Am I crazy for not loving my new Aero horsehide jacket?

[Vince in Philly]

I just picked up a barely used Aero long half belt in tumbled FQHH. It's a beautiful jacket! It fits great and looks really cool...and I'm not sure that I really like it. It's so heavy - it must weigh 6 pounds. And even though it's the tumbled FQHH it's still pretty stiff. After wearing for the first time yesterday, I think I prefer my Schott steerhide long half belt. Am I crazy?

 

[jack miranda]

Nope, not a bit. Speaking only for myself, I have owned several Aero jackets. They are, were, superb, each one. Hides, workmanship, top notch. But, nearly all of them are gone, for one reason or another. I recently purchased a Vicenza dark seal Bootlegger off Aero's sale rack. Finally, a long-haul keeper! But, oh, the money I've spent, and the impatient hours waiting for the new jacket to arrive. No, you're not crazy, you've just caught the bug...

 

[Monitor]

I just picked up a barely used Aero long half belt in tumbled FQHH. It's a beautiful jacket! It fits great and looks really cool...and I'm not sure that I really like it. It's so heavy - it must weigh 6 pounds. And even though it's the tumbled FQHH it's still pretty stiff. After wearing for the first time yesterday, I think I prefer my Schott steerhide long half belt. Am I crazy?

Why would you be? Most people wouldn't like it - in fact, even on this forum, many people buy another jacket in a lighter leather for those days when they just don't feel like struggling with FQHH. That's why this new mid-weight hide is so popular. I think it actually sells better than the FQHH right now?

Having said that, most Schott jackets I had have been comparable in weight to Aero's FQHH. They're just softer and feel lighter but they're not really.

 

[Carlos840]

6lbs is actually pretty average, both mine are slightly more!
I personally don't feel the weight, but every time anyone handles one of my leathers the first thing that always comes out of their mouth is "wow this thing is heavy!"
Give it some time, see if you get used to it.

 

[Peacoat]

Before you make the decision to send it down the pike, wear it and break it in. Wear it until it no longer stands on its own and is nice and soft as FQHH will become with plenty of wear. The Aero FQHH really isn't that heavy when compared to some Aero steer from the past, Johnson's heavy steer, Vanson's competition weight and Stu's heavy FQHH.

Wear it, fully break it in and then make a decision as what to do with it. The current standard Aero FQHH is only about 3 to 3.5 oz.

 

[Seb Lucas]

You're not crazy I never enjoyed my FQHH either and sold it. Mine was well broken in at 10 years old and second hand. Had it a couple of years but never found it fun to wear. I personally won't wear any leather over 2.5oz.

 

[Sloan1874]

The shock of the new. It can take a bit of getting used to, but once it starts to soften and mould to your body, you won't want to part with it.

 

[Plumbline]

Not crazy at all ... some like the weight, others don't .... the great aspect of the current repro market is that there is something for everyone. For lighter weight most manufacturers will offer lighter HH and other options. The HH used for A2 jackets is nice and light and has superb hand .. I'm surprised there aren't more retro jackets produced in this type of hide. Equally Goat, medium weight steer, deer and cape are all great options.

I have to say I'm moving much more towards lighter hides other than for M/C jackets or at least hides with a much softer hand. For CXL I MUCH prefer Steer than FQHH .. it ages better, softens quicker and just feels much better quicker IMHO.

It only took me 30 years to discover this

 

[handymike]

I dont like the Horween horsehide either! I've had 2, and sold both. While many here love the stuff- just as many don't.
If you like the Aero designs, give Vicenza a try.

 

[tropicalbob]

I just picked up a barely used Aero long half belt in tumbled FQHH. It's a beautiful jacket! It fits great and looks really cool...and I'm not sure that I really like it. It's so heavy - it must weigh 6 pounds. And even though it's the tumbled FQHH it's still pretty stiff. After wearing for the first time yesterday, I think I prefer my Schott steerhide long half belt. Am I crazy?

For how long were you wearing it? I've always found that when I first put mine on it feels a bit stiff, but after a short time loosens up to where I don't notice it at all. Once your body temp warms up the leather it just relaxes. It's always going to feel like a leather jacket, but that's why I bought it rather than a jacket of some other material.

