Why only these three? Lots of companies make great jackets.

If they don't have armor and a back protector consider them more of a fashion jacket than a true motorcycle jacket.

Check out the First Gear Scout jacket, they are on clearance at a lot of places now. Good quality jacket with good venting.

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street..._closeout.html

Soft butter smooth leather looks and feels great but is less abrasion resistant than leather with a harder finish. Leather thicker than 1.3mm won't give you extra protection, it'll just be less comfortable. 1000 denier Cordura is as abrasion resistant as leather, so is Kevlar. Super fabric (ceramic impregnated Cordura) is 6x more abrasion resistant as leather. Textile gear is more comfortable in the hot and cold temperature extremes and rain.

 

. . . and not a word about Fox Creek? For shame . . . Off the rack yes, but dang if it isn't one of the best jackets I've ever owned. Nothing against either Vanson or Schott as they make excellent products as well. My Fox Creek isn't a jacket for wearing around the house; it's definitely a riding jacket. As for Langlitz? Well, they're in a whole other league by themselves with a well deserved reputation.

 

I have two Langlitz jackets,one cowhide and one goatskin. I wear the cowhide 90% of the time and the goatskin in the summer. I've owned my cowhide for more than 20 years and yes it's been modified after i gained a few pounds. It was custom made and back then it was a 9 month wait and worth every day. It is by far the best jacket i have ever owned and it's something that I will pass on to my son when I'm gone gone. I was also wearing it when I was in a very serious wreck where as they cut it off me in ICU. A friend took it to Dave and they repaired it good as new. I can't say enough about the people at Langlitz and there customer service. Yea, they cost more but are worth every penny if you ask me. I love my Langlitz jackets and pants!!!

 

I know what you mean about not being able to see or try on, especially here in NM. I had it narrowed down to Schott or Vanson myself. Last spring I bought a Perfecto while visiting family in New York. I would have liked to check out Vanson, but couldn't find someone selling them near to where I was. I checked out the Schott, liked it, and bought it.

Let me know if you'd like to meet somewhere like the HD dealer if you want to take a look at the Schott. My next two weekends are out, though.

Crazy

 

i received this email back from Mike V the president of vanson when I asked him if they still made jackets in the US:

We have two shops. One is in Fall River, Mass and is in full production maing all kinds of leathers.

Our second shop is in El Salvador. It is in full production making textile garments and some leather.

Both shops are 100% owned by vanson.

We make items in both places, and we share staff between both places.

Our materials are single sourced and shipped to both locations by the different suppliers.

Thank you for asking.

Michael

 

My personal experience good luck, After waiting over nine months for a jacket for wife, (after giving 50% deposit) and still no info relative to delivery date, I canceled the order. I know you like Vanson but like any other manufacturer that out sources does it for MONEY, not for quality or any other geopolitical excuse you say the manufacture can give.

 

I have jackets made by all three you've listed.
The Schott jacket will soften up quicker than the others, the black will also fade to dark grey as it ages.
Some Vanson models are cut lower in the back than the front which is best for on a motorcycle. The Schott is more of a fashion jacket, the Vanson is generally designed to be worn on a motorcycle. I crashed in my old R&R Vanson, slid across the hiway, and the thick leather saved my skin. The R&R was a style like the Brando Perfecto but heavier. When i ordered my 2nd Vanson Model A-2 a few years ago, (I outgrew my first A-2), it took way too long, about 8 months to get the jacket. Vanson said this was because they were having difficulty getting the grade of leather they were satisfied with. When I got the jacket I didn't feel it was as nice a leather or dye job as my Vansons of 20 years before.
I got a classic Langlitz jacket and their pants over a year ago. The feel and color of the leather is superb, it's a deep black black with no shading of brown or blue. Of course it fits perfectly and the quality is what you're paying for. I was concerned that the sleeves were a bit too long and the front a bit short. When I called John at Langlitz he said to try it on the bike. That's when it feels the absolute best. Your thighs don't hit the front of the jacket when your feet are on the pegs, it doesn't ride up in the back when you reach for the bars and the sleeves are just right when you reach for the bars. As well as it fits, I can still fit a wool sweater underneath when it gets cold. But I wear it in all but the hottest or coldest weather, and around the street to help break it in.
My opinion is you'll be happier with a Vanson than a Schott because the Vanson is cut with riding in mind where the Schott is more fashion oriented. Being a custom made jacket, the Langlitz may be able to be made to your taste. A good friend of mine got one that was a mix between two of their styles. He has a difficult body to fit, narrow waist and hips, broad chest and large biceps. He tried twice with Vanson, driving up to their shop in Mass. and gave up on them. He's had Langlitz make him 3 jackets to get the fit and feel he's looking for. The first two attempts are on the Langlitz showroom floor in Oregon for off the rack sales. If you can find or design a Langlitz style you like and can afford it you will be completely satisfied with it. A lot of people say to pay that much for a motorcycle jacket is stupid and they'd never do it. I believe I'm worth it.
Ask Langlitz for their catalog, it looks like something out of the '70s but it still looks better than their website. Check out their Japanese website, they're big in Japan and it has much better pictures and some examples of the custom mods they'll do to their jackets.

 

Actually, they will. You can call them and give them your measurements. They request you go to a professional tailor to have these taken. They'll then create a custom jacket for you. Costs depend on your measurements of course, but the $600 off the shelf Perfecto One Star goes up to $1000+.

But they WILL do a custom for you.

 

i agree it's for money, but vanson was essentially bankrupt they had to do something. unfortunately many flag waving, rally attending, USA patch wearing, patriot guard riding bikers have no problem wearing osama bin laden supporting pakistani leathers. the pakistani ISI gives billions (probably our money redirected) to the taliban and lets mullah omar and osama bin laden receive shelter in pakistan to kill our boys in afghanistan. i've always wondered how patriot bikers reconcile this duality, that when they buy pakistani leathers they are directly funding the government that aids bin laden and allows him to operate with impunity to kill our boys over there.

vanson makes a ton of leathers for the sport bike crowd so i don't see why they would care about their leathers made overseas, kind of makes sense to me, but pick a better spot than pakistan. if vanson were smart they would have a "made in the usa" line, and a line of sport bike gear and textiles made overseas.

i like my vanson and if you want one i would hit up local sellers who have stock of american jackets. i already conceded if the jackets are all made in el salvidor i would never pay that type of coin they want for a jacket. in 10 years if i need a new jacket it wouldn't be a vanson if it was made in el salvidor (still better than friggin pakistan though).

 

I ordered my last Vanson in Nov of 2010. Got it three weeks latter when I was told that I would get it because it was one of three mod.B jackets that were in prod. This is my third vanson one is a perf and the other is a bomber from the late 70's that just don't fit anymore. I also have a schott that I bought in 09. The vanson is a superior motorcycle jacket while the schott is better for rideing around in the car.