Aero damage

[jglf]

I found this aero jacket on eBay that has major damage and was wondering what kind of neglect could lead to this kind of damage. Will my jacket eventually look like this one with years of daily use or was this jacket left stored wet and then left out in the sun to bake for years? The cracking on the shoulders reminds me of how cheap leather sofas eventually end up.

https://www.ebay.com/i/143607837710...uQUOuASiO3myo-H10-rNsH1ZnU-9Y48caAsZPEALw_wcB

 

[handymike]

Yikes! that looks bad. With normal wear this shouldn't happen.

 

[El Marro]

Yikes! that looks bad. With normal wear this shouldn't happen.

I agree! That definitely looks like the result of neglect on the part of the jacket owner.

 

[Will Zach]

Sweat can be acidic and has super-high salt content. Both will damage leather - that is what you likely see in the collar area. Wiping the inside of the collar with a wet cloth every few months might not be a bad idea. I would stay away from jackets with the topcoat losses or, worse, cracked leather.

 

[ton312]

The damage on the cuff gusset is the result of something totally unnatural and extreme. That’s not even hard use. That’s abuse of some kind. You could wear your CXL jacket everyday for 200 years and not see that result.
As for the OP...unless you plan on dipping your wrists in acid with your jacket on, I think you should be more worried about a helicopter landing on your head.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Gee it's only $283 but shipping from Japan is free.

Note the description:
It is a used item. Since it is a used item, there is damage. As you can see from the picture, it is tired, but there are no holes inside. It was originally handed over and there were cracks around that time, so I decided to add oil every year from there. There is a hole on the inside of the zipper on the arm for tearing the leather part. Also, there are peeling of the surface due to rubbing, cracks etc. The hole is the fourth in the photo. Please check the condition of the product in the image before purchasing. Please check the product status etc. in the image. Please note that it is a used item.

Used does not automatically equal damaged! That is far beyond damaged. It's like it was hung out in the wind, rain & sun for 5 years...or worse.

 

[navetsea]

I think it is salt too, sweaty mess. maybe wearing jacket while obviously too hot for it and sweating through it and not get cleaned same way people rot the crotch of their jeans. I imagine the sweat from armpit pooling down in the wrist gusset that obviously never get checked or cleaned. can not imagine the smell.

 

[robrinay]

I’ve often seen similar but lighter damage on vintage jackets namely cracking on the collar in a line where it touches the neck and cracking on the inside of the cuff. I’m pretty sure this is sweat and or water damage possibly made worse by mould thriving in the damp leather. The leather has become wet, oils have been leeched out and then the leather has dried stiff shrunk and inflexible. Flexing with continued wear untreated has resulted in the leather fibres breaking. As noted above the best treatment would have been an occasional damp wipe to remove sweat, allowing the leather to dry naturally away from heat and the occasional light treatment with a product such as Pecard or Vaseline etc. To see this level of damage on a non vintage jacket shows a complete lack of care. I wouldn’t take this uncared for ruined jacket if the owner paid me the $283 dollars!

 

[willyto]

I don’t see that “every two months” wipe. I’d rather clean the sweaty mess as soon as I get home and prevent any damage at all. It takes less than a minute

 

[Monitor]

I'd occasionally see Aero jackets listed in Asia, looking like that. Or much worse. Same kind of damage, dry cracking, etc. Sometimes it covers the entire upper back panel. Gotta have something to do with the climate as well.

 

[Rabbit]

I agree, the climate is likely a factor. Humidity, heat, heavy rain and leather don't mix well. I don't think you could get the same results in temperate zones even if you did all of the above mentioned plus storage in a car parked in the summer heat.

 

[torfjord]

Maybe this is just me, but if I was sweating profusely I would take off any jacket I was wearing. Not even considering the damage risk to the jacket, just the discomfort of being really really really warm.
I wouldn’t buy that jacket for one dollar. I wouldn’t take it if it was given to me.

 

[zebedee]

I've not found the humidity in Guangzhou, Shanghai or Hong Kong to affect horse or goat Aeros- they haven't gone mouldy or been damaged at all (9 years of wearing them and hanging up half the year [or more] in a cupboard). The only precautions I took were mothballs, wiping the cupboard interior down once a month with vinegar and water in a squeezy bottle and not hanging two next to each other. I never wore them in temperatures more than 23C, though, and wouldn't be wearing them if sweaty. Air conditioning would be on for maybe two hours at night. Didn't see mould or damage to leather shoes, either. Vietnam humidity would have been very different, though - most places I've lived in have a winter segment; Ho Chi Minh did not seem to change.

