Introducing my latest Aero Jacket - Brown FQHH Route 66

[Navin323i]

Gents,

It's with great honor that I introduce, 4 years after my first Aero purchase (black FQHH NYPD jacket), my 2nd Aero Leather Jacket purchase... a brown FQHH Route 66 jacket. Given my interest in anything car-related, I've always felt this would be the perfect jacket for me, and I was right!

Only modifications were no throat latch and I removed the wind flap thing next to the main zipper. Also there are no inside pockets.

I wish to thank the entire Aero staff, particularly Holly and Ken, for helping me make my dream of owning this jacket a reality. I had forgotten how wonderful that horsehide smell is when you open up the box the first time to take out your brand new FQHH Aero jacket... very addictive and intoxicating smell for sure and I'm looking forward to breaking this jacket in and I'm wearing it even now late into the night as I type up this post.

Pics are below. Thank you all for your never ending support and good wishes as always and I look forward to hearing your comments.

 

[winterland1]

Jacket itself looks great. It looks like the arms are a little long and overall the jacket might be a little big. Maybe you like a looser fit. Not sure if the sleeves will shorten that much with creasing and time. Maybe pictures with it zipped up would look different.
How does it feel?

 

[Dr.Seuss]

For me, the sleeves would be "spot-on." I "lost" approximately one inch in length, during the "creasing" process; perhaps a function of my very long arms.

 

[mendelboaz]

+1 on what winterland said. Great looking jacket and it suits you. Does look a bit oversized, though. As long as it feels good that's fine however.

 

[Navin323i]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I worked out an arrangement with Aero to acquire this jacket at no charge due to a couple of things, specifically a jacket I had in my possession (blue/black goathide limited edition Levi's/Aero Speedway jacket) that Aero was willing to trade this Route 66 for, and the recent publicity I've given them with my movie/film work that I wore my Aero NYPD jacket in, so I'm sure that helped too. So this Route 66 (size 48) was on their website sale section, in case this jacket looked familiar to any of you.

Jacket itself looks great. It looks like the arms are a little long and overall the jacket might be a little big. Maybe you like a looser fit. Not sure if the sleeves will shorten that much with creasing and time. Maybe pictures with it zipped up would look different.
How does it feel?

Thank you! It feels great for sure and I intentionally got a baggier fit to account for the risk of weight gain from my Parkinson's Disease medications. Also I'm only wearing a thin t-shirt under the jacket so it's roomy enough for me to wear a sweater and other layers during the colder months.

Since this is my primary jacket for driving my bmw to car shows or when daily driving my car, I prefer the longer length for the sleeves so when I stretch my arms out to hold the steering wheel or hold the shift knob (car has manual transmission) the sleeves naturally pull back so the length is perfect at that point.

For me, the sleeves would be "spot-on." I "lost" approximately one inch in length, during the "creasing" process; perhaps a function of my very long arms.

Thanks! Spot on for me too and great point about the creasing process.

+1 on what winterland said. Great looking jacket and it suits you. Does look a bit oversized, though. As long as it feels good that's fine however.

Thank you so much! Yeah, with my body type and risk of more weight gain from my Parkinson's medications, the oversized/roomier fit is a must for me so that I don't outgrow this jacket too soon.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Looks really good Navin. I can imagine it must be so incredible to get your hands on an Aero FQHH jacket again. And this time a brown one wich is a little different from the black you have, in that it will develop patina in another way.

The jacket looks really good!

I also think it initially looks a little big both in body and sleeves, but I know with wear it will form to your body and look more right. My arms are also long, and the current Aero regime thinks they are hella long but when driving they are almost short, so yes this is also my choice. To speed up the process you could get some lukewarm water on just the inner parts of the arms and bend a few times so it starts to develop creses. Be sure to not wet the elbows and not go all the way in hard so they stretch when doing this.

 

[Plumbline]

Looks good man ... I really like the route 66 ...... and it suits you. Lining looks cool as well.

