An Aero 'car coat' as first quality jacket?

[wdw]

I have to agree with @Sloan1874 regarding the weight issue. I have a couple of 4 or 5 year old FQHH Stockmans, size 38, and whilst they're quite heavy to hold (2.7kg/6lb), whilst wearing them they're barely noticeable.

I don't wear them more than once or twice a week in the cooler months, but they're both floppy and wearing in nicely. I like them a lot and wouldn't swap them for any other similar jacket.

For the OP, get hold of a sample jacket and see how you feel about the leather. I only have FQHH, but like the robustness and the fact that I don't need to look after it at all, as it can take any amount of serious abuse.

 

[jacketjunkie]

9.5 lbs jacket? Leathergasm! I'll take it off your tired shoulders any day of the week! One PM and it's gone, easy. I actually found my recently acquired Connolly Steerhide Barnstormer disappointingly lightweight.

Sloan actually has a point though, it is very unlikely that this Stockman is FQHH but a storse jacket because 9.5 lbs is way too heavy compared to similarly sized FQHH coats. Bobs problems with breaking in the coat shouldn't necessarily be applied to todays Aero FQHH.

 

[bobjones]

Well, as has been seen here occasionally, not everyone gets along with FQHH, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I'm afraid I've got disagree with you, Bob. You make FQHH sound like it's sheet metal or something!
I've worn my LHB for five years and not once have I felt I was wearing a suit of armour. It's heavy, sure, but if it fitted properly rather than over-sized, then the weight is distributed evenly, avoid sore shoulders or the feeling of carrying a dead weight.
As far as breaking in goes, it took two, three years of consistent winter wear to soften up to the point where it flopped around like a standard jacket.
The bottom line is, though, that the jackets Aero make now are a different proposition to those under the old regime. I handled ones at the sale last year that were beasts, not least because they'd be mislabeled storse ones, but they were made from a thick, heavy leather that you'd need to be very committed to wear.
It could well be that Bob's jacket is one of the mislabeled jackets, as that practice was going on as far back as the mid-2000s.
Personally, I wouldn't have a problem going with a third FQHH jacket, but equally the lighter mid-weight leathers are just as good. It's storses for courses but I wouldn't write any of them off on the basis of a jacket that is unrepresentative of their Aero's output.

No doubt, this kind of thing comes down to personal preferance, like vanilla vs. chocolate ice cream, which is why it is so, so important for a new/first-time buyer purchasing their first jacket they want to hang on to and enjoy for a lifetime to educate themselves on as many perspectives as possible.

In my case the Stockman is one of Aero's larger jackets (or was at the time; haven't looked at their site in many years so I do not know what their current offerings look like). It certainly fits the general description of a "car coat," and I do love mine and will not give it up under any circumstances - it has long been my primary winter/cold weather coat. If the Stockman is bought without major alterations (does Aero still even allow them?) it is designed as an oversize jacket to layer other clothes such as a suit or heavy sweater underneath.

As for it being like sheet metal, someone who has no experience with this type of leather will be stunned at how stiff and heavy it is, an eye opener for sure.

It is possible that because I cannot wear the coat every day, it took a few more years than I'd have liked to fully break in. This was unavoidable, as I wear a suit 5 days/week. Way back when the Aero fiasco occured; Mark Moye, the return of the original ownership, etc., I heard about the mislabeling and sent VERY detailed pictures of the two jackets to Aero and they confirmed they were FQHH. Local leather experts did as well.

I still adore Aero, and would buy their merchandise over any other leather manufacturer in the world, but as someone who has been through this situation, all I'm saying is that the buyer needs to be cautious in their leather decision. Can the jacket be sold if someone is unhappy with it, sure, but IIRC it takes months to get a new jacket (took around six to get my Highwayman, iirc) so mistakes can be rectified - just not quickly.

If Aero's hide is usually around 3 oz, I can't even imagine Lost Worlds' coats, which are 4-4.5oz, those must feel like wearing medieval armour.

All that said, there were no better people to work with than Aero, their knowledge and expertise is incomparable - use them as a resource.

