Strange "Raider" leather jacket.

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:09 am

Well, I was searching for shirts on this site and I started browsing through the other stuff on this website and found this.

http://lostworldsinc.com/Raiders_Leathe ... Jacket.htm

I thought you guys might find this interesting. Take a look around the site they have plenty of different type of leather jackets. Also, check out the prices.

Enjoy!

Pitfall

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:41 am

I will not repeat information I have heard about this vendor. That would be unfair. I only caution that you should look into this one before jumping. I'm referring you to www.thefedoralounge.com ...search for 'lost worlds' there to hear OTHER's experiences from them directly.

That is all.

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:00 am

I was just posting this to let you guys have a look. I had to laugh that it was called the "Raider" and it's an obvious attempt at an "alternative" Indy style jacket.

Pitfall

Texas Raider · Post by **Texas Raider** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:05 am

Those are some SERIOUS underarm gussets!! What are they expecting to wear it,,a Pterodactyl (sp?)

have a nice day.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 6:46 am

That style was popular back in the days. Side-straps and button pocket flaps were all over the place back then. The word "Raider" does not always had to be assumed to mean Raider's of the Lost Ark. As fans, we make that association.

The description reads as follows:
"and is, in fact, of the sort that Harrison Ford wears in the Indiana Jones series"...

This is not entirely inaccurate as the jacket is kind of a modified military style. Just like "Based on a True Story" or "Based on True Events" does not mean they actually happened the way they were depicted. They just use the events as a base on which to build their story. The Lost Worlds jacket never claims to be THE jacket or a copy of THE jacket.

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 7:36 am

850 dollars???? Did i read wrong????

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 8:38 am

Yes, and there should be some info on them in the bowels of COW aswell....

Regards,
Swindiana

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:15 am

You have opened up a can of worms with that one, my friend. That is the infamous G-8. It may be found here: http://www.flightjacket.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=8
The problem with the G-8? It probably never existed.

Our own Mojave Jack, who is an Air Force Historian, and archeologist, I might add, wrote to a colleague at the Museum of Naval Aviation.

Mojave posted this over at The Fedora Lounge here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=5316 , and I am sure he wouldn't mind my posting it here.

"After researching written and photographic records, I can find no evidence to support the claims of such websites as uswings.com that a Type 440 (G8 ) flight jacket was ever issued to US Naval Aviators. The claims appear to be bogus. The Specification M-422A was the first jacket issued to Naval Aviators in the 1920s. A version of this jacket issued during the interwar and early WWII timeframe was the AN-J-3A. Both the M-422A and the AN-J-3A were almost exactly like the later G-1. I hope this information helps.

Respectfully,
Daniel Clifton
Collections Division Head
National Museum of Naval Aviation"

Mojave Jack is a wealth of knowledge on the subject and The Fedora Lounge is as well.

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:38 am

I just thought the jacket looked goofy and the price was outrageous.

I wasn't recommending buying it or that it should be used for an Indy Jacket.

Who would pay $800 for a jacket? That jacket isn't even nice looking.

Pitfall

Erri · Post by **Erri** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:43 pm

A part from good or bad looking... 800????? What is it a furcoat??

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 2:51 pm

erri_wan wrote:A part from good or bad looking... 800????? What is it a furcoat??

Here's the thing I think it stated it was made of goatskin?

Pitfall

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:09 pm

Pitfall Harry wrote:I just thought the jacket looked goofy and the price was outrageous.

I wasn't recommending buying it or that it should be used for an Indy Jacket.

Who would pay $800 for a jacket? That jacket isn't even nice looking.

Pitfall

Sorry, I thought you wanted to learn something about it. My mistake.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:30 pm

Hemingway Jones wrote:You have opened up a can of worms with that one, my friend. That is the infamous G-8. It may be found here: http://www.flightjacket.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=8
The problem with the G-8? It probably never existed.

Our own Mojave Jack, who is an Air Force Historian, and archeologist, I might add, wrote to a colleague at the Museum of Naval Aviation.

Mojave posted this over at The Fedora Lounge here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=5316 , and I am sure he wouldn't mind my posting it here.

"After researching written and photographic records, I can find no evidence to support the claims of such websites as uswings.com that a Type 440 (G8 ) flight jacket was ever issued to US Naval Aviators. The claims appear to be bogus. The Specification M-422A was the first jacket issued to Naval Aviators in the 1920s. A version of this jacket issued during the interwar and early WWII timeframe was the AN-J-3A. Both the M-422A and the AN-J-3A were almost exactly like the later G-1. I hope this information helps.

Respectfully,
Daniel Clifton
Collections Division Head
National Museum of Naval Aviation"

Mojave Jack is a wealth of knowledge on the subject and The Fedora Lounge is as well.

Thats really interesting. So, I wonder where the original design came from? It seems like everyone who makes military leather jackets has a version of the G-8.

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:35 pm

J_Weaver wrote:Thats really interesting. So, I wonder where the original design came from? It seems like everyone who makes military leather jackets has a version of the G-8.

I have a theory, but then, I have a theory on everything!

