Gore-Tex Parka

[kmrtnsn]

Gor-tex is a licensed trademark of DuPont, you won't always see it described as such if a competing treatment process was used.

[Grandprairie]

Gor-tex is a licensed trademark of DuPont, you won't always see it described as such if a competing treatment process was used.

Gore-Tex is not a treatment. It's a waterproof and breathable membrane. The main patent has expired so there are competing products now.

[kmrtnsn]

Thanks GP!

[Armati]

20 years ago Brigade Quartermaster sold these in a variety of colors. As I recall they did do them in a khaki color. Best bet is to continue to check ebay from time to time.

The NexGen on the Major Surplus site seems like the generic equivalent of the brand name Goretex ECWCS. I am pretty sure the fabric patterns are still held by the same company and distributors just contract with the manufacturer and brand them under a house band.

That parka is still a pretty solid piece of kit. It is a bit heavy by current standards but it is well built and great for cold-dry or cold-wet weather. I still have my woodland and desert pattern that I wear in the motorpool if I don't want to mess up my nice PCU stuff.

For the money you really can't go wrong. However, if you are willing to pay a premium, there are even better jackets from Arc'teryx and Patagonia that are seeing hard military use in Afghanistan. Most of the big names in outdoor gear are making things in suitably military colors.

[QuietShootr]

Most of the "surplus" jackets that resemble the real Gore-Tex ECWCS parka are not in fact Gore-Tex, they're just nylon with some plasticized coating on it. They don't perform like a GI Gore-Tex jacket, they are more like a plain waterproof nylon shell. That means you get hot, sweaty, and cold when you stop moving.

If you want Gore-Tex, you have to look for something made with it. As stated above, it's not a 'treatment', it's a specific kind of material, and as such it will be specifically labeled. "gortex" is a soldier bastardization of the trademark, and when used in advertising usually means "Cheap-ass Chinese copy of USGI jacket that looks like a real ECWCS parka but is just cheap nylon".

There are no real USGI ECWCS parkas made in Coyote. ECWCS came in woodland, 3-color desert, and a very rare 6-color desert version, and now ACU.

ETA: http://www.majorsurplus.com/Next-Gen...4976C2036.aspx this is a good example of what I'm talking about. That's not Gore-Tex, it's just plasticized nylon.

Explanation of what Gore-Tex is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore-Tex

[Armati]

Do you know what ever happened to the old Brigade Quartermaster stuff?

Years ago organizations before the SPEAR program guys would just buy Brigade stuff. Brigade used legit Gore-Tex.

[EzGoingKev]

For the money you really can't go wrong. However, if you are willing to pay a premium, there are even better jackets from Arc'teryx and Patagonia that are seeing hard military use in Afghanistan. Most of the big names in outdoor gear are making things in suitably military colors.

I know there is some really nice stuff out there now, the problem is that they are either not "plain" enough for me or a just flimsy as paper.

[John Felushko]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Armati View Post
For the money you really can't go wrong. However, if you are willing to pay a premium, there are even better jackets from Arc'teryx and Patagonia that are seeing hard military use in Afghanistan. Most of the big names in outdoor gear are making things in suitably military colors.

I know there is some really nice stuff out there now, the problem is that they are either not "plain" enough for me or a just flimsy as paper.

Don't let the weights fools you. SOF unit buyers tell me that on a dollars per day of wear basis that very high end commercial-off-the-shelf product is significantly cheaper (read longer lasting) than issued kit. Also, good modern kit breaths better, weighs less, packs smaller, lasts longer and has better ergonomics that even the best GI/surplus stuff. If you are a serious user this translates into greater comfort, fewer injuries, better personal performance and a larger safety margin. If it's just for around town, save your money, buy GI.

As always, it depends on your needs.

[EzGoingKev]

Don't let the weights fools you.

I know that the product has evolved so that it doesn't need to be as heavy as in the past. My comment was directed at the one example I did find that met my criteria and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was made by North Face.

I know they make some quality stuff, but around here it is mostly worn by yuppie douche bags that are solely interested in making sure they are wear the right brand more than anything else.

[EzGoingKev]

Design-wise it looks like I have a winner.

Cabela's PacLite Gore-Tex Parka

The nearest Cabela's is about an 1.5 hours away in CT so I might cruise down there this weekend to check it out.