Recent Wested Quality?

[Zoo]

It is time to replace my 20 year old Wested Indy jacket. I am happy with it, but it no longer fits. I am considering ordering one of their Captain America style jackets as a replacement. I would appreciate hearing from people who have received jackets from them recently, as to their quality.

Thank you in advance!
Zoo

 

[Seb Lucas]

I got a Wested a couple of months back. No issues. Remember, their quality is variable and may differ depending on the day and the machinist. Often the biggest difference between excellence and average is consistency. Wested make reasonable items of gear - I would say the linings are thin and poor and the attention to detail may be hit or miss. The Captain America is a pretty soft and floppy copy and to my eye the proportions are not quite right. Why not buy a similar used d-pocket cross zip jacket on eBay? The issue with Wested is not just about the quality of manufacture, it's how convincing is the pattern making and cut.

 

[Zoo]

Thank you Seb. I like that the Wested Cap doesn't have a biker jacket body. The longer body and pleated back are features I like. I also am thinking about asking for a couple of other changes to distance it from the movie design.

Since it would be a daily wear jacket, not in rotation, I am a bit leary about vintage leather holding up.

Honestly, I hadn't known about the D pocket designation before today. Thank you for the tip, it is something to look into.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Thank you Seb. I like that the Wested Cap doesn't have a biker jacket body. The longer body and pleated back are features I like. I also am thinking about asking for a couple of other changes to distance it from the movie design.

Since it would be a daily wear jacket, not in rotation, I am a bit leary about vintage leather holding up.

Honestly, I hadn't known about the D pocket designation before today. Thank you for the tip, it is something to look into.

Now you should add a new question. How does Wested manage with requests for changes to jackets? Answer - be careful, it is very hit and miss. Better you buy a jacket you like as is. The problem with this jacket is that unless you are super aware of your basic measurements, you could end up with a baggy car coat that looks like it might have had a cross zip d pocket as a parent.

 

[Zoo]

Thank you again. I was mainly thinking sleeve zips or plain sleeves and 2 patch pockets instead of the patch pocket and welted pocket. From the listed measurements, I don't think I need to change anything in lengths or such.

 

[Harris HTM]

I got my Indy in goat two years ago. It is my first wested jacket thus I cannot compare with older models, but so far I am pretty satisfied with it for the price. It is not fair to compare it to my Aero's as it costs 5 times less, but the only thing I think is sensitive to wear is the lining, it seems thin (again I am not complaining, for the price it is great). Pretty much straight seams, no sewing problems.

 

[marker2037]

I got a Raiders Hero in washed lamb in November and it's very well made. I'm incredibly happy with it. Here's a couple pics of me wearing it in Prague this past February. I don't have any problems with ordering from them again.

 

[Zoo]

My long-suffering Wested Indy.

 

[Robbie79]

My long-suffering Wested Indy. View attachment 225670

Beautiful patina! Never heard of this brand before.

 

[Beast]

I have a Wested Brando, great jacket...hot and used to squeak like mad, greased it up with leather grease and now it still squeaks, but far more civilized

This is not helping me in controlling the urge to buy an indy jacket in goat from them! (Psst, keep up the good work)

 

[Seb Lucas]

Beautiful patina! Never heard of this brand before.

Wested in the UK make leather jackets for movie and TV costumes. Including the Raiders and Last Crusade jackets for Harrison Ford. They went into business selling to fans in the 1990's.

Their jackets are reasonably well made but their pattern making and quality sometimes reflects the fact that they made costumes, not real world clothing. Fan feedback over years helped Wested to get the Indy pattern more correct and robust, as the original pattern details seem to have been mislaid.

The movie jackets and most fan jacket repros are lambskin.

 

[Robbie79]

Wested in the UK make leather jackets for movie and TV costumes. Including the Raiders and Last Crusade jackets for Harrison Ford. They went into business selling to fans in the 1990's.

Their jackets are reasonably well made but their pattern making and quality sometimes reflects the fact that they made costumes, not real world clothing. Fan feedback over years helped Wested to get the Indy pattern more correct and robust, as the original pattern details seem to have been mislaid.

The movie jackets and most fan jacket repros are lambskin.

Thanks for your explanation and interesting to know!

 

[Doctor Strange]

They're lambskin because the original 1980 jackets used when making Raiders were made of lambskin - hey, they were movie wardrobe for shooting in Tunisia. (I got my Wested Raiders in lambskin for that reason, because it was "closest" to the original.) Nobody claims lambskin is the ideal leather for a jacket that will see hard use: Wested also offers them in goatskin, cowhide and horsehide.

