Advice on new A2 jacket

[JCAN]

Hi All,

First post, but long time lurker on all the great conversations on this forum. Finally I am close to buying my first A2 jacket, which I have dreamed of for a long time already. I am a fairly slim guy, so the Eastman Slender is quite high on my list.
A local reseller has the Slender model in my size (38), and I think the fit was good. Happy to hear you guys' opinions though .
Unfortunately, as I do not live in the UK, we do have to pay a premium (calculated back to GBP, I have to pay 200GBP more than the ELC website price). With that in mind, what do you all think about the jacket? It has a bit more grain pronounced on the lower back and my girlfriend was worrying that it felt/looked a bit thinner (which may be a concern for durability). Is this simply something that I should enjoy (it being a natural product and showing the imperfections), or is it questionable? I simply have no experience with the jackets yet so hopefully you can tell me more .

Many thanks!

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

that's one of the best fitting A2s I've ever seen on here. Congrats!

The grain is a preference thing. If you don't like now, you probably won't like tomorrow. For some of us with lots of jackets, those are the things that push a jacket further back in the closet until they're not worn anymore. And even if this will be your only jacket, at $1500-2000, you better get it exactly how you want it. At that price point, that shouldn't be an issue. It's not like you're asking for something impossible.

It's hard to tell from a pic if there's structural issues. I doubt it from such a high end producer, but stuff happens. Can you have the reseller order another one?

 

[JCAN]

that's one of the best fitting A2s I've ever seen on here. Congrats!

The grain is a preference thing. If you don't like now, you probably won't like tomorrow. For some of us with lots of jackets, those are the things that push a jacket further back in the closet until they're not worn anymore. And even if this will be your only jacket, at $1500-2000, you better get it exactly how you want it. At that price point, that shouldn't be an issue. It's not like you're asking for something impossible.

It's hard to tell from a pic if there's structural issues. I doubt it from such a high end producer, but stuff happens. Can you have the reseller order another one?

Thanks ! Yeah I do not know how the reseller will respond to me wanting to order a different one. I can imagine that they do not like it (as they of course want to sell this one). But on the other hand, you are right. If I doubt right now, it might not improve over time. The thing is that I also do not want to overthink it (and if there is no structural issue, I might even appreciate the "natural imperfection").

I am curious though, how often patterns like this are seen on new jackets. What also prompted me to share this, is that most pictures that I see are from perfect looking ELC A2s.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

so again, assuming there's no issue with it being thinner leather. Some people purposefully will seek out grainier hides. Certain leather types lend themselves to more grain out of the gate, others will develop over time and/or after getting wet, some will never develop much grain or very little.

do you know the leather type? I'm guessing horse or maybe goat. Very generally speaking, there are lots of exceptions, but Horse is sought after because of its toughness and grain quality. But it really depends on the tanning method- veg, chrome, etc.

 

[JCAN]

I indeed need to go there again to check if the thickness of the leather is different in the lower back. The Eastman A2 Slender should be in Veg-tanned WarHorse® Horsehide (as they advertise it on the Eastman website). I do not expect the reseller to have ordered a different leather type. They mostly just order the originals that are sold on the website, just the way they are.

 

[nick123]

Beautiful jacket and fit!

that’s just lovely grain. Some jackets are made with slightly grainier and seemingly thinner areas…have no fears regarding durability. Eastman’s A-1 is capeskin and much thinner and less stiff-and it’ll still hold up under normal wear and just about anything you put it through.

The only upkeep with these jackets is to avoid heat to dry when they get wet. Instead, just pat down with a cloth once indoors and wear till it dries. I personally don’t like wearing veg tanned leathers in the rain but many folks do without problem. Sometimes they spot; in rare cases they shrink when really wet. Eastman uses a very fine natural leather but aside from that, even if it feels thin it’s actually extremely strong. It’s definitely a mental adjustment to have faith in a thinner leather but believe me, with care that leather shell will last 80 years.

 

[Tom71]

Hi All,

First post, but long time lurker on all the great conversations on this forum. Finally I am close to buying my first A2 jacket, which I have dreamed of for a long time already. I am a fairly slim guy, so the Eastman Slender is quite high on my list.
A local reseller has the Slender model in my size (38), and I think the fit was good. Happy to hear you guys' opinions though .
Unfortunately, as I do not live in the UK, we do have to pay a premium (calculated back to GBP, I have to pay 200GBP more than the ELC website price). With that in mind, what do you all think about the jacket? It has a bit more grain pronounced on the lower back and my girlfriend was worrying that it felt/looked a bit thinner (which may be a concern for durability). Is this simply something that I should enjoy (it being a natural product and showing the imperfections), or is it questionable? I simply have no experience with the jackets yet so hopefully you can tell me more .

