Tru Spec ECWCS Gen 2 Parka

This is the 2rd generation version of Tru-Spec's ECWCS parka. Based on the military version, but with more economical materials for a lower cost.

If you didn't know this was a commercial version of the ECWCS Goretex jacket you'd think it was the real deal. Features are the same, and quality is, for the most part, excellent. I've used this during training, for somewhat casual wear and pretty much any time it's rained in the last year or so and found it almost an exact match to the real deal.

The zipper is a plastic zipper, which is better than metal, but it is not of a quality like a YKK zipper. For the extent of features put into this jacket, I would have thought Tru Spec would have used a YKK zipper. The zipper is sometimes hard to start and zip, but isn't a show stopper. That is my only complaint with this jacket.

When wearing this in the rain I've only had rain get through once. This was during very heavy rain. When I took off the jacket my sides were a little wet. It was hard to tell where this came from since the inside of the jacket itself wasn't wet enough to tell where the leak came from. Either from the arm pit zipper or a faulty seam. I doubt it'd be from the seam since they're taped and it would be odd that it did this on both sides. I think possibly it leaked through the zipper area since normal zippers are used and not waterproof zippers.

When I first got this jacket I put it over the sink and poured some water in it. I let it set there for several hours. There was some slight dampening of the outer material, but no leaking through to the inside.

Durability has proven great with this jacket. No wear to the materials through the use I've put it through.

Here are the details of the features:

- Two way zipper with storm flap.

- Hand warmer pockets with velcro closed front pockets.

- Button up rain fly with a velcro closed document pocket on each side. These pockets open vertically and are hidden. In fact, I forgot that these jackets had these and it took me a week or so before I remembered and found them.

- Velcro closure wrists

- Reinforced elbows. This reinforcement is a thicker, higher abrasion resistant material and thoroughly covers the elbow area!

- Ability to snap in the Tru-Spec Fleece Liner

- Angled shoulder pockets w/velcro closure

- Hood that stows away in the collar.

- Drawstring cinches in the collar, inner waist, and bottom opening

- Rank tab on front for attaching rank pins/patches. This provides for a professional appearance as well as protecting the waterproof liner from being pierced.

- Underarm zipped vents.

- Velcro wrist adjustments

- Taped seams

Overall this is an excellent jacket and a great affordable alternative to the more expensive Goretex version of the ECWCS jacket. Durability has been good and on par with the issued jacket and quality is excellent (aside from the non-YKK zippers). Of course you do get a little swishing noise when moving just as you do with the issued jacket, but it's not excessive.

An overall good buy if you're looking for an affordable rain jacket/wind breaker for your outdoor or tactical needs!

Colors: Multicam, UCP, Digital Desert Camo, Digital Woodland Camo, OD, Coyote, Black

Found at AFMO.

Tru-Spec ECWCS micro fleece

The Tru-Spec micro fleece liner is designed not only as a stand-alone jacket, but also to be used inside Tru-Spec's ECWCS Parkas. This fleece is extremely comfortable, with the micro fleece and nylon liner, it's soft yet warm. On a chilly day it's great on it's own, and when the weather turns worse it's great insulation when combined with an outer wind resistant layer.

When combined with the outer layer the liner zips in and attaches at the cuffs and back of the neck via loops and snaps.

This fleece features an adjustable waist, via cord and cord lock and has elastic cuffs.

ID and rank can be attached on the front using the attached velcro loop patches.

For pockets you have 2 hand warmer style pockets.

Durability seems excellent, and quality is good. The only down side I can see quality wise is the zipper. I'm not sure why Tru-spec would skimp out on the zipper, but it's not a YKK zipper and tends to give you zipping issues every now and again and separates on occasion. For the cost of the fleece though, I suppose it's not a huge issue. This is meant as a liner for the ECWCS parka and it zips into it flawlessly. The zipper issues mostly come when using the fleece on it's own.

Overall I've found it to be pretty decent and serves it's purpose well.

Price ranges from $30 - $40.

Colors: Black, Coyote, Foliage Green

Sizes: Small - 3XL

Available from AFMO.

