First standardized on May 9.1931, the U.S. Army Air Corps type A-2 leather summer open cockpit flying jacket became one of the most popular garments ever issued to aviators. The original specifications called for snap flap patch pockets and collar with a “hook and eye” neck closure plus double diamond stitched epaulets finished with wool wristlets and waistband.
Willis & Geiger makes it today, as it did then, in seal brown horsehide
The original Willis & Geiger Defense Contract label tells you it’s the real thing.
Light wear...looks new
Soft leather no flaws
SIZE 48T
CASH ONLY
LOOK AT THE MAP AND TELL ME FROM WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM WE'LL MEET AT A CONVENIENT PUBLIC LOCATION
Willis & Geiger Outfitters was a pioneering American expedition and outdoor clothing company known for high-quality, functional gear designed for extreme conditions.
Origins and Founding
It traces its roots to 1902, when explorer and geologist Ben Willis designed specialized clothing for his own Arctic expeditions after finding existing gear inadequate for extreme cold and wind. He sold designs through Abercrombie & Fitch (then a serious outfitter), which supplied Theodore Roosevelt for African and Alaskan trips. In 1928, Willis partnered with marketer Howard W. Geiger (sometimes referenced with Phil Geiger), formally establishing Willis & Geiger Outfitters in New York.
The brand became the go-to outfitter for major 20th-century explorers and adventurers, including Roald Amundsen, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Ernest Hemingway (who designed his own bush jacket with them in 1936), Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Sir Edmund Hillary, the Flying Tigers, and others. It developed signature fabrics like “bush poplin” (a dense, water-resistant cotton) and produced military flight jackets (including versions of the A-2 and G-1) under U.S. contracts starting in the 1930s, as well as private-label gear for brands such as L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Town & Country once called it the “granddaddy of outerwear.”