Many thanks!
View attachment 387394 View attachment 387395 View attachment 387396

Man, go ahead and get it! It looks and fits perfect on you.

I had a "Slender" which I sold since I outgrew it. Like you, I thought the hide was pretty thin and lightweight at the beginning. Truth is, I had been comparing to Horween CXL leather. In the end, the Eastman became one of my favorite 3-season pieces and the hide only became more beautiful with the evoluation.

 

[Brettafett]

Looks great, if the price is right, and the fit sure is... its a great first A-2!
Dont worry too much about the back. Nothing wrong with it. My Monarch is the same in some parts...
Horsehide is strong, they use different pieces of the leather for different parts. You may find it thinner in the arm area also sometimes... Just 'gives' more. This jacket will outlive you.

 

[Bfd70]

Hi All,

First post, but long time lurker on all the great conversations on this forum. Finally I am close to buying my first A2 jacket, which I have dreamed of for a long time already. I am a fairly slim guy, so the Eastman Slender is quite high on my list.
A local reseller has the Slender model in my size (38), and I think the fit was good. Happy to hear you guys' opinions though .
Unfortunately, as I do not live in the UK, we do have to pay a premium (calculated back to GBP, I have to pay 200GBP more than the ELC website price). With that in mind, what do you all think about the jacket? It has a bit more grain pronounced on the lower back and my girlfriend was worrying that it felt/looked a bit thinner (which may be a concern for durability). Is this simply something that I should enjoy (it being a natural product and showing the imperfections), or is it questionable? I simply have no experience with the jackets yet so hopefully you can tell me more .

Many thanks!
View attachment 387394 View attachment 387395 View attachment 387396

Beautiful fit. Buy it and live in it.

 

[JCAN]

Thanks for all the replies . Yeah you guys convinced me. I can see myself appreciating the grain knowing that it will last me a long time. I will probably head back to the store in a few days (as soon as I have time) to pick it up.
Can't wait .

 

[ES335]

It's a stunner, and seems to fit you perfectly. Good luck, wear it in good health and welcome to the Lounge!

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Thsts such a good fit I wouldn't even be thinking about anything else!

 

[JCAN]

So with all positive remarks, I went ahead and bought it just now!
Happy with the jacket, but a small negative was that the left collar snap button came loose after popping the collar up twice for checking it out (it is the button part on the jacket, not the part in the collar itself). I was able to pop it back in, but I guess it is not really secure at this point (picture shows the snap button/fabric lined cap that came loose, not the part in the collar luckily. The jacket where the collar snaps on only had the small hole in the leather after if fell out). I see it as a minor thing, but I will check with the reseller what we can do about it (I would like to be able to use the collar both snapped down and up). Is this a common thing, or simply bad luck with this one snap button?

Thanks!

Edit: I just checked the naming, and it was the stud (not the socket) that is not attached properly

 

[JCAN]

I actually found someone on VLJ with the exact same issue
https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/broken-snap-on-day-3-—-is-this-normal.24778/

Good thing is, ELC seems to fix stuff like that so I am not worrying .

 

[Brandrea33]

That’s a beautiful looking jacket, congratulations in advance!!!
I just bought my first A2 today from RM (Canyon Red).

I can only hope for as good a fit as you have with yours!

 

[JCAN]

Thanks, I actually haven't taken the jacket off since I got home lol.
I was a bit heart-broken from the snap button, but like I said, it should be easily fixed. Here another fit-pic to boost some positiveness!

 

[Brandrea33]

It’s like it was made for you!

 

[Tom71]

Thanks, I actually haven't taken the jacket off since I got home lol.
I was a bit heart-broken from the snap button, but like I said, it should be easily fixed. Here another fit-pic to boost some positiveness!
View attachment 387885 View attachment 387886

Congrats! Wear it for many years to come!

Re the snap-button: Why don´t you e-mail Eastman directly about that and hear them out. My experience with them is that they are very good on customer service. They may just send you a new pair of button/snap that you can have a local cobbler attach for small money if and when the old one should fall off eventually.

 

[Tom71]

That’s a beautiful looking jacket, congratulations in advance!!!
I just bought my first A2 today from RM (Canyon Red).

I can only hope for as good a fit as you have with yours!

Looking forward to seing this. I bought the "Canyon Red" as replacement for the Eastman "Slender". It is pretty roomy, especially compared to the Eastman but a great jacket nonetheless.

 

[Brandrea33]

Looking forward to seing this. I bought the "Canyon Red" as replacement for the Eastman "Slender". It is pretty roomy, especially compared to the Eastman but a great jacket nonetheless.

That’s fantastic! I must’ve missed the incoming, congratulations!

Since you and I are similar in size, what size did you get?

edit: roomy to layer is exactly what I’m looking for. I bought a 44.