Cooper G-1

[tropicalbob]

my cockpit g1 vintage goatskin jacket i really like it . View attachment 41601 View attachment 41602

That's exactly how I'd like that jacket to fit. The more I'm seeing of these jackets the more I'm liking them.

 

[SteveZ]

It looks as though a proper fit jacket ( G1 as an example ) will have the front two storage pockets facing toward the front as much as possible. A too small sized jacket shows the pockets wrapped partially around the ribs where you cant properly reach them easily and forget any hand warmer access if your jacket has them.

Is there a proper appearance or fit for G1 and A2 jackets ? Whats the rule of thumb here for sizing a flight jacket for a rank novice like myself ? Or does the manufacturing standards from one company to another make this impossible to follow ?

 

[Atticus Finch]

Is there a proper appearance or fit for G1 and A2 jackets ? Whats the rule of thumb here for sizing a flight jacket for a rank novice like myself ? Or does the manufacturing standards from one company to another make this impossible to follow ?

The A-2 is more forgiving, but the G-1 is no jacket for folks who are thick in the middle. I guess what I'm saying is, if you're old and portly (like me), there is no proper G-1 appearance or fit. You'll either swim in the shoulders, or look like a sausage in the gut.

Again, A-2s are more forgiving. I often wear the current issue A-2s and mine are all 48 regulars...the same size as I wear in a civilian suit. And I agree with you. If your G-1 or A-2 is stretched so tightly that its pockets are on your sides...you need to forget about leather altogether and just wear an M-65.

AF

 

[kojax]

i am lucky my g1 jackets and A2 jackets are size 38

 

[ButteMT61]

i am lucky my g1 jackets and A2 jackets are size 38

there are portly 38's

 

[JimWagner]

I don't know about current issue G-1's, but when mine was issued to me in 1966 it didn't have side entry hand warmer pockets and my Cooper G-1 doesn't either. Frankly, the vertical entry pockets were/are too flat for putting much of anything into. A couple of .45 clips in each would be about it.

On the other hand, the inside left "map pocket" with snap closure is roomy enough for a loaded .45 and is secure enough for it. Print through isn't too much of a problem, but the weight will skew the jacket some.

The Navy was somewhat strict about putting hands in pockets in my day and you could get written up for doing so in front of the "grabbers". For that matter, as far as I can recall, other than peacoats nothing else even had any pockets you could actually put your hands in.

 

[Atticus Finch]

...For that matter, as far as I can recall, other than peacoats nothing else even had any pockets you could actually put your hands in.

The deck jackets (N-1, N-4, A-2) all had usable pockets. The A-2 was the most comfortable and practical jacket ever issued by the Navy, IMO.

AF

 

[SteveZ]

LOL ! IM a bit portly in the middle too. I wear a XXL Tall in my G1 and A2. Still I need to lose about 25 pounds in my fuselage fuel tank.

 

[JimWagner]

The deck jackets (N-1, N-4, A-2) all had usable pockets. The A-2 was the most comfortable and practical jacket ever issued by the Navy, IMO.

AF

True on deck jackets. And I'm assuming you meant the Navy A-2 canvas deck jack, not to be confused with the Army/Air Force A-2 leather flight jacket?

 

[Atticus Finch]

True on deck jackets. And I'm assuming you meant the Navy A-2 canvas deck jack, not to be confused with the Army/Air Force A-2 leather flight jacket?

Indeed! Here's one of mine. Certainly not very flashy...and you won't see the hero in a war movie wearing one...but the A-2 is comfortable, affordable and very warm!



AF

 

[JimWagner]

Somehow I kept my A-2 when I got out. It wasn't new when issued to me and worn constantly while I worked in our planes. I still wore it for another few years after getting out until it finally just about fell apart. I haven't owned a coat since then that could take the level of abuse that one did for as long.

 

[Deacon211]

It looks as though a proper fit jacket ( G1 as an example ) will have the front two storage pockets facing toward the front as much as possible. A too small sized jacket shows the pockets wrapped partially around the ribs where you cant properly reach them easily and forget any hand warmer access if your jacket has them.

Is there a proper appearance or fit for G1 and A2 jackets ? Whats the rule of thumb here for sizing a flight jacket for a rank novice like myself ? Or does the manufacturing standards from one company to another make this impossible to follow ?

Well interestingly the issue gets more complicated than that. I have come to find more recently that some (particularly WWII era) jackets had their pockets sewn on based on the side seam, not the front. So as the jackets went up in size, the real estate in the front of the jacket got larger and larger, which I think looks terrible even if you don't have a belly and particularly if you do.

I was informed that only in the late '60s did the pattern settle down for the G-1. Before that, there were many variations. I still don't know if the pocket spacing is specified anywhere currently.

As to handwarmers, they are still not an item on current issue G-1s AFAIK. The Coasties apparently opted to open purchase their own, better quality, G-1s in the recent past and their's do have pockets however.


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[Lawless]

Hey everybody! This is my first post after registering last night so I'm trying to build my street cred. I just bought a Cooper G-1 on ebay but havent received it yet. It doesnt have the big blue label like this one. Its got a smaller blackish label. Anyone have any info on that? Am I correct that Cooper stopped making jackets in 2007?

 

[Deacon211]

Hey Lawless,

Welcome! I’m not familiar with a black labeled Cooper. Issued jackets in the last few decades would have a white printed label. Cooper apparently added their large embroidered label to those versions of the jacket they sold to civilians.

But in their last years, Cooper May have changed that.


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[thor]

My Cooper G-1 has both the big blue “civilian” style label and a mil-spec white nomenclature tag.
I suspect that Cooper needed to fulfill their military G-1 contract anyway they could and just supplied the Navy with whatever they had in their factory. Either they added the white label to their civilian jackets or added the big blue label to the mil-spec jackets that they were sending to the Navy.

 

[Deacon211]

It’s interesting because the jacket I was issued was a Cooper which was mostly evident from the fact that it had those unique one piece tabs at the bottom of the zipper knit which we have spoken about before.

If I recall correctly, there was no large label, just the small white mil spec one.

On the other hand, the exchange sold Cooper jackets with the big labels on them.

Which seems to suggest that there was some variation over the years with orange labels and blue and also some without labels at all.


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[Lawless]

When I get back home I’ll post some pics of the 2 cooper G-1’s that I have. One is a navy mil spec made in 1989 with just the white label and I just got another one which is a civilian version with handwarmer pockets. That one has the label I was talking about.


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[Lawless]

It’s a civilian Cooper in the most current fit. It’s like the Hellcat G-1 by legendary or like that antique lambskin G-1 that Cockpit USA puts out. It’s a big jacket. A “bomber” for sure. I love it. I’m sending it to Shaul at US Authentic to get a bigger, bushier russet color mouton collar and he’s going to cut off the windflap lol. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys on here that hate me already just for this lol.

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[nick123]

No one hates you. Many a civilian moto jackets here have had the windflap removed. I'm partial to the USN under the collar as the old pre-G-1s had.

 

[Lawless]

No one hates you. Many a civilian moto jackets here have had the windflap removed. I'm partial to the USN under the collar as the old pre-G-1s had.

Oh for sure. Me too. I’ll probably buy an old issued G-1 one day. Probably a 55J14. But yeah the ‘USN’ on the back of the collar is awesome looking. That’s partly why I hate the windflap on this jacket. It is silly to have USN on a jacket like this. Mostly I hate the windflap because it looks weird when you wear the jacket unzipped or at least that’s my feelings on it. Once I get it dialed in I’ll post up some pics. It’s going to look rad.


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