Aero worth the wait? Horsehide shootout; Aero vs. Schott

[El Marro]

I am a big fan of the CHPQ, as a matter of fact I own two of them!

Fit and movement are very good on this jacket although not as good on as on my other Vansons because the Chopper has the heavy duty padding and reinforced kidney panel.
Regarding leather I prefer the octagon (pictured above) or the X150 to the current Comp. weight.
I also think you should consider other Vanson cross zips, such as the CHP2 or the C2 that Monitor posted above. I guarantee you would be amazed by the comfort and range of movement you experienced when compared to the problems you were experiencing with your Schott. Also the Vanson jackets have a real taper from chest to waist unlike the Schott “beer belly” cut. Vanson is tough to beat when it comes to functional patterns for movement.

 

[dannyk]

On the historical front, let's also not forget that for years people sneered at the idea of an A2 made in steer (rather than horse or goat) - until Gary Eastman published the results of his research which suggested a significant proportion of wartime A2s were steer.

yup goes again to the convo we had the other day. People forget or ignore the fact there was a damn world war. They used whatever materials they had and mass produced these things. To the exact level of quality they needed to get the job done no more no less.

 

[marker2037]

I'll chime in and note that the Schott fits you well IMO. My 613H was super stiff when I got it too, but it's softened up nicely now. Wear it around your house, on your couch, ball it up and sit on it, etc. It will break in and feel more comfortable in time.

 

[dannyk]

Came across this on grailed. Tagged size 38, and it’s a C2RN very similar to what @Monitor posted but a Collab with Butterscotch that had some deletions like the belt.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Ha! I just saw this on Grailled too and it's a Schott "Cafecto" - just provides a nice clear photo of this style outside in good light so it's easy to see it's details...

https://www.grailed.com/listings/18...riteo&utm_source=display&utm_term=retargeting

 

[red devil]

Sorry for being so late to this thread... The most important question: what is your motorbike? And, second do you want armour or not?

 

[blobsterroll]

Sorry for being so late to this thread... The most important question: what is your motorbike? And, second do you want armour or not?

Harley FXBB (cruiser) and no armor

 

[red devil]

Harley FXBB (cruiser) and no armor

So your riding position is aomething like this?

You have quite a few options:

- Langlitz will give you the best range of motion, not sure you will like the leather they use unless you go with horse which comes with a hefty surcharge
- Don't own a Vanson yet, but very good riding jacket from what I have seen and heard
- Lost Worlds Speed Demon has very good range of motion, and is very water resistant (water proof so far for me but I didn't try swimming in it lol)
- Thedi leathers have very comfortable patterns (The owner is rider himself, loves vintage bikes) and will age beautifully as he chooses some beautiful leather and is know for his treatment
- Johnson leather will make you a bespoke jacket that will fit and work for your riding position in your choice of leather (I have one with armour)
- BKS made to measure (not to be mistaken with simply BKS) will do vintage looking jackets that are very functional

Edit: typos, clarified thedi

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I ride an HD Cruiser and find Vanson quite motorcycle dedicated with their patterns and sleeve configuration. Sleeves tend not to ride up as some other well known MC jacket brands. Nice riding jackets for sure.

 

[dannyk]

I ride an HD Cruiser and find Vanson quite motorcycle dedicated with their patterns and sleeve configuration. Sleeves tend not to ride up as some other well known MC jacket brands. Nice riding jackets for sure.

Yup. Vanson’s aren’t always as pretty or intricate as a lot of the stuff we see around here; but as far as riding jackets go you would be hard pressed to find better jackets.

 

[jonbuilder]

Horse is fun because of its historical accuracy. It has a tighter fiber weave which helps just a bit on water resistance. But anyone who says it’s different really is wrong. Anyone who’s been around here long enough can tell you that. Honestly it’s more about how it’s tanned and finished. And both tanning and finish can be done to either horse or steer. At high end level you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference in the hide. Steer often comes a bit thicker but thick horse exists Vanson’s rare horses are beefy and Lost Worlds offers thick horse. Other than for historical purposes horse isn’t much different. It’s all tanning process and finish that makes the difference.

My one Schott jacket is a limited release made with Horween tanned leather. I would have guessed it was horsehide, but when I asked, Schott's reply was it is made with steer hide. Comparing this Schott to my 30 or so horsehide jackets I was not able to detect any differences in the leather in regards to feel or appearance.

 

[blobsterroll]

Ok after much deliberation, I have decided to keep the Schott and order the Vanson later on after my first cycle of "swole juice" eating Clen and Trening hard. I was about to return the Schott, it was back in the box and all but thought, eh what the hell. So I guess I did have the FDL Bug.

I know this is not my personal blog, but I am hoping to help anyone considering the 618HH. After a few days of wearing it, I believe it did stretch, maybe not a full size up but a little bit on some spots. It helped that it rained and I rode with the jacket on, and I also routinely will wear a hoodie, zip it up, and stretch the tight parts (moving hands up, flexing the biceps, stretching the chest etc) so now I believe it molded the leather so it does not dig into my delts anymore and the chest gives out a bit. I would not recommend riding with the mouton on because it changed my neck's range of motion. Just like with non standard issue Army boots, some people like it comfortable out the box, some prefer breaking it in. I am riding this jacket hard, but it will take a while.

For someone concerned with the sizing and layering, I am confident that I can wear this at 30-35 degree weather with just a shirt underneath and the removable mouton collar. Maybe even colder with a thin base layer. In the summer I am looking for a skilled tailor here in Germany that can hopefully be able to change the lining, or at the very least install pockets, maybe change the hardware to black (or I can paint them... carefully) add a buckle button like at the 118 so it does not flap around, and trim the waist some (I am at the 4th hole of the belt right now and Im bulking)

As far as Steer vs Horsehide, I think that the main difference is the shine, I cannot seem to knock it (I know I know its only been days) but it got rained on already! I think it will patina a bit different than I expected, more flaking and less fading, kind of like Gerard Butler's jacket in Den of Thieves.




