The Deck Jacket thread.

[Leigh H]

I caught Warren Beatty wearing this nice worn in N1 Deck Jacket in The Parallax View (1974)

 

[Turnip]

Just a Pike Brothers, like it, fits well, at least my ape arms...

Cheers

Turnip

 

[4444Design]

Got some new findings comin' in:

A2 in XL marked with USS RANGER - USS RANGER (CV61 or later CVA61) was a carrier

 

[4444Design]

and something rather special:

purchased the upper jacket with CGN9 recently always had something in mind that marking looked/sounded familiar and fond another jacket off the same vessel in my stash - purchased the "older" one years back

it is rather unusual to find patches on A2s - only saw 3 or 4 before ...

 

[4444Design]

and another "speciality" - actually no jacket but found matching pants to the A2 deck jackets

brandnew - never worn

 

[breezer]

good stuff!

 

[Brunell80]

which n1 do you recommend for the winter in Italy? pros and cons of the models below?

Pike Brothers n1 wex 250 €
Abbigliamento trofeo n1 700 € https://redcastheritage.com/collect...thing-n1-tr-mfg-jacket?variant=13028342890540
RMC n1 740 €
Mr Freedom n1h 950 €
https://www.stuf-f.com/en/search?sSearch=deck
Deck jacketIron Heart 680 €

 

[breezer]

price wise you cant go wrong with Pike Bros. Bronson are worth a look too. They are cheaper than the rest and plenty of people here are happy with them. Worth considering Buzz Rickson too. They come in around £450. All the premium ones have their fans, it just depends how deep your pockets are.......I would advise starting at the cheaper end of the market.....I started with a Houston N1, cost £100 on eBay and I still enjoy wearing it after almost 10 years on. I then went on a bit of a journey trying several of the premium brands before settling on an Iron Heart.

 

[Brunell80]

price wise you cant go wrong with Pike Bros. Bronson are worth a look too. They are cheaper than the rest and plenty of people here are happy with them. Worth considering Buzz Rickson too. They come in around £450. All the premium ones have their fans, it just depends how deep your pockets are.......I would advise starting at the cheaper end of the market.....I started with a Houston N1, cost £100 on eBay and I still enjoy wearing it after almost 10 years on. I then went on a bit of a journey trying several of the premium brands before settling on an Iron Heart.

Pb at that price only appeals to me that it's only available in size M and I'm afraid it's too big for me. iron Heart is a guarantee for me I have many things of theirs and all the shirts in size L fit me more perfectly. the IH and trophy clothing models have an insulating layer.

the budget is 1000 € max

 

[CatsCan]

I'd listen to Breezers advice.
I really dig N-1's. But the prize tags some brands put on these are sometimes exaggerated for what it is. It is a winter jacket. The outer is a simple cut fabric called "Jungle Cloth", which is nothing more than a tight woven bedford cloth. The inner is sometimes a wool/synthetic blend, sometimes pure wool, sometimes partially a padded liner like in the IH (sleeve liner). And buttons are plastic. Zippers are repro Talons. To ask 900,- for a product like this is making it a luxorious "must have" for a dedicated crowd. In my opinion, I would start my way with the "cheaper" but good repros like Pike Brothers or Bronson first. You can be very happy with them, quality wise and - when they fit well on you - look and function wise. The Bronson is tailored a tad better than the Pike, if you ask me. The Pike is a sturdier and more robust jacket. But they still mess up the sleeves (too wide, too bulky).
If you are seeing fit deficits like some of us, who have to live with comparably long arms and have a slim stature, but you really want to have this kind of jacket, you have to "go up" both brand and price wise. Next I'd try would be the IH. BUT: I suspect, if you belong to the slim body types with long arms, you will be unhappy with Buzz Ricksons and Real McCoys. They can be quite "boxy" in my eyes. There are differences in their batches however. Some are more "tailored", some Buzz versions are extremly good repros with very good tailoring. I had the chance to see one of the rare Nigel Cabourn N-1s, don't know if this was a coop with Buzz or McCoys. This jacket was impressive, in everything, tailoring, material, colour (it was a dark greyish navy blue one). As Italian I guess your stature will likely fit very well into a Bronson, the Pike Brothers can be too boxy looking, especially the sleeves. If you are of broad build, Buzz Ricksons will fit you better. Italy can be cold in winter, too, but really long and bitter cold winters like we can have in Germany, especially in the north east, are rare. So I would not pay too much attention in how thick the liner is. Pike's version can be too thick. Bronson again could be nailing it warmth wise. IH would likely see only four to six weeks annual use. Breezer is in Scotland. He will have his use out of his, depending on where he is roving. I was very happy with my Bronson one in my North German winter. I was happy with my Pike Brothers even in January in Telemarken, Norway two years ago.

