Deerskin jackets

[nick123]

I notice an abundance of vintage deerskin jackets for sale on ebay, etc, etc, specifically by the maker Midwestern Sport Togs going for very low prices. Any reason why deerskin is not as sought after? Use this thread to show off your deerskin jackets if you own them.

Let's see those antlers!

 

[Plumbline]

I've no idea why deerskin isn't as popular ... it is incredibly durable, very wear resistant and has a much softer hand than steer or horse .... it's GREAT leather. It's my hide of choice for M/C gloves and I've a couple of jackets .. one by Chevignon in undyed "natural" colour and the RL Copy of the "Alaskan Reindeer" jacket which was the inspiration for the Captain America jacket

The latter has been getting plenty of wear and is amazingly comfortable in warm-ish weather (10-20 DegC) ... much more than any except my goatskin jackets ( SB "Dakota" and Wested "Raiders" )

There are only 2 issues with Deerskin ...

1. It's NOT waterproof or water repellent in any way ( unlike Goatskin)
2. The quality and dye-fastness is often suspect ( I've worn deerkin gloves and got caught in the rain and had "blue hands" for a day or so from dye bleed)

so long as you use a proofing agent ( Fabsil / Mars Oil / Tent Proofer ) on gloves they work great ..... and so long as you can live with a little dye bleed ... then it's amazing stuff.

I remember some years ago Aero had a black deerskin suede which was stunning ...

 

[tropicalbob]

Some time ago Dinerman wrote about how, in the 1920's and up to the '60's, there were hundreds of small makers of deerskin jackets all over the U.S., but particularly in the Midwest. They were often Mom-and-Pop operations and produced some lovely jackets.

 

[tblay]

1. It's NOT waterproof or water repellent in any way ( unlike Goatskin)
2. The quality and dye-fastness is often suspect ( I've worn deerkin gloves and got caught in the rain and had "blue hands" for a day or so from dye bleed)

so long as you use a proofing agent ( Fabsil / Mars Oil / Tent Proofer ) on gloves they work great ..... and so long as you can live with a little dye bleed ... then it's amazing stuff.

I've ridden in deerskin gloves for years and been caught in many rainstorms. The wonderful thing about deerskin in regards to water is that it doesn't harden after getting wet. It dries as soft and durable as ever. I've never had any kind of bleed from my deerskin gloves or my deerskin wallet, which has also been soaked many times on rides during which I was surprised by a sudden storm.

I'd love to have a deerskin jacket. If any of those on eBay fit me, I'd grab one. I see Himel has added deerskin to his hide lineup.

 

[adiadi]

I feel that it's because you can't get big leather pieces out a dear and the jackets are made up of multiple small pieces put together. As a leather aficionado, I'd prefer bigger pieces of leather.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Dinerman]

It's a great leather. Durable, comfortable, hard wearing. There's a reason they use it for so many work gloves.

Ehen it's done right, it's one of my favorites, but I've had and seen enough poorly tanned examples where the finish flakes off over time.

Despite its durability, it's not a relatively lightweight leather. Now, this was fine in the 1930s- early 1960s, when heavyweight leathers weren't as much in vogue, but since the 1970s, people (especially here) judge leather quality largely on weight. Its softness also doesn't appeal to the current obsession with quality leather having to be stiff enough to stand up on its own and needs to be broken in.

It's an expensive leather, but again, despite many original leather jackets from the 1930s-1960s having many panels (yokes, center seams down the back, pleated pockets half-belts, etc.), current leather jacket buyers seem to associate these original features with cheapness. It can make it a difficult sell.

 

[tropicalbob]

Fantastic. Dinerman, you're truly a wizard. I've had a secret, smoldering desire for a fringe jacket for years.

 

[nick123]

Beautiful^^

 

[Superfluous]

Real McCoy Oklahoma:

 

[technovox]

Real McCoy Oklahoma:

Real McCoy Oklahoma:

That's a beauty!

 

[AeroFan_07]

Here you go Nick - I sold this about 2 years back on ebay - was about 1 to 2 sizes too small for me, found near it's "production source" in Wisconsin. I don't think I got more than $50 out of it. The Fringe is indeed an acquired taste...

In a really strange way I found a near-twin of this jacket in another garage sale here in Iowa, however it was rougher in shape, it had been beat-up pretty hard and the person selling it wanted $75 for it.

Neat leather and I have deerskin gloves that work very well.

 

[nick123]

I'm eyeing a couple of near identical ones on etsy. That's a beauty.

 

[technovox]

Here's a recent Deerskin score. So as not to hi-jack(et) this thread, I created a new post with more info and pics of it.

 

[tropicalbob]

On a side note, I read a fascinating article recently about the surge in the deer population in this country in the last twenty years or so. It seems that after WWII and the development of suburbs (and the consequent deforesting of vast areas) the deer population declined rapidly, but with the regrowth of the trees the deer have returned in huge numbers. Friends from Europe have often said to me that when they looked out of the window while flying over the Northeast it looks like one continual forest.

 

[singer]

Real McCoy Oklahoma:

That Oklahoma is fantastic. You own the identical jacket in both black deerskin and black Shinki HH correct? Do you like them both just as well? If so, I'd imagine you reach for one vs the other depending on if you want that matte deerskin look w/ soft drape vs that shinier structured Shinki look. Or is one a clear favorite now?

 

[Guardian Enzo]

This is an interesting topic to me, because I see lots of very nice-looking deerskin jackets on places like Etsy going for quite reasonable pricing because deerskin is unfashionable for the reasons stated above. And of course the fact that they're "no-name" jackets made by some long-gone maker in Wisconsin or Michigan somewhere. I'm always tempted but I've never pulled the trigger.

 

[Superfluous]

That Oklahoma is fantastic. You own the identical jacket in both black deerskin and black Shinki HH correct? Do you like them both just as well? If so, I'd imagine you reach for one vs the other depending on if you want that matte deerskin look w/ soft drape vs that shinier structured Shinki look. Or is one a clear favorite now?

The cut of the Steinbeck and Oklahoma are not quite identical. The Steinbeck is a tad longer. I wear the Steinbeck more often then the Oklahoma. The Oklahoma gets the nod if I am dressing things up.