a2 horsehide flight jacket

[kojax]

hello everybody i am new here.....i just got my a2 horsehide at u.s. authentic mfg. real nice jacket....i tryed a 38 real big on me then i tryed the 36 the fit was very good....i have a flight suite 38 goatskin real nice jacket but one thing the cuffs and waiste band pill and fuzz up stinks....i oreded a 38 horsehise from fligt suites was to big for me.......i sent it back.....every mfg a2 jackets are different....

 

[B-17 Pilot]

Re: A-2 sizes

Kojax,

You will find a big discrepancy in sizing. . .if you are after the WWII look make sure you buy the jacket to "fit" you. . .not hang loose over your shoulders as today's jackets do. The A-2's were designed to fit snug! Of course it was easy when you were 20 years old! Us old guys who want that WWII look and that snug fit have to go easy on the chips and beer! Of course my favorite thing to do is sit at an airshow in my flightsuit and A-2 with a "cold one" in my canteen!!

Good luck,

Mike

 

[Raymundo]

Since horsehide is the original leather used on A-2 jackets, it is preferred by many flight jacket enthusiasts. I ordered one from US A a few months ago but I sent it back because it was so stiff and I knew that it would take me forever to break it in. It was a heavy jacket as well. Flightsuits (G&B) horsehide is lighter in weight (3 oz vs 3.5 US A) and you can order one with chrome tanning which softens the horsehide and makes it more comfortable to wear right out of the box. I have a Flightsiuts goat A-2 that is as soft as lambskin and very comfortable to wear. I prefer goatskin because it is strong yet light and softer than horse. Different strokes for different folks. Both G&B and US A make quality jackets so you can't go wrong. Also, all original flight jackets were made in the USA. IMO foreign made reproduction flight jackets are over hyped and overrated. It just makes sense to support good American manufacturers.

Ray

 

[kojax]

hello the horsehide i got from u.s. mfg it is very nice not to heavy i am a size 36 so the jacket is not heavy at all......i got a 38 from flight suites it was really big for me......trouble with flight suties you have to wainte for ever to get a jcket the time frame right now is 16 weeks crazy....

 

[Harp]

Fit

If you are looking for a premium brand A2, I suggest you
call Paddy at Real McCoy New Zealand. Have your tailor measure
you at present weight, and if you have a favorite A2 jacket available
that is also a good fit, have the jacket sized, then give Paddy your
measurements for a RMNZ size recommendation.

 

[Harp]

P.S.

You might also troll eBay for available jackets. Flight Suits, Aero,
Eastman, and RMNZ jackets can be readily found at reasonable cost.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

You might also find an original jacket from the war on ebay in a size 38 for a reasonable price.

Your U.S. Authentic jacket's cuffs and waste band will not pill as they are made of 100 percent wool. I have had mine for a year now and it's breaking in nicely and suffers from no pilling whatsoever. I love the fact that it is heavy.

 

[kojax]

good to hear the a2 horsehide is breaking in well.....i thnk u.s. mfg makes a nice jacket. my 36 a2 horsehide is not that heavy.....i was wondering my a2 goatskin i got from flight suite the cuffs are pilling and look lousy.....can them be replaced thank you..

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Yes, definately,.....

You can find replacement cuffs and waste band sets on ebay for around 15 to 25 dollars I think. Just make certain that they are 100 percent wool as they are much more durable than synthetics and without all those annoying pills.

 

[kojax]

i just got my a2 horsehide jacket how long does it take to break in....do you need to put any loction on it or conitioner. thank you KOJAX HERE

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

i just got my a2 horsehide jacket how long does it take to break in....do you need to put any loction on it or conitioner. thank you KOJAX HERE

Congratulations.
Depends on how much you wear it. I wore mine every day for about 6 months and it broke in nicely, and it continues to do so.
I would definitely not use any sort of leather conditioners on it. They are not needed and will only build up on the leather and cause problems.

 

[kojax]

thank you

thank you very much. i am wearing it every day now feels funny after wearing my a2 goatskin lol......i am sending my a2 goatskin to u.s mfg they are going to replace the cuffs and wasite band with wool.....i bought my goatskin at fligh suites nice jacket the cuffs pill and got fuzzy they are not wool......happy thanksgiving

 

[Raymundo]

Kojax,

What is US Authentic charging to replace the cuffs and waistband on your FS jacket? FS will replace them with the same nylon free of charge. They are replacing mine because of the same pilling and fuzz problem that you had.

Ray

 

[kojax]

a2 jacket

good morning kojax here.....total was 104.00 that includes shiping....new wool cuffs and waiste band...u.s. mgf.

 

[Doctor Strange]

My FS Civil A-2 also has those godawful "textured nylon" cuffs - they are massively fuzzed and pilled. Does anybody know why they insist on cheapening their jackets with these terrible cuffs? I have had plenty of other jackets with nylon and synthetic-blend cuffs (LL Bean jackets, baseball jackets, etc.) that look as good as new after a decade, so it's not that they're synthetic knits, per se, so much as they're apparently *designed* to fuzz out for a misbegotten "worn in" look.

One of you guys that's friendly with the management of FS/G&B should ask them what's up with this!

 

[kojax]

nice to hear from you doctor strange.....i have a ll bean flight jacket 20 years old the waiste and cuffs never pilled or got fussy wuzzy........at one time ll bean made a nice flight jacket but now they are made in turkey...my brother got one from ll bean return it..............

 

[JWG]

The FS historical horsehide and goatskin A2s come with knitted wool cuffs.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Of course they do, that's not the issue. In a historical repro jacket that costs $400+, they should be wool.

The point is, why are the knits so awful on their standard A-2, G-1, and other leather jackets, which we all agree are otherwise very nicely made for their modest prices? I believe that other comparable jackets in the same ballpark (Cooper, Cockpit, Wings, etc.) have much nicer synthetic knits. Heck, my $59 LL Bean Warmup Jacket has vastly better knits!

That's why I wonder if these "textured" knits were chosen on purpose, to actually quickly achieve the fuzzy worn-in look.

 

[JWG]

That could be but I think maybe it's because the current milspec allows the synthetic knits and synthetic knits do this??

I would be upset at the pills for sure.

 

[Raymundo]

Doc,

When I get my Civil A-2 back from FS with the replacement cuffs and waistband (nylon) I will ask them why they use this particular material when they call to ask if I am satisfied with the work they did. I originally asked them to use wool replacement knits but they said the color they have (used on their historical jackets) would not look very good on my dark brown goatskin jacket (wool knit color would be too light according to them). I was disappointed but told them to go ahead and put new nylon knits back on. I did not want to pay $100 plus shipping to have US A do the work. I will definitely discuss this with FS and hopefully they will consider making some changes to the knits on their non historical jackets. We'll see.

Ray