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Posted: 9/8/2011 10:47:07 AM EDT
| Need some input from you guys with experience with these jackets and the liners. Would you recomend them as a cost effective alternative for a cold weather coat that you can get nasty? Are they comfortable or are they a pain and not worth the $20-$40 they are going for? |
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I wear a black one on the regular when it gets chilly, and add a hoody under it when it gets colder along with whatever other long sleeves I'm wearing under that. Love that jacket. Wish I could find one of the brown leather ones they used to make. http://www.flyingtigerssurplus.com/showitem-5386.html I have a black one. I did not buy from this vendor but it's a Cooper jacket just like this. I've had it for 10-15 years now and it has held up extremely well. (made in Pakistan) |
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As a point of reference, I was once stuck along the highway in a horrible February blizzard. I had an M65 field jacket on with a fleece hoody Underneath and had no problem handling the blowing snow.
Well, the hood sucks, but kept my head (reasonably) out of the elements. They have their place 
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| I also have one that I have had since the mid 70's. I got it with the liner and I wear it every year hunting since then and doing all kinds of outside stuff in it. It has held up to the punishment I have put it through. I have never had a problem staying warm with it in cold weather. |
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Used mine with a .mil fleece hoody when it was hitting neg temps here this past winter. Wind was MEAN
out here in West TX. Even got sprayed with fresh water outside where I work and the water froze on contact on surface of jacket, never got to the fleece. Was still toasty. I love them. 
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I wear a black one on the regular when it gets chilly, and add a hoody under it when it gets colder along with whatever other long sleeves I'm wearing under that. Love that jacket. Wish I could find one of the brown leather ones they used to make. The reason you can't find one of the leather ones is that they were so cheaply made that most either fell apart or were discarded, and thus were never re-sold. I have one. I spent a fair amount of $ adjusting/fixing the OEM short-cuts and screw-ups. Leather is surface-dyed, so any little scratch shows up instantly. Nice for looks––when new, but not a long-term garment. Any GI M-65 will last years longer, under same conditions. At current prices, and assuming quality leather and quality construction, an M-65 leather jacket would probably run upwards of $500. Anyone would be better off buying a couple of good M-56 surplus jackets than wasting $$ on a cheap leather look-alike. Trust me on this. You got lucky and missed the chance to waste money on a cheapo. |
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The USGI field jacket has proved so useful over the decades as to become both a utilitarian and fashion icon. It's origins go back to the classic bush coat of African Safari legend and even further into the past; all of these garments being supremely utilitarian clothing.
The GI Field Jacket (actually in Gov't parlance "Coat, Field") began in 1943, with an all-cotton, buttoned shell-style garment. GI's loved it, as they could practilally live out of the jacket, with all its pockets. Over decades, it has shed its original brown buttons, gaining a stout zipper, velcro closures, and even an integral hood. The GI field jacket, has endured because its form follows the functions required of it. It has no frills; no excesses devoted to mere fashion. As such it is iconic. A garment so useful, yet so simple as to beggar the imagination how it could be greatly be improved. Anyone finding a good condition USGI Field jacket that fits them, or a loved one, should rescue it, and provide it with a good home. You will own a piece of history, and have the honor of wearing a garment that has served countless US troops in peace and war throught the globe. You will also have one of the finest garments ever made. |
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Now that I have got all that out of my system, some more practical notes.
First of all, owning as I do all the various iterations of thei garment (I am a collector), the M-65 is unquestionably the best as far as practicality goes. For style and panache, the all-cotton, wide-lapelled M-1943 has no equal, but examples in good condition are nearly unobtainable, and demand collectors prices. No matter, we deal here with the obtainable, not collector's items. Be advised that the market is flooded with cheap, mostly nylon versions of these coats, some of which are labeled to fool the uninformed buyer. The material is coarse, almost grating against the hand compared to the stouter, stronger, but gentler-feeling material of the genuine versions. The Field jacket's main fault is that being a used for decades as a garment, it's original water-repellancy––always questionable––has long gone away with repeated launderings. NikWax offers some products that will restore your field jacket's water-repellancy to near-new standards. (disclaimer: no financial interest). Clean your field jacket, follow the instructions, and you will have a coat that will shed occasional short rains. Anything more than an occasional shower requires an outer waterproof garment, even if your field jacket is fully up to spec. The Mil says so,and they issued gear for just this reason. The older WW II/Korean War Field Jacket all-cotton hoods can still be found, and they will button onto the shoulder buttons of the M-65. If you can find one, they are vastly better than the integral hood. Even better to use both if conditions dictate. The wierd button on the front of the M-65 helps to secure the front of the older cotton hood, as well as the fur-ruffed hood that is most often seen with the M-1950 winter parka. These hoods will button right in, and the way they do so also explains the button holes on the back of the M-65 collar. M-65s are internally buttoned to accept a liner, field coat, but in practice, it is much better to wear a fleece jacket or vest inside the coat. The front flap and pocket snaps are there as a sort of emergency closure. Don't use 'em much, as replcing them is durn near impossible. The original coat has an elastic drawstring at the lower hem of the jacket, and a cotton cord drawstring at the waist. Over time, the elastic on the lower unit might have gone away. Take the time to replace both lower hem and waist drawstrings with new elastic cord. Elastic in the waist cord will let you breathe a bit easier, and will keep the jacket a lot warmer if the drawstring's tight. Any further questions, fire away. |
