While there are still some things that I need to do, to finish running through the full scope of this stunning Vest – I haven’t sewn a single patch onto it because I can’t imagine a leather needle and thimble combination that would be capable of getting through it, and I have holstered an automatic pistol in its purpose-built pocket – it’s bedding in well enough to justify a long-term report.
In truth, it would probably need another ten years before the leather started to break in enough for it to start looking lived-in, but that’s a good thing.
Sized to wear over a conventional jacket – one above my normal fitting – it spends most of its life on top of a Victory ‘Stealth’, further anonymising an excellent blacked-out jacket that only bears an embossed logo on the front and back … and which has an American-V patch on one sleeve. And being the blacked-out version of the Vest – with black zips and the heads of any studs beneath the outer layer – that makes them perfectly suited: there’s not a hint of brightwork anywhere … well, except for a flash of retro-reflective piping across the underlying jacket’s sleeve, and that doesn’t count.
Forget jaune, this is distinctly gilet noir!
Better still, both the vest and underlying jacket have two-way zips, which makes things far less frustrating when you’re trying to remember which of the dozen pockets that are now at your disposal, your keys might be in. Invariably in the pocket of a hoody underneath both, by the way!
As such, the combination of the two amounts to 5.2kg, of which the Hot Leathers Vest is nearly 2kg and makes a useful thermal contribution in winter on the right bike – by which I mean one where you’re sitting reasonably upright, especially if you’re also wearing belted leather jeans! It is very possible