US Wings Signature series, question about pocket size.

[Weston]

I see that a comment that often comes up is that the pockets on a Wings jacket are just too big, and that, as useful as that maybe, it tends to spoil the look of the jacket. Even so, I happen to think they still look good. Now, I'm the proud owner of a Wings signature series goatskin Indy jacket, and it has the smallest pockets I've ever seen on an Indy jacket, even smaller than the pockets on my Todd's standard.

So, is this pocket size unique to the signature series goatskin Indy jacket? The pockets on the other signatures series jackets look significantly bigger, in the photos on their website, as well as any pics I've ever seen posted on this forum. Is the goatskin jacket an anomaly in this regard?

Weston

[Indydawg]

Weston-

Here's all I can say right this minute. I can honestly say that I've never thought that Wings' jacket pockets were too bit OR too small...in fact, of all the jackets I've had, their jackets have been the most consistently cool jackets I've owned.

That said...do us all a favor...measure those pockets, and when the new jackets start coming out (in just a few weeks, I should think), then we can all compare notes on them.

But no....I can't say that I've ever thought the Wings jacket's pockets were too small OR too big...they actually have always struck me as...well...perfect.

[Chewbacca Jones]

OK, I have 2 goatskins and one distressed cowhide. I just measured the pockets. My two newest (brown goat & distress cow), purchased and made within the last 2 years, have 7 1/2" x 9" pockets, including flap, on a size XXL.

My oldest (black goat), which I bought 3 years ago, second hand!!!! Measure 6 1/4" x 8. Also a XXL, but the fit is smaller than the other two.

So, it would seem that the goatskin is not the root of variation, but perhaps the size of the jackets... and even then, the size seems bigger now than in the past.

What most people complain about, though, is that Wings pockets are supposedly too big for a Raiders or ToD style. I have no idea about Raiders, but the ToD thing I can see. For LC and CS, the pocket size seems right, visually. I'm not picky, and I'm with Indydawg in that the pockets seem right as they currently are, but I'm from the "useful pockets proportionate to jacket size" camp, and don't care about screen accurate size at all.

I would be interested ion a comparitive list of your various pocket measurements, though.

[Weston]

Thanks for responding guys. Indydawg, your absolutely right about the consistant, very high standard Wings has set, and I have always thought their jackets look extremely cool. I took some quick measurements of my jackets, so here goes;

Us Wings goatskin Indy, size large circa 2003

5 3/4" wide, 7 1/4" tall

Wested lambskin Raider, circa 1997, size 40
6 7/8" wide, 7 3/4" tall

Wested pre-distressed cowhide, circa 2000, size 42
6 3/4" wide, 7 3/4" tall

Todd's standard, circa 2008, size large
6" wide, 6 3/4" tall

I know this isn't an apples to apples comparison as I have only one Wings jacket. Even so, though it is the biggest jacket I have, it has the narrowest pockets. So, does anyone out there have a Signature series Wings jacket in a size large, in whatever hide, and would they mind taking the same measurements for comparison. Thanks Chewbacca Jones, for pitching in with those measurements!

Weston

[Forrest For the Trees]

The kangaroo Wings jacket I picked up has very small pockets, on a size Large. This is an older jacket, probably 2000-ish; those in the know could chime in and say when that jacket was produced, as it was only available for a few years. Anyway, I think the older Wings jackets have small pockets, and the newer ones appear to be much larger.

[bigrex]

Yep, big pockets in my eyes, here's me wearing a Wings Large circa 2008. Keep in mind the jacket is WAY too large, heck a Todd's large worked just fine, I was ignorant thinking a Wings large would be similar. So, I can attest to the importance of getting the measurements beforehand.

[CM]

If you look at the Wings website, you'll see the old,smaller pockets. Kind of a legacy of the Cooper ToD, perhaps. I wish they were still that size. The new Wings jackets I've seen have large, Wested style pockets. I actually never use the pockets on my Indy - I'm the kind of guy who doesn't carry stuff around. And if I do, I have a bag for that.

[Indydawg]

Well, then, perhaps with the reissue of the old Cooper pattern in that striated lambskin this coming summer/fall from Wings, the smaller pockets will be on those? If they revert to an older pattern, surely those pocket dimensions will be used...

just thinking...

[RCSignals]

Well, then, perhaps with the reissue of the old Cooper pattern in that striated lambskin this coming summer/fall from Wings, the smaller pockets will be on those? If they revert to an older pattern, surely those pocket dimensions will be used...

just thinking...

I think that will be the same as the 'blue label' pattern. I'm sure how much smaller those pockets are.

the other Cooper pattern that seems to being mentioned is the original ToD pattern which of course has much smaller pockets.

Now that pattern would be nice for them to dig out.

[Indydawg]

Will pass that along....an excellent idea, for sure!


Later!
Indydawg

[CM]

Well, then, perhaps with the reissue of the old Cooper pattern in that striated lambskin this coming summer/fall from Wings, the smaller pockets will be on those? If they revert to an older pattern, surely those pocket dimensions will be used...

just thinking...

I think that will be the same as the 'blue label' pattern. I'm sure how much smaller those pockets are.

the other Cooper pattern that seems to being mentioned is the original ToD pattern which of course has much smaller pockets.

Now that pattern would be nice for them to dig out.

I've never actually seen a coopers/wings jacket that looks like the movie ToD version. Some were closer than others, but never quite right. Find me the photos, however, and I'll change my view. The movie used version was custom for the actor and a one off, I'd say.

If you look over the Wings site today you'll see various sizes of pockets and various pocket flap shapes many seem smaller that the pockets of today. It seems to me that Cooper jackets and Wings too have had various iterations.

[RCSignals]

This is true CM. The movie jacket though was made by Cooper. They obviously didn't use that pattern for their subsequent 'official licenced' jackets.
My point was that maybe this original ToD pattern was kept by Cooper and passed on to Wings when Wings bought them. You never know what might be hiding.

Cooper also made the Happy Days Fonzie jacket, and later an 'official licenced' version that was the same as the TV jacket. There's another pattern possibly in a dark corner.

[Kevin Anderson]

But didn't US Wings cancel the recent Temple of Doom jacket project based on, among other things, concerns about the small pocket size?
Unless you're suggesting a Coopers Temple replica with larger pockets? That I could understand, though it wouldn't appeal to me.

[RCSignals]

I'd think a jacket made from the actual patterns might be easier to get approved as a limited special edition.

Funny thing about not being able to make the replica Crisman and Holt worked on is the pockets of that jacket aren't that small. close to the smaller size Weston posted.

[Indydawg]

Agreed, RC. I think it was the snags in the creation of "all new" patterns that might have made things less cost-effective. If they were working of existing patterns they'd used before, it should be a simple matter of just sourcing the right leather for the look.