Freewheelers Caboose Jacket

[dudewuttheheck]

Thank you and Dr. H for the tips. In my earlier days of collecting / wearing I was more forgiving about nuances such as stitch precision and consistency, but back then makers such as RM and Freewheelers didn’t make that possibility so easily obtainable. If that attention to detail was my main criterion, something like this from Freewheelers or RM would be my preference.
I would have chosen the rust brown version as well - that color better accentuates the pattern and all the construction details, especially that beautiful back.

Stitching precision has progressed quite a lot. Attention to detail is my main concern so I really love my Freewheelers.

 

[Bobby Peru]

Stitching precision has progressed quite a lot. Attention to detail is my main concern so I really love my Freewheelers.

Not including actual vintage examples, it has become a characteristic that I cannot 'unsee' any more.

I'm still eyaballing those pictures you posted!

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Not including actual vintage examples, it has become a characteristic that I cannot 'unsee' any more.

I'm still eyaballing those pictures you posted!

It's something I have to notice now as well.

Interesting side note. I posted these pictures on a different forum and the reaction to the fit was quite different than here. Almost a universal consensus that the jacket fit quite poorly. Very interesting difference in opinion.

 

[JMax]

Poor fit? No way. Would you tell us their reasoning? That is interesting.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Poor fit? No way. Would you tell us their reasoning? That is interesting.

Mostly the sleeves, but there were other dislikes as well. I was even told that I should have just gone with a 40. I'm not trying to just discount them, more pointing out the completely different reactions between different forums.

Personally, I don't even think that the sleeves are that bad. I would be shocked if they don't settle into a nice length within a year.

 

[JMax]

Sleeves look good to me, as does the rest of the jacket. Darn man, the 42 looks form-fitted, I can’t imagine a 40.

It is amazing how divergent ideas can be about fit. No right or wrong, just the owners opinion. Unless I catch a glimpse of a belly button, that’s just wrong man.

 

[ton312]

I can't see what fit aesthetic would deem this a poor fit! I suspect that they were hoping for a sausage casing? I've never felt a classic HB should fit like a CR or skin tight perfecto. Granted that's merely my opinion but in this case you have a nice trim fit without the jacket looking like it was poured over you like pancake batter.

 

[AllanP]

I think I read the thread in the other forum you posted. I don't think people understand that different body types are going to fit into a stock sized jacket differently. If you went down to a 40, there's no way you are going to zip up your jacket due to chest size. I also think a lot of opinion is based on what the modeled photos looked like, which are usually on slimmer Japanese guys that wear jackets really tight.

I think the fit is pretty spot on for you, not everyone is a 150 pound Asian guy.

I do think the sleeve can be a bit shorter, but it will probably crease up.

 

[Carlos840]

Mostly the sleeves, but there were other dislikes as well. I was even told that I should have just gone with a 40. I'm not trying to just discount them, more pointing out the completely different reactions between different forums.

Personally, I don't even think that the sleeves are that bad. I would be shocked if they don't settle into a nice length within a year.

Objectively speaking, the shoulders are a bit wide, and the sleeves a bit long, but the waist is already pretty tight.
IMO if you lost a few pounds (not trying to be a dick, just saying it as it is) you would probably fit a size 40 better. But as things stand i refuse to believe a size 40 would look better. You would look like a sausage casing!
I think the right middle ground would be to have the sleeves of the 42 shortened a couple inches. (although you could wait a couple months to see how they crease first)

Edit: this is one of the reasons why i always break in my jackets before posting fit pictures! IMO it is much easier to find things wrong with a fit pic when the jacket is brand new. Even when looking at my own fit pics i can find things i don't like fit wise when the jacket is new, and they disappear after break in.

 

[El Marro]

Beautiful jacket Dude! I am not a stitch counter myself but I can certainly appreciate the precision that went into this one, particularly around the pockets and the cuffs. I agree with others here that fit is pretty damn perfect. As far as that other forum, I guess they are more worried about high fashion while I am more worried about freedom of movement and being able to bend over and pick up my keys if I drop them on the floor...
Great score!

 

[Monitor]

Seconding what @Carlos840 said.

Also, @dudewuttheheck , don't know what the other forum is but I'll tell you right away that anyone telling this jacket fits poorly is clueless. I stand by what I have said before - it fits like a leather jacket should fit. People telling you this are probably the sort that want a sausage casing fit and every angle and inch just as they'd imagined it, without ever realizing they're actually making a polyester shirt out of a leather jacket.

The kind that wants every single leather jacket style from any time period to fit exactly the same. If I've actually decided to buy an accurate repro of a 50's leather jacket and go for the whole look, I'd rather have it fit the way it used to at the time, which is something I'm going to trust to people who made the jacket considering they're the ones who invested countless hours to get it the way it's supposed to be.

Saying that this jacket fits poorly is basically saying that the guys over at Freewheelers are a bunch of idiots.
Sure, the shoulders are a bit wide and the sleeves a bit long but do you honestly believe that this is because Freewheelers messed up the pattern and never bothered to fix it - or - because they know exactly what they're doing and have actually recreated every single aspect of this jacket, fit included, to make it right?

