SuinBruin
Well-Known Member
After years of looking and waiting for my ideal 37J1 repro, I've finally found one. I first fell in love with the 37J1 design for its vintage look -- trim, simple, elegant. It filled the niche of a cloth flight jacket without resorting to mouton collars or nylon. It is similar in some respects to a tanker jacket, but with a narrower, trimmer profile more suited to my proportions.
The problem with the 37J1 is that it's not very common, and repros are hard to come by. I also wanted one without the USN stencil on the front -- I like vintage flight jackets but don't want to broadcast a military association I don't have and haven't earned.
When John snagged an original 37J1 on eBay it looked like my goal was well within sight -- I could get a custom copy from my favorite jacket maker. Unfortunately John had a lot of trouble sourcing the right Bedford cord material for the jacket. However, he did loan it to Real McCoy's to make a copy, and they obliged for the Japanese market. You can find some of them still available on Rakuten. I still wanted a GW 37J1, though -- the RM version had the USN stencil and my own personal preference was (and is) to buy from John if possible. But when a US retailer obtained a very limited supply of RM 37J1s without the stencil I thought it best to strike while the iron was hot and take one lingering problematic project off of John's plate.
I bought a size 40 based on overall dimensions and arm length, thinking I could swap it for a 42 if it was too small. As the photos show it's a wartime or "Japanese" trim-fitting 40. The jacket is more snug than I would like but the size 42 sold even before I received the 40. So I'm stuck with it. It's not bad on me, just a touch short, and somewhat tight across the chest. The back is roomier and I have a nice range of motion while wearing it. I can fit a trim chambray or other light button down shirt under it, but nothing heavier.
The jacket is well-made, with RM's usual attention to detail. John thinks it's a great copy of his original. I'm reluctant to endorse RM based on what I've heard about how they do business, but I can't deny that the jacket is nails. I love it.
Without further ado...
The problem with the 37J1 is that it's not very common, and repros are hard to come by. I also wanted one without the USN stencil on the front -- I like vintage flight jackets but don't want to broadcast a military association I don't have and haven't earned.
When John snagged an original 37J1 on eBay it looked like my goal was well within sight -- I could get a custom copy from my favorite jacket maker. Unfortunately John had a lot of trouble sourcing the right Bedford cord material for the jacket. However, he did loan it to Real McCoy's to make a copy, and they obliged for the Japanese market. You can find some of them still available on Rakuten. I still wanted a GW 37J1, though -- the RM version had the USN stencil and my own personal preference was (and is) to buy from John if possible. But when a US retailer obtained a very limited supply of RM 37J1s without the stencil I thought it best to strike while the iron was hot and take one lingering problematic project off of John's plate.
I bought a size 40 based on overall dimensions and arm length, thinking I could swap it for a 42 if it was too small. As the photos show it's a wartime or "Japanese" trim-fitting 40. The jacket is more snug than I would like but the size 42 sold even before I received the 40. So I'm stuck with it. It's not bad on me, just a touch short, and somewhat tight across the chest. The back is roomier and I have a nice range of motion while wearing it. I can fit a trim chambray or other light button down shirt under it, but nothing heavier.
The jacket is well-made, with RM's usual attention to detail. John thinks it's a great copy of his original. I'm reluctant to endorse RM based on what I've heard about how they do business, but I can't deny that the jacket is nails. I love it.
Without further ado...