Cold Avenger Face Mask

This past winter I tested out the Cold Avenger, produced by Talus Outdoor Technologies. This is, by far, one of the best face masks I have used. It's not just your ordinary gaiter or face mask. This mask has been tested by the manufacturer in extreme weather and I tried to simulate that the best I could in a very cold winter here in NY and the mask performed great! First off, this mask isn't a full balaclava, but I actually like that in this mask because it gives you the option of wearing a winter hat and the mask, and if you start to overheat, you can remove the winter hat for ventilation. This allows you to cool down and not overheat while still protecting your lungs and the areas of the face/head that are prone to frost bite. The main attraction with this face mask is it's ventilating face piece. This face piece, which is made of medical grade plastic, has adjustable vents in the front. By turning the smaller plastic insert you can allow more or less ventilation into to face piece. This ventilation does 2 things:

1. The mixture of cold air breathed into the mask, with the exhaled air breathed out into the mask is 40-60 degrees warmer than the outside air. This helps to protect the lungs and windpipe from frostbite and other cold injuries. The warmer air and moisture in the air inside the face piece help to prevent the airway from becoming dried out as well. If you've ever spent time outside in the cold, especially exerting yourself, you know how the cold air can really wreak havoc on your airway and lungs.
2. The ventilation also helps to prevent fogging of goggles and glasses worn with the mask. I really like this. Normal face masks or balaclavas tend to vent the hot humid air you breath out through the top or eye hole. This fogs up your eye wear. With this mask the ventilation prevents this. Additional vents are placed on the bottom side of the face piece to help reduce upward ventilation as well.
   

Comfort with this mask is excellent, even with the plastic face piece. The face piece is flexible and has an included foam nose piece that you can insert via double-sided tape. The back of the mask is adjustable for the size of your head and has a wide range of adjustment. The only thing I would change in the design of this mask would be the option of completely sealing the ventilation holes if preferred. Also, for smaller faces the top of the mask has the tendency to ride up into the way of your eyes. It only comes up to the lower eyelid and isn't a huge deal, but possibly making this area a little more ergonomic to the shape of the eyes may help for smaller faces. The Neoprene material of the mask is lined with fleece for comfort and wind resistance. Through my experiences this past winter, this mask is an excellent mask and performs as advertised. I never got cold while wearing this mask and never felt a burn in my chest or throat area from breathing in cold air. If you live in an area where it gets cold this is definitely a great investment.

Colors: White, Black, Hunter Camo
Prices Vary depending on model

Snugpak Sleeka Elite Reversible Jacket

Proforce Equipment the N. American distributor of Snugpak products. Snugpak's military line are some of the best gear I've used. I was very impressed with their Softie Elite sleeping bag and have been equally impressed with their Sleeka Elite reversible jacket.

Snugpak took the features of their original Sleeka Elite and gave it the option of being reversible from OD to Black. This is a great option for tactical units especially police teams that may need to have a more uniform appearance at times (black) and a more tactical appearance at other times for camouflage reasons (OD).

This jacket has some really good materials to help it to provide warmth but remain packable in its included stuff sack. I really like this because it takes up a lot less room in a pack than equally warm jackets that are quite bulky.

One material used in this jacket is Paratex Light as an outer layer. This material is lightweight, windproof and water repellent. It's also breathable and moisture wicking. As an outer layer it's held up and performed well. I have one area that has a little "pucker" in the material where my dog jumped on me and her nail caught the material and pulled it a little. It pulled a thread in the material and created a slight flaw in the appearance. Once I pulled on the material and stretched it out a little the threads fixed themselves for the most part. I've been out in the rain with this jacket as well, and the material is water repellent, but in a hard or steady rain it will eventually soak through. It's claims of wind resistance are true as well...there is no wind getting through this jacket.

For insulation Snugpak uses their synthetic Softie Premier insulation. This insulation is lightweight but I've found it, in combination with the Paratex Light to be very warm.