 

[nick123]

You've also got a pre-owned tumbled which won't necessarily have the wow visual factor of a new jacket in regular FQHH. I briefly owned a tumbled brown CR which, while nice, didn't have me looking at it in awe every so often as the new brown FQHH did.

 

[Fanch]

I have a brown FQHH Teamster which is the button equivalent of your LHB that is the only Aero FQHH jacket that I now own. It is my understanding that much of the weight of Aero's FQHH is the result of being packed with waxes that also provides very significant water resistance over Aero's veg tanned MWHH, including their Vicenza.

My Teamster has moleskin body shell lining for warmth; hence my Teamster is my designated cold, foul, rainy weather coat. Although it is my heaviest, it has a nice drape and has softened over time to the extent is is quite flexible. I will say I used to have a vintage (tumbled) FQHH Highwayman that was very stiff and didn't soften, although I got rid of it since it was also a size too big for me.

That said, the remainder of my jackets are a combination of jerky MWHH (1), veg tanned goatskin (1), Vicenza (2), a Shinki Chapman/Himel Ventura, and a G&B Model 43 A-2 made from a particularly nice veg tanned mahogany MWHH. Anyhow, it is all about preference here, and as @Sloan1874 says, "horses for courses" ...

 

[jacketjunkie]

It will always be heavy. It won't stay stiff though. If weight is the issue, sell it. If stiffness is, don't.

 

[Superfluous]

Not crazy. I also do not like Horween FQHH.

 

[ButteMT61]

I have one jacket that I don't wear and I also don't want to sell it because it has emotional ties.
It's my FQHH Aero 50's HBD I bought during the thief years.
It was a 20th anniversary gift from my wife and I was able to pick it up in person at Aero during our trip to the UK.
It's not a good fit at all. The cut is a mess really. Beautiful in every way - top notch materials and work, but as much as I love to look at it, I can't wear it.
Very heavy which I wanted but I'll never do that again.
So I've got this expensive jacket hanging in my closet that I won't wear or sell.
Talk about mentally ill.

 

[ton312]

I'm with peacoat. Give it some time to mold to your frame. You're still wearing someone else's jacket at this point. When it begins to take your shape it will feel better on your back. It's a process though and it won't happen all that quickly. In my experience the FQHH really retains its stiffness far longer than any other CXL hide. The bison and steer soften up much more quickly. The horse will get there but it'll take some time.

 

[Worf]

I've only two Aeros in true FQHH, a LHB and a Thunderbay both off of the sale page. I must admit, I don't wear the LHB a lot primarily because of the small and fiddly zipper. However when I do wear it I get lots of compliments. The Thunderbay gets a lot more wear and truth be told, I don't feel it's weight anymore. I'd say give it some time I also don't know your size or frame. I'm a big guy and it takes a LOT of weight for me to feel it in my shoulders.

Worf

 

[Americanaaa Mark]

I'm thinking of parting with my Aero cause of the wool lining and it's too small on me.

 

[Vince in Philly]

You've also got a pre-owned tumbled which won't necessarily have the wow visual factor of a new jacket in regular FQHH. I briefly owned a tumbled brown CR which, while nice, didn't have me looking at it in awe every so often as the new brown FQHH did.

I actually like the appearance of the tumbled FQHH better than the regular FQHH. I don't really like shiny black jackets

 

[frussell]

One day of wear may be a bit too little time to make the decision, but your mind may not change with time either. I've had my Teamster several years now, and wore it exactly once this short SoCal winter. I found myself reaching for denim or canvas instead. In my case, mine is fully broken in, but a poor fit since day one, and like Worf, the weight is not a factor as I am not a small man. Mine was a replacement jacket for my nearly 12 pound "storse" LHB. The Teamster is beautiful, but it was a replacement Aero grudgingly made me when we found out my LHB was steer hide. They weren't real interested in getting precise measurements for the replacement, as they were understandably busy during this crisis, so the results were not great. The poor fit makes me not want to wear it, but Aero's response was that they didn't want to make me another one in the future, because they didn't feel like they could satisfy me. To their credit, while labeling me as the fussy, impossible to please customer, they did offer a full refund. My fault for thinking the leather would form to my body more if I just wore the crap out of it. That doesn't fix a bad fit. If yours fits, give it a little time, see if it feels more natural on you. Frank