You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I’m looking for a M65 style jacket. There seem to be a few different companies selling budget options. I like the look of the Brandit M65 with the quilted liner. It’s less than £50 so seems like a bargain.
Does anyone have experience of the Brandit jacket or can you recommend another similar jacket?
If you want a bargain, get a proper army surplus jacket for £20.
https://www.surplusandlost.co.uk/product/czech-army-surplus-dark-olive-green-m98-lined-parka-new-unissued/
as CraigW says.
I picked up an US Airforce M65 in an army surplus store. £40 quid.
Like this...
PS Dont know whay they sew the badges right through the pockets ?
Something about that ‘M65’ jacket above looks a bit off, for starters, those patches look more like shoulder patches, they wouldn’t normally be on the pockets, and it would be the person issued the jacket who would sew them on; unlikely he’d sew them in such a way that the pockets would be unusable.
Also, I’m not sure that it would have a hood zipped into the collar - usually hoods are buttoned on, or folded under the collar; I’ve got a Goretex USAF jacket, which has the hood inside the collar, and a Danish M84 field jacket based on the M65, which has press studs for attaching a hood, but a hood was never supplied!
Great jacket, picked up a jacket and two pairs of combats for £75 after the Danish military changed their camo from a Flectarn style to Multicam similar to the British Army, and dumped their entire inventory onto the open market; almost impossible to find for any reasonable price now, and the jackets were £100 before the dump, combats £75.
Edit - just looked at the Buzz Rickson M65 field jacket, which does have the zipped-in hood in the collar, so that part is correct, Buzz Rickson are obsessive about period detail.
Still not sure about those patches, but they can be cut off.
Badges are correct. US Airforce in Europe. On mine is some sort military police badge and little blue wing badges.
I reckon they sew straight through to stop the pocket sagging.
Mine has a zip hood, badges like the above pix and m65 label inside. I'll sort some pix later.
I have a Brandit M65 jacket I got from Military 1st for around £85.
It's great, I love it.
It's excellent quality, the fit is a bit 'unusual' but it's fine. I would usually have a Medium but ended up with a Small as the Medium drowned me.
It's very warm, and quite heavy which adds to the quality feel.
The front zip doesn't go particularly low, and the two halves of the jacket at the front have a slight fishtail appearance which is slightly odd, but the buttons go lower and mean that it can be done up further down than with the zip alone.
The quilted/fleecy liner is removable and whereas you could happily wear the outer jacket on it's own, you wouldn't want to wear the liner on it's own, which I think was the original idea in the military for tank crews etc etc, it looks ridiculous.
Anything else you need to know, in particular ?
https://www.military1st.co.uk/3101-1-brandit-m-65-giant-jacket-olive.html
https://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/m65-jacket-genuine-us-army-woodland-402562.html
Job Done 🙂
I'm 6ft and the M65 I use is a Large Regular.
I have a alpha industries M65 which is about 15 years old and still going strong.
Definitely has a zip hiding a cotton hood not that good but you could button in a parka hood.
With the liner it is a autumn and winter coat so ideal unless it is pouring rain.
This is mine. Came with the badges.
81st Security Force Patch.