Colganguy

Looking for quality and which one looks the best. Price would be third on the list.

Suggestions would be great.

hockeypilot44

They're all pretty crappy. Abbott's, M and H, crew outiftter's in order from most expensive to least expensive. Abbott's and M and H both good. I have Abbotts jacket. After 5 years it's fraying on bottom. I had Abott's pants until they fell apart. I replaced them with M and H because they're cheaper price wise. I heard a lot of pilots buy pants from Kohl's and JC Penny. Those are not approved though.

DALMD88FO

Actually, unless things have changed, call your CPO or CPO support line and they will tell you that they have to be black. If you look in FOM chapter 11 it says what material they have to be made of and the such. I've seen everything spanning black dockers made of canvas, definitely not authorized, to the stuff you buy at Abbott's for 3 times the price.

full of luv

It is amazing sometimes to see what people will wear or buy for a $150K + job that you have to wear for 200 hrs a month.

RockyBoy

Abbots stuff is expensive and doesn't hold up. My jacket liner lasted 3 years before it came apart. Pants last about 2 seasons. Stay away from their shirts. I don't think any of the other vendors have better stuff though. Bought some pants from Crew Outfitters and they faded and looked like crap after one summer. Basically whoever you go with you need to replace stuff every 3 years or so to look good. If I were doing it over again I think I would go with the cheap stuff and just plan on replacing it every 3-5 years.

Trip7

Abbotts shirts are the best in the business IMO. Also, my Acey Abbotts jacket has held up well after 7 years

forgot to bid

I'll add this, my jacket has been great over the last 6 years, expensive, but great. Probably cost more than my entire wardrobe.

Their pants were absolute crap. Complete crap. They looked nice though. Just made like crap. And just to reiterate, crap.

RockyBoy

After 3 years my liner started to fray in the shoulders and around the bottom edge. The shoulders were due to the hangers we had in the 88. I finally cut the liner out so the fray wasn't hanging out the bottom and still wear it. It's fine other than the liner.

Elbco Jetstream tapered shirts are my favorites. Heavy fabric that looks good even after 6 legs in ATL, flapless pockets, button eyes sewed in for your wings, and the taper takes out all the extra fabric so they look good unless you prefer cheeseburgers over the gym.

gloopy

Abbots used to make the best of the three IMO. They used to be Navy Officer jackets straight off the production line. In the last couple years, however, they've opened up another line south of the border and the quality is noticeably lower in materials and craftsmanship. I actually called them on it, and they tried to say it was to help quality because they were having trouble with the US plant, but they back peddled real quick when I asked if the Costa Rica plant is also making the Navy officer jackets. So I assume they opened up a separate outsourced line just for us airline swine. Not cool, Abbots, not cool.

The pants used to at least last long, although they were always cut for skinny little chicken legs IMO. Recently they have begun to wear and even fade (I didn't think black fabric could fade but they do). And zero give in the fabric. I highly recommend a pair with elastic in the waistband. And not just for getting fat. With all the worming around we do in and out of seats, walk arounds and 14+ hour days (particularly the narrowbody guys with 1 or 2 multu concourse plane changes every day) that little bit of flex makes them suck a whole lot less.

Crew Outfitters was always second tier quality (not by a lot though) I just never liked their fit. They sell all wool pants, as well as elastic pants. Their customer service is superb though. The jacket closes way too low and fits too loose but is comfortable.

For hats there is only one choice: Primier Hat Company. Not all vendors sell it, but find it. It has a soft liner you can actually wear on your head without it cutting into your skull like some Opus Dei ritual.

I'm still looking for the perfect shirt. A-cut-above makes the best shirt out of the box, by a mile, with their flexibile fitted one (whatever the model name is called) but they last about 2 washings (and I'm not exagerating) and then they pile up like they're 20 years old. They said they got a bad batch of fabric and actually sent a credit to those effected to replace them (props for proactive customer service!) but the replacements were actually worse (1 washing, and I'm not kidding, and that's on gentle cycle, cold rinse, warm dry-never hot-and mild, low amounts of detergent).

RockyBoy

Great company and they have the right idea, they just can't get the fabric right. And the collars make you feel like you are wearing a turtle neck. They have the same company that makes Bananna Republic dress shirts make their pilot shirts.....from what I've heard. Great fit, not meant to be worn as a working airline pilot shirt.

I've tried almost every brand of pilot shirt out there and I always go back to the Elbco Jetstream tapered shirt.