How do YOU break in a new jacket?

[navetsea]

with thick leather I don't want the jacket to be soft everywhere like a blanket with some sheen , it should be soft on the moving parts only, elbow, shoulder, around the waist, but the other parts not affected by my joints should forever be crisp and hard, want something that feel personalized by me wearing it, parts looking crisp next to parts where it got soft with grains showing

 

[Monitor]

with thick leather I don't want the jacket to be soft everywhere like a blanket with some sheen , it should be soft on the moving parts only, elbow, shoulder, around the waist, but the other parts not affected by my joints should forever be crisp and hard, want something that feel personalized by me wearing it, parts looking crisp next to parts where it got soft with grains showing

Yeah, that's exactly it. Ultimately, it's all about the jacket being comfortable while still looking the way we imagine a leather jacket should.

You can't get that with soft, very light leather as it'll just drape same way as any fabric so people want to quicken the break-in process to get that leather jacket look (it's true that a new leather jacket is the worst it'll ever look), without having to deal with it being uncomfortable. Because nobody wants the jacket to be uncomfortable.
Many people don't wear their jackets a lot at all. Let's face it, how many of us can say we wear our jackets for longer than one hour a day? That way, we'd never end up with the look we want which was primarily the reason we bought a leather jacket.

And also, no matter how heavy the leather is, you'll get it broken in in the elbows and under the arms and et cetera very quickly and the rest will take years. Doesn't matter if it's made of 3 oz or 6 oz leather, the initial creasing will set in immediately and the rest of the jacket will look the same for a long, long time, with the heavier hide just being harder to wear. I've had some pretty heavy jackets and none draped any differently than any mid-weight Schott. Beyond certain point it's all the same.

 

[ton312]

What kind of thickness is the Herc, ton? I always thought it was around 2.5oz. The weight you report sounds 3oz.

I would say that’s a good bet Seb. Herc is a bit over 6lbs and the Aero closer to 5.

 

[Seb Lucas]

with thick leather I don't want the jacket to be soft everywhere like a blanket with some sheen , it should be soft on the moving parts only, elbow, shoulder, around the waist, but the other parts not affected by my joints should forever be crisp and hard, want something that feel personalized by me wearing it, parts looking crisp next to parts where it got soft with grains showing

My heaviest 6 pound steer hide 3/4 length coat is soft all over. Not butter soft, but thick woolen blanket soft. I like it like that.

Lots of thick leather jackets end up with 100% soft drape including some versions of FQHH.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I would say that’s a good bet Seb. Herc is a bit over 6lbs and the Aero closer to 5.

Interesting ton - in the Sears catalog that jacket seems to be described as weighing from 4.6 to 4.10 pounds (from memory). Maybe steer and horse weigh differently.

 

[navetsea]

My heaviest 6 pound steer hide 3/4 length coat is soft all over. Not butter soft, but thick woolen blanket soft. I like it like that.

3/4 coat is another story, I was referring to short waist or hip long jackets, I just prefer mine to have some contrast in the broken in state of the jacket.

 

[navetsea]

Yeah, that's exactly it. Ultimately, it's all about the jacket being comfortable while still looking the way we imagine a leather jacket should.

You can't get that with soft, very light leather as it'll just drape same way as any fabric so people want to quicken the break-in process to get that leather jacket look (it's true that a new leather jacket is the worst it'll ever look), without having to deal with it being uncomfortable. Because nobody wants the jacket to be uncomfortable.
Many people don't wear their jackets a lot at all. Let's face it, how many of us can say we wear our jackets for longer than one hour a day? That way, we'd never end up with the look we want which was primarily the reason we bought a leather jacket.

And also, no matter how heavy the leather is, you'll get it broken in in the elbows and under the arms and et cetera very quickly and the rest will take years. Doesn't matter if it's made of 3 oz or 6 oz leather, the initial creasing will set in immediately and the rest of the jacket will look the same for a long, long time, with the heavier hide just being harder to wear. I've had some pretty heavy jackets and none draped any differently than any mid-weight Schott. Beyond certain point it's all the same.

big creases appear almost immediately in first wear along the sleeve, but after sometime it develops finer creases, dings, dimples appear, and twist of your forearm crisscrossing the normal creases, or something like "island" appear in the middle of the valley of bigger creases and

the flared unstitched rolled cuff end that will take a while.

I still waiting for lower back creases above the kidney panel, it has not appear yet on my leather, my denim has it within a month lol.

 

[ton312]

Interesting ton - in the Sears catalog that jacket seems to be described as weighing from 4.6 to 4.10 pounds (from memory). Maybe steer and horse weigh differently.

Tbh I going purely off weight when shipped. The Herc and Aero both traveled to Dena in the same box (on separate occasions). Herc was 7.5lbs and the Aero was just over 6. Assuming the box & packaging weighs a lb. That said when I hold the two next to each other I can def feel the Herc as heavier. It’s also lined in that thicker nylon quilt, while the Aero in cotton drill.

 

[ton312]

I love heavy leather but I don’t care for extremely stiff leather. I used to. Quite a bit actually. I still enjoy looking at super heavy 4oz plus mega stiff hides but for actual wear... that’s just no longer my cup of tea. 3-3.5oz in a grainy hide is more than enough for me. Must be getting old. LOL. In all seriousness though, my tastes have definitely changed and that change was sparked by a few nice fitting vintage pieces.

 

[handymike]

I will usually “shape” the collar in the first few days because I hate when they stick out all stiff-like. Sometimes I also take a steamer to the arms so I dont get a rash from the break-in process. Beyond that it’s all about wearing.

