best leather pants under $300 used

[sshmuck]

Hi, im looking for a pair of one piece (no seam at the knee) leather pants for under $300 used, right now im looking at aero but im curious if theres other/better options.

 

[Bfd70]

Hi, im looking for a pair of one piece (no seam at the knee) leather pants for under $300 used, right now im looking at aero but im curious if theres other/better options.

Used vanson or schott Is your best bet.

 

[MrProper]

Isn't @Monitor the specialist for leather trousers?

 

[navetsea]

How do leather trousers works? do you wear them over leggings or longjohn kind of underpants? I wash my jeans occasionally like once or twice a year but I can't imagine a pair of pants I can't never wash for years

 

[sshmuck]

How do leather trousers works? do you wear them over leggings or longjohn kind of underpants? I wash my jeans occasionally like once or twice a year but I can't imagine a pair of pants I can't never wash for years

dry clean them once or twice a year

 

[Monitor]

Hi, im looking for a pair of one piece (no seam at the knee) leather pants for under $300 used, right now im looking at aero but im curious if theres other/better options.

If you can get an Aero for under $300, go for it. I always say Aero makes better leather pants than they do jackets because theirs are among the best I've had. But there are many, many fantastic leather pants out there that won't cost you too much money. Don't need to be Aero or Vanson or whatever...

Some of my favorite ones are by random moto brands like IXS, DMP and such. Also, if you don't mind the connotation, look into RoB Amsterdam. High price tag but the pants are beyond amazing. Leather, workmanship & especially the cut.

Vanson is always a sure bet. Schott makes a good pair, too but they don't fit very well.

 

[Monitor]

https://theshopvancouver.com/products/y2-leather-x-the-shop-1mm-teacore-horsehide-leather-pants

Look at these clowns... Don't fall for this shit; $1000 for leather 5 pockets is a scam.

This is what $1000 leather pants should look like!

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Very interesting. Looks perfect for riding in a saddle all day, and probably more comfortable/durable in the saddle than jeans + chaps. Who makes them and what's the details on these Monitor?

As to the question of "how" - I know not firsthand how you would manage wearing these frequently, unless the dry-cleaning option works. However I did speak with a man in an airport who is a home construction contractor and wears leather jeans most of the year "except summer." He loved them and would wear little else, even with his occupation.

I think I would sweat too much, unless it was rather cold out. While they would keep the wind out, I would think they might also get rather cold too?

 

[Monitor]

^^ Very interesting. Looks perfect for riding in a saddle all day, and probably more comfortable/durable in the saddle than jeans + chaps. Who makes them and what's the details on these Monitor?

They're by Soffer Ari, company that makes leather rock-star clothes & each piece is full-on custom, every bit customers choice. The pair I had was made from veg tanned horsehide & was paid $1400 for. Right now, the same pair of pants would set you back $3K, which is still nothing compared to what Chrome Hearts is asking for their mass produced leather jeans.

Don't get me wrong, all of these prices are beyond demented but if I'm already paying a grand, I want my pants to look the part. And these do. Did. Too small for me, sadly.

But this mustached poser peddling mediocre leather jeans for $1000 that look literally like latex leatherette pants from Asos, is idiocracy.

As to the question of "how" - I know not firsthand how you would manage wearing these frequently, unless the dry-cleaning option works. However I did speak with a man in an airport who is a home construction contractor and wears leather jeans most of the year "except summer." He loved them and would wear little else, even with his occupation.

I think I would sweat too much, unless it was rather cold out. While they would keep the wind out, I would think they might also get rather cold too?

"How" is very simple. Just use common sense which pretty much amounts to being clean & not wearing them when it's too hot. Summers & leather pants don't mix very well. I've tried wearing them this summer and while it's doable only at night, I wouldn't recommend it.

Most leather pants, motorcycle or otherwise, are lined and the lining is never fixed to the legs precisely because of hygiene. The idea is you pull the lining out & wash it by hand.

