So back in the summer, some of you may recall that I was asking a lot of questions of Charles at HPA in trying to determine what jacket to treat myself to with an unusual windfall of cash that was coming my way.
I was feeling drawn to a B-15 as I had all my bases covered with various leather military jackets – but I only have 2 USAF nylon jackets; namely a Buzz Ricksons L2-A and a vintage mid/late-1950s N3-B by Albert Turner.
So I was wondering whether to get a B-10 or a B-15 as I was about to begin a new commuting life and I wanted a jacket that would be warm on a cold platform in Winter but wouldn’t be too warm and cook me in between destinations – and then whether to opt for one by ELC or Buzz Ricksons – and then which ones of the sub- types and materials available (cotton and alpaca versus all-nylon). Charles was immensely helpful (as you will have read) in helping to steer me to make the right decision for myself whilst remaining impartial. He was invaluable in my decision-making process.
And in the end, the winner was the Buzz Ricksons B-15D – the 1952 version in sage green. And I managed to scoop HPA’s very last one in my size! And apparently that’s it. There will be no more for the foreseeable future at least .
So in my order went – for the jacket, plus a pair of Buzz Ricksons original version chinos and another pair of Buzz A-10 gloves (these with rust knit cuffs).
The parcel arrived with tracking and sailed through customs without incident and it was very neatly packed and taped indeed.
I was a little worried if I would like the jacket, I will admit. I mean, would it suit me? And Charles had said that there is a little inconsistency in the batches of materials and there being a little shade variation in some jackets, but he had assured me that the sage green on this last jacket was on the grey side of green, which I wanted, but would I agree? And would it be as warm as I had hoped?
I need not have worried in the least.
The instant that I opened the box and saw the jacket and lifted it out of the box and felt its weight and then felt that Buzz nylon, I knew it was 100% quality and a complete winner – before I even tried it on. It had immediate “Wow” factor for me. And the fit is perfect.
The first thing to mention here is the nylon.
As the product description on the HPA website states, Buzz Ricksons nylon is never to be confused with any other manufacturer – and it’s so true. The material feels precisely like my vintage N3-B. It has the same tactile feel and weight and has a wonderful silky feel to it, yet it’s strong. It’s spooky how it feels just like it does (like the vintage N3-B) and it’s a very nice material indeed. It’s sumptuous. And very much windproof as it’s so densely woven. The wind-flap has precisely the same heft as the N3-B too; namely very substantial.
Speaking of material, the hand-warmer pockets are wool-lined in a nice olive drab colour and they are very nice, feel very durable and are not itchy at all. Very nice.
The jacket weight is great and the body has the same wool pile construction inside as my N3-B too – perhaps lighter, but it’s the same style of construction, no doubt. I love the colour of the nylon too – the sage green (with grey tone) feels more contemporary than all of my other jackets and I must admit that I like that much more than I had imagined, especially on my commutes on the subways, trains and buses.
The mouton collar is a superb slate grey/steel blue colour – and it has just a touch of turquoise green so it tones in just nicely with the sage green. It’s such a fantastic colour! The collar has the extra piece to seal up the gap on the throat at the top of the zip, can be stowed and secured with one large button. It feels so nice on a cold day against the back of my neck!
The knitted cuffs and waistband are a great shade of slate grey and are very well made and, compared to an A2/ANJ-3, are long and thick and feel very snug. They are, quite simply, the finest knitted cuffs of any jacket I have ever seen.
The makers label is precision-made and the colours are terrific. It's a shame it will hardly be seen!
The B-15D has two inside pockets too! Very useful!
The large Crown zip is a wonder and it engages flawlessly. It feels very sturdy indeed and is a pleasure to use and is my favourite of any repro zip I have so far encountered. The smaller one on the sleeve is similarly impressive.
So far, I've worn the jacket in a range of sub-zero temps and it blocks the wind well, so I would say it is a fine alternative to a B-6 or D-1 for those -5C > +5C temperature range. I was amazed when I placed my hand inside the body of the jacket to check what it was like in there and it was lovely and warm in there! The nylon was actually warm and I wasn't missing any alpaca lining, I must admit.
Bottom line: I love this jacket and it is great value. It has great contemporary looks with fine vintage appeal. It’s a 10.
My grateful thanks to Charles at HPA again for the great advice and the fine customer service and the gentle steering me to my new jacket. I really could not be happier with it.
