Cockpit 37J1: could have been so much better

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OK, so I said what the hey and dropped $320 on a Cockpit 37J1. I am not sorry I did, and one can only expect so much from CPT, but I did NOT get $320 worth of jacket.

I look good in my 37J1 and it fits me well. None of the fashionista downsizing you see in flight jackets these days - XL is a true 46-48, measuring the man, not the garment. But it is not a good substitute for the replica 37Js from the Far East that are never made in sizes past L.

First off, the Bedford cord used by CPT is barely worth the name. It is a much flatter, looser weave than most such fabric, grained sideways instead of up and down, and it soaks up water like a dishrag. Typical Bedford will bead water for at least a brief drizzle, even if not water-treated. My Orvis deck jacket does this and it didn't cost half what this 37J did. It makes the jacket significantly less practical than it could be.

Second, the liner. Nylon is fine, but why is there jungle camouflage anywhere on a 1930s jacket? It says "We don't feel good about this style so we're hokeying it up."

Another sign of lack of confidence in product: the super low cut (1 3/4") collar. It's barely useful when up, and it will never stay down. Why do it this way? Like the ersatz Bedford cord, it is a move away from practicality.

This is a good jacket, but could have been more faithful AND more practical for the money. CPT boasts MADE IN USA - no less than FOUR tags inside the jacket say so, and a fifth is looped on with a keychain - and that is a good thing, but then they f*** it up. I guess because they can.

 

[CBI]

some pics????

 

[Thomas Koehle]

Yeah let’s see some pics ...

 

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OP updated with pics.

 

[B-Man2]

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Thanks for the mini review.
I liked that jacket but now, based on your experience, I'll pass on it.

 

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2 more views to show what I mean by “ersatz Bedford cord.”
Look at it one way and it looks like the weave is up & down with a thin-wale look. Actually the fabric is almost flat.
Turn it 90 degrees and the weave is still up & down, but much finer. The thin-wale look disappears.
Is there a name for this weave of fabric?

 

[dmar836]

That’s an odd duck for sure. Without proper Bedford cloth it really isn’t a 37J1 IMO. Glad it fits well and looks good!
Dave

 

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It’s like a lamb A-2 (another thing I owned once...once!!) I love lamb on my table but not on my back. Give it rough wear and it will tear - and that and its soft hand are the reasons it’s so commonly used.

One could almost countenance the choice of goods if it were even modestly water resisting. This was meant to be an open cockpit flier’s only outer layer in temperate zones! Its legacy ought to include decent performance in rain.

Given the other bastardizations CPT has added, it has few selling points otherwise. And perhaps it is not meant to sell. There are reasons a business might put out a ready-made flop.

 

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It's possible that CPT's reputation for getting it wrong is not born of carelessness, but in fact a cultivated market strategy. Bear with me here...

You know they've been getting flak for years from customers of ELC, Aero and the upmarket houses about "why can't you do x or y just a little different, it wouldn't cost ya nothin' and who's gonna know?" Well, maybe they ignore us jacketheads because not trying to appeal to us allows them the flexibility to change products at will, in order to a) keep appealing to the trend-obsessed mass market and b) be able to cut manufacturing costs anywhere it's needed.