Opinions please - To Popper or no?

[Gater]

Along with the Wested Raiders lamb that I covet and wear daily, I have 2 Wested Pre-distressed cowhide Raiders jackets for colder weather.

One of the two pre-d's looks very similar to the CS jacket. Similar grain, D rings, and such - there is a local tailor who can put poppers/snaps on the storm flap to make it more LC/CS for around $10.

So - since I already have another pre-d cowhide Raiders - do I bite the bullet and get the poppers added and make a whole new jacket?

Still unsure - What would you do?

[Castor Dioscuri]

Do you think you need it though?

If it were me, I'd buy another jacket with poppers though...

[Gater]

financially, that's not an option. 'sides, why drop hundreds when ten bucks will do the same thing?

[Michaelson]

Just have them added to the existing jacket.
From your post above, I believe you've already answered your own question.

Regards! Michaelson

[crismans]

I agree. I would add the poppers and that way it's like you're getting another, distinct jacket.

[JulianK]

Pop 'em in!

[Terrasolo]

I'd say add the poppers as 10 bucks is will make it feel as though you have a new jacket without the new price tag.

[Michaelson]

I've had it done to my own jackets, Gater.

Speaking for myself, it just made me feel the jacket was more my own as it was something I had done to it to make it fill MY requirements.

Just a thought.

Regards! Michaelson

[Gater]

I like that reasoning, Michaelson! I'll be dropping it off on Monday - they said they'd do it on the spot.

Thanks for the input, gang.
(ya ya - will post pics)

[Indiana G]

gater,

get them to put at least 10 poppers all the way up the storm flap....then you'll be rock'n ozzy style!!!! (sorry, i have no idea what the means....just go with it).

[Havana]

Poppers serve a useful purpose if you ride a motorcycle or live in a colder climate.

[Castor Dioscuri]

I know this is an older post, but I just wanted to add some new information here...

I've recently had a jacket without poppers made, and after wearing it on a daily basis, noticed that due to the way the leather bends when I sit down, it has caused the storm flap to develop an outward curl when zipped up. So basically, what the jacket looks like now when zipped is that the storm flap sticks away from the jacket in a "T" shape. If that jacket had poppers, I'd imagine that the jacket wouldn't look that way when zipped up, so I guess you could use this as reason enough to get poppers?

As a side note, this has nothing to do with any vendor in particular, but just part of the jacket design, I imagine.

[RCSignals]

Castor, since the snaps would be top and bottom, could a storm flap still not do that as it isn't secured at the middle, and the top would not always be done up at the same time as the bottom?

I think opening of the storm flap like that is also dependent on how wide the flap is. A wider flap might tend to open more than a narrower one. A narrow flap tends to have some more stiffness to it and wants to stay closed over the zipper, even sitting.
Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

[Texan Scott]

..drop and pop. Add more for a rhinestone effect.

[Kt Templar]

Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

Although some airmen had poppers installed.

[RCSignals]

Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

Although some airmen had poppers installed.

There was one on eBay recently with 'poppers' added all down the front (a la G's suggestion above)
It was apparently done after the war though.
In all the period photos I've seen of airmen wearing A-2s I have never seen a jacket with snaps added.

[Kt Templar]

Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

Although some airmen had poppers installed.

There was one on eBay recently with 'poppers' added all down the front (a la G's suggestion above)
It was apparently done after the war though.
In all the period photos I've seen of airmen wearing A-2s I have never seen a jacket with snaps added.

There was a line up pic of wartime airmen on the FL a little while ago, at least one had poppers added. I'm not an A-2 person, but I did remember noting that detail.

[RCSignals]

there were also 'private purchase' A-2s, and some of those had varied details. I wonder if that's what it was.

[Castor Dioscuri]

Castor, since the snaps would be top and bottom, could a storm flap still not do that as it isn't secured at the middle, and the top would not always be done up at the same time as the bottom?

I think opening of the storm flap like that is also dependent on how wide the flap is. A wider flap might tend to open more than a narrower one. A narrow flap tends to have some more stiffness to it and wants to stay closed over the zipper, even sitting.
Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

That's a good point, but because the leather on this particular jacket is very stiff, when the bottom/top of the storm flap sticks out, the whole flap sticks out. If the bottom/top doesn't, the rest doesn't. If I use my fingers to hold the bottom part of the flap closed (where the bottom poppers would be), then the storm flap aligns perfectly. But that's a good point you bring up though, as I'm sure it would be true of thinner/more pliable leathers.

Personally, I'm divided on the issue. Part of me wants to get poppers installed on it for the functionality of the jacket, while at the same time, I just really like the clean look of it without poppers on

[rover smith]

Could you split the flap and instal the poper underneath? like the pockets. Not as visible and maintaining some of that look you like.

[Castor Dioscuri]

To be honest, I've only brought up this point to add another 'benefit' of poppers for folks debating on whether they should get poppers or not. Please don't think that I'm trying to be rude, and I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions, but I'm really not asking for a solution to my own popper situation.

With that said, in response to the question raised by rover smith, I did give thought to having 'hidden' poppers installed, but even using that method, the 'female' poppers would still be very visible, and with enough use, the leather concealing the 'male' poppers would be distressed enough to be a dead giveaway at any rate.

