Which warm lining for a FQHH jacket?

[Unwissender]

Hi Guys

I'm looking for an idea for a warm lining for FQHH Jacket by Aero.
The jacket should not be so long and have as much as possible freedom of movement.

What to do? A M422a with alpaca? Can this be done also in the sleeve? a jacket can only be Warm for me, if the sleeves are also lining thick.

Thank you, for your opinions!

Best Regards

 

[Rabbit]

Ask Aero is my advice. I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't be feasible, if that's what you want. You may need a jacket model that is designed to have a little larger armholes, like the models that are cut to be worn over heavy knitwear etc.
I think some of the foul weather jackets like the Stockman are fully lined in alpaca, both torso and sleeves. Not sure, though.

The notion of wearing thickly lined sleeves may come from your knowledge of wearing jackets made of thinner materials, perhaps? If the torso is insulated by an alpaca liner on FQHH, that's all the insulation you'll probably need, as long as you're active while wearing the jacket. Aero's heavy-duty cotton twill liner would be the usual thing. If for any reason your hands (or arms) tend to get unusually cold in lower temps, a heavyweight wool overcoat will protect them much better, especially when standing. There's a reason why guards' coats are as long and heavy as they are. Just an afterthought.

Anyway, if you don't want a sheepskin jacket, then an alpaka lined jacket will be the next best thing in terms of providing warmth. Depending on what you intend to use the jacket for, an alpaka liner jacket may even be more practical than a sheepskin jacket. When moving, lots of folks find the latter just too warm for any weather except very cold winters.

 

[Sloan1874]

Everything Rabbit has said above, plus, I'd suggest a blanket lining or the heaviest Strom tartan. If you're looking to have a warm lining in the arms, I'd suggest cord or mole skin.
As far as the sheepskin jackets go, I think the shearling used by Aero in their redesigned Irvins would give you plenty of warmth without being unwearable in only the harshest winters - I wear mine October to March and it keeps out the elements perfectly.

 

[Rabbit]

Of course, cord or moleskin. Your best choice for the sleeve liner, I totally agree. Very durable, too.

It really all depends on what you're using the jacket for. From a vintage perspective, where suits and heavy overcoats are the norm, winter-weight leather jackets are made just for active wear. They're perfectly fine for walking. Stand still or wind-exposed for any extended length of time, and you'll freeze in a short jacket, no matter how thick it is. You'll notice it when you get home and take a look at your feet.

 

[Sloan1874]

Absolutely right! I used to wear a Crombie repro RAF great coat for going out on jobs with my old newspaper - three quarter length, mitten-like cuffs, deep pockets and a collar that covered my ears. Other reporters used to say I looked like an extra from War and Peace, but I never once felt the cold.

 

[Rabbit]

Funny you should mention that. The WWII Greatcoats are really useful for that sort of thing, especially with the high collar and the handwarmer pockets. I wear mine for long walks and hiking in the winter. There are a dozen civilian 20s-40s overcoats in my closet, but the Greatcoat is simply ideal for rough wear and really bad weather. The WWII U.S. Army Greatcoats were actually made of partly new wool and partly reprocessed wool, which reduces all the good properties that wool has a little, and in spite of it they're still that good.

 

[Peacoat]

Sounds as if the Thunder Bay might be something to consider. http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/product-detail.php?id=1473

This jacket is short with sheepskin lining in the body and corduroy in the sleeves. The shearling lining is short, not like the Irwin, so ease of movement is facilitated. The FQHH is water resistant, and would be great for the snow (and rain/sleet) you get there in Frankfort.

Take a look at it and see what you think. PC

 

[Unwissender]

@Rabbit, You think it will be sufficient if the body is filled with Alpaca? I have to run with the jacket a lot and sit outdoors. I can not wear a coat.

@ Sloan1874, heavy tartan or moleskin sounds very interesting. Will it be as warm as alpaca or less warm?

@ Pea coat, the Thunderbird was my favorite until I saw the M422a and the M6552. These jackets have a bi-swing back (I have at my LHB and would no longer miss). These have determines the maximum freedom of movement

Thank you so much for your opinions. That helps me wonderful !!

 

[Sloan1874]

I think alpaca will be the warmest of the three. I would tend to go for something like a mid-weight wool, or maybe mole skin, and then layer from there. That way you get maximum flexibility and wear out of it. As far as my situation goes, I have a lightweight wool lining in my LHB, with a jumper under it depending on the cold/rain. When it gets too cold for that, then the Irvin gets pulled out. Again, the sheepskin can be very flexible, and on quite cold evenings I've been known to go out with just a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath it.

 

[Unwissender]

... if I'm wearing a thick wool sweater under my LHB, it is warm enough for most of the time in the winter. Only if you have to sit with it, it is very uncomfortable because the LHB is too long and is about pushing the ears with the collar up.
My theory is now, when I take a short FQHH jacket with Alpaca, big enough for a thick wool sweater, will that be enough warm.

I look at heavy Lochcarron lining. This has 16 oz. Maybe that's as warm as alpaca? How many oz the Alpaca has?

 

[Fanch]

+1 with what Sloan said. My Teamster has moleskin body lining but cotton drill sleeves for ease of use. I use Filson moleskin vests for layering. If really cold I use a 24oz Mackinaw wool Filson vest and gloves.

 

[Rabbit]

@Rabbit, You think it will be sufficient if the body is filled with Alpaca? I have to run with the jacket a lot and sit outdoors. I can not wear a coat.

