Sleeve pockets

[Springchicken]

I have noticed that a good number of military or military-inspired jackets have zipped pockets on the upper arm section of the sleeves. Given that the jacket itself is usually equipped with larger, more readily accessible pockets, what are these sleeve ones for? Does anyone use them? If so, what do you put in them for bushcraft, rather than military usage?

I am sure I'm missing out here but, thus far, cannot really think of anything I could usefully stow in these sleeve pockets!

 

[TLM]

Well, if one has a heavy vest on, the upper arm pockets come quite handy.

 

[hughtrimble]

I put a Zippo in one on a Craghoppers shirt, but promptly forgot that's where I'd stowed it when in need of it. So it basically stays empty. It's really very small though. I can see stowing small soft items in there might be useful, but have yet to do so.

 

[mrmike]

I put car keys and container key in one, and quad bike key in the other. May start putting air rifle magazines in the left one come to think of it....

 

[Toddy]

Keys, card, a couple of plasters, anti histamines......just small at hand stuff.

 

[Pattree]

Not much.
Occasionally specs.
Whatever goes in there had better be washing machine and dryer proof!!!

I find the ones in fleece and cotton shirts bloody useless as I need two hands to get the zip to move upwards.

 

[Herman30]

I have a combat shirt I wear summertime and therefore no pocket on the torso.
Armpockets are handy for credit card and keys and phone.

 

[Ozmundo]

Short answer. 1) Modern Body armour makes chest pockets difficult to access.

Long answer 2) During the Vietnam war US troops added quite large pockets to the upper sleeves of their fatigues. Often done by removing the front pockets of their shirt and could be quite large.

One purpose was to hold additional field dressings and medical kit where it could be reached as the belt kit was full and they often had a lot of clutter slung across the chest.

There was a resurgence of this during the global war on terror and body armour becoming more common.

And. 3) It’s now a fashion thing.

I don’t have much use for arm pockets but I’d put light or soft items in them I suppose. I’d rather not have hard items digging into my arms when going through undergrowth.

 

[forrestdweller]

iirc the NVA (that's the National People's Army, not the folks in Vietnam...) used the sleeve pocket for the compass and spare pistol magazine...

 

[Ozmundo]

Once soon a time the pockets were the ideal size for a packet of cigarettes.

A lot of it is fashion now. They even have Velcro swatches on the sleeves. And you have to put your ski pass somewhere.

 

[Springchicken]

It seems that, for bushcraft purposes, sleeve pockets are pretty useless, then. The only things that I can think of that might be suitable are snacks and a small cuts kit; however, I'd sooner keep the latter in a trouser pocket, as I'm less likely to take off my trousers when in the woods!

A compass, maybe? Mobile 'phone? Some cordage? A notebook and pen?

I feel certain that these pockets will be useful for something I just can't think what. Perhaps I should start wearing body armour in the woods...

 

[StevieE]

Not so much military outwear but I own a Helikon Tex smock which does have sleeve pockets and I find I carry a lot of things in there. First Aid kit, SAK etc. Has zip openings on the sleeves to allow fresh air in. I could tell you a good story about body armour but because I'm DBS checked and its confidential, I'm not allowed to say it.

 

[Nice65]

F

military-inspired

Think this sums it up. The tactical zip pocket.

Mind you, I’d like to think it prevents this sort of embarrassment.

 

[Ozmundo]

It seems that, for bushcraft purposes, sleeve pockets are pretty useless, then. The only things that I can think of that might be suitable are snacks and a small cuts kit; however, I'd sooner keep the latter in a trouser pocket, as I'm less likely to take off my trousers when in the woods!

A compass, maybe? Mobile 'phone? Some cordage? A notebook and pen?

I feel certain that these pockets will be useful for something I just can't think what. Perhaps I should start wearing body armour in the woods...

Unfortunately the later is not midgeproof!

 

[demographic]

I have a jacket with sleeve pockets.
I put a spare roll of dog egg bags in it.

Kind of handy really.

 

[Ozmundo]

Dog egg.

Technically spawns a Wolf but they can be tamed.

 

[Silverclaws2]

In a military context where a lot of civvy suppliers get their cues arm pockets are about immediate access for there are situations where frontispiece locations may be hindered. As was with my past military trade it was pens we needed immediate access to for regardless of what we were doing we still had to write up job sheets else the planes didn't fly.

So it's that really frontispiece pockets may be hindered and of course thrapping one's arms across the body to grab something from the other arm can be a lot easier and potentially more automatic to do when needs must as opposed to contortions the arm might have to go through to grab from pockets

As regards zips I have no experience in terms of arm pockets for my arm pockets it they had a closure were always about buttons we could replace from spares we kept in the husif

 

[demographic]

View attachment 103417

Dog egg.

Technically spawns a Wolf but they can be tamed.

Dunno what type of wolves you have round your bit but they sure don't grow out of dog eggs round here.

Its usually just a weird mold

 

[Keith_Beef]

A notebook and pen?

This is what I keep in the pocket of my left sleeve; Embassy pen and Rite-in-the-Rain notebook.

In the pocket of my right sleeve i occasionally carry a DC4 combination stone, but usually it's empty.

 

[Falstaff]

I had to look up what an Embassy pen was. Very nice but at those prices I'd be afraid to take it bush crafting, or put it in a sleeve pocket, for fear of losing it!

I'll stick to a pencil with some taped-on string, and cheap biro's.

The yanks used to like putting their fag packets in the sleeve pockets, because they were in soft wrap packets that got bent if you tried to keep them in other pockets.