 

[VansonRider]

Also keep an eye out for vintage Hein Gericke. They made both sport rider and cruiser leather pants, very high quality. If you’re patient and keep searching EBay you can find a nice pair. You’ll need to sift through a lot of 80’s style pants to find a classic pair, but they’re out their.

 

[Dbtk44]

I own and use several pairs of leather pants, only wear them while riding my motorcycle. The used market is actually pretty good price-wise for good leather pants, and I got my best pair used, for around $100 if I recall correctly. Can't remember the brand offhand but it's one of the more common moto clothing brands. Nothing top shelf, but nice nonetheless.

As it hovers in triple digits during the summers here, leathers are not a sane option..that'd be the perfect recipe for heat stroke. Fall, winter and spring though, they're great. In 30s-40s-50s I wear thin "base layer" bottoms, like what joggers and runners wear, underneath....really thin and comfortable, but surprisingly warm under the leather! Factoring wind chill at 70-80mph, legs are nice and warm down to high 20s temps.

 

[VansonRider]

I have a bunch of gear, and a few pairs of leather riding pants.
I tend to think of riding as two types. If I’m riding and the purpose is “the ride” I have fully perfed sport riding pants for both weekend fun, highway speeds, or longer trips.
But also some plain leather over pants that zip up the side for “transportation riding” where the goal is not to go for a ride, but to run errands, or get somewhere, utility riding in other words.
For that side zip leather over pants are great. Open them up and pull them on over jeans and boots and go.
I have one pair of leathers I sized large enough to wear over heavy wool hunting pants. Old Woolrich in red hunters plaid. The coldest I’ve ridden is in the teens (about -9C). ECW Airforce mitts over riding gloves for my hands, and a wind block balaclava under the helmet. It’s like wearing a space suit! I love suiting you for a cold ride…

 

[Don in Indiana USA]

Hi, im looking for a pair of one piece (no seam at the knee) leather pants for under $300 used, right now im looking at aero but im curious if theres other/better options.

-----------------------

Hi, sshmuck,

Let me offer my 5 cents for whatever it may be worth to you.

Aero leather pants are great if you can find a used pair in your waist size and preferred inseam. (Aero is currently not producing/selling leather pants.) The fit is overall excellent and the legs are just nicely roomy emough. The waist fits true to size or a just a tiny bit smaller.

Vanson leather pants are intended specifically for motorcycling but their non-armored pants options are suitable for everyday/off-bike wear too. They tend to fit a bit smaller in the waist than the stated size and the butt area fits rather 'flat.' I prefer their PTEP 'model' myself.

As with Aero, Schott leather pants are not currently in production/for sale, and used Schott pants were made of either cowhide (longer ago) or Horween steerhide (in more recent years). Schott also did a limited run (in 2016 and in partnership with another company,I think?) of horsehide pants using material that pretty much matches their regular-tier horsehide jackets. Schott pants in general fit a bit looser than Vanson, though the leg fit is still fine, but I fault their high zipper fly placement, which may require you to undo/lower the whole pants top in order to pee.

European-made and/or gay-interest leather pants may be an option; the higher-end pants are often very well-made and use superb material. The better manufacturers are ROB, Mr. B, and (to a lesser extent) Bockleder in Germany. These manufacturers' pants tend to have a five-button fly (which I think is more cumbersome than a zipper fly), a more body-hugging fit in general (in order to show contours), and there is a greater tendency for the higher-end pants to be made unlined. If you were to opt for a new pair of Bockleder pants, which just about fit your price point, I'd recommend getting them from Germany through the Bockleder website rather than from Canada through Amazon; the German-sourced pants seem to be of higher quality.

None of the aforementioned pants are intended to be worn as overpants but in cold weather you could always wear longjohn bottoms on your bike if you're wearing your leather pants for motorcycle use. A pair of regular pants worn underneath leather pants might be too bulky, etc. but some guys make that combination work OK. Of the manufacturers I've listed, only Aero and Vanson are really intended for heavy-duty protection on a motorcycle but even in that case Aero's pants aren't armored. Vanson does make one or perhaps several varieties of armored leather pants.

