The Fox Creek Commander Motorcycle Jacket: There Is Fox Creek, and Then There Is Everybody Else
Fox Creek Leather has been widely acclaimed. There is not much I can add to it. The first jacket I ordered from them was somewhat tight and short. So I called Fox Creek, and they sent me a Long in the same size. I was able to compare them side by side before sending one back. Most people who sell motorcycle jackets will tell you to keep it short and tight. But I prefer a longer jacket to be able to pull it down and keep my sides and backside warm when it gets cold. A jacket can always be tightened up with a sweatshirt or something like that under it. Since I bought Fox Creek's Commander jacket, it had side adjustable straps for that purpose if they are ever needed.
But I do want to say something about the Commander style jacket. It is their most expensive and quite a popular jacket, Fox Creek tells me. Their least expensive is their Vented Racing jacket. I think that is their most popular jacket because of the price. Any Fox Creek motorcycle jacket is expensive, but the Vented Racing style jacket is the least expensive. I had a jacket like that previously, and I just wanted something different. The Commander caught my fancy for several reasons. One, it didn't look completely like the classic motorcycle jacket with the epaulets, belt, and all the metal snap buttons. Yet it had some of those touches. I also liked the collar - without the visible snap buttons - that could be folded up when it got colder. Then there was the option of being able to insert armor if I chose to do so. I have not done that yet and may never. That is not important. What IS important is that I have that flexibility, and it would probably be a very good idea. It is there if I want it. Two other Fox Creek jacket have this feature too, but it will likely not be in any of the traditional style black leather jackets that anyone else sells. This gave me the alternative that sport bikers have with their textile jackets. But I WANT a leather jacket, and this is an especially nice option you wont find on 99% of them.
Another reason I wanted this style of jacket was because of the zippered overlap in the front. It does a much better job of keeping out the cold air than a jacket where there there is no overlap underneath. That is not available, I don't think, in the Vented Racing jacket.
An exceptionally nice feature of the Commander is the one snap, external front pocket that opens into a cavernous space that also zips open to reveal an air vent and is held shut by a velcro strip. I have even put my MacBook computer in there and protected it well. I hardly notice it being there, and no one else could tell either. If you had to put something in that space quickly, you can just unsnap the outside pocket, lift the flap, and just drop it in. It is like depositing items into a safe deposit box. They drop to the bottom of that compartment and can't possibly come out. That is a really handy space, and I know of no other motorcycle jacket that has an element like that. As I said, the Commander is a different motorcycle jacket with great utility.
You can buy motorcycle jackets almost anywhere. At motorcycle rallies, you will find them by the millions. Some of them aren't too bad, but most of them are. They are made of really thin to medium leather and sometimes feel like plastic. I think they are made in China, Japan, or someplace like that. Fox Creek jackets are made in the USA, and I THINK they use several vendors to make them to their specifications. Regardless, they have a lifetime warranty. A person will buy one of these lesser jackets because he doesn't have much money or doesn't want to put that much into a jacket. But once you decide what your style of bike is, who you are, and if you are really going to stay in this sport and lifestyle, then you will eventually upgrade to a quality jacket that can be used for any and every occasion. The helmet and the jacket are two of the three basic safety items, feet protection being the third. If you will feel or pick up a Fox Creek jacket and can make a comparison with your average jacket that motorcycle stores sell, you will know immediately that you are dealing with two different categories of leather jackets. They are thick, heavy, and buttery soft, which is the character of naked leather. It is almost "there is Fox Creek, and then there is everybody else."
But I do want to say something about the Commander style jacket. It is their most expensive and quite a popular jacket, Fox Creek tells me. Their least expensive is their Vented Racing jacket. I think that is their most popular jacket because of the price. Any Fox Creek motorcycle jacket is expensive, but the Vented Racing style jacket is the least expensive. I had a jacket like that previously, and I just wanted something different. The Commander caught my fancy for several reasons. One, it didn't look completely like the classic motorcycle jacket with the epaulets, belt, and all the metal snap buttons. Yet it had some of those touches. I also liked the collar - without the visible snap buttons - that could be folded up when it got colder. Then there was the option of being able to insert armor if I chose to do so. I have not done that yet and may never. That is not important. What IS important is that I have that flexibility, and it would probably be a very good idea. It is there if I want it. Two other Fox Creek jacket have this feature too, but it will likely not be in any of the traditional style black leather jackets that anyone else sells. This gave me the alternative that sport bikers have with their textile jackets. But I WANT a leather jacket, and this is an especially nice option you wont find on 99% of them.
Another reason I wanted this style of jacket was because of the zippered overlap in the front. It does a much better job of keeping out the cold air than a jacket where there there is no overlap underneath. That is not available, I don't think, in the Vented Racing jacket.
An exceptionally nice feature of the Commander is the one snap, external front pocket that opens into a cavernous space that also zips open to reveal an air vent and is held shut by a velcro strip. I have even put my MacBook computer in there and protected it well. I hardly notice it being there, and no one else could tell either. If you had to put something in that space quickly, you can just unsnap the outside pocket, lift the flap, and just drop it in. It is like depositing items into a safe deposit box. They drop to the bottom of that compartment and can't possibly come out. That is a really handy space, and I know of no other motorcycle jacket that has an element like that. As I said, the Commander is a different motorcycle jacket with great utility.
You can buy motorcycle jackets almost anywhere. At motorcycle rallies, you will find them by the millions. Some of them aren't too bad, but most of them are. They are made of really thin to medium leather and sometimes feel like plastic. I think they are made in China, Japan, or someplace like that. Fox Creek jackets are made in the USA, and I THINK they use several vendors to make them to their specifications. Regardless, they have a lifetime warranty. A person will buy one of these lesser jackets because he doesn't have much money or doesn't want to put that much into a jacket. But once you decide what your style of bike is, who you are, and if you are really going to stay in this sport and lifestyle, then you will eventually upgrade to a quality jacket that can be used for any and every occasion. The helmet and the jacket are two of the three basic safety items, feet protection being the third. If you will feel or pick up a Fox Creek jacket and can make a comparison with your average jacket that motorcycle stores sell, you will know immediately that you are dealing with two different categories of leather jackets. They are thick, heavy, and buttery soft, which is the character of naked leather. It is almost "there is Fox Creek, and then there is everybody else."