British windproof combat smocks.

[Hawkeye]

[panzer0170]

Typing as I think/watch;

MTP is Multicam 'branded', hence it's similarity.

Discipline is key. They will carry the world. You can not.

95 buttons biggest snag issue is with Cam nets. You can close them a different way which stop snagging. I will provide a pic if helpful.

Dual YKK zips can be left open strategically with mostly just velcro securing (sounds crap but I promise it's not) for further ventilation.

Obvious issues with netting is snag; The sort of thing those pockets are designed for is maps, and, uh.... maps. Anything paper/similar is acceptable. Throw anything with a solid metal edge in there and it WILL open your pocket from the inside under even remotely aggressive use.

Fleece lined pockets are a double edged sword; Daily wear, dry/cold environments? Brilliant. If you are going to do anything that involves getting CLOSE to the floor, or anything remotely Infantry? Fuck them. Fuck them in the arse. That shit will add a kilo, and KEEP you wet. 'orrible. Depends on task, but I'd likely have one of each, much as Hawkeye has. My thoughts are this; 'Oh, my hands are cold!' > 'GET SOME GLOVES'.

Perfect sizing without running round in a potato sack is for the bottom hem of the jacket to sit level with your balls. Pockets don't end up too low with you running around in a dress, but it also provides a nice bit of cover from wind/cold/the floor.

Comments on helmet/hood? are all accurate. No soldier worth his salt has ever work a smock hood. Your helmet does the job of being a rainhat. Wear it. Similar thoughts to fleece pockets; 'Oh, my head is cold/wet/etc' > 'Get a hat'.

As far as sizing goes; It should be 'fitted' over EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE WEARING. All your other gear. T-shirts, shirts, fleeces, down jackets or anything similar.

6' = Get a 180 for a normal fit, 170 if you prefer short. 112 = pretty damned loose. 104 = a nicer fit if you're not going to be throwing any other gear under it.


When are you going to start being a US producer of this style of smock Hawkeye? Looking forward to seeing a UW Gear version that isn't like all the other civvy available ones (always over the bloody top with pockets and features and crap....)

[winter]

Apr 20, 2015 11:37:53 GMT -5 panzer0170 said:

Perfect sizing without running round in a potato sack is for the bottom hem of the jacket to sit level with your balls.

My balls now, or my balls when I was 21?

[protus]

Apr 20, 2015 13:14:26 GMT -5 winter said:

Apr 20, 2015 11:37:53 GMT -5 panzer0170 said:

Perfect sizing without running round in a potato sack is for the bottom hem of the jacket to sit level with your balls.

My balls now, or my balls when I was 21?

Hot or cold weather...supported or non supported?important stuff to know Panzer...

But 21 years old .....that's a long time for them to drop winter....

[panzer0170]

Maybe they were hanging lower because when he was 21 he was still a spotty runt and not the Spartan he is today, so he never got a good opportunity to lighten his load

Naturlich, your balls NOW. Have seen a smock deflect, on multiple occasions, branch whips to various bodyparts INCLUDING the groin and associated outliers. It's well worth that extra inch or two!

[winter]

I blouse my bdu's to keep them from dragging in the dirt.

I barely remember 21. Shit, I didn't go to OSUT till I was 24.


Hawk, thanks for the review. It's hard to pass up an opportunity to be a smartass though.

I may get one of the 95 ones.

[panzer0170]

I was in the field Army after 2 years of training at the ripe old age of 'nearly 18'

Hawkeye provides a very good review indeed. The '95 ones are better for any climate remotely similar to the UK, IMO. If you're getting hotter, perhaps the MTP one is preferable. Of course there is the pattern and environmental concerns, too.

Be aware that '95 pattern (my personal favourite; ripstop and no bloody hood!) is not the same as 2000 pattern. (hood, not ripstop but still windproof, slightly different pocket configuration).