The Ultimate Vintage A-2 Leather Flight Jacket | Cockpit USA Review

Hey there, my name is Michael Hsu, and I’m a menswear enthusiast and a pilot — so I of course gravitated toward Cockpit USA, a brand known for its vintage inspired leather flight jackets.

Today I’m reviewing the beautiful Cockpit USA Mustang A-2 leather jacket from Cockpit USA, an unusual item in the world of leather jackets for its vegetable tanned goatskin and its cool, pre-distressed look.

We will look at the leather quality, insulation, price, and who this jacket might be good or bad for. Then we’ll talk about sizing and fitting — as that’s always very important when you buy a leather jacket — especially when you buy it online, and you can’t try it on in a store before ordering.

Finally, I’ll discuss some alternatives if this A-2 might not be right for you because there are a bunch of great options out there — especially from Cockpit USA.

Pros & Cons: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

In a hurry? Here’s my breakdown.

Pros

• No break in, comfortable out of the box
• 100% vegetable tanned leather
• I love the goatskin: it’s authentic, comfortable, and very strong
• Low price relative to other leather jackets with veg tanned leather
• Classic look, relatively easy to wear smart casually

Cons

• I would prefer beefier YKK zippers
• It’s not very thick or heavily lined
• You might not like the pre-distressed look (they sell plenty of similar ones that aren’t distressed)
• Some prefer a wool collar on their flight jackets

First Impressions: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

Overall, I absolutely love the Mustang A-2. I’m glad I brought this on my trip to Tokyo — walking across Shibuya Crossing and wearing it all over the city. This is a jacket that I know I’m going to enjoy and wear for a very long time, especially because of how convenient and easy it is to dress up this jacket. 

One thing I wish Cockpit USA had improved on this jacket is the zipper. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it; it zips up and down smoothly. However, I do wish it was a bigger gauge zipper. The Mustang’s zipper looks much smaller than other jackets I have, like my G-1, and it just does not look durable. I would prefer to see something like the industry-standard YKK zipper on many of my other jackets.

How I Tested The Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

I recently brought this jacket with me to Tokyo, and I wore it daily to put it through its paces. 

I absolutely love this leather. This is a vegetable-tanned, full grain goatskin leather. It’s a nice brown color, and I like its distressed look. 

Before getting this jacket, I was looking for a jacket made with soft leather that wouldn’t require a long break-in period. Originally, I got this antique lambskin jacket, but it was much stiffer than I thought it would be. I looked at other options and exchanged it for this Mustang jacket, which has goatskin leather.

Leather: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

• Vegetable tanned goat skin
• No break-in, soft out of the box
• Not the stongest leather, but a solid trade off

I had thought goatskin might be a bit harder and more durable, but that was not the case with the Mustang. It was soft from the get-go, and no break-in period was required.

This was a delightful surprise for two reasons: as I mentioned, I’d found Cockpit USA’s lambskin jacket too stiff, and lambskin is meant to be one of the softest and most comfortable leathers — so I had reason to worry that the goatskin would be even stiffer, as it’s a very strong leather.

The other reason I was surprised by the jacket’s comfort is the fact that it’s 100% vegetable tanned, which typically produces a stiffer leather than the more common chrome tanned leather. While leather jacket enthusiasts love it, pure veg tanned leather is very rare, even for a jacket, and especially at this pricepoint.

As soon as I took it out of the box, I could move around and feel comfortable in this jacket.  The quality and feel of this vegetable-tanned goatskin was exactly what I was looking for, and goatskin is actually about as strong (or stronger) than cowhide, but it might not be perfect for everybody. If you want something thicker, consider getting a horsehide or a buffalo leather jacket.

Note that this leather is also unusual because it’s been pre distressed, a little like when you buy pre faded jeans. When asked, Cockpit USA was tight lipped about how they achieve this look. I love it, but if you don’t, they sell plenty of new new A-2 leather jackets as well.

Sizing & Fitting: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

• I sized up a bit to accommodate layering underneath
• Use your chest size for the best fit

Knowing what to expect with sizing is important, especially when you’re buying a jacket online, and especially when it’s a leather jacket.

