Alpha CWU 45/P Jacket?

[TXFlyGuy]

Anyone have experience with the satin version of this jacket, the Alpha Macguire?

It is listed at 4 lbs. Looks good in the photos, but then they always look good in pictures. It is a very reasonable $75.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

OK, let me help. Cockpit USA, G&B, and Alpha make this same jacket. The Cockpit version is $200, G&B is $138, and Alpha is $75. Are the other brands two and three times better?

 

[Doctor Damage]

I just bought one of those Alpha McGuire "faux" 45P nomex jackets and I like it a lot. It's made of nylon but the cloth is twill like nomex cloth (see below) and it looks a lot nicer than the regular nylon which Alpha uses and the sage colour is exactly as in the official photos. It has zero shine and the only obvious Alpha branding is the tag on the pencil pocket. Although ultimately it won't fool anyone into thinking it's genuine nomex, it looks a quality jacket and is much nicer than 'lesser' Alpha jackets. I recommend buying one, if you like the CWU design and don't insist on nomex (or you just want a day-to-day jacket and don't want to wear nomex all the time).

EDIT: Temps dipped down a bit and I was able to wear this jacket once in the early morning. It doesn't seem quite as warm as an MA-1, for whatever reasons, and the fabric rustles way too much for my liking. Hmmm.

Here's a good pic from USWings:

Here's a closeup up the material - it's nylon, but it's a twill weave (like nomex):

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Regarding my post above, I take back what I said. Having worn this McGuire jacket a few more times I now think that it's not a good choice at all. Construction and detailing is excellent - it's the special nylon that is becoming less and less appealing the more I wear it. If you don't want (or can't afford) a 100% nomex jacket then go right to one of Alpha's regular 45P nylon jackets.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

^ Regarding my post above, I take back what I said. Having worn this McGuire jacket a few more times I now think that it's not a good choice at all. Construction and detailing is excellent - it's the special nylon that is becoming less and less appealing the more I wear it. If you don't want (or can't afford) a 100% nomex jacket then go right to one of Alpha's regular 45P nylon jackets.

Gibson & Barnes makes a nice looking one also.

 

[Doctor Damage]

...I take back what I said. Having worn this McGuire jacket a few more times I now think that it's not a good choice at all. Construction and detailing is excellent - it's the special nylon that is becoming less and less appealing the more I wear it. If you don't want (or can't afford) a 100% nomex jacket then go right to one of Alpha's regular 45P nylon jackets.

Gibson & Barnes makes a nice looking one also.

Although I haven't seen one, I bet they're fine garments.

Here's an older Alpha (made in USA) cwu jacket in "MP Tex" material, which I suspect is a fancy name for nylon. Their current jackets are of course called nylon.



As much as I'd like to be a purist when it comes to these jackets and insist on nomex/aramid, given how many used ones I've seen with stitching probs and the really high price of new ones, the nylon versions make sense as daily drivers.

 

[deerhunter]

^ Regarding my post above, I take back what I said. Having worn this McGuire jacket a few more times I now think that it's not a good choice at all. Construction and detailing is excellent - it's the special nylon that is becoming less and less appealing the more I wear it. If you don't want (or can't afford) a 100% nomex jacket then go right to one of Alpha's regular 45P nylon jackets.

Greetings from The Czech Republic

I am new to this great forum

Speaking about Alpha McGuire CWU 45 - I wanted to get some nice CWU 45 for a long time and after a very good experience with Alpha' s MA-1 (1997, Made in USA) I turned my sight to Alpha again.
A friend of mine had their standard nylon CWU 45 which was nice, but I never liked its "fluffiness". Since a new real Nomex CWU (I wanted new jacket only) costs a fortune I welcomed this McGuire Nomex-look nylon CWU pretty much. Also the cut of the McGuire seemed to me much closer to the Nomex original - slender fit with rather flat seams (not those MA-1 style seams).

I went to local Alpha retailer where I could personally try and compare both CWUs (nylon and faux Nomex McGuire). The difference in cut, fit, look and feel of the faux Nomex was huge and I ended up buying a sage one.

I have had the McGuire for about six months now. I wear it very often and definitelly prefer it to the standard nylon. I love its military non-shining look, I can post some pics with me in it

Cheers, Jan

 

[bn1966]

Welcome to the Lounge DeerHunter,

May you continue to enjoy CWU ownership. You'll find a few Nylon / Nomex fanciers hanging out around here. I currently have four CWU jackets in Nomex including a Tan / Disco CWU-36 & one non-service nylon -45 that's great as a 'beater' for outside messy jobs :-D

 

[Monitor]

Sorry for bumping an old post but does anyone know where I could find a green Alpha (or the green US flag) Velcro patch for this particular jacket? I've been all over eBay but couldn't find a single one...

 

[nick123]

Sorry for bumping an old post but does anyone know where I could find a green Alpha (or the green US flag) Velcro patch for this particular jacket? I've been all over eBay but couldn't find a single one...

The one that comes with it? I have a blue one I'll ship to you if you'd like.

 

[Monitor]

The one that comes with it? I have a blue one I'll ship to you if you'd like.

Yeah, the one that comes with the jacket! Thank you so much, Nick but it's for a friends jacket and he insists on a green one... He has a black CWU and could technically switch the tag but really wants to complete the green jacket.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Yeah, the one that comes with the jacket! Thank you so much, Nick but it's for a friends jacket and he insists on a green one... He has a black CWU and could technically switch the tag but really wants to complete the green jacket.

Why not get a custom leather or cloth nametag? It looks far better than what Alpha has. And you can get any color you wish.

https://www.nametags4u.com/

 

[kowalski]

Hello All
IMHO
IF YOU BUY Military CLOTHING FOR ONLY CONTRACT
differences between quality CIVILIAN VS Contract is very big