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Comment by ngngngng | Hacker News Reader

I'm actually in the market for a leather jacket and boots right now, but I certainly haven't noticed prices going down at all.

I'm finding leather jackets extremely difficult to shop for. Online advice is all over the place, and I want something to last a lifetime.

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Made to measure starts at 1kish and bespoke from a nice workshop at around 1.5k to 2k, for normal cow or sheep or goat leather. More than that and you are paying for the brand and less than that and your jacket is probably from an Indian or Chinese sweatshop, like All Saints.

The retail clothes industry is getting insane with all the markup from actually sourcing the garment, the smart choice for expensive pieces if you really know what you want is having it made.

Find a cheap heavy but stiff motorcycle jacket that's solid leather. Get a can of Hydrophane leather dressing, which is about $20/half liter. This silicone oil is used to soften and waterproof saddles and horse equipment. Paint it on with a paintbrush. Give it about a day to soak in. You now have a soft leather jacket.

Horse people have been using this stuff for decades. It beats the "natural" products like neats-foot oil on both effectiveness and price.

Two questions:

1) when you say cheap, roughly how much? Range is fine.

2) any brands, websites that you can refer?

As a motorcyclist who just came in the door from a 300+ mi. day, the two most interesting leather goods makers for jackets are Vanson Leathers and Schott NYC. U.S made, and last forever. Both do custom work as well. Lewis Leathers in the UK is the other big brand, with Roland Sands Design on more trendy end of the spectrum.

For boots, I can recommend Gasonlina, who do made to measure motorcycle boots, and I've a pair of their "shortcut" boots for years.

If there is a drop in leather prices, it's an excellent opportunity to get custom clothing and gear made. Wish prices were down when I got my Vanson.

Depending on where you're located, it might be worth checking out Langlitz Leather in Portland, OR. I have two of their jackets, my girlfriend has one, and I have friends who have them as well. They are absolutely "buy once, cry once" garments, I suspect my family will be fighting over mine when I am (eventually) dead.

Seconding the Langlitz recommendation- their stuff is fabulous.

I would recommend r/goodyearwelt for recommendations on boots. Really knowledgeable community without being too snobbish (imo).

I’ve found some pretty good leather jacket threads on Styleforum. There’s another forum whose name is escaping my mind, but they are dedicated to classic reproduction leather jackets.

Sounds like Fedora lounge. I love how they obsess on the differences between like a 1943 and 1944 flight jacket.

I bought a Ted Lapidus leather jacket fifteen years ago and although it was quite pricey (around 1k in 2004) I haven't regretted the choice. It's in prime condition and will probably last me at least another 15 years. So my advice is to go for a respectable brand or some specialized shop for tailor made clothes and be ready to pay a generous price.

For serious hiking boots, might check out Limmer in New Hampshire. They make custom boots but I'm pretty sure they have off-the-shelf boots as well.

I have a pair of their custom boots that are about 20 years old and (with resoling and some repair) they're still great.

If you can travel to Argentina, there's another world for leather products there.

Very high quality.

The article comments on that: high-end leather still has plenty of demand.

What doesn't have demand is the secondary tier of leather. Basically, "let's bond this shitty leather with plastic" doesn't have any takers anymore.

Someone provided a link showing there are not just high end and low end leathers, but roughly 5 categories. The problem is the price for good leather clothes is astronomical, especially with the very low price of the materials, while the quality of low end is terrible and the middle of the market is completely missing.

I can understand a reason why would you want something last a lifetime, but what about comfort?

I've never had a leather jacket - they seem heavy and not really weatherproof.

Something like merino hoodie + gore tex windbraker is my go to for last 4 years now. Absolutely love it.

It's true that leather jackets aren't very comfortable because they can't stretch. But they're definitely warm and proof of that is that they're worn by motorcyclists for ages. And then there is the fact that you can wear them in multiple occasions, from a social event to a casual stroll with your friends. You can even wear them with a tie.

Bikers wear leather for abrasion protection in the event of an accident. Its heft also means it doesn't flap at high speed, particularly if tight fitting as recommended (again, in case of an accident). But it doesn't stretch, so it's not easy to wear more layers underneath.

For protection against the elements, technical clothing with fancy fibres are a better option - way more waterproof, and can work with a heated vest if it gets very cold. Not as good in a long slide though.

If you want boots, I highly recommend Tecovas.

Trickers Boots.

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