B6,D1 or Irvin for tall slim athletic build?

[Caber]

Hello! I am in the market for a warm winter jacket. I am interested in the B6,D1 and Irvin. There are A couple if things. I am looking for and want to avoid
1. I don’t like supper puffy. I see some guys who have one of theses three jackets and it looks great on them while Others look like they have marshmallows under the leather. How to avoid and which jacket is less puffy
2. Some of the full sheep skin jackets collars and hem linings make the jackets look almost frilly, especially when they are puffy as well. Kind of like an old school movie Actress who goes out in public with a huge fur coat that has a massive collar and supper big fluffy linings around the wrist. Looks supper Gaudy. I’m trying to avoid that look. Any recommendations for avoiding the frill look?
3. I want something that can keep me warm in 10 degree F temp. I know the Irvin is warmest but will either the D1 or the B6 do well?
4. Are the linings between the 3 the same and are the sleeves lined with the same material?
5. I’m tall and slim with an athletic frame. Aesthetically which would fit better?

 

[El Marro]

Caber,
I cannot speak with a wide range of experience because out of the three jackets you mentioned I only own a B6 (the Eastman Rough Wear redskin). I will say that I think it works well for a tall, slim athletic build. I am 6’1” and about 185 pounds and I like the fit on my size 46. Bear in mind that since it is a fleece jacket it does not fit closely like a trim café racer or a cross zip would.
I am not sure how it would do in 10° weather although I can say it is extremely warm for such a light weight jacket, unbelievably so. Where I live in Northern California it rarely gets below 40° and below 30 is almost unheard of. Therefore the B6 was one of my less practical jacket purchases, and believe me that is saying something considering my collection!

 

[MrProper]

Tall and slim is not a good combination for leather jackets (I'm 6.5, 200 lbs)
I haven't yet managed to find something off the shelf that fits really well.
Therefore I order according to my measurements and this prevents the balloon effect.
As shearling, I ordered a Coastal Command from Aero. Unfortunately the virus got in the way and I'm still waiting.
I think that an Irvin suits a tall and slim better than B3 & Co.
For the next winter I will have a trucker made of shearling.

 

[Caber]

I was told by Mrs. Carrie at thruston Bros that the lining in the B6, D1, and RAF were the same thickness. any idea why the RAF is so much warmer?

 

[Blackadder]

I was told by Mrs. Carrie at thruston Bros that the lining in the B6, D1, and RAF were the same thickness. any idea why the RAF is so much warmer?

Because RAF has an inner flap behind the zipper. BTW, it is not lining, it is a whole piece of sheepskin worn inside out.
As for cut, these types of jackets were usually cut generously so you can layer underneath. You may consider sizing down or getting a custom fit. If you have talked to Carrie, you may ask for a test jacket to try on. B-6 and D-1 without the extra piece of leather flap would be less bulky in terms of cut.

 

[Bfd70]

They are not trim cut jackets. They are all also intended to be cut short for wearing with sheepskin trousers if needed. I live in Chicago. 10f here is considered swimming weather (lol). No, they are not built for that temp. 15 with a heavy layer is my limit (i am slim as well and trend cold). The answer for that temp would be a B3 (puffy) or an Anj less so. These are somewhat impractical for anything above 30. The best way for this to work for you is to accept it less than trim for 30-40 degrees with a light shirt and a good fit with a heavy sweater at 10-25.
I myself cannot as i dislike jackets baggy. The ideal way to go is 2 jackets in 2 sizes.....

 

[Bfd70]

Also i think Eastmans trim looks least puffy.

 

[Sloan1874]

A B-6 might be more suitable. It's a slightly slimmer fit and you can pull in the cinch tapes to your taste. Personally, I think the Irvin is the coolest of all the sheepskins and looks best, and tend to be warmest, worn a size up, which will give you a bit of extra lengh. Aero can add a bit length if you need it as well, but I would chat to Carrie about the dimensions and perhaps a try-on jacket.

