Do A-2s make good summer jackets?

[Sloan1874]

Just a thought, and I know we're in the dead of winter - unless you live Australia or New Zealand, obviously - but would an A-2 make good mid-weight summer jacket? I've got a really light-weight, unlined cafe racer that does as a windcheater but starts to change colour the moment a raindrop hits it, and we all know what happens if you get a suede jacket soaked. So, would one of, say, Aero's off the pegs make a good pull-on into spring/summer in case the skies open, or would it still be a bit heavy? Would steer or horse make a difference?

 

[crimsonofsam]

It's hard to comprehend a "summer" jacket. Oh how I envy you!

 

[majormajor]

Hi Craig

The main thing, for me, that stops the A2 being comfy in a UK spring is the knitted cuffs. Can just get a little too warm.

If I need a jacket on a relatively good weather day, then one of my trusty denim jackets (with nice open cuffs) is always the first choice. A bit of breeze up the arms!!

 

[Fanch]

It's hard to comprehend a "summer" jacket. Oh how I envy you!

Not in Alabama OR Texas. :flame:

 

[GoodTimesGone]

I have found that my goatskin A-2s are the ones that I can wear before the weather becomes too warm for a jacket. I have one in particular that has a lighter weight hide. I can wear it up to 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius. I have worn an A-2 in temps as high as 75 degrees F when it was raining. I have never understood how those guys in the movies could stand to wear an A-2 in the desert or warm Pacific climates. I CAN understand how pilots in warmer climates wore them in open cockpits or high altitude bombers.
_____________________________________________________
Tom

 

[Asienizen]

That depends on what summer is like where you live, and what your heat tolerance is. I can wear my A2 with a T shirt in 24C, if it's cloudy and I'm not doing a lot of exercise. But usually I don't use it till it gets to 21C because then I can wear it with a long-sleeve shirt without sweating. Mind you, I don't need it at 24C temperature, I can just merely wear it without discomfort.

Your comfort temperature may be different, I think many people would struggle to wear it above 23C and not feel stuffy and hot in it. Right now in central Vietnam I can wear my A2 at night or if it's cloudy, the winter weather is just cool enough to do so.

 

[Dr H]

Notwithstanding the previous posts, and I'm in SE England, I've found that horsehide tends to be too heavy as the temperature rises; goatskin extends the range a little, but I reach for my capeskin A-1 when I want a summer leather jacket.
Having said that, I'm more likely to reach for a cotton jacket at the higher temps.

 

[majormajor]

My understanding is that the A2 was intended as a "summer" jacket, and apparently, many wearers removed the knits from the cuffs. I suppose for the reason I mentioned earlier!

 

[Sloan1874]

@MM: The wrist knits thing is a good point, one that hadn't occurred to me, though on a cool spring day - we get plenty of those up here - I might actually be glad of something like that.

@CrimsonFan & Fanch: We had the worst summer on record last year - essentially, we hopped from late spring to early autumn and missed out the summery bit in between, which is one of the reasons I'm considering the idea of something a little bit more robust than either suede, cloth or thin vulnerable calf skin.

I agree that horse would be too much - I'm enjoying the breaking-in of my LHB, but the idea of wearing it on a June evening 'just in case' really isn't a goer. I'd thought about goatskin, too. I wonder whether steer might do at a pinch. Or, maybe, storse is what I need? (jest kidding).

@Asienizen 23C? That's high summer around here. You can always tell when the temperature is heading towards 20C in Glasgow, as you start seeing guys wondering around with their t-shirts off. It's not a pretty sight...


Perhaps I'm just trying to justify to myself the idea of getting one of Aero's A-2s. I do like the russet leather, and unlike the VLJ bods, some of whom have howled with outrage at the apparently inaccurate zips (there are some people there who need to get out more), and it's an easy way to buy a good looking jacket without having to resort to shelling out twice that for alleged accuracy I really don't care about.

