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Worried one might not be a good idea, but they look soooo cool.
A poly cotton one would look coolest, but be as sensible as flip-flops in a blizzard. There are quite a few Gore-Tex versions around. I have a cotton/EPIC field type jacket and it’s great for all but the most persistent rain, and no rustling when walking.
Love my Austrian army issue but limit it to cold and windy days with showers. Passing down would be a bit too much.
I wear mine to the pub. Sometimes it rains. Actually… I live in the East Lancs hills. It always rains. Does that count?
Not quite, but recently got this Alpinestars jacket for commuting on my motorbike:
Warm, water and abrasion-proof and was about £90.
Too heavy to wear while exerting effort though
Although not exactly a M65 field jacket (it's called a Parka by Patagonia) my Patagonia isthmus jacket has been decent for the last 12 months.
It's one of the only jackets I've owned that people compliment me on.
Middle aged men that want to be Paul Weller/Che Guevara 😁
Middle aged men that want to be Bob Mortimer
FTFY 😆
It's very nice. Warm, good pockets, looks like a normal human jacket.
Other colours (maybe sizes too).
Very easy purchase (i.e no Brexit issues)
Middle aged men that want to be Paul Weller/Che Guevara 😁
Middle aged men that want to be Bob Mortimer
FTFY 😆
Yeah, my purchase was also provoked by watching another middle aged man fishing on BBC1 rather than De Niro in Taxi Driver 😃
I’ve got an Alpha insulated one. It’s tough enough that it brushes off brambles and branches. I nikwaxed it so it’s showerproof but definitely not waterproof. And it’s heavy. Big strong pockets. Practical but not foul weather.
The genuine uninsulated ones are a very odd fit (I think designed to be worn over other kit and/or pop in insulated liner.
There are loads of m65 ish fashion/designer jackets in everything from thin cotton to gore Tex. I used to have a nice light showerproof by Finestere.
Frahm field jackets looks good (but expensive)
I like m65s!
I've got one with a liner (Bob Mortimer not Bob De Taxidriver). Warm enough with the liner in and I've got soaked in it a couple of times, but I'd rather be wearing some 21st century space/magic fabrics if I was out all day in really bad weather.
I have an old Fjallraven jacket (similar polycotton )that I use for outdoor hardcore dog walks/deer tracking. It's good for pushing through bracken/scrub but as I operate warm if I apply any of the Instagram approved magic Fjallraven wax then it transforms into a coat that soaks you from the inside out when it's not raining but still remains a jacket that wets out as quick as a teenagers bedside tissue box.
It looks good though
Fjallraven jackets are overpriced rubbish.
Used nearly a full block of wax trying to get mine waterproof.
Slightest hint of drizzle, soaked to the skin.
@didnthurt - damn you, I now have an isthmus winging it’s way to me care of some previously unused vouchers - just when I was getting my jacket habit under control
OP - army surplus / military M65’s tend to be boxey shapeless garments, that even with the button in insulation aren’t great in cold weather. Good work jackets though as cheap and pretty robust
I’ve got a Danish army M84 jacket that’s based on the M65. I wanted one for ages, along with the matching BDU combat trousers, but they were ridiculously expensive, then they suddenly dropped in price, so I bought two pairs of the combats and a jacket for £70, which was about what one pair of the combats went for! The jackets were over £100. The camo pattern was very popular among paintball players and collectors, and the Danes wouldn’t release much onto the open market, until they decided to adopt the same pattern that the British army now uses, and dumped their entire inventory onto the civvi market.
It’s great to wear, being poly-cotton it’s very quiet, and soft, it obviously isn’t waterproof, but it’s fine in drizzly weather, and surprisingly warm, because the material is very closely woven and windproof. I usually wear mine with a fleece and a light mid/base-layer underneath.
The combats are really only for autumn/winter/early spring, because they’re 3/4-lined, and almost too warm at times.
USAF M65 here, use it when archerying.. it not the warmest. But look good and has same original badges.
Got it cheap at the local surplus shop :).
For cheap, useful, and equally unwaterproof jackets, I had a couple of SAS windproofs for mucking about in. One general one with no wire in the hood, and the Arctic spec one with thicker material and a wired hood.
Pockets everywhere, hood rolled up nicely out of the way, was actually windproof, cotton so silent in use if youre looking for that and repairable if you snagged it on thorns or barbed wire. Always thought to get one and wax it, might still one day. Anyway, about £25 each they were, and I think I 'll have a look for another now.
Fjall polycottons are decent, I’ve got one jacket that has been worn ‘appropriate to the conditions’ for over 15 years and it’s still going strong, prices a bit silly now.
Arktis Swedish M90 for the win btw
I have an Isthmus parka too and it's great. V warm but looks and feels lovely. Possibly my fav jacket (and I have, er... a few) definitely for winter.
I use one for work and have the button in liner, great on windy days and pretty durable not really tested it in the wet though.
The best jackets I have for serious outdoor activities are both pile and pertex.
Gore/membranes don't vent enough for me - I move quickly/operate warm.
I would like to try Paramo Analogy.
I have a Montane Hydrogen which is the lighter weight and a Montane Extreme which is the heavier/warmer version. Really good wicking properties (don't wear anything underneath them) warm when soaked through and vent/dump heat well.
Same materials as Buffalo but with hoods and I know Montane fit me well.
If it's proper grim I'll throw a Snugpack poncho over the top.
My Fjallraven polycotton as mention above are okay for bimbling about - anything serious and the neck/shoulder area wets out with sweat from the inside. Plenty of pockets though so good for Fido stuff.
USAF M65 here, use it when archerying.
Always wear green on the shooting line.
Like eddiebaby I have an Austrian army jacket, but it’s the mountain troops version not an M65. It’s great, though definitely a shell, rather than something designed to keep you warm on its own. Build quality is very good, and having reproofed it, it seems pretty waterproof. It can be differentiated by the velcro shield patches on the sleeves.