 

[Caber]

I do like the Irvin. A lot actually but I also like theD1. I like the look of it better than the b6. I’m not sure what it is about the D1 that I like better but it seems a neater fit

 

[Caber]

All I know is I think I have narrowed it down to the RAF and D1. I keep going back and forth on them though. I’ll like the D1 and I’ll tell my self that I’ve decided on that one and then I go back and look at the RAF and change my mind. I’m only able to get one right now

 

[s4rmark]

The B-6 has more of a fitted look and the D-1 is more of a Boxy fit.

 

[Edward]

A B-6 might be more suitable. It's a slightly slimmer fit and you can pull in the cinch tapes to your taste. Personally, I think the Irvin is the coolest of all the sheepskins and looks best, and tend to be warmest, worn a size up, which will give you a bit of extra lengh. Aero can add a bit length if you need it as well, but I would chat to Carrie about the dimensions and perhaps a try-on jacket.

I would be inclined to advise looking for something else if OP doesn't like a roomy fit, or the, uh, "frills". A shearling-lined leather jacket, for instance. Perhaps the Aero Thunder Bay?

The thing is, especially if you want to wear a sheepskin of any sort in a very cold climate is that if you don't leave room for layering, you very quickly end up with a jacket that's not warm enough for the worst of the Winter, but still far too warm for much of the rest of the year. Too limiting.

For my money, purely in aesthetic / dandy terms, the man who wore the Irvin suit the best was actually a guy to whom it was never issued: Alfred Galland, Luftwaffe Ace.

The story goes that he bought or traded (not confiscated - a point of honour) the Irvin suit from an RAF officer he shot down. See how it's worn slightly over-sized, doubtless as this was also the preferred way of wearing it by the RAF boys. I think it looks great. An Irvin that can only fit a t-shirt underneath always looked rather absurd to me.

Temperature wsie, I have no comprehension of what 10 F is, I've only ever dealt in Celsius, but I have worn a hefty Lost Worlds B3 and an ELC Irvin (42 pattern model) all Winter in London for several years, also both at diffenret times in the worst of the Beijing Winter. I found both equally warm, which surprised me as I had been expecting the B3 to be slightly warmer. THe Irvin I was worried felt very fragile when I first got it, however I've worn it quite hard over the years and never had a problem other than some of the surface finish lifting off one arm when one of my cats brought up a furball on it overnight and it dried on before the morning...

Worth noting that Greta Cat is an absolute heat pervert, and she's never shown a preference for one over the other which probably suggests they as equally warm for sits.

The B-6 has more of a fitted look and the D-1 is more of a Boxy fit.

The D1 was originally designed to be a cheap jacket for USAAF ground crew who coveted something warm like a B3. It was designed to be as simple as possible and churned out with the lowest unit cost, hence simplicity of pattern. A number of fighter pilots supposedly got into swapping their B3s for D1s as the D1 was smaller and less clumsy in a cramped, single-seat cockpit. Groundcrew certainly didn't complain if they got a warmer B3 out of it! The B6 came along thereafter as a rethink of the B3 concept, smaller and less clumsy for pilots in cramped conditions. Of course both were short-lived as they were rapidly replaced by the B10 and then quickly the B15 in turn after 1942. Replacing both A2 and B3 with one, cheaper to produce textile jacket was clearly an economic plus in wartime supply economics.

 

[Lebowski]

I would be inclined to advise looking for something else if OP doesn't like a roomy fit, or the, uh, "frills". A shearling-lined leather jacket, for instance. Perhaps the Aero Thunder Bay?

The thing is, especially if you want to wear a sheepskin of any sort in a very cold climate is that if you don't leave room for layering, you very quickly end up with a jacket that's not warm enough for the worst of the Winter, but still far too warm for much of the rest of the year. Too limiting.

For my money, purely in aesthetic / dandy terms, the man who wore the Irvin suit the best was actually a guy to whom it was never issued: Alfred Galland, Luftwaffe Ace.
View attachment 233402 View attachment 233403

The story goes that he bought or traded (not confiscated - a point of honour) the Irvin suit from an RAF officer he shot down. See how it's worn slightly over-sized, doubtless as this was also the preferred way of wearing it by the RAF boys. I think it looks great. An Irvin that can only fit a t-shirt underneath always looked rather absurd to me.

