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M-65 thread
- Thread starter Peter Graham
- Start date
Peter Graham said:After all the great info that came to light in the M-51 thread I thought a thread on the good ole M-65 would be a good idea. Pictured is an M-65 I recently bought from a forum member. It's a 71 dated Alpha with an unusual grey green lining and came with an original liner. I applied the special forces patch myself. I don't know how accurate it is for the jacket but I think it looks cool. Any info on the unit would be appreciated. I can't find anything. The US Army strip and nametag are original to the jacket. I think the M-65 is a design classic. The last one I bought lasted me for over 20 years so I hope to be wearing this jacket for a long time to come.
Looks good and glad to see its being put to good use.
1 down,quite a few(and M50s,M51s to go :lol: :lol: )
Chandler said:Peter Graham said:
After I wrote that last post I thought about the M-43 with its buttons, the M-51 with the zipper leading to the M-65 with a zip -- and now it has a plastic zip -- comin' around?
And you really think that hood is "user friendly?"
I think it was developed to wear over a knit hat and under a helmet -- other than that, its afforded protection is nil! OTOH, the liner to the M-65 is a lot better than what was handed out for the M-43 -- that was progress! Not sure what the M-51 had.
As to the A-2s evolution from the A-1, there's a BIG step there, not like the M-43 to the M-65... other than those small details I mentioned earlier -- I really like the lapels better than the all-in-one collar on the M-65.
Chandler
Hmm,i have 2 woodland M65s and from memory both of them have the heavy duty brass zippers and not plastic??
Also was the hood not meant to be worn over the steel pot as the hoods on all the M65s ive ever had were MASSIVE
I have over the years(and still own quite a few)owned various M43s,M50s,M51s and M65s and find them all to be fantastic,iconic,stylish and practical jackets that suit themselfs to everyday wear all year round and have attracted many a praise over the years!!!
M43s i love as they have huge pockets and with the buttoned hood a decent jacket but with the buttons its a bit draughty in the wind!!!
M50s,like the M43 i love but apart from the buttons for the liner(which ive never used)only minor differences from the M43.
M51s where were the main differences came in with the zipper closure.The liner to be honest i find a bit cumbersome and uncomfortable and believe it or not find the M65 quilted liner to be WARMER and easier to wear(fits both M51 and M65).
The best is saved for last-M65s to me are one of if not the best jackets ever made and although i guess to an everyday similar to an M43 there are loads and loads of differences.The hood in the collar is a complete waste of time but the sewn in liner works well on its own and even better in winter with the quilted liner-when i say winter i mean of course our UK winters which i guess are very mild compared to others
To me it makes no difference if an M65 is dated early 60s or early 90s they are all great with only minor differences for the die hard collectors(OD jackets).
As i dont realy collect any militaria after Gulf 91 i have a couple of Woodland M65s but dont fancy a 3 colour one for some reason.Was there and official issue Choc Chip M65 i wonder and are they still issued now or has the Goretex taken over.
Long live the mighty M65!!!!!!!
PS as a bit of a plug,i do have some jackets surplus to my ever growing collection-M43,M50s,M51s and a few M65s.
Thanks.
M43s i love as they have huge pockets and with the buttoned hood a decent jacket but with the buttons its a bit draughty in the wind!!!
M50s,like the M43 i love but apart from the buttons for the liner(which ive never used)only minor differences from the M43.
M51s where were the main differences came in with the zipper closure.The liner to be honest i find a bit cumbersome and uncomfortable and believe it or not find the M65 quilted liner to be WARMER and easier to wear(fits both M51 and M65).
The best is saved for last-M65s to me are one of if not the best jackets ever made and although i guess to an everyday similar to an M43 there are loads and loads of differences.The hood in the collar is a complete waste of time but the sewn in liner works well on its own and even better in winter with the quilted liner-when i say winter i mean of course our UK winters which i guess are very mild compared to others
To me it makes no difference if an M65 is dated early 60s or early 90s they are all great with only minor differences for the die hard collectors(OD jackets).
As i dont realy collect any militaria after Gulf 91 i have a couple of Woodland M65s but dont fancy a 3 colour one for some reason.Was there and official issue Choc Chip M65 i wonder and are they still issued now or has the Goretex taken over.
Long live the mighty M65!!!!!!!
PS as a bit of a plug,i do have some jackets surplus to my ever growing collection-M43,M50s,M51s and a few M65s.
Thanks.
