The side adjusting strap on my Highwayman keep coming loose

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I just wore mine for a while so that I found the sweetspot, and then I removed the little "roller" - doubled them back and superglued them in place. Has hold for a couple of years but need a re-glue soon.

Im not joking....you never look underneath the doubleback anyway so..

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Eastman, Schott, Lewis and Lost Worlds use a proper buckle with holes in the strap on some jackets ... it works REALLY well ... and is MUCH more historically accurate IMHO. Why re-invent the wheel I say !!!!

Anything is more correct than double-buckles. But I don't notice a lot of straps with holes in them on vintage jackets. Mostly I see D buckles/D rings/claw buckles.

 

[Cooperson]

I would not could not own a leather jacket with elastic like that. It's 1984 all over again, and I prefer to keep that on the shelf, along with Top Gun

+1

Just don't like elasticated leather anywhere on a jacket I'm afraid - it's just a personnel thing. That abomination shitzo's boss bought was a prime example, elasticated leather cuffs and waist - not a good look :-(

 

[Plumbline]

Having now looked through a number of reference boiks ...... from the early 1930's there seemed to be a proliferation of buckles of varying designs. Lots of different patterns and some with prongs and some without. Many of the British manufacturers used prong and bar traditional buckles ( with holes in the straps) indeed the side adjusters on the USA B-3 are traditional bar and prong buckles. They were very prevailant in M/C jackets.

The Aero design buckle was quite common in the early 30's on the US makers like California and Levi Strauss ( the pre-cursors of the "Highwayman" and the "Bootlegger" designs) these often had the Aero style ( p 64 and 67 of Rin Tanaka's M/C Jackets - A century of Leather Design) buckle BUT yet an equally common number from what I have seen had D/O rings and prong and bar buckles . Many of the jackets in the Schott invetory and the Montgomerrry Ward / Sears Roebuck catalogues from early 1930's through the 1940's had traditional prong and bar buckle designs for adjusters on sides and cuffs ( p32-35 My Freedamn 5) with holes in the straps although NOT exclusively and a right old mix of double D-ring, double O-ring, clasp buckles and prongless buckles existed.

So I take back what I said earlier ..... it would appear anything you'd like to use would be historically accurate it was that much of a mish mash ......... the one thing I have not seen in any reference bok however is the "double back" adjustment

 

[Fanch]

Having now looked through a number of reference boiks ...... from the early 1930's there seemed to be a proliferation of buckles of varying designs. Lots of different patterns and some with prongs and some without. Many of the British manufacturers used prong and bar traditional buckles ( with holes in the straps) indeed the side adjusters on the USA B-3 are traditional bar and prong buckles. They were very prevailant in M/C jackets.

The Aero design buckle was quite common in the early 30's on the US makers like California and Levi Strauss ( the pre-cursors of the "Highwayman" and the "Bootlegger" designs) these often had the Aero style ( p 64 and 67 of Rin Tanaka's M/C Jackets - A century of Leather Design) buckle BUT yet an equally common number from what I have seen had D/O rings and prong and bar buckles . Many of the jackets in the Schott invetory and the Montgomerrry Ward / Sears Roebuck catalogues from early 1930's through the 1940's had traditional prong and bar buckle designs for adjusters on sides and cuffs ( p32-35 My Freedamn 5) with holes in the straps although NOT exclusively and a right old mix of double D-ring, double O-ring, clasp buckles and prongless buckles existed.

So I take back what I said earlier ..... it would appear anything you'd like to use would be historically accurate it was that much of a mish mash ......... the one thing I have not seen in any reference bok however is the "double back" adjustment

When I received my last Aero Highwayman, the bottom straps were already set in the "double back" adjustment mode, and that paradigm has worked just fine and not come loose. I think that maybe a regular buckle with hole adjustment, as on the Vanson Enfield, might be the best buckle adjustment though.

 

[Vespizzare]

I hate to sound like a shill for Johnson Leathers; but he's making me a jacket as this is being written and I'm a big fan. I didn't like the way the D-rings functioned on the test jacket he sent so "poof" I'm having buckles instead. BTW, I originally thought I'd buy my new jacket from Alexander Leathers; but when I asked about a two-way zipper, I was politely shown the door.

 

[Fanch]

I hate to sound like a shill for Johnson Leathers; but he's making me a jacket as this is being written and I'm a big fan. I didn't like the way the D-rings functioned on the test jacket he sent so "poof" I'm having buckles instead. BTW, I originally thought I'd buy my new jacket from Alexander Leathers; but when I asked about a two-way zipper, I was politely shown the door.

