Johnson Leathers custom jacket, new photos

[Jeff M]

Hi Peacoat......I realize you said you have two Johnson jackets. Now the one you have with the heavier leather, is it about the same as Aero and Vanson or is it the heaviest heavy leather on par with Aero and Vanson (the one you don't have). All cowhide I presume?

Thanks,
coffee

Not Peacoat...but I do know a bit about the leather Johnson's offers.
I had a friend who got a custom made coat from them about 6 months ago.
Sat down and custom designed it with their designers on site.
Went in for fittings twice...they made a cloth mock up to see how it fit.
Could choose from a number of different leathers/colors.
He went with buffalo hide.
If you are looking for a heavy leather....this outweighs my Aero FQHH.
Actually a really cool leather. Jacket turned out beautifully.
Cost after including CA taxes a bit less than a new Aero.....without the added shipping and customs.
Now...if Aero deducted the VAT from non UK sales.........that wouldn't have been the case.

 

[too much coffee]

Hey Jeff...........maybe you can get your 8.5% sales tax reimbursed to you the next time you fly out of SFO!


coffee

 

[Jeff M]

Hey Jeff...........maybe you can get your 8.5% sales tax reimbursed to you the next time you fly out of SFO!


coffee

There you go! I'm up for it!

 

[billyb]

ForestForTheTrees, I'm really digging that jacket. Very much like my Aero Route 66. I really wanted a jacket made from Brown FQHH. I didn't think to ask if Johnson could accommodate. You live and you learn...

 

[too much coffee]

Thanks for the info Jeff M. Sounds very promising. I remember these bay area motor officers' jackets I handled. Each jacket seemed liked it weighed more than a three year old child!

coffee

 

[Peacoat]

Coffee: The leather I have--the next to the heaviest--is about the same as Aero and Vanson, maybe a bit heavier by weight on the scale. Hard to say as the jackets are all a bit different size. The heaviest leather they have, I want no part of. I like my motorcycle jackets to be well broken in when I ride. It will take about two years to get this jacket broken in. Not sure how long it would take to get the really heavy leather broken in. I know I don't want to be part of that process. Sounds like something JL Storm would like, though.

It has taken about two years to get the Vanson broken in to the point that it is comfortable to wear while riding. The Johnson leather may be a bit stiffer, so it may take a while longer. When it cools down a bit, I will start wearing it around the house and on some early morning rides to get it moving toward a tamer jacket.

 

[Peacoat]

ForestForTheTrees, I'm really digging that jacket. Very much like my Aero Route 66. I really wanted a jacket made from Brown FQHH. I didn't think to ask if Johnson could accommodate. You live and you learn...

I don't think Johnson does HH jackets.

 

[too much coffee]

Thanks a bunch Peacoat!
I've always been impressed with Vanson's competition cowhide.
Yes JL Storm would take that sucker, completely cover it in FQHH and then ask for more! Him and I are similar though, the heavier the better. I have a limit though.

Regards,
coffee

 

[feltfan]

I don't think Johnson does HH jackets.

They do HH jackets, both stock and custom. And they can get Horween just like your Aero.
I don't have a HH jacket from Johnson, but I have a friend who does, right off the rack.

 

[Jeff M]

They do HH jackets, both stock and custom. And they can get Horween just like your Aero.
I don't have a HH jacket from Johnson, but I have a friend who does, right off the rack.

Yep. Last I heard they could do HH.

 

[Vespizzare]

Thank you for this and other similar threads on Johnson Leathers. When I take a trip north in a few months to see some friends I'm definitely going into their place for a Highway Patrol style jacket. (I'm hoping for something, maybe a little custom, where there's a belt or something around the waist. I like to keep the cold air out when I'm riding.) The pics here are so much nicer than on their website and the thought of being fitted in person really seals the deal.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I'll just chip in again FFTT......I really dig your Johnson jacket. Is the kidney belt reenforced or just cosmetic?

