Ask a Question, Get An Answer About Outerwear

[Canuck Panda]

Not really an outerwear question, but I am about to have less closet space, so I'll be purchasing a rack to hang my jackets on. Anyone have any recommendations for something that will be able to handle the weight of a lot of jackets? There's a bunch of heavyweight options out there, not sure if one shines above the rest though.

These wire shelf units holds 800 lbs per shelf. I just hang them directly onto the shelf. A 18” x 48” x 72” rack will give you 16 linear feet of hanging rod space in a very small footprint. I had this setup going for a while now, no sagging, heavy af though.

 

[Marc mndt]

Not really an outerwear question, but I am about to have less closet space, so I'll be purchasing a rack to hang my jackets on. Anyone have any recommendations for something that will be able to handle the weight of a lot of jackets? There's a bunch of heavyweight options out there, not sure if one shines above the rest though.

Hay Loop Stand Wardrobe

Minimalistic Danish design, very sturdy. Impossible to topple over.

 

[Pandemic]

I placed an order with LL and will supply body measurements, but I also want to request actual jacket measurements. Looking for a second opinion here, but I’m inclined to go with my FL specs with an extra .5” in the body and on the shoulders. What do you all think?

 

[FL2021]

Might get roasted, not the Expert, it was funny, when I wore my jacket, I lost anywhere from an half an inch to one inch. It just rode up. What I perceived as the correct Flat measurements were actually incorrect, and the leather rolls and creases, which doesn't help.
I would use an example, of something you wish the Jacket to fit similar to, and adjust from there. Pic, Mirror..etc...
That might be best.
I personally, I like...a touch on the sleeves, bit on shoulder, more volume and length, but again, find something how YOU would like it to look like and adjust accordingly. You will know, especially if something in particular is making you more conscious, your most likely correct

 

[Canuck Panda]

I placed an order with LL and will supply body measurements, but I also want to request actual jacket measurements. Looking for a second opinion here, but I’m inclined to go with my FL specs with an extra .5” in the body and on the shoulders. What do you all think?

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That FL is great!

In my experience, Lewis has the best custim ordering process. After you give Rip you body measurements, he would get back to you on their pattern sizing. For me it was between 40 and 42, and Rip put my order through as a custom, size 40 jacket with 42 top. You would get something like this through the email before it goes into production queue.

What I am trying to say is don't worry. Lewis is way ahead of say SB or Aero when it comes to ordering. No surprises. Just go with Rip, his process will take care of things for you. They are very open when it comes to measurements and everything, not like the other makers.

 

[Pandemic]

That FL is great!

In my experience, Lewis has the best custim ordering process. After you give Rip you body measurements, he would get back to you on their pattern sizing. For me it was between 40 and 42, and Rip put my order through as a custom, size 40 jacket with 42 top. You would get something like this through the email before it goes into production queue.

View attachment 350547

What I am trying to say is don't worry. Lewis is way ahead of say SB or Aero when it comes to ordering. No surprises. Just go with Rip, his process will take care of things for you. They are very open when it comes to measurements and everything, not like the other makers.

Fantastic! That’s very good to see and hear. Quite the opposite of SB (‘send us your body measurements and we will send you a jacket and don’t ask questions about our dimensions’). Based on a sizing chart I saw in the other thread, 38T looks pretty close - with just a few tweaks.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Vanson and JL jacket owners, have you ever had zipper failure?

I ask this because I saw @jeo zipper failure from the other thread. And I believe it has more to do with the way the zippers are attached than the actual type / size of zipper. I too had Aero zipper failures but my Vansons and JLs are so new I cannot make the right call. But those two have a different zipper installation than others. So I asked this question. Thanks.

 

[Pandemic]

Vanson and JL jacket owners, have you ever had zipper failure?

I ask this because I saw @jeo zipper failure from the other thread. And I believe it has more to do with the way the zippers are attached than the actual type / size of zipper. I too had Aero zipper failures but my Vansons and JLs are so new I cannot make the right call. But those two have a different zipper installation than others. So I asked this question. Thanks.

I haven't really owned my JL long enough to give a full endorsement, but damn that zipper feels well secured to the jacket.

 

[Canuck Panda]

The reason I asked this is because the JL and Vanson has either fully visible zipper tape or some hybrid installation.
Where as most vintage repro, Aero...etc. has the zipper tape tucked into the leather folds. I don't have any Japanese repros but the photos I see here also showed that they use the same zipper installation method as Aero. This to me is prone to failure vs the Vanson/JL way. And I assume JL has fixed a lot of zippers so they developed their own hybrid way where the zipper tape is fully exposed at the first 3" or so and then tapers to tucked in up top. And this could also explain why Vanson decides to go to plastic pull (lighter weight) because they are fully exposed zipper tape (which is better than fully enclosed imo), and that they needed to reduce some weight at the start of the zip because they offer lifetime warranty and they don't want to be fixing no zippers out of their pockets all the time. I will take some photos of this when I get home today to show what I mean. Hard to put them into words.

