AB BW Parka, Stone Gray Olive

This older Cold War era parka is almost as popular in Germany and Europe as the M65 jacket in the States - if you haven't seen one of these before, it's about time to get acquainted with it!

The older Bundeswehr field jacket is a hooded parka with an excellent cut and a removable fake fur liner jacket. The model is refreshingly old fashioned - no iPod smartphone pockets, media ports, membranes or other hi-tech stuff. Instead, you'll find good practical solutions for field use, like the heavy zipper, pockets with normal button closure, and thick cotton material. If you're seeking a classic military parka, this is the archetype!

The BW parka in a nutshell

The BW parka is a field jacket for 3-season use, having a removable faux fur liner, sturdy hood, and a relatively long hem. The outer fabric is sturdy cotton and the liner is polyester, both uncompromisingly 100 % stuff. The front closure features a sturdy zipper with a storm flap secured with buttons. The hem, waist, cuffs, and hood are all adjustable.

The Germans have blessed the front of the jacket with four pockets, each with button closure. The lower pockets are conveniently slanted to allow those decadent West Germans to hang about with their hands in their pockets. The inside has an additional hidden pocket.

A noticeable feature of the fuzzy liner is that it extends into the hood - this isn't a flimsy hood you would rarely use but a very warm and protective cover for your head and neck. It's removable through buttons and snap-fasteners.

Ever heard of Steingrau-Oliv? It's a new shade adopted in 1963, probably because previous German patterns and colors went permanently out of fashion in the '40s. West German field clothes were like this until the unification in the '90s when they finally dared to adopt a camo pattern.

Size Info

These are made to European men's sizes with close intervals. The cut remains original which in this case means a rather regular fit, certainly not loose especially around the shoulders. Even if you're looking for a fashionable fit, avoid picking a smaller size.

We took a couple of key measurements of each jacket: the width from armpit to armpit ("pit-pit") laid flat, and the sleeve length from the shoulder seam. The jacket's chest circumference is the pit-pit times two, but notice that you'll need about 20 cm / 8" of clearance added to your measured chest girth.

If you're tall and slender or short and wide, we're sorry: the smaller size are for shorter-than-average people and the large sizes are longer. The invisible hand of economics gives the finger to all groups who are not large enough.

Garment measurements (metric)

Garment measurements (metric)

Some history

The production started in the early '60s and stopped in the '90s only because Flecktarn camouflage replaced all gray-green shades - the parka remained very similar. However, the old model was so loved that manufacturers kept carrying the torch.

This jacket is factory-new reproduction. We sell these to fill the void left by the ever-shrinking numbers of the original surplus items. The country of manufacture is not labeled but it's most likely China.