Advice for a first A-2 flight jacket !

[Scorch_AnoD]

Hi everyone,

I’m a new-comer from France (I didn’t find any post on presentation for new-comers. Did I miss something?).

I’m here to choose my first leather jacket: an A-2 ! I want to buy this jacket specially to use it in everyday life but also in reenactment (paratroops and flight crew). So I need a good repro in cut, color and texture of a WWII era A-2.

Budget: from 150€ to 350€
I think its enough for a first jacket and I will not appreciate the quality of a too expensive jacket and will not wear it to not destroy it… (I really know how I mentally work lol). And I read some threads on buying the best quality in first place but not totally agree on the arguments personally.

I’ve read few posts and threads on this forum to answer some of my question. So, I have already a pre-selection of makers, cuts (WWII contracts/brands) but hesitating between goatskin and horsehide and between russet brown, mid brown or seal brown…


Option 1 :

Maker : AVI LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : horsehide
Color : Seal brown or russet brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.avileather.com/product/bronco-a2-flight-jacket-horsehide/
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but imo, the russet brown is a bit too light and the seal brown is a bit to dark. any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 2 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : goatskin
Color : russet brown
Price : ~140€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-flight-real-goatskin-leather-jacket
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but goatskin wasn’t used for WWII-era A-2 ? It was only anecdotic contracts but they mainly used horsehide ? It’s 200€ cheaper than the horsehide, why there is a such price difference ? This jacket is really a good first investment in term of quality if I like the color and the cut or should I definitely go for horsehide ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 3 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : cowhide
Color : russet brown
Price : ~190€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-cowhide-leather-jacket-russet-brown
Comments : same comments than with the goatskin ? Is it WWII accurate ? Is it a good option to have a first jacket in cowhide comparing HH or goatskin ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 4 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : J. A. DUBOW
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...order-no-w535-a-c-20960-leather-flight-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 5 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : pull up brown (reddish brown ?)
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...2-real-horsehide-leather-pull-up-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 6 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...27752-real-horsehide-leather-mid-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


So, are these jackets good choices for a beginner with a low-decent budget ? Should I chose HH or goatskin for WWII accuracy? Seal brown, mid-brown or russet brown for WWII accuracy?

Thanks in advance for your comments, feedbacks or any constructive information !

 

[B-Man2]

Welcome to VLJ ….. you can post your new member info at the link below. Your choices are good ones in your price range . Others will stop by with more advice for you .
Welcome here!

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/forums/member-bios.21/

 

[leper-colony]

Great choices!

Goatskin was used during WW2, so no worries there. On the Fivestar's the price goes up a bit as the size goes up, just fyi.

Welcome!

 

[Silver Surfer]

go with 5*. ya get a lot of bang for the buck with them, and they offer a wide verity of choices of contracts, hides, and sizing. damn, I never thought that I would tout 5*, but question asked, question answered.

 

[D97x7]

Dubow would be my choice, but I suppose I am bias because that's what I did choose, love the pebbled grain of the goat and the toughness of it.

 

[mulceber]

damn, I never thought that I would tout 5*, but question asked, question answered.

Five Star’s a good gateway drug. Reading his post, I suspect he’ll be looking longingly at BK/Platon’s Dubow, ELC, and GW before he knows it.

My vote would be the Dubow, but in Shawn’s goatskin. It’s accurate to WW2 (he actually designed that leather from an original goatskin Dubow), and Shawn’s goatskin is really first-rate stuff. Plus, goat is tough as nails, so you don’t need to fret about it.

Btw, Shawn hasn’t examined any Broncos in person, so that’s why his Bronco is so cheap. I’d pass on that one.

