Goatskin -- any input?

[Sheepdog149]

Hey folks, I'm thinking of picking up a "goatskin" jacket. I've read that GS is very durable, yet supple. I welcome any input and/or pics you may want to share...

Thanks,
Rolo

 

[Sloan1874]

Yes, compared to say horse hide or steer, it's lighter but it's more durable and opinion is that it tends to remain looking 'new' longer.

 

[DougC]

I have a goatskin Indy jacket from US Wings--I absolutely love that jacket! It is two years old and has been worn in the woods and rain--still looks new.

 

[Big J]

I got LW and Aero goat. It's lighter, thinner, more pliable, tougher, cooler, and more scuff resistant than horse, IMHO. I think it might be more waterproof too.
However, it doesn't age and show grain the way horse does.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've had two Gibson & Barnes goatskin jackets for years: a 2001-vintage Civil A-2 in Jet Black and a 2005-vintage M-422A in Seal Brown. Both hides have barely changed at all, even with heavy wear. The A-2 shows some gray undercoat on the worn areas of the windflap and epaulets. So it's not a hide to choose if you want to see aging for the worn look.

OTOH, goatskin is very supple and flexible, very strong and tear resistant, very comfortable to wear, and features beautiful fine "pebbled" grain. It's an outstanding jacket hide, which is so many military jackets (like the current versions of the A-2 and G-1) are made from it. Of course, there's variance in thickness, tanning and coating quality depending on how a given sample was sourced and finished. Some goatskins are definitely better than others. But even lesser quality goatskin (as on more modestly priced jackets) is a good choice.

 

[Fanch]

I have an Aero Maxwell (black veg tanned goat), Aero Pioneer (brown veg tanned goat), Gibson & Barnes "historic" A-2 Mark 31 (brown veg tanned goat), Gibson & Barnes Expedition (brown chrome tanned goat), and Cooper G-1 (brown chrome tanned goat). All are tough, durable, and flexible. However the Aero and G&B veg tanned goat jackets are thicker and nicer than the chrome tanned hides. Hope this helps.

 

[nick123]

If you want a goatskin that has color variation, I'd go with a veg tanned hide. Aero/BK/Norshor/Diamond/possibly GB mark 31. If you want a goatskin that stays a uniform color, go GB, Lost Worlds. I think any veg tan goat will patina a little more. Some makers offer both chrome and veg.

 

[Fanch]

Eloquently said Nick. Based on what I have, the Aero and G&B Mark 31 veg tanned goatskin hides are so similar in appearance, texture, feel, thickness, etc. that they could have all come from the same tannery. Same with the markedly different chrome tanned goatskin hides used to make my Cooper G-1 and G&B Expedition (Indy) jackets. As you might discern, I much prefer the veg tanned goat over the chrome. Just my preference, not saying one is better than the other.

 

[nick123]

Some people don't worry about it/have had no issues, but I think any veg tanned leather will require just a touch of oversight. If you wear it soaking wet in the rain on a continual basis, you might want to condition it every year? or so. Also, you'll want to be extra careful to not expose it to any heat when it's wet. It seems to be bad for every leather, but worse for a veg tanned. You probably won't have to condition a chrome/semi analine jacket for a decade or so, but you might have to condition an analine veg tanned jacket a bit more regularly. It's probably an irrational fear, but I'm inclined to believe veg tan is a bit more delicate.

 

[RJR]

I have two goatskin jackets that are 8-10 years old.No issues except it is hard to discern any aging unlike horsehide/steerhide.

 

[Bunyip]

Langlitz uses goat as their premier leather. While they also offer 3 variations of cow( heavy,mid etc) they really prefer people got goat. They say it's much more comfortable from the start, it's tough as hell, and offers a much more waterproof experience compared to horse. In fact, they don't even offer horse at all anymore. It's a different kind of patina, the pebbles tend to pop out after some wear, but you don't get the creasing and colour variations of horse. I was suprised at how different various goat hides can feel. The aero goat has a much much firmer hand than the Langlitz goat. After dealing with Langlitz goat, I assumed all goat was super soft etc. not the case. I love the goat, and it is super functional, particularly for biker gear, more so than horse in my opinion. Having said that, for a cool half belt, I think mid weight or heavy horse is cool, as the jacket genuinely evolves with you...for biker jackets, I've come to love the goat...horses for courses I guess! Grab some samples, lots of them, muck around with them, and work out what you want in a jacket. I can say though, that the aero horse has the most amazing smell and texture straight out the box. My bedroom smelt like a high end saddle and jacket shop for weeks...bloody great!

 

[Atticus Finch]

I've owned an entire flock of goatskin jackets. Several, I bought new. Several were over fifty years old when I bought them. Goatskin is an excellent leather for making jackets because it's strength to thickness ratio is very high. It can be split thinner than most other hides, so it typically has a very nice drape. Its also more water resistant than other species. The downside it that it takes forever to begin showing its natural grain. Horse and steer both develop a nice, grainy patina much more quickly than goat.

AF

 

[Sheepdog149]

Nice, thanks for the info. guys.

 

[bn1966]

My experience of goat has been very positive in respect of an original G1 and an ELC Repro M422A (see pic). Light, hard-wearing and more water resistant than some other hides. I have an ELC A2 in Horse & to be honest the patina appeared too quickly and with too 'vintage' a look for my personal taste. If I was making my A2 purchase again it would be goat.

 

[Sloan1874]

I'm definitely going with goat for my next purchase, as I really fancy something lighter.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Goat has more tensile strength and abrasion resistance than most other hide, except, maybe kangaroo. But don't accept people's comments about it not aging. This quality is all about how the hide has been tanned. Most goat people see is chrome tanned. That doesn't age very quickly. Most G1's and many repo A2's are made of this. But If you have veg tanned or combination tanned goat, it will fade and age very well (if you like that look). My veg tanned jacket from Alexanders has aged and faded faster than any horse or cow hide I've had in over 30 years of jacket collecting. The thickness and lightness of goat can be overplayed too. My Al goat is pretty heavy and very thick. I'd say close to 3oz (same as FQHH) It's actually too heavy to wear a lot of the time over here in this silly warm place.

 

[Fanch]

I'm definitely going with goat for my next purchase, as I really fancy something lighter.

Craig, I see a black goatskin Aero Maxwell in your future.

 

[Sloan1874]

lol, I thinking a kradjacke in black goat is on the horizon - premier cut, double-breasted...

 

[konadog]

lol, I thinking a kradjacke in black goat is on the horizon - premier cut, double-breasted...

that's pure costume, and i love it.

i have a aero bootlegger premier in russet goat coming in monday. i feel like this is the step you take before what you're thinking of doing, sloan. will post pics when it arrives.

 

[Deacon211]

I'm a big fan of goat. Tough but light. Here's my goat collection so you can see how varied goat can look.



1941 W+G:










1997 G+B: