How do you get a polycotton bushcraft jacket like Fjallraven or helikon tex without breaking the bank? Go army surplus! The flecktarn parka is a classic, so i got one. Here it is. Love it. forcesuniforma...
I have one of these that serves me well. I've always enjoyed that the German word for "cotton" is "Baumwolle" which literally translates to "tree wool"
Hi Mate. I have a normal green German parka which I bought in 1986,for fishing. It was issued in 1977,and apart from the cuffs and the edges of it fraying over the years,it is still a great coat,which I have used for various jobs,like building,scaffolding,working under vehicles,you name it,I’ve pretty much done it wearing it. It’s still going strong,and now I have retired it for an easy life wild camping. All the best.👍🏾🇬🇧
Nice vid! These jackets are exellent value for your money. I've got two of them, mid '90's production, Gr.Nr 12. (Yeah, I'm tall) The matching trousers are also very good. As the German army no longer sells their surplus kit, large sizes are getting scarce.
I took one grouse hunting. It's perfect as a hunting smock. I love the pattern and appointments for fastening, etc. Mine's quite oversized but, that's ok .. I can layer under on colder days and have room. We got two grouse by the way.... In the Helena National Forest... Grizzly country.
Love these parkas, love how the zip starts part way up. Handy if you need a piss or emergency poop! lol. The clips that hold the pullies are quality made too.
That funky smell is indeed from anti-moth treatment. A friend of mine is a Bundeswehr quartermaster. At least I think that's what it's called in English, he's responsible for ammunition, weaponry and personal equipment.
Could also be fluorocarbon if the garment was (nearly) new, for extra waterproofness. And I thinkt it's called "Materialbewirtschafter" in German, if your friend is actually one.
Just ordered one of these. Thanks for the review. I know the exact musty smell you speak of. LMAO!! As I kid (I'm 38 now) I bought an old, long, olive drab, German parka.... They're possibly an older version of this jacket or perhaps contemporaneous but, simply used for colder temperatures. It had that musty smell too. So did a German canteen and a Stalhelm I had and lost. The Germans make some kick ass musty surplus gear!! Greeting from Montana, US.
I think you are talking about the mythical "moleskin parka", which was issued in the homonymous kit, and yes, it is the previous version of the current uniform, perhaps of better quality (100% cotton, the modern ones have synthetics)
FYI, that is a newer version of the Jacket, older ones do not have the Velcro arm patches, and the top pockets do not have the loops, but one pocket has pen holders. Also, the older Jackets are 80% cotton and 20% Polyester. I know, I just double checked by 1993 one that I was wearing.
This is really informative and I've heard about things in this video I've never would've thought of by myself. Giving a like and a sub and I'll definitely be back for more tips and reviews.
i suggest adding a U.S. liner for the M-65 jacket to this German coat. they are cheap and are silk-like. they dry extremely easy/fast and are incedibly lightwt. you need to sew 6 buttons in the german coat tho. good job for Mum or Granny. ot turns this into a 20f degree coat
@@crabtrap I mean that there is a lining jacket specially designed for this jacket (not the "shirt" which is really a light jacket and is used as such), and yes, I understand your point, but the M65 jacket linings are made of polyester, the German ones are made of polyamide, which makes them better at not acquiring odors so quickly
@@crabtrap that's the whole point of modular jackets 🗿 You don't need to make additional modifications, just add any separate layer and quickly remove it if you need it (fleece, knitted sweaters, windbreaker, etc.), adding a layer that doesn't hold up on its own is a nonsense
Hey. Do you find them kind of slim fitting and tight across the chest? I have heard that lots of European stuff is tight in the upper body and I wanted something really big so I could layer under it so I could use it summer and winter. Secondly, do you find the pockets kind of small on thus smock? Because most of the 80's British, and Irish smocks have way bigger pockets with literal walls. Cool vid man. Thanks
It really depends on the size you get. On the site where I got it, sizing is listed very specifically with the German military sizing system. I followed that and it's perfect. The pockets are big enough in my opinion
im in ther german army... and 2011... wow thats new... mine is from 1992, still good xD btw it comes witzh an cold protection layer, its basicly a underneath jacket.
