Alpha Industries M65 Field Jacket

[Trenchfriend]

View attachment 559861

And? Just the pic?

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

anyone have any experience with this Rothco version? I'm half-considering one for a gift. In this instance, it has to be a new jacket. I like that it comes with the liner, and they go on sale for $85 at times.

Military Type Field Jacket and Quilted Liner Tactical Military M65 Tiger Stripe | eBay

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[mumpy]

anyone have any experience with this Rothco version? I'm half-considering one for a gift. In this instance, it has to be a new jacket. I like that it comes with the liner, and they go on sale for $85 at times.

Military Type Field Jacket and Quilted Liner Tactical Military M65 Tiger Stripe | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Military Type Field Jacket and Quilted Liner Tactical Military M65 Tiger Stripe at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I haven't tried the Rothco version but I can totally vouch for the Helikon M65, very robust and well made. Comes with a liner and is in a similar budget I think (got mine on discount).

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I haven't tried the Rothco version but I can totally vouch for the Helikon M65, very robust and well made. Comes with a liner and is in a similar budget I think (got mine on discount).

Let me know if you run into one for less than $100. I do like the look of them more than the Rothco, particularly the chest pocket sizing and look. I looked around a bit, and I'm seeing a consistent $140-160, most having to ship from Europe, so including shipping. Amazon has them too, but again $160 or so.

 

[mumpy]

Let me know if you run into one for less than $100. I do like the look of them more than the Rothco, particularly the chest pocket sizing and look. I looked around a bit, and I'm seeing a consistent $140-160, most having to ship from Europe, so including shipping. Amazon has them too, but again $160 or so.

Will let you know if I find something.

I am located in Europe and can be found much cheaper here indeed.

 

[barnabus]

I can totally vouch for the Helikon M65, very robust and well made. Comes with a liner and is in a similar budget I think (got mine on discount).

Ditto.

My Helikon has essentially stopped me posting in WJAYWT because it's been that, every day since it arrived. It is an excellent jacket.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I run into a little conundrum with authenticity and functionality. My intuitive preference is for more authenticity than not. Specifically, the chest pockets with the M-65. I'm drawn to the bigger, bellowed pocket of old, but I really do not like having to try to reach the bottom of those pockets when I need something. So, my desire for the authentic butts up against my other high priority: functionality. Every time...and I do mean every time...I'm forcing my hand down at an awkward angle (maybe if my arms were another foot longer, I could get that 180° reach down) into the pocket, I think I'm going to either rip the pocket stitching or tear the jacket chest material itself. The new ones have small pockets, like that for a wallet vs the old ones for M-16 cartridges (right?). Honestly, I think the small pockets look goofy too, but I'll be damned if they probably aren't nice when you have to dig into them.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I run into a little conundrum with authenticity and functionality. My intuitive preference is for more authenticity than not. Specifically, the chest pockets with the M-65. I'm drawn to the bigger, bellowed pocket of old, but I really do not like having to try to reach the bottom of those pockets when I need something. So, my desire for the authentic butts up against my other high priority: functionality. Every time...and I do mean every time...I'm forcing my hand down at an awkward angle (maybe if my arms were another foot longer, I could get that 180° reach down) into the pocket, I think I'm going to either rip the pocket stitching or tear the jacket chest material itself. The new ones have small pockets, like that for a wallet vs the old ones for M-16 cartridges (right?). Honestly, I think the small pockets look goofy too, but I'll be damned if they probably aren't nice when you have to dig into them.

My cheap and cheerful Rothco has the inauthentic small breast pockets but yes I agree they're easy to dig into and actually hold a lot of stuff despite their small size. As for the M-16 magazine thing, these jackets have the same pockets as the WW2 jackets and the Korean War jackets from which they descend, so no.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Ditto.

My Helikon has essentially stopped me posting in WJAYWT because it's been that, every day since it arrived. It is an excellent jacket.

And Helikon seemingly still has stock of the authentic zippers. I don't know, how much they bought, back then, but seemingly not less.

 

[vintagewool]

This is probably buried somewhere in this thread, so I apologize for any redundency. I was helping someone clean out their basement, and I ran into an old Greenbrier women's field jacket, size 14R, made in 1975. What surprised me was the fake breast pockets. They were just pocket flaps sewn to the chest to look like pockets. Is this normal for women's field jackets? If so, why? I don't think this is an M-65. It has a collar, with points, more similar to the M-51. It also has this neat little sewn on flap that you lay down when the collar is down, but then you can flip it up, and the collar up, and button it across the neck area to close that gap to avoid a draft spot. It's been a while since I had an M-51. Maybe that flap is normal, and I just didn't remember it. Anyone know what jacket this is?

I agree with Doctor Damage that it sounds like an M-1943 women's ("WAC") jacket, the 1970s version without "M-1943" on the label.

There has been some discussion and links about it and the false pockets here:

M-65 Field Jacket

I put the short (non-prickly) liner on the extra short jacket. The liner extends 1-1 1/2 inches past the bottom of the jacket. Also the bottom button and button hole don't line up, but that's a super easy fix--add a button hole to the liner. However, I will leave as is. It's unlikely I will be...

www.thefedoralounge.com

M-65 Field Jacket

I put the short (non-prickly) liner on the extra short jacket. The liner extends 1-1 1/2 inches past the bottom of the jacket. Also the bottom button and button hole don't line up, but that's a super easy fix--add a button hole to the liner. However, I will leave as is. It's unlikely I will be...

www.thefedoralounge.com