Leather, especially vegetable tanned leather, does not stretch all that much, so if it’s too tight, it will restrict your movement and keep you from moving around comfortably. However, if a leather jacket is too big and baggy, it probably just won’t look good on you. 

I am 5’8″, 180 lbs, with a 44” chest, and I went with a size large for the Mustang.

I picked this size by measuring the chest of a leather jacket I own now, and then adding a little extra because I planned to layer underneath this jacket.

When sizing a leather jacket, matching the chest measurement is the most important part. That doesn’t mean you should measure your chest, or the chest on a t-shirt: take the pit-to-pit measurement on a jacket you own, ideally a leather one. While my chest is 44 inches, my leather jackets usually measure about 46, and because I wanted an extra roomy fit, I sized up to the Large’s 49-inch chest.

The elasticated sleeve cuffs mean it’s not a big deal if they’re a little long, though if they’re too short or much too long, the jacket might not be for you.

I think this jacket fits me well, even if some might think it’s a little bit too big. It can be a tradeoff when it comes to picking jackets of different sizes, but I like having the option of layering underneath, so I went with a bigger jacket. I knew I made the right choice when I went to Japan because it was freezing cold and, importantly, this jacket doesn’t have quilted insulation or anything, so I was happy to be able to layer up underneath.

Insulation: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

• A light two to three season jacket, if you’re layering

As far as the insulation goes with this jacket, it’s not very thick or heavily lined — the lining is your basic polyester twill. So it’s great for spring and fall but if you’re wearing it in really cold weather, make room for a wool sweater underneath.

It’s an easy grab-and-go, lightweight jacket and not meant to keep you warm for long periods in freezing conditions.

When I went to Tokyo, it was around 30°F (-1 or -2°C), and this jacket was not warm enough at all. I was freezing, and at one point I ended up throwing my puffer jacket on top of it because it was so cold.

Overall, I would recommend avoiding this for sub-freezing temperatures and saving it to be a stylish and reasonably warm jacket for 40°F and up.

If you’re going in colder temperatures below 30°F/0°C, I would recommend a thicker jacket with more insulation. Cockpit USA is worth checking out for warmer jackets, and they make some really nice shearling B-3 bomber jackets. That might be a jacket for me to get and possibly take out somewhere cold next — maybe even somewhere to see the northern lights.

The Mustang is the perfect year-round jacket for me, living in San Diego, California. I bought it knowing I would want to wear it in the warmer temperatures around the 40°- 60°F range, and it feels like the perfect lightweight, easy-to-style jacket for me. Even in the winter it doesn’t get too cold, and I can still wear this jacket in the summer when the evenings get a little chilly.

Price: Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket

• Good price for the quality and materials
• $660

Let’s talk about the price of this jacket. Leather jackets are usually very pricey and expensive. Finding a good, high-quality leather jacket — especially a vintage-style flight jacket — for under a thousand bucks is tough, especially if you want American made.

This jacket is under $700 and made in the USA and without a lot of seams that show it was made from smaller (cheaper) pieces of leather. It’s a good deal.

I have previously reviewed a ton of different types of A-2 flight jackets from different brands, and I can tell you right now that this is my new go-to leather jacket. For $660, you are getting high-quality leather, a jacket made in the USA that will last a long time and always look good.

Wrapping Up My Cockpit USA A-2 Flight Jacket Review

I hope you enjoyed this review. Please let me know what style of flight jacket you prefer! The classics are the A-2, B-3, or the G-1 flight jackets — even though the G-1 was originally for the Navy! Hopefully, I’ll review a B-3 bomber from Cockpit USA soon, since that’s another jacket I’ve been eyeing for a long time.

If you are looking for a leather A-2 pattern jacket, check out the Mustang in vegetable-tanned goatskin. I really like this classy style, and it is easy to dress up/down. If this jacket style doesn’t suit you, Cockpit USA has a wide variety of different jacket styles. Be sure to check them out.

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