I think that someone made it up as a sort of fictional predecessor to the Indy Jacket. If you accept the premise that the Indy jacket was based on a 1930's design, beyond the A-2 influence, then you would assume that there would be a jacket like this out there. I think someone took creative license and created one, then everyone else followed along.
That's my theory based purely on conjecture, except for the piece I learned from Mojave Jack. This is what I'll believe until someone shows me something more compelling.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:43 pm

Hmm...Sounds good to me.

If the first G-8's began to appear around 1982 or so then I wound say you've hit the nail on the head.

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:45 pm

J_Weaver wrote:Hmm...Sounds good to me. If the first G-8's began to appear around 1982 or so then I wound say you've hit the nail on the head.

That would be conclusive evidence.
I wonder if there is a library of catalogues somewhere??? From there, one could find the earliest mention of it.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 3:55 pm

Hemingway Jones wrote:I wonder if there is a library of catalogues somewhere??? From there, one could find the earliest mention of it.

I remember Avirex selling G-8's years ago. I wonder if they would tell us when they first started making them?

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:07 pm

Pitfall Harry wrote:I just thought the jacket looked goofy and the price was outrageous.

I wasn't recommending buying it or that it should be used for an Indy Jacket.

Who would pay $800 for a jacket? That jacket isn't even nice looking.

Pitfall

hahaha...don't worry, Pitfall, I only posted what I did because I couldn't tell from the dry humor of your post if you were laughing or not. (a smilie

, better yet a laughie

- or even a barfie

- can do wonders for getting that impression across...) Don't worry, I understood what you meant about the prices. (

)

Yep, it's clearly not screen accurate to Raiders, but as Rick pointed out, that's understandable. Just wanted to make sure any newbies coming across this didn't necessarily mistake this for a good idea.

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:54 am

Ya know I was thinking at the time I found this site that I might have found something that you guys had never seen before. Silly me.

It had to have come out in the 80's. It just reminds me of some type of design you'd see in a department store in that period of time.

I still don't know how anyone can offer a leather jacket at that price and expect people to buy it.

Pitfall

Baggers · Post by **Baggers** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 6:59 pm

Pitfall Harry wrote:I still don't know how anyone can offer a leather jacket at that price and expect people to buy it.

Pitfall

If it's an exact, stitch for stitch reproduction of an actual flight jacket, say a USAAF A-2, then plenty of people. Check out the prices at places like Aero Leathers of Scotland, Real McCoy's New Zealand, or Buzz Rickson out of Japan and you'll see what I mean. These firms make copies of jackets from wartime manufacturers that are either close to or precisely like the originals down to the color of thread and type of zipper used. And like Wested, they will make you a jacket out of different types and colors of leather with certain contract specific pocket configurations and knit colors and to your own custom size requirements. The Japanese market for these high end repros is particularly intense.

It's just a whole 'nother level in the reproductions market.

Cheers!

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:15 am

Baggers wrote:
Pitfall Harry wrote:I still don't know how anyone can offer a leather jacket at that price and expect people to buy it.

Pitfall
If it's an exact, stitch for stitch reproduction of an actual flight jacket, say a USAAF A-2, then plenty of people. Check out the prices at places like Aero Leathers of Scotland, Real McCoy's New Zealand, or Buzz Rickson out of Japan and you'll see what I mean. These firms make copies of jackets from wartime manufacturers that are either close to or precisely like the originals down to the color of thread and type of zipper used. And like Wested, they will make you a jacket out of different types and colors of leather with certain contract specific pocket configurations and knit colors and to your own custom size requirements. The Japanese market for these high end repros is particularly intense.

It's just a whole 'nother level in the reproductions market.

Cheers!

Oh, I could understand the price under those conditions but from the info i gathered from the other threads and sites this jacket's pattern never exsisted. It's a replica of nothing from what I understand.

I think the jacket would be alot nicer looking without all of those zig zag designs on the sleeves.

Thanks for the input though.

Pitfall

Baggers · Post by **Baggers** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:39 am

Pitfall Harry wrote:
Baggers wrote:
Pitfall Harry wrote:Oh, I could understand the price under those conditions but from the info i gathered from the other threads and sites this jacket's pattern never exsisted. It's a replica of nothing from what I understand.

I think the jacket would be alot nicer looking without all of those zig zag designs on the sleeves.

Thanks for the input though.

Pitfall

Pitfall,
I think I understand now where you're coming from, and yes, you're right, why lay down that kind of jack for a jacket pattern of dubious origins. All I can supply in the way of an answer is to remind you of that old saying "there's a sucker born every minute, and two to take him."

Oh and FYI, those upper "zig zags" on the sleeves are the front half of a diamond shaped reinforcing elbow patch. Some real jackets actually had them.

Cheers!

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:06 am

The zig zag patterens reminded me of the type of patterns you'd see on 80's style leather jackets.

Well, chalk this jacket up to another odd curiosity that can be added to the COW files.

Pitfall

Pitfall Harry · Post by **Pitfall Harry** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:05 am

Hahahahah....

That's hilarious.

Pitfall