Modern Buddy

Been looking for a jacket that kinda fits in with the mod look of the early 60's, US mil type parka. Ecko is having a sale and came across these:
http://www.shopecko.com/product/index.j ... 52.3092456

http://www.shopecko.com/product/index.j ... 52.3092456

super cheap for some quality stuff, but sizes are limited. I'm not a shill for Ecko, but some of his stuff is nice and when it's on sale, it's a bargain.

dude. just buy a real parka! not some lame designer knock-off. Go to any army-navy store, and buy a real M51 parka. They'll have a range of sizes to try on, and should cost you no more that $40. They're the real deal, and they'll hold up a lot better than something you bought at the GAP. Trust me, if you show up to a mod event wearing a faux parka, people might not laugh at you, but they certainly will wonder what your deal is.

if you don't have an army navy store around you, go here....

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/u ... x?a=490301

but you need to try one on first, because they run EXTREMELY large. I wear an XL corrazo UNDERNEATH my M51, and it's a Medium

"The right jacket" is one with armor and padding.

fobbish wrote:"The right jacket" is one with armor and padding.

+!.
from the jacket description...
"100% nylon jacket with acetate lining and cotton yarn dyed flannel hood lining. Dry clean."

Hmmmm....
... nuthin' but nylon and acetate between you and the asphalt..

....it's all personal choice and we're not tryin' to start the discussion/argument/lecture/debate over ATGATT or whatever.
I'm just sayin'.

"The Right Jacket" is the one the OP likes and will wear. As far as I'm concerned "the right jacket" during the summer is my tank top.

Tocsik wrote:

fobbish wrote:"The right jacket" is one with armor and padding.

+!.
from the jacket description...
"100% nylon jacket with acetate lining and cotton yarn dyed flannel hood lining. Dry clean."

Hmmmm....
... nuthin' but nylon and acetate between you and the asphalt..

....it's all personal choice and we're not tryin' to start the discussion/argument/lecture/debate over ATGATT or whatever.
I'm just sayin'.

And nylon melts, then sticks to your skin and burns you in a slide...
If you want a parka you might like to check out the one from Armadillo.

lmyers wrote: As far as I'm concerned "the right jacket" during the summer is my tank top.

Each of us makes our own choices. Not so great to post this in response to someone else's inquiry about the jacket to wear while riding his scoot however.

Seriously, the jacket is like $30. And I have Ecko stuff and it's top quality. Yeah I get the slide and melt thing, I've been riding motorcycles before most of you were even born. Here I am in my full leathers saying Hi:

fobbish wrote:"The right jacket" is one with armor and padding.

yeah I wear the ever fashionable kevlar mesh touring jacket from motoport. It definitely provides a lot of protection but I think most folks would rather slide on ashphalt and have thier jackets melt to thier skin then be caught wearing my ugly jacket. Problem is I got way too much money into tattoos to ride without it

I say wear what you are comfortable wearing, some days I wish I were comfortable wearing just a T-shirt on my scooter but everytime I think about doing it I figure that will be the day I bite it and grab the jacket.

rsrider wrote:I've been riding motorcycles before most of you were even born...

And what, you think the pavement is somehow less hard for scooters? Wear whatever you want, but if you start a discussion about gear on a scooter forum, you will of course, and rightly so, be cautioned about the dangers of riding in inappropriate gear. For you to invoke such an abhorrent image when all that was happening was that you were being looked out for, is disgraceful and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Since you're all here, how about a reminder of the ol' Posting Guidelines:

Keep it friendly and remember that not everyone shares your particular viewpoint, nor should anyone be ridiculed or patronized for not believing or behaving exactly as you do.

This is especially true in discussions of helmet and gear use. It's okay to share facts and personal anecdotes, but please refrain from criticizing others, preaching to them, or using rhetoric ("I wear a full face because I like my face," etc.) in the forum. This type of language does little to sway others who decide to assume the additional risks of wearing less gear. Though Modern Buddy encourages use of proper riding gear and helmets, we have no official policy other than not condemning others for the decisions they make regarding what they wear.

Now everyone can put their pissers away and we can get back on topic…

Quality on "surplus" M51s varies so for anyone buying used, pay attention and check the source. There's a lot of stuff out there sold as surplus that's not; they're just cheapo knock offs.

I think all that remains of my M51 is the shell—hood and liner went AWOL. I also recently sold my Korean War-era parka with the coyote fur-lined hood. Just didn't ever need them living in CA.