 

[Peacoat]

I love heavy leather but I don’t care for extremely stiff leather. I used to. Quite a bit actually. I still enjoy looking at super heavy 4oz plus mega stiff hides but for actual wear... that’s just no longer my cup of tea. 3-3.5oz in a grainy hide is more than enough for me. Must be getting old. LOL. In all seriousness though, my tastes have definitely changed and that change was sparked by a few nice fitting vintage pieces.

Agreed. Today I like Aeros 3 to 3.5 oz FQHH. It's easy to break in and doesn't get terribly stiff when the temp. drops. My Vanson Competition weight and Johnson Leathers MC jackets, both in cow, took forever to finally get soft enough to be comfortable. Now, however, they are soft and easy to wear, but still would give good protection in the event of an involuntary dismount with the resulting slide across pavement/gravel.

 

[Seb Lucas]

3/4 coat is another story, I was referring to short waist or hip long jackets, I just prefer mine to have some contrast in the broken in state of the jacket.

I'm not sure the length matters. But personal preference does.

 

[navetsea]

I'm not sure the length matters. But personal preference does.

long jacket to me would be silly if not moving along when you walk. personal preference does matters, you do you buddy

 

[Seb Lucas]

long jacket to me would be silly if not moving along when you walk. personal preference does matters, you do you buddy

Maybe 3/4 length is the wrong term. This is not some grotesque Matrix style leather overcoat, just a 1950's hip length jacket - 3 inches longer than a 'short' jacket.

 

[toomanynotenough]

A long-time lurker, I finally purchased my first heavy weight jacket--A Schott 613S. I've been reading and re-reading the posts about breaking in, and I'm still a little horrified that the Schott/Horween Steer isn't the worst to break in. I was going to just wear it in the house, but after two days, I need a break. I tried to sleep in it, but that was impossibly uncomfortable. I may resort to spritzing it with water. I can see why the guy who offered to break in your jacket wasn't so far off. And as much as I dislike wearing other peoples' clothes, I can see the value in buying one second hand.

With that said, after two short days, the sleeves ARE more comfortable (I swear I had bruises after the first day), and the jacket isn't quite so boxy. Maybe I'm also a bit self-conscious about wearing a brand new jacket--As a kid, I hated wearing new shoes to school.

But now I'm having second thoughts about getting that FQHH Aero I've had my eye on for years...

One last note, I was pretty happy with Schott's online size estimator. It seems to be pretty spot-on, at least for me and the 613S.

I recently tried a method i read on this forum for softening up a jacket. I put my Schott 370 roughout jacket in the spin drier on cold for 30 minutes. Helped a lot, it drapes better and conforms to my body and movements how i like now.
Tumbled Brown CXFQHH is a product that undergoes a similar process but likely more precise and tested. But someone with more knowledge could confirm.
I think it is such a personal choice both the look of the leather and feel.

 

[Corsair42]

Just a warning on hot water treatments and so on - get a sample piece of leather and try it on that. I've had a range of samples a few times where I have got them wet, scrunched them to replicate wear then left them to dry naturally. Some of the samples were absolutely ruined, the oils and finish were more or less washed out and they dried stiff as a board and became dull and lost colour. Horween FQHH barely changed, unsurprising given the oils packed into it but a few mid weight hides were ruined. If you want to accelerate wear, wait until its raining and leave it on a chair in the rain for a few hours (you can wear it yourself if want), if its a biblical downpour of monsoon proportions, maybe just leave it for a few minutes vs a few hours. Bring it indoors and let it dry flat naturally - no heat. While its still a tiny bit damp, wear it to allow it to mold to your body. It wont add ten years of wear but if you add ten years of wear to a jacket all you are doing is having it look cool for a few years then absolutely buggered as it deteriorates further, if you just accelerate break in moderately it will look good in no time.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Just a warning on hot water treatments and so on - get a sample piece of leather and try it on that. I've had a range of samples a few times where I have got them wet, scrunched them to replicate wear then left them to dry naturally. Some of the samples were absolutely ruined, the oils and finish were more or less washed out and they dried stiff as a board and became dull and lost colour. Horween FQHH barely changed, unsurprising given the oils packed into it but a few mid weight hides were ruined. If you want to accelerate wear, wait until its raining and leave it on a chair in the rain for a few hours (you can wear it yourself if want), if its a biblical downpour of monsoon proportions, maybe just leave it for a few minutes vs a few hours. Bring it indoors and let it dry flat naturally - no heat. While its still a tiny bit damp, wear it to allow it to mold to your body. It wont add ten years of wear but if you add ten years of wear to a jacket all you are doing is having it look cool for a few years then absolutely buggered as it deteriorates further, if you just accelerate break in moderately it will look good in no time.

People obviously need to make their choice on this. I have washed dozens of jackets in a front loading washing machine, with detergent (cold water) slow air dry. Everything from goat, cow, steer, horse and lambskin. The results have always improved the drape and look of the leather, popped the grain and saved me about three months of annoying break in wear.

 

[Peacoat]

I recently tried a method i read on this forum for softening up a jacket. I put my Schott 370 roughout jacket in the spin drier on cold for 30 minutes. Helped a lot, it drapes better and conforms to my body and movements how i like now.
Tumbled Brown CXFQHH is a product that undergoes a similar process but likely more precise and tested. But someone with more knowledge could confirm.
I think it is such a personal choice both the look of the leather and feel.

It may have been me who posted that method. When the jacket drops to the bottom of the drier, it is a gentle way of softening the leather. I don't put tennis balls in though, as suggested by some, as they can be abrasive to the high points of the jacket, specifically the collar.

Using the drier alone softens the leather without creating any artificial aging, of which I'm not a fan.

 

[CBI]

best to just wear a lot

 

[JoeNiblick]

I know I've seen the answer here before, but I can't seem to find it by search...

What's the typical shinkage expected with arms with wearing in? I assume it's different for different types of leather. What's been your experience?