Chandler
Well-Known Member
a2 fng said:
Mine is from the late 90s and the zip is not brass. It's an olive colored plastic or nylon. I'll try to dig it out and get a pic.
Also was the hood not meant to be worn over the steel pot as the hoods on all the M65s ive ever had were MASSIVE
Was, or wasn't? I don't think either of mine are big enough to fit over a helmet, but I never tried.
Chandler
Chandler
Well-Known Member
watchmanjimg said:
I think the M-65 liner is a synthetic type of pile with a smooth nylon facing the body. I wore my M-65 throughout high school and college, here in Midwest winters where I spent a lot of time outdoors. I can't compare it with the ECWCS stuff, but it served me well with the liner and the drawstrings done up properly.
I don't have a liner for my woodland model, but I usually wear a Polartec fleece under it when needed. The water repellency and wind breaking work well with the fleece.
Chandler
Chandler
Well-Known Member
kevlarg said:
M-42? Don't know if I've seen one, is that the big, double-breasted one with the belt you often see in WW2 winter shots?
Sorry -- I see that's the paratrooper coat. Was that fitted with a liner? And while snazzy looking and all, it always seemed just a little too over-the-top gung-ho to wear in every day situations. I even feel a little self-conscious when I wear the woodland camo.
Chandler
watchmanjimg
Well-Known Member
Chandler said:
The M-65 liner is a thin layer of polyester batting sandwiched between layers of ripstop nylon. I agree that it's a fine jacket for cold-weather use under civilian conditions, but I never cared for it while on field duty in the Army. In basic training we were taught the importance of bathing and changing clothes regularly in the field, particularly in cold weather. Having endured the wet cold of a Ft. Knox winter followed by the dry cold of Colorado, I learned that in these conditions the breathability offered by natural fibers is quickly lost as the garment and its wearer become soiled. Gore-Tex, of course, is impervious to this and that's why I preferred the ECWCS parka. In fact, the unique properties of Gore-Tex were so effective that I never even used a liner while wearing it. A sweater or fleece "sleep shirt" under the BDU was sufficient.
Getting back to the M-65 for civilian wear, there should be no problem at all because (presumably) the coat and its wearer are kept clean. Thus, the breathability and insulating properties offered by the 50% cotton shell are preserved. Additionally, the human body tolerates cold more readily when proper hygiene is maintained.
For knockaround wear in colder weather a nice M-65 in OG-107 is tough to beat. I have an '81 Winfield that served me well during my college years in upstate NY. I also have a black Alpha from the '80s that's not bad either.
watchmanjimg
Well-Known Member
Chandler said:
That's the M-51 liner I mentioned earlier in the thread.
kevlarg
New Member
Chandler said:
I've never seen a liner for an M-42. It definitely has presence and it certainly gets looks. Belted jackets are weird though. However the fabric is akin to a pair of dockers; not windproof, not water-resistant so it probably sucked to land in any kind of water on June 6th '44.
Halloween last year. Everything but the pants, the jump wings, and the airborne piss-cutter patch are original.
Chandler
Well-Known Member
watchmanjimg said:
Interesting, it's what they sold me with the M-65 (in 1978) and fit/worked fine -- right down to the buttons inside the cuffs.
Can't find either the old M-65 or its liner, I think I threw it in the "old clothes" bin. Was a size 40 and far from fitting me anymore.
See, I don't remember it feeling like wool -- it was very stiff and nappy, but seemed to be more of a synthetic. Wasn't scratchy like wool either.
Chandler
Chandler said:
The M51 liner would fit the M65 and vice versa.
Yep,the M51 liners i have feel stiff and coarse hence why i said earlier that of the 2 i rather the M65 one as the M51 liners are uncomfortably and can even be a bit prickly-wonder if thats just due to the ones i have being old and maybe not looked after/washed properly?
watchmanjimg
Well-Known Member
Haha, that's what I was thinking. It would be very uncomfortable worn inside out.
Chandler said:
My M-51 has a liner like yours, Chandler ... white, loopy texture like a face flannel, and feels like nylon, you could use it as a pot scourer. It appears to be original to the jacket.
The jacket is marked USMC Phila Depot, and is fitted with a Willis & Geiger AW-1 hood ... I guess that's not supposed to be there, but it looks right, and buttons in perfectly.
deeb7 said:
Hello David,i also have a USMC stamped M51.never seen one before,it has no cloth labels or even ink stamps anywhere so was very puzzled but did find a very faint USMC ink stamp on the lower left inside front. The weird thing is it has Army insignia stitched to it??? Are these quite rare?