Furthermore, if you look a the promo shots, you'll notice that the jacket fits you exactly the same!

So yeah, please tell these people on this other forum to stfu.

 

[jeo]

I agree with all that’s been said about the fit. But to go as far as saying it fits poorly, that’s just dick.

I’ve stopped listening to people’s opinions a long time ago and so should you Dude. I know what I like and I know how I want my jackets to fit. From reading all your posts, you seem like a very opinionated person so I’m sure you know how you want your jackets to fit. As long as your happy with it, screw everyone else. Besides with longer sleeve length (which I personally think is a dope look) you can achieve sleeve creases like this:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Greetings Dude et al:
First i’ll say i don’t know s**t about fit compared to the fit gurus here.
But i do know about people who blow smoke.
If someone blows smoke about my fit...well shame on them.
If i believe it...well shame on me.
Some folks blow smoke just to make themselves feel better.
Some blow kisses just to make you feel better.
Here i expect and see honest critique based on actual knowledge. Rarely smoke and kisses.
I’ll take your fit on that bitchin jacket and run like hell with it all day!! Perfect...maybe. Poor....BS!!
Sometimes you just gotta flush!
My 2c
Be well. Bowen
And wear the hell outta that!!

 

[ton312]

I agree with all that’s been said about the fit. But to go as far as saying it fits poorly, that’s just dick.

I’ve stopped listening to people’s opinions a long time ago and so should you Dude. I know what I like and I know how I want my jackets to fit. From reading all your posts, you seem like a very opinionated person so I’m sure you know how you want your jackets to fit. As long as your happy with it, screw everyone else. Besides with longer sleeve length (which I personally think is a dope look) you can achieve sleeve creases like this:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those sleeves look incredible! That right handwarmer tho is the stuff of nightmares. My 50's HB is the first and only jacket I've ever ordered w/out zips and I pray to God they never sag like that! I swore I'd never use them...

 

[ProteinNerd]

I can understand some people thinking the sleeves are too long but that’s personal opinion.

Taking a very superficial look at any jacket, if the sleeves are too long then usually it’s too big for you so maybe that’s what the other forum is stuck on?

Honestly there is no way a size down would be a better option.

 

[willyto]

Those sleeves look incredible! That right handwarmer tho is the stuff of nightmares. My 50's HB is the first and only jacket I've ever ordered w/out zips and I pray to God they never sag like that! I swore I'd never use them...

To me is the actual opposite. It shows that the jacket has been well loved and used. If you use your handwarmer pockets and rest your hands in them they will always end up looking like that and that. If you stop using your handwarmer pockets in fear of that... then handwarmer pockets aren't for you!

 

[ton312]

To me is the actual opposite. It shows that the jacket has been well loved and used. If you use your handwarmer pockets and rest your hands in them they will always end up looking like that and that. If you stop using your handwarmer pockets in fear of that... then handwarmer pockets aren't for you!

I'll never even put a piece of paper in them! My hands can go in gloves or pants pockets. I fear that sag. I fear all sag.

 

[sweetfights]

I can't see what fit aesthetic would deem this a poor fit! I suspect that they were hoping for a sausage casing? I've never felt a classic HB should fit like a CR or skin tight perfecto. Granted that's merely my opinion but in this case you have a nice trim fit without the jacket looking like it was poured over you like pancake batter.

Agreed. Cafe racer- tight. Others, no.

 

[Dr H]

I read the comments on Denimbro (tbf these come from a group that sees/wears a lot of Freewheelers clothing - I bought my Journeyman through that forum - so they are informed comments from members who familiar with the FW cut/quality/materials).

The general comments about fit mirrored your own: snug in the torso and long in the sleeves, which you plan to address (my Journeyman 42 is snug in the torso, but with well fitting shoulders and sleeves; my Brakeman 44 is perfect in the torso, but fits like your shoulders and sleeves). I can see where the observation relates to your shoulder fit (strictly there is a very slight overhang), but if you went down a size to fit the shoulder ‘perfectly’ you’d need to give up breathing...

However, it’s not a bespoke jacket and it is cut with the physique of Freewheelers’ main clientele in mind (typically narrower torso and shoulders). I find the issue that you describe common to a Freewheelers- they run a size small, and the shoulder/torso balance is finely judged; the sleeves are inevitably too long on practically all their designs (unless the wearer has long arms).

Personally, I wouldn’t stress: if you’re planning to trim down your torso (and I’m currently doing the same), then it’ll be comfortable and well fitting.
I would let the sleeves settle a little, but I’d get them trimmed (I’ll be doing this on the Brakeman) as stacked they’ll always look oversized from an aesthetical perspective and irritating to wear.

 

[ton312]

Odd that a jacket maker based in Japan, where the average male height is around 5'7", would make jackets with "overly long" sleeves.
What do they actually measure (on average)?