Regards,
coffee

Thanks — it's really just a feature of the design, not so much a kidney belt. This was part of the M-200 base design that I started from and I left it intact.

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

I remember these bay area motor officers' jackets I handled. Each jacket seemed liked it weighed more than a three year old child!

The leather that I chose was an upgrade over their standard naked cowhide. It's a 3.75 oz. vegetable tanned cowhide from Horween Tannery. The leather molds to your body, yet is fairly supple for how thick it is. I develops "folds" rather than tight creases. The jacket weighs in at 6.5 lbs. Plenty thick & heavy for me.

 

[Worf]

It's not often I spend a teabreak in the office admiring another man's Johnson, but this really is nice. Looks like a (slightly neater fitting?) Highwayman with no breast pocket. Any inner pockets?

SPEW!!!! (another keyboard ruint) That sir was so wrong in so many ways I can't begin to tell. BUT it was FUNNY!!! So all is forgiven. Well played sir... well played.

Worf

 

[Edward]

I went with one inner chest pocket. I kept the barrel sleeves of a riding jacket but with no zippers for a cleaner look (I already have a dedicated riding jacket). Along those same lines I also eliminated the outer chest pocket. As already pointed out, I did keep the inner wind flap simply for functionality. As for fit, I wanted enough room to be able to accommodate a sweater underneath. They nailed it.

They certainly did! I'd definitely look into them if I was based over there.

SPEW!!!! (another keyboard ruint) That sir was so wrong in so many ways I can't begin to tell. BUT it was FUNNY!!! So all is forgiven. Well played sir... well played.

Worf

lol

 

[wallis]

I've been in email contact with Craig from Johnson Leathers. Apparently they can't get fqhh from Horween anymore. Craig also mentioned that the expert on this topic is away on vacation and he'd get back to me with possible alternatives. At the moment, the only hides that they have in the 4-5oz weight are bison, elk, and cow. I'll let you know what happens - I'm sure they can find a substitute for Horween's fqhh.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

They do HH jackets, both stock and custom. And they can get Horween just like your Aero.
I don't have a HH jacket from Johnson, but I have a friend who does, right off the rack.

That is not true. Sometimes they have horsehide in stock, but they can't just call up Horween for a 3-3.5 oz. horsehide. I dealt with Alan for over a year trying to source some decent horsehide and he couldn't do it. I wound up returning the two HH jackets he made for me because the hide was so awful (one had a huge burn mark right on the front). The jackets are well-made and he's very patient and understanding, but his selection of horsehide leaves much to be desired. That may have changed in the last 3-4 months, and you'd have to ask him directly. But my sense is he gets what he gets.

 

[Peacoat]

I've been in email contact with Craig from Johnson Leathers. Apparently they can't get fqhh from Horween anymore. Craig also mentioned that the expert on this topic is away on vacation and he'd get back to me with possible alternatives. At the moment, the only hides that they have in the 4-5oz weight are bison, elk, and cow. I'll let you know what happens - I'm sure they can find a substitute for Horween's fqhh.

That's what I thought. The last time I talked with them, they weren't doing HH. With the other responses that said they could, I thought something may have changed--guess not.

 

[wallis]

That's what I thought. The last time I talked with them, they weren't doing HH. With the other responses that said they could, I thought something may have changed--guess not.

They do have HH but it's only 2-2.5oz

 

[ForestForTheTrees]

They do have HH but it's only 2-2.5oz

They sent me a swatch of the lightweight horsehide and I did not care for it at all.

I was more interested in the weight of the leather, how supple it was and how it forms to shape over time and less concerned about what particular animal it came from. Alan mentioned that the vegetable tanned cowhide from Horween mimics horsehide in many ways. Cow, horse, it doesn't matter — if given the chance, I wouldn't trade out the leather I chose for this particular jacket for anything else. That's not to say that I wouldn't entertain the thought of horsehide at some point in the future.