Favorite Repro G1

[Kayrahbear]

I'm wandering over from the ladies lounge for some advice from you well dressed fellas.

While the hubs and I were on vacation someone stole all of our luggage from our car and one of the things they stole was hubby's vintage Cagleco '51 G-1 (whew, that's a mouthful). I'd like to get him a nice repro until he can find another - but there's so many and I don't know much about flight jackets. They're all just jackets to me. I'd like for it to be a surprise since father's day is coming up, so I can't really ask him.

What's your favorite repro G-1? Or a favorite website to browse through?

Sorry if this seems like a jumbled question. I'm feeling a little clueless about where to start looking.

 

[GHT]

So sorry about your loss, it's heartbreaking to think that the thief doesn't know, or even care, about any other value other than monetary.
You are spoilt for choice about replacement, although keeping an eye on E-Bay and Gumtree might just find your loss. To start you off go to
WW2 Impressions If you just search for the exact item(s) you will get pages and pages, with prices varying from peanuts to king's ransom.

Your sentiment is wonderful, to surprise him on Father's day. But maybe, surprise aside, you should talk to him about it. Tell him that you want to buy him a replacement, then search together, that way he will get what he wants, yet know how much you want to help. I wish you every success.

 

[Big J]

That's a terrible thing to happen. Someone stole my wife's whole car two years ago (which wasn't that much of a pain, God Bless Insurance!) but one of my repro A-2 jackets was in the back at the time. I will never know where it went, but since it had my name on it, always check out other repros of same color when I spot them on the street.

I agree with GHT.
Depending on your husbands size, it might be really straightforward to find a nice original vintage G-1 on ebay. There are plenty about in small to medium sizes.
If your husbands size dictates that finding a genuine used G-1 isn't so simple, and you think that you should get a repro, then you would do best to discuss the issue with him, since the jackets have many small (but to some, crucial!) differences depending on the era in which they were made.
Gibson and Barnes is a good place to stat for very nice G-1's that don't break the bank, but if your husband wants something closer to the '51, he might have to look at Eastman Leather Clothing (or other even more expensive repros).

Hopefully, a good trawl through ebay and some vintage sites will turn up a nice vintage jacket in your husbands size. If it need a replacement fur collar or cuffs/waistband, no problem! Send it to Aero Leather Clothing- they used to replace these things on used jackets, for a fee.

 

[Deacon211]

I am also sorry for your loss and very sad for the loss of such a nice jacket.

I agree with the others that, unless you know precisely what your husband's preferences are in the way of G-1s, you might want to consult with him on the issue.

The Gibson and Barnes G-1 is nice, but I thought a little baggy. It may be a non issue if your husband is other than athletically built.

My recent search wound up with me in an Eastman G-1, a great jacket with a military cut and which is breaking in nicely.

So as to not hog the thread, I'd invite you to look at the Brill Bros thread where I have pics of the Brill, my Eastman, and the late model Pharr that was issued to me in 2004 for comparison.




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[Deacon211]

Sorry, I misnamed the thread. The pics are here...

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=77978

There are some pics here of my older G+B here as well as several originals. Just be aware that my G-1 here is a trimmer fit than the modern G-1 I tried and returned last fall.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=74693


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[devilish]

My answer to a question like this is always going to be Good Wear. Their price and wait list might mean it's a surprise for next years Father's Day though. In that time you'd have more than likely found an original but John makes the best. Eastman or Bill Kelso would be the next choices.

 

[Edward]

Nasty situation, nice idea to surprise him with a replacement. Is it particularly a G1 (Korea / Vietnam era, loosely speaking) jacket you're looking for, or would he be as happy with a WW2 era M422a? They're essentially the same jacket with some very minor differences, just wondering whether there's a sentimental attachment to one specific type. It's easier to find repros of the M422a in my experience. Here in the UK, Aero offer a really nice M442a (and AN6552, essentially, again, the same jacket - a succesor model number), for about GBP500 - a bit more than the options above. I don't think it would be available in time for you, though; last I heard, their waiting list was about twelve weeks. Eastman do a really nice jacket with all of these models, though the price is up again from the Aero.