Well, you seem to be using your LHB for a very specific purpose. Sitting outdoors in the cold, that sounds like an ideal case for the Thunderbay or a Sheepskin with handwarmer pockets (D-1) - since you need a short jacket. I don't think it will make that much difference if you have your sleeves lined in alpaca, heavy tartan or moleskin, not with a thick sweater underneath anyway. The gloves you're wearing and the jacket pockets are more of a factor there, and the headgear. A man loses an inordinate amount of body heat through an exposed head, it's really ridiculously disproportional. The next issue is keeping the hands warm.

If you modify a M422a, you're effectively turning a lightweight flight jacket - it is a summer/ intermediate flight jacket, despite the mouton collar - into a winter jacket. I'm not saying it won't work, but you may be putting the cart before the horse.

The Thunderbay has handwarmer pockets, which are very aptly named because they reach under the jacket shell to the warmest section of your body, while the M422a has patch pockets which are sewn onto the jacket shell. Not much warmth in those. The difference between handwarmer and patch pockets is enormous.

 

[Sloan1874]

I would go with something like the Thunder Bay or the Long Shoreman, which is sheep-lined and has both patch and hand warmer pockets. You may want to avoid a mouton collar, though, if you're intent on spending time out in all weathers, as it'll soak up the rain in no time.

 

[Unwissender]

The Thunderbay and Longshoreman are great jackets. The M422 I prefer because they. A special design on the sleeve holes for ease of movement
The pockets are not a problem, I would just order handwarmer pockets.

I had a ANJ-fourth A good jacket but it's not what I like about leather. D1, Irvine and so I do not want to wear. It looks too much like the military and is not durable enough for me. Better FQHH;-)

 

[Edward]

Aero Thunderbay or Longshoreman, as suggested above. Job done.

 

[Sloan1874]

The Thunderbay and Longshoreman are great jackets. The M422 I prefer because they. A special design on the sleeve holes for ease of movement
The pockets are not a problem, I would just order handwarmer pockets.

I had a ANJ-fourth A good jacket but it's not what I like about leather. D1, Irvine and so I do not want to wear. It looks too much like the military and is not durable enough for me. Better FQHH;-)

I doubt Aero would agree to sticking hand warmers on a M422a, as it would be a fundamental change to what is a classic military pattern. Also, it's a pretty slim-fitting jacket, very much a thin jumper or t-shirt underneath jacket.

 

[Rabbit]

I doubt Aero would agree to sticking hand warmers on a M422a, as it would be a fundamental change to what is a classic military pattern. Also, it's a pretty slim-fitting jacket, very much a thin jumper or t-shirt underneath jacket.

Absolutely. Unwissender, you have to realize that there is more to a jacket pattern than just the exterior appearance of the finished jacket. The M422a is not just a Thunderbay with action back less the heavy liner. You can think of summer/ intermediate flight jackets like the A-1, A-2, M422a etc. as being the leather equivalent to heavy knitwear in terms of fit. In fact, their function is not unlike that of a rougher waist-length cardigan.

Pilots sometimes even wore sheepskin jackets over their A-2, for example.

 

[Peacoat]

Absolutely. Unwissender, you have to realize that there is more to a jacket pattern than just the exterior appearance of the finished jacket. The M422a is not just a Thunderbay with action back less the heavy liner. You can think of summer/ intermediate flight jackets like the A-1, A-2, M422a etc. as being the leather equivalent to heavy knitwear in terms of fit. In fact, their function is not unlike that of a rougher waist-length cardigan.

+1

When I ordered my Thunder Bay from Wade/Carrie, Wade asked me if I wanted the action back, so that feature may be available. I declined. There is enough room across the back that the feature really isn't necessary. I have plenty of room for arm/shoulder movement without binding. It is my favorite leather jacket for wear in wet and colder weather, which you will need there in Frankfort.

As others have said, what you seem to be contemplating is to take a lightweight flight jacket and turn it into something more robust for cold weather wear. Probably not the best way to approach the solution. PC.

 

[the loco]

The Aero M422a is my favorite jacket, and is very warm too. Ultra fitted (I didn't size up) but with good freedom of movement. The lining looks outstanding in combination with the leather, I would never change it.

 

[Rabbit]

I just realized that my explanation may not explain anything to someone who hasn't handled a lightweight flight jacket. You see, the trim cut of these jackets entails that when the jacket has the correct size for your frame, it's too trim for thick layering, and if you size up to account for thick layering, the fit will be somewhat off. I'm not saying it can't be done - of course it can - it's just not ideal and defies the purpose of the cut. The upper back, the shoulders and the armholes are cut in a very specific way - on the wartime contracts, that is. The sleeves are generally fairly slim, too. The winter and foul weather jackets have a totally different cut, they're not just proportionally larger.
Of course, we're not talking about the more recent, modern reincarnations of flight jackets, which have yet another cut. They're much more roomy.

It would be different with a vintage peacoat. You can wear one sized to fit over a shirt, more like a suit jacket, or sized up to fit over a thick sweater. It doesn't quite work that way with a lightweight flight jacket. We didn't know you were going to use the jacket for thick layering until you told us, you know.

When I ordered my Thunder Bay from Wade/Carrie, Wade asked me if I wanted the action back, so that feature may be available. I declined. There is enough room across the back that the feature really isn't necessary. I have plenty of room for arm/shoulder movement without binding.

There's your answer. I'd humbly suggest you follow Peacoat's advice.