Do A2 Jackets Stretch or Shrink

[superpacker]

I’m sure it depends in part on cut and leather thickness, but for most A2s do you find that they stretch overtime, say from the arm bending at the elbow or the back and shoulders moving, or do they tend to “shrink” say from creasing at the arm or molding to the back. Is this something to take into account?

 

[Greg Gale]

The shoulder and the chest will stretch, the length and sleeve length will shrink.

 

[Silver Surfer]

both..the sleeves will shrink over time due to creasinng. the back panel will also shrink up, thus many vintage a-2s [and other vintage leather jackets] will have that tell tale arc at the bottom of the back. stretching may occur across the shoulders at the back [explains vertical back shrinking] for obvious reasons. the bottom front front may stretch when worn by hefters who have a gut. and then theres knits......

 

[superpacker]

Huh. Glad I asked! The length and sleeve were the two measurements I was least sure of and I’m toggling back and forth between a 25” length and a 24.75” length, so maybe the 25.

does it also depend on the thickness? I’m looking at a lighter weight goat compared to a heavy horse

 

[Silver Surfer]

goat tends to shrink less then hh.....under most circumstances.

 

[B-Man2]

Huh. Glad I asked! The length and sleeve were the two measurements I was least sure of and I’m toggling back and forth between a 25” length and a 24.75” length, so maybe the 25.

does it also depend on the thickness? I’m looking at a lighter weight goat compared to a heavy horse

.25 of an inch ???
If that’s what you’re pondering over .. rejoice
my friend .... worry no more. Those sleeves will crease up and you’ll lose an easy 1/2 to an inch the first year, depending on how much you wear it and if you wear it in rain . Don’t get hung up on 1/4 or 1/2 of an inch anywhere on the jacket.... trust me... you’ll make yourself nuts!

 

[superpacker]

Phew. Because I HAVE been making myself nuts!

 

[B-Man2]

Phew. Because I HAVE been making myself nuts!

Simply take a look at some of the WWII photos of people wearing A2 jackets and you’ll see the sleeve lengths are all over the place.

 

[stephen210]

Was looking at some old photos of mine and noticed how my jacket shrunk.
Bought Eastman RW 1401 in 1996
The first pic is front 2001. You can see the length of the body and arms.
12 years later 2013 you can see how both have shrunk up on 2 and 3rd pictures.
Note. Same pants.
I wore this jacket all the time in all elements.

 

[B-Man2]

Was looking at some old photos of mine and noticed how my jacket shrunk.
Bought Eastman RW 1401 in 1996
The first pic is front 2001. You can see the length of the body and arms.
12 years later 2013 you can see how both have shrunk up on 2 and 3rd pictures.
Note. Same pants.
I wore this jacket all the time in all elements.

View attachment 121089View attachment 121093View attachment 121095

Yes … shrinking jackets is a problem most of us are faced with ….. particularly as we age

 

[leper-colony]

Is your weight the same?

 

[stephen210]

Pretty much. Was about 175 back then

 

[Chandler]

I have five repro leather flight jackets I've had for nearly 30 years (one actually is that old). I can't say any of them have shrunk or stretched.

Me, on the other hand...

 

[mulceber]

I think Italian Horsehide is especially prone to it. Both jackets I've had made from the Italian stuff shrunk about an inch in the pit-to-pit (measured the jackets when I got them, wore them for a year, measured again) and about an inch in the sleeves. Neither Horween jacket that I've gotten has done that at all.

 

[Chandler]

I think Italian Horsehide is especially prone to it. Both jackets I've had made from the Italian stuff shrunk about an inch in the pit-to-pit (measured the jackets when I got them, wore them for a year, measured again) and about an inch in the sleeves. Neither Horween jacket that I've gotten has done that at all.

Hasn't JC talked about "pre-shrinking" some of his Italian horsehide?

 

[mulceber]

Yep - I should clarify that neither of the jackets that shrank were from him.

I also just prefer the Horween though because it requires zero break-in. Really comfortable right out of the box. But that’s a whole different topic.