







SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket, surplus
South Africa is one of the few countries that rival Israel when it comes to military endeavors on their own soil or nearby. The South African Pattern 83 Battle Jacket is one of the most well-known modern pieces of military kit. It has been copied by numerous manufacturers and is found in a plethora of colors and patterns in service worldwide.
- Sold 4 pcs in the last two weeks.
- We don't know when this product will be restocked. With surplus the restock date is unknown due to sometimes poor availability. Request restock notification and we will email you as soon as this product is available.







South Africa is one of the few countries that rival Israel when it comes to military endeavors on their own soil or nearby. The South African Pattern 83 Battle Jacket is one of the most well-known modern pieces of military kit. It has been copied by numerous manufacturers and is found in a plethora of colors and patterns in service worldwide.
After working together with the Rhodesian security forces in the '70s, the South African military picked up some ideas from the famous James North, and Fereday & Sons combat vest designs and started making their own ones. The first designs were pretty much copies of the Rhodesian ones but led to further development of various models, which were issued primarily to the Special Forces.
After a couple of years, the final design of the Pattern 83 Battle Jacket emerged. It was to replace the aging Pattern 70 yoke-based webbing and did so in the mid-'80s. Since then, the Pattern 83 Battle Jacket has seen continuous use and is still in service today. Outside Africa, these have been most notably used by individual British fighters serving in the Middle East.
The Australian School of Human Movement Studies and Centre for Human Movement found in 2002 that a person wearing a Pattern 83 Battle Jacket consumes significantly less energy on the move compared to a person wearing traditional webbing with a yoke and belt.
The vest in a nutshell
The design process was heavily influenced by experienced bush soldiers and any kind of input from pencil pushers was quickly shot down. While progress has been made since this vest was and still is a prime example of functional fighting gear.
- Durable and breathable mesh construction.
- Tough, Cordura-like fabric in Nutria Brown.
- Generously padded for comfort.
- Adjustable straps on the sides and shoulders for a good fit.
- Pouches with flaps for
- Up to twelve (12!) 35rnd R4 magazines,
- grenades, and
- other necessities.
- Two large pouches on the sides for 2-liter (1/2 gallons) canteens or field radios.
- Two large daypack compartments on the back.
Genuine South-African surplus
This is a very sought-after piece of kit, grab yours while stocks last!
These are in a used condition, sometimes a bit rough, but perfectly serviceable. They are a bit dusty, some seams and straps might be a bit frayed, and the fabric can be patched up. There could even be some markings by the previous owners on them. Some have even had bloody field dressings in the pouches but we try to scavenge such relics for ourselves.
Kierto Circular Economy
Return this product used but clean and unbroken, and you'll receive half of the product's original price as Varusteleka credits. Service is available only in Finland. Only Registered users can make Kierto returns. See more information about Kierto.
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recommends
does not recommend
9 ratings



Thomas P. 10.08.2020 Verified purchase
Downside is the two water pouches on the sides are a little oddly shaped but 2L hydration bladders fit well.
There is an inside pouch on the left interior near the buckle as well for map storage.



Alex T. 24.08.2020 Verified purchase
Tietysti jos haluat Mad Max -liivin, valinta on sinun.
Vielä pieni huomio: eteläafrikkalaisille joukoille kun jaettiin myös 40ptr:n lipas -joka sekään ei tietystikään mahdu taskuihin - mahtunee reikään liivin vasemmalle puolen, dokumenttitaskun taakse.
No, vaikka erät ovat mitä ovat, voisi väkisin jotain hyvääkin yrittää löytää itse liivistä:
+verkkopohja, hengittää hyvin ja siirtää kosteutta
+kevyt
+melko paljon tilaa ja kohtuulliset säädöt
+osassa ITW -merkatut pistosoljet (ensimmäisessä tilaamassani oli, toisessa ei merkintöjä).



Andrew S. 01.02.2021 Verified purchase

Paolo A. 10.02.2021 Verified purchase
Was worried the vest may be too big as I'm quite small, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only does the vest adjust small enough to sit at the appropriate height, but it's high enough to allow me to use a mid height holster and a few pouches mounted towards the front of the belt.
5/5, would fight commies in Africa with



Zachary W. 14.03.2021 Verified purchase
Pricey, but worth.



Lachlan R. 18.08.2021 Verified purchase
But as far as the condition I received it in? Damn near perfect. It was clean, had one hole in a minor spot and some wear, but thats not varusteleka's fault! These guys took care of it, and sent it fantastically!



Yannic S. 20.08.2022 Verified purchase



Zachary W. 27.08.2022 Verified purchase



Kaelan G. 19.03.2023 Verified purchase
It came with quite a bit of wear, lots of fraying ends and a few small tears but otherwise in good condition. Clearly been sitting in a warehouse, probably in a box, for a very long time. The straps for the buckles on the shoulder straps were wound up very tight and thus coil up badly, making them a bit unruly... you can sort them out with the nearby velcro pretty easily though. It also appears you can use this velcro and the loop near the shoulder for a water bladder system, which you can throw in the backpack. I haven't personally tried it yet but it seems like it would work perfectly, despite not being designed for this.
In short, there's a LOT you can do with this rig. It's perfect for day hikes or small journeys, it can easily carry the essentials plus emergency gear in case your stay becomes longer than anticipated.


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They haven't done the battle jackets, but Kommandostore is making repro p83 chest rigs for about the same as authentic surplus kits. As well, they reverse engineered nutria brown so the color properly matches.
Also see:- the combat vests used by Egyptian Army assault troops for the crossing of the Suez Canal in the 1973 Yom Kippur war.
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