 

[Domi88]

Moi j'ai un fivestar rough wear en peau de chèvre et j'en suis vraiment ravis car la coupe est top tout comme la souplesse

 

[mulceber]

Moi j'ai un fivestar rough wear en peau de chèvre et j'en suis vraiment ravis car la coupe est top tout comme la souplesse

Although if you do go for a goat rough wear, I’d advise asking Shawn to make it 18091, since that was Rough Wear’s goatskin contract. Rough Wear was very consistent in its design, from almost their first contract to the last, so the pattern for 18091 (2nd contract) will be almost identical to the 27752 (last/6th contract) that Shawn advertises.

 

[Scorch_AnoD]

Welcome to VLJ ….. you can post your new member info at the link below. Your choices are good ones in your price range . Others will stop by with more advice for you .
Welcome here!

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/forums/member-bios.21/

Thanks a lot ! I will post something later then !

Great choices!

Goatskin was used during WW2, so no worries there. On the Fivestar's the price goes up a bit as the size goes up, just fyi.

Welcome!

Oh that's a good point, thanks ! Now, I need to decide between goatskin and HH and both typical characteristics.
And noted for size and prices but with 1.73 m and 69 kg, I offen wear 38 or 40 so not a big and large size.

go with 5*. ya get a lot of bang for the buck with them, and they offer a wide verity of choices of contracts, hides, and sizing. damn, I never thought that I would tout 5*, but question asked, question answered.

Roger that ! I will go for FiveStar definitely. Thanks for the answer

Dubow would be my choice, but I suppose I am bias because that's what I did choose, love the pebbled grain of the goat and the toughness of it.

Thanks for this great picture ! Nice jacket btw
But I'm not sure for a Dubow because I'm not a huge fan of Dubow's particular collar cut... I need to think a bit about it before.

Five Star’s a good gateway drug. Reading his post, I suspect he’ll be looking longingly at BK/Platon’s Dubow, ELC, and GW before he knows it.

My vote would be the Dubow, but in Shawn’s goatskin. It’s accurate to WW2 (he actually designed that leather from an original goatskin Dubow), and Shawn’s goatskin is really first-rate stuff. Plus, goat is tough as nails, so you don’t need to fret about it.

Btw, Shawn hasn’t examined any Broncos in person, so that’s why his Bronco is so cheap. I’d pass on that one.

Sad fot he Bronco... It was my favorite option. But very interesting about the Dubow and goatskin leather with the WWII original jacket ! That's a really good point. do you know which other contracts of FiveStar are based on real observation (goatskin or HH) ?

Moi j'ai un fivestar rough wear en peau de chèvre et j'en suis vraiment ravis car la coupe est top tout comme la souplesse

Génial ! Tu aurais quelques photos de cette veste ? Pour que je puisse me rendre compte réellement de la couleur et de la coupe ? Ca serait super !

Although if you do go for a goat rough wear, I’d advise asking Shawn to make it 18091, since that was Rough Wear’s goatskin contract. Rough Wear was very consistent in its design, from almost their first contract to the last, so the pattern for 18091 (2nd contract) will be almost identical to the 27752 (last/6th contract) that Shawn advertises.

Thanks a lot for this advice of another RW contract to match goatskin and RW cut ! Really appreciate detail !
I will study every opinion before asking and chosing a jacket.

 

[mulceber]

do you know which other contracts of FiveStar are based on real observation (goatskin or HH) ?

• Dubow (goatskin & horsehide/cowhide)
• Rough Wear (horsehide/cowhide for the 27752, & goatskin if you go for the 18091)
• Poughkeepsie (horsehide/cowhide)
• Star Sportswear (horsehide/cowhide)

(Horsehide is heavily mythologized. It was absolutely used, but it's virtually indistinguishable from cowhide, and tanneries were slipping cowhide in with the horsehide from very early on. By about 1941, the Air Force basically said "ok, you can use cowhide too," so after that, there's a LOT of cowhide in the mix. So, before 1941, any horsehide contract COULD have cowhide in the mix. After 1941, any horsehide contract almost certainly does have cowhide in the mix.)

