Leather Police Jackets

[Bonasera]

Very nice! now look on the bottom of the sunrise zipper box and see if there is a code like this;

View attachment 488161

There is a code ''F1" on the bottom.

 

[Leigh H]

Buco police jacket
Not sure the model name is...
View attachment 488133 View attachment 488134 View attachment 488138 View attachment 488140 View attachment 488146

Beautiful jacket!

Possibly Buco J71?

 

[tmitchell59]

There is a code ''F1" on the bottom.
View attachment 488376

Excellent! F=June 1=1941

 

[Bonasera]

I want it

Thanks. Your jacket and your repairment are great.

Ralphs-Pugh Steerhide Police jacket c.1950
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Very beautiful. Seems like the hide is thicker and tougher than mine.

I'm intrigued that at some point the badge-holder seems to have been moved - the signs being the extra set of stitch holes on the shell, and how on the inside you can see it's been done after the jacket was finished, because you can see the thread where it's been stitched through both shell and liner (the way A2s were done when field patches were added by the USAAF boys!). I wonder what the story was there. Did the original owner not like where it sat - did the positioning farther our foul his (I'm assuming) sleeve if he had to draw and extend his arms holding his sidearm? Or was it an aesthetic preference to resite it?

The white thread same to the one used in the badge holder was used at the belt loop partly. Wondering the previous owener or repair shop moved the holder. IMO the reason was simply to make the badge easier to see because the holder in the original position seems to be too close to left side.
Hope I'm answering correctly...(I'm not a English speaker.)

 

[Edward]

The white thread same to the one used in the badge holder was used at the belt loop partly. Wondering the previous owener or repair shop moved the holder. IMO the reason was simply to make the badge easier to see because the holder in the original position seems to be too close to left side.

Could be - possibly it was one of those production errors that can occur in high volume uniform production. (For instance, I've seen original A2s with all sorts of horrors, produced in a hurry to wartime tolerances. One pocket a clear inch higher than the other and such.)

Hope I'm answering correctly...(I'm not a English speaker.)

Wouldn't have guessed that at all - your English is great.

 

[Eddiesuave]

Not attempting to go for anything vintage or special I really like the 50’s Californian CHP jacket like Tmitchel’s, but I obviously can’t find a good repro or vintage version without breaking the bank over an $800 purchase. I found a pretty fair fitting and looking jacket that’s pretty similar. This looks more of a mall jacket quality than a police jacket, but I was wondering has anybody ever heard of LA ROXX? Are they any good?

 

[Leigh H]

Not attempting to go for anything vintage or special I really like the 50’s Californian CHP jacket like Tmitchel’s, but I obviously can’t find a good repro or vintage version without breaking the bank over an $800 purchase. I found a pretty fair fitting and looking jacket that’s pretty similar. This looks more of a mall jacket quality than a police jacket, but I was wondering has anybody ever heard of LA ROXX? Are they any good?

I’d avoid this jacket tbh,



You’re best keeping an eye out for a vintage Cal leather jacket, they pop up all the time FL in the deals thread, or a Californian CHP.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/finds-and-deals-leather-jacket-edition.96976/post-2996998

Or on classified’s

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fs-cal-al-leather-chp-sz-46l.110017/

Or Aero Leathers offer a great reproduction but year that will cost just over $800

https://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/mens/c-h-i-p-s-police-jacket/mto015

 

[handymike]

Not attempting to go for anything vintage or special I really like the 50’s Californian CHP jacket like Tmitchel’s, but I obviously can’t find a good repro or vintage version without breaking the bank over an $800 purchase. I found a pretty fair fitting and looking jacket that’s pretty similar. This looks more of a mall jacket quality than a police jacket, but I was wondering has anybody ever heard of LA ROXX? Are they any good?

LA Roxx is not a quality brand- fashion/ mall quality from the 1990s.

 

[Fifty150]

You can buy a current issue CHP jacket. Just wear it. Break it in.

 

[Aloysius]

You can buy a current issue CHP jacket. Just wear it. Break it in.

How much does a Johnson one in standard leather run? That’s probably the sweet spot.

 

[Rugby]

How much does a Johnson one in standard leather run? That’s probably the sweet spot.

A Johnson will run approximately $1100, depending on size and hide. It could be closer to $1300
But you can see the Taylor CHP, made in Pakistan now, with Taylor requirements

LAPD Cowhide Leather Motorcycle Jacket

Style Name: Los Angeles Style Number: 4491Z Length of Size Large Regular Approx. 25" Soft and Durable Top Grain Leather Shell (Drum Dyed Black Cowhide) Lining: 3M™ Thinsulate™ Zip-out Quilted Liner All Leather Badge Tab on Left Breast, Oval in Shape w/Metal Eyelets 3/4" Apart Bi-Swing Back...

taylorsleatherwear.com

 

[Fifty150]

California is a big state. The Highway Patrol has several different vendors. Johnson does not have the entire contract. Many vendors have parts of the contract. They all fill their orders to CHP specifications. Maybe some of the vendors are better. I don't know. What I do know, is if a leather seller provides the California Highway Patrol with a lesser quality jacket, that vendor will not be selling anymore jackets to the individual officers who choose which shop they want to go to. If another cop tells me that he got a jacket from "xyz uniforms" and it was a piece of junk, I would go across town to "abc uniforms" instead.