 

[JDelage]

All - met with Carrie today, which was great. She's super knowledgeable and it was extremely helpful to have her with me. I'm nearly decided on the premier 20's work coat, but we're going to add .75" to each side panel, as the coat is too tight on the hips otherwise. The example Carrie had was one with a neat back, similar to the Stockman (so no half-belt).

 

[Harris HTM]

All - met with Carrie today, which was great. She's super knowledgeable and it was extremely helpful to have her with me. I'm nearly decided on the premier 20's work coat, but we're going to add .75" to each side panel, as the coat is too tight on the hips otherwise. The example Carrie had was one with a neat back, similar to the Stockman (so no half-belt).

and what kind of leather did you choose?

 

[JDelage]

Brown FQHH CXL. I think I can deal with the break-in period and I really like the marbled look.

 

[Harris HTM]

Brown FQHH CXL. I think I can deal with the break-in period and I really like the marbled look.

Good choice. Did you already order it? What kind of lining? Inner pocket?

 

[JDelage]

Order is not finalized yet but will be in the next few days. There will be one inner pocket and the lining will be the Ogilvie tartan.

 

[Harris HTM]

Order is not finalized yet but will be in the next few days. There will be one inner pocket and the lining will be the Ogilvie tartan.

Good choice for the inner pocket. Don't use any stud. I looked for the Oglivie tartan in the lochcarron website but I see 4 different tartans! I guess you must feel pretty excited!

 

[Sloan1874]

Brown fqhh is the no brainer for a first jacket. If you must have an inside pocket, and I'd advise against it, consider a zip rather than a stud.

 

[davyjones007]

On my first FQHH HB, I had a gun pocket on the left side of the jacket. Whenever I sat with it zipped up, it made an odd crease where the outside zip pocket and inside gun pocket pushed into each other. On my second HB, I had them move the pocket to right side. After 5 years, no issues. Just food for thought.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Brown fqhh is the no brainer for a first jacket. If you must have an inside pocket, and I'd advise against it, consider a zip rather than a stud.

The other option is an inside pocket with no closure, that's my preferred option now. I don't know how people custom order jackets without one, they are just too useful to miss and the possibility that you may see it see the outline show through eventually when the jacket is beaten and broken in really doesn't seem to matter in the scheme of things.....to me at least.

 

[JDelage]

No closure on the inside pocket.

 

[Harris HTM]

Yep, no closure is the best option.

 

[bretron]

Get the Vincenza hide. I've got one of these work coats in it and couldn't even begin to imagine how heavy it would have been in standard fqhh. A worthwhile upcharge IMO; that and the Vicenza is just plain amazing stuff (would take it over Shinki all day long personally)

 

[zebedee]

Inner pockets should be left out. They show through and mess with the line of the jacket. If you must have them, don't put a zip or a stud in.

 

[l0fielectronic]

Personally I've found, while agreed it might look cleaner without, I like a secure inside pocket. I had a clear out a few months ago, a couple of jackets I really liked, but just didn't ever wear as there was nowhere to put a phone/pocket camera without danger of it falling out. I'll take that extra crease or two if the thing functions as I need it to every time.

Really depends on what works for you.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Inner pockets should be left out. They show through and mess with the line of the jacket.

1. People say this all the time here but I don't think I've ever really seen it in any pics. Please post some pics if you think otherwise.

2. Jackets look better when beaten up, distressed and with a heap of patina, why then would a slight outline of an inner pocket be so abhorrent?

Go for practical imo and an inner pocket is all kinds of practical.

 

[El Marro]

+1 for the inner pocket!
I have an inner pocket in all of my jackets except for my repro A-2's and I find them very useful for reading glasses and other valuables. I get more use out of the single inner pocket than I do from any of the hand warmer or chest pockets.
I do recall seeing some photos here of an Aero (I believe it was a Highwayman) where the outline of the inner pocket showed through. I think this was mainly due to the button closure on the pocket. In any case, it was fairly subtle, and not something I would've noticed if it had not been called out in the caption below the photo.

 

[Harris HTM]

I own four aero's. Two of them have big cargo pockets (mariner and long half belt) so there I don't need any inner pocket. The other two however (30's hb and happy days) have only handwarmer pockets; this means that I have to carry my wallet, keys and cell phone in my jeans or in a purse (a masculine one, yeah right). If I ordered them again I would choose for an inner pocket without any closure.