Golden Bear 'Civilian' A-2 Jacket

[Technonut]

Prowling the newly listed A-2 jackets on eBay recently, I spotted an unusual Golden Bear 'civilian' A-2 jacket. Unusual, because unlike many others I've seen over the years, this USA-made Golden Bear A-2 actually has a single-piece back, 2 piece sleeves, and minty wool knits.

I remember reading some time ago, that Golden Bear manufactured the original USA-made A-2's to LL Bean, and other retailers. Looking closely at the pics, I found that this jacket looked exactly like the older LL Bean A-2's.. The collar, and hand-warmer design being a dead give-away. Here is a pic of the LL Bean:



I've been in the market for a nice, inexpensive, civilian-style A-2 for awhile now. I picked up a Legendary USA horsehide 'Warhawk' civvie A-2 months back, which was very disappointing, even after an exchange for another. It was made in the USA, but of horrible quality horsehide, and construction. Then, this Golden Bear A-2 comes along... WOW!! One thing I never liked about the LL Bean, was the dark finish, and generally 'blah' type goatskin. The Golden Bear on the other hand, has both the goatskin, and finish just outstanding IMO. It really is a close match to period wartime goatskin, and has a nice '50 mission' looking russet color. The finish also closely resembles an original Perry Sportswear A-2 in goat.

Original Perry A-2:



I have a Good Wear Perry A-2 in goat that also looks similar:




Now, for the Golden Bear:





After seeing the Golden Bear, and knowing the listed measurements should be perfect (also asked the seller for more precise measurements), I pulled the trigger on it. I know many A-2 purists may cringe regarding the hand-warmer pockets, but I like them for a civvie style, and think the design for them in this jacket well done. The shoulder seams are offset for 'proper' epaulet placement, collar-stand construction, the pockets look to be spaced enough apart, as well as the single-piece back, 2 piece arms, and 100% wool knits.

After some past disappointments, I think I've finally found a reasonably priced civvie A-2 style that I will be pleased with. I'll update this thread when the jacket arrives with some fit pics.....

 

[Technonut]

More Golden Bear A-2 pics:

 

[Blackadder]

Congrats. Nice jacket. I am more concerned with the fit. Is the cut closer to a modern A-2?

 

[Technonut]

Congrats. Nice jacket. I am more concerned with the fit. Is the cut closer to a modern A-2?

Thanks.. Going by pics I've seen of the older LL Bean A-2's being worn, and the measurements provided by the seller, the Golden Bear should fit more like an original A-2, than a modern cut.

 

[Blackadder]

Thanks.. Going by pics I've seen of the older LL Bean A-2's being worn, and the measurements provided by the seller, the Golden Bear should fit more like an original A-2, than a modern cut.

That's great news. Thanks. This below is not my size so I have to continue looking.
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/e183372277

 

[Blackadder]

Looked at the measurement of a small size and it is still too big for me.

 

[Technonut]

Looked at the measurement of a small size and it is still too big for me.

Sorry to hear that.. Hopefully, you will run across something else you like. The Golden Bear I purchased is tagged a 44, and measures 23" across the chest, 19.5" across the shoulders, 26" sleeves (including knits), and 25.5" from the collar seam to knit bottom.. It should fit me well. I asked the seller for more precise measurements than in the listing, so my fingers are crossed that they are correct..

 

[Seb Lucas]

Very nice T and as good to my eye as any quality A2 I've seen here.

 

[Technonut]

Very nice T and as good to my eye as any quality A2 I've seen here.

Thanks.. I, like many here, own a stable of 'quality' jackets (Aero, Good Wear, etc).. I've seen many Golden Bear jackets in my travels, but very few with single-piece backs, 2 piece sleeves, and other features usually only found on higher-end jackets. It makes sense that Golden Bear would use their LL Bean A-2 pattern for themselves, but I've personally not seen any before this one. This thread shows that inexpensive USA made civvie A-2's with most of the bells and whistles are out there, if one is patient.

The goatskin on this one screams character, and has grain which comes very close to matching authentic goatskin A-2's, and also from the higher-end jacketmeisters. The sweet russet color is icing on the cake. This Golden Bear blows away the Legendary USA HH 'Warhawk' civvie A-2 I had, which was close to 4 times more expensive. It will provide me the vintage look I enjoy, along with a few modern conveniences.

 

[Technonut]

I love it when an eBay seller lists correct jacket measurements. The Golden Bear arrived today, and I must say that I'm impressed. This is coming from an avid jacketeer who's owned many jackets over the years, ranging from very expensive, to inexpensive, and points in-between.

Just as I thought from viewing the pics, the goatskin on this jacket is quite nice. It is close to the Indian goat that John Chapman uses. The fit is excellent, although I will need to wet the collar down and shape it, since it appears to have been in the snapped-closed position for most of it's life.

I wanted some good outdoor pics to show the nice, russet brown today, but wouldn't you know that it started to rain during the first pic. For now, here is the side shot showing the nice epaulet placement. Most of the inexpensive A-2's out there seldom get this feature correct:

Even though there appears to be a general lack of interest here, I will post other fit pics when the sun is out, since this post does come up in Google for 'Golden Bear A-2', and may be helpful in the future for those who may want to try and find an inexpensive A-2 for their vintage-style wardrobe....

 

[nick123]

No lack of interest. That jacket looks 2-3 times more expensive than you probably got it for. Total quality. I'm not an expert but I've been here long enough to know a good jacket when I see one, and yours looks EXCELLENT.