The flight-heritage gear that works best for riders pairs a military-pattern jacket with American deerskin gloves: the Cockpit USA Horsehide A-2 or the Legendary Hellcat G-1 for the jacket, and Legendary USA gauntlets or fleece-lined short-wrist gloves for the hands. This Veterans Day roundup picks one option per job and says plainly what each does not do. None of these jackets is an armored riding jacket, so treat them as heritage leather, not crash protection.
Jackets with military pattern and real leather
The Cockpit USA Horsehide A-2 is the pick for a three-season leather jacket in original specification material. The listing describes medium-weight russet-brown horsehide, a one-piece back panel, a trim military fit and no side-entry pockets. It breaks in slowly and rewards patience. The tradeoff is a trim cut with less room for bulky layers.
The Legendary Hellcat G-1 is the Navy-pattern pick. The listing describes 3.0 oz seal brown cowhide, a non-removable mouton fur collar, a bi-swing back, underarm gussets with vent holes and a civilian fit. It is union-made in the USA. The collar is not removable, which some riders will like and others will not.
For the strictest reproduction, the Cockpit USA Mil-Spec G-1 is listed as goatskin, with no side-entry pockets, true to the Navy specification. Cockpit USA is a separate company that Legendary USA carries as an authorized dealer.
Gloves that match the jacket
Flight jackets end at the wrist, so the glove you pair with one should close the gap. The Classic Deerskin Gauntlets are unlined Whitetail deerskin with a full gauntlet cuff the listing says eliminates the sleeve gap at highway speed. Deerskin is listed as weighing roughly half of cowhide at equivalent protection. They are unlined, so they are not a winter glove on their own.
For colder rides, the fleece-lined deerskin gloves use a 3M Thinsulate 40-gram lining and are listed for the 30 to 50 degree Fahrenheit range. The listing says to size up one from your normal glove size to make room for the lining. Compared with the gauntlets, they have a shorter cuff, so they sit under a jacket sleeve.
Which to choose
If you ride in mild weather and want one jacket, take the A-2. If you want the Navy look and a fur collar, take the Hellcat or the Mil-Spec G-1. Between gloves, the gauntlets suit highway miles with a jacket sleeve, and the fleece-lined pair suits cold mornings.
One comparison worth making is horsehide against cowhide. The A-2 is horsehide, which the listing says breaks in slowly and wears hard. The Hellcat is cowhide at 3.0 oz, listed as heavier than most commercial G-1 jackets. Expect the horsehide to take longer to soften, and expect the cowhide to feel broken in sooner. Neither is a rain jacket, so keep the leather conditioned and out of long soakings.
Fit also separates the three. The A-2 and the Mil-Spec G-1 are cut trim, while the Hellcat is a civilian fit with more room. Read our G-1 naval aviation history if you want the story behind the Navy pattern, and use the measuring guide on each product page before you order.
For a B-3 in extreme cold, see our guide to the Cockpit USA lineup. For the broader range, browse the military jackets collection and the Made in USA motorcycle gloves.
Pick the jacket for the cut you want, pair it with gloves for the temperature you ride in, and size carefully. Heritage gear lasts when you buy it to fit.
For the wind chill math behind cold-air riding, the National Weather Service publishes a cold wind chill chart.
Frequently asked questions
- What is flight-heritage motorcycle gear?
- It is riding gear based on military flight-jacket patterns, such as the A-2, G-1 and B-3, built from leather and sheepskin. These are heritage garments, not armored riding jackets, and they have no CE armor. Riders choose them for the American construction, the leather and the military pattern.
- Should I buy an A-2 or a G-1 for riding?
- The A-2 is a medium-weight horsehide jacket with a trim fit and a snap-down collar. The G-1 has a mouton fur collar and a bi-swing back for arm movement. Choose the A-2 for mild weather and consider the G-1 for cooler rides.
- What gloves go with a flight jacket?
- Gauntlet gloves work well because the long cuff covers the gap at the wrist. The Classic Deerskin Gauntlets are unlined Whitetail deerskin. For cold rides, the fleece-lined deerskin short-wrist gloves add a 40-gram 3M Thinsulate lining and sit under the jacket sleeve.
- Are these jackets and gloves made in the USA?
- The Cockpit USA jackets and the Legendary Hellcat G-1 discussed here are listed as made in the USA, and the Hellcat is listed as union-made. The Legendary gloves are listed as made in the USA. Cockpit USA is a separate business that Legendary USA carries as an authorized dealer.
- Do fleece-lined gloves run small?
- The product listing says to size up one from your normal glove size to accommodate the lining. Fleece-lined gloves feel snugger than unlined ones, so check the fit with the lining in mind and review the size guidance on the product page before ordering.