Funny Aeroleather Review I found on Schott Website

[Xenophon]

+1

you need to upgrade to Rukka .... then you'll be col as cucumber in the vegtable drawer of the fridge

Thanks for that, looks like very nice gear for European use. Over here (India) I just use a motocross mesh jacket with inserts during summertime. And a camelback, took a trip on my Enfield here last april where I rode about 350 km/day but it was 45 centigrade in the shade. Consumed an average of 7 liters of water + electrolytes / day. Like riding in an oven with strong crosswinds. But I've got the Aero limited edition red café racer coming up for wintertime riding here. Not safe of course but speeds are a lot lower here and the main risks in India are truck drivers bearing down on you (and not budging) on the wrong side of the road, 30 cm deep potholes and (at night) vehicles and bloody bullock carts without light travelling on the highway. Worst incident was a near collision with a pig that came storming out of the woodwork. Don't even want to start counting the chickens I left behind in a cloud of feathers.

 

[Don Tomaso]

I think the old management at Aero (Wil/Amanda) was a lot more liberal in their customizations. When I originally placed my HWM order way back then, I had included a detachable fur collar. When Holly and family came back into the fold, they said the collar was no longer an option. Luckily, they still allowed me my one piece back.

That's my experience too: I had my LHB sent back to Galashiels for several changes, namely the leather-strip at the hem, leather-lined cuffs, and others. The two former options have been agreed upon beforehand and I was willing to pay, 90 GBP, if memory serves, because I've seen this on other jackets and I was sure it would look good and work well. When they had my jacket in production then a ew months later, the management had changed and Amanda told me, sorry, Ken doesn't approve of the changes you want but you can have the curdory-strip, 6" wide, free of charge. I wasn't happy, but I had to take it like this. There have been further bumps down that road but Holly sorted them out very nicely, so I really don't want to complain about Aero's CS. It leaves a feeling, though...
I agree, not all mods are well thought of, but the way Aero makes it today is too restricive, imho. It is also so that not everybody has the same build, so some designs need some tweaking to fit you well, but this is also refused flat-out. "This model is a cut from 1940 and that is that." Bit harsh, Duuhh.

 

[Edward]

I got the impression Ken's driving down the road of having a broader range of standard model to fit a wide range of tastes, as distinct from a small range which is endlessly re-interpreted on an individual basis. From a commercial pov, that seems fair enough to me, really, but I can see it being frustrating if you wanted something different.

The leather strip I remember being a specific thing, though: Ken's take was that it wasn't necessary, and he therefore was not comfortable with charging punters £50 a pop for it. I have two fqhh jackets I bought from Aero about three years ago (well.... I believe them to be FQHH! I think at least one of them dates to the storse period, but they don't have the extreme weight associated with that, so...). The Bootlegger doesn't have the strip, the 30s Halfbelt does. I didn't order it with the Bootlegger because at the time I wasn't aware of it as a concept. The Halfbelt I bought from the sale page, and it had been specced by the original buyer. I've worn both jackets as much - maybe the Bootlegger a bit more. My experience with those (and my later-puchased steer Highwayman) would tend to suggest Ken is quite right that the leather strip isn't necessary to prevent excessive wear. On the other hand I've not had any of the difficulties some critics associated with the leather strip (distorting the shape of the jacket, affecting drape, etc) on my Halfbelt. All in all, if it was an option I'd probably have paid out for it, but experience suggests I don't need it, so they're saving me from myself. If ever I do require a relining on these jackets, I believe it will be a much less complicated task on the Bootlegger, without the leather strip, which is probably an issue.

 

[Sloan1874]

One of the things that has led to long waiting times was the past willingness to accommodate every customer request, requiring endless template tweaks and changes. As Edward said, by upping the models on offer to something like 50-odd, Ken's tried to find a balance between the demands of the customer and production, but I guess you can't please everyone.
If I recall, not even Will thought the leather strip was necessary, but I guess people 'just liked it' because it was there to be had. [huh]

 

[wdw]

The £50 charge for the strip was definitely there to discourage buyers, as even the ancien regime didn't believe it was necessary and felt it was too disruptive to production. Despite that it seemed to be quite popular.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I found that without the strip at the bottom rear of the jacket the cotton did wear disproportionately and the lining sagged and stuck out the bottom. Not a good look. I've seen this on others. It may not happen to them all but it's a risk associated with the vintage pattern.

 

[Don Tomaso]

In particular the Long Halfbelt is affected by this excessive wear, when you hang it over the chair or put it on a bar stool or so, as the hem will touch the floor. I also think it looks neater with the leather-strip. Anyway, it is as it is...

 

[Plumbline]

I have had 4 jackets wear through at the lower sides and back due to wear on Alpaca and Tartan linings ( one Californian, 2 Halfbelts and a Highwayman) on beltloops .. these have all been second hand ( except the Californian) so I conclude that it IS an issue. I've also has an amazing oil-pull Highwayman that the lining sagged inboth the back and the front ( 2003/4 vintage).

