A2 with Velcro patches - age?

[Talbot]

All,

Getting a gennie WWII jacket is out of my league, just as a higher end repro jacket like Eastman is. Also, I'd worry about damaging it.

Lucky for me I was able to chance upon a very comfortable goatskin A2 in my cheapskate price range. OK, I'm not really a cheapskate, but the bills have been coming in lately .

The jacket had velcro patches is nicely broken in and has a moderate amount of wear in the line of duty, or at least thats what I'm assuming.

I understand this thread is pretty useless without pics, but can you tell me when velcro patches were introduced. I'm assuming fairly recently, but would like to understand just how recently.

BTW the velcro patches have been removed but are in the pocket - is this a bad thing? Zipper type is Ideal.

Thanks for any info.

Talbot

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Velcro came into being in the 70s sometime I think. Then was used on jackets in the 80s and later if I am not mistaken. Removing them is not necessarily a bad thing. All up to the owner's personal taste. I don't care for them personally, as they are of course not WW2 accurate. But if one wants to change patches on the front of a jacket easily or often, they are a convenience.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

VeLCRO...sTicKy question...

bad punz aside, earliest i've seen velcro is the reissue a-2s that were commissioned by congress for production under contract...i've oNLy seen velcro on contract-made for military issue/purchase jackets, obviously for name and a patch...the earliest reissue i've seen these on were the cooper 'saddlery' a-2s that were apparently made by cooper (orange label, thin goatskin, gaping necks) but prior to the orange label variety we know all too well (on ebay, etc)...the saddlery jackets appear to be a bit better quality from the pix i've seen, but i can't verify that...these seem to one of the very few a-2s i've seen velcro on, though there was an 80s new old stock avirex on ebay that had them (insignia and name spot)...

i have no idea when talking about g-1s...i see these all the time on ebay jackets from viet nam era, and don't know if they came that way or had them added...i'm sure the 80s cooper saddlery a-2 came that way as i've never seen one without

 

[LaMedicine]

Verclo tape was first invented in 1941 by a Swiss engineer according to Wikepedia. Other sources say 1948, but it came into being in the 1940s anyhow.
As a product, it appeared onto the market in the '60s.

It just so happens that I was watching a TV program on biomimetics last night, and this was one of the inventions that was brought up.

 

[kampkatz]

Velcro was not used on G-1's in the early 1970's. I had two diferent jackets issued while in the Navy and none had velcro. Patches were directly sewn on. Velcro was used on the flight suits, however.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Took a while for it to stick. I don't recall ever seeing it anywhere before the 70s, but then I was just a sprout at that timelol .

 

[J. M. Stovall]

When NASA started using it a lot during Apollo in the late 60's it's popularity spread.

 

[Hawk_Eye]

Sounds like one of the 1988 contracted Saddlery jackets to me. Russet goatskin, with velcro patches and Ideal zip. Nice starter A-2 if your just getting into it.

 

[Talbot]

Thanks guys,

I'll post some pics when I get a chance. It has a white label and brown cotton lining. I guess I should have said earlier. I'd have guessed 1980's

Much as I wanted, my budget couldn't run to a genuine WWII item. I had a repro, but stepped out of it as it didn't have the character of a jacket that was worn in the line of duty.

I don't know who had the jacket before me, but I'd like to thank him for serving, and breaking it in.

Reg'ds

Talbot