A-2 at lower price point?

[lkalliance]

After not getting myself an A-2 a couple of years ago (the cut was not a good fit on my body shape at the time), I've lost a lot of weight and wanted to try again. I was going to just go to US Wings and get a Modern A-2--not the Signature Series, but the less expensive one. It had still been available late last year, but by the holidays was only available in the extreme sizes, and now it is gone (the more expensive Signature Series version remains). I've inquired, and they have no plans at the moment to replace it with another A-2 at that price point.

This makes me sad. I understand US Wings doesn't have as good a reputation as other sellers, but it seemed to be a perfectly fine new jacket at a lower price point. I've looked around and I expect the answer is "no," but does anyone know of another seller that would hit that price?

I know a very reasonable answer is "buy one used on eBay or at another secondhand seller," but I get very nervous about buying secondhand in anything.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I've got one of these from Dakota, which is the modern version. It's low-end but very solid and worth the money I think. I believe it is made by Taylors Leatherwear, based on some of the details. It has the velcro on both breasts, though, and the cuff knits have a seam.
link below, go to page 5
http://www.dakotaouterwear.com/products.aspx?catid=22
Here's some photos I posted:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/dakota-leather.61844/#post-1818369

Beware the members here who will talk you into $$$$$, ha ha

 

[lkalliance]

Thanks, Doctor, that's the sort of thing I'm looking for, though I don't want the velcro. But low-end, with the right detailing, goatskin. I wonder if he has access to a version without the patches? Probably not (at that price, it's likely he doesn't monkey around with custom orders). But thanks for putting this into my field of vision!

Yeah, I remember from the last time I was here that there was a lot of advice to just suck it up and get a more expensive jacket, which is not bad advice, but it's not equally good for all people: different priorities, different budges, etc. What gets me is that the one I wanted existed, so I have hope it still does, elsewhere, like where you've pointed out. Thanks!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Look at Wested's version, and What Price Glory's. And keep watching for sales at US Wings, Legendary USA, Cockpit, etc.

 

[Cooper A-2]

A few of the prime makers on ebay as well.
several are listed for ages, so I believe you may also get a deal there if you find your size.

 

[lkalliance]

Look at Wested's version, and What Price Glory's. And keep watching for sales at US Wings, Legendary USA, Cockpit, etc.

All good leads! At the upper end there, What Price Glory has the CockpitUSA version but marked down.

 

[nick123]

When I'm in "budget A-2" mode, I usually search ebay (sometimes Etsy) for

1) Gibson Barnes
2) Flight Suits Ltd (old Gibson Barnes)
3) US Wings clearance page
4) US Wings
5) Cooper
6) "A-2 jacket"/"goatskin/horsehide/steerhide jacket" and set to auction/ending soonest to try to find a deal.
7) sometimes the classifieds here have good prices as well

I do this daily lol. Don't be afraid to buy used.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I do this daily lol.

You know you have a problem when...

Full disclosure: I look up donkey jackets, belstaff, and cover coats almost daily too.

 

[Doctor Damage]

What Price Glory has the CockpitUSA version but marked down.

Good to know. I had assumed WPG's jackets were some no-name brand.

 

[Doctor Strange]

WPG jackets are different, they don't resemble any of Cockpit's jackets in specs or price. Where does a CockpitUSA A-2 appear on the WPG site?

 

[lkalliance]

WPG jackets are different, they don't resemble any of Cockpit's jackets in specs or price. Where does a CockpitUSA A-2 appear on the WPG site?

Oops, misspoke. It was on Legendary USA. https://www.legendaryusa.com/Cockpit-Mens-USAF-Goatskin-A-2-Flight-Jacket.html

 

[HGalindez]

If you are looking for a quality USA made A-2 I would recommend LegendaryUSA.com. They offer Cockpit USA (like the link above from Doctor Strange) as well as their own private brand (which is what I have). Here is the link to my jacket https://www.legendaryusa.com/Legendary-Fighting-Falcon-Mens-A-2-Flight-Jacket.html I also found a coupon online to get extra money off so I got it for a steal! Hope this helps.

 

[Doctor Strange]

There are a couple of clearance jackets at Taylor's that might suffice. Some of them aren't quite on-spec A-2s... but I don't know how much that matters to the OP:

http://taylorsleatherwear.com/buy-online.php#!/Flight-Jackets/c/16174712/offset=0&sort=normal

 

[lkalliance]

Spec doesn't matter to me specifically. There are some details I am looking for (after the basic A-2 "look")...but some I'm not. I guess I just will know it when I see it. That Taylors Leatherwear link was very fruitful!

 

[Brettafett]

Try AVI leather... Goatskin, loosely patterned after a Bronco... certainly an option. Amazing value for what they are asking.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/avi-leather-seal-a-2-jacket-review-pic-heavy.88881/

 

[CoopDog]

https://www.flightjacket.com/a2-jacket.html

 

[Fanch]

Your biggest problem will not be finding an A-2 at a reasonable price but finding an A-2 that fits properly no matter what the price is.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Here is a new, made in the USA, A-2 for $217. And that includes free shipping. I bought one a couple years ago to make into a "patch" jacket. Made by Excelled. Available at www.leathercoatsetc.com

This is a nice jacket. But had to order a 38, as they run just a tad large.

 

[Monsoon]

What size are you looking for and what's your budget??

 

[Deacon211]

I could be wrong and USWings might be changing around their stock somewhat, but it isn't uncommon for a company to sell out around Christmas and then replenish their stock in the following months.

For instance, LL Bean and Danner are both pretty big companies where I've seen this happen.

Did you say that USW had said that they were discontinuing their lower priced line? Or did they use some vague language about not having any resupply information at this time?

Danner gave me that line. What it meant in their case was that they were most likely going to have something exactly like what I had been looking for, but the Customer Service person didn't have info on exactly when that would be. Not quite the same as them having no intention of ever making the item again.

I only dip my toe into the second hand trade, but I wouldn't fear it overmuch. Just find a jacket that you think fits well and take some measurements. There's a how-to somewhere here and you can use these numbers as a guide to compare the sales jackets to.

Occasionally you might need to ask the seller for the numbers, but it shouldn't take a minute of their time.


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