An Expedition To Call My Own

[Deleted]

Here's my take on this from the point of view that I wear my Jacket and Fedora whenever possible in all types of weather.

If you watch the boards and pay close attention, when you order an Expedition you KNOW EXACTLY what you are going to receive.

Granted it is off the rack and has a few minor screen inaccuracies. IMHO it has been slightly modified to make it more practical and remove flaws from the 15 or however many originals that were made in a rush over the period of one weekend.
However for 10% less than perfectly screen accurate you get a REAL CLOSE ENOUGH that is guaranteed for LIFE by G&B. I have seen 4 new Expeditions and each one looked identical.

I have yet to see anyone make a complaint about thier jacket after receiving one from G&B.

Allthough I have seen numerous complaints about EVERY other Jacket vendor. About almost every aspect of them from stitchs coming loose, huge pockets , etc, etc. Many of these problems MAY be from all the changes constantly made to the other brands.

The same holds true with Marc's AB Deluxe, I am more than willing to lose the 100% screen accuracy of having the best Beaver felt he can get and the Roo hide sweat, instead of getting a Rabbit fedora from Steve that will be 99% accurate but may taper quickly when used as an everyday hat. At least I know I will have the hat forever and can wear the crap out of it. Making it a friend to cherish for life

90% accuracy is good enough for me.



Cheers,
G-MANN

[agent5]

Congrats, Ken, on a nice, new jacket.

Seeing G-Mann's Expedition in person completely turned me around on these jackets. His is so much nicer than any of the ones I'd previosly seen.

Now all you need is to stop world hunger, get George 'F-UP' Bush out of the White House and all will be right in the world.

[COWBOY]

gmann said:

Here's my take on this from the point of view that I wear my Jacket and Fedora whenever possible in all types of weather.

If you watch the boards and pay close attention, when you order an Expedition you KNOW EXACTLY what you are going to receive.

Granted it is off the rack and has a few minor screen inaccuracies. IMHO it has been slightly modified to make it more practical and remove flaws from the 15 or however many originals that were made in a rush over the period of one weekend.
However for 10% less than perfectly screen accurate you get a REAL CLOSE ENOUGH that is guaranteed for LIFE by G&B. I have seen 4 new Expeditions and each one looked identical.

I have yet to see anyone make a complaint about thier jacket after receiving one from G&B.

Allthough I have seen numerous complaints about EVERY other Jacket vendor. About almost every aspect of them from stitchs coming loose, huge pockets , etc, etc. Many of these problems MAY be from all the changes constantly made to the other brands.

The same holds true with Marc's AB Deluxe, I am more than willing to lose the 100% screen accuracy of having the best Beaver felt he can get and the Roo hide sweat, instead of getting a Rabbit fedora from Steve that will be 99% accurate but may taper quickly when used as an everyday hat. At least I know I will have the hat forever and can wear the crap out of it. Making it a friend to cherish for life

90% accuracy is good enough for me.



Cheers,
G-MANN

Agreed. Thanks again for your thoughts.

[Ragingblues]

Thanks very much Agent 5... I'll keep all that in mind if I need something to say at a Miss America pagent. Hopefully I'll never be competing in one, but.... who knows? If the money was right.....

Here are a couple of quick snaps in low bedroom lighting (sorry). I wanted to post a photo of the collar meeting the stormflap for Kaplan and a photo of the strap attachment to the jacket, brought up by Marc.

Thanks again for all the nice remarks. I'm happy to own one for sure. But, it feels like my duty to share a nice piece of gear with others who may be considering one themself.

Like John said, it may not 100% screen accurate, but there are real world reasons for that. I'm waaaayyy less screen accurate than that, so who am I to complain about such things anyway?

Ken

[Deleted]

AND, if anyone wants to get close enough to see if the gussets on my jacket are one or two piece while I am wearing it. They better hold thier nose ;D ;D

Cheers,
G-MANN

[Kaplan]

admin said:

Like John said, it may not 100% screen accurate, but there are real world reasons for that. I'm waaaayyy less screen accurate than that, so who am I to complain about such things anyway?

Ken

;D I was hoping HF would be in worse shape for IJ4 so that my beer gut would be SA. Looks like I'm going to have to wait for IJ5.

[Ragingblues]

Here are a few more shots of the new G&B Expedition, along with some comparisons below. All jackets shown were purchased as the "Dark Brown" color option:






G&B Expedition with the Adventurebilt Deluxe



Wested Lamb - Expedition Lamb - Wested Goat

Note how long the Wested pockets look in comparison....


