THE G8 JACKET

[thor]

Maybe I'd feel differently if I saw a "wear" pic. Anyone have one they'd share?

Butte, this isn't mine but it's a pic that made me pull the trigger on obtaining a G-8.

 

[thor]

 

[ButteMT61]

Looks better on, @thor. Man, those pockets are huge though!

 

[SteveZ]

Thats what my E Bay purchase looks like. However the zipper on these looks larger and more durable than mine. Im happy with the medium tan color of the cowhide on mine but I think the dark leather color on the first pic is cool too and the leather looks heavy like my coat. I think I did good for a like new jacket for a 100 bucks.

By the way, is the second pic jacket description a misprint ? RAIDER G8 " GOATKIN " ?

 

[thor]

I'm sure it's a misspelling. I have a LW Raider and it's definitely a goatskin hide.

 

[SteveZ]

LOL ! OK, I thought it might have been goatskin, even looks lighter than the leather of the first pic. TNX Thor

 

[Ralph_Phillips]

Description was written by the goat's next of kin.

 

[SteveZ]

LOL ! Never thought of that !

Description was written by the goat's next of kin.

 

[Deacon211]

I recall these being in the the Cockpit catalogues way back in the late '80s IIRC.

Also, aren't the diamond patches on some of the cloth Navy flight jackets from the '30s, '40s (was that the 440?)?. I remember seeing the cloth jacket relatively recently and thinking, "Huh, that looks like that G-8".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[thor]

You're correct Deacon; the M-421 was basically a G-8 but in khaki cotton twill. The diamond elbow patches were on the M-421 as well as the sheepskin M-444.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Good to finally see it worn - those pockets are too big; a deal breaker for me.

 

[SteveZ]

Well..................... I just dropped off my heavy G8 jacket around the corner at the tailor and told the Korean lady that does all the leather work to take off the silly and way too small zipper on the coat and sew in a much larger brass zipper. Its gonna cost me 50 bucks total but that price sounded reasonable for leather work and this is a long zipper on this bad boy jacket. The zipper on a G1 is over twice the size of the G8 zipper. It was too darn small and was difficult to zip up. Dont know why the ' EXCELLED ' company provided such a small zipper. IDUNNO !

Hope the operation goes well.

 

[ButteMT61]

The zipper on my LW are like a 20
I think they're 10s, which I like.
I like the 5's on A-2s, but the N-1 I wish was a bigger zip. I managed to pop the 5 on my Ventura yesterday. Partly due to me and my excess and partly due to trying to do some labor in it LOL

 

[Steve S.]

you guys need to check out the RiRi "symmetrical" zips. They have a #6 & #8 that look good as an "in between" for the #5 & #10. I just installed some #8's in a jacket & the things look bulletproof. they are pricey, but well worth the price for a jacket where period correct authenticity isn't a requirement.

 

[SteveZ]

UPDATE; Just got the G8 back from the tailors yesterday and the new zipper is at least 3 times the size of the original. Kind of a burnished pewter colored one. The seamstress ordered a zipper that had the option of unzipping from the top or the bottom. She commented that she broke 3 sewing needles trying to sew in the new zipper in the jackets heavy leather. Like I said before, this coat is real heavy duty and the OEM zipper was way too small !

Wife asked why some zippers , like the new one I just got sewn in, has the option of being unfastened from either end ?

I DUNNO. So you could access an underneath garment quickly without removing the entire jacket ?

Somebody enlighten me please ! Any zipper experts here today ?

 

[IXL]

I don't know about all jackets, but on motorcycle jackets, a two-way zipper is very handy for easing the fit at the bottom if one encounters a motorcycle requiring a more bent forward riding position.

 

[SteveZ]

Interesting ! Didnt know that.

 

[Guppy]

UPDATE; Just got the G8 back from the tailors yesterday and the new zipper is at least 3 times the size of the original. Kind of a burnished pewter colored one. The seamstress ordered a zipper that had the option of unzipping from the top or the bottom. She commented that she broke 3 sewing needles trying to sew in the new zipper in the jackets heavy leather. Like I said before, this coat is real heavy duty and the OEM zipper was way too small !

Wife asked why some zippers , like the new one I just got sewn in, has the option of being unfastened from either end ?

I DUNNO. So you could access an underneath garment quickly without removing the entire jacket ?

Somebody enlighten me please ! Any zipper experts here today ?

I believe that it's to allow access to things stored on your belt or in your pants pockets without opening the jacket too much and letting in the cold.

 

[SteveZ]

LOL ! ........... or accessing your ' fly ' for q quick leak maybe ???

 

[thor]

My wife was watching reruns of the 1990's comedy "Mad about you" and I spotted Paul Reiser wearing a G-8 in several episodes. It appeared to be an Avirex/Cockpit version.