 

[flyincowboy]

Salut Got a roughwear 27752 in steer hide and the leather is fantastic found the MID BROWN colour so boring i opted for a redye job Really happy with the grain and the construction of such jacket. Jacket is worn most of the time when walking with my great dane . pour le prix tu ne risque pas grand chose. de la qualité et du boulot impeccable.

 

[B-Man2]

• Dubow (goatskin & horsehide/cowhide)
• Rough Wear (horsehide/cowhide, & goatskin too, if you go for the 18091)
• Poughkeepsie (horsehide/cowhide)
• Star Sportswear (horsehide/cowhide)

(Horsehide is heavily mythologized. It was absolutely used, but it's virtually indistinguishable from cowhide, and tanneries were slipping cowhide in with the horsehide from very early on. By about 1941, the Air Force basically said "ok, you can use cowhide too," so after that, there's a LOT of cowhide in the mix. So, before 1941, any horsehide contract COULD have cowhide in the mix. After 1941, any horsehide contract almost certainly does have cowhide in the mix.)

Jan
There was a time early on in this forum where anyone who stated the above would have been considered blasphemous. Once Gary Eastman conducted DNA testing on some of his originals we were all surprised at the extent of the use of cow hide in many of these contracts . You stated your case nicely.

 

[WingAndaPrayer]

Hi everyone,

I’m a new-comer from France (I didn’t find any post on presentation for new-comers. Did I miss something?).

I’m here to choose my first leather jacket: an A-2 ! I want to buy this jacket specially to use it in everyday life but also in reenactment (paratroops and flight crew). So I need a good repro in cut, color and texture of a WWII era A-2.

Budget: from 150€ to 350€
I think its enough for a first jacket and I will not appreciate the quality of a too expensive jacket and will not wear it to not destroy it… (I really know how I mentally work lol). And I read some threads on buying the best quality in first place but not totally agree on the arguments personally.

I’ve read few posts and threads on this forum to answer some of my question. So, I have already a pre-selection of makers, cuts (WWII contracts/brands) but hesitating between goatskin and horsehide and between russet brown, mid brown or seal brown…


Option 1 :

Maker : AVI LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : horsehide
Color : Seal brown or russet brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.avileather.com/product/bronco-a2-flight-jacket-horsehide/
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but imo, the russet brown is a bit too light and the seal brown is a bit to dark. any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 2 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : goatskin
Color : russet brown
Price : ~140€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-flight-real-goatskin-leather-jacket
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but goatskin wasn’t used for WWII-era A-2 ? It was only anecdotic contracts but they mainly used horsehide ? It’s 200€ cheaper than the horsehide, why there is a such price difference ? This jacket is really a good first investment in term of quality if I like the color and the cut or should I definitely go for horsehide ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 3 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : cowhide
Color : russet brown
Price : ~190€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-cowhide-leather-jacket-russet-brown
Comments : same comments than with the goatskin ? Is it WWII accurate ? Is it a good option to have a first jacket in cowhide comparing HH or goatskin ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 4 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : J. A. DUBOW
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...order-no-w535-a-c-20960-leather-flight-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 5 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : pull up brown (reddish brown ?)
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...2-real-horsehide-leather-pull-up-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 6 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...27752-real-horsehide-leather-mid-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


So, are these jackets good choices for a beginner with a low-decent budget ? Should I chose HH or goatskin for WWII accuracy? Seal brown, mid-brown or russet brown for WWII accuracy?

Thanks in advance for your comments, feedbacks or any constructive information !

I had the very first Poughkeepsie made by FiveStar in seal steerhide. It’s very dark, almost indistinguishable from black. If you don’t like the very dark brown I would advise against it.

 

[WingAndaPrayer]

Hi everyone,

I’m a new-comer from France (I didn’t find any post on presentation for new-comers. Did I miss something?).

I’m here to choose my first leather jacket: an A-2 ! I want to buy this jacket specially to use it in everyday life but also in reenactment (paratroops and flight crew). So I need a good repro in cut, color and texture of a WWII era A-2.

