Think you're man enough to handle a BarnStormer flyboy...? No wimps allowed!!

[Alan Eardley]

Aero delivery

Salv

They use an express delivery (you had the ?Ǭ£12-50 version I take it?) that takes two days at most.

 

[PADDY]

Post from Aero

Hi Salv. Pretty sure it's ParcelForce and usually next day delivery (but bear in mind you do get hiccups and if posted today, depending on the collection times, could be Monday). Anyway, WHY so IMPATIENT?? It's only a jacket for goodness sake!! (ha ha), wouldn't get me pacing up and down like a caged lion (as if!!!).

Get some valium into you my friend, as you will need to be sedated when you get that big mama out of the box. If you have never handled the AERO BARNSTORMER before, then sir, you are in for a treat and a half!! You'll never see anything like this on the high street my friend. If the Ministry of Defence got their budgets in order, they'd be issuing these to street patrols in Basra, as sticks and stones will just bounce off it!!

Any ideas that you might have and any preconceptions, well just put them to one side, as this baby will exceed them all. It's not a jacket Salv, it's a suit of armour that will mould itself to you with wear like an armoured glove of finest front quarter hide. ARISE SIR SALV!!

 

["Doc" Devereux]

Stop it Paddy! You're making me want one, and I've only just got my new Eastman this morning...

 

[Salv]

Thanks chaps -

Alan - yes, ?Ǭ£12.50 for delivery - that was the only option as far as I could see.

Paddy - what can I say...? lol

 

[Salv]

Well, the jacket arrived a couple of days ago while I was in the middle of a bunch of night shifts. I was fast asleep when the ParcelForce van arrived at about 11:00am, but I was out of bed, into my dressing gown and down those stairs like a shot when the door-bell rang. I carefully slit open the packing tape, opened the box and there it was, bubble-wrapped and carefully folded. I pulled aside the wrap and that leather smell wafted up, and I got my first look at that deep red-brown, almost purple, hide. I lifted it out, and the WEIGHT! My dads old WW2-vintage pea-coat had always been the heaviest jacket I owned, but this ... beast ... easily outweighs it. I tried it on over my dressing gown, then realised the folly of this experiment when I couldn't move my arms to do up the buttons. Heavy towelling and stiff new leather don't make for ease of movement. Off came the dressing gown, and back on went the jacket.

First impressions - incredibly stiff; the button holes will take a while before they soften up enough to make buttoning the jacket easy; the cuffs likewise will take a while before they stop digging into my wrists; it's difficult to get into the interior pockets due to the stiffness of the sleeves; and with the collar up I have difficulty keeping my head up. But don't read that as any kind of negative criticism. This is a jacket that needs to be worn in, like a good pair of shoes, and it will become a unique item over time.

The next thing that struck me, and which I didn't really appreciate until I saw it outside in proper daylight, is the colour. The picture on the Aero site only hints at the depth of the colour, and the purplish tones don't come across in the picture. It really is a beautiful colour, and I'm very pleased I chose it over the brown - the brown looks great, but the cordovan has a real air of extravagance about it.

I wore it yesterday for a short walk into town, and I got caught in a brief storm. The leather just shrugged off the rain, and the wind completely failed to cut through. I didn't realise it had internal elasticated cuffs, which also helped keep the wind out. I wore it again while I walked into town and back today, and then walked to meet my wife at the gym for a cup of coffee - 2-3 miles in total. It was another wet, windy day, but I ended up undoing the belt and the buttons for some ventilation. I'm going to have to be careful with what I wear underneath - I could have easily managed with just a T-shirt today.

I'll try to get some photos over the weekend.

 

[PADDY]

Barnstormer photos Salv...

Salv, been looking forward to seeing those pics of the barnstormer. As I was out gardening today in mine (keeps the snow and chill out!!), it reminded me that you had just got yours!! So get those pics up please!! no hanging about now young man!! lol.

As for the sleeves and button holes being still!! YES AND YES!! on all counts. But it does get better I assure you. The buttons are a pain in the backside to start with, but it will ease up. I make sure I do up the top one too and now they all function very easily. But it never stops surprising me the weight of this baby!!

All-in-all, by far my favourite jacket Salv!!:arated:

 

[Salv]

I took some photos inside the house with a flash but they were still very dark and didn't show the jackets details very well. I'm working lates tomorrow and Friday so I'll try to get some brighter photos outside in the midday sun over the next couple of days.

 

[Barry]

Get some valium into you my friend, as you will need to be sedated when you get that big mama out of the box. If you have never handled the AERO BARNSTORMER before, then sir, you are in for a treat and a half!! You'll never see anything like this on the high street my friend. If the Ministry of Defence got their budgets in order, they'd be issuing these to street patrols in Basra, as sticks and stones will just bounce off it!!

I just saw this picture the other day - man it's great. I might wind up selling my Highwayman and getting one of these "shearling lined."

Barry

 

[scotrace]

.

How is that Barnstormer breaking in, Paddy?

 

[PADDY]

Barnstorming weather ahead...

Well Scott, it's doing mighty fine now that you ask!
Developing a really nice patina, but hasn't been worn over the summer months. Just got it back out for the autumn and early winter.
Stiff as a board when you get it (it stands to attention all by itself out of the pack), but...wear it and before long it moulds really nicely and softens up a treat. Always a heavy jacket, but then, I like to know I'm wearing a jacket, I hate flimsy leather!
To me, this is the ultimate leather hide (FQHH - Horse) which Aero do in cordovan (that deep reddy brown) or brown (as in my pics earlier).
With a fedora/trilby, it's just knock-out and thankfully is pretty bullet proof, as the number of ladies who have given me compliments on it, well...a knight needs this kind of protection in his modern day armour!

