New Eastman RAF Fly Weight

[matei]

Hi all...

Last year I purchased a very nice Aero RAF "Battle of Britain" in pebbled merino. Lovely jacket but it irked me that it was true to my jacket size (44) and a wee bit short (I'm a long). Granted - this is what I ordered, so the issue is on me. My bad, as they say. I wanted to layer underneath it, but doing so made me feel like the Michelin Man.

A few weeks ago I moved it on. Sadly - for me - Aero isn't offering the jacket in pebbled Merino any longer, so I contacted Eastman. They were more than happy to make me a version of their Fly Weight RAF jacket in a 46L, so it would be roomy, plus an added 1'' on the sleeves. My other Eastman jackets are just a wee bit short in the sleeves.

To my surprise, they turned it around in a little over 2 weeks, from placing the order to having it arrive on Wednesday last.

It really is lightweight. Lighter, IMHO, than the Aero. The Aero fleece is just a tiny bit denser it seems, and the leather for the belt a bit thicker. But splitting hairs really. I prefer the collar on the ELC, I can put it up and fasten the strap w/o choking myself.

Fit is nice and roomy, without being huge. If you look at pics from WWII, you can see that sizing seemed to favour larger jackets as the lads were flying at such altitudes where they needed to keep warm. I'm not flying in an unheated cockpit at 20K feet, however I do live in England and can no longer handle the cold at all, thanks to the after effects of a nasty bout of Covid a few years ago.

They're both great jackets. If I would've ordered a size bigger with the Aero, I probably would still have it. That being said - Aero were reluctant to lengthen the jacket itself, more out of concern that if I didn't like it I wouldn't be able to return a custom item. ELC did warn me as well, but as I've got several of their jackets I'm familiar with their cut.

Some pics...

 

[Bennarion]

The jacket fits well. There is a place for a sweater. Congratulations

 

[matei]

The jacket fits well. There is a place for a sweater. Congratulations

Thanks - wearing a jumper (albeit a thin one) in the pic, as it was 7c this AM. Too cold for me.

 

[Bfd70]

Shearling season!

 

[TREEMAN]

Looks Great …

 

[AeroFan_07]

Looks very good - and warm!

 

[Edward]

Both Aero and ELC make a great Aero - really, it comes down to personal choice between the two. the fit of this one looks good to me, though - I agree that Irvins look better slightly roomier. It's a style that really, for practical purposes, needs to be roomy enough to layer, otherwise it greatly limits its wearing season if you can't fit on enough below it to cover the worst of Winter. A jacket-fitting Irvin I could wear October, November, and Feb, into March. One with enough room to layer I could wear from October right through the Winter until early Spring.

 

[MrProper]

A jacket-fitting Irvin I could wear October, November, and Feb, into March.

Of course, it always depends on where you live. I can wear mine from October to March, although October and March are often too warm. And mine is more on the fitting side.

 

[Aloysius]

Looks to be the same colour as my Aero merino. Maybe the same supplier?

I was a bit underwhelmed by mine, not because of any lack in quality but because the merino colour as of this year was no longer the deep reddish russet of the first batch (which I had been expecting).

 

[matei]

Mine is a bit less red than the Aero that I previously had as well.

 

[Edward]

Of course, it always depends on where you live. I can wear mine from October to March, although October and March are often too warm. And mine is more on the fitting side.

Yes - local climate, and individual body chemistry / preferences are definitely a big factor.

As, I suppose, is what you might be prepared to suffer for the look. I remember when I was much younger being able to wear a leather in higher temperatures than I can take now, just because I was so determined with my look - teenagers, huh? I also recall an interview where Ken Calder recounted trying to talk a big name, Californian rapper out of a shearling lined Barnstormer for their climate, but they were totally fixated on the look. Maybe they wore it indoors - I know their air conditioning can be fierce!


I'd expect sheep fleece shade to vary somewhat over time - aside from the inevitable variation of any organic product, I believe it might also vary due to variations in available breed and all the rest of it.

Now I mention breed, I wonder what an Irvin made of a different fleece altogether would be like. Like Reindeer....