M65 - the longest serving US military combat clothing

As the favorite of many military fans, when you mention the M65 Field Jacket, you will think of the scene of the tough man Stallone wearing the M65 in the film "First Blood".

And Schwarzenegger in "The Terminator", with a pistol and a super cool look.

Jason Stanson has also worn the military green M65 for many times in films such as "Speed and Passion · Special Action" and "The Expendables 3".

With a military background, and many classic tough men portrayed on the screen, M65 has undoubtedly become the most favorite battle dress in the mind of many men.

M65, the full name of M-1965 Field Jacket, is a version specially launched by the US military to adapt to the jungle environment with rapid temperature changes and frequent rainfall in Vietnam. It was finalized in 1965 and distributed to the army the following year, becoming an essential option for the new generation of low-temperature environment military uniform system of the United States Army. Later, it became the standard equipment for U.S. troops stationed around the country. It was the longest serving U.S. military field jacket, which lasted for more than 40 years from 1965 to 2009. It can be seen how excellent it is in terms of combat effectiveness and mobility.

The M65 is an upgraded version designed to replace the M-51 field trench coat. M-51 was born during the outbreak of the Korean War in 1951, when the US military battlefields shifted from the tropics to the frigid zone, so it derived this long military uniform with a liner to keep warm, named after the year "51". Looking back, the predecessor of M-51 is the M-43 field jacket put into use during World War II. These three models are quite similar in style and different in details. Here we mainly talk about M-51 and M-65.

In the fabric, to solve the problem of hanging clothes in the jungle war, M65 abandoned the cotton fabric and chose a newly developed nylon cotton blended satin fabric - NYCO fabric. This fabric is more durable, windproof and waterproof, and has excellent thermal insulation. It can keep soldiers warm in cold weather after rain, and is more suitable for outdoor combat.

In terms of style, a hidden hat is added, that is, there is a zipper on the collar, which is used to store the one-piece hat, which can be received into the collar when not in use. It is more suitable for rainy weather, practical and beautiful. It is the exclusive hidden design of M65, which is now used by many sports jackets.

The pointed lapel design of M51 was changed to a square stand collar design. This is the fastest way to distinguish models.

At the cuff, the button type of M51 is changed to velcro cuff. In addition, the M65 also adopts a unique horseshoe cuff design, which can also be folded back into the cuff with adhesive buttons to provide protection for the back and fingers of the hand under special circumstances.

The waist drawcord of M51 is outside. It is mainly for convenience in cold weather. You can tighten the waist without opening the zipper to prevent wind and keep warm. In the Vietnam War, the battlefield environment became dominated by jungle warfare. In order to prevent branches from hooking, the drawcord at the waist was hidden inside the zipper.

Of course, many of the most classic features still remain. For example, the four-bag design of the predecessor. There are two large pockets and two chest pockets in front of the jacket. Both sets of pockets are sewn with triple stitches. Triple stitches will make the suture look more rugged and firm at the same time. It is also a traditional snap pocket design, which is convenient for carrying ammunition and other items in wartime.

There are also M65 classic "buckled epaulet" and back pleated design, which enhance the hand movement space and facilitate combat.

In terms of color appearance, the early M65 used the olive green color of OG-107, and the later version changed to blue and various styles of camouflage. For example, it was forest camouflage in the 1980s and desert camouflage in the 1990s.

ALPHA， which has been producing clothes for the US military, began to produce the first batch of M65 in 1965. In 1970, it began to test the civilian market. The military version of the jacket used heavy cotton cloth, which was rough in wiring but used enough materials. The civilian version was improved to be lighter, retaining the strong and durable characteristics of the M65 jacket and many details.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a total of 550000 pieces were produced. We can see how popular it is.

Even after the retirement of M65, because of its classic design, strong practicality, and the image of tough men created in many film and television works, many clothing brands have copied or improved jackets of similar styles, which are still popular today.

However, no matter how many versions have evolved, the hardiness of the M65 itself cannot be erased.