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The reason you can't find one of the leather ones is that they were so cheaply made that most either fell apart or were discarded, and thus were never re-sold. Mine's 20 years old and still going strong - other than a not a-typical bit of seam loss inside the pockets. May well have been a different manufacturer, though - the leather is super heavy and has stood up to fairly serious use, though in fairness not anything I'd call abuse. |
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I've gone through several Wyoming winters with nothing but an M65 (got a black one and a woodland one left.). Normal course of events, the original equipment liner is good to go down to around -10 or -20. Wind kicks up or it gets colder, a good, heavy hoodie underneath fixes it up. I always buy a size bigger (although I've only ever "bought" one, the rest being issued) to allow extra layers beneath. While I have used the integral hood by itself from time to time, I've found that it's much better as a cover for a hoodie hood worn underneath the jacket. Deploying it in bad weather does create a bit of a draft, though. |
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I used my current one for 10 years with a liner, and a hooded flannel inside it during Upstate NY winters, and it kept me toasty. In those 10 years, I had to get a new hooded flannel about every other year, but the jacket held up perfectly. My current M65 is being retired because the zipper backing ripped about 1/2" from the bottom, but other than that, the jacket still held me though half of last winter using the buttons, and waist tie. The one before this lasted 8 years, and a lot more of the "rough stuff" outdoors. Speaking of that, I should go pick up a replacement soon... it is September already 
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| Ive still got 2 woodland field jackets and a nomex woodland field jacket in a duffle in my garage, and a few black fleece sets and green quilted jacket liner and pants liner. All Im missing is the M-65 trousers to go with the jackets, Ive seen them in surplus catalogs but never had a set issued or even seen them in person. |
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I had a M65 woodland jacket that I wore growing up. I thought it was the bees knees. Best jacet ever etc. Throw in a quilted liner, nothing better. Then I picked up a surplus gen 1 ECWCS jacket. Haven't gone back to the M65 since....
ECWCS parkas are > 1950 style jacket. |
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I wear MR in BDU/DCU/ACU but with the M65 I wear a SR. The MR is too big on me, I'm 6'1 and 170 and it's baggy as hell and using the pull chord makes it look all retarded. Best money you can invest it, plus you can find them anywhere. I wear mine when we go shooting in the winters or doing work around the house and what not. Not allowed to wear em at our unit
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To size these up do you just use the regualr BDU coat size? If you're a Lg regular in BDU coat, you get a L/R in M65? I don't know if the sizes of the two garments coincide fully, but the general system is the same. IOW, chest size, height. The M-65 was initially sized to allow use of the button-in liner, normal clothing, and perhaps a sweater to be worn underneath it. Being sized pretty full, one can put on a few layers underneath the jacket, and the M-65 will still allow full range of movement. It's not uncommon to find that one can go down a chest size, but you should use the right height spec, since that is not subject to change. Some folks can go maybe go down two chest sizes if they know that they will wear nothing but a shirt underneath the M-65. When experimenting with sizes, it is essential to try-on the garment, and check for full range of movement, etc. while wearing your personal amount of layers under the jacket. |
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Any hints on quality of the various M65's being currently made?
I was looking at the Alpha Industries one, but there are also the ones from Tru_spec/Atlanco and Rothco. These is some spread in pricing, so I would assume they're not all made the same. Advice would be appreciated. |
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Quoted:
I had a M65 woodland jacket that I wore growing up. I thought it was the bees knees. Best jacet ever etc. Throw in a quilted liner, nothing better. Then I picked up a surplus gen 1 ECWCS jacket. Haven't gone back to the M65 since.... ECWCS parkas are > 1950 style jacket. Ill rock a goretex if its rainy/wet outside, but If Im hunting and its either dry or frozen, the field jacket/liner comes along. Goretex jackets are too noisy for my tastes. |
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I have an M-43 dated 1944 in size 46 which is really a size 50 so you could layer. It is huge and in great condition. I also have the postwar M-43 Norweigan copy, a late 70's M-65 in brown dominate ERDL, and a three color desert, woodland, and UCP Golden MFG 2006 contract M-65. I love them all as they breathe so well for me, Goretex makes me sweat like a pig if it is not pretty cold.
I have no experience with the newer made ones, surplus ones can still be found on eBay at a good price if you are patient and a smaller size. Larger sizes usually leads to a dog fight there. |
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