Same Order with AB - ABD - JPD



Same Order - Closer shot of the hats (why not right? )



Outdoor Shot - Same Jacket Order



Expedition Lamb - Brand New



Wested Lamb - Distressed



Wested Goat - 1-1/2 Years Old, Kept In New Condition



The Expedition is the softest, lightest, and most drapey of the three jackets. The pocket size and shape are huge winners over the Wested's, as are the sleeve socket placement, and higher yoke seam in the back. The lining is also pleated to work better with the action pleats/bi-swing vents of this type of jacket design.

One other difference of note between the two jacket offerings; The Expedition is chrome dyed while the Wested's are vegetable dyed. I have no clue which is supposed to last long (though I think it's chrome dyeing), but the two processes do produce colors with different undertones to them. The Expedition is new, so it is going to be shinier than the other two (especially the distressed jacket). So, it will be very hard to pick out the differences in color from these photos. However, in person and in other shots I have seen, you can see a very, very slight hint of purple in the Wested color of dark brown. I'm not sure what base the actual color is derived from, but somewhere in the mix they produce the a purple tone. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just pointing out what I have noticed since comparing it to a chrome dyed jacket.

I do still love my Wested jackets, but would have bought an Expedition instead... had I known then what I know now. The look and feel is already there, without any stressing over measurements or screen accurate pocket flap designs. I look forward to breaking this baby in with many years of wear.


Ken

[IndyBlues]

Great shots of your jackets and hats, Ken. Funny you should mention the purple undertones.
I noticed something similar, but in my G&B. My G&B is so dark, it almost has an "eggplant", or very dark purple, undertone to it. my wested goat, however, has a greyish undertone.
'Blues

[Deleted]

Great comparrison photos Ken,

Every One of those jackets looks like a keeper. As well as the hats.

Cheers,
John

[COWBOY]

gmann said:

Great comparrison photos Ken,

Every One of those jackets looks like a keeper. As well as the hats.

Cheers,
John

I concur. I will be purchasing one of these bad boys to go along with my WOLF'S HATTERY RAIDERS FEDORA within the month. Ken and John, GCR, great looking GB all of you......Hey Ken-John- your quest will be complete when you get a WOLF'S HATTERY RAIDERS FEDORA ;D ;D ;D Seriously, your gear looks Sweet!

[GCR]

Great new comparison shots, Ken!!!

That's a sweet collection of Indy jackets you've got there! (Oh, and Indy hats, too )

I definitely think the G&B has a clear advantage if you're going for a hassle-free purchase (no extensive lists of mods) and near 100% screen-accurate RAIDERS specs. Granted, the price is steep, but I feel it's well worth it. Your G&B looks great with the ABD, and both of 'em sure look good on you, too!

-GCR

[Alabama Jones]

Great comparison shots Blues!

Love my Wested, but yeah, the pockets and pleats are too dang big. The G&B is the best Raiders option with smallest effort (other than price ) IMO.

[Ragingblues]

Thanks very much guys!

I'm just trying to do my part, by offering what will be even more useful information to people considering which jacket to buy. Others here have already done a great job covering some of the nitty gritty details, so I chose to offer a "comparison lite" version.

It has either rained everyday since I got the jacket or I have just been to really busy after work, so this is the first chance I've had to do this. It was just too hot today to get outside and take more photos in the sun. I just opted for some indoor shots instead.

Thanks again,

Ken

[COWBOY]

Ken, what is the measurement for the sleeves from where the yoke/sleeve seem starts to the end of the cuff and the back panel from the top of the yoke (where the collar stand meets the yoke) to the bottom of the back panel?

I called today to see what this measurement is on the Talls vs the Regular but no one was available to get that info to me....Just curious what a 42 reg was compared to a long.....Hope I made sense Regards, Cowboy

[Ragingblues]

cowboy said:

Ken, what is the measurement for the sleeves from where the yoke/sleeve seem starts to the end of the cuff and the back panel from the top of the yoke (where the collar stand meets the yoke) to the bottom of the back panel?

I called today to see what this measurement is on the Talls vs the Regular but no one was available to get that info to me....Just curious what a 42 reg was compared to a long.....Hope I made sense Regards, Cowboy

Sleeve from where sleeve meets yoke seam on the shoulder the of jacket = 24"

Back of jacket: From where collar stand meets yoke to the bottom of the back panel = 25"

I hope this helps, but if you need more measurements... just let me know.


Ken

[COWBOY]

admin said:

cowboy said:

Ken, what is the measurement for the sleeves from where the yoke/sleeve seem starts to the end of the cuff and the back panel from the top of the yoke (where the collar stand meets the yoke) to the bottom of the back panel?

I called today to see what this measurement is on the Talls vs the Regular but no one was available to get that info to me....Just curious what a 42 reg was compared to a long.....Hope I made sense Regards, Cowboy

Sleeve from where sleeve meets yoke seam on the shoulder the of jacket = 24"

Back of jacket: From where collar stand meets yoke to the bottom of the back panel = 25"

I hope this helps, but if you need more measurements... just let me know.


Ken

Good to know, so then does the length for a tall add 1-1/2 to each of these respectively or do you know? I am getting a 44 Tall I think.

[Ragingblues]

I'm sorry man.... I have no clue about the specs on their tall sizes. I'm assuming that you have seen the sizing chart on their website, of course. I wish I could be of more help than that...


Ken

[Kaplan]

Hey Ken, would you say that the Expo is a little longer than your wested Raiders?

[Ragingblues]

I will check when I get home from work. However, both Westeds I have were custom ordered, not off the rack sizes... so the comparison won't mean much.

Ken

[Kaplan]

admin said:

both Westeds I have were custom ordered, not off the rack sizes... so the comparison won't mean much.
Ken

I guess you're right. I'm just trying to figure out whether I need to buy a regular or long to cover up an untucked t-shirt. Looking at the G&B sizing chart, it seems like if I get a tall, the sleeves will turn out too long.

[GCR]

georgecaplin said:

admin said:

both Westeds I have were custom ordered, not off the rack sizes... so the comparison won't mean much.
Ken

I guess you're right. I'm just trying to figure out whether I need to buy a regular or long to cover up an untucked t-shirt. Looking at the G&B sizing chart, it seems like if I get a tall, the sleeves will turn out too short.

Hey Kap, I wear a 44 regular, and both my Wested and G&B were sized as such. NEITHER jacket is long enough to cover an untucked T-shirt on me. Hope that helps...

-GCR

[Kaplan]

that does. Thanks GCR. I'm thinking I'll get a 44L and maybe they can adjust the arm length....though that would make it not returnable.

These G&B's are just too good looking to pass up. And I love the dark brown color.

[COWBOY]

georgecaplin said:

that does. Thanks GCR. I'm thinking I'll get a 44L and maybe they can adjust the arm length....though that would make it not returnable.

These G&B's are just too good looking to pass up. And I love the dark brown color.

OK, here is what I got from G&B

The sizes for the 44T. Sleeves 36.5in --- Back 27in. When measuring the sleeve, go from the middle of the yolk to the end of the shoulder, then end of the shoulder to the wrist. Add the two.

I noticed that my Wings from the longest point of the sleeve where it meets the yoke to the cuff is 24". It is also an XL...

My LC Wested sleeves are harder to measure because they bow (are not a continual stove pipe) but they measure some 25" Guess I just have to buy one and give it a whirl. The back dimension is perfect for me. Maybe I will just live with splitting the difference.

[Ragingblues]

I have been busy since getting home, but agree with GCR. Neither of the Wested's or the G&B will cover up an untucked t-shirt all the way. I'm guessing you have the info you need now, thanks to Cowboy.

Ken

[COWBOY]

admin said:

One other difference of note between the two jacket offerings; The Expedition is chrome dyed while the Wested's are vegetable dyed. I have no clue which is supposed to last long (though I think it's chrome dyeing), but the two processes do produce colors with different undertones to them. The Expedition is new, so it is going to be shinier than the other two (especially the distressed jacket). So, it will be very hard to pick out the differences in color from these photos. However, in person and in other shots I have seen, you can see a very, very slight hint of purple in the Wested color of dark brown. I'm not sure what base the actual color is derived from, but somewhere in the mix they produce the a purple tone. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just pointing out what I have noticed since comparing it to a chrome dyed jacket.

I do still love my Wested jackets, but would have bought an Expedition instead... had I known then what I know now. The look and feel is already there, without any stressing over measurements or screen accurate pocket flap designs. I look forward to breaking this baby in with many years of wear.


Ken

Ken, So, you see the purple in the Wested??? I think I see the purple more in the G&B. It is (G&B)a hard color to describe, non the less beautiful.