If you really want a "CHP" jacket, there's more than one source. Check around.

 

[Fifty150]

For example, this company makes police jackets.

 

[Aloysius]

For example, this company makes police jackets.

Yeah I’ve seen their site. Price is too close to (in some cases more than) Vanson to justify personally but if someone has experiences I’d love to read them.

 

[Eddiesuave]

For example, this company makes police jackets.

Thank you, this is a great find! I’m already eyeing their CHP AGB jacket and it seems like pretty close ID to the Aero version except for the windflap. I would love to see more companies like this unfortunately if anybody else knows any other company other than Taylor’s I would love to know.

 

[Eddiesuave]

Yeah I’ve seen their site. Price is too close to (in some cases more than) Vanson to justify personally but if someone has experiences I’d love to read them.

You can find a couple of vintage or second hand versions on Ebay. They actually held up great, but they definitely look a little thin. Here’s an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1853481347...PcVFzZqSqG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Fifty150]

if anybody else knows any other company other than Taylor’s I would love to know

Call Golden Bear and Johnson in San Francisco. Both shops supply motorcycle officers from Northern California. Tell them that you want a police motorcycle jacket.

 

[Leigh H]

'Original LAPD Motorcycle Jacket, Los Angeles 1948 - Manufactured by Star Glove & Safety'

found via reddit.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

Yeah I’ve seen their site. Price is too close to (in some cases more than) Vanson to justify personally but if someone has experiences I’d love to read them.

got a brand new one a couple of years ago direct. same chp style they sell currently, made in Pakistan. all sorts of minor problems, such as unfinished leather edges (on pocket panels) and crease lines across the back as if the sheets of leather had been laying creased. i still have mine that i won't wear, will sell it on ebay mentioning the faults. i wrote up a negative yelp review and some time later someone from the company offered to exchange it...but that was like a year later and i never saw it in time. i'm going to respond to a question regarding Taylorleatherware, which i have several jackets from and which are the high bar for legit police and moto jackets....OOOOOPS, just notice YOU were the guy i was going to tell about Taylor, so here goes.
i know by being interested in police jackets they are the ones to buy from. i have a Pittsburgh cop jacket i actually purchased new from a pd dept that had some surplus. just amazing. but my favorite style for being clean, functional is the LAPD/CHP official jacket. i am from calif/L.A. oddly enough. i bought one a few years back which was made in Pakistan, and then saw the same one on ebay a few weeks ago at an insane price (the guy was liquidating his father's shop), and this was the same size and everything but was from the 90s, so had been made in the U.S.
hence i was able to compare sizing and quality, etc. i can say that without the tag saying country of origin there'd be no way to tell the difference either with size or quality (which is the top bar). the only thing that was different, aside from the U.S. tag which is worth something in jacket circles) is that the snaps to attach the fur collar was right in the middle of the back of the collar on the seam from 1990s, as i'd expect it. the newer one matches many used Taylors with fur collar snaps that i've checked out on ebay, where the back collar snap was put in about 4 or so millimeters to the right side of the seam. since it's been done on many Taylor jackets i've seen online, i'm sure it has to do with trying to keep the seam stronger. being OCD i prefer the symmetrical placement, but on a police garment where the collar may be grabbed by a perp, i can see where keeping the snap off a seam might make it a bit stronger.
ANYway, for you sir the main point is that these jackets are not anywhere anyway too expensive. on Taylor's website i think they're just over $400. i purchased mine 3 years ago from them for about $375. if you want to roll the dice you can look for your size on ebay in a used one, but if you buy from Taylor and it's the wrong size, and you don't wear it or remove labels, they'll exchange it for the correct size at no cost except perhaps shipping....an amazing deal.
i can guarantee that even with Pakistan made, this is no different than when made in the U.S., and for the price there is no equal. i've had Aero's, Vansons, and all sorts of other high end jax, and none are better than a Taylor jacket. but Taylor is about half the price because of made in Pakistan. but they are correct, the work is perfectly supervised.
as for the snap being put in 4mm to the side of the back collar seam, that was done at Taylor's offices here in the U.S. (collar snaps are special order), so it was not sloppy or off center by accident, it's clearly on purpose. and in fact i wrote Taylor this week specifically about that out of curiousity.
best of luck.

 

[Aloysius]

@johnnyjohnny I think you’re confusing me with someone. I’m not opposing Taylor’s.

I was saying I wouldn’t buy from Nate’s or San Diego; I would rather buy another Taylor’s. I don’t wear mine because I sized wrong but the quality is excellent.