N-3 Parka. First find of the new yr!

Never really thought about moving my collecting into post WW2 and nylon but I knew I couldn't pass this one up. I wasn't even looking for it but of all places it showed up on Facebook marketplace under the obscure title of "Cold weather gear" and for $90 it was a no brainer. Made the arrangements to pick it up and it turns out the gentleman was a US Air Force crewman who used it flying on C-130s in Alaska in the early 1960s. Related to me a story of flying a mission and it was -60 F degrees on the ground. Said it kept him nice and warm. The only real issues is a hole in one of the knits, missing some front buttons (Replacements already on the way from Mash co) and the hood is stiff, which I hear isn't uncommon. I feel like this is a sign it's going to be a good yr!

These military issued N-3b jackets are great value for the money. If this had a Canada Goose Label it would cost 10 times the amount that you paid for it. Living in a climate where it’s warm, I only get to use mine a couple of times a year but I wouldn’t part with it .

We had Canada goose parkas issued to us back in 88. Very warm. Not suitable for working on airplanes though. Wasn’t long before we were trailing feathers everywhere we went. But they were such nice parkas we taped them all up with duct tape until the company came up with different ones.

Pre duct tape.

Amazing find, and a steal at $90.

Goinghome82 said:

and the hood is stiff, which I hear isn't uncommon.

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I forget the reason, but that's a feature, not a flaw. There's a layer of plastic built into the hood to make it stiff. I think @B-Man2 knows more than I do.

Pa12 said:

We had Canada goose parkas issued to us back in 88. Very warm. Not suitable for working on airplanes though. Wasn’t long before we were trailing feathers everywhere we went. But they were such nice parkas we taped them all up with duct tape until the company came up with different ones.

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Were these actual Canada Goose brand, or just goose down coats?

I have no knowledge of the brand's history.

mulceber said:

I forget the reason, but that's a feature, not a flaw. There's a layer of plastic built into the hood to make it stiff. I think @B-Man2 knows more than I do.

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Better fit over a helmet?

Did they continue the plastic layer into later N-3Bs? I've never noticed a stiffness in mine,* but maybe I just attributed it to the outer layer and thick pile.

*Just checked, no real stiffness in mine.

Chandler said:

Were these actual Canada Goose brand, or just goose down coats?

I have no knowledge of the brand's history.

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They were Canada goose brand. There was a patch on them but this is the only picture I have of it.

Chandler said:

Better fit over a helmet?

Did they continue the plastic layer into later N-3Bs? I've never noticed a stiffness in mine,* but maybe I just attributed it to the outer layer and thick pile.

*Just checked, no real stiffness in mine.

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Depends on the maker I think, some had a layer of plastic or some type of water proofing so snow and wet weather didn’t penetrate the hood .

Oh wow! That's an awesome Parka!!!

Wonderful Reed N-3 in good condition. One of my favorite cause of the color and contrast between the exterior nylon and the lining.

Goinghome82 said:

the hood is stiff, which I hear isn't uncommon

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The leather under the brown mouton is most probably very, very dry, not uncommon with those old kits. Don't get it too wet (inside hood) as it will start break apart. Is the coyote stiff too? It looks solid.

Super jacket and a steal!

Good for you.

D

Is that coyote or wolf trim on the hood? I thought I read that the early N-3s used wolf fur.

Chandler said:

Were these actual Canada Goose brand, or just goose down coats?

I have no knowledge of the brand's history.

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So Canada goose still make parkas. Very pricey. 1500 and up. They have one model claimed to be the warmest coat on earth. Way out of my price range.

Pa12 said:

So Canada goose still make parkas

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Yep. That's why I asked.

Very toney stores in Chicago are often being robbed of them en masse. They've become status symbols.

I had no idea. Guess that’s why my company replaced them

I seem to recall ours were in the neighborhood of 2 or 300 bucks in 1988. We thought the company was being pretty generous. This was in the early days though and we only had 12 mechanics. 150 when I left.

That’s a rare jacket, nice find! These early N-3s, dating from the mid/late 1940s are becoming harder and harder to find, especially in this condition. When they do turn up, they tend to be large or XL, so to find one in medium, and for that price is an even bigger win.

Is it that old? The original owner said he "used it flying on C-130s in Alaska in the early 1960s."

Spitfireace said:

Is it that old? The original owner said he "used it flying on C-130s in Alaska in the early 1960s."

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Yep, it is that old. The N-3, which precedes the N-3A and N-3B, was issued in late 40s, immediately after the war. On the spec label, ‘contract AF33 (038)’ is a wartime contract that was carried forward for a short period of time in the late 1940s and is common to a lot of the kit issued during that transitional phase, when the Air Force became its own separate branch. The specification 3110 on the N-3 dates it to the very late 40s.

The N-3 was superseded around 1951 with the N-3A, when the Air Force switched from green to blue for its flight clothing, to carve out its own identity distinct from the Army. N-3A was in turn replaced by the N-3B in the mid/late 50s, when the Air Force switched to sage green for its clothing and flight gear.

The N-3 is part of a complete clothing system, with F-1 trousers, N-1 boots, B-9 hat, D-1 mask and N-3 mittens. I’ve managed to collect the whole lot, so here’s what it looks like:



Naturally, a lot of this continued to be used well after it was supposed to have been replaced, so it’s not inconceivable that someone was still using one into the 60s.

Period photos of these early N-3 jackets being worn are pretty hard to come by, perhaps the most common is this one of a B-26 crewman: