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My last A-2 (hopefully) - Good Wear
- Thread starter Smithy
- Start date
johnwayne
Well-Known Member
Crikey, how on earth has a one guy operation accomplished so much knowledge to provide/offer that much choice and consistently turn out the quality he does? Does he work 24/7? What a guy, but then many of us know that!!!
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Nickb123
Well-Known Member
Thanks Steve and everyone for the kind words.
John sent me this montage haha. Left is one of his originals.
Sideslip
Well-Known Member
That looks fantastic! I’m hoping to hear from John soon and very excited about the new goatskin…
bseal
Well-Known Member
Looks like a fist bump about to happen.
mulceber
Moderator
Part I - A New Hide
Fresh delivery from John. I have an A-2 on order with him, along with a Rough Wear B-3 (17756, just like the originals that have been popping up so much lately) and for a while I've been dithering about contracts. I'd narrowed it down to either an Aero 16160, or a Rough Wear 18091. Couldn't decide on a contract, and I couldn't decide on a leather: If I went for an 18091, I'd obviously want to go for that new Pakistani goatskin that looked so fantastic for @Wz1999's jacket, but I'd been vacillating on leather for an Aero.
So when John told me a couple weeks ago that he could make my A-2 over the weekend, I went for the option that offered the least indecision: Rough Wear 18091. Plus, given that I have a 17756 B-3 on order, an 18091 just felt right: Rough Wear was issued both contracts a month apart and they were working on the B-3 contract at the same time as they were making their goatskin A-2 contract. Man do I think I made the right call!
John tinted the leather so that it's a bit darker. In sunlight, it looks like a medium or dark russet. In the shade, it looks like a light seal. Exactly the shade you see in colorized war-time photos.
NOS Talon M-39 straight pull:
I added a lucky coin zipper pull, just to personalize it a bit:
(Don't worry - there will be more detail shots in the next post)
And the fit pics!
Fresh delivery from John. I have an A-2 on order with him, along with a Rough Wear B-3 (17756, just like the originals that have been popping up so much lately) and for a while I've been dithering about contracts. I'd narrowed it down to either an Aero 16160, or a Rough Wear 18091. Couldn't decide on a contract, and I couldn't decide on a leather: If I went for an 18091, I'd obviously want to go for that new Pakistani goatskin that looked so fantastic for @Wz1999's jacket, but I'd been vacillating on leather for an Aero.
So when John told me a couple weeks ago that he could make my A-2 over the weekend, I went for the option that offered the least indecision: Rough Wear 18091. Plus, given that I have a 17756 B-3 on order, an 18091 just felt right: Rough Wear was issued both contracts a month apart and they were working on the B-3 contract at the same time as they were making their goatskin A-2 contract. Man do I think I made the right call!
John tinted the leather so that it's a bit darker. In sunlight, it looks like a medium or dark russet. In the shade, it looks like a light seal. Exactly the shade you see in colorized war-time photos.
NOS Talon M-39 straight pull:
I added a lucky coin zipper pull, just to personalize it a bit:
(Don't worry - there will be more detail shots in the next post)
And the fit pics!
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mulceber
Moderator
Part II - The Details Strike Back
I wanted this post to be more than just a "check out my new jacket!" post, and since I have an original (depot re-dyed) 18091, I'm in a place to do a useful comparison.
Overall: what's really stunning about this repro to me is how much it feels like an original. The pliability and heft of the jacket are spot on for the original. The fit too - it wears just like the original, albeit with a bit more length in the sleeves, which is welcome. Maybe a touch more generous in the chest as well - it's sort of tough to tell, because the knits on this one are MUCH tighter (more on them later) than the original, and that makes the whole jacket feel a bit more fitted.
The knits are from a new company, although John's been telling me about them for a while: they're made in the USA, and the company that makes them is actually a contractor for the Department of Defense. The comparison below doesn't offer much indication of the accuracy, since this original (bought from @bazelot ) has had its knits replaced. What I can say is that these new knits are SUPER tight, much more so than on previous jackets from John, or on any other A-2 I've had. You can tell just from feeling them that they're densely woven, and the wool is warm, but not itchy, and still breathable. 10/10 on the knits.
As you can see from the next couple pictures, the liner is a bit lighter than authentic Rough Wear liner, but the weave of the fabric is spot on. Very few repros really get the weave of the liner right. This one feels the same on the hand. It's a really good detail, and worth it imho to have the color be a bit off if it means getting the texture right.
The x-box on the right shoulder of this original looks a bit more squat than on the repro - but then if you look at the left shoulder, it's a much better match:
I'm floored by this one. John hit it out of the park. I definitely recommend people check out John's Pakistani goatskin. I know we love our horsehide, but this is some cool stuff!
I wanted this post to be more than just a "check out my new jacket!" post, and since I have an original (depot re-dyed) 18091, I'm in a place to do a useful comparison.
Overall: what's really stunning about this repro to me is how much it feels like an original. The pliability and heft of the jacket are spot on for the original. The fit too - it wears just like the original, albeit with a bit more length in the sleeves, which is welcome. Maybe a touch more generous in the chest as well - it's sort of tough to tell, because the knits on this one are MUCH tighter (more on them later) than the original, and that makes the whole jacket feel a bit more fitted.
The knits are from a new company, although John's been telling me about them for a while: they're made in the USA, and the company that makes them is actually a contractor for the Department of Defense. The comparison below doesn't offer much indication of the accuracy, since this original (bought from @bazelot ) has had its knits replaced. What I can say is that these new knits are SUPER tight, much more so than on previous jackets from John, or on any other A-2 I've had. You can tell just from feeling them that they're densely woven, and the wool is warm, but not itchy, and still breathable. 10/10 on the knits.
As you can see from the next couple pictures, the liner is a bit lighter than authentic Rough Wear liner, but the weave of the fabric is spot on. Very few repros really get the weave of the liner right. This one feels the same on the hand. It's a really good detail, and worth it imho to have the color be a bit off if it means getting the texture right.
The x-box on the right shoulder of this original looks a bit more squat than on the repro - but then if you look at the left shoulder, it's a much better match:
I'm floored by this one. John hit it out of the park. I definitely recommend people check out John's Pakistani goatskin. I know we love our horsehide, but this is some cool stuff!
KeepmflyinTX
Active Member
Congratulations. That jacket is absolutely gorgeous. Wear it often and enjoy. JC is a craftsman and I look forward to the day when it comes time for my jacket to be made.
flyincowboy
Well-Known Member
Congrats nice jacket
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
Pretty amazing. If only you knew the Rough Wear Saga- John knows Rough Wear better than anyone else by far. There are secrets- for instance- here:
coolhandluke
Well-Known Member
Beautiful jacket Jan. Congrats!
Any idea what JC's current wait time is? I believe it was listed as 12-15 months the last time that I visited GW's site.
I was initially leaning towards a RW 27752, but after seeing your 18901, I think that I may have to revisit that decision.
Any idea what JC's current wait time is? I believe it was listed as 12-15 months the last time that I visited GW's site.
I was initially leaning towards a RW 27752, but after seeing your 18901, I think that I may have to revisit that decision.
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mulceber
Moderator
As Pilot said, John's really the person who would know. I know 27752 and 1401-P are the most commonly-reproduced, but they aren't the only great Rough Wear contracts. Personally, I really like their first two contracts.
