Cockpit USA Spitfire B-3 Sheepskin Bomber What 1650 Dollars Buys
The Cockpit USA Spitfire B-3 Sheepskin Bomber, from $1,650, rated 4.9 from 85 reviews is the top of the Cockpit USA range, and the price is not a brand premium so much as a materials one. A B-3 is a shearling garment, which means the hide and the wool are the same piece and the jacket carries far more of it than a leather jacket of the same size. It is rated 4.9 from 85 reviews, the largest review count in the range.
Where the money goes
Shearling is expensive because of yield. The panels have to come from hides with even wool, the garment is heavy so every seam is carrying load, and there is no lining step because the wool is the lining. A B-3 uses several hides where an A-2 uses a fraction of that.
The second cost is labour. Shearling is thick, awkward material to sew, and the belted collar and cuff straps on a B-3 add construction that a simple bomber does not have.
What it is actually for
It is a cold weather jacket, and it is very good at that specific job. Shearling insulates without a separate liner, it blocks wind, and it stays warm across a wide temperature band rather than working only at the bottom of it.
It is also bulky, heavy, and warm enough to be uncomfortable above freezing. This is not a three-season jacket and treating it like one is the most common way to be disappointed by it.
Who should not buy one
Anyone wanting a daily jacket. Anyone in a mild climate. Anyone who wants to ride in it regularly, because the collar and the bulk work against a helmet and there is no armor or armor pocket anywhere in it.
If the appeal is the look rather than the warmth, the A-2 at $595 or one of the nylon patterns delivers most of the visual at a third of the price and far more wearing occasions.
The alternatives in the same range
Cockpit USA British R.A.F. Sheepskin Bomber, from $1,550, rated 5.0 from 26 reviews. The British sheepskin pattern, a different collar and cut
Cockpit USA U.S.A.F. 21st Century A-2 Jacket, from $595, rated 5.0 from 31 reviews. The everyday leather alternative
Cockpit USA USN N1 Bedford Cord Deck Jacket, from $470, rated 4.95 from 20 reviews. Bedford cord deck jacket, warm without the shearling bulk
Frequently asked
Is sheepskin the same as shearling?
Shearling is sheepskin tanned with the wool still attached, so the hide is the shell and the wool is the insulation.
How do you care for a shearling jacket?
Keep it dry, brush the wool, and use a specialist shearling cleaner rather than a standard leather conditioner. Conditioners intended for smooth leather can mat the wool.
Can you ride in a B-3?
People do, in genuine cold. It has no armor, the bulk fights a helmet at the collar, and it is warm enough to be a problem the moment you stop.
