I ordered one of these and was surprised how heavy it is. Excellent workmanship and quality, and the fit was right on. I just wasn't expecting it to be so heavy. The leather is pretty thick for a summer jacket. They offered to make it in 0.9mm leather, the same stuff they use for some of their vests. The leather the jacket is made from is 1.1 - 1.2mm.

Still on the fence if I want to commit, since it will be a custom jacket at that point and I would not be able to return it. Anyone else have one of these?

 

You cannot go wrong with a Fox Creek jacket, I have a few and very highly recommend them.

 

Do you have a link?

I've had nothing but good experience with Fox Creek. Worst case scenario you have an awesome quality product, even if you don't wear it as much as expected.

 

I have had their pants and racing jacket for ten years- great product and great company BUT it IS heavy...IIRC mine is like 2mm leather Maybe you could ask for a scrap sample of the leather and see if it is OK for your needs- compare it with other jackets

 

Great company and products. When I was shopping I looked at them and Hillside and ended up going with Hillside Leather for the price but the products seem comparable. You won't be disappointed with the high quality and the tangible feel of safety it provides. Mine is also horsehide which is, theoretically, lighter than cow but it's still real heavy especially after adding armor.

 

OP isn't specific about which jacket but I have one of their jackets,chaps and gloves that are awesome as well as a pair of Chippewa engineer boots. First class place to do business with.

 

Yes, I have the summer riding jacket. It was purchased on sale for way less than I would have expected (I don't recall exactly how much). You are correct that the "summer" leather is heavier than some manufacturer's regular leather. I honestly wouldn't even consider it a summer jacket as I use a mesh for summer. The arm vents and back vents do work very well, but if you're behind a batwing, like I often am, the vents don't get a ton of air flow. On my open bikes they flow extremely well.

In colder weather, like it has been lately, the jacket works well. However, the zipper overlap isn't super effective at keeping cold air out, probably by design. It's not like an open vent, but if you are on an open bike with 30 degree air rushing at you, you're going to feel it.
Also, the collar is pretty short and hard to close. I don't have a thick neck and with the snap closed it chokes me a bit, so I leave it open.

In the end, I use it as a Fall/Spring jacket. If it gets warm I open vents. If it gets cold I toss on a fleece under it or even a heated liner. I would rank it in my top 3 most used jackets. I would not recommend it as a summer jacket or a winter jacket, but in a pinch, it will work. But I'm kind of a jacket collector. I have 6 that I use. It's probably my second most versatile jacket. The first being my Belstaff 3/4 waxed cotton.

 

They told me they can also build the Perforated Jacket, 8-10 weeks. That may be pretty nice. I remember they had that on their web site a few years back.

 

Anyone have the perforated jacket from Hillside?
do they make a lighter weight jacket?

 

I don't have the Hillside jacket but I have a perforated leather jacket and a couple vented leather jackets. They work well for Spring/Fall but do not make a good Summer jacket. Mesh is the best thing I've found for Summer riding. My next jacket will probably be one of the hybrid leather/mesh with the zip-off panels, they seem more practical.

The thing with leather is if it's thin enough for Summer then it's probably thin enough to lose most of the protection leather offers. JMO

I have been searching for the perfect riding jacket for 45 years or so, haven't found it yet. I have amassed a large collection of jackets over the years or in the old lady's words " never satisfied with what I have" lol.