When I first started riding motorcycles, there was no such thing as "gear". You had a leather jacket, maybe. Helmet? yeah, right. Sneakers, check, Chinos, check, t-shirt, check, sunglasses, check. you're ready to roll..... what's that smell? your melting flesh....now pick the bike back up and ride. Men were men back then, and women were something we could only wish we had. Hell's Angels were actually scary and cops were something you ran from (and almost always got away clean). The world was dirty and dangerous back then, and it was good!

ericalm wrote:...Now everyone can put their pissers away and we can get back on topic...

But we haven't decided who's got the biggest!

Seriously, thanks Eric. These threads are very entertaining for about, oh, four posts, then the same person always wins. No one.

rsrider: You show me your scars, I'll show you mine.

In all seriousness, now. Of the two...I dunno. Personally, I'd do neither because I abhor dry-cleaning. Maybe the 2nd, if I had to choose between the two (the surplus link is out of stock)...it'd come down to whether you wanted the fur ruff around the hood or not. Do you have some idea of the quality of the coats? At traveling speeds (30 mph and up) the wind's going to be a fast test of stitching caliber.

As far as armor goes, there is some that is separate for whatever you want to cover (yeah, that too) so really you do not need to have a jacket if hot weather is a problem. I like to wear whatever pants I want on a given day not to be limited to one pair with built in armor. So I bougt knee protectors. My Jacket is "mesh" with removable rain liner. It can go over a sweater or under parka. Saves money that way. No need for seasonal gear. For me there is no compromise on safety. How it looks? well , condering what helmet does to my hair any way, who cares. I bought jacket that is bright pink/strawberry and helmet that matches pretty well. The scooter is green so I am not color coordinated for once in my life. I am very visible however.

^You put a parka over your armored jacket? Does that work good for you? I've been wondering about doing that......there's a surplus store near me

Could just buy some Bohn armor http://www.bohnarmor.com/ (or it's equivalent, and wear whatever you want.

Wow, this thread has become serendipitous. My mom is moving to CO, and we were going through her stuff and we came upon some JACKETS that my step dad had left behind when he divorced my mom way back when. The stripes indicate he was a tech Sargent, which he was back in 1976, when we were stationed in Grand Forks ND. Trip out.....

This first jacket has no liner, and is a bit small on me, and check the BLUE strips over the pockets. Sorry for the cr@ppy pic, but I'm not going back out to the garage. These were very, very common jackets back in the day. Don't know if the still issue them.


This one has the full liner along with the stripes (they're blue as well, I think they are all green now), and fits me better:


And the last one is a jacket we use to fight over to get. It doesn't have the mil label in it, but it's the real deal, as you can feel the high quality filling in it, and the shell is the kind material as well. Unfortunately, it is too small....and there are some small tears in the cuffs.



We also found the parkas the me and my brothers wore while we were up there, and they were crap!!!! And you should see some of the dresses from my mom! I'm taking that stuff to the vintage shop in SB. There is even a Nehru Jacket in there.

Well I tell you, my issue after 30 years (solid OD Green) finally wore out, I actually can still wear my father's WWII class A Ike. jacket, with little signs of wear. Who wouldda thunkit!
My son's newest issue is 3 years old and is all but shot! BUT still they make for good riding gear, I WANT/NEED a mesh to wear under it! Best thought ever, armor under fashion, works for me!!

I just aquired a Corazzo 'Shop Jacket' and am loving it, although It needs to be both warmer and cooler at the same time, for different conditions...

rsrider wrote:Could just buy some Bohn armor http://www.bohnarmor.com/ (or it's equivalent, and wear whatever you want.

Wow, this thread has become serendipitous. My mom is moving to CO, and we were going through her stuff and we came upon some JACKETS that my step dad had left behind when he divorced my mom way back when. The stripes indicate he was a tech Sargent, which he was back in 1976, when we were stationed in Grand Forks ND. Trip out.....

This first jacket has no liner, and is a bit small on me, and check the BLUE strips over the pockets. Sorry for the cr@ppy pic, but I'm not going back out to the garage. These were very, very common jackets back in the day. Don't know if the still issue them.



We also found the parkas the me and my brothers wore while we were up there, and they were crap!!!! And you should see some of the dresses from my mom! I'm taking that stuff to the vintage shop in SB. There is even a Nehru Jacket in there.

Good Lord! Old field jackets with blue stripes and Nehru jackets! How well I remember. Starting pay with no stripes on those jackets was $77.00 dollars a month. 3 Years, 6 months, 11 days and two minutes later it wasn't that much better. No, the 60s weren't all that great.

Obviously, your time in wasn't fun. Hey I didn't serve, was just a brat. Yep, the field jacket...they're still pretty awesome. I washed them and got the weird smell out, and they look brand new. I don't see anyone wearing them around here anymore, and I live right next to Vandenberg AFB.