Warbird Information Exchange

OK, where is the best place to buy a leather jacket? I'd like to have a B-3 and doing the usual internet searches turns them up anywhere from $200 (surely junk) to $1,300, which seems like a lot. Suggestions??



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I have a CWU style leather jacket I purchased from Gibson and Barnes that I like. Of course it does not have a shearling lining.....

In the late-80s, I bought an A-2 (modified) from the well known Sporty's Pilot Shop...an easy place to find something like that in the pre-internet days...(ask your parents about them).

https://www.sportys.com
The site won't let me post a direct link to the item...odd. Just look under flight jackets.

It looks like an A-2 but is made out of softer, glove (goatskin) leather which is fine but lacks "grain". Mine was made by Avirex, I don't know if they still produce them for Spiory's.
The nice thing about that leather is it is more flexible and this comfortable in the confines of a plane or car. It Also has very subtle slit pockets in the sides..in addition to the usual front snap pockets.

After 30+ years, it is holding up well, though the knit cuffs are getting a bit worn. Well worth $250.

And since Sporty's is a well known outfit, you likely have a chance to exchange or return it if you don't like it.

When the USAF reintroduced the A-2 as a uniform item in the early 90s, I tracked down the contractor (Cooper...now out of business appearently) and bought one from them...a lovely jacket, correct grain but very stiff.
I don't recall what I paid for it, but being it's the "real deal" (minus the Velcro name tag patch), well worth it.

(Several years back, I was wearing mine at the local AFB, while wearing civilian clothes, and a senior NCO stopped me and told me I shouldn't wear an issue item with civilian clothes).

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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

The type of leather used matters. I bought an A-2 replica from Avirex 30 or so years ago. It's made of goatskin (as were the originals) and has lasted very well, despite regular wear. Horsehide was also used BITD but would take years to break in. L.L. Bean makes a good one called the "Flying Tiger" jacket, worth checking out. Nappa or lambskin is flexible but not as durable.