OK chaps, I have what might (to you) seem a silly question.
First - a bit of background...
I used (in the bad old days - before I discovered "real" jackets) to go through leather jackets as if they were paper. I reckoned that 12 months was normal and 2 years was an exceptional lenght of time for a jacket to last.
I've now (as you may remember) had an Aero 1950s bomber since last May. In that time I've had the waistband replaced and the lining repaired (I wore through both) - FOC by Aero (nice chaps that they are).
My jacket now looks battered, creased and generally quite scuffed (although the leather is still sound). I know that any of the old "lesser" jackets that I used to buy would have given up the ghost by now. This Aero is made of the heaviest horsehide that they use and is still showing a good deal of wear.
In fact - when I returned it for repair to Aero - Will asked me what I'd been doing to it "you must be living in it" were his actual words - that's pretty much what I do.
My question is - what sort of wear can I expect out of a "good" jacket? How long could I expect it to last and how often will it need lining, cuffs, waistband replacing, etc?
In addition - what sort of wear could I expect from other leathers? e.g., Goatskin, Buffalo, Steer, Sheepskin, etc.
If I spring for another jacket (or two) I would hate to destroy it/them in the same way that I used to (I'm thinking of maybe a B6 or an Irvin and another "everyday jacket - one of the Goodwear A2s perhaps).
Any views?
Mark
First - a bit of background...
I used (in the bad old days - before I discovered "real" jackets) to go through leather jackets as if they were paper. I reckoned that 12 months was normal and 2 years was an exceptional lenght of time for a jacket to last.
I've now (as you may remember) had an Aero 1950s bomber since last May. In that time I've had the waistband replaced and the lining repaired (I wore through both) - FOC by Aero (nice chaps that they are).
My jacket now looks battered, creased and generally quite scuffed (although the leather is still sound). I know that any of the old "lesser" jackets that I used to buy would have given up the ghost by now. This Aero is made of the heaviest horsehide that they use and is still showing a good deal of wear.
In fact - when I returned it for repair to Aero - Will asked me what I'd been doing to it "you must be living in it" were his actual words - that's pretty much what I do.
My question is - what sort of wear can I expect out of a "good" jacket? How long could I expect it to last and how often will it need lining, cuffs, waistband replacing, etc?
In addition - what sort of wear could I expect from other leathers? e.g., Goatskin, Buffalo, Steer, Sheepskin, etc.
If I spring for another jacket (or two) I would hate to destroy it/them in the same way that I used to (I'm thinking of maybe a B6 or an Irvin and another "everyday jacket - one of the Goodwear A2s perhaps).
Any views?
Mark