With the reversible option both sides are mostly the same. Here are the differences in the OD side and Black side:

OD side:
- Has tough reinforcements on the elbows, yoke and shoulder areas. This material is highly abrasion resistant. It helps against wear from being on the elbows and from packs wearing on the shoulders.

Black side:
- Has a zipper closed chest pocket on left chest.
- The Black side has the weather flap for the zipper. This flap has a small piece of velcro at the bottom to hold it down. Ideally I'd like to see velcro tabs or buttons all the way up to help keep this flap down in the wind. Possible keep the one at the bottom and add one mid way up and one at the top.

The waist pockets are generous. There is plenty of room for your hands and essentials that you may want to keep in there. The zippers zip from the bottom up, which I like. The reason I like this is because if the zipper starts to come open it's opening from the top instead of the bottom, therefor preventing items from falling out. Speaking of items falling out...be sure you have the pockets zipped when you're not using them. Heavy items can make their way out due to the vertical zipper. I had my cell phone fall out without my knowing.

The front and all pockets close with quality YKK zippers. These zippers have zipper pulls. These pulls are cloth to keep weight and space at a minimum. The cuffs close using a soft elastic material. At the back of the stand-up neck is a cord lock that adjusts the neck opening, and the same at the bottom of the jacket.

A couple other features:

1. Locker hanging loop.
2. Machine washable/dryable

I've been wearing this jacket a lot this winter here in NY. It's been a really cold winter and I've been extremely comfortable in this jacket. This jacket has a 14 degree F rating and I've worn it in that temperature and even lower. At below 0 degrees F you start to feel a slight chill. I'd say that the 14 degree rating is right on and you're comfortable even below that. Add a proper layering system under this jacket and I'd say you'd be good to go in a lot lower temps than the 14 degrees. At one point while doing some walking around in the cold I actually got too warn and the moisture wicking properties of the jacket got put to the test and worked out good.

Durability has been great. Like I said, the outer layer can snag on sharp objects (like thorns) and might show a little damage, but for the most part I've had no problem with durability. The extra durable material at the elbows is great.

The only thing I'd change are the color options. Right now it's black/OD combo. Since this is a cold weather item designed for military use I'd like to see a version in possible a OD/White, Coyote (or tan)/white, or some other color combo that can be used in summer and winter conditions. Black and OD don't blend well with a snowy environment.

In conclusion...Snugpak and Proforce Equipment has impressed me yet again with the function and quality of their gear. I'll definitely look to their products in the future for my gear needs.

Sizes:
S-XXL
Weight:
1.87 lb
Buy at Brigade Quartermasters - $149.99

Update: The company is hoping to release a version of this in tan/OD in the future!

32 Oz Melton Pea Coat

Before I get into my review of this pea coat I feel a little background is useful and I found just that on the Schott web page:

“The US Navy Pea Coat was adopted during the early 20th Century, from Britain’s Royal Navy Reefer Jacket. The Royal Navies first regulations for uniforms for other ranks were issued in 1857, a century after the regulations for officers and this garment was originally used by Midshipmen ( Reefers ). These crewmen had to climb the rigging and furl and unfurl, or ‘reef’, the sails of the sailing ships of the era. The jacket was short, to allow ease of movement through the rigging. It had a double-breasted front, which displaced the buttons to each side. This helped reduce the chance of them getting caught on ropes, as the wearer maneuvered the sails. The pockets were often close to vertical, and over the flanks, rather than horizontal and at wrist level. It was made of a very heavy wool, in dark Navy blue, with a nap on the face side.
The success of the style is proved by its singularly universal appearance throughout the Navies of Europe. This may account for the US Navies nomenclature as an Anglicization of the Dutch ‘Pijekkat, being a jacket made of ‘Pij’ (a coarse wool) cloth. Conversely, it may be from the shortening of the Belgium Navies term ‘Pilot’s Jacket’ to P. Jacket, then being misspelled / adapted to Pea Coat. The term ‘Pea Jacket’ is reputed to first appear in the Oxford English Dictionary between 1717 and 1723. ‘Pea Coat’ does not appear for another century.”

