Goatskin vs Horse Hide

[OneEyeMan]

Just trying to get a handle on the major differences and similarities between the 2.
I know goatskin is much more grained with horsehide being a lot smoother. I've also read that goatskin breaks in quicker, and doesn't show as much wear and patina as horsehide down the road.
Finally, I understand that HH is very water resistant, but not sure about the goat skin in this respect.
What else can you all tell me about the 2?
Thanks all.
Lenny

 

[Creeping Past]

Check out the Various leathers in the rain thread.

 

[1911 Man]

There is also going to be a difference on Horsehide from Aero vs Horsehide from Wested, ie different tanning and dyeing processes, so you're going to get a very different jacket from different manufacturers, even if you stuck with one type of hide.

I've only had one goatskin jacket, and it was okay, but the jacket maker I've learned since is very poor. I understand G&B goat is great. My Aeros are Horse, and are tough as nails, and I love them. One is FQHH, and one is the thinner A2 horsehide, and they are very different from eachother. They are both considerably less wrinkly looking than my goatskin jacket, and much thicker and heavier. The goatskin does not fade like cow or lamb, giving that distressed look, it just gets wrinkly. I had a Wested Horsehide for a while, and it was much more like goatskin, in that the color wouldn't age or distress.

 

[bobbyball]

Hi there,

A lot of this is down to personal choice. Right now, I am more of a goat fan than a horse. But as with all leather, there is good, medium and bad out there.

At the moment I would say the goatskin being offered by Goodwear (John Chapman) is the best I have seen. It has a vintage authenticity quality and character and from my experience goatskin is a lot harder wearing whilst being very comfortable to wear. I have two of his jackets in goatskin and they are a firm favourite.

I have a number of USN G-1 jackets and they are superbly comfortable. Goatskin is an authentic hide for a repro as there were a few contracts that either offered this or exclusively used it in their production – Spiewak and Doniger used it exclusively and original examples of these have worn and survived better than a lot of horsehide jackets.

 

[Raymundo]

Horsehide is heavier than goat but not as durable. It is a little warmer to wear so it provides somewhat better protection in colder weather although leather by itself is not a good insulator. As other posters have stated, it seems like each jacket manufacturer uses different weights of leather to achieve the desired look and feel of their products and some use different tanning techniques as well. New horsehide jackets are stiffer than goat and usually take more time to break in. If either leather gets wet just let them dry naturally on a hanger. I wear goatskin in warmer temps and horsehide when it gets cooler but neither is good for Winter wear unless you layer under them or there is insulation in the liner.

Ray

 

[bobjones]

Horsehide is heavier than goat but not as durable. It is a little warmer to wear so it provides somewhat better protection in colder weather although leather by itself is not a good insulator. As other posters have stated, it seems like each jacket manufacturer uses different weights of leather to achieve the desired look and feel of their products and some use different tanning techniques as well. New horsehide jackets are stiffer than goat and usually take more time to break in. If either leather gets wet just let them dry naturally on a hanger. I wear goatskin in warmer temps and horsehide when it gets cooler but neither is good for Winter wear unless you layer under them or there is insulation in the liner.

Ray

I agree with this excellent post. I have FQHH from Aero with a wool/cotton lining (Grant tartan) and it is my winter coat, and have a G&B Expedition in goatskin, which is a far more lightweight jacket, but uses a goatskin I have yet to see matched anywhere. They complement each other well, as the G&B comes out in 50 degree + temps, and I am awaiting a FQHH Highwayman with a wool/cotton lining (Black Stewart modern) which will serve as an "alternate" winter coat. I am assuming the Hwyman weighs a few pounds less than my other Aero, and will be the last leather jacket for me for awhile...like until next year.

 

[Maverickson]

One of the differences I have found between the two different hides from a longevity stand point is that I have found HH has a top coat that is more highly resilient. As exhibited in a late 1940s or early 1950s civilian style flight jacket even though it has obviously had lots of use the top coat shows very little wear.

On the other hand, in my experience with goat hide indicates that it has a greater tendency when loosing it's topcoat to be more prone to exposing the more soft suede like appearance of the undercoat. Although this fact is not quite as evident in my Horse Hide jacket this fact would indicate and leads me to believe that horse is slightly more resilient than goat.

 

[Lear]

Just in case you had your heart set on the very thick goatskin, as shown by JanSolo; Aero are trying to discourage the use of this hard to find hefty stuff for the large coats. I'm not sure if this applies to just the larger expanses required for the coats, or the shorter jackets as well. There's a thread about it somewhere.

Edit: Here is the link:

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=45638

 

[P5640blouson]

Balance is key

Balance is key. Just thick enough, durable enough, water resistant enough, breathable enough, comfortable enough, is perfect. Tanning differences affects these things as well as finishing of the leather. There are tradeoffs. It is hard to improve one quality without affecting another. The more water resistant, the less it breathes. The thicker the hide, the less comfortable because of weight. The thicker the top coat, the more abrasion resistant, but less breathable, more plasticky. A good way to improve water repellency is to use a leather protective spray periodically after cleaning. Maintenance goes a long way it maintaining usefullness in a garment.

 

[Mojo]

This is the correct link for "various leathers in the rain":

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...-leathers-in-the-rain&highlight=leathers+rain

 

[HDRnR]

Over time horse will gain much more character than the goat. The goat might gain some patina over time but not much else.

 

[Jack Burton]

I rarely see this mentioned but based on my experiences, goat is tough and resists abrasion well however the grainy nature of it makes it prone to scratching. Things like pricker bushes, sharp metals and animal claws seem to scratch goat more than a smooth hide because the points easily "catch" the grain. Other than that, goat only seems to wear and loose it's finish at the edges. As the others have said, the non-edges just get wrinkly. This all may have a lot to do with the finish though as I've never seen a "naked" goat hide.

 

[HDRnR]

Goatskin will also stretch while horse won't.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Goatskin will also stretch while horse won't.

This is not true about Aeros horsehide. It stretches alot. Aeros steer stretches less.

 

[HDRnR]

I have an Aero in cordovan. I can't imagine that thing stretching its so heavy.

 

[Dav]

This is not true about Aeros horsehide. It stretches alot. Aeros steer stretches less.

Griff is right Aero' horsehide definitely stretches. Well the batch my jacket was made from does but not at all in a bad way.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I will add that I got samples before ordering my FQHH jacket, and its more apparent in the samples. The FQHH was like rubber and the Steer was indestructible.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Goatskin: the best

I wanna put a strong vote in for goat.

I've had many, many leather jackets. From kangaroo to lamb.

Goat is the leather I like most. It is fairly light, but one of the strongest hides. It is water resistant, abrasion resistant, it ages and softens wonderfully. Of the original A2's the goat versions are often seen as the most lovely survivors. Goat is strong, attractive and easy to wear.

 

[blethook]

What about resale value?

Am I right to say that used HH jackets would command higher resale price than the goatskin ones?

 

[aswatland]

Am I right to say that used HH jackets would command higher resale price than the goatskin ones?

If one is talking about Cooper A2s then the answer would be yes, but there are hh and hh jackets just as there are goatskin and goatskin jackets! Horsehide A2s are generally more popular and can command higher prices than their goatskin equivalents. But there are some excellent goatskin repros out there from Eastman and GW and they hold their values very well when sold second hand. There does not seem to be any difference in price when buying originals A2s, where condition, size and rarity are more important! However goatkin wartime naval jackets generally fetch lower prices than original A2s.