New Aero CXL FQHH - Any seasoned CXL wearers out there that can help?

[BloodEagle]

Hey all - Today I took delivery of this lovely item - an Aero 'Seven' jacket in their natural CXL FQHH. To say Im impressed with the finish and general quality (not to mention the smell) is an understatement - it seems so well put together and is such a lovely colour in person. Now, heres my query - it fits, I think well - however, it is extremely stiff and at points after wearing it carefully around the house can start to feel slightly painful (under the arms in particular,) though it is not too tight at all, rather perhaps just still new and stiff. Can I expect this stiffness and to go quickly and for it too feel comfortable, or if I do decide to keep it am I in for a long haul break-in before it isnt slightly uncomfortable, or will it always be slightly uncomfortable. Difficult to answer I know over the internet, but some general experiences with this leather would be greatly appreciated.. This quite a quandry for me as besides the stiffness and it not being exactly relaxing to wear at present I do love how it looks, but only having had new leather jackets made from Shinki or Vincenza before this comes as something of a culture shock. Heres some pics of it fresh out of the box, and also some of me wearing it and feeling slightly like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz as I try not to mark or crease it.

 

[Tom71]

Looks great! Fit appears spot-on.

Don´t worry about the sensation of the leather biting into your arms. Perfectly normal with CXL FQHH. The leather will get much softer in no time, provided you give it some good wear. Part of the stiffness will return when the jacket gets really cold or if you don't wear it for a spell, but it will never be as bad as it feels now.
If you want to speed up the break in, feel free to abuse the jacket: Roll it into a ball, sit on it, bend it, crumple it, whatever. Just don't close the zipper as it might tear open otherwise.

CXL HH will never be as comfortable to wear as other leathers and tannings (apart from stiffness and weight, breathability is an issue), but it ages like no other leather either, and you will not find a hide that loves abuse as much and is as waterproof.

Very beautiful! Congrats. I like it very much. Just do something about the - err - trousers...

 

[BloodEagle]

Congrats. I like it very much. Just do something about the - err - trousers...

Hahahaha ! Yes, I should mention that I am wearing my pajama bottoms, sorry guys needs must when it hits that time of night.

 

[Canuck Panda]

It takes time, and patience. CXL FQHH is an acquired taste.
I have a jacket from this same batch of leather. After a few weeks wearing, it is still stiff. But some horses takes time to submit. I got a few these now in different flavors in my stable, and given enough time , they all break.
Hang in there, and enjoy the journey!

 

[Psant25]

I have thrown a many new aero, Langlitz, and vanson jackets in the tub or washing machine to speed up the break in. Now i feel like i am leaning more toward natural break in for new leather. I think best is just wear it and preferably in some rain showers just naturally as water does wonders. Looks great enjoy and congrats!

 

[Boyo]

this was off the sales page right?.. fit looks really good. it'll break in fine, its a keeper in my eyes.

 

[BloodEagle]

Yep - popped up on their Instagram last week and I could not resist

 

[jacketjunkie]

Fit looks alright. CLX HH takes a while to break in, not as bad as some people make it out to be though. Wear it daily and not just put it on and walk around the appartment with arms stiff on your side. Move in it, make the leather work. (In my first Aero I did burpees and jumping jacks and wore it doing dishes or mowing the lawn, whatever activity really). If you want to speed it up, put it in the dryer along with some tennis balls.

 

[TREEMAN]

Just wear it as much as you can and enjoy, no tubs , washing machines or dryers needed.

 

[handymike]

I would use a hairdryer to warm up the armpits while you are wearing it, then move your arms around to soften it up a bit. After a few times it should be bearable while the rest of the jacket catches up.

The jacket looks great, Congratulations!

 

[photo2u]

I would just wear it around the house. Get use it. No rush.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Nice one. And it doesn't look like you have the usual neck lines, so bonus points for that. Trying to figure out why it happens, although it seems like Seven doesn't have as much as Sheene. But I digress.

I've heard the natural CXL was really thick. I was intimidated by my brown fqhh but it's come along nicely. Wore it at least 4 hours a day for about 2 months straight during the covid quarantines. And yes, I too wore mine with PJs or boxers sometimes as it was the end of summer when I first got it and our October had +100 degree weather almost the whole month.

I started off by using the "natural" method but then quickly realized I was acquiring too many jackets and would never get to wear it enough to make any significant changes. The one thing I did that drastically sped things up is I would roll it up into a log (lay flat, roll up, fold arms to the inside and keep rolling) and then knead it with my knees about 10 times on each side before I would hang it back up. Did that every night for at least a month. Scrunch it into a ball, use it as a pillow, lay it flat and sit on it. Pretty much beat it up. You do need to be aware of how the zipper is laid out though otherwise you could cause some deeper scuffs as you apply pressure. But this stuff is made to last at least 50 years, so don't think you need to baby it either.

 

[dubpynchon]

My CXL FQHH Highwayman was the same, wearing it in the rain was the fastest way to soften it. It still took a few months, mainly because I kept missing the rain. Now it’s completely soft. Another FQHH I have, a bootlegger, was soft out of the box so it very much depends on the batch.

 

[Jin431]

Maybe try warming up the leather first by leaving it out under the sun then wear it. The 3 cxl jackets I've had took about 3-4 months to properly break in with a good average of around 3 hrs/day of wear.