Camo Jacket

Camo jackets, from stiff field shells to stretch softshells

A camo jacket can mean three quite different garments: a cotton-blend field coat cut long over the hip, a bonded softshell that stretches and sheds light rain, or a fleece-lined winter jacket with a hood. They share the same families of pattern and behave nothing alike, so the choice is really about which layer is missing from what you already wear. Everything here is new production rather than surplus stock.

What does the M65 cut give a camo jacket?

The M65 cut brings four front pockets, a stand collar hiding a rolled hood, a drawcord at the waist and a zip closed over by a storm flap. It sits long, takes layers underneath and is built to be worn open or cinched. Modern versions add a coated face so light rain runs off, but the shape is the point: it is a shell rather than an insulated coat, designed to have something warm put under it. The plain-colour equivalents sit in field jacket.

Which one suits the weather you are actually in?

A softshell breathes while you move and blocks wind, which makes it the useful choice for cold dry days and for walking uphill; it stops being enough once rain settles in. A fleece-lined jacket carries its own warmth but soaks. A coated shell keeps water out and traps sweat unless it vents. The clean way through it is to separate warmth from weather, with a layer of fleece jacket underneath for heat. Something from military waterproof jacket then goes over the top when the sky turns.

What should be checked on the jacket itself?

• Hood: whether it rolls into the collar, whether it turns with the head, and whether it fits over a hat.
• Cuffs: hook and loop tabs adjust over gloves, elastic cuffs seal better but cannot be opened to vent.
• Hem and waist drawcords: they stop the jacket ballooning in wind and decide whether it reads as a coat or a smock.
• Pocket placement: chest pockets stay usable under a rucksack hip belt, low hand pockets do not.
• Fabric noise: crisp coated nylon rustles, brushed and bonded faces stay quiet, which matters for anyone watching wildlife.

How should a camo jacket be sized?

Field patterns are cut generously because they were meant to go over other clothing, so the size that fits over a shirt will be loose worn alone. Softshells run closer to the body and lose their stretch advantage if oversized. Measure across the chest with the layers you intend to wear underneath, then check the sleeve length with the arm raised: a sleeve that pulls back off the wrist when you reach up is short, whatever the chest measurement says. Softshell cuts in the same prints sit in softshell jacket.

Is camouflage useful outside hunting?

It hides dirt and wear better than a plain colour, which is half the reason the pattern survived into ordinary clothing. In the field it works only against the background it was drawn for, and movement gives a person away long before colour does. Wash cool and inside out; a hot wash flattens the print and dulls any water-repellent finish on the face fabric.