Cool. Do you ever use it? I didn't bother with the inner jacket as it apparently doesn't lock in or anything so I can just use any insulated layer really
@@RambloManiacs im mostly working indisde... and im in mountain unit, we get also a real Winterjacket ... brand "Carinthia" that cots 400euro crazy expensive that stuff xD so no i dont use it as often. but in the field its part of the "combat suit" so have to wear that jaket, even in sommer. there a exeptions . if you have a combat shirt.. but its not part of the stuff we get for daylie use.
@@RambloManiacs im looking at getting a goretex version of what you got in this video. i too really like the flecktarn and the fact its surplus history and super well made seals the deal for me :)
@@narutobroken check out forcesuniformandkit.co.uk. they give a pretty good list of sizes and explain the sizing system. I'm around 165cm, 66kg and 38" chest. There's extra space in these for a liner as with most military jackets.
GR1 is like small, short. I could also wear a GR6 which would be same chest size, but regular length. Go to forcesuniformandkit.co.uk and the sizes are listed
How tall are you and what chest size please. I’m looking to buy 1. I’m 5’10” 42” chest. I’m not wearing it with the liner so I don’t want it loose on me. Different websites advise different sizes. I’m wondering if I can get a way with a short length so it’s not covering half my thigh. Thx
I've got an older edition one and I love it, but the newer one is a bit of an upgrade. Mine was made in 1997, makes me feel young and is 80% cotton, 20% polyester so it's even worse in the rain, but I have waxed it a bit. Pretty rugged and I'd say it's still in serviceable condition after all these years. Pretty much no fading, the camo is intact, no tear-ups - only a replaced zipper which might have been my fault. Still trying to find a more recent one just for the different cotton to polyester ratio.
@@RambloManiacs I’m not real acquainted with Celsius so after googling it, it’s equivalent to 86 degrees Fahrenheit correct? So warm water? I washed it on the warm setting and it turned out good. I didn’t see any fading only thing is on the tag inside the collar most of the lettering washed out. So all the German words are no longer legible. Which really isn’t a big issue to me since I can’t speak German anyways.
@@Rpg39_ yep. Sounds right. My label is very clear (but still German lol). I believe some have a different cotton/poly ratio, but doesn't make much difference at 30°C.
@@RambloManiacs Yes, they do have a different ratio. I have one made in 1992 and it's 80% cotton, 20% polyester vs your 65/35. I live in New Hampshire, roughly 100km north of Boston, MA. This week I've worn it over a merino wool sweater in -10°F(-23°C) with good results. I'd like to get the liner next though as I could feel the chill in my bones for a while haha
@@thescatologistcopromancer3936 yeh I think at that temp you need another layer(it never gets that cold here). A military smock/parka like this is really just a protective layer for your other clothes and some wind resistance. I do find it traps heat well though, whilst remaining breathable. Thanks for watching and commenting! 👍🙂
Always surprises me that Fjallraven are still fooling people with the whole G-1000 schtick - as you say it's just polycotton (and pretty thin polycotton at that)! Not bad gear at all but very overpriced for what it is.
Sat in my Flecktarn liner watching this (bloody energy prices haha) Fabreeze took the foisty? smell out of mine strangely the liner smelt fine, will have to look into fabsil or wax but wouldn't wax affect the breathability?
I think it would yeh. A lot of modern waxed cotton gear is "dry waxed" somehow and much more breathable than the old school sticky waxed jackets, but I have no idea how they do it. Probs best to only treat certain areas like I did with the fabsil.
Resistant to MOTHS??? Where in hell are MOTHS an issue, when outdoors??? Are people being attacked by big, giant MOTHS in Germany somewhere!!!??? I wonder if it can be dyed? Black, perhsps.
Haha. No, moths destroy natural fibres. Their larvae can create holes by burrowing. When things are stored for a long time, eg army surplus, people treat clothing with anti moth stuff. I'm sure you could dye it to some degree
These jackets are becoming rare as the German army is destroying all their new surplus uniforms now. Better to keep it in your collection than to ruin it by dying it.