Vespizzare, although I have had no personal experience with Johnson Leathers, I have heard great things about the company and strongly suspect that you are in good hands there. I might not wish to re-open the door to Alexander Leathers if I were you.

 

[Peacoat]

I hate to sound like a shill for Johnson Leathers; but he's making me a jacket as this is being written and I'm a big fan. I didn't like the way the D-rings functioned on the test jacket he sent so "poof" I'm having buckles instead. BTW, I originally thought I'd buy my new jacket from Alexander Leathers; but when I asked about a two-way zipper, I was politely shown the door.

Are you talking about buckles on the sides of the jacket, like Aero uses? If so, I am surprised Johnson would use buckles as their jackets are so closely fitted. But you may be getting a different style than what I have. Whatever you get, I think you will be satisfied with it. They make a fine jacket.

 

[Vespizzare]

Are you talking about buckles on the sides of the jacket, like Aero uses? If so, I am surprised Johnson would use buckles as their jackets are so closely fitted. But you may be getting a different style than what I have. Whatever you get, I think you will be satisfied with it. They make a fine jacket.

It's going to be sort of a half-belt meets bike jacket. I already had a tight M200 cafe racer from JL and didn't want the same jacket again, albeit longer and warmer. I sent Alan the final bill of particulars on Saturday and he hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'll probably call on Wednesday to see if everything is copasetic.

 

[djgo-cat-go]

Picture of a 30's halfbelt jacket with D-Ringed sidestraps.. Picture courtesy of superiorjackets.com

 

[InsOma]

The straps on my Highwayman are also a problem. They wouldn't stay put no matter what, and are so short that there's hardly any adjustment possible, even if they did stay closed. I had my wife sew the straps into place, which makes the entire side adjustment area useless, and in hindsight I wish I'd opted for a different design.

 

[Edward]

Easy fix - all it needs is for the straps to be doubled over, as previously mentioned. The only drawback, in my experience, is that if you need the jacket to be set to the max, the straps are often not long enough for that. If Aero made them all 2" longer by standard, there'd be no problem. Well... apart from all the people who'd be whining about them being too long, obviously.

 

[Sloan1874]

Really? Can we see photos of them, because I have to buckle my ones back on themselves to get them to fix and also shorten them, so this seems a little odd.

 

[Plumbline]

I think what Edward is saying Sloanie is that if you let the strap out all the way for maximum size then there's not enough strap to double back on itself ( i.e. the strap is too short) ..... the maximum you can have the strap doubled back is about 60% ( i.e. a little cinched in .. about 1" or 1 1/2 ").

As he says though if they were made long enough to let out all the way and double back there would be jut as many people complaining that they were too long.

The solution is a buckle like on the ANJ-4 ( with a sliding bar like the Goodwear Ventura ) or a plain prong buckle with holes in the strap ( like the Eastman ANJ-4 ) .... I do like the Goodwear buckles though

 

[InsOma]

Here's the side strap on my HWM, after being "tacked" in place. Otherwise, the straps would not stay fastened regardless of how tight or loose I adjusted them.

 

[ButteMT61]

The buckle is inside-out though. I'd think it would catch on things that way?

 

[Fanch]

Here's the side strap on my HWM, after being "tacked" in place. Otherwise, the straps would not stay fastened regardless of how tight or loose I adjusted them.

You might be able to take a small piece of raw leather and jam in in between to stop the strap from slipping. An annoying problem but not terminally annoying.

 

[Boyo]

The buckle is inside-out though. I'd think it would catch on things that way?

Maybe that's why it's not staying put.

 

[Sloan1874]

I think what Edward is saying Sloanie is that if you let the strap out all the way for maximum size then there's not enough strap to double back on itself ( i.e. the strap is too short) ..... the maximum you can have the strap doubled back is about 60% ( i.e. a little cinched in .. about 1" or 1 1/2 ").

As he says though if they were made long enough to let out all the way and double back there would be jut as many people complaining that they were too long.

The solution is a buckle like on the ANJ-4 ( with a sliding bar like the Goodwear Ventura ) or a plain prong buckle with holes in the strap ( like the Eastman ANJ-4 ) .... I do like the Goodwear buckles though

My question was to InsOma, but Edward offers the ideal solution and the fly in the ointment. But as it is, the buckle does seem back to front which would cause problems. Maybe Holly can elucidate...

 

[Edward]

Is this what they are addressing with the new buckles that have been spotted - ref other thread?