Strange 77 patt para smock, trial ?

I picked this week and it shows all the signs of the 77 from the tiny picture I found on eBay. However I have found a few changes and odderties.



First off , verticle DPM , not odd but rare. The cloth is very soft and light, not wind proof fabric but not tough hard cotton more smooth and warm feeling stuff. The colours are very deep and the black has a tint of purple to it like early DPM.



Standard NZ zipper



The back, same verticle DPM



Nylon webbing to reinforce the snap fasteners ? This is common throughout this jacket including inside the jackets pockets. These are sewn in place then held by the popper. Inside the jacket pockets may mean that this was done during production apposed to retrofit ?

This jacket features no labels and no evidence of one ever fitted anywhere , no tell tail signs of ghosting or stitching. I can only find a sticker saying " inspected by 88".

Odd but a very nice score ! With it being a thinner material, something to stop the press studs pulling through would be a necessity.

A total lack of labels is odd and the tail piece is cut more like a Canadian para smock (though of course it isn't ...)

Normally a trial garment would have a label of some sort - even if no longer readable. Tempting to think of it as a tropical smock but I've never seen evidence or even rumour that such a beastie was ever manufactured. And why make a para smock that isn't durable ?

Oh, and the press studs don't look military spec' and like was used in every garment that had press studs at the time.

VERY intriguing indeed

I don't think it's tropical cloth , it's more like a higher quality softer issue cotton cloth. However how this is constructed its made a little different to other issue smocks. All the stitching on this jackets double stitched chain stitching American style like found on the inside legs on british tropical combats.

It's very well made so I don't know ?? I don't think it's gillert,sass,arktis etc...... As a label would be present , even radar use labels and these is just non been applied. Unless they attacked it to say the DPM lower down behind a cargo pocket American BDU style and has been removed and the stitching holes have reclosed ?

It set me back £35 delivered which is good as these fetch upwards of £100 now.

That is a very pretty piece of DP.

Could it be tailor made? All the same it's a very nice DPM piece you have there.

Best regards

.

£35 sounds about right. After all, nice as it is, a textbook '77 it isn't IMVHO.

These are '77 pattern smocks. They are different.....





Hopefully an expert will be along to put us all out of our misery and make me eat my words

I think this smock is early 80's , one of the last issues before the introduction of the FFD.

The colours match wind proofs of that time period.



The para smock I own will fade like this smock, however it's not made of the same fabric.

Closer inspection the smock shows to have Rau fasteners.

Now Rau is an American / Canadian company and the snaps on this particular jacket were made in Rhode island, they are stamped RI. Now given the American style double stitching , OD nylon webbing apposed to British which tends to be a little lighter green and now American poppers. This looks like a foreign jacket

Canadian ?

Wrong material for Canadian. They used a nylon material. Ridiculously think and not fire / melt resistant at all. It was meant as a replacement for the dreadful Garrison Jacket for use by Airborne Troops. The Cannuck on has lift-the-dot fasteners and a completely different design .





So, it still isn't a 77 pattern Para smock then However it is still very nice and interesting and very useable.

is it possable that it was a sample for an intended replacement for the nylon Canadian smock that never got off the ground just my 2c worth

Maybe for one of the Dominions, such as my Bermuda close copy of a P84 jacket? Export piece to the Middle East?

Steve