Need help on buying my first Irvin!!

[Cocker]

I think all have been said! If you're really longing for an Irvin and don't mind the money, go for the Aero you're after. But if you really want pockets, then as Kermit said, go for something else, have a look at a B-6 or a D-1. I've been thinking long and hard about an Irvin too, but the lack of pocket is a deal breaker for me, no matter how hard I try to persuade myself this could. Thus I went for a Five Star D-1 and couldn't be happier about it!

 

[johnwayne]

Whilst not an Irvin or shearling flight jacket owner personally I’d go with John Lever’s suggestion and go down the ‘used/secondhand’ route. New can be an expensive mistake if you get it wrong with any flight jacket - sizing can very greatly irrespective of what the label might say as many here would testify. If you've seen Aero’s website they have a lot of variety on their used page and Eastman has a classifieds page where you could place a ‘wanted’ ad stating your budget. Cant comment on 5 Star but less hassle with returns etc if UK based I'm guessing. Place an ad here too incase someone doesn't read this post and might have something??

 

[Kermit3D]

They look incredible but was wondering how thick the fur is etc

Regarding the thickness of the fur, original Irvin jackets are "heavy" jackets with thick fur.
Some reproductions however have thinner fur (it appears to be the case with Aero Leather) but this is not historically correct.
Some American jackets have thinner fur and are therefore often easier to wear.

I hope not to speak nonsense...

Heavy winter jackets (thick fur):
Irvin (RAF), B-3 (USAAF), ANJ-4 (USAAF), M-445 (USN)

Intermediate winter jackets (thinner fur):
B-6 (USAAF), D1 (groundcrew), M-444 (USN)

And to complicate it all a bit : The reproductions of the B-6 and D-1 produced by Aero Leather are not correct. They use fur as thick as that of heavy jackets (B-3, ANJ-4)

 

[mulceber]

Kermit's right to bring up shearling length as an additional consideration. Shorter, less dense shearling will be more wearable in Britain, but isn't correct. But that may also be what you're looking for.

 

[John Lever]

Of all the shearing jackets the Irvin is the most comfortable imo. Basically just a bag with very wide arms so the fit is very forgiving.

 

[flyincowboy]

Both Irvin and B3 are comfortable when you are outside in the cold The B3 is bulky but he will keep you warm The Irvin seems to be more roomy. love them both

 

[Enigma1938]

We had a User here (name forgotten) a little while ago who was so happy with his noble house irvin. If accuracy isn't that important it could be a relatively cheap option. I visited their store a few times and I can say that their sheepskin is actually pretty nice and keeps super warm.

 

[Enigma1938]

Fliegerjacken von Noble House | Fliegerjacke Battle of Britain | online kaufen

Fliegerjacke Battle of Britain - Untitled Document Fliegerjacke,Battle of Britain" Schaffelljacke im Originalschnitt der legendären britischen Fliegerj

www.noble-house.eu

 

[mulceber]

Just stumbled on this on Facebook. Looks like Five Star anticipated your desire for an Irvin with pockets:

FiveStar Leather Repro R.A.F Bomber Sheepskin Flight Jacket With Side Entry Russet Reinforcements

This Jacket is Known as the 'RAF Jacket’, it takes its name from Leslie Irvin the inventor who designed this in early 1930's. First produced in the Letchworth factory in 1931, the design was officially approved by the Air Ministry. By 1932, the this jacket became standard issue to all RAF...

www.fivestarleather.us

 

[Kermit3D]

Just stumbled on this on Facebook. Looks like Five Star anticipated your desire for an Irvin with pockets:

FiveStar Leather Repro R.A.F Bomber Sheepskin Flight Jacket With Side Entry Russet Reinforcements

This Jacket is Known as the 'RAF Jacket’, it takes its name from Leslie Irvin the inventor who designed this in early 1930's. First produced in the Letchworth factory in 1931, the design was officially approved by the Air Ministry. By 1932, the this jacket became standard issue to all RAF...

www.fivestarleather.us

Shawn read the message here, made a jacket and updated the website in 3 days.
He would be able to...

Really a shame about this very dark and shiny finish.

 

[mulceber]

Or he knew that Aviation Leathercraft has a following and hoped to dip his toe into that market.

Yeah, my non-expert take is that there's a lot about this Irvin repro that's good. It really just needs to fix the color of the shearling, and it'll be there.

 

[crism1]

If historical accuracy is important to you : pockets are to be avoided. You will have the choice between Eastman Leather (the most precise, but very expensive), Aero Leather (less precise according to some but a good quality) and Fivestar Leather (the cheapest but under development, I think it is necessary to to wait a little).
A good alternative to Fivestar (without pocket) could be the Irvin offered by "Wright Price Glory" but it seems to me that it is no longer manufactured, and difficult to find used.

If historical accuracy is not very important to you : find a model with pockets, many brands offer them (personally I think that would be a shame).

If historical accuracy and pockets matter :
Buy an American jacket type B-6 or D-1 (or AJN-4, M-445, M-444, ...)


But in the end, MaydayWei gives you some great advice. Go straight away to what makes you dream.
If the Irvin is your holy grail, then take the best, and use your trousers pockets.

I had a WPG Irvin and the quality was extremely low, also the fit was all over the place. As I put the jacket out of the box the buckle broke as the metal almost felt plastic the quality was so low. The leather felt weirdly spongy and didn't feel natural at all. I owned quite some stuff made by them and never complained about their overall quality, but the Irvin was a very bad piece of clothing, like very bad.

 

[brandon_alv14]

Thank you everyone for your advice/comments, really appreciate it! Taking it all in and weighing up my options before pulling the trigger. Looking at second hand options too which requires some patience. Still leaning towards the Aero BoB Irvin though.

Was wondering if people can post pictures of their Irvin's (any brand). Would be cool to see how they fit, colours etc.

Apologies if i'm asking for a lot lol

 

[mulceber]

Well, here's an Eastman Irvin that I bought last February:

I hesitate in recommending it. The Merino shearling is unusually thin and light, which makes it better for the British climate (and the American one, to a lesser degree), but is emphatically not accurate to original Irvins. It's a nice jacket, but if I were only going to own one Irvin, I'd want something more accurate.

 

[D97x7]

Was wondering if people can post pictures of their Irvin's (any brand). Would be cool to see how they fit, colours etc.

Apologies if i'm asking for a lot lol

Happy to oblige.
4 year old, non Marino Eastman, size 44, over a Henley shirt on my roughly 42" frame.

 

[B-Man2]

Here’s one for you : The photo is an original 1939 Warings. Often known as the Battle of Britain Irvin .

 

[Smithy]

I have an ELC from 2007, terrific jacket but their pricing is utterly absurd now.

If you're concerned about accuracy (like most of us here) then get one of Aero's offerings.

If you don't give a shit about accuracy and just want a warm jacket to wear whilst whizzing around in a classic open top sports car, get a secondhand Aviation Leathercraft or Cirrus and save a boatload of money.

That would be my advice.

 

[mulceber]

Tim! Welcome back!

 

[Smithy]

Tim! Welcome back!

 

[B-Man2]

Tim
Good to see you back Bro !