Do You Wear a Sam Browne / Duty Belt with Your Motorcycle Jacket?

[Fifty150]

My motorcycle uniform jacket is leather. Although some guys prefer wearing the uniform jacket which is made of Waterproof shell with a zip out insulated liner. GoreTex and Thinsulate. But it all depends on the officer. A quick glance and anyone could tell that we have different jackets. Different suppliers, depending on who got the contract when your jacket was issued. Leather motorcycle jackets are only issued to motorcycle officers. And not every year, like shirts, pants, and boots. Most guys wear the same jacket until they outgrow it, ruin it by running into a burning building, or retire. Mine is about 15 years old, 1 size too tight, and still great condition.

 

[Carlos840]

My motorcycle uniform jacket is leather. Although some guys prefer wearing the uniform jacket which is made of Waterproof shell with a zip out insulated liner. GoreTex and Thinsulate. But it all depends on the officer. A quick glance and anyone could tell that we have different jackets. Different suppliers, depending on who got the contract when your jacket was issued. Leather motorcycle jackets are only issued to motorcycle officers. And not every year, like shirts, pants, and boots. Most guys wear the same jacket until they outgrow it, ruin it by running into a burning building, or retire. Mine is about 15 years old, 1 size too tight, and still great condition.

Pics?
As a bit of a CHP jacket fan I would love to see what a 15 year old daily worn jacket looks like!

Also, are you forced to use what is issued to you? Or could you decide to buy your own and wear a Cal, or any other CHP model as long as it follows your specific departements guidlines?

 

[navetsea]

wow you are a motorcyle officer that carries gun and wear waist length leather jacket and has to get into burning building too.

 

[Fifty150]

Pics?
As a bit of a CHP jacket fan I would love to see what a 15 year old daily worn jacket looks like!

Also, are you forced to use what is issued to you? Or could you decide to buy your own and wear a Cal, or any other CHP model as long as it follows your specific departements guidlines?

My jacket has not been for 15 years, every day. I rode "the company bike" about 1.5 years, then transferred to other details. I did not have to return the jacket. So over the years, I've worn it on & off, at my discretion.

I'm not a member of the CHP. I work for a different agency. You'll notice that most cities and counties have motorcycle units. Where I am at, we have 2 different units. One rides road bikes, provides dignitary protection, and enforces traffic. The other unit rides dirt bikes, and is a tactical unit.

I have no idea if the CHP allows officers to buy their own jackets. I can imagine that with CHP being such a large agency, their officers are often sent to local uniform shops or leather shops to have the jackets fitted and adjusted. I can't imagine thousands of cops with off the rack sizing that doesn't fit. And there is no way that every cop in the state can commute hundreds of miles to a leather shop in Sacramento.

In my area, there are 3 leather shops. 2 are known to supply police agencies. I would imagine that they also supply the local officers for CHP. I would also figure that every major metropolitan area in California (Sacramento, SF Bay Area, LA, San Diego, etc.) has a leather shop which stays in business by being the local law enforcement supplier. Then CHP officers would only need to show up with a "purchase order" for the shop to make a jacket to their specifications. For anyone who rides a bike, you'll also find that there are shops which specifically produce motorcycle leather in just about every major metropolitan area. They sell mainly to daily motorcycle commuters and motorcycle clubs. I know of a shop right across the street from Tesla motors which only makes leather full riding suits. As you can imagine, these are not shops found in shopping malls. The quality of the product will be insignificant, unless you are actually riding a motorcycle.

I can only say from my experience, that nobody in my department would want to mail order some fancy, collector jacket. The leather jackets they issue are made to measure, fit exactly, and are designed for our individual bodies. Mine was correctly tailored to the position of the jacket as if I was sitting on the bike. The waist doesn't go too far down, the position of my upper abdomen is expanded, my back extended with my arms out, with the correct sleeve length with arms reaching for the handle bars. And I was measured wearing body armor under the jacket. If I'm standing with my arms relaxed, the sleeve will be a little long, and the waist a little high. The lower back is a little longer than the front. The laces on the side are strung from the bottom, tied under the arms, with the loose lace tucked under the lacing pattern, so that it does not interfere or tangle with exquipment on my belt.

