April 2021

One month in, 0 washes, 0 soaks

December 2022

0 washes, 0 soaks

August 2025

0 washes, 0 soaks

August 30, 2025

1 "hand wash" per denimhunters instructions ( https://denimhunters.com/denim-wiki/how-to-hand-wash/ ) which was really just an hourlong soak with white vinegar since I didn't use the "optional" detergent. I probably overdid the rinsing because the water never got fully clear, it just kept turning blue. After they dripped for an hour I put them on (still pretty wet) and wore them around all afternoon while doing occasional deep knee bends in the middle of the sidewalk.

Incidentally, while looking for advice in this thread on washing/soaking/drying and whatnot I came across this post from @Chop from almost five years ago:

Out of curiosity, has anyone else’s wife, partner, or anyone close ever asked “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?” when breaking these in? 

It was during a set of those deep knee bends that my wife, who has always been a good sport about my IH hobby, said she'd rather buy a new pair of pants than do a tenth of the nonsense I did yesterday. Anyway, I did take pre-soak and post-soak pics but I won't bore you with the post-soak pics as they are virtually identical to the pre-soak. I even took the photos at the same time of day. No noticeable difference.

^ Instructions. I did Option 3. They were bang-on with the expected shrinkage.

^ Pre-wash. Very shiny.

^ Post-wash. A lot of the sheen came off and it did puff up like the instructions said.

With the IH-888D.

@Kasi said in Ship John:

@chadstone30
What did you says nobody wears to model 10
I do

@Brock said in Ship John:

Me two….

Joining the @Kasi and @Brock Club:

I don't plan to actually wear them both at the same time. Just showing off the Limited Edition 10AA for Ship John with three brass links.

I missed the drop on this Good Art x Ship John Model 10AASJ bracelet back in the fall. It has three brass links. Not that it mattered since it was a limited edition of 25 pieces and apparently sold out instantaneously. Been kind of obsessed with it ever since. Found one by accident on eBay when looking at regular Model 10 bracelets. Crazy markup but it was the right size. Couldn't pass it up even though I could buy two regular Model 10s, or a Tudor, for the same money. No regrets. I already have a blue FXD. And pretty sure no one on Earth wears two Model 10s at the same time. Except maybe Maradona.

I've got several SJ items and dig them all but their launches are generally not well-handled.

Stuff drops with almost zero notice. If you aren't constantly watching their instagram page you miss it.

This shirt looks cool, but it goes on sale tomorrow and the product page isn't live yet. Is it heavy flannel? What is the size chart? I'd like to know some details so that a shirt of several hundred dollars is more than a fomo impulse buy.

Insta post: "These release on Thursday at noon PDT. Final details/photos/ specs should be on the site by Tuesday."

Today is Wednesday. I cant find a product page on the site. Launch is tomorrow.

Reality is it will still sell out nearly instantaneously no matter what. Good for Mike I guess.

Thank you Iron Heart for communicating their launches clearly and consistently.

Bought my pair in March 2021.  First pics are from a month in.  The rest of the pics are from today.  Zero washes.  Zero soaks.  Mostly weekend wear.  I don't wear them in the summer months.  I remember it being extremely difficult to get them buttoned up the first time I put them on, and they were painfully stiff, but I also remember being shocked how quickly they softened up.  This is my only pair of Iron Heart denim pants.  I have two pairs of Naked and Famous, one 12.5oz and one 19oz.  The Iron Hearts are my favorite by far.

Yeah, looks pretty uniform.

15% off
Code: TURKEY

Yes, I also am in desperate need of this item, please.

@Kasi

Was waiting to see if someone would mention this. All the New Era 59fifty fitted MLB hats are super high. I don't like it, but that's been the look of the MLB Authentic hats forever as far as I know.

$1,000 !?! For a lined jean jacket? It's not even made out of leather. Yowza.

And this, by the way, is coming from me, a person who owns two (2) Wills jackets.

@mecken88 Good for Mike. I'm sure there are 10,000 small businesses that would kill for the legion of rabid customers that he's got.

@chadstone30 fantastic posts and phenomenal fades! These are inspiring to keep me going to get to your level.

Such praise from The @Oaktavia is a huge compliment! Thanks man!

@dert

This was tough for me as well. I didn't have any Ship John pieces when my Wills order was ready for sewing. I measured a bunch of the jackets in my closet and ended up ordering the Large size Regular length Wills, mostly because I have a leather jacket that has similar measurements to the Large Regular Wills and I thought the weight of the leather jacket would be similar to the weight of the waxed canvas.

I am 6'-1" and 190 lbs. My UHFs are size Large. I can easily wear a Large UHF under my Large Wills.

I'm happy with my size choice. Best advice I can give is to be guided by the measurements of the other jackets you have and that you like the fit of. Hope this helps. I think they have a remake policy if you order something and then change your mind to go bigger or smaller, so, worst case, you'll get the size you need a couple of months later than your first shot at it.

In July 2022 I ordered the v2 Wills with the standard 24oz wax coating for January 2025 delivery.

In May 2024 I got an email about the limited edition Battleship Grey with a light wax coating. I think they called it 18oz+ like they do in the description of the Black LE jacket that they put out in January:

• https://shipjohn.us/products/the-v2-wills-jacket-black-dry-wax
• Please note: This Jacket has a lighter waxed/oil finish than our standard Wills jackets. While still heavily water resistant, This lighter finish makes for a more moveable garment... The weight gain is nominal with this finish so we're just calling this an 18oz+ based on the twill weight plus a smidge for the finish.

I went on the website the day they released the Battleship Grey not expecting to actually be able to buy one and I was surprised when my order went through.

So, long story short is I have two Wills jackets. The light-wax version is MUCH more wearable than the fully waxed beast. If I had it to do over again I'd get the 24oz Wills in an XL even though the measurements of the L is a much better match for every other jacket in my closet. The 24oz L is a little tough to layer under and it's hard to put on a backpack with it zipped up.

All of that to say, I don't find the 24oz unwearable exactly, but it's rigid for sure.

@Brock
@Kasi

I stand corrected. All apologies.

@Bobcat-Sig I asked Mike in an Instagram Live once why the newsletters stopped. He said he got busy and quit doing them, which is a bummer because I missed a couple of items that I would have liked to pick up. Now I check the SJ instagram pretty regularly to try to keep up on what's coming out when.

I have a Sashiko Townes (large) and a Indigo Striped Selvedge Townes (large) but the striped one has armpit holes that feel tiny compared to the sashiko, so if I attempt to buy this flannel I'll probably go XL with the intent of washing it often.

@northsouthdenimguy

Excellent point. Not releasing a size chart well ahead of a drop is a recipe for panic-buying the wrong size and being disappointed you spent hundreds on a product you can't use. Bad customer care.

Yet another good example of how @ShopatIronHeart do things the right way.