Horsehide can be pretty stiff...

[apba1166]

If you like the heavy cow/steer and don't want stiffness try it as naked leather....Fox Creek does this well, as does Reza Duro and perhaos Johnson and others. Perhaps one of the custom-makers, Aero or Goodwear or Lost Worlds or Langlitz or any of the many many others will make one of their designs for you in that.

 

[Gijoe]

I like my heavy Horsehide Jackets. I wear it since 3 years an they are still stiff. They look is sharp, but if you need a comfortable jacket for everyday wear stay away.

 

[kojax]

i bought my father a a-2 from gibson barnes horsehide . there horsehide is not that heavy. i

 

[roadking04]

Hi. Vanson uses a 3.5 ounce leather for thier competition weight leathers. Hope that helps you out Bonneville. I have one of thier motorcycle jackets and it was very stiff at first. After beating the crap out of it for a couple of years it is finally manageable.

 

[HepKitty]

kinda OT...

Horse leather is good for making masks, it holds the shape rather well. If I remember I'll post a cat mask that I made a long time ago. I used a thick chunk of leather, so much thicker than the jacket. I'm told that the piece I bought was from the butt, left over from Italian boot makers who use the sides and back

 

[Mojo1975]

Horsehide can be pretty stiff, but I've never run into a horsehide jacket where the "stiffness" was the problem. It's quite simple--you wear the jacket for its intended purpose and the jacket begins to fit to your body, getting softer and softer in all of the right spots (i.e. points where the jacket is either pressured or compressed). Steerhide race suits are quite stiff when you get them (yes, it's even true of Brazilian steerhide). Yet, you wear it, you break it in. No problem.

It seems that there are some people in the leather jacket market, most of whom know nothing about leather, motorcycles, CE ratings, etc., who push the envelope on thickness (ounces), hampering performance and, in some instances, safety. These fuddy duddies are not only a total pain in the ass, but have vacant and unfounded claims regarding abrasion resistance, hide selection, stitch row count, etc., leaving many customers wearing unsafe garments that actually increase the likelihood of defect or crash injury. It's too bad that these folks even sell leather jackets, but it is what it is.

Regarding what is too thick, greater than 3.5 ounces is pushing the envelope in terms of performance and actually makes for an inferior product. In short, stiffness is not a problem (it softens up), but thickness in a problem. Jackets that are too thick A) put unnecessary burden on stitch tolerance and B) hamper movement to such a degree that necessary responses are made more difficult or even precluded.

My two cents...

 

[Peacoat]

Hi. Vanson uses a 3.5 ounce leather for thier competition weight leathers. Hope that helps you out Bonneville. I have one of thier motorcycle jackets and it was very stiff at first. After beating the crap out of it for a couple of years it is finally manageable.

I would want nothing heavier than the Vanson. It feels about the same as the Aero steer. They are heavy indeed and take awhile to break in.

 

[Mojo1975]

I would want nothing heavier than the Vanson. It feels about the same as the Aero steer. They are heavy indeed and take awhile to break in.

Vanson Competition weight leather is 3.0 to 3.5 ounces, and I've only seen a 3.5 ounce Vanson jacket a couple of times in my entire life. I certainly would never want to wear it...yet, their usual "3.0 to 3.5" ounce leather weight (competition weight leather) is great! The horsehide that Aero uses is usually around 2.5 to 3.0 ounces (I think Good Wear is in this realm too, at least from what I've seen). I've seen a few heavy batches around the 3.25 ounce range, and I certainly would never want anything thicker... I feel that Aero, Langlitz, and Vanson have it just about right. Nice and heavy, but not too heavy. Some batches can get pretty darn stiff, at least in the Vanson and Aero stuff, but it makes it all the more fun to crease it and break it in yourself!

 

[Edward]

you mustn't lose sight of the fact that they're very old, too. I'm sure that wearing and exposure to the elements changes the hide. Who knows what those old horsehide jackets were like when first delivered.

(incidentally, I much prefer goatskin jackets)

bk

I don't have anything like your experience with vintage leather, but based on the several Aeros I own plus others I have handled, I think you're right about it being a wear thing. My FQHH Aeros (Bootlegger and a Thirties halfbelt) are noticeably stiffer than other jackets - say, my Aero AN6552 or the Aero A2 I recently picked up used, both in goat, or the Aero MC jacket I have, which is their steerhide. As I wear the Horse, though, they are becoming significantly softer and more supple. They'll never flex quite the same as a medium horse or the goat due to the thickness of the hide, but over time they'll have much more give. I should think. I'm a fan of all three varieties; much as I like the Aero FQHH, I do think that their other hides are all too often regarded as somehow inferior, which is entirely unfair. Interesting, though, that across most of the vintage repro market, horse has come to be seen as a higher quality thing. Understandable with the A2, perhaps (that having been the original spec, and so much of the perceived value of any military repro being invested in its accuracy), but I do wonder whether the general presumption of the commonality of horshide back in the day isn't rather a distorted version of history. I would like to add a new black leather to my wardrobe, something more utility patterned than an MC jacket. I am planning a variation on the Aero Thirties halfbelt (though it'll be some months before I can afford it) - I'm just torn between goat and steer for that one. I had almost definitely decided to go steer, but then an Aero A2 in goat that I picked up a deal on on eBay arrived in the mail, and I'm reminded how much I like that hide....

 

[usdiver]

To be honest, I've got a Roughwear 27752 jacket from Eastman in Horse hide and it's the absolute finest jacket I've ever had. Comfortable, warm, bit stiff but feels good on the body. Have a look at my other posts.

 

[jamespibworth@n]

When I first received my Horse Hide Aero LHB I was a little concerned over its lack if flexibility. This concern has now gone.
It took quite some time to ‘break in’ but now it is much more comfortable.
It seems like a totally different jacket to when it was new.
Also I feel it will get even suppler as I wear it more, it’s kind of evolving!!??

James.

 

[Edward]

I find that's the case with most hides, but it's especially pronounced with heavier horse. I like that sense of evolving over time - probably the main reason I can't see me ever buying a pre-worn jacket new (used is a different matter, of course).

 

[JakeHolman]

I find that's the case with most hides, but it's especially pronounced with heavier horse. I like that sense of evolving over time - probably the main reason I can't see me ever buying a pre-worn jacket new (used is a different matter, of course).

I fully agree with you Ed, I find the actual process of breaking in the hide very enjoyable, the fact that it's always evolving. As an aside - this is also why I like raw (unsanforized), stiff denim and how it fades and creases according to how you wear them - no two pairs the same!