I don't wear the Sam Brown belt on the jacket because I may want to take the jacket off, or open the front. Then what do you do with the gun belt? Knowing that the gun belt is now in an expanded position to fit over your girth, and the thickness of the jacket. The entire belt would have to be repositioned and adjusted down 2 sizes to fit over your pants. I just can't see doing that several times every day as I don & doff the jacket. I want to be able to walk into a building, and simply take the jacket off. The motorcycle jacket is for my comfort, as I'm riding at freeway speed, on a cold day. You just can't walk around in a heavy leather jacket on hot days. You'll see plenty of police officers and sheriff's deputies riding without leather jackets on hot days.

Pay attention the next time that you actually see a cop in leather. Is that gun belt attached to his jacket? That may be more practical on the east coast, where those leather uniform garments serve as the winter uniform coat, and you have to have the gunbelt over the coat.

This is a typical "big city" police department. 3 guys on Harleys. 1 wearing a leather jacket. The gun belt is not attached to the jacket. 2 wearing short sleeve shirts. 4th guy on a dirt bike, wearing tactical uniform. Notice that even the boots are different?

The CHP still issues leather. But it's not mandatory to wear it every day. And on some occasions, you see them wearing Ike jackets on the bike.

 

[Fifty150]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

 

[Carlos840]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

Thanks for the detailed answer above.

Regarding fetish, i don't know if we have many people from the Bluf community here.
Personally i get nothing sexual from leather, i just enjoy collecting and i think the police jackets look cool, but i would never try to dress like a cop. I don't actually own a Sam Brown belt.
What you describe above sounds a lot more like reenactment than fetish.

I think the fetish part of the belt is linked to "uniform power" more than specificaly "I want to be a sexy cop", the Sam Brown belt is after all originally a military uniform piece, not specifially a police uniforme piece.
It was widely used by the German army during WWII which i am sure is also a part of it.

 

[Fifty150]

I have never worn a Sam Brown belt off duty. My issued motorcycle leather jacket does not have patches, looks just like other bike jackets, is a good jacket, and I have worn it riding my personal bike. I do own other bike jackets, so it's not often.

I think that a lot of agencies buy those Taylor Leather jackets. Mass distribution. Nationwide chain uniform suppliers sell them. If you guys are looking for something authentic, that is it. You can buy one, and have a good tailor take in whatever part of the jacket to give you a good fit. Thousands of cops across the country are wearing them. They sell a CA style also.

 

[El Marro]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

Not me! I do love the CHP style jacket and I have several of them, but I prefer them to be belt loop free as I have no need nor desire to wear a belt with these jackets.
Regarding the rest, my family and friends are amazed and amused by my out of control jacket collection. I have a feeling though that if I started wearing the full CHP uniform they would probably feel the need to stage an intervention.

 

[Blackadder]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

I think the belt may have to do more with James Dean who wore his CHP (Cal Leather?) jacket with the belt in some very popular photos.

 

[navetsea]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

If there is..... i dont want to know.

 

[Monitor]

.......and now I've got to wonder......

Is there a fetish attached? For anyone not carrying a gun, to go out and get a Sam Brown belt & cop jacket, then want to wear it all together - is there some sort of sensual gratification? Are you walking around with the khaki breaches w/ a blue double braid, high boots, khaki shirt, blue neck tie, et cetera?

Wait, what other reason could you possibly have to wear it all together like that?

 

[Carlos840]

I think the belt may have to do more with James Dean who wore his CHP (Cal Leather?) jacket with the belt in some very popular photos.

He wore it with only a duty belt, which IMO is still ok and can be a functional thing to keep the jacket tight.
If you go full Sam Brown belt with a leather jacket you are really sending a different message...

