Layering OVER a leather?

[StichInTime]

I have noticed a few Threads about wearing a leather in winter or colder temperatures. We don't want to forgo wearing our favourite jacket because it gets a little frosty! The obvious answer is to wear more baselayers, but with Cafe Racer or Rider type slim fit jackets this might not be possible.

Does anyone have any pics or recommendations for items to go over a slim leather? I'm thinking along these lines...

BUZZ RICKSON'S Willaim wear on top of the Gibson Collection A-2 VEST "WG-1 VEST"

RMC Leather down vest

Buzz Ricksons cold weather vest.

Cheers

 

[Blackadder]

A denim vest would have been a natural choice, be it sherpa or otherwise lined. There is also the modified N-1 vest.

 

[Monitor]

Occasionally, I wear a denim jacket turned vest over my jackets, usually to protect it from bugs when I ride. But rarely. It doesn't do jack for warmth, though. None of the stuff above does. You have to layer underneath the jacket, if you want to keep warm.

 

[Blackadder]

Occasionally, I wear a denim jacket turned vest over my jackets, usually to protect it from bugs when I ride. But rarely. It doesn't do jack for warmth, though. None of the stuff above does. You have to layer underneath the jacket, if you want to keep warm.

I agree to an extent. It has to do with trapping the bodyheat.
BTW, Real McCoy's has a Buco racing vest that is a variation of their own N-1 vest.

http://nylon.m030090040.mediawars.net/blog/2013/10/bucos-racing-vest.html

 

[IXL]

I have some Filson wool-lined jackets that can fit over both me and anything I might be wearing. The combined layers will keep me quite toasty.

 

[53Effie]

In cold weather I often wear a black Carhartt vest with quilted lining over my Vanson Comet. It works well to fend of the cold, has lots of pockets and a drop tail, and looks okay too I think. The Comet is a slim fit and is hard to layer under other than a light longsleeve turtleneck ; so the vest is a pretty decent alternative for riding with this jacket in cool weather.

 

[Seb Lucas]

It's winter here I always wear a gabardine overcoat or waxed cotton field jacket over my leathers.

 

[StichInTime]

I agree to an extent. It has to do with trapping the bodyheat.
BTW, Real McCoy's has a Buco racing vest that is a variation of their own N-1 vest.

http://nylon.m030090040.mediawars.net/blog/2013/10/bucos-racing-vest.html

This is the ideal, (well, apart from the Deerskin down vest) but still sooo expensive.

 

[Blackadder]

Buzz Rickson's has a cheaper made in China line called United Carr. Here below are some of their quilted vests.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/orbit/item/ucjkt4/

I think this may even fit inside a cafe racer.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/orbit/item/ucjkt5/

As for deck vest. Houston used to make one with a detachable hood. I think these are no longer available.

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/union-netstore/item/50158/

 

[CBI]

Meant lightheartedly but layering over leather ........god man don't do it! You should be able to find some thin fleece that will work under a slim jacket. I do that with my trim fitting A-2's with no problem. There are some thin wool vests out there as well. There is a thread ob FL about it I think.

To each his own!

There are some great WW2 era photos of aircrew wearing A-2's under their B-3's .................... beyond awesome looking!

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Usually I wear a denim sherpa jacket under the leather jacket.
But for colder days, even that do not work so I take what people call here a feather jacket under or over the leather jacket.

 

[ProteinNerd]

If it gets cold enough where you live to do this, shouldn't any self respecting TFL member have a shearling lined leather jacket for these days?

 

[Big J]

Switch to shearling, +1

Or....wear a poncho over everything, like Clint.

Actually, thinking about it, isn't there are part at the beginning of Twelve O'Clock High where the soon to be replaced squadron commander goes for a night meeting with Greg Peck. He wears an officers overcoat over his A-2.

 

[navetsea]

I live nowhere near any situation where layering leather jacket is necessity, but that stuffed vest would be the last thing I want to put on

 

[Edward]

Stand By is the guy to talk to on this. He's got a couple of USAAF C3 vests that he wears over an A2 - search for threads on the C3, you'll find his photos.

Switch to shearling, +1

Or....wear a poncho over everything, like Clint.

Actually, thinking about it, isn't there are part at the beginning of Twelve O'Clock High where the soon to be replaced squadron commander goes for a night meeting with Greg Peck. He wears an officers overcoat over his A-2.

I'm pretty sure I've seen photos of an A2 being worn under a B3 some time around '44. CAn't quite imagine an A2 ever being enough in those unheated old planes. [huh]

When I was about seventeen, I went through a phase of wearing a long coat over a Perfecto-type in Winter. I think I was one some kind of weird tangent off from Highlander at the time, but hey ho... I wouldn't do it now. When it gets too cold for the leather itself, it gets replaced with a warmer coat, either wool, shearling or one of my nylon flying jackets, often with a big, shawl-collar cardy underneath. The bodywarmers in the OP would be good if you're shooting for a sort of 1980s look, I suppose, but they'll never be as warm as wearing a warm layer under the jacket.

I'm reminded now of myb undergrad days: back then, I had a denim trucker jacket that I often wore over an insulated lumberjack overshirt. Used to cop a lot of flack from my folks for wearing 'em that way around, as the shirt hung out below the jacket. I did once - just to shut them up - wear them the other way round as far as out of sight of the front door, and in that time it was incredible how much colder I felt than wearing the warmer, overshirt layer on the inside.

 

[Big J]

Edward, I agree with all of that. I'd love to get a denim trucker jacket and wear a down vest over it so I can get my Marty McFly groove on.

As for vests with A-2's, I seem to recall Stand By doing the C-3. It looks good.
I think 8th AAF pilots must have been surprised at how cold English summers were, hence all the AAF usage of vests to wear under A-2s, zip-up sweaters, sweaters and scarves and gloves of different types being issued.

 

[jacketjunkie]

The qualities of leather garments resemble what they call "outer shell" in moderen outer wear; windproof, waterproof and most importantly, it has little breathability. And this last point is why it is more effective to layer under the leather, than over the leather. Wearing something over leather will warm the air between your leather jacket and the overcoat but since your leather jacket has little breathability, only little of that warm air will reach you, hence the effect of the layer on top of the leather is only small or in other words, it's not very effective to layer on top of leather.

If you want to wear leather in extreme cold (which I would not recommend in the first place, since leather gets brittle and stiff in the cold), you might want to buy a roomy jacket such as a Aert Highwayman or a Veste de Rallye and then layer beneath it. You can also go for a shearling lining, but personally I am a bigger fan of layering, because you are more flexible when weather shifts and also you can wear that leather jacket at more occasions.

 

[Edward]

Edward, I agree with all of that. I'd love to get a denim trucker jacket and wear a down vest over it so I can get my Marty McFly groove on.

Ha, yeah.... Marty McFly is exactly what it reminds me of.

 

[Carlos840]

I keep wanting to buy a C3 shearling vest to wear over my leather in winter, just not sure it would work/ i could pull it off...

http://www.eastmanleather.com/jacket-flying-type-eastman-p-180.html

 

[Big J]

I keep wanting to buy a C3 shearling vest to wear over my leather in winter, just not sure it would work/ i could pull it off...

http://www.eastmanleather.com/jacket-flying-type-eastman-p-180.html

I've had the same thought many times. I think that a C-3 would look great over a heavy flannel plaid shirt with a pair of jeans.