Skyhawk
Well-Known Member
The site is updated with the in stock jackets for those who are interested.
https://www.headwindmfg.com/arlo-a-2.html
https://www.headwindmfg.com/arlo-a-2.html
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Meet My Little Friend Arlo - Headwind Mfg Co's Aero 18775 Reproduction
- Thread starter Skyhawk
- Start date
Camel24hrs
Active Member
ELC, GW, BK and Aero all make jackets that are works of art. Their attention to details of each contract is second to none. The high end Italian and Japanese full grain, fully vegetable tanned is just stunning.
However we were at war with both Italy and Japan. ZERO original A2 jackets were made of these leathers. And in fact in Gary Eastmans book that I have he shows the military specs for FULLY CHROME tanned horsehide and cow and goat hide along with test reports on the delivered hides. He provides no evidence of specs on vegetable tanning.
So for all practical purposes most of the original A2 jackets were full grain chrome tanned.
The specs did not call for heavily grained leather either. They only call for hides with acceptable leather free of defects. There was a war going on. It takes 2 months to vegetable tan a hide and only 2 days to chrome tan a hide. A no brainer for the military in a hurry to get these jackets produced in the numbers needed.
As far as the stitching and assembly of these jackets it was assembly line. Someone sewed sleeves, someone pocket flaps, someone collars etc. then someone put the parts together.
These people were paid by how many parts they assembled in a days work. So quality was not the over riding value, volume was.
With that said Jay is the only manufacturer currently producing A2s exactly the way they were produced in the late 30s and early 40s.
How the leather looked depended upon the luck of which jacket you were issued. GW offers a full grain fully chrome tanned HH in seal brown. However it would cost you about 1700 dollars and a 12-14 month wait. Headwinds the cost is 350 plus shipping and usually he has it in stock or soon will.
I hear that Jay is looking at doing a premium line. I hope that he doesn’t stray to far away from what he is doing now. This is as close as you will get to being handed an A2 out of the box in the 1940s. It will be interesting to see what the premium jackets look like.
Headwinds jackets are not meant to compete with the higher end repo makers. They are in a league of their own. In headwinds class I feel they beat out their competitors. The leather is at least full grain. Their competitors all use top grain. And Jays attention to detail is better than the others.
However we were at war with both Italy and Japan. ZERO original A2 jackets were made of these leathers. And in fact in Gary Eastmans book that I have he shows the military specs for FULLY CHROME tanned horsehide and cow and goat hide along with test reports on the delivered hides. He provides no evidence of specs on vegetable tanning.
So for all practical purposes most of the original A2 jackets were full grain chrome tanned.
The specs did not call for heavily grained leather either. They only call for hides with acceptable leather free of defects. There was a war going on. It takes 2 months to vegetable tan a hide and only 2 days to chrome tan a hide. A no brainer for the military in a hurry to get these jackets produced in the numbers needed.
As far as the stitching and assembly of these jackets it was assembly line. Someone sewed sleeves, someone pocket flaps, someone collars etc. then someone put the parts together.
These people were paid by how many parts they assembled in a days work. So quality was not the over riding value, volume was.
With that said Jay is the only manufacturer currently producing A2s exactly the way they were produced in the late 30s and early 40s.
How the leather looked depended upon the luck of which jacket you were issued. GW offers a full grain fully chrome tanned HH in seal brown. However it would cost you about 1700 dollars and a 12-14 month wait. Headwinds the cost is 350 plus shipping and usually he has it in stock or soon will.
I hear that Jay is looking at doing a premium line. I hope that he doesn’t stray to far away from what he is doing now. This is as close as you will get to being handed an A2 out of the box in the 1940s. It will be interesting to see what the premium jackets look like.
Headwinds jackets are not meant to compete with the higher end repo makers. They are in a league of their own. In headwinds class I feel they beat out their competitors. The leather is at least full grain. Their competitors all use top grain. And Jays attention to detail is better than the others.
Last edited:
Skyhawk
Well-Known Member
I appreciate the kind words. We certainly do our best.
Our Premium line is going to have improved parts but generally will be very similar, just a premium version. There are changes to the zippers, liners, and some hardware.
The price is $500 + shipping on the upcoming premium line, so it will still will be less than 1/2 of some of the high end jackets.
Our Premium line is going to have improved parts but generally will be very similar, just a premium version. There are changes to the zippers, liners, and some hardware.
The price is $500 + shipping on the upcoming premium line, so it will still will be less than 1/2 of some of the high end jackets.
