It’s kind of like seeing your first true love again and remembering what conjured all those emotions to begin with. Vanson leathers provided me my first real leather jacket, back in the early 90’s, cost me a whopping $40 and looked like something Sly wore in Rocky III. It opened my eyes to what a leather jacket could be! Purchased at a thrift store in Sycamore, IL…it was love at first sight.
I’ve had an on again/off again relationship with Vanson ever since. I would speculate that I have owned around 30 Vanson jackets, spanning the companies entire existence, across a fairly broad range of styles. From the RJ and sport rider styles to the Derby and well documented love for the model E. They keep me coming back, and I’m always looking. That says something, particularly given my tendencies in the hobby.
We’ve discussed at length what makes Vanson so great. A working class, work horse of a jacket. Not priced in the stratosphere, no pretension, just a solid jacket built for life based on jackets designed to save people’s lives. Warrantied against failure, no compromises and no bullshit.
My closet holds three right now and I’ve gone into some detail about two, but my latest really has me appreciating the brand on an entirely new level.
Comp Weight Cow:
Vansons flagship hide, some of the nicest leather I think one can own, time tested and beautiful. I experienced many flavors of comp weight. Smooth as a board and hard as a rock. Grainy, almost CXL like, and the newer, heavily pored and much maligned. I’ve also had thin and crispy white labels, and oil slick rubbery soft modern labels. With the exception of the last two, I’ve loved them all.
Older (80’s-90’s):
Model E, brown core, size 44”, weight: 6.40lbs
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight 5.96lbs:
Dark Maple Bainbridge:
I was not a fan from what I’d seen before. Looked a bit too couch-y. But having it in hand…What a spectacular hide. It smells identical to Horween CXL and shares Horweens water repellent and pull-up properties. It’s like CXL without the pain and suffering! I suspect it will age quite beautifully as it dulls and becomes both lighter and darker.
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight: 5.07lbs
The true beauty of Bainbridge doesn’t reveal itself until you take it outside. Then it becomes like a bag of Red Man chewing tobacco.
It’s an absolute delight to wear. I will have at least one more jacket in it, maybe the redwood, not sure. This hide seems to take some of the biker vibe out and makes the jacket just feel a bit more refined. You wouldn’t frame a house with a sledgehammer, so you save the big guns for when they are needed.
Thank you for indulging me folks. I am extremely pleased with…
I’ve had an on again/off again relationship with Vanson ever since. I would speculate that I have owned around 30 Vanson jackets, spanning the companies entire existence, across a fairly broad range of styles. From the RJ and sport rider styles to the Derby and well documented love for the model E. They keep me coming back, and I’m always looking. That says something, particularly given my tendencies in the hobby.
We’ve discussed at length what makes Vanson so great. A working class, work horse of a jacket. Not priced in the stratosphere, no pretension, just a solid jacket built for life based on jackets designed to save people’s lives. Warrantied against failure, no compromises and no bullshit.
My closet holds three right now and I’ve gone into some detail about two, but my latest really has me appreciating the brand on an entirely new level.
Comp Weight Cow:
Vansons flagship hide, some of the nicest leather I think one can own, time tested and beautiful. I experienced many flavors of comp weight. Smooth as a board and hard as a rock. Grainy, almost CXL like, and the newer, heavily pored and much maligned. I’ve also had thin and crispy white labels, and oil slick rubbery soft modern labels. With the exception of the last two, I’ve loved them all.
Older (80’s-90’s):
Model E, brown core, size 44”, weight: 6.40lbs
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight 5.96lbs:
Dark Maple Bainbridge:
I was not a fan from what I’d seen before. Looked a bit too couch-y. But having it in hand…What a spectacular hide. It smells identical to Horween CXL and shares Horweens water repellent and pull-up properties. It’s like CXL without the pain and suffering! I suspect it will age quite beautifully as it dulls and becomes both lighter and darker.
Oxford 9D, size 40”, weight: 5.07lbs
The true beauty of Bainbridge doesn’t reveal itself until you take it outside. Then it becomes like a bag of Red Man chewing tobacco.
It’s an absolute delight to wear. I will have at least one more jacket in it, maybe the redwood, not sure. This hide seems to take some of the biker vibe out and makes the jacket just feel a bit more refined. You wouldn’t frame a house with a sledgehammer, so you save the big guns for when they are needed.
Thank you for indulging me folks. I am extremely pleased with…
