Orchard G-1 Arrived Today

[Atticus]

After some issues with fit, I got my Orchard G-1 today. I ordered a size 52R, but I sent it back thinking it to be too snug in the gut. Pete sent a replacement size 54R but it was much too big…so I asked him to return my 52R. In my defense, figuring out my proper size has been a bit of a challenge. I actually wear a size 46R dress coat and have never worn a size fifty-anything in my life.

Well, it turns out the 52R really isn't too snug. Having never owned a new G-1, I forgot to factor "break-in" into my analysis. I discovered that new goatskin has quite a lot of stretch to it. After only an hour of wear, the jacket loosened in the middle and is now quite comfortable...even while sitting with it zipped.

Guys, I just don’t have any complaints about this jacket. The goatskin is soft and supple, even if it isn’t terribly grainy. The knits seem sturdy and are of good quality...they remind me of the ones you get from Flight Suits. The paperclip zipper is certainly acceptable. No, it’s not a vintage Conmar, but it works nicely and looks like a brass G-1 zipper should look. The liner is fine. It seems about the same as the liners in my other E-series G-1s. The mouton collar is very good...great actually...but admittedly it’s been a long time since I've felt new mouton.

I’m calling this jacket a "hybrid repro". It’s new, but it appears to be the exact jacket that Orchard supplied to the military in the eighties…the only difference being the mouton collar. It has all of the features of an issued E-series G-1 and nothing that isn’t on an issued E-series G-1. In fact, if it wasn’t new, it would look exactly like the ’86 Orchard that USMC LtCol Ketner wore into my office the day he was trying to bail his Harrier pilots out of their indecent exposure charges.

Its a long story, Mildred.

Because this jacket isn’t vintage, I’m half tempted to put a patch on it. Maybe I'll use a VMF-512 patch to celebrate the squadron that was formed next door at Oak Grove Field. Or maybe a VMAT-203 patch to celebrate Ketner’s drunk, nekked, incarcerated, humbled Harrier jocks. Or maybe I'll resist the temptation and just leave it alone. One way or the other, this is a damn good jacket for the money. If Orchard is still selling them for $110.00, I'm here to tell you that its a deal. No, you won't be getting a '62 Ralph Edwards, but you will be getting something a darned sight better than the pleather, dynal collared G-1s being issued today.

My two cents.

AF

 

[zoomer]

Great to hear.

No wonder they're not sending me mine. :|

 

[Atticus]

Great to hear.

No wonder they're not sending me mine. :|

Zoom, I hate to tell you this...but they've sent three jackets to me during the course of this transaction. And they haven't complained about it once. I can't imagine why they've yet to send yours.

Sometime ago I PM'ed you with their contact number. Every time I call this number either Don or Pete answers. Call them and ask what's up with your G-1. They seem to be quite willing to look into problems customers have. Seems a shame for you to not have your jacket to wear in what remains of this winter.

AF

 

[rgraham]

After sending a couple of emails with no response, I called today and spoke with Don. Peter called back later and was very nice and said he would send out the replacement jacket. We shall she. I sent mine back January 24th.

 

[Clark J]

52!!!!!I thought sea food was good for ya????he he he!!!

 

[Atticus]

52!!!!!I thought sea food was good for ya????he he he!!!

Ain't that something?!? The 52R that I ended up with is about the same size as the size 48 Star you sold me...and a little bit smaller than my size 48 Cooper.

And Allen and I could have both fit in that size 54R that I sent back. :roll:

AF

 

[bfrench]

52!!!!!I thought sea food was good for ya????he he he!!!

Ain't that something?!? The 52R that I ended up with is about the same size as the size 48 Star you sold me...and a little bit smaller than my size 48 Cooper.

And Allen and I could have both fit in that size 54R that I sent back. :roll:

AF

Hi, AF,

A Gibson!!!!!!!

Could I have the eBay site again, please.

What are the pit to pit for the size 52R?

Thanks,
Bill French (Martin addict)

 

[Atticus]

Hi Bill,

Here's the site, but I don't think they're selling G-1s for $110.00 USD anymore. Maybe the recent VLJ jacket run pushed the price up...or maybe the $110.00 was a sale price that expired...I'm not sure.

http://cgi.ebay.com/G1-Genuine-Goatskin ... 4a9e143e00

My size 52R happens to have a pit-to-pit measurement of about 26 inches, but tag size is meaningless with respect to these jackets. The only way to get a proper fit is to call Pete and tell him what measurements you need. I have five other size 48 G-1s and this 52R Orchard is in the middle of their "fit range". Its bigger than my Brill and smaller than my Cooper...about the same as my Stars. The size 54R Orchard that I sent back was HUGE. An entire flock of goats must have perished to make that thing.

My new avatar is my '74 J-50. I've had that old girl since we were both pudknockers. I think I bought it new in April or May of 1975...I know that I was still a freshman in undergrad. Good Lord, a lot of chords have been murdered on that guitar! I keep meaning to take some photos of the HD-28. Maybe that'll be a good project for later today.