Temperature wsie, I have no comprehension of what 10 F is, I've only ever dealt in Celsius, but I have worn a hefty Lost Worlds B3 and an ELC Irvin (42 pattern model) all Winter in London for several years, also both at diffenret times in the worst of the Beijing Winter. I found both equally warm, which surprised me as I had been expecting the B3 to be slightly warmer. THe Irvin I was worried felt very fragile when I first got it, however I've worn it quite hard over the years and never had a problem other than some of the surface finish lifting off one arm when one of my cats brought up a furball on it overnight and it dried on before the morning...

Worth noting that Greta Cat is an absolute heat pervert, and she's never shown a preference for one over the other which probably suggests they as equally warm for sits.



The D1 was originally designed to be a cheap jacket for USAAF ground crew who coveted something warm like a B3. It was designed to be as simple as possible and churned out with the lowest unit cost, hence simplicity of pattern. A number of fighter pilots supposedly got into swapping their B3s for D1s as the D1 was smaller and less clumsy in a cramped, single-seat cockpit. Groundcrew certainly didn't complain if they got a warmer B3 out of it! The B6 came along thereafter as a rethink of the B3 concept, smaller and less clumsy for pilots in cramped conditions. Of course both were short-lived as they were rapidly replaced by the B10 and then quickly the B15 in turn after 1942. Replacing both A2 and B3 with one, cheaper to produce textile jacket was clearly an economic plus in wartime supply economics.

@Edward, RAF Irvin is such a great legendary jacket glorified by lots of heroic British pilots, so you definitely might find better examples to illustrate the thought of good fit instead of posting that unpleasant photo of nazi scum. Just my opinion.

 

[Edward]

@Edward, RAF Irvin is such a great legendary jacket glorified by lots of heroic British pilots, so you definitely might find better examples to illustrate the thought of good fit instead of posting that unpleasant photo of nazi scum. Just my opinion.

Speaking of the RAF, Tuck and Bader both became firm friends with Galland after the war. I make no comment on his personal politics; the fact remains he wore it well.

 

[Lebowski]

Speaking of the RAF, Tuck and Bader both became firm friends with Galland after the war. I make no comment on his personal politics; the fact remains he wore it well.

I can’t get that. Anyway, to each their own.

 

[Caber]

I hade a bootleger with shelling lining and it was warm but not warm enough so I do want a sheep skin jacket

 

[Edward]

I hade a bootleger with shelling lining and it was warm but not warm enough so I do want a sheep skin jacket

I'd expect a shearling lined leather to be aswarm as or warmer than the shearling alone. Unless it wasn't roomy enough to layer appropriately for the cold?

 

[Dav]

I was told by Mrs. Carrie at thruston Bros that the lining in the B6, D1, and RAF were the same thickness. any idea why the RAF is so much warmer?

They shouldn't be, the Irvin is supposed to be longer fleeced. Sounds like they're shaving the fleece down on the Irvins then, just like they did with one I had, too much imo.

 

[Caber]

I'd expect a shearling lined leather to be aswarm as or warmer than the shearling alone. Unless it wasn't roomy enough to layer appropriately for the cold?

It was warm and had plenty of room to layer but i have a levi trucker jacket with faux fur that handled 15 degree -35 degree F that keeps me much warmer than my Shearling lined jacket. It also did not have a fur collar which would have helped. Im hoping a sheep skin jacket will be warmer as the levi.

Other than Aero Who els makes a good D1 Or RAF for about the same price as the aero?

 

[Caber]

They shouldn't be, the Irvin is supposed to be longer fleeced. Sounds like they're shaving the fleece down on the Irvins then, just like they did with one I had, too much imo.

Carrie said the RAF sheep skin is 15mm. I looked at simons built are 15-22mm