Heaviest leather jacket?

[Ordy]

What's the heaviest leather jacket you own (for casual wear)?

How heavy is too heavy for you?

 

[Fanch]

My brown FQHH Teamster (28.5" back) with moleskin lining is my heaviest and one of my favorite.

 

[Sloan1874]

My LHB probably weighs the same somewhere in the same region as Mr F's - it's a size 36 with a wool lining. The heaviest I've experienced is Aero's super heavy steer - not sure it's used any more, but it was armour-like. I had trouble bending my arms! I guess some like the challenge, and it was a lovely looking hide, but I think the breaking in process would've been a battle of attrition and I'm not sure I'd have won.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I generally these days won't wear heavier than 2.5 oz but I have a 3oz cowhide. I don't like the cumbersome or heavy feel of thicker hides and the lighter ones are more versatile. Interestingly as some of the vintage buffs will tell you the classic era jackets used thinner hides than the ones many expect today.

 

[Ordy]

I generally these days won't wear heavier than 2.5 oz but I have a 3oz cowhide. I don't like the cumbersome or heavy feel of thicker hides and the lighter ones are more versatile. Interestingly as some of the vintage buffs will tell you the classic era jackets used thinner hides than the ones many expect today.

Raw denim is similar. Early denim was fairly light, around 10 oz.

 

[Superfluous]

I generally these days won't wear heavier than 2.5 oz but I have a 3oz cowhide. I don't like the cumbersome or heavy feel of thicker hides and the lighter ones are more versatile. Interestingly as some of the vintage buffs will tell you the classic era jackets used thinner hides than the ones many expect today.

Completely agree.

Insurrection recently sent me an Aero fit jacket made from standard Horween HH (Im guessing 3-3.5 oz leather). For me, personally, it was unwearable. Nice leather, but far too heavy and rigid for my personal preferences. I understand why riders might prefer the additional protection offered by such a hide. For non-riders like myself, the weight and rigidity strikes me as wildly counter-productive and undesirable.

 

[Smithy]

I've got an Aero Barnstormer that weighs 2.7kg, or 6 or so pounds which would be my heaviest leather jacket. I don't find it a bother but I wouldn't wear it if I had to run around like a mad thing or scale fences or anything like that.

 

[Peacoat]

Completely agree.

Insurrection recently sent me an Aero fit jacket made from standard Horween HH (Im guessing 3-3.5 oz leather). For me, personally, it was unwearable. Nice leather, but far too heavy and rigid for my personal preferences. I understand why riders might prefer the additional protection offered by such a hide. For non-riders like myself, the weight and rigidity strikes me as wildly counter-productive and undesirable.

While the jacket you describe initially feels "rigid," the HH breaks in quickly, becomes soft relatively quickly and molds to the body. After break in, it actually feels soft, and is very comfortable to wear. I have never noticed a jacket being heavy while being worn, and I have, or have had, probably five or six of them at, or about, 7 pounds. Initially stiff and uncomfortable--yes, but break in for the HH is relatively quick. Often the cowhide takes a bit longer.

 

[tropicalbob]

I always find it interesting when members here say that they find FQHH cumbersome, restrictive, or too heavy. I wore my long halfbelt pretty consistently on a recent trip up north and I never noticed any of that. I'm coming to the conclusion that some batches of HH must really vary from others.

 

[Ordy]

Does anyone own a jacket made of Vanson's Competition Weight leather? Is it too heavy for casual wear?

 

[Superfluous]

I always find it interesting when members here say that they find FQHH cumbersome, restrictive, or too heavy. I wore my long halfbelt pretty consistently on a recent trip up north and I never noticed any of that. I'm coming to the conclusion that some batches of HH must really vary from others.

I suspect that, to some degree, it is a matter of what you are accustomed to. If you are accustomed to heavier weight jackets, they likely become second nature and/or even preferable. Moreover, as Peacoat observed, heavier weight jackets apparently undergo dramatic changes in character as they age.

 

[Edward]

I always find it interesting when members here say that they find FQHH cumbersome, restrictive, or too heavy. I wore my long halfbelt pretty consistently on a recent trip up north and I never noticed any of that. I'm coming to the conclusion that some batches of HH must really vary from others.

Leather is an organic material, so it's certainly plausible that it could vary a bit. I suspect, though, that the biggest variation comes from individual, subjective opinion. I like my leather stiff - I'll always blanket-reject lambskin jackets because for my tastes they're just too flimsy (albeit that they're far closer to the reality of most British leather jackets from the 30s/40s, as far as I can make out - which is why so few survive. I'm happy to compromise accuracy against durability, especially given what these things cost!). Comes of cutting my leather jacket teeth on bike leathers in the Eighties, I think. I've certainly never thought to weigh a jacket. I do notice a difference with the lighter jackets - specifically my Aero and Wested goatskins - which can be worn later in the year, in towards the Summer. Again, though, I tend to feel that fit (jackets with a bit of a roomier cut, like the Highwayman don't feel "hot" as quickly as the neater-fitting halfbelt types to me) and lining (cotton is always cooler than satin for me) make as much difference as the (perceived) weight of the hide.

 

[Plumbline]

I had a Veste Des Rallye which weighed in just over 8lbs in Heavy Brown FQHH .... it never really softenedand was a real chore to wear ... tough as nails and will outlast me by some distance but I sold it on as it was replaced by a mid-weight VDR in similar but lighter leather.

I like heavyweight short jackets but both my Long Halfbelt and also my VDR's are mid weight and my Alexanders Lavants are 3.5oz which is about as heavy as I now prefer to go in longer jackets.

I have an interesting mix of hides now and weights and it makes picking the perfect jacket for the weather easier

 

[Sloan1874]

8lbs, that's unusually heavy! Sure you weren't still wearing the horse as well?

 

[Edward]

Maybe one of the storse jackets? As memory serves, one of the giveaways with those was supposed to be that they were unnaturally heavy when believed to be horse.

 

[Plumbline]

It was indeed a monster .. 2002 vintage according to the little label so predated Storse and with the blanket alpaca lining it was a winter favourite for a few years ....... I have pics of it, I'll see if I can post them later. It was, however, in true Aero style, a marvelous creation and will no doubt outlast it's new owner.

I did impress ladies in bars with how heavy it was .... I would even let them hold it to compare with their previous experience... needless to say all were impressed !

 

[Plumbline]

This is after 13 years of wear ........... the buttons never ever were easy to use even after that time and until my AL Simmonds Bilt it had put me off button jackets .........

 

[Don Tomaso]

...
I did impress ladies in bars with how heavy it was .... I would even let them hold it to compare with their previous experience... needless to say all were impressed !

I had the same with my - pretty mundane - LHB in FQHH. In size 48 this definitely has a heft to it. Not only the ladies were impressed.
The only downside is that sometimes my back aches a bit...:eeek:

 

[Eyestrain]

Does anyone own a jacket made of Vanson's Competition Weight leather? Is it too heavy for casual wear?

I have a Vanson Comet in comp weight. It was stiff as hell for the first year, and after that it has become quite pliable and pleasant for daily wear. Now it's not so much that it's too "heavy" for casual wear, but, in my experience, the heaviness makes it a little too warm to wear off the bike in warmer weather.

 

[Monitor]

Vanson Model A, size 46 in comp weight. Heaviest jacket I've ever owned. Around 3.5kg or 8 lbs and that's without the zip out liner.