 

[bn1966]

Tickled pink on a Friday evening in February by this thread & thankful that I only wear a CR when riding

 

[AeroFan_07]

My motorcycle uniform jacket is leather. Although some guys prefer wearing the uniform jacket which is made of Waterproof shell with a zip out insulated liner. GoreTex and Thinsulate. But it all depends on the officer. A quick glance and anyone could tell that we have different jackets. Different suppliers, depending on who got the contract when your jacket was issued. Leather motorcycle jackets are only issued to motorcycle officers. And not every year, like shirts, pants, and boots. Most guys wear the same jacket until they outgrow it, ruin it by running into a burning building, or retire. Mine is about 15 years old, 1 size too tight, and still great condition.

First & Foremost - thank you for your service to the community & State! You all put your lives on the line every day and it is very appreciated!


As to Fetish - I could see where some folks may be inclined that way, but that's not my territory, interest, or intent. I do have a '50's Cal-Leather which is infrequently worn, has no belt at all, and does resemble even modern Perfecto collar styles similar to a Langlitz Columbia. I have found the more traditional center-zip jackets that are not Police intent to be more appropriate for daily use.

 

[nick123]

Well, I learned who Sam Browne was...

 

[Fifty150]

I'm not an expert. I heard that motorcycle jackets used to use a belt to cinch down kidney pads. It also kept wind from blowing up into the jacket. In those days, jackets were not fitted to the rider. So if you had a loose jacket, the belt was needed. This is why some jackets are still made with half a belt on the front. So I can see why James Dean had a belted jacket. I think modern jackets use laces on the side for the same purpose.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I agree Fifty150. James Dean graduated HS in 1949 and died in 1955 ( buried in my hometown ). He wore the style of that time period. I just don't care for any jacket with a belt. To me, a belt is unneeded and frankly APIA.

 

[SinSir]

There's nothing fetish about wearing a sam browne belt or any belt with a jacket meant for it. That's like saying my pants have belt loops, and I wear a belt, bring on the gimp. Wearing a Cal jacket and full Ponch and John are two different worlds. I'd also consider that more reenactment than fetish. Honestly all the laces are worse to me asthetically and comfort factor than a belt, but I still don't consider it a corset. The back of the highwaywan does remind me of one now that it was pointed out, before then it was just function over form. I personally don't use the side laces on my Cal as I can't get them to sit right, so a belt is mandatory. Really at the end of the day its all about how it works for you.

Edit

@Carlos840 all this fetish talk has me a little nervous to google bluf community lol

 

[Fifty150]

In my mind, any modern jacket with keepers for a Sam Browne, is designed for the jacket to carry a gun belt. Only needed if you have a gun belt full of equipment. There is no function to wearing an empty gun belt. If you enjoy the way it looks, then that's all there is to it. But a gun belt with nothing on it, isn't doing anything for the jacket.

 

[Fifty150]

Pics?
As a bit of a CHP jacket fan I would love to see what a 15 year old daily worn jacket looks like!

In these stock photos, you can see how some of us wear our jackets. The Sam Browne belt is worn over the pants, and the jacket is cut right to the waistline, measured while sitting.

People in every agency sort of do things their own way. You can look at online pics, and see different sartorial touches which each department's officers add to the uniform. In some agencies, they actually wear the gun belt on top of the jacket, and held on by keepers.

Around here, our belts are sort of "minimalist". I'm not Bat Man. I only carry what I need, and in the front. The whole back half of the belt is empty. I don't want anything that I can't protect. I don't want to reach behind my back for anything. I don't want something large and bulky in my back, if I'm fighting with someone and rolling around on the floor. And I don't need anything digging into my back when I'm sitting in a car.

Here is a CHP officer in a riding jacket, Sam Browne belt worn over pants not jacket. And a cowboy gunslinger holster.

Notice how this guy has a bow tie.

This is a much more common sight. This guy is dressed to actually work. Lighter, more comfortable jacket, and a drop, swivel holster.

Apologies for a "not so good" cell phone camera, and blurring out the badge. This is the 15 year old jacket. I only worked motors about 18 months. It wasn't worn every day. Only on days when i felt like it. I used to be able to wear this jacket with body armor underneath. Now, it's tight with just a t-shirt underneath. If it weren't for the bi-swing back, I wouldn't be able to wear it at all.

I still wear it once in awhile.