 

[Justhandguns]

Notwithstanding the previous posts, and I'm in SE England, I've found that horsehide tends to be too heavy as the temperature rises; goatskin extends the range a little, but I reach for my capeskin A-1 when I want a summer leather jacket.
Having said that, I'm more likely to reach for a cotton jacket at the higher temps.

Very true. I can 'tolerate' my ELC .50Cal up to around 18-20degC. But then, if I wear my BK Dubow, it is a totally different feel since it is much thicker and heavier. A-2 used to be a 'summer' flying jacket because even in the summer, found this online here, stating that "Average temperature drop per 100 m of altitude: 0.65 degrees" So let's say ground temperature is around 25degC, you only need to fly as high as 1500m to get down to 15degC, plus the wind chill factor on an open cockpit?

 

[Justhandguns]

Oh, sorry, double post due to bad Wifi signal......

 

[schitzo]

I found the aero real deal A2 surprisingly warm. When done up the wind flap is pretty good at keeping heat in. Maybe this one in goat and without windflap would be a better summer fit

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=976

 

[Doctor Strange]

The A-2 was indeed designed as a summer jacket... for dealing with the powerful winds of open cockpit flying, not for sweating it out on the surface. I have found mine much too warm for summer wear, even over just a T shirt. Perhaps in a super-low-humidity desert setting, but there's just no way here in the humid northeast.

In summer when there isn't blazing sun at major heat - like at night or in the rain - I've found that my Wested Raiders jacket is the only leather that I can comfortably wear. Lightweight lambskin, all-cotton lining, no knits on the waist or sleeves: it's much, much more comfortable than my A-2s once temps are above around 60.

 

[JanSolo]

The A2 makes an excellent summer jacket for mid/northern European climates. But only if you order an A2 the way it is supposed to be i.e. made from mid weight veg tanned hh (Aero's goat is almost too heavy and stiff for a real lightweight jacket) paired with a lightweight (but densely woven) cotton lining.
If you fiddle around with the specs and go for FQHH and a heavier cotton drill lining or tartan you'll end up with an excellent jacket in its own rights but not with a good summer jacket as FQHH doesn't breathe well and might also be too heavy if you just intend to wear it with a t-shirt or long sleeve.

This FQHH ANJ-3 was meant to be a summer jacket but I had to let it go because the FQHH shell made it far too heavy. It was a great, slim fitting jacket but unfortunately too heavy...don't make that mistake!

 

[majormajor]

The A2 makes an excellent summer jacket for mid/northern European climates. But only if you order an A2 the way it is supposed to be i.e. made from mid weight veg tanned hh (Aero's goat is almost too heavy and stiff for a real lightweight jacket) paired with a lightweight (but densely woven) cotton lining.
If you fiddle around with the specs and go for FQHH and a heavier cotton drill lining or tartan you'll end up with an excellent jacket in its own rights but not with a good summer jacket as FQHH doesn't breathe well and might also be too heavy if you just intend to wear it with a t-shirt or long sleeve.

This FQHH ANJ-3 was meant to be a summer jacket but I had to let it go because the FQHH shell made it far too heavy. It was a great, slim fitting jacket but unfortunately too heavy...don't make that mistake!

Hey Jan, what jacket is that? It doesn't look like an A2....EDIT - sorry I should've read the post properly!!:eeek::eusa_doh:

 

[Peter Mackin]

I find my a2s to be great during our short summer days in glasgow...@ an elc a1 during our one day heatwave that comes around every couple of years.

 

[majormajor]

Two of my Denims - both by H D Lee. Great for spring and autumn in the UK

 

[Sloan1874]

That's great to know, Peter - I hoped somebody local would give their opinion on this subject. What sort of hide are your A2s?

 

[Sloan1874]

Two of my Denims - both by H D Lee. Great for spring and autumn in the UK

The one on the right is interesting. What model is it?

 

[simonc]

Don't see them as summer see them as Spring and Autumn and you are fine.