As others have said, you could try looking on eBay for a similar original to the one that was stolen - often they come in at markedly less than the high end repros. Otherwise, another option is one of the current issue milspec (military specification) jackets, which have changed very little since the days of the original G1 (the US Navy stopped issuing them for a number of years). They are once more goatskin, with mouton collar. Markedly cheaper than the repro offerings from earlier periods...

Here in London, Silvermans has them for GBP349: http://www.silvermans.co.uk/tabid/6...UN+JACKET/0/SKU/4-190-11798-1583/Default.aspx

...though you'd likely get a better deal in the US.

Interestingly, Silvermans also offer their own house-brand version, under the GTH line. The Mark One is £150, the Mark 2 £199. The Mk 1 has faux mouton on the collar, not sure what revisions the Mk 2 has.

Mk 1 : http://www.silvermans.co.uk/tabid/6...LIGHT+JKT/0/SKU/4-190-11246-2403/Default.aspx

Mk II: http://www.silvermans.co.uk/tabid/6...T+JKT+MK2/0/SKU/4-190-18132-3724/Default.aspx

I've handled both and the quality is veyr nice for a civilian jacket with a touch of military flair. I can't honestly say whether they'd hold up as well over time as the military issue, though, nor whether they are a military fit or the oft-seen, more 'relaxed' civilian take. I'm sure they could adivise, though. If budget is tight and you can't find anything as good a price in the US, it might be worth enquiring.

 

[Atticus Finch]

...they stole was hubby's vintage Cagleco '51 G-1...What's your favorite repro G-1? I'm feeling a little clueless about where to start looking.

While there are a few good G-1 repros out there, I'm afraid the ones that are worth having are expensive. When I say expensive, I mean from about 400 USD for a Gibson and Barnes to about 1900 USD for a Goodwear. For that kind of money you could easily buy another original. And the good news is that original G-1s are not difficult to find...even old ones.

Just before I posted this, I glanced through today's eBay listings. I didn't see a Cagleco, but I did see two decent looking Ralph Edwards G-1s. One was in size 42, the other in size 46. Of course, the listings were still active, but judging from the bid history, I'm confident neither of those jackets will sell for anything approaching 400 USD. BTW, Cagleco and Ralph Edwards were the same company...Cagleco changed its name to RE in 1960 or 1961.

The truth is, if your husband is anything like most jacket-heads I know...including me...nothing will replace his ‘51 Cagleco except another ’51 Cagleco...and even it would be on probation for a while. But he might find that a nice C-series Ralph Edwards or Foster or Star Sportswear would come darned close. Much closer than any repro.

AF

 

[devilish]

Just checked eBay too and there is a '51 Cagleco listed from the UK in a 42. It looks in pretty good shape.

 

[Deacon211]

I'd respectfully disagree that modern issue jackets are comparable to their older cousins. My most recent issue G-1 was just not very good leather as you will see in the pics I linked. That's a large part of the reason that I went hunting for a recent vintage replacement.

Speaking entirely personally from my recent search for a reasonably priced (subjectively speaking of course) G-1, I found G+B nice but a bit roomy and The Cockpit (Avirex) to be kind of a letdown in leather quality from their glory days in the '90s, and US Wings better than I expected.

Of the three, only G+B had superior leather to my early '90s issue jacket (the yardstick by which I measure other G-1s).

But, if your man likes the vintage vibe of the original, I think that another off the Bay is the only way to go...unless you want to go relatively high end. In that case, as has been said, Goodwear is apparently the tops, but Eastman is also very nice and you don't need to wait.






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[devilish]

If an M-422A would suit just as well as an early G-1 then this very nice one just came up on the Good Wear sale page. Even though it's labelled a 46, it's more like a 44 because these fit slim, especially around the middle.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/sale_gfm422a_0002.html

 

[Deacon211]

If an M-422A would suit just as well as an early G-1 then this very nice one just came up on the Good Wear sale page. Even though it's labelled a 46, it's more like a 44 because these fit slim, especially around the middle.

http://www.goodwearleather.com/pages/sale_gfm422a_0002.html

Yes, this is beautiful and you can't beat the price! Your husband will never stop thanking you!


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