gi-----jacket

[kojax]

i was looking to buy a gi jacket looking flight suties and u.s. mfg...i seen the gi jacket in the flight sutie catalog looks nice......has anybody seen the gi jacket from u.s. mgf in person. in the catalog it does not look to good...i looked at lostwords to pricey....well thank you people..

 

[bfrench]

G-1 jackets

i was looking to buy a gi jacket looking flight suties and u.s. mfg...i seen the gi jacket in the flight sutie catalog looks nice......has anybody seen the gi jacket from u.s. mgf in person. in the catalog it does not look to good...i looked at lostwords to pricey....well thank you people..

Hi, Kojax,

I just looked at the website for Flight Suits and their modern day G-1 is $308.00 as opposed to $369.00 from US A.

My preference would be FS especially as they honor the web site price instead of ordering by phone where they use the $100.00 more catalog price.

And for $428.00 web price you can get the FS M-422a which is a good historic copy of the generic model that started the whole series.

You might want to talk to FS about the waistband as a lot of people don't like the accurate single ply ribrack waist band and prefer the double ply woolen one instead - 100% wool in both cases.

BillFrench

 

[aswatland]

You can buy late 40s and 50s G1s on Ebay for much less than a new repro. You can even buy wartime M422as for aound $250 on Ebay. The goatskin usually stands up well, but the cuffs may need to be replaced. Nothing beats a good original in my opinion!

 

[SGB]

Buy an original G-1

Unless you are a very large size (and these do come up on ebay), there is no reason to buy a repro when originals are available and at less money. The goatskin, patina, and real good mouton on some of the originals can't be beat. Of the 40-50 leather jackets I own I don't have any repro USN flight jackets, only originals. A-2's are a different story, a few repro's of those are "wearers".
Keep looking on ebay, you'll have more enjoyment out of an original.

SGB

 

[greyhound68]

Agree with you all. Just be sure you get one prior to the decline of the G-1 in the early 1970s. The quality was not there. I have one from 1960 and another from 1972 and the difference is amazing.

 

[Peacoat]

Agree with you all. Just be sure you get one prior to the decline of the G-1 in the early 1970s. The quality was not there. I have one from 1960 and another from 1972 and the difference is amazing.

If buying on ebay how can you tell when a G-1 was made? I can date peacoats, but not sure that translates into dating a G-1. I have found that most sellers of peacoats on ebay make a guess when dating their coats, and many are off by decades! Probably the same with the flight jackets.

If the Navy used the same tags on the G-1s as were used on the peacoats, it should be a simple matter to accurately date them.

 

[aswatland]

If buying on ebay how can you tell when a G-1 was made? I can date peacoats, but not sure that translates into dating a G-1. I have found that most sellers of peacoats on ebay make a guess when dating their coats, and many are off by decades! Probably the same with the flight jackets.

If the Navy used the same tags on the G-1s as were used on the peacoats, it should be a simple matter to accurately date them.

The best way is too get hold of John Chapman's Flight jacket CD. There is a link to it on this site under WW11. It has all the G1s from 1947 to the early 1970s.

 

[SGB]

If buying on ebay how can you tell when a G-1 was made? I can date peacoats, but not sure that translates into dating a G-1. I have found that most sellers of peacoats on ebay make a guess when dating their coats, and many are off by decades! Probably the same with the flight jackets.

If the Navy used the same tags on the G-1s as were used on the peacoats, it should be a simple matter to accurately date them.

Don't bother with white label G-1's, only buy black label's. The DSA line on the label will have a 2 digit number in the middle, that is the date of manufacture.
Here's a quick list of models and dates:
M422 = March 1940
M422A = Oct 1940
AN6552 = April 1943
ANJ3A = Oct 1943
55J14 G-1 = Oct 1947
7823 G-1 = Nov 1951- 1960
7823A G-1 = 1959-1961
7823B = 1962
7823C = 1963

Note that there were no G-1's during WWII, that model designation didn't start until the 55J14 in 1947. So when you see an advertised WWII G-1 on ebay you know it's not correct.

SGB

 

[Peacoat]

A lot of good information. Thanks. That will get me started. I know about the DSA and DLA dating. That started with peacoats in 1967 and continues to the current issue. The CD sounds like a good idea.

Would like to have a WWII, but guess it will be something other than the G-1.

 

[aswatland]

A lot of good information. Thanks. That will get me started. I know about the DSA and DLA dating. That started with peacoats in 1967 and continues to the current issue. The CD sounds like a good idea.

Would like to have a WWII, but guess it will be something other than the G-1.

The CD features all versions from the wartime M422 through to the last version G1. The photos are excellent and John shows the variations between the different makers.

 

[greyhound68]

A lot of good information. Thanks. That will get me started. I know about the DSA and DLA dating. That started with peacoats in 1967 and continues to the current issue. The CD sounds like a good idea.

Would like to have a WWII, but guess it will be something other than the G-1.

Sometimes you can pick up some good deals on 422a or 55j14s. I got my 422a for 375 on ebay. Also got a 55j14 for the same price. So you can pick up some good deals on these jackets. You just have to look and wait for the right one.

 

[aswatland]

Sometimes you can pick up some good deals on 422a or 55j14s. I got my 422a for 375 on ebay. Also got a 55j14 for the same price. So you can pick up some good deals on these jackets. You just have to look and wait for the right one.

Yes I agree. Recently I bought a size 42 M422a by W&G for just over £100 on Ebay. Cuffs and waistband are original.