Budget: from 150€ to 350€
I think its enough for a first jacket and I will not appreciate the quality of a too expensive jacket and will not wear it to not destroy it… (I really know how I mentally work lol). And I read some threads on buying the best quality in first place but not totally agree on the arguments personally.

I’ve read few posts and threads on this forum to answer some of my question. So, I have already a pre-selection of makers, cuts (WWII contracts/brands) but hesitating between goatskin and horsehide and between russet brown, mid brown or seal brown…


Option 1 :

Maker : AVI LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : horsehide
Color : Seal brown or russet brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.avileather.com/product/bronco-a2-flight-jacket-horsehide/
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but imo, the russet brown is a bit too light and the seal brown is a bit to dark. any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 2 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : goatskin
Color : russet brown
Price : ~140€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-flight-real-goatskin-leather-jacket
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but goatskin wasn’t used for WWII-era A-2 ? It was only anecdotic contracts but they mainly used horsehide ? It’s 200€ cheaper than the horsehide, why there is a such price difference ? This jacket is really a good first investment in term of quality if I like the color and the cut or should I definitely go for horsehide ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 3 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : cowhide
Color : russet brown
Price : ~190€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-cowhide-leather-jacket-russet-brown
Comments : same comments than with the goatskin ? Is it WWII accurate ? Is it a good option to have a first jacket in cowhide comparing HH or goatskin ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 4 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : J. A. DUBOW
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...order-no-w535-a-c-20960-leather-flight-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 5 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : pull up brown (reddish brown ?)
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...2-real-horsehide-leather-pull-up-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 6 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...27752-real-horsehide-leather-mid-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


So, are these jackets good choices for a beginner with a low-decent budget ? Should I chose HH or goatskin for WWII accuracy? Seal brown, mid-brown or russet brown for WWII accuracy?

Thanks in advance for your comments, feedbacks or any constructive information !

Also you might think about QMI, being as you’re in France. They have a solid A-2 based on the monarch contract pattern, it’s a slim fit.

 

[Dany McDonald]

Save a bit more (not in the initial post, I know) and go Platon Dubow....

No remorse, no surprise, just a top-top-top jacket with a better resale value if you need to go that route.

Mes deux sous noir.

D

 

[Scorch_AnoD]

• Dubow (goatskin & horsehide/cowhide)
• Rough Wear (horsehide/cowhide for the 27752, & goatskin if you go for the 18091)
• Poughkeepsie (horsehide/cowhide)
• Star Sportswear (horsehide/cowhide)

(Horsehide is heavily mythologized. It was absolutely used, but it's virtually indistinguishable from cowhide, and tanneries were slipping cowhide in with the horsehide from very early on. By about 1941, the Air Force basically said "ok, you can use cowhide too," so after that, there's a LOT of cowhide in the mix. So, before 1941, any horsehide contract COULD have cowhide in the mix. After 1941, any horsehide contract almost certainly does have cowhide in the mix.)

Thanks a lot ! That's very useful and I will definitely look at FiveStar for RoughWear or Dubow in HH, goatskin or cowhide depending on what's available.

Salut Got a roughwear 27752 in steer hide and the leather is fantastic found the MID BROWN colour so boring i opted for a redye job Really happy with the grain and the construction of such jacket. Jacket is worn most of the time when walking with my great dane . pour le prix tu ne risque pas grand chose. de la qualité et du boulot impeccable.View attachment 94471

Thanks for the pic ! Really love the color of the jacket !
It's a good option and yes, it's not that expensive for a leather jacket. Specially if everybody agree on FiveStar.

I had the very first Poughkeepsie made by FiveStar in seal steerhide. It’s very dark, almost indistinguishable from black. If you don’t like the very dark brown I would advise against it.
View attachment 94475

Thanks for the picture. And yes, in my opinion, it's a bit to dark for me.
But nice jacket btw !

Also you might think about QMI, being as you’re in France. They have a solid A-2 based on the monarch contract pattern, it’s a slim fit.

QMI was my first option but they are not really related to a contract. And it's the same price for a horsehide jacket than FiveStar. The russet brown looks really light and the seal brown really dark so...
But I will look at other threads about QMI on this forum.

Save a bit more (not in the initial post, I know) and go Platon Dubow....

No remorse, no surprise, just a top-top-top jacket with a better resale value if you need to go that route.

Mes deux sous noir.

D

As Dubow is not my favorite option, I prefer to look at FiveStar and keep my budget for other WWII-era stuff sorry.
But maybe another time for a second jacket lol !

 

[Dany McDonald]

As Dubow is not my favorite option, I prefer to look at FiveStar and keep my budget for other WWII-era stuff sorry.
But maybe another time for a second jacket lol !

No problem.

Good luck,

D

 

[ausreenactor]

Hi everyone,

I’m a new-comer from France (I didn’t find any post on presentation for new-comers. Did I miss something?).

I’m here to choose my first leather jacket: an A-2 ! I want to buy this jacket specially to use it in everyday life but also in reenactment (paratroops and flight crew). So I need a good repro in cut, color and texture of a WWII era A-2.

Budget: from 150€ to 350€
I think its enough for a first jacket and I will not appreciate the quality of a too expensive jacket and will not wear it to not destroy it… (I really know how I mentally work lol). And I read some threads on buying the best quality in first place but not totally agree on the arguments personally.

I’ve read few posts and threads on this forum to answer some of my question. So, I have already a pre-selection of makers, cuts (WWII contracts/brands) but hesitating between goatskin and horsehide and between russet brown, mid brown or seal brown…


Option 1 :

Maker : AVI LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : horsehide
Color : Seal brown or russet brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.avileather.com/product/bronco-a2-flight-jacket-horsehide/
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but imo, the russet brown is a bit too light and the seal brown is a bit to dark. any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 2 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : goatskin
Color : russet brown
Price : ~140€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-flight-real-goatskin-leather-jacket
Comments : Really like the Bronco cut but goatskin wasn’t used for WWII-era A-2 ? It was only anecdotic contracts but they mainly used horsehide ? It’s 200€ cheaper than the horsehide, why there is a such price difference ? This jacket is really a good first investment in term of quality if I like the color and the cut or should I definitely go for horsehide ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 3 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : Bronco
Leather : cowhide
Color : russet brown
Price : ~190€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...-military-cowhide-leather-jacket-russet-brown
Comments : same comments than with the goatskin ? Is it WWII accurate ? Is it a good option to have a first jacket in cowhide comparing HH or goatskin ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 4 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : J. A. DUBOW
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...order-no-w535-a-c-20960-leather-flight-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 5 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : pull up brown (reddish brown ?)
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...2-real-horsehide-leather-pull-up-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


Option 6 :

Maker : FIVESTAR LEATHER
Model : RoughWear (RW)
Leather : horsehide
Color : mid brown
Price : ~320€
Link : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...27752-real-horsehide-leather-mid-brown-jacket
Comments : colour accuracy ? any feeback ? real light and good quality pictures ?


So, are these jackets good choices for a beginner with a low-decent budget ? Should I chose HH or goatskin for WWII accuracy? Seal brown, mid-brown or russet brown for WWII accuracy?

Thanks in advance for your comments, feedbacks or any constructive information !

G'day and Welcome.

Five star Dubow..

 

[Scorch_AnoD]

After a bit of thinking, I contacted FiveStar to get some info on what size to choose for:
- RW 27752 pull-up brown horsehide (I really like this one) : https://www.fivestarleather.us/prod...2-real-horsehide-leather-pull-up-brown-jacket
OR
- (if it's possible to make me a) RW 18091 russet brown goatskin

I'll keep you informed of my choice and I'll probably post some pictures of the jacket if it can help someone to decide!
Thanks a lot for your advice!

 

[Dany McDonald]

Is that jacket really 434 Eu? Just asking not judging...

Thanx,
D