G-1 Martin Lane 1969 vs. Brill Bros 1982

[Tylbor]

Hi,
My name's Tylbor and I'm from Poland, I joined this great forum few days ago. I'm an enthusiast of US military jackets, especially flight jackets or field coats issued to the Air Force.

I already have a nice distressed Martin Lane jacket from the late 60s, contact DSA100-69-C-1545, however I was in a need of buying another. My new G-1 arrived yesterday. It's a Brill Bros DLA100-82-C-0564, a in very good condition, it also have a nice collection of patches, it's named—BRIDGWOOD letters stencilled on the inside of the jacket (maybe I'll be able to find who this G-1 belonged to) but... I'm not sure how to express it but I was expecting something different. The leather is not as soft as in the Martin Lane jacket. Maybe it needs few years of wearing. But the main issue is the waistband, it's very thin and I can see the daylight when I put it against the window. It looks a bit like a cheaper version, something for a less demanding user. I guess my friend told me once that the quality of G-1 jackets worsened in the 80's and that these jackets were rarely used by pilots. I still like it, it has a nice greenish oxidation on the zipper, patches looks cool, but the waistband...
I would like to hear your opinions.

 

[Flightengineer]

Hi Tylbor,
You're right, in 70s stopped using goatskin for the G-1, instead of it, pressed cow leather was used. Jackets have become heavier and more creaky.
This forum has several threads that you can easily find and there is a lot of info on how these jackets changed from specification to specification and from year to year.
In short, the most beautiful G-1s are jackets of the 50s and 60s. Everything that was done later was much worse.
Your Martin Lane is goatskin but Brill is cowhide.

 

[MikeyB-17]

It’s generally reckoned that the black label jackets are superior to the white label jackets. Earlier G-1’s had single ply, double weave waistbands, unlike the later folded, double ply ones. Earlier G-1’s also had real mouton collars, usually brown, rather than the Dynel, faux fur collars, often but not always black. 60’s goatskin G-1’s are getting a lot more expensive now, I have picked them up for peanuts in the past, but not recently. Not all older ones are nice (my ‘64 Irvin B. Foster had horrible, cardboard-like leather with a greyish base) and not all newer ones are crap.

 

[Tylbor]

Hi Tylbor,
You're right, in 70s stopped using goatskin for the G-1, instead of it, pressed cow leather was used. Jackets have become heavier and more creaky.
This forum has several threads that you can easily find and there is a lot of info on how these jackets changed from specification to specification and from year to year.
In short, the most beautiful G-1s are jackets of the 50s and 60s. Everything that was done later was much worse.
Your Martin Lane is goatskin but Brill is cowhide.

Thank you very much. I need some time now to decide whether I like it or not.

 

[Tylbor]

It’s generally reckoned that the black label jackets are superior to the white label jackets. Earlier G-1’s had single ply, double weave waistbands, unlike the later folded, double ply ones. Earlier G-1’s also had real mouton collars, usually brown, rather than the Dynel, faux fur collars, often but not always black. 60’s goatskin G-1’s are getting a lot more expensive now, I have picked them up for peanuts in the past, but not recently. Not all older ones are nice (my ‘64 Irvin B. Foster had horrible, cardboard-like leather with a greyish base) and not all newer ones are crap.

Thank you. Which new ones aren’t crap. Would you consider my Brill as crap?
I need now time to decide if I want to keep it or sell to someone else.

 

[MikeyB-17]

It depends on individual jackets. I have a Dynel-collared, pressed cowhide G-1 with no label which I think has nicer leather than any of the many goat versions I’ve had. Another from the same contract may not age the same, feel the same etc. It’s been said by some that anything after the B series/C-series etc. etc. isn’t worth bothering with, or anything without a mouton collar, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. I must say I do prefer the earlier single-ply waistbands, but the double ply ones are fine. I think it’s a shame they stopped using scalloped pocket flaps, but the later straight ones do the job perfectly well. None of them, older or newer, are crap IMHO. Even the newer ones are comfortable, hard-wearing, good-looking jackets. At the end of the day, if you like it, it’s not crap!

 

[adfrost]

It’s been said by some that anything after the B series/C-series etc. etc. isn’t worth bothering with, or anything without a mouton collar, but I don’t think that’s the case at all.

Yeah, based on the batch of D series jackets I recently posted about, I can't say I agree either. They may not be "collectors" jackets, but all of them are superb jackets to varying degrees. Even the Brill with the stamped cowhide is far nicer than any mall jacket. Now, perhaps I'd change my mind if I possessed something truly vintage (maybe my '60 California Sportswear counts), but given my sizing and that I buy jackets to wear them, that's not likely to happen.

 

[Tylbor]

It depends on individual jackets. I have a Dynel-collared, pressed cowhide G-1 with no label which I think has nicer leather than any of the many goat versions I’ve had. Another from the same contract may not age the same, feel the same etc. It’s been said by some that anything after the B series/C-series etc. etc. isn’t worth bothering with, or anything without a mouton collar, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. I must say I do prefer the earlier single-ply waistbands, but the double ply ones are fine. I think it’s a shame they stopped using scalloped pocket flaps, but the later straight ones do the job perfectly well. None of them, older or newer, are crap IMHO. Even the newer ones are comfortable, hard-wearing, good-looking jackets. At the end of the day, if you like it, it’s not crap!

Thanks a lot, after a week I think I will like it

 

[Tylbor]

Yeah, based on the batch of D series jackets I recently posted about, I can't say I agree either. They may not be "collectors" jackets, but all of them are superb jackets to varying degrees. Even the Brill with the stamped cowhide is far nicer than any mall jacket. Now, perhaps I'd change my mind if I possessed something truly vintage (maybe my '60 California Sportswear counts), but given my sizing and that I buy jackets to wear them, that's not likely to happen.

Thank you. I started doing a research on who this jacket might belonged to. And since my wife said ”Don't resell it, these patches are nice" I think I like this jacket.
Best