No, Wested's jackets don't compare to premium-maker jackets, but they are great for the price and comparable to many mid-range makers. They aren't "mil-spec tough", but they hold up to ordinary wear just fine. (*) And they do custom sizing, and other customizations like different linings, insanely inexpensively compared to anyone else. If you're like me, and find it nuts to spend $800 on a Schott jacket... just to have to immediately spend more to have a tailor take up the sleeves, this is significant.

(* I got my lambskin Raiders in 2003. Lambskin is indeed more fragile than other leathers, I tore a gash in the back panel a couple of years later. I sent it to Wested and they repaired it FOR FREE. I've worn it every year since, it's my lightweight "summer" leather. The lining, zipper, seams, hide are all in great shape: it's held up just as well as my "better" Gibson & Barnes, Schott, and Good Wear jackets.)

Personally, I'd get another custom Wested jacket before I'd buy another Indy-style jacket from any other maker: it would cost less AND fit me correctly. (A custom-sized goatskin Raiders with a cotton lining is still only $260. That's only $30 more than I spent on the lambskin one in 2003. Schott and most other makers' prices have DOUBLED in that time!)

https://www.wested.com/

 

[Edward]

My goat Raiders was bought used, but I've bought other items from them (among them, their own take on the Indy boots) and been very pleased with the customer service. The jacket isn't Aero standard, but nor is it Aero priced (I think they're currently a quarter to a third of the price of a HWM, so). I found mine to be of a similar quality to all the production Schotts I have handled, which in my opinion (even before Schotts, er, shot up in price in the UK in the last four years) makes them very good on the VFM front. The goat is markedly lighter than the Aero goat I have owned, but still plenty tough - never felt any need to baby it. The design combined with the light hide makes it an excellent 'warm weather' leather. If you want it to have a more vintage vibe, you might consider seeing of they would fit a customer supplied NOS zip, though certainly there's nothing qualitatively wrong with their hardware. One change I might make were I to order a new one in future would be to ask for cotton sleeve lining rather than satin. THe latter comesasstandard and is generally fine, except when the Sun starts to beat down on a warm day, and then it can very much stick to warm, bare skin and get clammy.

TL/DR: they're not the top of the tree nor necessarily my favourite maker, but if you want an Indy or otherwise a cheaper jacket that's still nice to wear and can take a beating, you'd be hard pressed to find better for the money - or even, in some cases, twice the price. If there's a jacket style you fancy but don't think you'll wear all that often and so don't want to commit the big bucks, they're a good choice.

 

[tropicalbob]

Anyone have one of their Snake Plissken jackets? I've been considering one for some time.

 

[Zoo]

I am curious about the Snake Plissken jacket too.

 

[Bushman]

I've been on the fence about buying a Wested leather jacket just for quality's sake, but now I'm wanting to buy one of each that they offfer!

 

[Seb Lucas]

I've been on the fence about buying a Wested leather jacket just for quality's sake, but now I'm wanting to buy one of each that they offfer!

If you want an Indy jacket, a US Wings goat hide would be a better, more robust choice with a solid lining. They also cater better for larger guys.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I once got a US Wings goatskin Indy jacket. I'm usually an XL, but it didn't fit me remotely well (sleeves too long, waist/gut too tight), and I didn't think the hide or lining was anything special. I gave it to a friend.

However, I will say this for it: he's worn it through NYC winters for a dozen years, and it's held up well to hard use. This was after over a decade of wear:



To those of us who can't wear off-the-rack sizing, Wested's custom sizing option for only around $30 more than their standard models is a godsend. Just sayin'...

 

[Seb Lucas]

I once got a US Wings goatskin Indy jacket. I'm usually an XL, but it didn't fit me remotely well (sleeves too long, waist/gut too tight), and I didn't think the hide or lining was anything special. I gave it to a friend.

However, I will say this for it: he's worn it through NYC winters for a dozen years, and it's held up well to hard use. This was after over a decade of wear:

View attachment 226208

To those of us who can't wear off-the-rack sizing, Wested's custom sizing option for only around $30 more than their standard models is a godsend. Just sayin'...

Interesting perspective, Doc. Nice jacket. My information is via the COW site where the Indy jacket aficionados have hung out for years - reviewing every option to within an inch of its life.

The US Wings are invariably described as indestructible and great for larger builds. But no company gets it right all the time. I have examined one Signature Series Wings Indy and I would agree that it had a bombproof construction and amazing leather but the sizing is pretty huge. These are mainly made by Schott and the lining is made out of an indestructible cotton ploy twill. My Wested's thin cotton silesia lining wore holes in a season - a not unusual experience from what I have read.

The beauty of a US Wings for an American is you can return it if you don't like it and they are affordable.

What would I get? I got a Wested off the rack 42 in lamb that fits me perfectly. But Wings or Wested are both imports for me and I wanted the Temple of Doom pattern. It is a pretty ordinary jacket compared to the Wings.