 

[Salv]

It's still too warm in the south-east for me to bring out my Barnstormer yet. I keep watching the weather and every day that it rains I think "Today?"

 

[PADDY]

Doc...show us some good pics of your BarnStormer please...

Doc got one recently in black. I got a glimpse of it at the unofficial FL Dinner in London a few weeks back. We'd love to see a few pics of you in it Doc, so when you have a spare moment, flash that baby at us!

 

[matei]

I can vouch for Doc's coat - it is one sharp looking piece of work.

After all these pics Paddy, I'm tempted to get one meself! It looks great!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Go to RM WILLIAMS (Aussie boot store) in Regent Street (nearly opposite Hamleys) and get a can of their leather cream! I swear by it. It doesn't go rancid and has no real scent to it. But personally I'd only resort to that after a year or so of hard wear! You aren't going to be doing surveillance for MI5 in thorn bushes or anything like that, so just wear the baby hard.

You can get RM Willliams leather cream via the internet. I believe it has linseed oil, so I am a little leary of it.

My Barnstormer, which was not THAT stiff to begin with, is superb. I had been treating it with Pecards every six months, but reports that overtreating could possibly become a problem has recently deterred me. The jacket looks good though.

I love my Barnstormer, although it is getting some competition from the Trail Rider which I am wearing on my avatar. If you must buy only one Aero jacket, the Barnstormer would be it.

 

[MJCR]

Aero Barnstormer - Advice Needed!

Hi everyone,

I've planning on buying a brown Horsehide Aero barnstormer in a few days and, having read a few posts here from people who have them, wondered if anyone has advice as to which lining to get. The standard Alpaca wool sounds great but I'm a bit worried it'll be too warm for the UK and it'd be nice to get some autumn as well as winter wear out of it!

Amanda at Aero has given me the options of "cotton drill lining, which is durable, but not as warm as the alpaca or we have a grant tartan cotton lining or a royal stewart cotton lining...."
I'm torn between the alpaca and the cotten drill, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Salv]

I've got a cordovan horsehide Barnstormer with the cotton drill lining and it's very warm. I'm near London and we've had a few very cold days recently which have given me the opportunity to wear the jacket again, and I really wouldn't want anything thicker than the cotton. The leather is incredibly thick and stiff and nothing gets through it - it shrugs off the biting wind and laughs at rain. In fact I've had to unbutton it once I've walked for a while in it as I get too hot, and I've only been wearing a shirt under it. I'd stick with the cotton drill, and on the worst winter days maybe wear a jumper for extra warmth - the alpaca wool would be too warm for most winter days I would think.

 

[MJCR]

I've got a cordovan horsehide Barnstormer with the cotton drill lining and it's very warm. I'm near London and we've had a few very cold days recently which have given me the opportunity to wear the jacket again, and I really wouldn't want anything thicker than the cotton. The leather is incredibly thick and stiff and nothing gets through it - it shrugs off the biting wind and laughs at rain. In fact I've had to unbutton it once I've walked for a while in it as I get too hot, and I've only been wearing a shirt under it. I'd stick with the cotton drill, and on the worst winter days maybe wear a jumper for extra warmth - the alpaca wool would be too warm for most winter days I would think.

Hi Salv

Thanks for advice! I must confess I was leaning towards the cotton drill but Amanda said the alpaca was the most popular so I had a few doubts. How's the cordovan look? I've been playing with leather samples Aero sent out all weekend and have finally chosen the standard brown HH over the cordovan in the same and the brown streerhide.

 

[gimmesomeshelte]

Hello-

Keep in mind that the alpaca can be a bit itchy. I personally prefer a drill lining if you're concerned about durability, or the tartan lining for appearance/comfort.

Salv-

I'd love to see pics of your Cordovan Barnstormer. I almost bought a Cordovan Highwayman this season, but I chickened out and bought one in black instead. Maybe next season.

Paul-

 

[Salv]

Hi Salv

Thanks for advice! I must confess I was leaning towards the cotton drill but Amanda said the alpaca was the most popular so I had a few doubts. How's the cordovan look? I've been playing with leather samples Aero sent out all weekend and have finally chosen the standard brown HH over the cordovan in the same and the brown streerhide.

The alpaca will look great, I'm sure, but it'll be too much for a UK winter (we'll now have the coldest winter since records were kept, and you'll curse me and my stupid advice...)

The cordovan looks stunning. I started a thread when I ordered mine as I wasn't sure about how to treat the leather. Paddy had some excellent (and very amusing) advice, and I gave a quick review with my first impressions at post #11. I was very impressed with the colour:

The next thing that struck me, and which I didn't really appreciate until I saw it outside in proper daylight, is the colour. The picture on the Aero site only hints at the depth of the colour, and the purplish tones don't come across in the picture. It really is a beautiful colour, and I'm very pleased I chose it over the brown - the brown looks great, but the cordovan has a real air of extravagance about it.

 

[Salv]

Hello-

Keep in mind that the alpaca can be a bit itchy. I personally prefer a drill lining if you're concerned about durability, or the tartan lining for appearance/comfort.

Salv-

I'd love to see pics of your Cordovan Barnstormer. I almost bought a Cordovan Highwayman this season, but I chickened out and bought one in black instead. Maybe next season.

Paul-

I promised months ago that I'd put some photos up, so if it's sunny tomorrow I'll try to get a few outside. You won't be able to see the colour properly unless there is a lot of good light.