Any of the pants I've mentioned are generally suited for 'street wear' and won't look too much like you're headed out on a dangerous trip to the Moon in them. Overall, the best-fitting one-piece front/back legs leather pants I've encountered are Aero, Vanson and the Euro-made/gay-interest type pants (the latter are really intended only as fashion wear). Schott's jeans-like leather pants are well-made and good as fashion wear too, though they would give at least some marginal/basic protection on a bike. I tend to think that motorcycle leather pants worn for any serious kind of protection on the road really need to be armored, etc.

Used Langlitz pants are probably out of your stated price point in most cases, but they and Fox Creek Leathers pants are true overpants with long leg zippers on them like chaps have if you decide that's a better option for your needs.

Sheepskin/Lambskin are suitable for fashion wear but not really for motorcycling. Cowhide,, steerhide, and horsehide are much more durable and may come in heavier weight/greater thickness, and so are better for motorcycle wear, but are also very wearable for off-bike use.

Good luck finding a pair that suit your needs!

Don

 

[Don in Indiana USA]

How do leather trousers works? do you wear them over leggings or longjohn kind of underpants? I wash my jeans occasionally like once or twice a year but I can't imagine a pair of pants I can't never wash for years

A majority of leather pants are intended to be just worn with underwear and socks, like regular pants. Some motorcycle leather pants are intended as overpants (like chaps are worn over jeans) and have long leg zips for their non-private removal once you reach your destination.

Many types of leather don't do so well if put though a washing machine; the dye will tend to come out of them for one thing, plus leather needs to be air-dryed away from heat. Vanson's leather pants come with a pull-out/hand-washable rayon lining, so that can be hand-washed in a sink as often as desired. The shiny side of leather, being slippery, tends to shed dirt naturally and is customarily just wiped down with a lightly water-moistened cloth. The sueded side is customarily just brushed free of dust and dirt with a stiff brush.

 

[Don in Indiana USA]

^^ Very interesting. Looks perfect for riding in a saddle all day, and probably more comfortable/durable in the saddle than jeans + chaps. Who makes them and what's the details on these Monitor?

As to the question of "how" - I know not firsthand how you would manage wearing these frequently, unless the dry-cleaning option works. However I did speak with a man in an airport who is a home construction contractor and wears leather jeans most of the year "except summer." He loved them and would wear little else, even with his occupation.

I think I would sweat too much, unless it was rather cold out. While they would keep the wind out, I would think they might also get rather cold too?

Most leather is not very temperature-protective from either hot or cold. Horsehide seems to be denser/warmer than most. The most temperature-protection in summer comes from zip-open panels on jackets and peforated leather for ventilation. In winter, linings and layering provide most of the warmth benefit. Smooth leathers tend to be fairly wind-resistant.

 

[navetsea]

A majority of leather pants are intended to be just worn with underwear and socks, like regular pants. Some motorcycle leather pants are intended as overpants (like chaps are worn over jeans) and have long leg zips for their non-private removal once you reach your destination.

Many types of leather don't do so well if put though a washing machine; the dye will tend to come out of them for one thing, plus leather needs to be air-dryed away from heat. Vanson's leather pants come with a pull-out/hand-washable rayon lining, so that can be hand-washed in a sink as often as desired. The shiny side of leather, being slippery, tends to shed dirt naturally and is customarily just wiped down with a lightly water-moistened cloth. The sueded side is customarily just brushed free of dust and dirt with a stiff brush.

yeah, before being mentioned here in this thread I didn't know it has removable liner, of course with removable liner then it is non issue about hygiene, from the motorcycle theme I kind of see they are bulky and make a lot of sense since they are having a removable liner, but the leather pants worn by rockstars that looks skin tight I wonder if they have a liner, or perhaps it is drycleaned after each show.

 

[Monitor]

@Don in Indiana USA , that's an excellent & super informative post you made and it is exactly my experience with leather pants.

yeah, before being mentioned here in this thread I didn't know it has removable liner, of course with removable liner then it is non issue about hygiene, from the motorcycle theme I kind of see they are bulky and make a lot of sense since they are having a removable liner, but the leather pants worn by rockstars that looks skin tight I wonder if they have a liner, or perhaps it is drycleaned after each show.

