fluff' with high spin and a couple other balled up items in it but the jacket would simply stick in place like a circus preformer doing the Vitruvian pose in a steel hoop unphased by the rotations.]

It was back to where it was the night before. Maybe it'd help if I had hours to flail in it before work but lord knows I am not a morning person. I appreciate and respect the morning and have many a good one but our relationship is tumultuous. Coffee is my saving grace. Not just for the caffeine but for the ritual and routine. Gives me time to clear the sleep from my eyes before I two-wheel my way through the worst hour of traffic to be caught lacking in. All this to say that I couldn't wake up early enough to break my jacket back in for the day the way I had the night before. On the bright side the collar no longer prevented me from turning my head but would only create a little bit of friction which eased my disappointment until...

Friday evening; I have finished work and am ready for the weekend and right before I head out the door I go to put my jacket on thinking 'it can't get any worse than this morning right?' I thought wrong and after sitting an entire workday (longer than my sleep), unworn, and undisturbed it had already returned to it's Tuesday state. Squeak free but absolutely rigid. Maybe next week. Maybe just a dozen more wears. Maybe a ride in the rain. Maybe I'll just never take it off and allow it to rest again. We'll see. Maybe it's all in my head too.

 

[Guppy]

Is the tumbled CXL comfortable from the start? I don’t think I could tolerate wearing CXL long enough to break it in. Do you guys enjoy the process of breaking it in?

A lot of people don't seem to enjoy it, but it really isn't even bad or difficult, and I enjoy the feeling of wearing them when new.

 

[jchance]

A lot of people don't seem to enjoy it, but it really isn't even bad or difficult, and I enjoy the feeling of wearing them when new.

This is the most macho statement I’ve read on this site!