ANJ-4 jackets

[Naphtali]

While I doubt your jacket is warmer or more weather resistant than my Aero LONGSHOREMAN, it is gorgeous. And to give perspective, I would sell or swap my Longshoreman, my B-3, and a whole bunch of folding money to own a jacket like yours.

I guess the short form for the previous paragraph is: Wow!

 

[Milesdeathescape]

View attachment 107857 Some initial impressions on 2 weeks with an ANJ-4. The model I have chosen is a Lost Worlds. A term heard oftern is bullet proof, well it certainly applies in this case. This is a thick, heavy jacket. I suppose this is due to the tech during the ANJ's brief heyday. Need a jacket to be stronger and warmer? Add more leather and wool! My size 38 weighs in at 6 pounds. I haven't noticed the weight when i was wearing the jacket and active. Even when sedintary it doesn't seem too bad, but the other day, watching a soccer match, i took the jacket off after 45 minutes and i must admit there was a bit of relief . The shearling is piled deep and i particularly like the "spoilt milk" shade LW uses. Shoulder movement is no problem at all. Due to the reenforced sleeves elbow bending is like doing weighted curls. I do however noticing that begining to soften up after 2 weeks of moderate wear. The cut is a bit boxy. Again, i suspect this is by design to both fit flight pants and fit a wide variation of enlisted men. Clearly sailors and soldiers were not requesting fit jackets from Thurstons prior to deployment. I have only received 1 "where'dya land the plane" comment, but it was from a friend. A friend who wears the middle aged man uniform of puffy black northface jacket so his credibility is zero. For me the temp range is 38f and overcast and down. By 15f i need some layering. Overall I'm really enjoying the jacket and wish I had gotten it earlier in the season.

I have had mine in Norway since November. I wear it everyday I find anything above 4c the jacket must be open. I have only needed a sweater under for a short walk with the dog at -10c. A long walk with a sweater would be a no go. It’s incredibly warm. Your LW fits much different than mine. Did you buy it New from Stuart?


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[Chris7273]

Your LW fits much different than mine. Did you buy it New from Stuart?

Same for me : my ANJ-4 is a bit bulkier and the collar is the center piece of the jacket. Difficult for people in the street not to look at me ;-)
Mine is a size 42 but a 40 would have been OK too. I don't mind as I prefer a loose fitting for a winter jacket.
I was a bit scared that the jacket would be too warm and it's not : from 5 or 6°C and below it's perfect. The wool is a perfect temperature regulator and I sweat less than in a "modern" (manmade fibers) jacket.

 

[Milesdeathescape]

Same for me : my ANJ-4 is a bit bulkier and the collar is the center piece of the jacket. Difficult for people in the street not to look at me ;-)
Mine is a size 42 but a 40 would have been OK too. I don't mind as I prefer a loose fitting for a winter jacket.
I was a bit scared that the jacket would be too warm and it's not : from 5 or 6°C and below it's perfect. The wool is a perfect temperature regulator and I sweat less than in a "modern" (manmade fibers) jacket.

I have found that the jacket works more as a coat with the collar flipped up and the sleeves rolled down. It makes for quite a different piece of equipment and performing more like a jacket with the sleeves rolled up and the collar down. I always have the waistline pulled tight to hold the heat in and make jacket less boxy. Now that I have done that, I notice the back has got some beautiful swirls. Having my ANJ4 for five month and everyday use, I see some breaking of the dies in the elbows and other areas and the jacket is like ok’ing nice and tough. The Goat skin shielding is now really soft at the arm ditch and I don’t feel muscle bound anymore. All the Goat trim is now soft as butter and gorgeous to feel and see. I use my pockets frequently and the buttons have loosened as they should. The bake-light buttons won’t be going anywhere, including my highly used two button collar. I much prefer the way the jacket looks with the sleeves rolled up although is is more difficult taking the coat off. You can see a full video blog of my jacket and some wear progression on my instagram page at the very top of my page in my videos. My insta handle is Milesdeathescape.


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[Bfd70]

Miles, your insta photos are pretty much what inspired me to pull the trigger on this jacket. I can't seem to locate the video but also do not have an insta acoount. Can you post a pic of the sleeves rolled? Mine would be too stiff and too short for this.Temp range for me 38f (about 3c) and down is good. I think that has a bit to do with body type. I'm 5'10" 150# with a 28" waist. Thats the long version of saying i'm skinny and always cold. The arm pit to hem line cut is definitely meant to accomodate a thicker mid section. I live in Chicago so the season for it is primarily Dec, Jan, Feb with a few errant cold days thrown in.

 

[Milesdeathescape]

Miles, your insta photos are pretty much what inspired me to pull the trigger on this jacket. I can't seem to locate the video but also do not have an insta acoount. Can you post a pic of the sleeves rolled? Mine would be too stiff and too short for this.Temp range for me 38f (about 3c) and down is good. I think that has a bit to do with body type. I'm 5'10" 150# with a 28" waist. Thats the long version of saying i'm skinny and always cold. The arm pit to hem line cut is definitely meant to accomodate a thicker mid section. I live in Chicago so the season for it is primarily Dec, Jan, Feb with a few errant cold days thrown in.

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[Milesdeathescape]

That’s awesome to hear Bfd70! I love inspiring people, that’s why I love instagram. I equally love being inspired my man. I am 5’11” 185lbs and a 34 waistline. My coat is a 42R. With the sleeves rolled the leather line is parallel to the waist while the wool storm cuffs extend past the waistline. From the looks of your coat the sleeves seem shorter than mine but I would try rolling them and see how you like it. It really transforms from coat to jacket as you will see. When it’s super cold and my low wrist gloves aren’t cutting it I roll them down. You can do that fine with the jacket on but rolling them up is a bit tricky and done while the coat is off.