AF

 

[vzlion]

I'm a newbee here, can someone tell me where these are available from. OOOpps! I didn't look close enought. eBay! Thanks
Walt

 

[rgraham]

Well another couple of weeks have flown by, and no jacket has arrived at my doorstep. I guess I'll have to make yet another call.

Returned flawed jacket January 24th. Called about the replacement February 19th.

 

[rgraham]

Finally got the jacket yesterday. Smelled horrible. Looked horrible. Very chemically smelling. I put it out in the shed the air out overnight with no improvement. The leather looked and felt really cheap, and I was not convinced it was indeed leather at all. After taking a close look with a photographers loop, I really became suspicious. I took a small sample from a very discreet location and put a flame to it. It took a few seconds, but it did start to melt, and roll back into a ball. I'm sure it is filled with some kind of flame retardant so as not to melt like a plastic bottle. I wore the jacket about 5 minutes until I couldn't take the smell anymore. It was making me ill.

Bottom line is these jackets that these people are turning out now are complete garbage. I will be calling them tomorrow for a full refund. Their original ebay ad claimed to be "Genuine Goatskin" and that's what I expected.

 

[vzlion]

I recieved mine on Manday. I agree they are not as advertised. About the plastic...on the inside front pocket the plastic had peeled off and and I can feel the stickyness of the glue and see the cloth where it was attached. Also they have hand warmer pockets, which don't show and aren't mentioned in their ads,...is that Mil-Spec now? And the pockets are offset away from the zipper (for the hand warmer pockets?). Mine doesn't have any oder thank goodness. I knew they ran small but the 46R I recieved is barely bigger that my original size 42. IMO if you want a new Mil-Spec jacket look elsewhere.
Walt

 

[Atticus]

Finally got the jacket yesterday. Smelled horrible. Looked horrible. Very chemically smelling. I put it out in the shed the air out overnight with no improvement. The leather looked and felt really cheap, and I was not convinced it was indeed leather at all. After taking a close look with a photographers loop, I really became suspicious. I took a small sample from a very discreet location and put a flame to it. It took a few seconds, but it did start to melt, and roll back into a ball. I'm sure it is filled with some kind of flame retardant so as not to melt like a plastic bottle. I wore the jacket about 5 minutes until I couldn't take the smell anymore. It was making me ill.

Bottom line is these jackets that these people are turning out now are complete garbage. I will be calling them tomorrow for a full refund. Their original ebay ad claimed to be "Genuine Goatskin" and that's what I expected.

I recieved mine on Manday. I agree they are not as advertised. About the plastic...on the inside front pocket the plastic had peeled off and and I can feel the stickyness of the glue and see the cloth where it was attached. Also they have hand warmer pockets, which don't show and aren't mentioned in their ads,...is that Mil-Spec now? And the pockets are offset away from the zipper (for the hand warmer pockets?). Mine doesn't have any oder thank goodness. I knew they ran small but the 46R I recieved is barely bigger that my original size 42. IMO if you want a new Mil-Spec jacket look elsewhere.
Walt

I hate to hear these reports. I swear my jacket isn't really much different than other E-series G-1s that I've owned. There is no question that it is made of leather and there is no question the collar is mouton. The pocket flaps are a bit mismatched and the hanger is not re-enforced...but otherwise it is a great jacket.

I can't imagine what has gone wrong with Orchard to cause them to send out fake leather jackets.

AF

 

[rgraham]

I talked to the man in charge today, and he assured me the jacket is leather. He says I must have gotten a cowhide jacket made to look like goat. He says he doesn't send out fake leather, and that he has made 10,000 of them to mil spec for the military. It seems they have lowered the standards a bit.

Well, there was some kind of white backing on the back of the "leather", it didn't seem to have any actual hair follicles on it, and under high magnification, it looked like pressed plastic to me. The fibers between the backing and the pressed front didn't look like natural leather, but some kind of ground up fiber. And it smelled. He said that was a coating they put on it to make it waterproof and should go away.

I will say, he was very nice the whole time, and gave me the choice of getting my money back, or waiting yet again for a "Genuine" goatskin G-1.

Here are a couple of macro shots of the "skin" surface.

 

[m444uk]

Well, real Orchard goatskin looks like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0544850865

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Blouson-A-2-US-AI ... 0577392193

 

[R7000]

rgrahm,

I'm impressed by your photos (I guess they are yours). I bought one of the G-1's from Orchard and it appeared to have a barb wire scar on the skin. So mine was from an animal (of some sort, maybe llama or something!).

Tom

 

[rgraham]

rgrahm,

I'm impressed by your photos (I guess they are yours). I bought one of the G-1's from Orchard and it appeared to have a barb wire scar on the skin. So mine was from an animal (of some sort, maybe llama or something!).

Tom

Hi Tom,

Yes, I took the photos. My first jacket was indeed actual goatskin, the second was not. I returned the jacket for a full refund. No questions asked.

My friend received his jacket, and likes it a lot. It was like my original purchase being goat. I should have just kept the first one, but the flaw was just too noticeable.