Ft Irwin OPFOR sage green cold weather parka

[Bob Hudson]

We've had some threads in the past about the green/gray military issue parkas built like the Gore Tex desert and woodland camo parkas common among US forces.

 

Some of those threads had outside photo hosting services which have disappeared as accounts get deleted over the years. So this one has photos uploaded to the forum servers where they should stay for a long while.

 

We've had members recall using these at Fort Irwin and indeed the contract number in this starts with DAKF04 which is the local contracting authority for the Ft. Irwin National Training Center. This is one is from 1994. It has all the bells and whistles of the camo ECWCS parkas including under-arm vent zippers and taped seams, which are usually Gore Tex tapes or similar (on the issue camo parkas I see seam tapes without and without GORE-TEX imprinted on them, but the tapes look identical otherwise).

 

The color is that sort of green/gray that can look quite green to the naked eye and quite gray in a digital photo.

 

One very unusual thing: this main zipper is Velcro'ed in! I haven't figured that out yet. Is it a repair?

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

Here's the Velcro zipper:

 

 

 

[RustyCanteen]

I don't like to speculate, but what if the top and bottom of the zipper were sewn to the parka, and the velcro was not to remove the zipper; but to allow someone to reach under the parka without actually unzipping it? I don't know, just an idea.

[Bob Hudson]

I don't like to speculate, but what if the top and bottom of the zipper were sewn to the parka, and the velcro was not to remove the zipper; but to allow someone to reach under the parka without actually unzipping it? I don't know, just an idea.

 

You got it! I checked and the velcro opens wide enough to fit your hand through it - otherwise the zipper is sewn as is normal.

 

[RustyCanteen]

Well there you go!

 

Nice find

[Bob Hudson]

Here's a wikipedia entry on OPFOR at Ft Irwin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Irwin_National_Training_Center#OPFOR

[TomPearson]

I was stationed there with Bco 1 /52 Infantry OPFOR from June 92to late 93, these were issued items and were much sought after Jacket,

 

Tom

[kammo-man]

I was there and remember the burnt Human burning meat smell that was pumped into the air.

It was refreshing and reminded me of my youth in Belfast,.

[MattS]

Nice parka, I linked this to my thread on OPFOR uniforms: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/126268-opfor-uniforms-and-headgear/?hl=opfor

[collector74]

I had one in the 90s and have been looking like crazy for years for another!