Minimum Annual Usage

[Superfluous]

Earlier today, @Carlos840 wrote:

I wear it, but not often . . . meaning i probably wear it 10 times a year... Not enough i know.

This got me thinking. Because of my local climate and the number of jackets I own, I do not wear any individual jacket more than five times a year, let alone ten or more times. If I had a minimum usage requirement of ten days per year, I would only own four or five jackets -- maybe less. However, my addiction to outerwear and insatiable desire for variety compel me to own over thirty jackets (regular rotation -- more packed away) and wear each jacket 0-5 times per year. Over the past year, I have restrained myself and largely stopped purchasing new jackets. On the other hand, I contemplate new jackets multiple times per week, every single week. Of course, given that my jacket wearing opportunities are not increasing -- with global warming, they are probably decreasing -- buying a new jacket is asinine and will further diminish the frequency with which I wear my existing jackets (unless I sell a jacket, which is unlikely). Chalk it up to THE TFL EFFECT .

How many days per year do you wear your individual jackets? I suspect it varies from jacket to jacket -- what is the range?

@Carlos840 say ten wears a year is "not enough." What is your minimum threshold of annual usage? At what number do you consider selling a jacket because it is not getting enough wear? What is your target usage to justify a jacket?

 

[Guppy]

This should be renamed the guilt and neglect thread.

I have something around 60-ish jackets in my keepers currently, which works out to 6 wears/day on average, if I wear a leather jacket every day.

Some get more attention than others. Some I should really sell. Perhaps I shall. I do need to reclaim more closet space. And I know there are a few I can consider redundant at this point.

 

[Monitor]

Good question.

One of my favorites, Aero's Lee repro, is the one I wear the least, simply because the weather doesn't allow for it. But that jacket is especially dear to me so... If it wasn't, though, I'd definitely get rid of it simply because those few days per year I can wear it, which amounts to approx. 20 days or so, doesn't justify the wardrobe space to me (not that I need any wardrobe space but you know what I mean). If I can make some money off it, all the better.

So yeah, I personally wouldn't want to keep any jacket I can't ideally wear all the time. If it's not fulfilling it's purpose, which is keeping me warm on a cold day while making me (believe I) look good. Hence the never-ending quest for the grail jacket.

The realization that I have a jacket that I barely wear saddens me for some reason. Can't say why but I find it depressing so I always end up selling it.

 

[zebedee]

Jackets I don't really wear more than once or twice every year (or more rarely- if they're in the UK and I'm in Shanghai, a jacket might not get worn at all in a given two years) I sell or sometimes give to friends if I'm sure that I just won't wear them. Some that I've worn the hell out of get rotated (they get a year off) and if I wear them again, I tend to keep them.

Even more insanely, sometimes the two jackets I take with me overseas are ones I like least and, in this way, I try to form a liking for them. It kinda works. When it doesn't, one might get sold. I only have five leather jackets at the moment, though- when I owned eight, I actually felt a sense of loathing about it.

 

[Blackadder]

Many of my jackets don't get worn even once a year. I have lost track of many of them. I was packing some clothes today and found a Warehouse type 3 repro denim jacket that I have no clue about. Honestly, I only remember I have 2 LVC repro type 3 but no memory whatsoever of the Warehouse. I am pretty sure I have not worn that one ever.
I don't get to wear the thick jackets very often because of the weather. At most we get 7 days a year when the temp drop below 10C. I have an ANJ-4 that I have never worn and a B-2 that I have worn 3 times in total.
As to the thinner jackets, well I have four J-100 jackets now not to mention other racing shirts and the various denim canvas jackets etc so even though I was considering putting down my J-100 as my go to, the fact is each is getting worn less than 3 times a year.

 

[Psant25]

I only keep 3-4 leather jackets at a time. If I buy a new one i will sell the one worn least. Have done this for about 10 years. Even with 3-4 leather jackets i am consciously trying to rotate them and feel i do not wear them enough as is.

 

[Bfd70]

I couldn’t have a collection. With such limited wear time having jackets sit in the closet makes me feel worse not better. 6 is a good number To cover temps and occasions.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I have no answers to the interesting questions raised. But I will say this - I would love to only have 4 jackets. One leather, a tweed, a corduroy and a light 'summer' jacket. I have several friends who manage life very happily with only 2-3 jackets and they probably spend no more than $200 on jackets every 5 to 10 years. I envy them. I suspect that owning 50 plus jackets or multiple anything is almost never about the thing itself and more about nascent addictive behavior and misplaced hunter gatherer instincts.

 

[ton312]

I rarely wear my leather jackets. Regardless of the closet count, the temp outside, etc. it’s always an occasion, so wear time is a non factor. I usually keep around 6. I would never call anything a keeper. If I fall too far below or rise too high above that number I get wildly uncomfortable. I feel insanely guilty and shallow/ materialistic when I have too many. I feel sad and scared when I don’t have “enough”. I’m not sure what I want from them or why I even like them. But I do and always will.

 

[JMax]

I own 16 jackets. These plus the Vanson vest are my rotation for when I ride. I ride every day. My best year was close to 120,000 miles. I miss Denver. A more typical year for me is around 50,000 miles. So I have ample opportunity to wear my leather jackets. It’s the only reason I have this many.

 

[Downunder G Man]

I have no answers to the interesting questions raised. But I will say this - I would love to only have 4 jackets. One leather, a tweed, a corduroy and a light 'summer' jacket. I have several friends who manage life very happily with only 2-3 jackets and they probably spend no more than $200 on jackets every 5 to 10 years. I envy them. I suspect that owning 50 plus jackets or multiple anything is almost never about the thing itself and more about nascent addictive behavior and misplaced hunter gatherer instincts.

I have MULTIPLE leather jackets , plus several denim offerings. And yes , probably (for sure !) TOO MANY

IN MY DEFENCE , they are ritually cycled/worn , even on days where there is a cooler start , home on the car back seat.

I ride my motorcycle most regularly ( rarely to work now tho' ), they get used then up to low 30's C temperatures.

SO to counteract any feelings of negativity , several are always listed for sale on Aussie Gumtree , even including some of my "favourite" favourites. However NOT my Eastman(s), nor my Schott 641HH , nor my Simmons Bilt "matched pair", nor my Blue label Aero Highwayman. ( and others haha...)

I have sold quite a number of jackets , both on Gumtree and directly to mates who ask/pester me to sell them a particular one. The Gumtree listings often/always attract "I would like to offer $150" responses ( for a jacket that would cost $450 !).
So the selling "cycle through" rate can be slow , but relatively constant.

Indeed , just last week I "paused" some of my listings as I was sick of those silly lowball offers clogging my inbox and text messages. Some COVID-19 spike or home boredom/madness on folks part I thought !

Several times I have been "done" ( sound familiar ??) , and for periods lasting many months I have been..

THEN something pops up on TFL and , well , there's an almost new Vanson Ike in 44" comp steerhide en route right now

"Sigh"...

 

[roadking04]

My best year was close to 120,000 miles.

YOU ARE THE MAN!!! That's like 8 back tires a year!!!!

 

[dark wood]

I’ve never been a collector of things I don’t use. I have probably 6 jackets, all used regularly for motorcycling in different conditions, and a couple of these I wear casually. Frankly I am baffled and shocked (and entertained!) by some of your collections.

 

[Downunder G Man]

And jealous haha...?

 

[dark wood]

And jealous haha...?

Well you obviously wear yours, so yes.

 

[Will Zach]

For me 6 is also a magic number. Two for spring/fall, two for winter, and two for summer. Any more I'd have trouble justifying. Of course the road to those 6 is long and winding...

 

[jonbuilder]

I counted my leather jackets today, leather being the only ones that really manner and the total is 39 including one incoming. I added the jacket up by decade. Six of the 40s and all the 50s jackets are in excellent to mint condition and very wearable, but I also consider them as collectible and do not worry if I give them little wear time. The 00s to 20s are the workhorses as far as wear time. I would rather put the wear and tear on these replaceable jackets than my collectible ones if this makes sense. Two from this group are for sale. I fell that I should be selling more from this group, just have a hard time determining which I will miss the least. There are three jackets in the 50s decade I plan to work into my regular rotation, my 50s Cal Leather cafe Racer, my 50s horsehide Langlitz, and my later 50s three-pocket Cal Leather
Jacket totals by decade.
40s 8
50s 13
60s - 80s 4
00s - 20s 13

 

[JMax]

YOU ARE THE MAN!!! That's like 8 back tires a year!!!!

One year was like that. Long story. I used to be hard as a nail, those were the days.

 

[El Marro]

I have not counted the jackets that make up my “pile” but I suspect it is closing in on 30 leather jackets, over 20 for sure. Truth be told I am not wild about this and I keep telling myself that I am going to put some of them up for sale sooner or later. The fact of the matter is there are probably about five of them that get worn regularly and the rest of them maybe a couple times a year, if that.

 

[navetsea]

I have 7 leather jackets, all local made, so I have no special most priced jacket feeling, love them and wear them equally, the latest one probably get more wear the first 2 months or so, the shift of my wardrobe toward raw jeans by the end of 2018 was unfortunate for my leather jackets since I also tempted by denim jacket, and now have to share weartime between them, and there is also covid-19 to blame for less wearing time this year, I don't dare to go out alot here since our country is at #23 in the world chart, 2nd most cases in SEA, and among the least covid tested per million pop while being 4th most populated country in the world, also being one of the highest mortality rate,
so I wear them at home at least half day, but it doesn't get sun enough to fade and break in.