Navy WEP Jacket: Your Thoughts & Experiences

[Big J]

Thanks. It's honestly big and long all over but I got it at a fair price and there's no doubt it's a good jacket. Even at full price, comparing it to more expensive brands, you're getting a jacket made from good goatskin and great construction. If they would de-modernize their fit G&B would be exceptional. A true bargain still.

I posted some pics of the AVG wearing M442a jackets recently, and their jackets all looked one or two sizes too big. I think G&B annoys me because they've made the pattern baggier, so sizing down means that the chest fits, but the proportions are all wrong.
They never used to be like this.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I don't want to be "that guy" but let's keep this thread about WEP jackets, G&B or otherwise.

By the way, BigJ, nice choice for an avatar; excellent movie, now mostly ignored.

 

[bn1966]

Need to get this one sorted before next Fall....darning & a period Snoopy patch to replace the USMC one that appears a very recent addition.

 

[CBI]

as stated much earlier, I have owned about 6 originals all in my size but all too short for practical wear. Nothing against these jackets, just the design. I decided to go with the GB because it was long enough (but not too long). The plan was to get my size, soak in hot water and tumble dry twice to shrink (a little bit) and get rid of the new jacket sheen, then take to a local tailor for any final adjustments. The cut was just too big and roomy for this to happen. Yet, the waist was tight so I figured the next size down would be too small in the waist. OK, I give up but that's OK. Not going to try any other repo makers and I have gone through enough originals. For those with originals that fit, ENJOY!!!!!

 

[Monitor]

I posted some pics of the AVG wearing M442a jackets recently, and their jackets all looked one or two sizes too big. I think G&B annoys me because they've made the pattern baggier, so sizing down means that the chest fits, but the proportions are all wrong.
They never used to be like this.

Fantastic avatar.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Astronauts on geology training, Iceland 1967. Three WEP jackets being worn.

 

[Deacon211]

I really like the WEP. There are some really nifty little features to it like the V cut in the sleeves to allow your hands through the narrow sleeves more easily. I really prefer though the more matte nylon than the shinier version that some makers use. Not "mountain cloth", but a dull green nylon that the originals seem to have.

Sorry doc, but one last thing about the G-1. While I don't like the way that the modern G+B fits, I think it's par for the course in the fascinating crazy world of humanity.

As I had said elsewhere, the "mil spec" G-1 used to be cut truer to spec with the more generous sizing being available in the Civil G-1.

I'd be willing to bet though that many customers eschewed the slacker "loose cut" of the civil version for the words "mil-spec". Then, when they found that the mil spec didn't fit them, customers would return their jackets for a larger size.

I really suspect that, eventually, G+B got tired of the returns and just made the "mil-spec" like the civil and the civil even looser. Then, when someone orders a size that clearly won't fit them in a real issue jacket, the G+B will and the company won't be restocking jackets left and right.

I found out recently that I had expanded my waistline to 40 inches. When I expressed my surprise since I wear 38 pants, the tailor said "Oh, that's just vanity sizing". So, apparently some manufacturers incorrectly size their clothes to make customers feel better about their waistline!


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[Big J]

Fantastic avatar.

lol
Thanks very much! Fifi is the man.

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[bn1966]

Cool pictures Doc, thanks for posting. Need to think about getting my '72 WEP somewhere they can repair the knits (that nifty V cut that Deacon mentions). Need that jacket ready for the Autumn.

 

[Deacon211]

Navy WEP Jacket: Your Thoughts & Experiences

Nice pics Doc!

Actually, that reminds me of another cool feature of the WEP.

The way the pockets run up into the pocket flap, so that when you close the flap, the pocket is sealed like folding over a bag.

Great for keeping FOD in your pockets and out of the engine!

The CWUs do it too, but the WEP did it first!


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[Big J]

FOD, that'd be a good name for a dog...

 

[Deacon211]

HA!!!

I don't know how up you are on your carrier lingo, but my buddy in flight school had a dog named "bogey" and another a cat named "Roger Balls" due to an unusual anatomical...ahem...attirbute.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a couple interesting comments on WEP jackets from a thread on airwarriors.com:

1.
That is actually a Winter Flying (Suit) jacket that could be attached to matching pants and worn in conjuction with a "poppy suit". Many call it the "WEP" jacket, but that is an Urban Legend created by commerical manufacturers who seized upon its popularity and took "WEP" the label nomeclature. WEP actually means origin of the contract: BUWEP was Bureau of Weapons that existed in same timeframe as Bureau of Ordnance and Bureau of Aeronautics (later BUAER and BUWEP were merged into NAVAIR).

The tag looks like this:
BUWEP-U.S. Navy
JACKET, WINTER FLYING SUIT
SPEC. MIL-(L)-183428 (WEP)

2.
This "jacket" has been misnamed more than any other. Unless you were flying "in the day", you wouldn't know that it was never intended to be a jacket per se, especially to be worn with a uniform. It was the top half of a winter flying suit, with matching pants, to be worn over a "poopie suit". The PRs could get you one when they were in the supply system, which leads it to be misnamed as the WEP jacket. Before NAVAIR, there was BuAer, BuOrd, BuNav, etc. (BuOrd was merged with BuAer = BuWep for a short period before Bureau organization was changed to Systems Command and NAVAIRSYSCOM was born). These Bureaus let contracts for everything from beans to bullets, aircraft and flight jackets. The labels on the flight jackets had the contract from which they were bought. In this case, it said WEP for BuWep (Bureau of Weapons). Over the years, the popularity of this "jacket" grew (especially with Marines in 80/90s), but only way to get them was through commercial vendors who didn't know what to call it so "WEP" came the popular name. G-8 was also used by some companies, but haven't seen that in official Navy documents.

 

[galvestonokie]

back in my day in USMC aviation, i believe the WEP jacket was most often referred to as "you know, one of those kinda cloth, nylon jackets. the green ones." i'm just saying...

 

[Deacon211]

back in my day in USMC aviation, i believe the WEP jacket was most often referred to as "you know, one of those kinda cloth, nylon jackets. the green ones." i'm just saying...

By the 90s, they were almost all gone. I remember the few who had them and saw at least one that had sort of button tabs on the inside near the knits that I assumed were to somehow connect the "jacket" with the pants. My good friend had one that was given to him by an old Marine and they actually did have them (by my time undoubtedly repros) in the exchange in P-cola.

I'm not sure anyone knew what they were called. I tended to call it a WEP, but that's just because I used to drool over Cockpit and Flightsuits catalogues even back then.


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[breezer]

Picked this up today - reasonable condition - a little bit of discolouration on the shoulders, possible sun damage. But otherwise a decent fit. Looks like a decent repro. A long time ago I bought a version by British street wear company One True Saxon - so now I have one in green and one in blue. More pics to follow…...

 

[breezer]

more pics

 

[breezer]

Ots

By One True Saxon:

 

[bn1966]

Nice! My '72 WEP is currently undergoing a light restoration