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[Milesdeathescape]

Hi guys, I've admired these jackets for some time, and am nearly in a position to pick one up. I would love to see the Anj-4 owners put up some pics of jackets being worn. I haven't seen too many...at this stage am leaning towards probably an aero, it was the first one I saw, and really liked it. Cheers.

Most accurate reproduction is the Lost Worlds! It’s worth every penny. I have never loved any material item more than my motorcycle and the LW sits dearly in my heart! I even have it on its own jacket Valet[emoji1303].

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[Milesdeathescape]

IMHO the most practical of the wartime shearling jackets .... for one reason .... pockets.

Having had 8 ... from 4 different manufacturers ..... 3 x Aero, 3 x Eastman, 1 x Lost Worlds, 1 x US Web based manufacturer I think it was "Flightjackets.com" or their precursor ( It was some time ago and I didn't know any better ) .... and having handled many more both originals ( which tend to be a VERY fragile affair) I can honestly say that the Eastman ANJ-4 is the finest ANJ-4 available.

The Lost Worlds is by far the most heavyweight ( were Stuart gets this sheepskin is a mystery but it's seriously heavyweight and tough as nails ) .. the Aero is/was also amazing but my experience is limited to the previous regime - when they had one of the finest sheepskin jacket seamstresses around - who is now with Alexander Leathers. The Aero historically ran about a size bigger than Eastman and Lost worlds was on a par with Eastman but "felt" neater due to the hide.

There are pics of me in a few of mine on the site certainly two of the Eastmans and two of the Aero's ... not sure I took any of the Lost Worlds and sold it about 4 years ago the flightjackets .com one I had for around 6 months and sold on ebay.

I now only have one left ... the Eastman

HTH

You have to keep in mind that every coat Lost Worlds makes is unique to the owner! Every coat he makes he does improvements be it through selection or production and even design. I think it would be fair to say that LW shearling is the finest and looks the best with that spoilt milk color. Also the EMLC has a visible split in the shearling collar. They use a double section for their collar, whist LW uses a quadruple section collar and no visible seam in the shearling at all. Not the mention the needle work is predominantly better on the LW. First thing I noticed was the back of the collar where rows of stitching is parallel and close and not to mention tighter. LW really knows their collars, that’s what makes them stand out. And the ANJ4 is a BEAST of a collar. I have to say it’s the best purchase I have ever made and I’m emotionally attached to my jacket. I think also the fact that Eastman uses Horsehide is a fault because original anj4 had goat shielding.


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[Milesdeathescape]

Thanks for that, I really liked the Eastman too, they look a very practical jacket, and although I love the b3 and D1, for me, they look too bulky and warm to wear regularly.the Anj-4 seems like a jacket I would get a lot of use out of.

The ANJ4 is the heaviest coat. The only thing heavier is the Grounds Crew B7.


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[Milesdeathescape]

Hi Bunyip,

You should do a FL search on "ANJ4". Do not use a dash.

Here is a thread where John Lever posted some great photos. Scroll down page one.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...mpared-to-B3-and-Irvin-jackets&highlight=ANJ4

Some old pics of my original Arnoff Shoe Co., Inc. in 40R

Notice at the tip of both bottom sides there is a small black eyelet/rivet. Does anyone know if the reproductions have this feature?

John

I have a Dubot Repro. It doesn’t have riveted zippers.


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[Worf]

My Good Wear ANJ-4. Two year plus wait but worth it!

Worf

 

[John Lever]

The ANJ4 is the heaviest coat. The only thing heavier is the Grounds Crew B7.


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The B3 has longer fleece and is a warmer jacket, but Anj4s are stunning and are my favourite design. Lost Worlds make an outstanding example.

 

[Milesdeathescape]

The B3 has longer fleece and is a warmer jacket, but Anj4s are stunning and are my favourite design. Lost Worlds make an outstanding example.

I think it definitely would depend on the maker of each design. I don’t think there really is a solid comparison for warmth unless we had all makers side by side of each design. But as you know the ANJ4 is basically all the shearling military coats combined to make the most efficient pilots jacket, pre Electric flight suits. I have yet to see a fleece that has the density and length of my LW. In my observation, the B3 is a different type of fleece that’s longer but not as dense. I love talking these observations! Especially with you as someone really extremely knowledgeable and reputable John![emoji1303][emoji1374]


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[John Lever]

I have had B3's from LW that are made from the same skins as the Anj4. The fleece depth was the same on both jackets so they were equally as warm so it's hard to tell if the design made any difference.

 

[Milesdeathescape]

I have had B3's from LW that are made from the same skins as the Anj4. The fleece depth was the same on both jackets so they were equally as warm so it's hard to tell if the design made any difference.

I would definitely think that storm cuffs make a difference in a Cockpit


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[swellshades]

Hi guys

I'm still thinking, b-6 or Anj-4?
My favorite is the Anj-4 because of construction on the sleeves. I think so you have the most freedom of movement for the arms.

How long is the Aero Anj-4? About as long as a Longhalfbelt or more like a Highwayman?

The sleeves of a new ANJ-4 are rather stiff; in fact, when my jacket was new, it could stand upright on a flat surface by itself, with no additional support from me... But it relaxes and begins to wear-in fairly quickly. Have you purchased yours yet? Thanks!