Or maybe its just dry and needs conditioner? Its wearing and wrinkling unevenly, and thats a bit of a concern, the sleeves will wear differently, but right now it seems the lower back is aging and creasing more than the rest of the jacket. Probably from the heated seats that I have IDK.

Anyways, just an update

 

[Seb Lucas]

yup goes again to the convo we had the other day. People forget or ignore the fact there was a damn world war. They used whatever materials they had and mass produced these things. To the exact level of quality they needed to get the job done no more no less.

While that is no doubt true - do we actually know why A2's were also made of steer? Can someone cite historical evidence that it was about needing to source materials? Because there could be several reasons steer was used.

 

[blobsterroll]

While that is no doubt true - do we actually know why A2's were also made of steer? Can someone cite historical evidence that it was about needing to source materials? Because there could be several reasons steer was used.

My personal theory, our troops needed meat so we killed a lot of cows. I base this on absolutely no research but I do know that during those times pretty much everyone was involved in the war effort. And as Americans we eat more cows than horse.

 

[Edward]

The original spec was horse. I'm sure goat and steer came in because they were cheap and available. When it comes to military purchases, price is always an issue. It would indeed be interesting to know for sure, though I suspect that had it been for some reason other than simple price or availability it would have been more likely to have been made a deal of.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Ok after much deliberation, I have decided to keep the Schott and order the Vanson later on after my first cycle of "swole juice" eating Clen and Trening hard. I was about to return the Schott, it was back in the box and all but thought, eh what the hell. So I guess I did have the FDL Bug.

Or maybe its just dry and needs conditioner? Its wearing and wrinkling unevenly, and thats a bit of a concern, the sleeves will wear differently, but right now it seems the lower back is aging and creasing more than the rest of the jacket. Probably from the heated seats that I have IDK.

Anyways, just an update

It sounds like you are not satisfied with it. Probably worn it too much to send it back at this point, but I would move it on and start over.

 

[Monitor]

Ok after much deliberation, I have decided to keep the Schott and order the Vanson later on after my first cycle of "swole juice" eating Clen and Trening hard. I was about to return the Schott, it was back in the box and all but thought, eh what the hell. So I guess I did have the FDL Bug.
View attachment 287066
I know this is not my personal blog, but I am hoping to help anyone considering the 618HH. After a few days of wearing it, I believe it did stretch, maybe not a full size up but a little bit on some spots. It helped that it rained and I rode with the jacket on, and I also routinely will wear a hoodie, zip it up, and stretch the tight parts (moving hands up, flexing the biceps, stretching the chest etc) so now I believe it molded the leather so it does not dig into my delts anymore and the chest gives out a bit. I would not recommend riding with the mouton on because it changed my neck's range of motion. Just like with non standard issue Army boots, some people like it comfortable out the box, some prefer breaking it in. I am riding this jacket hard, but it will take a while.

For someone concerned with the sizing and layering, I am confident that I can wear this at 30-35 degree weather with just a shirt underneath and the removable mouton collar. Maybe even colder with a thin base layer. In the summer I am looking for a skilled tailor here in Germany that can hopefully be able to change the lining, or at the very least install pockets, maybe change the hardware to black (or I can paint them... carefully) add a buckle button like at the 118 so it does not flap around, and trim the waist some (I am at the 4th hole of the belt right now and Im bulking)

As far as Steer vs Horsehide, I think that the main difference is the shine, I cannot seem to knock it (I know I know its only been days) but it got rained on already! I think it will patina a bit different than I expected, more flaking and less fading, kind of like Gerard Butler's jacket in Den of Thieves.
View attachment 287071
View attachment 287074
View attachment 287075

Or maybe its just dry and needs conditioner? Its wearing and wrinkling unevenly, and thats a bit of a concern, the sleeves will wear differently, but right now it seems the lower back is aging and creasing more than the rest of the jacket. Probably from the heated seats that I have IDK.

Anyways, just an update

Don't worry about those wrinkles. That's where that part about the natural properties of leather comes into play. No matter how well matched, panels will always be slightly different and the difference might get more and more pronounced as you continue to wear the jacket. Really, don't worry about it. You'll notice a lot of other creases forming with time and there won't be much you can do about it but that's part of a charm of owning a leather jacket.

Back is simply from a different part of an animal. Your jacket seems to be constructed exactly the same as mine.
Anyway, on my 613 HH, one sleeve was wrinkled from since I got it with the other being smooth and shiny. Now I can no longer recall which one is which.

 

[blobsterroll]

It sounds like you are not satisfied with it. Probably worn it too much to send it back at this point, but I would move it on and start over.

Oh no I very much love this jacket! Just you know getting into detail about it lol

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ good to hear!!

 

[blobsterroll]

Don't worry about those wrinkles. That's where that part about the natural properties of leather comes into play. No matter how well matched, panels will always be slightly different and the difference might get more and more pronounced as you continue to wear the jacket. Really, don't worry about it. You'll notice a lot of other creases forming with time and there won't be much you can do about it but that's part of a charm of owning a leather jacket.

Back is simply from a different part of an animal. Your jacket seems to be constructed exactly the same as mine.
Anyway, on my 613 HH, one sleeve was wrinkled from since I got it with the other being smooth and shiny. Now I can no longer recall which one is which.

Ahh I see, ok

Do yall hang your jackets up? Mine is just laid flat atm for fear of deforming it