Schott is a manufacturer of outerwear that has been around since 1913. One item that they make in different styles in the pea coat. The style I’ve been trying out is the Classic 32 oz. Melton Wool Naval Pea Coat (740). This pea coat has all the great features of the traditional issued pea coat and is excellent in both quality and function.

Obviously you’re probably not going mountain climbing with this coat with today’s technology out there, but, I’ve been wearing this coat on a regular basis in NY throughout this winter and it’s performed well. When I was young I remember my mother looking high and low for a Naval Pea Coat. I never knew why she wanted one so bad and it seemed as though it wouldn’t be too warm in the NY winters. This year I’ve found out why she loved that coat. The temperature here this winter has gotten quite cold (well below freezing) and this coat kept me warm. It blocks out the wind and has the great insulation properties of wool without the itch wool can tend to give. One great thing about wool is that it’s got natural water resistance (not water-proof, but it’ll shed a light rain), but even when wet wool will maintain it’s insulating properties. By flipping the collar up I was able to keep the cold away from my neck and lower face area.

This coat is very comfortable. You order this coat by chest size, which allows the proper fit as opposed to small, medium, large, etc, etc. Not only does this give you a more custom fit, but it also keeps with the military way of sizing dress items. This coat is roomy but not baggy. This also sticks with it’s background of use by the Reefers. One thing that I found nice was that even though the sleeves were a little short I was able to roll the sleeves up toward the inside and they stayed that way. I folded them up about one inch and since I folded them to the inside you couldn’t even tell they’re folded (as you can see in the pictures). This coat also uses a quilted 100% nylon liner to get the wool away from the skin and provide additional comfort, though the wool was not irritating to me. If the thick wool isn’t enough there’s a layer of 100% polyester fiberfill insulation as well.

This coat is great because it has the insulating properties and can be worn in a casual environment but it just as easily worn in a formal environment, where a ski jacket might be out of place.

This pea coat features hand warmer pockets which are perfect in size and placement and keeps with the naval tradition by keeping the Naval style anchor buttons. The length on me comes to about mid thigh and is enough to prevent drafts coming up from the bottom.

Overall I’ve been very impressed by this coat. Traditional and simple in design, yet a design that’s been proven throughout the years.

Colors Available: Navy, Charcoal, Light Navy, Black
Materials:

Shell
75% reprocessed wool
20% nylon
5% wool/nylon blend

Lining:
100% nylon

Fiberfill Insulation:
100% polyester

Distributor: AFMO - $199.90 with free shipping

Colombia Interchange Jacket

I have owned this winter jacket for 3 years now and expect many more years of use out of it. This jacket is a 3-in-1 jacket and has great features. The outer shell features "omni-tech" which is a breathable waterproof material. The outer also has 2 hand warmer packets, one left sleeve pocket and 2 inner packets. A detachable hood is also included, but attaches via 3 snaps. I would rather that the hood attached a little more securely...as sometimes the snaps let loose when you're putting on a pack, etc, and the hood falls off. Also, the hood doesn't stash away anywhere, which leaves me to taking it off most times and leaving it home. There are zippers under the arms to help vent the jacket when just the outer shell is worn, but they seem to go down the inside of the arms instead of under the arm pits, which doesn't seem to help you cool off...just cools your arms down. The inner liner is fleece and attaches very securely using velcro and zippers. It has 2 inner pockets and 2 hand warmer pockets. This jacket also has a high collar which is nice in the winter to keep you warm. The front zipper is covered with a flap that snaps over it to keep the snow off the zipper, but the zipper is only a one way zipper, so it makes number 1 head calls (going pee) difficult without unzipping the whole thing. The sleeves are adjustable with velcro. The outer will absorb some water, but it doesn't seem to get through to the inside. I have found this jacket fairly warm, but in some frigid temps a couple layers underneath helps a bit. This jacket should be ordered a size bigger if you're going to layer under it because the arms are snug otherwise. This is nice that the arms are more streamlined, but makes laying difficult. Overall...a great winter jacket that is very durable.