My vintage but mint Alden Industries M-51....a pictorial review

[JanSolo]

Hello everybody,

A couple of days ago I received a vintage mint condition M-51 from Vintage Trends. The jacket is exactly as it was described and it looks and feels like it has not been worn for more than a couple of days or weeks throughout its entire life.

Here it is:

The jacket was made by Alden Industries in 1952 so it's really an old piece of garment. Nevertheless it clearly shows how much attention to detail went into these old military jackets. All in all I would say that the manufacturing quality is very high on this specific jacket.
The seams are all straight and true and there are many spots that have been reinforced with bar tacking. The cotton sateen is beautifully soft with a slightly brushed finish. The lining is also quite smooth which makes the jacket very comfortable to wear. All buttons are still firm and there are no loose threads or unfinished seams.

Compared to modern day military apparel it really is a sophisticated jacket in both style and manufacturing quality.

This particular M-51 is a size S regular. I don't know why these military jackets tend to be oversized. Maybe it’s because of the cold weather liner or to give enough room for layering and gear.
I am 6ft even, weigh 160 lbs and have a 39 inch chest. I am very much surprised that the jacket is such a good fit. There is still a bit of room for a sweater.

Upon arrival I gave the jacket a thorough handwash and I've also used a bit of fabric conditioner. Now all wrinkles are gone, the jacket smells clean and fresh, the finish of the outer cloth looks revived and it's ready to go.
As you can see I've made some leather stoppers for the drawstring.

I've had a bit of vegetable tanned bridle leather left and I've decided to make those. They are more comfortable than knots and they don't look too bad...

Thanks again to Gary Wallace of www.vintagetrends.com for a super fast delivery and a carefully packed and wrapped item.
Thanks a million to Gancho (Olli) for ordering the jacket along with his WWII peacoat. ("I’m not paying any custom duties for those! These two beaten up jackets were sent over by a friend as a gift..." Yeah, yeah...)

Some more pictures:


Note the excellent condition of the zipper: Shiny alloy teeth, strong but faded tape, and an olive painted zinc die-cast slider.

The two lower pockets are lined with a thick and warm cloth that’s heavier and softer than the outer shell. (Sorry for the raindrops.)

The manufacturer’s stencil hasn’t faded much over the decades and it’s clearly visible.

Not that tree again…!

I hope it was of some interest. Thanks for looking!

 

[The Good]

Really nice jacket, Jan! It looks like your's is in great condition, almost as if new and issued to you. I'm considering the possibility of owning one of these field jackets, or the M-43 or M-65 variations, some time. I think they could be used as very functional jackets for outdoors pursuits.

 

[scotrace]

Fantastic jacket!

 

[djd]

That's a real beauty Jan!

 

[Metatron]

You have an eye for detail, those leather stoppers bring some much needed color and texture contrast. Great job!

 

[Dave E]

That's a seriously nice jacket, congratulations!

 

[andy richards]

Nice jacket, fits you well Jan. Thanks for the discription also.
Now I regret giving my old M-1951 field jacket away years ago.

Good luck,
Andy

 

[Navin323i]

Jacket looks great and fits you well, Jan!

Hope you've been well.

Navin

 

[AngryNJ]

I have been looking at getting one of these myself. I'm a chest size 40 and am not sure whether the regular/small would be too tight. I need to email vt.

 

[AngryNJ]

Looks great by the way!

 

[subject101]

Very very nice jacket I own a m-65 that it is very similar. These jackets are ultra comfortable and wearable. For civil uses, the only thing I miss is inner pockets.

 

[too much coffee]

Nice jacket, fits you well Jan. Thanks for the discription also.
Now I regret giving my old M-1951 field jacket away years ago.

Good luck,
Andy

Hi Andy,

Didn't the Dutch Army do a very similar looking jacket to the M-1951?
I was on a REFORGER exercise years ago in Bavaria and got chummy with some Dutch Army guys and their jacket looked a lot like the U.S. jacket.

 

[eClairvaux]

Schimanski deluxe

Amazing condition in any case and a very stylish summer jacket!

 

[JanSolo]

Schimanski? Yeah, yeah...
But you know what's missing, don't you?

....

With great moustache comes great responsibility...



...

 

[nicholasb]

The jacket does look in great condition. Another entertaining post with good pics. Thanks Jan. Nice to see the old tree back again too.

 

[The Good]

Hmm, true, that is a really nice tree. What kind is it? But it makes for a more interesting photograph than inside of the house.

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

I had no clue on who was this Schimanski, so I searched the net and.. well, turns out I passed all my high school in Schimaski jacket (plus the epaulets), even the color was the same!
But the M51 looks way better... or is the male supermodel that does the trick?

 

[Atticus Finch]

Great score! I know you really like your leather, but I predict that old field jacket will become one of your favorites. If you scan through e-bay, you can find cold-weather liners for M-51s and they are still fairly inexpensive in your size. It will transform your jacket into an excellent cold-weather coat that is comfortable even in sub-freezing temperatures. Just be sure to get the liner for the field jacket and not the M-51 parka.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for M-51s because an M-51 was my first old military jacket. I got it from a neighbor in about 1968 or 1969 and I wore all through high school. It was pretty “salty” when I got it (it had been to Vietnam) and then I added various “Woodstock” and “Peace” buttons and such to it. Come to think of it, immediately after the Kent State Shootings, I sewed a large "Student Target" patch on its back.

God, my parents really hated that jacket.

AF

 

[JanSolo]

Thanks everybody for the kind comments!!

Atticus Finch, you are right about this jacket! I really like it and I can fully understand why you have a soft spot for it!
The M-65 however is a jacket that is (in Germany) widely considered as a poor man's jacket. Especially the cheap and oversized Chinese digital/woodland camo knock-offs are a favourite among bouncers, bodybuilders and other folk who think "taste" is a new toothpaste. Its status is probably comparable to that of US teamwear crap.
In my opinion the M-65 only looks good in foliage green or faded olive, and only if it's genuine issue jacket.

I like the student target idea! We dealt with the Kent State massacre in history class at grammar school when we were talking about the political gap that divided the US during Vietnam War. I was 16 or 17 at the time and I remember that I prepared a short presentation about protest songs of that era.... My parents were an excellent source! Loads of Dylan, Young, Baez etc. records...

I know that liners are available for the M-51 but I want to keep the jacket as slim fitting as possible. For colder weather I have at least 8 suitable jackets including my beloved '68 Dale peacoat and a NOS M-51 fishtail parka with coyote fur hood and wool liner...

 

[Atticus Finch]

We dealt with the Kent State massacre in history class at grammar school when we were talking about the political gap that divided the US during Vietnam War. I was 16 or 17 at the time and I remember that I prepared a short presentation about protest songs of that era.... My parents were an excellent source! Loads of Dylan, Young, Baez etc. records...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVMGKOFIwY

AF