Wear it how you like it man ... fit is a subjective term and as much a feature of the current trend / fashion as anything. If it's too tight / loose youll never wear it so get it how you like it and wear it well and often

 

[Windward]

Hi Navin - looks great and fits you well - re the sleeves, I am sure it will be shorten to the perfect lenght!
Thats real HORSEPOWER .... Congratulation and wear it in good health

 

[Navin323i]

Looks really good Navin. I can imagine it must be so incredible to get your hands on an Aero FQHH jacket again. And this time a brown one wich is a little different from the black you have, in that it will develop patina in another way.

The jacket looks really good!

I also think it initially looks a little big both in body and sleeves, but I know with wear it will form to your body and look more right. My arms are also long, and the current Aero regime thinks they are hella long but when driving they are almost short, so yes this is also my choice. To speed up the process you could get some lukewarm water on just the inner parts of the arms and bend a few times so it starts to develop creses. Be sure to not wet the elbows and not go all the way in hard so they stretch when doing this.

Great to hear from you, brother!! Thank you so much for the kind words and excellent advice. I'm tempted though to take my time and develop the creases naturally. I'm playing competitive table tennis again (sandpaper and classic hardbat from the Victor Barna and Marty a Reisman era (1940s and earlier) so longer rallies while wearing my FQHH jacket will break it in with the arm creases quicker.

Looks good man ... I really like the route 66 ...... and it suits you. Lining looks cool as well.

Wear it how you like it man ... fit is a subjective term and as much a feature of the current trend / fashion as anything. If it's too tight / loose youll never wear it so get it how you like it and wear it well and often

Thanks bro! Excellent points you made which I'll definitely take you up on. Yeah, this is my first Aero jacket with the Lochcarron tartan lining. I know each lining has its own name. Do you happen to know the name of this particular tartan? I like the fact it has my favorite shade of turquoise that matches my bmw car color.

 

[Navin323i]

Hi Navin - looks great and fits you well - re the sleeves, I am sure it will be shorten to the perfect lenght!
Thats real HORSEPOWER .... Congratulation and wear it in good health

Hey Windward!!! It's so nice to hear from you after so long, my friend.
Oh my goodness... horsepower!!! I'm going to have to use that term now as I do more publicity work for Aero in my car endeavors. What a great way to tie in me wearing a car/bike themed horsehide jacket with my car - horsepower. :-D
Thank you so much for your kind words as always, my friend and hope you're in the best of health nowadays.

 

[nick123]

Navin, I think you did the right thing by taking the weight gain thing into consideration. Medication can be unpredictable. Nothing worse than not being able to wear your jacket because you outgrew it.

 

[Monitor]

Until August, this was my favorite non-MC Aero design (and one I still plan on getting) so first off, I wanna thank you for taking the time to share this beauty with us as Route 66 is rarely to be seen! As for the size, I think it fits you really well. When I saw the photos, the thought of it being too large hasn't really crossed my mind - I was blown away how cool it looks on you - until I read other members' comments and while I can see where they're coming from, as far as I am concerned, your new jacket looks just right on you. As others said, the sleeves will crease up in a while so you'll be thankful for that extra length and besides, longer sleeves cannot be a bad thing, especially if you are riding.

So yep, congratulations on your fantastic Route 66!

 

[Cooperson]

Quality jacket Navin, you got a great deal there. Wear it in good health!

 

[ProteinNerd]

Hi Navin,

Its a shame the LVC Blue-Black Speedway didn't work out for you but the Route 66 can definitely hold its own against it. I really like the details of the sharply angled chest pocket and the cuff straps.....looks great. I'm sure when it softens and breaks in to your shape its going to look even better.

 

[Sloan1874]

I love the Route 66, it's a really stylish jacket.

 

[Navin323i]

Navin, I think you did the right thing by taking the weight gain thing into consideration. Medication can be unpredictable. Nothing worse than not being able to wear your jacket because you outgrew it.

Thanks Nick! You are so right... medication is most definitely unpredictable, especially the ones for Parkinson's since people can react completely different to these specific meds. Yeah, I'm seriously loving this jacket and it's leaving me with a permanent smile on my face too as I'm wearing it, lol.