Depending on amount of wear ( particularly with jeans) this can happen relatively quickly especially if the jacket is worn often ( my Californian lasted 5 years) and the lining isn't particularly robust ... cotton dril and moleskin are tough ... cotton ( A2 type) is weakest, flannel next then tartan ( with the exception of Strome weight) ... this is EASILLY remidied by using a harder wearing trim on the bottom 3" of the jacket ... Moleskin and Cotton drill are perfect as they do not affect the drape of the jacket but leather will suffice ( although it does weigh the jacket down a little at the bottom ).

Just MHO guys ....

 

[Grayland]

I found that without the strip at the bottom rear of the jacket the cotton did wear disproportionately and the lining sagged and stuck out the bottom. Not a good look. I've seen this on others. It may not happen to them all but it's a risk associated with the vintage pattern.

I had an Aero 30's HB and the liner drooped below the bottom of the leather from day one. I safety pinned the slack out of it.

 

[Carrie @ Thurston Bros.]

We specify all of our Aero orders, at this point in time, without any leather or corduroy facing on the inside, bottom hem. This is the most historically accurate way to replicate a half belt, cafe' racer, D-pocket, etc. Being here in the United States, we will fix any of our Aero jacket liners that fall below the bottom hem, as this is not the way the jacket should come out. However, although this can happen in production, this is very, very rare, but does occur from time to time due to the amount of exactitude needed to attach the liner in this historically accurate manner. Regarding wear to the lower portion of the liner, this doesn't occur often and depends on a customer's individual wardrobe (i.e. types of belts worn, etc.). However, we will refurbish any of our Aero jackets that have this issue, just as companies in the '30s, '40s, and '50s would have done, so that the customer has many, many years before a complete relining is actually necessary.

 

[Cooperson]

I had an Aero 30's HB and the liner drooped below the bottom of the leather from day one. I safety pinned the slack out of it.

Had the same with my Aero Highwayman, lining hanging below the back of the jacket and a few weeks of wear and it drove me crazy to see it. Had my good lady wife put horizontal pleats in it. Had a 1" medium weight leather strip put in my next Aero, looks neat, does the job, what's not to like!

 

[schitzo]

On this subject, I can add that cotton drill can droop past the hem also, as happened to me on my 50s HB. If the corduroy strips are free I say go with them.

Sure, the tartan linings look great but since functionality is more important to me I tend to go for boring moleskin or cotton drill

 

[Seb Lucas]

We specify all of our Aero orders, at this point in time, without any leather or corduroy facing on the inside, bottom hem. This is the most historically accurate way to replicate a half belt, cafe' racer, D-pocket, etc. Being here in the United States, we will fix any of our Aero jacket liners that fall below the bottom hem, as this is not the way the jacket should come out. However, although this can happen in production, this is very, very rare, but does occur from time to time due to the amount of exactitude needed to attach the liner in this historically accurate manner. Regarding wear to the lower portion of the liner, this doesn't occur often and depends on a customer's individual wardrobe (i.e. types of belts worn, etc.). However, we will refurbish any of our Aero jackets that have this issue, just as companies in the '30s, '40s, and '50s would have done, so that the customer has many, many years before a complete relining is actually necessary.

Hmm... you say lining droop is very, very rare but there are a bunch here that report it happening to them. I suspect it's actually fairly common and a major defect in those "period correct" patterns.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I've had,I think,12 or 13 FQHH Aero jackets since 2000-1. Highwaymans,HalfBelts,Bootleggers,& Longshoreman. Wore probably a half dozen regularly and often(now I'm down to 4 wearers). Most with Alcapa lining. Only sag I had was the shearling Longshoreman with quilted lining around the bottom. The rest no sag problem. Perhaps any sag problem could be from certain machinists (?). All of my jackets have been made by just two different seamstresses over the years.
HD

 

[Cyber Lip]

will they do a thin leather at them hem instead of the cord? Seems like it would be a good solution. I can understand them not wanting to do the heavy leather, but a super thin strip shouldn't interfere with the drape or functionality of using side straps etc. right? I'd think it would be less intrusive than cord.

 

[Grayland]

On this subject, I can add that cotton drill can droop past the hem also, as happened to me on my 50s HB. If the corduroy strips are free I say go with them.

Sure, the tartan linings look great but since functionality is more important to me I tend to go for boring moleskin or cotton drill

Well, the boring moleskins or cotton drills look better with Crocs anyway!

 

[Grayland]

I've had,I think,12 or 13 FQHH Aero jackets since 2000-1. Highwaymans,HalfBelts,Bootleggers,& Longshoreman. Wore probably a half dozen regularly and often(now I'm down to 4 wearers). Most with Alcapa lining. Only sag I had was the shearling Longshoreman with quilted lining around the bottom. The rest no sag problem. Perhaps any sag problem could be from certain machinists (?). All of my jackets have been made by just two different seamstresses over the years.
HD

You may be right. I have a LHB with no droop after a year. My 1930's HB drooped from day 1.

 

[winterland1]

Hmm... you say lining droop is very, very rare but there are a bunch here that report it happening to them. I suspect it's actually fairly common and a major defect in those "period correct" patterns.

The FL leather jacket investigators are on the case. I say that in a good way for sure.