The 10 Best Men's Bomber Jackets
Special Honors
Overland Classic Sheepskin B-3 Made to look and feel great in cold climates, the Overland Classic is crafted from high-quality sheepskin, from its supple exterior to its plush fur lining. It's an iconic part of a renowned designer line that should last a lifetime, though it doesn't come cheap. overland.com
Golden Bear + Todd Snyder Harris Tweed Bomber The Golden Bear + Todd Snyder Harris Tweed Bomber mixes classic and contemporary looks to achieve a unique style that will appeal to the who have a discerning sense for fashion. It is made in the United States of 100-percent wool, and the collar is matching in both pattern and fabric. toddsnyder.com
Editor's Notes
April 21, 2020:
What it comes to fashion, everybody has their own personal taste, so we realize that not every jacket on this list will appeal to every one of our readers. With this in mind, we tried to do our best to include bomber jackets with a range of different looks, so there would be at least one or two items to suit every style sensibility.
If you prefer something with a classic military style, you'll appreciate the RSH Leathercraft B3 Aviator, Landing Leathers Air Force, and Alpha Industries MA-1. Each of these represents a different era in military history. The RSH Leathercraft B3 Aviator is akin to what high-altitude bomber pilots wore in the 40s and 50s. Its shearling liner and genuine leather exterior make it extremely plush and warm, so its ideal for those who live in very frigid climates. The Landing Leathers Air Force moves forward a few decades and looks like something that belongs on the set of Top Gun, so if you love that 80s style, this will be a good pick. The Alpha Industries MA-1 is essentially a replica of the jackets aviators started wearing in the 60s, yet its style certainly stands the test of time and could easily have been designed yesterday, which actually isn't a surprise because the official MA-1 is still being issued by the U.S. Air Force today.
With a significantly more civilian appearance, we have the Tommy Hilfiger Smooth Lamb Faux Leather, Alpine North Down, Tommy Hilfiger Performance, Levi's Varsity Trucker, Calvin Klein Classic Rip Stop, BGSD Classic Suede, and Carhartt All Season. Of these, the Levi's Varsity Trucker and Calvin Klein Classic Rip Stop have the sleekest style, so they are ideal for someone who wants to avoid that bulky look some bombers can have. On the opposite end of that spectrum is the BGSD Classic Suede, which is a bit puffier. It is made from a premium suede that feels very soft to touch and, when combined with its polyester filling, should keep you warm on chilly nights.
The Tommy Hilfiger Smooth Lamb Faux Leather is best for someone that can just as easily be dressed up as down for both formal and casual occasions. While it isn't real lambskin, it still has a high-end look and many people cannot tell the difference. However, if you want something genuine and don't like either of the military styled options here, you can check out our list of the best leather jackets for men. Conversely, the Carhartt All Season is probably the most utilitarian of the bunch. Made from flame-resistant canvas, it is extremely rugged, and even meets workplace electrical standards, making it a good choice linesman and electricians.
Top Gun Style
When my father was growing up, he wanted nothing more than to be a pilot.
When my father was growing up, he wanted nothing more than to be a pilot. When the Vietnam War rolled around, he signed up, hoping to finally get a chance to fly. Unfortunately, colorblindness put a hard stop to those dreams, and instead he ended up a mole, his 5-foot 6-inch frame just small enough to navigate enemy tunnel systems. From a dream of soaring through the clouds to a nightmare spent crawling underground with a pistol and a flashlight; that was my father’s journey.
When I was a kid, he instilled in me the fascination, the love and passion he had for planes, and for flying. From an early age I attended an air show in Sussex, New Jersey with him every summer, marveling at the stunt flyers, sucking down grainy homemade lemonade, and sinking into the deep mud of all that farmland. It was my favorite day of the year, and it was the place where I saw my first bomber jacket.
Unparalleled in coolness and covered in mysterious patches, the bomber jackets worn by so many members of the audience at the air show, and of course by pilots, were my most coveted material good. I even had a little stuffed bear with a pilot’s cap, flying goggles, and a killer bomber jacket. I couldn’t have been more than six.
For most people, however, especially growing up in the late 1980s, airshows are likely not the first place they saw a great bomber jacket. That honor goes to the classic 1986 action film Top Gun, and we all owe costume designer Wingate Jones a debt of gratitude for bringing us the particular jacket worn by Tom Cruise in the film. That jacket set the standard for what a bomber jacket should be, and it still sells surprisingly well as a Halloween costume.
Today, bomber jackets come in a wider variety of shapes, sizes, and materials than the wool-lined leather models designed for pilots, but the heart of any bomber jacket still beats with a certain spirit of freedom. It’s a combination of all man’s aspirations to flight, finally realized just last century, and brought to the pinnacle of style on the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat.
A Brief History Of The Bomber Jacket
While my adoration of the bomber jacket might give you the impression that the garment has only truly been around since it was donned by a certain Scientologist, its history reaches back a lot farther than that.
These straps also created what has become an iconic silhouette associated with the bomber jacket, with its bottom hem and wrists held tight against the body.
Also known as a flight jacket, the bomber jacket was designed for pilots in the First World War. The planes in those days had cockpits that exposed their pilots to the elements, and since it gets significantly colder as you get higher in altitude, it was vital that pilots had something sufficient to keep them warm. These pilots, and sometimes their passengers in a second seat (depending on the plane) were responsible for manually dropping bombs on intended targets, which helped give the name bomber jacket to this iconic coat.
Models produced during the Second World War included straps around the waist and the wrists. These helped to keep wind and cold from making their way inside the jacket and stealing body heat away from pilots. These straps also created what has become an iconic silhouette associated with the bomber jacket, with its bottom hem and wrists held tight against the body. Models manufactured later in the century would utilize elastics in place of leather straps to achieve this function.
Nylon became a popular material in bomber jacket production in the Korean and Vietnam war periods, and the terrain in those countries encouraged manufacturers to make them in a green shade that would make for reliable camouflage. Throughout the 1960s, and particularly in the late 1970s, punk and skinhead subcultures took to the bomber jacket as a kind of ironic, anti-establishment fashion statement. It remained a item on the fringes until the mid-1980s, when Top Gun popularized more old-fashioned leather versions of the jacket.
Nowadays, the term bomber jacket encompasses almost any type of jacket with elastic waist and wrist cuffs. For may customers, however, authenticity is an important factor in their decision making process, along with a few other key variables discussed below.
What To Look For In A Bomber Jacket
Choosing a bomber jacket for yourself is going to have a lot to do with your personal taste, and certain models are going to catch your eye more readily than others. Understanding what each jacket offers and the actual functions for some of the features that might appeal to you could help make your decision that much easier.
Tom Hardy’s character in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk did this to great effect with a piece of chalk.
Material is likely the most important place to start, and it’s vital that you take your climate into account here. Even if you love the look of a leather bomber jacket with a classic wool lining, you won’t get much use out of it if you live in Los Angeles. Conversely, if you’re shopping for a winter coat, and you want it to be a bomber jacket, a lightweight nylon option is probably too thin of a choice. Of course, you can always get more than one jacket, so you’ll be prepared for every season.
Also, take a look on the left upper arm of the jacket. Is there a pocket there? If so, does its zipper have a kind of ribbon attached to it? This is a rare little element of authenticity, as pilots would keep important mission items, often including a small pad and pencil, in this pocket. If one or more of your instruments failed you, writing implements made it much easier to calculate your fuel reserves and flight distances. Tom Hardy’s character in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk did this to great effect with a piece of chalk. The ribbon makes it easy for pilots to open the pocket without fumbling around for the zipper with gloves on.
Other, admittedly more minor considerations include available colors, additional pocket space, and comfort. If you keep each of these things in mind as you evaluate the great options on our list, you’re sure to find a bomber jacket that will last you for years to come.