Until August, this was my favorite non-MC Aero design (and one I still plan on getting) so first off, I wanna thank you for taking the time to share this beauty with us as Route 66 is rarely to be seen! As for the size, I think it fits you really well. When I saw the photos, the thought of it being too large hasn't really crossed my mind - I was blown away how cool it looks on you - until I read other members' comments and while I can see where they're coming from, as far as I am concerned, your new jacket looks just right on you. As others said, the sleeves will crease up in a while so you'll be thankful for that extra length and besides, longer sleeves cannot be a bad thing, especially if you are riding.

So yep, congratulations on your fantastic Route 66!

Thank you so much!! I'm a huge fan of the August jacket too. If I hadn't gotten this Route 66 I was looking at getting the August jacket with the battered tan horsehide which is the exact color of the August jacket on Aero's website. You mentioned that the Route 66 is a non-MC jacket, but I thought it was marketed as both a MC and car enthusiast style jacket, no? You are so right though... I wasn't able to find too many posts on here from members with this Route 66. I recall finding one guy's brown FQHH Route 66 jacket but that's it.
I also noticed from Aero's link below that this jacket went thru a "makeover" in 2014 with various changes including removal of the windflap, however my jacket still had the windflap which I cut off, and this jacket apparently is one of the last if not the last jacket made in the "older/previous style".
http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=31

Quality jacket Navin, you got a great deal there. Wear it in good health!

Thanks Cooperson!! Great to still see you on here after my lengthy leave of absence but I intend on being on here more often, now that I'm back in good health and sporting a new Aero. Enjoy your day in the very best of health, my good friend.

Hi Navin,

Its a shame the LVC Blue-Black Speedway didn't work out for you but the Route 66 can definitely hold its own against it. I really like the details of the sharply angled chest pocket and the cuff straps.....looks great. I'm sure when it softens and breaks in to your shape its going to look even better.

It's truly a shame, my friend. I was looking forward to treasuring your old LVC Blue-Black Speedway, but sadly the fit was way too small for my liking. Hopefully Aero will keep this jacket, but I'm thinking they might sell it since they have this same jacket (pre-production sample(s) possibly) in their collection already. That blue-black goathide was absolutely sick! Such a beautiful color... a shame that they don't have more of that leather color to make more jackets in. I appreciate your time and feedback you provided me offline concerning the Speedway and all. I'm definitely in love with my Route 66 and even though my NYPD jacket was dedicated to my police chief grandfather, the Route 66 is totally me and I can see why Aero says on their website how the Route 66 is popular with both the car enthusiast crowd and the motorcycle enthusiast crowd. The bi-swing back is great too... makes it so much easier and more comfortable when wearing the jacket in my car and reaching for the steering wheel and shift knob to manually change gears.

I love the Route 66, it's a really stylish jacket.

Thanks Sloan and great to meet you! I've enjoyed reading your many informative posts and glad to know you're from Scotland. I was telling Holly from Aero how much I'm into Scottish culture and how my friends here in the USA jokingly tell me to change my name from "Kumar" to "McKumar" and move to Scotland. I may take them up on that offer someday... beautiful culture and people, not to mention the similarities in the prominent use of color in clothing between Scotland and my ancestral country of India.

 

[Navin323i]

This is my "temporary workaround" until the creases naturally shorten the arm length. Good thing the inside lining on the sleeves is brown drill cloth and matches the brown FQHH enough that it's not too noticeable.

 

[Monitor]

You mentioned that the Route 66 is a non-MC jacket, but I thought it was marketed as both a MC and car enthusiast style jacket, no? You are so right though... I wasn't able to find too many posts on here from members with this Route 66.

Oh, what I meant was, it's not a strictly MC styled jacket as in it's not in the Aero Motorcycle Jackets section, but otherwise yes, with the shoulder gussets and all, Route 66 certain is more riding friendly than many Aero civilian designs.

 

[vagabond]

I've been fascinated by the Route 66 as a kind of dual duty mc & street jacket. I wear my Aero 50s Halfbelt on the bike and I wear my Scorpion textile jacket out at night (when riding the bike, not just for the heck of it ), but neither is perfect in those unintended circumstances. I think the Route 66 could be a good compromise. Thanks for giving us a good look at it. Enjoy!

 

[armscye]

Just to help those of us who don't know the Aero catalogue that well, the Rt 66 is similar to the Bootlegger, but with bi-swing back and cuff belts, correct?