Any opinions on Gibson and Barnes "Raider" jacket

[Seb Lucas]

I kind of like this civilian flying jacket by G&B. I like the slash pockets (don't like the cargo pocket look myself).

Is this jacket design an older look or something from the 1970's?

Do the knits on these affordable jackets hold up okay?

Thoughts? BTW I can't post pics....

 

[scottyrocks]

Open a photobucket account, or the like, and youll be able to post pictures using the

 

[Jeff M]

I own a G&B "Raider" jacket, goat skin.
Very well made, comfortable. Great option if looking for this style jacket.

 

[kojax]

i have a couple of gibson barnes jackets very well made. they have great leather there goatskin is great and there horsehide to.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I own a G&B "Raider" jacket, goat skin.
Very well made, comfortable. Great option if looking for this style jacket.

Do we know anything about the origin of this style? I understand that various makers have done one of these. Is it just a civil adaptation of an A2?

 

[Doctor Strange]

It was a very popular style in the late 70s and early 80s - I recall lots of TV and movie characters wearing them for a while. It's basically just a G-1 civilianized with different pockets and collar. There were probably jackets like this for years: I notice that G&B's description claims it's a sixty-year-old design.

Possibly the trendsetter back in the 80s - a light tan, probably lambskin version that was widely copied (for example, Cooper made them) - was originally by Avirex or Cockpit?

Anyway, I've long admired the style, but I don't know where it comes from either. G&B's page:

http://www.gibson-barnes.com/Raider/id/18/cat_id/18/prod_id/65/

Addendum: I wasn't far off - Cockpit claims to have introduced the "G-2 Raider" in 1982, according to this page at Legendary USA:

http://www.legendaryusa.com/Cockpit_Lambskin_Raider_G_2_Leather_Flight_Jacket_p/z2129a.htm

 

[Edward]

Here's a photo...

It's a nice jacket, IMO. A lot will depend on the fit as to whether it has the look of a late Forties / Fifties civilian jacket or more of an Eighties thing (the Eighties saw a lot of revival of Fifties styles, though typically with blousier fits and so on). For all we on here may favour the A2 (I have two myself.... and an AN6552) and other military styles, it seems to me that the average civilian in 1953 who was fortunate enough to have a nice leather jacket was far more likely to be wearing a civilian model which deviated in some respects from the military spec than an accurate A2 repro.

 

[Daniel Hunter]

I have one.

Like all of Gibson and Barnes jackets it's very well made and a great value.

 

[rmrdaddy]

I also have one in goat. I got it second hand from another Lounger, Tibor. It was impossible for me to pass on, custom ordered in my size (or one that would fit). It's a great jacket, and while it may have a made up lineage, I feel like a hotshot aviator when I wear mine with a tan Open Road....

 

[Seb Lucas]

Thanks all for the information. I think I may get one in goat. I just don't want to end up looking like McGyver.... better get rid of my mullet then.

 

[Seb Lucas]

For those who have a G&B version: Is it a blousy fit?

 

[Anders]

Thanks all for the information. I think I may get one in goat. I just don't want to end up looking like McGyver.... better get rid of my mullet then.

Really? I spent a large portion of my life trying to look exactly like that man! If only I had owned one of these jackets.... I would never have shaved my head!

 

[rmrdaddy]

I wouldn't call it blousy, well at least not the one I have. I wear a 46 long suit jacket, this jacket is tagged as a 44 made to measure, it's got longer sleeves on it from what I can tell. I can wear a sweater under and get a decent, snug aviator look. I'm no Adonis, but I think it looks good....
I also really like the goat, nice and dark and finely pebbled. But, if you are looking for a very broken in look, that hide may not be for you. My jacket still looks fresh out of the box IMHO.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Yeah, G&B's goatskin is seriously tough stuff. My nine-year-old Civil A-2 in black goatstkin shows fading only on the edges of the windflap and the epaulets... but hasn't lost any of its gloss. My five-year-old Historical M-422A in seal goatskin still looks virtually new (though the texture of the mouton has changed with exposure to the elements).

 

[ron521]

Perhaps some owners of this jacket could post some photos showing the jacket being worn?

 

[J.W.]

+1

 

[Seb Lucas]

I started this thread and finally got one of these. It's great, as I said on the other thread about this jacket. It isn't fitted, but it isn't baggy. Lovely quality and I think it a nicer pattern than the A2, since it does away with epaulettes and cargo pockets, which I don't like no matter how original. But then, my interest in vintage is flexible - it's about what I respond to or reject. I still aren't keen on knits, however.

At 6 feet 2 and 185 pounds a 42T fits well. A 42 reg may have worked too, but I don't live near the shop to try them all on.

Sorry, I don't do photos.

 

[kb777]

I'm looking at getting one of these jackets...(long time lurker, first time poster...)--would you say the fit is true? I wear a 42S-44S, suit, so I'm wondering what I should order. I'm thinking about a 42S; do you find the overall length of the jacket to be true? FYI, I ordered a 44S Expedition, and while the sleeves were about 1/2 inch too long, the body of the jacket swallowed me up, but at the same time it was a little too short at the waist...thought about a 42S, but I'm afraid it would be even shorter at the waist. (I'm 5'7'', and 185 pounds) Sooo, looking at the Raider. Thanks.

 

[leopardstyle]

MacGyver is awesome! If you're looking better than him, you're doing pretty well.

I just ordered a G&B Historical A-2. Great jacket, amazing goatskin. The fit just wasn't quite right for me.