[rover smith]

This is true, was just trying to think of ways to minimizie the visibility.

[Castor Dioscuri]

This is true, was just trying to think of ways to minimizie the visibility.

I understand, and thanks again. I must really apologize though if I came off a bit harsh.

[rover smith]

Not atall my friend

[RCSignals]

Castor, since the snaps would be top and bottom, could a storm flap still not do that as it isn't secured at the middle, and the top would not always be done up at the same time as the bottom?

I think opening of the storm flap like that is also dependent on how wide the flap is. A wider flap might tend to open more than a narrower one. A narrow flap tends to have some more stiffness to it and wants to stay closed over the zipper, even sitting.
Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

That's a good point, but because the leather on this particular jacket is very stiff, when the bottom/top of the storm flap sticks out, the whole flap sticks out. If the bottom/top doesn't, the rest doesn't. If I use my fingers to hold the bottom part of the flap closed (where the bottom poppers would be), then the storm flap aligns perfectly. But that's a good point you bring up though, as I'm sure it would be true of thinner/more pliable leathers.

Personally, I'm divided on the issue. Part of me wants to get poppers installed on it for the functionality of the jacket, while at the same time, I just really like the clean look of it without poppers on

There is probably a tipping point, I can see a very stiff flap doing it and also a floppy flap.

Maybe you just need to wear that particular jacket a lot to let it 'ease' some?

I can understand wanting the 'clean' look

[crismans]

Actually one of the parts of the LC jacket (for example) that I like best are the poppers on the storm flap. While the Raiders jacket will always be my favorite, I think the poppers on the LC are a nice edition. And I also like it when a jacket starts breaking in and you can see the poppers in the leather on the pocket flaps.

[RCSignals]

Original A-2s had fairly narrow flaps with no snaps.

Although some airmen had poppers installed.

There was one on eBay recently with 'poppers' added all down the front (a la G's suggestion above)
It was apparently done after the war though.
In all the period photos I've seen of airmen wearing A-2s I have never seen a jacket with snaps added.

There was a line up pic of wartime airmen on the FL a little while ago, at least one had poppers added. I'm not an A-2 person, but I did remember noting that detail.

If it was on FL and the photos I'm thinking of they were pre-war early A-2s and what you were seeing as 'poppers' was early style riveted in zippers. (at the bottom)

[djd]

It occured to me while driving to work this morning, wearing my Raiders jacket, that the flight harness would keep the storm flap closed most of the time - my seat belt does anyway!

This WW2 jacket looks like it has some sort of fastener at the top?

[Raskolnikov]

If you look carefully you'll see they don't match. That's because, in the storm flap, there is only a little hook used for fastening it, while the snap is meant to fix the collar. That's what happened with almost all WWII A-2s.

It goes like this:


And here you have other examples:

[Marv]

No popper or snaps thanks

[Michaelson]

Well, what did you finally do, Gater, considering you asked this question last June?

Regards! Michaelson

[Hatch]

Do you guys think that most of poppers that were added after WW II to originals, were probably by the 'motorcycle guys', that culture really developed after WW II.......

[Michaelson]

I like that theory. Once you've been beat on by a storm flap in a high wind, you, too, would install snaps.

Been there, done that, put them on ALL my jackets now.

Regards! Michaelson

[WConly]

I am the same as Mark. I always order my Wested's with them...if Wested forgets -- I am off to the local leather shop to have them installed. I have five Wested jackets, in different hides and all have the snaps! W>

[RCSignals]

It occured to me while driving to work this morning, wearing my Raiders jacket, that the flight harness would keep the storm flap closed most of the time - my seat belt does anyway!

This WW2 jacket looks like it has some sort of fastener at the top?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G9oFbz4HRBs/S ... C08349.JPG

Yes all original A-2s had a hook closure at the throat. Early jackets all had a collar stand (some later ones continued to have as well) and the hook closure was originally place on the collar stand.
It was more to keep body warmth in when done completely up.

[RCSignals]

Well, what did you finally do, Gater, considering you asked this question last June?

Regards! Michaelson

you'd think he'd have made his mind up by now, huh!

[Michaelson]

One can only wonder about old Gater.



Regards! Michaelson

[djd]

It occured to me while driving to work this morning, wearing my Raiders jacket, that the flight harness would keep the storm flap closed most of the time - my seat belt does anyway!

This WW2 jacket looks like it has some sort of fastener at the top?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G9oFbz4HRBs/S ... C08349.JPG

Yes all original A-2s had a hook closure at the throat. Early jackets all had a collar stand (some later ones continued to have as well) and the hook closure was originally place on the collar stand.
It was more to keep body warmth in when done completely up.

Thanks, I never knew they had those hook closures. I suppose it could be a slightly less intrusive way of fastening a Raiders jacket if you didn't want to go down the popper route?

[RCSignals]

The hooks are riveted on as in the photos Rask posted, so you still get the rivets showing although maybe not as obvious as a big snap or popper dome.

[crismans]

This probably is not the case but I always thought there was more of chance of the jacket tearing with the hook closure than with poppers.

[RCSignals]

Probably true as snaps will usually let go first, but the hook is at the throat on an A-2, and in that position likely isn't too much of a problem.

An undone hook too could catch on something and pull.