Well..

[ Reply ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Michaelson from 150.182.1.47 on March 02, 2000 at 15:54:07:

In Reply to: Indiana Jones and the Riddle of the Wrong Pocket Side posted by bud-arc on March 02, 2000 at 13:55:01:

: One of these days I am going to find out what the heck the deal is with the inner pocket always being on the wrong side. I recommend that any of you ordering jackets CLEARLY SPECIFY which side you want the pocket on (or, even better, on both sides - the Steve way). Also, this is the first I've heard of the INNER pocket being smaller on the Raiders jacket than the Last Crusade one. Is this right? I always thought Indy kept the Grail Diary in one of his OUTER pockets, and thus, the outer pockets were originally made bigger to accommodate the grail diary. Maybe I'm wrong...

:
: : How’s that for an intro?

: : Well, I have my Raiders lambskin in hand, and boy do I have a lot to say. To start – THE SMELL! I opened the box, and MAN! I think it’s great, but my wife made me move the jacket to the other end of the house. She couldn’t sleep with that wonderful smell of English lambskin floating around the room (OK, so most of Peter’s skins come from Greece).

: : The jacket fits like a glove. They absolutely nailed it! The only thing that was off was the sleeve length – but I added a bit so I could alter it myself to get the exact length I wanted. Last night I threw Raiders into the VCR and tore out the little seam they put into the left sleeve – it’s where they close up the lining of the jacket. You open the seam and pull the jacket inside out through it. This is how you alter the sleeves.

: : Once I had the jacket turned inside out, I could really see how the jacket had been put together. The thing I was surprised at was the thickness of the lambskin. It was every bit as thick as the cowhide used in my LC. Maybe I was lucky? Regardless, this jacket’s leather is just as thick and drapes just like my cowhide LC.

: : Once I had finished the alterations, I was able to do a real side-by-side comparison:

: : The weight of the lambskin (not thickness, but how much it weighs) is remarkably light compared to the cowhide. It almost feels like the jacket is floating on me when I’m wearing it. I forget I have it on. The cowhide feels more substantial, i.e. you feel like you’re wearing a leather jacket. I really like them both – the variety is nice.

: : THE POCKET IS ON THE WRONG SIDE! Oh, well – it’s fine, but I just wonder why this is happening. Also on the inside pocket - the pocket on the Raider’s is in fact smaller then the pocket on the LC. I had heard this before, both on the forum and from Peter. Apparently the grail dairy would not fit in the smaller pocket. I can fit a cell phone and wallet in the LC pocket with no problem. The Raider’s pocket can accommodate one or the other with ease, but not both. Both depth and width of the opening are smaller.

: : Leather Facings: Wested has really refined how they make this alteration, especially down the inside of the zippers. When they put them on my LC, they had somewhat the look of an after-thought. These on my Raiders look very professional, and blend right into the satin lining. They look great!

: : The collar on this one is perfect. I suspect some Raider’s jackets may have gone out with LC collars? The collar on my first Raiders (now in the hands of Michaelson) was wider then this one. As I measure it, the collar on this Raider’s is a full ¾ inch narrower then my LC. I pops up perfectly, ala the spider scene in Raiders.

: : Cotton vs. satin? I’ve noticed absolutely no difference in heat dissipation. Believe me – I’d notice. The facilities people who manage the thermostats here at work cannot seem to get my office temperature below 72. I’ve been wearing my Raiders all morning, and notice no difference between the cotton and satin. I would imagine in a more humid environment that the cotton would perform a bit better. Another excuse to go back to Disney World? As for durability of the lining – only time will tell, but when I had the jacket pulled inside out, you could clearly see that the satin Peter uses is pretty substantial. I tried to abuse an area that was tucked into a seam with my fingernail for a good 3-4 minutes. It showed no sign of scratching, let alone fraying. I’ve said it before – linings are really apples and oranges.

: : One annoying thing about the lambskin; the side straps slide much easier through the D-rings as compared to the cowhide. The skin is more “slippery”, so I’ve noticed I’m cinching them up and tucking them into the handwarmer slits a little more often. Once the leather is broken in, that will probably go away.

: : Speaking of breaking in – when they say “new finish” they mean it! I’m going to have to wear this A LOT to get “the look”, but I think I’m up for it!

: : In summary, which is better; the heavier cowhide LC with the cotton lining or the lighter weighing lambskin Raiders with the satin? Personally, I’m glad I have both. If you’re not a jacket freak like me, though, you may want something in the middle – the new lamb-finish cowhide Raiders with whatever lining suits you best? At least, that’s the excuse I’m going to have to try and spin with my wife when I start feeling the jacket buying itch again – right?

: : I’m sure I’ve missed something – feel free to ask!

: : Cheers!

: : Patterson (a.k.a. the Emelda Marcos of Wested Leather)

In the short program that was produced for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and aired last year, Peter himself showed that the original grail diary pocket was indeed on the inside right breast pocket, and the pocket had to be made larger to hold the book. Of course we all know that apparently it was never used in the movie, but the pocket was indeed made larger for that eventual situation should it arrive in shooting. Regards. Michaelson

Follow Ups:


Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]