B-3 Jacket - Sheepskin flying jacket

The Mitchell Mfg. B-3 sheepskin jacket is an exact copy of a Rough Wear B-3 from 1943, which served as the template. The Mitchell B-3 is not only extremely warm, but also extremely light. It is made of pure sheepskin with cowhide applications in the form of seam reinforcements, as well as reinforcements around the elbows and the outer map pocket on the right-hand side.

The warming sheepskin in the correct beige is the inside; the outside, the skin side, is painted with acrylic in Seal Brown. The water-soluble acrylic is a concession to the environment: the original jackets were given a lacquer finish.

The Mitchell B-3 has a large Talon zipper (reproduction) and the correct belt buckles in shape, finish and material. These are made especially for Mitchell Mfg. The jackets themselves are sewn on special fur sewing machines from the 1940s, just as they were back then. Those machines are practically indestructible and were built to last. Even so, they are hard to come by today, and operating and maintaining them takes special training.

The sheepskin has the correct hair length of 1.5 to 2.2 cm and is good for temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. The large sheepskin collar can be turned up and fastened with two belt buckles, closing over mouth and nose. The B-3 also has belt buckles at each hip for adjusting the fit. The leather straps are the correct thickness of 3.5 mm. The Talon zipper is sewn on offset, so that no wind can get into the jacket.

As you wear your Mitchell B-3, the dark brown outer coat will slowly crack over time and give the jacket its typical character. It was precisely that character of the legendary bomber jacket that made it popular with all kinds of actors, from Alain Delon to Robert Wagner to Arnold Schwarzenegger. The B-3 found its way into Hollywood as early as the 1950s.

To this day it has lost none of its coolness. Quite the opposite: whether you fly at altitude, drive an open convertible in winter or simply want to take a cold winter walk, the Mitchell Mfg. B-3 leaves you not only well equipped but, in the truest sense, warmly wrapped up.