Repro A-2 Jackets with Hard Use--Let's see yours!

[Juanito]

Over in the Platon Seal Dubow thread an interesting post was made by Ken, "A very heavily used repro, we rarely see one of those on VLJ..." with a couple of posts or Aero A-2's.

It got me thinking that so many of our jackets just sit on hangers. Well, here's my heavily worn Lost Worlds Dubow A-2 that I purchased in 1995 or 1996. I practically lived in this thing for the first 10 years of its life, wearing it nearly every day for hours. I think it is on its 4th set of cuffs, 2nd waistband, and it still has the original zippper (the puller did come off in 2016). The liner is separated at the neck and armpits, and I do not care what anyone says about the LW jackets, I have never seen a repro liner wear like and original like the LW Dubow.

I am certain I have thousands of hours of wear in this jacket. It has been literally around the world--I have slept on the ground in La Paz, Mexico to the train station in Leipzig, Germany in this thing; ridden across the US on motorcycles multiple times. I used to wear it everywhere doing everything from welding to motorcycle riding, hunting, to yes, shoveling horse and chicken shit on my Dad's farm. It is a little tight these days, and I need to so something about the liner and zipper.

From 2016 about 10 minutes after I lost the zipper pull and right before a 14 day, 5,100 mile ride across the US mostly on Route 66 and 50:

 

[Pilot]

Pics?

 

[B-Man2]

Juanito
Pictures didn’t post

 

[Juanito]

Juanito
Pictures didn’t post.

Sorry, hit the return key and the post posted prematurely. Had to add the photos as an edit.

 

[B-Man2]

Thats the first Lost Worlds A2 I’ve ever seen with that amount of extensive wear. Over the years I had 2 or 3 or them but could never get enough wear on them to just break them in.
That one is outstanding Juanito

 

[EmergencyIan]

Well done! I think it’s time for some TLC for the jacket so that it can get another 50,000 miles.

- Ian

 

[Juanito]

Thats the first Lost Worlds A2 I’ve ever seen with that amount of extensive wear. Over the years I had 2 or 3 or them but could never get enough wear on them to just break them in.
That one is outstanding Juanito

Thanks! I fully admit it is lacking in accuracy, but as a utilitarian jacket, It can't be beat and to this day, the leather squeaks and I wouldn't call it broken in.

 

[jeremiah]

what do you feel it lacks for accuracy?
I see nice wrinkles and "creases" and the color is nice with some wear like originals. I think it looks like an original and if you had not said it was a lost worlds but an original I would have been fooled. Looks great man.

 

[Juanito]

what do you feel it lacks for accuracy?
I see nice wrinkles and "creases" and the color is nice with some wear like originals. I think it looks like an original and if you had not said it was a lost worlds but an original I would have been fooled. Looks great man.

Lots of little things. The epaulets are made from a single piece of leather. The spec tag states "30-415", the tag does not have the size woven into it, it has ring snaps as opposed to nipple snaps, the zipper while a Talon is a modern, nylon taped job with a generic stopper box, and the leather is very heavy--probably 3.5 to 4 oz. Some say the back panel is too narrow and affects the pocket placement.

...but for all that, if I could only own one jacket to wear, it would be one of these.

 

[B-Man2]

Not sure if this should even be included, kinda of cheating , but here’s my prematurely aged Good Wear , Dubow 1755.

 

[Pilot]

Over in the Platon Seal Dubow thread an interesting post was made by Ken, "A very heavily used repro, we rarely see one of those on VLJ..." with a couple of posts or Aero A-2's.

It got me thinking that so many of our jackets just sit on hangers. Well, here's my heavily worn Lost Worlds Dubow A-2 that I purchased in 1995 or 1996. I practically lived in this thing for the first 10 years of its life, wearing it nearly every day for hours. I think it is on its 4th set of cuffs, 2nd waistband, and it still has the original zippper (the puller did come off in 2016). The liner is separated at the neck and armpits, and I do not care what anyone says about the LW jackets, I have never seen a repro liner wear like and original like the LW Dubow.

I am certain I have thousands of hours of wear in this jacket. It has been literally around the world--I have slept on the ground in La Paz, Mexico to the train station in Leipzig, Germany in this thing; ridden across the US on motorcycles multiple times. I used to wear it everywhere doing everything from welding to motorcycle riding, hunting, to yes, shoveling horse and chicken shit on my Dad's farm. It is a little tight these days, and I need to so something about the liner and zipper.

Amazing, like J. said, you dont tell us, we certainly see it as a WW2 original.Wow!

 

[Flightengineer]

Very impressive and really these jackets look like originals.

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

Thanks! I fully admit it is lacking in accuracy, but as a utilitarian jacket, It can't be beat and to this day, the leather squeaks and I wouldn't call it broken in.

It looks far more like a genuine original WW2 A-2 than almost any repro I've seen on VLJ.
Superb............ but you really should stop babying it and give it some hard wear

 

[s4rmark]

Aero Leather, Bronco.

 

[s4rmark]

And another photo.

 

[MikeyB-17]

So there you go-I’ve seen so many posts about LW’s stiff, plasticky leather which won’t break in no matter how much it’s worn. Just goes to show that it can be done, you just gotta do the job right! Perhaps Stu Clurman was right after all. That Aero Bronco looks superb too. Which hide is that? All this is starting to make me want another A-2.

 

[s4rmark]

It’s jerky horsehide, Mikey.

 

[Southoftheborder]

I've got a HB in Aero's jerky HH and I think it's probably pretty close to what original A2s were made of judging from the ones I've handled in the past. It might not be as nice to look at as the vegetable tanned jackets I own, and it doesn't break in and show wear as quickly. But wartime issued jackets were not meant to wear quickly and when they did start to get too tatty they were re dyed.

 

[jeremiah]

I've got a HB in Aero's jerky HH and I think it's probably pretty close to what original A2s were made of judging from the ones I've handled in the past. It might not be as nice to look at as the vegetable tanned jackets I own, and it doesn't break in and show wear as quickly. But wartime issued jackets were not meant to wear quickly and when they did start to get too tatty they were re dyed.

Any pics?

 

[Southoftheborder]

I'll take one and upload it later.