 

[navetsea]

I think some people who wear their raw japanese jeans with lots of dirt, sweat, and all the bacterias that thrive on it everyday for months/ years without washing or just soaking and lightly agitate them in water to make them look disgustingly fading extend their way of life into leather jacket.

this proves excessive wearing in condition not suitable for it, not caring, and complete neglect won't lead to cool character, it just result in ruined disgusting mess of pants and jackets that should have lasted for many many years into just a little over a year. I don't know from where some people got the idea not cleaning and caring for their gears is a cool manly trait.

 

[thor]

Looks like dry rot (red rot) to me. When the oils in leather evaporate the leather fibers dry out and break down/crack, resulting in the leather dry rot condition. You see this on lots of very old, vintage leather that hasn’t been well cared for or stored properly. The Aero label and interior lining appear in good condition, only the leather is damaged.

 

[skybert]

I think some people who wear their raw japanese jeans with lots of dirt, sweat, and all the bacterias that thrive on it everyday for months/ years without washing or just soaking and lightly agitate them in water to make them look disgustingly fading extend their way of life into leather jacket.

this proves excessive wearing in condition not suitable for it, not caring, and complete neglect won't lead to cool character, it just result in ruined disgusting mess of pants and jackets that should have lasted for many many years into just a little over a year. I don't know from where some people got the idea not cleaning and caring for their gears is a cool manly trait.

Complete neglect is obviously bad - this guy probably sweat a lot in it and stored it some weird place - but you can hardly blame him if he got the idea from the maker.

"Wearing A New Horsehide Jacket
This is much easier, just wear it, don't be precious with it, don't mollycoddle it, but don't ever hang it up on a hook at the back of the neck.

Otherwise, these jackets like to be treated roughly...

Treating The Leather
This is even easier. Do nothing, absolutely nothing. Do not oil it, don't treat it with hide food (...)"

The dry rot described above sounds likely to me.

 

[Will Zach]

I've not found the humidity in Guangzhou, Shanghai or Hong Kong to affect horse or goat Aeros- they haven't gone mouldy or been damaged at all (9 years of wearing them and hanging up half the year [or more] in a cupboard). The only precautions I took were mothballs, wiping the cupboard interior down once a month with vinegar and water in a squeezy bottle and not hanging two next to each other. I never wore them in temperatures more than 23C, though, and wouldn't be wearing them if sweaty. Air conditioning would be on for maybe two hours at night. Didn't see mould or damage to leather shoes, either. Vietnam humidity would have been very different, though - most places I've lived in have a winter segment; Ho Chi Minh did not seem to change.

They turned off AC in a Malaysian mall due to COVID shutdown and got this:

 

[Mich486]

That jacket is at the end of its life... I don’t get how the seller thinks anyone would want that.

As far as sweating in a leather jacket to me is a bit like freezing in a Hawaiian shirt.

 

[zebedee]

They turned off AC in a Malaysian mall due to COVID shutdown and got this:

View attachment 237045

They didn't have my apartment, or open windows. Malaysia is rather more humid (and seasons are not varied) than HK or Guangzhou (...on the 21st floor). Horsehide treated well and properly hung up seemed impermeable to spores - at least that was how Aero speculated on it when I asked if jackets might require special storage and was wondering why I hadn't had even a dusting of mould.

Vietnam, Malaysia (or anywhere much south of HK) are places where I wouldn't be taking anything made of leather apart from shoes. You want to be leaving cupboard doors open in summer, spray the inners down with white vinegar and get some mothballs from May-December. Shanghai is a bit different as a good portion of the year is cold. Generally in SE Asia, light canvas, linen and crap boat shoes are your friends. My preference in HK was goat- lighter, impervious and warm enough in winter. Shanghai was where the Stockman and Highwayman were suitable for cold weather.

 

[regius]

maybe it's Dav's jacket...the sellers said it, "it's tired". It's tired of being thrown on the ground or dragged through mud