Custom Chaps - Are Dover's good?

[Off_Course]

I’m determined to get riding again, but need new chaps. Mine were made in the previous century (ha!) and sadly, no longer fit. The person who made them no longer makes custom chaps. Are the custom chaps from Dover any good? Do they last? Do they hold up well? If I’m going to plunk down more than $500, I want to make sure its worth it!

I can’t wear off the shelf chaps and don’t want half-chaps. And I’m not looking for anything fancy - I’m a plain kinda gal. Just want chaps that fit well, are durable, and will last.

[Highflyer]

I had some secondhand ones that were well made but I hated the smooth grain leather-- that might just be me though. Barnstable has gone out of business but has a pretty good range of clearance sizes so you might want to check to see if they have something that would work. https://www.barnstableridingstore.com/

[BAC]

If you want custom I would go with Pinnell, not Dover. Especially since you want something plain, that will help keep the expense down.

[Off_Course]

@BAC

If you want custom I would go with Pinnell, not Dover. Especially since you want something plain, that will help keep the expense down.

BAC - Thanks for the suggestion. Their website is unavailable right now, so I called them to get pricing info and left a voice mail.

"I had some secondhand ones that were well made but I hated the smooth grain leather-- that might just be me though. "

Highflyer - You can order chaps at Dover suede out or smooth out. I’ve always ridden with suede out chaps (even when that was not the fashion). Have no idea what the fashion is these days, but I’m getting rough/suede out this time too. I went to the barnstable web site to check out their chaps (great suggestion). Great prices, nice looking chaps… but my legs are so far from standard/normal size, they’d have to be altered significantly. And I know no one in my area nowadays that can even do that. You have to have just the right person to alter chaps.

[Off_Course]

Pinnell’s just called me back. Their full chaps start at $1,250. A bit out of my price range, unfortunately. Lovely chaps though!

[hairystockings]

There’s quite a few people with website selling custom english chaps. I’ve conversed with this group before http://larocquechaps.com/customchaps.html and their base price is $425. I had a pair of Journeyman Customs for many years until I killed them with love and those have a decent base price also, so maybe find a rep for them. I would simply recommend looking around and emailing back and forth with someone to get a feel for them and going that way. Especially since you’re seeking something simple. Pinnell’s makes beautiful chaps but yeah they are suuuper expensive.

[BMargieRad]

I don’t know if Tenney’s in FL is still around and making chaps, but I had full and half chaps from them and they were very nice.
http://shop.ordertenneys.com/index.php?p=home

[skrgirl]

I had Dover semi customs, smooth side out. They were never right. They were pretty much just tube shaped, no calf definition. Leather started to peal apart a few months in. Had to have them replaced. Then the zipper on one busted, had to send that off for repair and came with a mismatched zipper on it. Then the tops got super stretched out and they started to sink while riding. The last straw was when one zipper got its teeth all out of whack and I had to cut the darn thing off.

[MintHillFarm]

I’d be very leery! I just don’t believe they could get it right!

I would suggest Journeyman’s. I’m not sure who measures for them now that Beval is gone, but worth calling them. They are in Middleburg, VA…

[Off_Course]

I did send Jouneyman’s a message via Facebook yesterday. I wasn’t sure they were still in business since no posts have been made to their FB page since 2015. But I will try calling them as well.

Tenney’s in Florida does still make custom chaps, so I’ve reached out to them as well for some additional info.

My previous two pairs of chaps were custom and measured by the person making them. I’m just concerned about doing the measuring myself - which is why I was considering Dover, since there is a shop less than an hour from me that could do the measuring in-person. Dover just measures for them/sells them - they are actually made by Crown Custom Saddlery, not by Dover.

[BAC]

Too bad that Pinnell is so expensive but whoever you choose I would want to be measured personally. I can’t even measure myself for a bracelet properly, I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to measure myself for full chaps. Do you have a local tack shop that can measure you?

[McGurk]

Journeymen’s is still in business, but I don’t know if they’re still making chaps - that was definitely Chuck Pinnell’s thing. There’s a German lady who is the master saddler there, and they did a MAJOR saddle repair for me recently at a very reasonable price. But I don’t remember seeing a lot of custom work in the front of the shop when I was there to drop off the saddle.

I agree with the person who said get measured personally. I got measured for custom boots once, by a local tack shop. They were wrong when delivered. Fixed at no charge to me because the measurement was wrong, but there were never really right and for the price, they should have been.

All because I didn’t want to spend a day driving someplace to get measured.

[Reminisce]

I had Journeymen make me a beautiful pair of chaps the fall of 2016. I go down to Middleburg frequently- they are very much so in business.

Mine have a tooled leather belt and tooled piping, outlined with additional smooth piping, initials embroidered, smooth out leather, with fringe. Was right around $685. Took under 2 months to turnaround.

[Off_Course]

Sadly, all of the purely Hunter/Jumper tack stores in Middle Tennessee have gone out of business or closed. Dover’s store in Franklin, TN is all there is - or at least, all I am aware of. Unless you count our Co-Ops, which do sell English tack, but don’t typically have an uber knowledgeable workforce. .

My husband can help measure me, but I’m thinking that isn’t the best way to go about it. LOL

[Amber_M]

@Highflyer

I had some secondhand ones that were well made but I hated the smooth grain leather-- that might just be me though. Barnstable has gone out of business but has a pretty good range of clearance sizes so you might want to check to see if they have something that would work. https://www.barnstableridingstore.com/

Thanks for sharing this!

I have a pair of Barnstable’s that I sadly outgrew this year after being able to wear them for no joke since the 7th grade. I’m 30 now. They are a child’s XL that perfectly stretched with me until they were put away for a few years, and now I can’t zip them over jeans. I LOVED those chaps and they’d still be going strong if I didn’t gain some weight.

[useventers]

I have a pair of older Tenney’s that have held up very well, they’re comparable to my Journeymen chaps.

Hobby Horse makes elastic chap inserts that are great if your weight fluctuates or you need a little extra room. Might be enough to make your old chaps work.

[callmegold]

@Off Course

Sadly, all of the purely Hunter/Jumper tack stores in Middle Tennessee have gone out of business or closed. Dover’s store in Franklin, TN is all there is - or at least, all I am aware of.

Perhaps hit up Brownland during one of their big AA shows? Surely there is a vendor there capable of measuring you.

[Off_Course]

@callmegold

Perhaps hit up Brownland during one of their big AA shows? Surely there is a vendor there capable of measuring you.

That’s an awesome idea! I had not thought of that.

[Off_Course]

After communicating with Tenny’s, I’ve decided to go with them for my new chaps - so thanks for that suggestion useventers & BMargieRad. It just so happens I’m going to Florida in November on vacation (Orlando area) and can go right past Tenney’s shop. I can see and pick out the leather and be measured by the chaps maker in-person. So, although I have to wait a few months longer, I think being measured directly by the person making them is the best way to go (and why my previous chaps fit so perfectly). Their prices are comparable to Dover’s and Journeyman’s. And they are letting me do my own needlepoint inset for the back of the belt, just like my old chaps have.

I’m so excited!!!

[TheHunterKid90]

Chris Wiley in Virginia makes lovely custom chaps, I use him for western chap purposes and anything you want, any leather, tooling, conchos etc runs 600. Without fringe or fancy may be less expensive but most important to me is he got the fit perfect and the quality is absolutely lovely