Which is your favorite G-1?

TXFlyGuy said:

Is Excelled, and Excelled Sheepskin Leather the same company? If not, my error.

www.leathercoatsetc.com

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Interesting, I didn't realize that Excelled was sold through Leathercoatsetc. I wonder if the jackets sold via this site are the same as are issued nowadays. I thought Pharr was the current supplier but see that at least some are made by Excelled. Most of the other pics I found of Excelled G-1s came up from that overcharging guy on E-bay who apparently talks a lot of Marines from 1st MAW out of their jackets!

Looking in the description on the leather coats website, it says that their G-1s are cowhide which is unfortunate. That weird grain reminds me of my Pharr and makes me wonder if it is also cow. I definitely think goat looks different in its appearance and still prefer it to cow for G-1s.

Whoops, simo post.

I don't think that there's anything wrong with cow as a jacket material, but it looks different than my old G-1 (and G-1s of the past). I don't think wears quite the same. But, to each his own.

Deacon211 said:

Whoops, simo post.

I don't think that there's anything wrong with cow as a jacket material, but it looks different than my old G-1 (and G-1s of the past). I don't think wears quite the same. But, to each his own.

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I have two cowhide (G&B - Excelled) and three goat (Cockpit - US Wings - Alpha) jackets. The goat does feel a bit softer, but not that much. The cowhide has a much more pronounced grain pattern.

Also in my closet are two old (very old) jackets, one from Wilsons and one from American Leather (?). The Wilsons is certainly a low grade cow, as it is rough to the touch in many places. The American Leather ($99) is glove soft goat, buttery smooth. It is the softest, smoothest leather of all of my jackets. It was made in China.

If I were a biker, cowhide would be my first choice.

Yeah, as I said, I'm not really anti-cow in general. However, I think the golden age of the m-422a/G-1 was when they were made of goat. It's hard to tell for certain as manufacturers seem to cleverly label their G-1s as "genuine leather", but my suspicion is that you can still tell which is which.

I found most of these closeups from an auction site:

I'm fairly certain that the first G-1 I was ever issued was a goat Cooper. It wasn't a luxurious jacket as such. But it had a very nice grain to it and broke in similarly to one of those old jackets.



My jacket,




I also bought an Avirex back then to serve as my patch jacket (ex-girlfriend wound up appropriating it instead). This was goat IIRC, and was nicer than the issue. I don't think the current cockpit is anywhere near as nice as far as the leather goes.

An example from the Internet



And a close up,



The Pharr I was issued in 2004 is cow, I'm beginning to suspect. No doubt a tough jacket, but never took on the character of my earlier jacket. Also didn't quite drape the same.

A close up of the auction Pharr. Note the grain appears to be either pressed into the leather or a top coat has been applied which makes it look as though the grain has been "glued" together like the grain on a car dashboard. What's also interesting is that the Excelled above, the picture of the Pharr here, and my Pharr below all seem to have gotten crinkled on the left side of the jacket, but not the right. Wonder if it is just the way you sit in the cockpit.



My Pharr in 2013 or so. Wore this thing in the reserves for almost ten years. Laid on the tarmac in it, jammed it into every compartment on the aircraft, wore it to the desert. And yet it looks hardly used. Certainly an argument for toughness. But never looked as good as my old jacket.




Now the Cockpit worn version looks pretty interesting up close. The grain really comes out. Don't know what it's made of, but if it is cow then maybe it's more the quality of the leather and the processing that makes the difference.




And, since we are speaking a little bit about an icon, a beautiful series of a Monarch from the Web to show exactly how gorgeous these jackets can look when done properly.




Anyway, everyone has their preferences about such things. I personally have a preference for goat. Truly, since cowhide has been permissible in G-1s since the '70s, you can no longer really say that a cow G-1 is not authentic.

So, as always, it comes down to wear what you like and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

If the goat fits, wear it.

TXFlyGuy said:

If the goat fits, wear it.

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Ha! Brilliant!

Ironically the G-1 I posted above was issued to my cousin who sat in helos as a rescue diver?? I'll have to ask him to clarify but he wasn't a pilot per se. Still hugely sentimental. He was diagnosed with cancer during his stint but returned after recovery. Few words ever exchanged with him but I'm proud of his service and flattered to own the jacket.

If it is cow, I like it!