 

[Jin431]

Vanson and JL jacket owners, have you ever had zipper failure?

I ask this because I saw @jeo zipper failure from the other thread. And I believe it has more to do with the way the zippers are attached than the actual type / size of zipper. I too had Aero zipper failures but my Vansons and JLs are so new I cannot make the right call. But those two have a different zipper installation than others. So I asked this question. Thanks.

My jackets are so new (the oldest is about 13 months) that I never have to deal with something like this

I placed an order with LL and will supply body measurements, but I also want to request actual jacket measurements. Looking for a second opinion here, but I’m inclined to go with my FL specs with an extra .5” in the body and on the shoulders. What do you all think?

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Can't wait to see what pattern you ended up choosing and the leather to be used. Yep, looks like the sleeves could do with added length to account for shrinkage especially if the leather creases with wear. The back length looks great as it is. I think maybe an added front drop will help with the look if you feel it's short when zipped??

 

[Marc mndt]

Where as most vintage repro, Aero...etc. has the zipper tape tucked into the leather folds. I don't have any Japanese repros but the photos I see here also showed that they use the same zipper installation method as Aero. This to me is prone to failure vs the Vanson/JL way.

I don't think the failure is due to the installation method. I own several ELMCs with repro Talons which all have exposed zipper teeth, never had any problems with them.

Some time ago Greg told me there are huge difference in quality (and price) between different repro zipper manufacturers.

 

[Canuck Panda]

@Marc mndt Interesting how the Roadstar has different installation method than the others. This is actually what I meant. Your Roadstar has more exposed zipper tapes, vs the others the tape is tucked into the channel. I've found it to be a lot easier to zip up when the tape is exposed, this is how Vanson and JL are made. Enclosed zipper tape Aero and others takes a lot of mindfulness to just do up the zips, and the pull would always be rubbing against something. This to me just prone to earlier wear and tear. Although most vintage jackets I see here are of this nature as well.

 

[red devil]

Does Aero finally accept to put anything other than size 5 zippers?

 

[Canuck Panda]

@red devil Not sure about the size but I saw that Aero used YKK for a jacket here:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ny-potential-ones.89562/page-523#post-2821287

 

[jeo]

Vanson and JL jacket owners, have you ever had zipper failure?

I ask this because I saw @jeo zipper failure from the other thread. And I believe it has more to do with the way the zippers are attached than the actual type / size of zipper. I too had Aero zipper failures but my Vansons and JLs are so new I cannot make the right call. But those two have a different zipper installation than others. So I asked this question. Thanks.

I doubt you'll ever have a zipper failure with Vanson. As for JL, they offer many different kind of zippers. I'm sure you can source your own hardware too. The zipper on my JL is a YKK so it's great. I've owned it for almost 10 years now and never had an issue.

I don't think the issue is the way zippers are attached. The issue with zippers that fail is that they are low quality.

 

[red devil]

@red devil Not sure about the size but I saw that Aero used YKK for a jacket here:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...ny-potential-ones.89562/page-523#post-2821287

That's a welcome change.

I don't think the issue is the way zippers are attached. The issue with zippers that fail is that they are low quality.

I used to think that size was a big factor for the main zip, but now I am enclined to believe it is the quality that is to blame as you say.

 

[jeo]

I used to think that size was a big factor for the main zip, but now I am enclined to believe it is the quality that is to blame as you say.

I also used to think that the bigger, beefier zips hold up better but if you look at vintage jackets, the zips are almost always of the smaller variety (#5), even on heavy duty motorcycle jackets.

 

[handymike]

I really enjoy the larger Talon puller on my 60s jackets. I still think a #8 is the right compromise, unfortunately they don’t come with cool vintage looking pulls.

 

[AlyeskaPilot]

What do you guys think about the fit on this G-1 I just picked up? I think I should go down a size... What do you think? Thanks!

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

I also used to think that the bigger, beefier zips hold up better but if you look at vintage jackets, the zips are almost always of the smaller variety (#5), even on heavy duty motorcycle jackets.

all my Cals (1950s to 1970s) are #10. My older Vanson like mid 80s is 10 and a CHP I sold was a 10. The older Schott cross zips are 10. But for some reason the racers tend to be smaller. I think maybe the racers were typically lighter weight leather and more stretchy, so maybe had something to do with it. But anyway, I think it was a mix back then as it is now, but at least from my experience the heavier cross zips were typically 10s.

Also, someone mentioned Vanson zippers being the best. I don't know. I've had a few and almost all of them except for this mint CHP needed male side replacements because of the dreaded frayed pin. For my money, nothing beats a Schott zipper. And I'm pretty sure they stand behind all the hardware.