Buying online in Europe from a european store makes it easy to send back items for refund if not happy. Buying in Japan has two downsides in my opinion. The Japanese go crazy with prices. You can add a few hundred Euro just because the item was made in Japan. And you have to take the costs for a return of the jacket if not happy.

Since you are in Europe: There are some original N-1s on ebay from time to time from a collector in Hamburg, all in modern size "M" and very good preserved state (at the moment he sells A2 Deck Jackets, a very good alternative! It is the later version with normal "flat" wool pile, different and unlined collar, breast pocket on the outside - very practical jackets and warm enough for Italy). Just have a look on ebay.de frequently. For 1000,- it should be possible to buy a pretty decent original without worn down pile.

Cats

 

[breezer]

Cats! I think you just summed it up perfectly, thank you.

 

[CatsCan]

...you played the ball into the penalty area, I just had to kick it in...

 

[handymike]

Mine is a civilian version from the 60s or 70s and I love it. Not a “fancy” jacket, but cool nonetheless. There are a couple of Italian places that follow the vibe, and might give you some advice too- Sears and Co in Bassano del Grappa, and Shangri La Heritage in Bergamo.

 

[Brunell80]

le mie dimensioni sono: petto 40 "e spalle 18", corpo snello. la giacca mi servirà nei periodi più freddi dell'inverno in alternativa al piumino parka e al peacoat buzz ricksons

 

[CatsCan]

le mie dimensioni sono: petto 40 "e spalle 18", corpo snello. la giacca mi servirà nei periodi più freddi dell'inverno in alternativa al piumino parka e al peacoat buzz ricksons

Pike Brothers:
la taglia M sarà troppo grande per te..probabilmente...
Bronson:
la taglia L si adatterà perfettamente.

You have pretty much the same upper body dimensions than me. I find the new Pike Brothers N-1 in size M too bulky. Bronson in size L fits me very well.

As for your plans: these Jackets are warmer than any Peacoat I have worn, but a good down jacket is always feeling warmer and more cosy. So, for your Peacoat, the Deck Jacket will be an upgrade in warmth. Not so for your down jacket.

Cats

 

[Brunell80]

perfect is what I was looking for, a warmer jacket than my peacoat. at this point I discard the pb, do the bronsons sell them in Europe? the online store where I usually buy told me that maybe it will start the business with toys mccoy and in their list I have already seen the deck jacket with and without a hood plus a nice a-2 jacket. alternatively he proposed a y2 lether b-6 jacket or a choose one from the list

 

[CatsCan]

Unfortunately there is no shop or store in Europe that sells Bronson. There is one ebay shop where you can buy safely from. The seller is in China but very reliable. It is something like vtgdr store or the like. You will stumble upon him when searching for Bronson Deck Jacket. The seller - Lee - will ask you for measurements and advise you which size you will need. I have very good experiences buying from him.

Good to hear that your favorite store is planning to sell McCoys Deck Jackets. Maybe wait for this? Toys McCoys is different from Real McCoys, but I have never understood this completely, if they are different companies..

I would however not abandon the idea to try on a Pike Brothers in person just because we in an internet forum think it may not fit you well. Who knows if you miss a perfect fitting Jacket this way! Fit is so personal like everybody is different. The advantage is, you can order online from PB directly and there are stores enough who sell them. Trying them on in person and sending them back for a refund if not happy is no problem. I would try this anyway just because it is so easy and fast compared to waiting weeks for a parcel from China and risking the costs for a return/exchange/refund.

Cats

 

[CatsCan]

I have already seen the deck jacket with and without a hood plus a nice a-2 jacket

There are original A2 Deck Jackets on ebay right now from a seller from Hamburg. He is a very nice guy and a collector. His jackets are in very good condition. A2s are very good alternatives! I like the olive drab colour and the outer pocket very much! It is a very cool jacket! Relica N-1s are difficult when it comes to layering. You have to size up for layering in them but they can be bulky then when you put your sweater out. Original N-1s and A2s are easier to handle.

 

[CatsCan]

Here is one of his A2 Deck Jackets. You can see the condition is near mint! And it has the real alpaca pile instead of the flat liner. It is the same pile than in N-1s! It is from the Vietnam Era. Size compares to modern M. I bet it would fit you. Chest 120 cm, shoulder 48 cm. Length 70 cm. It's not made from "Jungle Cloth", however.

​

 

[handymike]

FYI- IH for €672
https://www.aitorastore.com/products/iron-heart-n1-deck-jacket