The Smock Jackets for US Soldiers

If you have not heard about the Smock jacket, then you are not alone. But that ends here! Smock jackets are created for military field use that affords the wearer enough space to carry all the needed tactical gears and ammunition required for an operation. When you think about smock, do not think of a regular simple jacket. It is more than just another tactical clothing. It allows you to carry most, if not all your fighting load, all in one piece.

The idea of the smock was developed in Europe as a solution to the need for carrying extra tactical gear backpack or rack sack. Outside of Europe, the smock was also used in commonwealth nations. The British military envisioned that the smock would all soldiers to carry their ammo and tactical gears using the pockets of the smock jacket. Unfortunately, this idea did not sell well in the US as there was limited use of smocks in the US.

Notably, a similar development was adopted by the US forces in the 1990s when an experimental tactical clothing was being developed. The cloth, called a Battle Dress System (BDS), was initially developed by the US Army Special Operations Command. At that time, it was designed like a layered clothing system that would be worn by soldiers to afford multiple room and space for tactical gears. Eventually, this clothing experience became the Lightweight Environmental Protection sub-system of SPEAR.

Back to the smocks, since the 1980s the British Special Air Sea Services have continued to manufacture specialized variants of the smock. There are other manufacturers who have also picked up this torch such as Canada’s Drop Zone. They have been producing stock jackets since the 90s. However, there are still notable differences in terms of color and design.

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