And my esteemed thanks to Nick123 as ever for his kind assistance in making this post possible.
I was feeling drawn to a B-15 as I had all my bases covered with various leather military jackets – but I only have 2 USAF nylon jackets; namely a Buzz Ricksons L2-A and a vintage mid/late-1950s N3-B by Albert Turner.
So I was wondering whether to get a B-10 or a B-15 as I was about to begin a new commuting life and I wanted a jacket that would be warm on a cold platform in Winter but wouldn’t be too warm and cook me in between destinations – and then whether to opt for one by ELC or Buzz Ricksons – and then which ones of the sub- types and materials available (cotton and alpaca versus all-nylon). Charles was immensely helpful (as you will have read) in helping to steer me to make the right decision for myself whilst remaining impartial. He was invaluable in my decision-making process.
And in the end, the winner was the Buzz Ricksons B-15D – the 1952 version in sage green. And I managed to scoop HPA’s very last one in my size! And apparently that’s it. There will be no more for the foreseeable future at least .
So in my order went – for the jacket, plus a pair of Buzz Ricksons original version chinos and another pair of Buzz A-10 gloves (these with rust knit cuffs).
The parcel arrived with tracking and sailed through customs without incident and it was very neatly packed and taped indeed.
I was a little worried if I would like the jacket, I will admit. I mean, would it suit me? And Charles had said that there is a little inconsistency in the batches of materials and there being a little shade variation in some jackets, but he had assured me that the sage green on this last jacket was on the grey side of green, which I wanted, but would I agree? And would it be as warm as I had hoped?
I need not have worried in the least.
The instant that I opened the box and saw the jacket and lifted it out of the box and felt its weight and then felt that Buzz nylon, I knew it was 100% quality and a complete winner – before I even tried it on. It had immediate “Wow” factor for me. And the fit is perfect.
The first thing to mention here is the nylon.
As the product description on the HPA website states, Buzz Ricksons nylon is never to be confused with any other manufacturer – and it’s so true. The material feels precisely like my vintage N3-B. It has the same tactile feel and weight and has a wonderful silky feel to it, yet it’s strong. It’s spooky how it feels just like it does (like the vintage N3-B) and it’s a very nice material indeed. It’s sumptuous. And very much windproof as it’s so densely woven. The wind-flap has precisely the same heft as the N3-B too; namely very substantial.
Speaking of material, the hand-warmer pockets are wool-lined in a nice olive drab colour and they are very nice, feel very durable and are not itchy at all. Very nice.
The jacket weight is great and the body has the same wool pile construction inside as my N3-B too – perhaps lighter, but it’s the same style of construction, no doubt. I love the colour of the nylon too – the sage green (with grey tone) feels more contemporary than all of my other jackets and I must admit that I like that much more than I had imagined, especially on my commutes on the subways, trains and buses.
The mouton collar is a superb slate grey/steel blue colour – and it has just a touch of turquoise green so it tones in just nicely with the sage green. It’s such a fantastic colour! The collar has the extra piece to seal up the gap on the throat at the top of the zip, can be stowed and secured with one large button. It feels so nice on a cold day against the back of my neck!
The knitted cuffs and waistband are a great shade of slate grey and are very well made and, compared to an A2/ANJ-3, are long and thick and feel very snug. They are, quite simply, the finest knitted cuffs of any jacket I have ever seen.
The makers label is precision-made and the colours are terrific. It's a shame it will hardly be seen!
The B-15D has two inside pockets too! Very useful!
The large Crown zip is a wonder and it engages flawlessly. It feels very sturdy indeed and is a pleasure to use and is my favourite of any repro zip I have so far encountered. The smaller one on the sleeve is similarly impressive.
So far, I've worn the jacket in a range of sub-zero temps and it blocks the wind well, so I would say it is a fine alternative to a B-6 or D-1 for those -5C > +5C temperature range. I was amazed when I placed my hand inside the body of the jacket to check what it was like in there and it was lovely and warm in there! The nylon was actually warm and I wasn't missing any alpaca lining, I must admit.
Bottom line: I love this jacket and it is great value. It has great contemporary looks with fine vintage appeal. It’s a 10.
My grateful thanks to Charles at HPA again for the great advice and the fine customer service and the gentle steering me to my new jacket. I really could not be happier with it.
And my esteemed thanks to Nick123 as ever for his kind assistance in making this post possible.
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