ventilation grommets on vintage leather jackets

[striker]

Do most of the vintage leather flight jackets (civilian) and vintage leather motorcycle jackets have under-arm ventilation grommets? Or, do some have them and some do not?

Do these vents really make a difference anyway?

Thanks,

Striker

 

[Mr. 'H']

Hi,

I have an Aero A2 (mil) and an Aero Hywayman (civ) and both have the holes under the arms.

Whether they work or not is debatable, but given the choice I sure would prefer them to be there, I think it's a real nice detail.

 

[KhalilSheikh]

I don't know if they make a difference in ventilating the armpits, but I like them anyways. As already stated, it's a nice detail.

 

[aswatland]

Irvin flying jackets have the most grommits, usually 8 under each arm. A2s have two under each arm, but B3s don't have them at all.

 

[striker]

8 under each arm.... that's quite a bit.

What about the vintage motorcycle jackets, like the Schott Perfecto, did they usually have ventilation grommets?

 

[Doctor Strange]

My sense of them in terms of "ventilation" is that they aren't so much there for cooling, as for allowing greater ease of movement by preventing air from getting trapped in the jacket. They "breathe" when you move your arms, allowing the air to flow in and out of the tight spaces of the jacket freely. It definitely reduces movement-resistance a little bit.

 

[Peacoat]

I have three modern motorcycle jackets. Two of them, the Aero Highwayman and the Schott have the ventilation holes under the arms. I think that they are more efficient on a motorcycle because of the constant flow of air in and through the holes. Without the free flow of air, I doubt they would do much toward ventilation, except maybe for letting some moisture escape. Dr. Strange's theory about letting air escape for freedom of movement may be right.

The third jacket accomplishes ventilation with four zipper covered openings, two in the chest and two in the back. These openings are within four or five inches of the armholes, and do a fair job of venting the jacket on warmer days with the flow of air inherent in motorcycle riding.

 

[Smithy]

8 under each arm.... that's quite a bit.

If you haven't worn an Irvin you might not understand why. An Irvin is a very, very warm jacket and in my opinion they really do make a difference. I wouldn't want to wear a thick sheepskin flying jacket that didn't have them.