Austrian army 'M65' jacket review

[Inky]

Hi, I just bought one of these so I thought I'd post a quick review for anyone considering getting one.

Discription: The jacket is clearly well made of a tough 65/35 polly/cotton mix. Colour is a darkish olive green tending towards brownish green in some lights. It has a full length lining, four outer pockets fastened by hidden buttons and one internal chest pocket. The jacket does up by way of a chunky zip covered by a button up flap (once again with hidden buttons). It has a hood that is concealed in the collar by a zip pocket. The hood is attached by some sort of stretchy webbed material inside the collar allowing for slightly different hights of ware (with without hat etc ). Cuffs are very large and can be done up by buttons with two settings. There are internal sintch cords for waist and hem.

Observations: Perhapse the first thing you notice about the jacket is the weight. It is heavy for what it is. This is part the thickness of the fabrics and part the fact that it is fully lined. Certainly it would be super tough and totally windproof but god only knows how it would feel if it got soaked through. I intend to wash it in nikwax or do something to keep the rain off it a bit. Second thing is that while it is styled on the American M65 it is actually a good deal longer and in truth bares as much resemblance to a british army smock as the M65. I got a large size (104/108) and I would say that it is a similar size to a 180/104 smock.
The hood in the collar makes the collar rather fat, especially in the middle but this is to be expected. The hood also has a draw cord to tighten it up and the collar folds up and has a button to do it up round the chin.

Conclusions: the jacket looks very nice in my opinion (a bit smarter than an army smock) and is clearly very robust. As mentioned it is thick and heavy. I guess in this sence it would have been better if the lining was a thermal button in one like the US jacket rather than a built in Polly/cotton one. The issue ties into the issue of it getting soaked, where you can see it becoming very heavy and taking an age to dry.
All in all I'd say its a good alternative to the US jacket and considerably cheaper at around £15/20.

 

[Danny1962]

I got an Austrian Army M65 jacket as a Christmas present from my wife. It's in as-new condition, bought from Surplus and Outdoors for £40. In the left hand pocket I found a sheet of paper written in German and in Slovak, detailing the quality control final inspection and dated August 1994. I suspect it has never been worn before and has been in storage for the past 20 years. I'm extremely pleased with the garment. I'm glad I got a genuine article, not a cheap reproduction.

Because of the lining the jacket is noticeably heavier than the German army flecktarn parka or the UK forces combat smock. It's thickly lined, very warm, and is obviously of high quality. I find it very comfortable and in the Olive Green it doesn't look overtly military. Fabric is 65% polyester, 35% cotton.

Sizing for mine is 104-108 which fits me well... I'm 6'1", 14 stone 5 lb, and I buy civvie shirts in a 17.5" neck, and tops/jackets in XL or a 44-46" chest. There is room for a jumper and thick shirt underneath, but another thick layer would be too much and since this M65 is so warm it would be unnecessary anyway. It fits well, looks smart and is very comfortable.

The fastenings are all button, there are no press studs or velcro anywhere. The five pockets are button fastened and a nice touch is that the button is concealed by the pocket flap.

Like Inky I'm not sure I'd want to get this jacket soaking wet, it will take a lot longer to dry than the unlined UK style ones.

So this jacket will be more for social wear than for wandering around in the woods, fixing the bike or digging the garden... instead I've got several near-indestructible British combat jackets for using and abusing. I want to keep the M65 looking smart and undamaged. I think it will last me for a great many years, I can imagine me still wearing it in 30 years time. People on this forum and others obviously have a very high regard for these jackets and I can see why.

 

[Zig Zag]

I bought one of these as well, at a surplus store in Montreal, Quebec. I wanted a field jacket that was tough and durable, that I could wear in the bush and around a fire without worrying about getting tears or holes in it, like a Goretex jacket. It's coated with a waterproofing agent I think, similar to the M65 field jacket formerly issued by the US. It's pretty heavy, I removed the inner lining to try and make it a more lightweight jacket that I could wear in warmer weather. Good alternative to the US M65 jackets, which are getting more and more expensive.

 

[Danny1962]

Sounds like an interesting plan, Zig Zag. By the look of it you'd need to be careful where you make the cut -- too near the neck and it will expose the hood's storage area. You'd also lose the drawstring and the inner pocket, as they are both attached to the lining. I'm not going to try this on my new one, but if I ever came across a Grade 2 jacket for not much money I'd give it a go.

 

[Zig Zag]

Ya I left the upper shoulder portion in from the lining to keep the hood 'pocket', and the drawstring has its own stitched in piece separate from the liner. I re-sewed the inner pocket into place as well, so I was able to keep it. Took a bit of work doing this mod that's for sure....