Choosing a jacket

[spittle8]

I posted this on Club Obi Wan as well.

Hello!

I'm looking for a non-SA jacket, and I'm frozen with indecision now. I had been settled on a Wested custom LC in goatskin, but now I've read enough to doubt the build quality of the Wested, and I live very near to the Gibson & Barnes factory/storefront.

Here is what I'm looking for...

- A durable, well-built jacket with strong stitching and quality leather that will last a long time, and handle heavy wear and use in all weather, from heavy rain and snow to sand storms.

- Hidden side-entry handwarmer pockets.

- Two inside pockets. The first (left) needs to be slanted sideways, as opposed to parallel with the deck as in a wallet pocket, as I will use the jacket for lawful concealed carry of a pistol for security work.

- The zipper has to be the real deal and built to endure abuse.

- Hidden snaps on collar.

- Gussets, or good range-of-motion in the arms.

I've considered a nice cowhide, but I'm enamored with goatskin, currently. I went to the San Diego Leather company (http://www.leather.com/mens_aviation/indy.php) and was satisfied with their jackets. They had the side-entry inner left pocket which I need as standard, in addition to an additional wallet pocket. Gibson & Barnes told me they could not implement a side-entry pocket as it would require an inside-facing leather. Additionally, another wallet pocket through Gibson & Barnes would cost $50, which I find pretty exorbitant on top of a jacket that is already over $500. The G&B also did not strike me as being qualitatively superior to the San Diego Leather jacket, and I noticed some loose stitching on the back straps on one of the G&B jackets I looked at, which shocked me.

I ask the collective wisdom of this forum: how tough is a G&B expedition in goatskin? How tough is a Wested LC in goatskin? Does anyone have any experience with the San Diego Leather jacket? Does anyone know if Wested can make a jacket with the side-entry left pocket?

I had a handsome jacket, but it is important that it is durable and will serve me as an all-weather jacket without falling apart in five years.

Thank you,

- spittle


Additionally, is seal brown goatskin as tough as the normal brown goatskin?

[garylafortuna]

If you live in or around San Diego and want to buy a custom made jacket, Gibson & Barnes is worth considering. They are known for
strong high quality jackets. Goat skin is very tough and durable, doesn't matter if it's seal or dark seal. As for arm movement, G&B
puts under arm gussets in their Expedition jackets. Check out my thread in this section. My jacket has some of the features that you are looking for: added inside facings with two vertical cut inside pockets. Be aware that with the exception of the CS version, Indy jackets did not have inside facings. The nice thing for you is, you could go right to the factory to get fitted. PM me or call me for more information and contacts. 306-757-6883
Cheers
Gary

[Biker Jacket Jones]

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- A durable, well-built jacket with strong stitching and quality leather that will last a long time, and handle heavy wear and use in all weather, from heavy rain and snow to sand storms.

G&Bs have an outstanding reputation for being very tough and for quality construction. While I have a lambskin, which is not goatskin, I have still not noticed any construction faults.

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- Hidden side-entry handwarmer pockets.

These are standard on practically any Indy design, including, and not limited to, G&B, Wested, San Diego Leather, U.S. Wings, and many others.

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- Two inside pockets. The first (left) needs to be slanted sideways, as opposed to parallel with the deck as in a wallet pocket, as I will use the jacket for lawful concealed carry of a pistol for security work.

A more complicated situation. As I discovered myself, G&B wants a lot of moolah for the second inside pocket. Wested will give you a second inside pocket for not too much money on a jacket that's already less than G&B, and they're also fairly flexible with custom jackets, so you may be able to get them to tilt it, as well. However, while I was still looking for my own jacket, there was some hit and miss issues with getting the jacket the way it was specified, and with their customer service/response. I'm not sure if it's been cleaned up yet. I don't know much about San Diego Leather, but it looks like they already have the set-up you want at a reasonable price without any customizations required.

You said that G&B told you can't put a sideways pocket inside, while garylafortuna, like he mentioned, has an extremely customized Expedition jacket which includes this:

Is this what you was talking about (in terms of the pocket placement), or is there something else you had in mind?

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- The zipper has to be the real deal and built to endure abuse.

G&B has a very durable YKK zipper, and they guarantee both the zipper and stitching of the jacket for the duration of the life of the original owner.

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- Hidden snaps on collar.

Such collar snaps that are common on A-2s appear to come standard on the San Diego Jacket, but not anywhere else. You'll have to hit up G&B or Wested's customization departments for that.

Jan 2, 2013 19:07:51 GMT -5 spittle8 said:

- Gussets, or good range-of-motion in the arms.

Standard on G&B, optional customized extra on Wested (for a reasonable price--check their website for details), and
not specified on San Diego Leather's page. Since they don't mention or show them, you'll have to contact them to verify whether or not they're present, since it appears like they aren't included.