Here is my US Wings G-1...not at all flattering in fit, but a nice jacket. For reference, I'm 5'11" and 182 lbs.

nick123 said:

Ironically the G-1 I posted above was issued to my cousin who sat in helos as a rescue diver?? I'll have to ask him to clarify but he wasn't a pilot per se. Still hugely sentimental. He was diagnosed with cancer during his stint but returned after recovery. Few words ever exchanged with him but I'm proud of his service and flattered to own the jacket.

If it is cow, I like it!

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As you should be! Those guys that jump out of Helos are OK in my book...they were the ones who were going to pluck my behind out of the drink if I ever went in.

Like I said, a cow G-1 is rapidly becoming as much the norm as the goat. I just personally like the goatskin better from the looks standpoint and wish NAVAIR would go back to the beautifully made jackets of the pre-70s period.

TXFlyGuy said:

Here is my US Wings G-1...not at all flattering in fit, but a nice jacket. For reference, I'm 5'11" and 182 lbs.
View attachment 65577 View attachment 65576

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I don't think that is a particularly bad fit if a little long. Any way to see the grain up close? I've considered the USW jacket for a long time, but can't tell how it looks up close.

Deacon211 said:

I don't think that is a particularly bad fit if a little long. Any way to see the grain up close? I've considered the USW jacket for a long time, but can't tell how it looks up close.

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Being long is my biggest gripe. It would hang (drape?) much better if an inch or so shorter. The sleeves are long also. My Cockpit G-1 (sold) was a much nicer (more flattering) fit. Let me get some close ups of the grain.

This is turning into a very interesting thread. Thanks all to the contributions. I am no expert but as far as i know late 70s early 80s seen the demise of goat to be replaced by cow.
I dont think the Pharr is current issue as the last ones i have seen are 2004. The Excelled is still here both in the DCSP labels and the latest DLA labels .
I found the Excelled G1s i have to be of high quality. The leather is good quality compared to the Pharr which is nice but the leather does not seem as thick and as of the same quality as the Excelled. The Pharr however seem to have a real fur collar unlike the Excelled.
My daily beater is the 2001 Excelled. I also have Brill jacket from the 70s which are all goat.

Regards

Peter

More grain photos, just for you, Deacon!

The US Wings Signature G-1

And three in a row...US Wings goat, G&B cow, Alpha goat -

Thanks Tex! Nice looking leather. Looks substantial as well.

I've often been tempted to try one of these.

My complaint with goat is it never seems to develop grain and patina. I have a 1962 G-1 that has developed grain, but no patina. Still looks relatively new even though it is 55 years old.

Peacoat said:

My complaint with goat is it never seems to develop grain and patina. I have a 1962 G-1 that has developed grain, but no patina. Still looks relatively new even though it is 55 years old.

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I wonder if that was considered a problem or a solution back then. We like aged looking stuff now, but pre-60s I wonder if faded meant "worn out" especially in the military.

Still, the Monarch collage that I posted above has some nice patina on that pocket flap. Maybe the tanning or how it was dyed?

@Tex,

I just got a better look at the grain closeups. That G+B cow is really nicely grained!

My cow aversion in G-1s began, as I posted a long time ago, with the "other" jacket that was being issued in P-cola back in the early '90s. I don't know who made it. But it was this squeaky, rubbery mess with big pebbles stamped into it. We called it "Naugahyde" though it certainly wasn't.

The guys who got it almost to a man became lifelong Nomex fans.

So, I'm admittedly probably a little unfair towards cow. It doesn't help that for awhile there the quality of G-1s went down the tubes.

A G-1 of that G+B stuff would probably look pretty doggone nice, even if perhaps it broke in differently from a goat jacket.


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Exactly why I kept away from the "G-1" style for so long - that and nothing in my size (vintage).
I would wager you're on to something there @Deacon211. Maybe they saw the WWII era HH and cow as a piece that needed replacing more often? Ya never know with the gub'ment.

Here is one of my all-time favorites: what they refer to as the "vintage G-1" from The Cockpit. Great patina and burnishing of the vintage-looking goatskin but in a new garment. Fit is much like a 1950's or '60's G-1: narrow sleeves, snug/form-fitting torso and a relatively shorter waist, plus a blond (real) mouton collar and scalloped pocket flaps.

nice jacket i have the same jacket i really like it

thor said:

View attachment 65638
Here is one of my all-time favorites: what they refer to as the "vintage G-1" from The Cockpit. Great patina and burnishing of the vintage-looking goatskin but in a new garment. Fit is much like a 1950's or '60's G-1: narrow sleeves, snug/form-fitting torso and a relatively shorter waist, plus a blond (real) mouton collar and scalloped pocket flaps.

Click to expand...

nice jacket i have the same jacket