Looking for a new smock: Are these any good?

[Bazooka Joe]

Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about getting myself a new smock in olive (rather than the camo one I have at present), so I've been looking on Ebay and have found a knock off of the Army's PCS smock, which is available in both standard and MVP versions.

I've been very happy with the performance of my Arktis smock, and am a bit worried that I'll be disappointed

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/British-A...hash=item4af3249ea9:m:mfJWZZAF-YrFWkR5Dp8nxDw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/British-A...hash=item33abe48fe6:m:mfJWZZAF-YrFWkR5Dp8nxDw

I see that Helikon also do one of these (not waterproof though), and I've been quite pleased with some of the Helikon stuff I've had in the past....

Has anyone here any experience with any of the above smocks, or have any alternative recommendations (budget about £100 max.)

Cheers
Joe

 

[leaky5]

I have one of these in black non MVP and I love it. I first spotted the prototype on a the rack in their shop and thought it looked really good. The father of the business spent a lot of time out with the manufacturer in the far east getting these right and I could not wait for them to get the final product in store.
I would wear it all the time if I could, although it has just been to cold of late to wear it all the time and it is also very water resistant. I will most likely buy an Olive Green version as well this year.
Great store and family who run the shop. If I need something I always try and put my business their way first.

ps I have had a few genuine army PCS jackets in my house recently and these are just as well made.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear that they're a worthwhile buy.

 

[Klenchblaize]

May be worth considering:

http://www.game-clothing.co.uk/game-mens-stalking-smock-907-p.asp

K

 

[philipb]

bit of a cheek calling it a SAS windproof.

 

[Tonyuk]

I've got one of these on the way;

https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-windproof-smock-olive-drab/32653

Will let you know what its like when it arrives, i wouldn't go spending more than £50 on a smock though, have a look at the old issue field jackets.

Tonyuk

 

[Bazooka Joe]

May be worth considering:

http://www.game-clothing.co.uk/game-mens-stalking-smock-907-p.asp

K

Thanks. They do look quite good, but I really need a bit more pocket capacity.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I've got one of these on the way;

https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-windproof-smock-olive-drab/32653

Will let you know what its like when it arrives, i wouldn't go spending more than £50 on a smock though, have a look at the old issue field jackets.

Tonyuk

Cheers. Let us know what you think.

 

[leaky5]

bit of a cheek calling it a SAS windproof.

To be fair there are over 300 UK listings on E Bay for SAS smock and most of them are bog standard jackets. It's more about getting people to look at your ad.

 

[Steve27752]

I bought one from this seller about six months ago. It is a well made jacket and i wear it often.

 

[leaky5]

I bought one from this seller about six months ago. It is a well made jacket and i wear it often.

Do you remember what you paid for it Steve, I bought mine in September and IIRC it was £60 then.

I wont repeat the post here, but some of my thoughts about the shop are here - http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138422&page=2&p=1741797#post1741797

 

[philipb]

To be fair there are over 300 UK listings on E Bay for SAS smock and most of them are bog standard jackets. It's more about getting people to look at your ad.

I know why they are described like this but it is still not an accurate description. Just because it is common practice does not make it correct and the fact it is so common to prefix every piece of army surplus kit with "SAS" means your advert does not stand out anyway.

Rant over apologies for going of topic

 

[Jaeger]

Some time back I came across a fold up 'SAS' chair in a surplus shop - how could they know that I wondered? - Turned out to be slightly damaged - 'Sold As Seen'

 

[bob_the_bomb]

I know why they are described like this but it is still not an accurate description. Just because it is common practice does not make it correct and the fact it is so common to prefix every piece of army surplus kit with "SAS" means your advert does not stand out anyway.

Rant over apologies for going of topic

Agreed. 100%. In this case, given that the Army started to use DPM with the '66 pattern combats, it's a bit of a stretch to call this 'British Army' let alone SAS. Trades Descriptions Act?

 

[Steve27752]

Do you remember what you paid for it Steve, I bought mine in September and IIRC it was £60 then.

I wont repeat the post here, but some of my thoughts about the shop are here - http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138422&page=2&p=1741797#post1741797

I think it was about £60, otherwise I would not have bought it.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Upon reflection if you've had an Arktis garment save your pennies and get one of these in non camo:

http://www.arktisltd.co.uk/index.php/products/b221/

All the best

K

 

[Tonyuk]

Cheers. Let us know what you think.

The smock came yesterday, first impressions are good. The cut is very similar to the issued pcs smock and so is the sizing. Material is a kind of half way between the current issue thick cloth and the older arctic gaberdine kit, very nice actually. The hood has no wire peak but is roomy enough to fit a trapper hat under at-least, the material in the hand warmer pockets is quite thin but i prefer this as it seems to be very quick drying. There's a fair bit of Velcro on it but this can be unpicked reasonably easily. Pockets are a good size and the adjustment system is very good, better than the issue kit actually. I wish the buttons and Velcro on the Mk2 were the same color as the material but that's a very minor niggle. Overall the smock seems very good and well made, i'll get a proper review up once I've tested it.

Tonyuk

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Sounds good Tony. I look forward to the full review.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Time for an update. I eventually decided against the model I linked to originally, as I like the zip chest pockets and this model didn't have them. I ordered one from Helikon instead, which will hopefully be arriving sometime soon.

 

[leaky5]

Interesting. Do you mean the 2 vertical zip pockets by the top pockets? If so the photo on the first link is wrong. These are exact copies of the current British army jacket and do have these pockets

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