Bush Jackets

[H.Johnson]

One should visit at least once in one's life. An institution. I was pleased to meet Kevin's dad, who started the operation in the aftermath of WW2. That guy is the godfather of army surplus in the South West.

That's where I got mine. Unissued and cheap.

 

[BellyTank]

HJ, you do seem to get some great bargains in surplus stores. I'll have to try and find myself some - all the ones I used to use here in London have disappeared (many of them due to the ongoing efforts of Camden Council to turn the market there into a place where tourists can buy shoddy t shirts and smelly candles), with the exception of Silvermans (not exactly a cheap option, though!).

EDWARD- I gave you a list of London surplus shops,
on another thread where you were complaining about Camden.
To cut a long story short- there is one near Camden-
Kentish Town Rd.

http://www.squadronhq.com/index.asp?function=WEBPAGE&page=2

Run by ex-staff of the famous but gone, Laurence Corner, which was
at the top of TCR.

B
T

 

[Edward]

EDWARD- I gave you a list of London surplus shops,
on another thread where you were complaining about Camden.
To cut a long story short- there is one near Camden-
Kentish Town Rd.

http://www.squadronhq.com/index.asp?function=WEBPAGE&page=2

Run by ex-staff of the famous but gone, Laurence Corner, which was
at the top of TCR.

B
T

BT, thanks I'll have ahunt or that - i must have missed it?? Laurence Corner, that's the one i was trying to remember. It was great. I'll check this new place out in the next couple of weeks.

 

[BellyTank]

Laurence Corner was great.


B
T

 

[cookie]

WWII 40s RAF officer Khaki drill tunic bush jacket

This rather nice example was recently sold on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220511183703&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Here's some pics:

 

[KilroyCD]

Quite nice! I only wish the one I bought through WPG was cut as long as that!

 

[Beowulf]

Anything new on the bush jacket market? It seems it has been a while since any post.

 

[Mike K.]

I haven't seen anything new on the market, but noticed that anchor Brian Williams on NBC News has been wearing a nice olive-colored bush jacket while covering recent events in Egypt.

 

[PADDY]

Can't wait for the safari jacket to come out of the closet!! turn up the sunlight over here folks.

In the meanwhile...leather buttons stitched on.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Oh I Like that most awfully, the leather buttons certainly make it sing

 

[StewartU]

I just received the Cabelas safari jacket in large tall. I am very pleased. I am 6 foot 2 and about 195 pounds and this fits me perfectly. I got the green color and am very happy.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

A cheap bush jacket: French m47 jacket (indochine war). I got one and its one of the best jacket i have ever had.

It appears also like ¨m47 veste¨ (veste: jacket) or Veste M47 Algérie in ebay.fr. Another place where you can find it cheap is

http://www.trancheemilitaire.com/1327-veste-m47-algerie-originale.html



. Sizes: XL is about 44´´ size underarms (112 cm around chest). The ¨french army¨ size printed on the XL jacket is ¨46¨.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Just picked up a new old stock bush jacket from Hunting World on Ebay. It showed up today and I’m very pleased with it. Wore it a bit outside where it’s near 90 degrees and it was quite comfortable. Here’s a quick shot. I’ll try and snap a decent photo later when it’s not so bright.

 

[Eric P]

Nice fit! The collar almost has the 70's look. I can dig it!!!!!

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Nice fit! The collar almost has the 70's look. I can dig it!!!!!

Thanks. I rather liked the collar when I saw it. Kind of fun.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

My Review of the Hunting World Bush Jacket

Here’s a slightly more detailed photo with more even lighting. The color still comes out a bit light. Forgive the folds; I am horrible at ironing so I haven’t attempted it.

Originally made in China for Hunting World. I went with the more versatile brown without shoulder epaulets. It has a larger 70’s style collar. 100% cotton, lightweight, with a pleated back for a greater range of movement. Four exterior pockets. The buttons feel as if they are sewn on well. Fabric feels quite durable.

Fit info: I’m a chest measurement size 40, but a size 41 if you go around the shoulders and subtract. I’ve only ever worn a size 40 suit and they are usually a bit tight so the jacket I ordered is a size 42 and the fit is perfect over a dress shirt and undershirt. If a 41 had been available I probably would have ordered it and it would have been too tight and constricting. If I wanted to wear it over a sweater or sweatshirt the fit would be tight. With a stomach measurement of about 40 as well, if I had ordered a smaller size it probably would have been rather tight in the midsection.

Wore it outside today for a few hours while doing some garage cleaning. It was about 90 degrees but I remained comfortable in it. I haven’t a clue how it would compare to higher end jackets, but I think this one is going to be fun to put it to use later this year. Paid about $55 total for it on Ebay.

 

[pipvh]

Just found a photo of my grandfather and some of his friends in India about 1925, dressed for pigsticking. An array of bush jackets: officers'-style tunics; recognizable ancestors of the safari jacket; a rather modern-looking KD hunting jacket with (possibly leather) patches on the shoulders; and amazingly, a leather jacket of some sort, which looks very much like a contemporary Belstaff piece. I'll try and remove the pic from its album and scan it.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Love my hunting world jacket for around the yard, but needed something better for heading out into the great outdoors. So here are some pics of my Orvis field jacket. Too bright so I had to stand on a hill behind a shed and they still didn’t come out right. Comfortable and not too heavy. Lots of big pockets. Only downside is the sleeves are about ½ shorter than I would like, and I can pull the sleeves up, but they’re not wide enough to properly roll up and button, but this should be a good one for getting out and about. Not sure why they put grommets in the belt, you’d have to have a pretty big stomach to be able to use them.

 

[Yeps]

I have a question for y'all about bush jackets. Do you know where I can find one that is not cotton? I would love to add one as a lightweight jacket to wear while in the outdoors, but cotton is notoriously heavy, unpleasant when wet, and generally unsuitable for serious outdoor activity.

I love natural fibers as much as the next guy (no synthetics in everyday life), but for technical gear, I prefer the advancements in textile technology that allow us to have lightweight, quick drying clothes.

So, that long, rambling post aside, does anyone know where I can get a classically designed bush/safari jacket suitable for technical use?

 

[Doctor Damage]

Anything new on the bush jacket market? It seems it has been a while since any post.

About two years ago, before I knew about this forum, I had researched safari jackets and found the list of available models is not very long. I liked the looks of the Beretta GU55 and Kevins's models best, but checking today it appears neither are available anymore. I never really liked the look of the Filson, since I thought the chest pockets looked too small and I would prefer the hip pockets to be bellows. Stafford & Sons make safari jackets (made in the USA!) which look good and have an interesting full-lenght rear box pleat. US Wings still has their affordable safari jackets, but in all the online photos I've seen of them the breast pockets never seem to line up. I don't know if there are any UK sources.

Beretta GU55:



Kevin's Catalog:



Filson:



Stafford: