Särmä TST L5 Thermal Patrol Coverall

Need a be-all and end-all solution for packing light but staying warm in cold places? Meet the king of military winter gear – the Thermal Patrol Coverall! Our new coverall features ingenious innovations and can be adjusted to fit the user's physique and equipment load. Naturally, this coverall comes in the M05 snow camo pattern.

The good old Finnish Defence Forces' patrol coverall is a fine and traditional piece of equipment, but times have changed – Varusteleka takes this piece of winter gear to the here and now!

A Brief History of the Patrol Coverall

Our coverall is an improved version of the legendary and highly sought-after FDF patrol coverall. The patrol coverall was originally designed by Major Kari "Vaiska" Vainio in the mid-80s for long range reconnaissance patrols to be used in stationary situations in cold temperatures – on OPs or guard duty, for example. The original patrol coverall was introduced into the FDF in 1985-1986 and is still in use today.

Military equipment has evolved significantly since those days. For example, recon units didn't use chest rigs or combat vests as they do now. The Finnish Defence Forces' patrol coverall, however, remains the same as before. It was high time to bring this excellent winter gear into the modern era!

Features

In a nutshell, what we aimed for was a thermal garment that can be quickly put on without first fiddling with your helmet, communication devices, and other combat gear. The coverall should keep the fighter warm, functional, and ready to fight. The updated version should also be as light and compact as possible – without compromising on thermal properties. These goals were met, and our thermal suit also has the following details:

• Helmet-compatible hood with a short visor
  • Adjustable face opening and head circumference
  • Hanging loop
  • Removable neck flap
  • The entire coverall can be packed into the hood
• Two front zippers
  • Wind flaps with hook-and-loop closure
  • The wind flap can be closed out of the way with its own hook-and-loop
  • Wind flaps have loops for various attachment methods (see usage methods)
• 2-way ventilation zippers in the armpits
• Adjustable waist with elastic band
• Internal suspender loops
• Separate zippered fly for field relief
• NIR-compliant, M05 Snow Pattern color

The coverall pant legs have 2-way zippers, allowing access to pockets or keeping a pistol holster outside the coverall. There are zippered pockets with protective flaps on the front of the pants. The leg cuffs have adjustable elastic bands.

Usage Methods

With a Plate Carrier

Imagine a situation where you and your infantry unit are on a mission. It's -20°C (-4°F) out there, and there's knee-deep snow, of course. You're on the move, wearing your field uniform, a merino base layer, a geared-up battle belt, a plate carrier with a radio, and a helmet with a headset.

You reach the objective after fighting the snow and the enemy, sweaty and a bit exhausted. You take positions and wait for new orders. The radio is silent, and the cold starts creeping into your bones. No problem – you reach into your backpack for the patrol coverall! As a savvy soldier, you've already prepped open the coverall's zippers. You pull it out of the hood, slide your legs and arms in, and fasten the zippers on the pants – and the front zippers to the bottom of the plate carrier. You tuck the rest of the front flap into the groin area. You attach the wind flaps' hook-and-loop to your plate carrier, preventing heat from escaping from the sides of the plate carrier.

Just as warmth and a sense of comfort have settled in, you receive the order to move out on your radio. But of course! No worries, with the coverall, you stayed operational, and the mission now continues – you open the coverall in the reverse order, see that the zippers and hook-and-loops are ready, and tuck the coverall back into its hood.

With a Chest Rig

What if you're bush folk using a chest rig? You can put on the coverall in the same way as in the previous example – this may be enough for warmth, depending on the weather. However, the chest area might be quite exposed. With a chest rig, you can push the front flap onto your chest and under the chest rig, and attach the wind flaps' hook-and-loop to the front flap. Now the chest rig straps come between the wind flaps and the front flap, and the zippers are still open.

This is also a quick way to put on the coverall while minimizing heat leaks. You can also use the wind flap loops to secure the chest area opening – use paracord, sternum strap, or such to tie the thing together.

Underneath Equipment

The third way to use the patrol suit is simply to put it on first and then the other gear. This is undoubtedly the warmest way to use it and is suitable especially for stationary tasks such as guarding and checkpoint duty.

Off the Battlefield

Although this is military clothing, you can, of course, wear this coverall anywhere when the mercury plummets and you need to stay stationary while maintaining mental and motor functions. The coverall packs into a small space and is nice to pull out of the backpack when you're going ice fishing or seal hunting, for example.

Size Information

The coverall's cut is spacious. The measurements are designed so that the coverall can accommodate a battle belt and plate carrier with equipment underneath. The hood can be tightened to fit a bare head, but it can also fit a helmet. A person of average build and height (180 cm) would use an L/XL size coverall with gear on. If the intention is never to carry combat gear inside the coverall, a smaller size could also work.

There is an elastic band at the waist for adjusting the coverall’s waist – whether you have a battle belt or not. The leg cuffs have adjustable bands, and the sleeves have elastic cuffs without adjustment.

The S/M size coverall weighs 1.0 kg / 2.2 lbs, the L/XL size weighs 1.2 kg / 2.6 lbs, and the 2XL/3XL size weighs 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs. The coverall can be packed into its hood for easy storage. You can compress the suit even smaller by using an appropriately sized compression sack, such as the smaller Carinthian one. Keep in mind that packing the suit into a separate bag complicates putting it on (especially in the dark).

Materials and Cold Endurance

The outer fabric is 100% polyamide ripstop (70g/m²) with a non-fluorinated water-repellent treatment – the same material as in the new Särmä TST L7 camouflage anorak and pants. The outer materials of the patrol coverall are NIR-compliant, as expected.

The insulation is 67g/m² Climashield Apex, one of the best insulation fibers in the world: excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, very airy (insulating), and extremely compressible. The last 25 cm / 10" of the pant leg is without insulation.

In our field tests, the patrol coverall was tested in various conditions – even in temperatures as low as -35°C / -31°F. The result was that the coverall works as intended!

Care Instructions

If there's a spot on the suit that you want to get rid of, try wiping it away with a damp cloth first. If you need to wash the entire suit for some reason: machine wash at 40°C / 104°F. The materials also allow for gentle tumble drying and ironing, but that probably won't be necessary. Do not use fabric softeners or bleach.

Made in the EU

This coverall is made in Slovakia by Koutny.