Fashion / Rockstar leather pants are often lined too but they're made from lambskin that is processed so it is often very stretchy. But lining on nearly all leather pants that I've had is made from an extremely light & thin polyester fabric & it's often perforated, too so its effect on fit is pretty much negligible.

Thickest lining I've seen on leather pants was by Aero leathers, as they had used their heavy cotton drill for them which was literally like wearing a pair of jeans underneath.

 

[Don in Indiana USA]

yeah, before being mentioned here in this thread I didn't know it has removable liner, of course with removable liner then it is non issue about hygiene, from the motorcycle theme I kind of see they are bulky and make a lot of sense since they are having a removable liner, but the leather pants worn by rockstars that looks skin tight I wonder if they have a liner, or perhaps it is drycleaned after each show.

Hey, navetsea,

Though some leather pants do have a fully removable, zip-out lining, Vanson's lining is permanently stitched in around the waist, so when you hand-wash a Vanson (say, PTEP model) lining the heavy leather shell of the pants has to be kept propped up adjacent to the sink or wash basin.

Whether or not tight rock star leather pants have a lining or not probably depends on the artist's costumer, their costume budget, how comfortable the pants are onstage (linings can obviously make pants warmer), and the particular image the artist wants to project, LOL! Both lined and unlined leather pants can be very comfortable to wear, depending on how supple the leather in unlined pants is. Super-tight pants might not come with a lining for the sake of the fit, but a smooth lining can make for easier on/off, so there's that trade-off. Lots of physical movement onstage in very tight pants could also be asking for a 'wardrobe failure' if the leather or stitching should split apart. Never having been a rock star myself, my guess is that the biggest worry with leather pants worn on stage repeatedly would be sweat, which will of course soak into leather, tend to stiffen and dry it out over the long haul, and in general deteriorate it or natural-fiber thread quicker than otherwise because of the salt in sweat and the invitation wetted leather is to mold, etc. Leather seems to benefit from lots of air circulation, including during storage, and mold is easier to prevent than to clean up later (typically with plain white vinegar).

Dry cleaning leather may or may not happen with leather garments, and I've never been totally convinced that for the money charged a dry cleaner results in a better job caring for the cleaning and maintenance of my leather garments than I can accomplish myself, but that's just my personal perspective.

Cheers—Don

 

[navetsea]

thanks for the in depth info @Monitor and @Don in Indiana USA
I have better picture of the lining mount on those.

i wonder what chemical used in dry cleaning, diluted wash benzene/ diluted zippo lighter fluid?

about salt I think it is not the salt itself but how salt absorb humidity and hold it in the salt bloom, so as we wipe off the bloom the leather oil in that spot is also been dried out and need conditioning, I have some of those issue with some type of leather along the collar.

living in the tropics, annually I have to fight mold with wiping my jackets with distilled white vinegar sprinkled on a baby wipes, and not all leather susceptible to mold either, my naked goatskin is the one with most mold problem my cowhides are all less affected

 

[Will Zach]

thanks for the in depth info @Monitor and @Don in Indiana USA
I have better picture of the lining mount on those.

i wonder what chemical used in dry cleaning, diluted wash benzene/ diluted zippo lighter fluid?

about salt I think it is not the salt itself but how salt absorb humidity and hold it in the salt bloom, so as we wipe off the bloom the leather oil in that spot is also been dried out and need conditioning, I have some of those issue with some type of leather along the collar.

living in the tropics, annually I have to fight mold with wiping my jackets with distilled white vinegar sprinkled on a baby wipes, and not all leather susceptible to mold either, my naked goatskin is the one with most mold problem my cowhides are all less affected

They use perchloroethylene (PERC) for dry cleaning. It is non-flammable, a major plus. Most other organic solvents are flammable, or toxic, or both. I don't know if they use PERC specifically for leather though.