# Canadian Para Smocks



## Canashea (27 Aug 2006)

Does anyone know where to buy Canadian DPM Para Smocks?

They are sometimes called 'Pathfinder Smocks' in British Service, They can still be worn in Britain since Canada is a British Commonwealth Nation, They are very nearly identical but with more features such as back pocket, 'Lift The Dot' Press Studs, Made from windproof SAS Smock Material and dont have knitted cuffs


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## cadettrooper (27 Aug 2006)

ebay, or you can try your local surplus store. they have been quite popular lately on ebay so you can try there. but believe me there tough to find in normal size!


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## Loachman (29 Aug 2006)

Sgt Bilko Surplus, now Army Outfitters on Avenue Road in Toronto, had a couple in July. I haven't checked to see if the new web site isfully-functional yet.


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## Trinity (29 Aug 2006)

Loachman said:
			
		

> Sgt Bilko Surplus, now Army Outfitters on Avenue Road in Toronto, had a couple in July. I haven't checked to see if the new web site is fully-functional yet.



You beat me to it

Bilko/army outfitters had a whack of them a few months ago if i recall.

New store is much smaller.. but everything is just in the basement now. 

Beware of the dog... it's very friendly...


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## rwgill (30 Aug 2006)

There is a surplus store in Montreal, corner of Ontario and St-Laurent, who has quite a few.  Largest chest is size 3(short large), tallest being size 4(regular small).  All nice a crispy new.

Since you appear to be in the UK, your best bet is eBay.


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## army outfitters (30 Aug 2006)

I think I have a few left in stock but only size 4 off the top of my head


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## Black Watch (30 Aug 2006)

PreFair (behind SAIL) in Beloeil...over 600 in stock...


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## onecat (30 Aug 2006)

They are sometimes called 'Pathfinder Smocks' in British Service, They can still be worn in Britain since Canada is a British Commonwealth Nation, They are very nearly identical but with more features such as back pocket, 'Lift The Dot' Press Studs, Made from windproof SAS Smock Material and dont have knitted cuffs

If your talking the Canadian para smock, they not the same at all.  First of they of a canadian pattern so the pockets and look are not the same at all.  Do a web site and compare.  The DPM pattern and colours are not the same, so again do a search and see for yourself.  I higfhly doubt they can be used in British service, but seeing as I'm in the UK... if you have real proof of this then I will belive you.  If not then your post is just BS.


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## onecat (30 Aug 2006)

here are the two smocks.. and as you can see they not the same at all.


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## Bartok5 (31 Aug 2006)

The above pics are from my personal web-site.  Radiohead is absolutely correct.  The layout of the Canadian "Smock, Parachutist's" is fundamentally different from its British counterpart.  Moreover, although the DPM pattern is the same, the application of colours within the pattern is very different.  Look at the left elbow of the British smock and the right elbow of the Canadian smock.  Cue off of the identical black shape and you will note that in the Canadian version of DPM the Tan and Green have been reversed to give the overall pattern a much higher percentage of earth tones (eg.  Tan and Brown). 

I am highly skeptical regarding the claim that a serving British soldier would be permitted to wear the Canadian para smock....   :

FWIW,


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## onecat (31 Aug 2006)

Mark, sorry to use pictures from your website, but it was in fav list and easy to go too.


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## big bad john (31 Aug 2006)

Mark C said:
			
		

> The above pics are from my personal web-site.  Radiohead is absolutely correct.  The layout of the Canadian "Smock, Parachutist's" is fundamentally different from its British counterpart.  Moreover, although the DPM pattern is the same, the application of colours within the pattern is very different.  Look at the left elbow of the British smock and the right elbow of the Canadian smock.  Cue off of the identical black shape and you will note that in the Canadian version of DPM the Tan and Green have been reversed to give the overall pattern a much higher percentage of earth tones (eg.  Tan and Brown).
> 
> I am highly skeptical regarding the claim that a serving British soldier would be permitted to wear the Canadian para smock....   :
> 
> FWIW,



I can guarantee that a serving British Soldier would not be permitted to wear it.


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## Bartok5 (1 Sep 2006)

Radiohead,

No worries about linking to my site.  It hasn't been updated for ages, and as a result public interest has dropped off.  Bandwidth use is not an issue these days.  

Hopefully I'll get around to updating the site later this fall, or during Xmas lve at the latest.  I have approximately 50 new camo patterns to add that I've acquired since the last update.

Cheers,


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## Bzzliteyr (3 Sep 2006)

Mark, can you throw up the link to it again?? It might be a good resource for some of the younger troops in here that are interested in that stuff.


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## Black Watch (3 Sep 2006)

Just a question:
having watched a few documentaries showing athe airborne RGT, do they were wearing the smock in operational conditions


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## cadettrooper (4 Sep 2006)

Black Watch said:
			
		

> Just a question:
> do they were wearing the smock in operational conditions



no, from what i read and have heard, the smock was strictly a garrison dress item. but only worn on ceremonial jumps and occasions.


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## Kat Stevens (4 Sep 2006)

I seem to remember seeing them all over the place on RV 81, but I may be mistaken.


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## Lerch (6 Sep 2006)

radiohead said:
			
		

> If your talking the Canadian para smock, they not the same at all.  First of they of a canadian pattern so the pockets and look are not the same at all.  Do a web site and compare.  The DPM pattern and colours are not the same, so again do a search and see for yourself.  I higfhly doubt they can be used in British service, but seeing as I'm in the UK... if you have real proof of this then I will belive you.  If not then your post is just BS.


One other thing, the material he noted that the Jump Smocks were made from was wrong. The 'SAS Smock' (UK Windproof Smock) are made from thick gaberdine faric, while the Jump Smocks were made from a Cordura like material.
Aside from that, why would a British Para wear a Canadian smock? The British smocks are so much better construction IMO.


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## Jay4th (6 Sep 2006)

There is a section of Rui Amaral's book "Eat your weakest Man" about the smock I think.  If not then there is a whole small book just on the smock.  The pattern and material are actually an over-run from the contract for the Tanzanian Army in the late 1960's. Hence the rather unique pattern.


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## Pathfinder (27 Nov 2006)

Hey Guys!  I'm trying to locate the manufacturer of jump smock used by the CAR (and later SSF).
I have one of the last produced ones (1987), which identifies the manufacturer as "Ambridge & Thompson Inc.".
I'm interested in getting my hands on any leftover material/fabric.

And no, I'm not thinking of reclothing the CSOR...  ;-)

Cheers, P


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## R711 (28 Nov 2006)

Guy its been all sold off. Ask brian at drop zone he got the last of some of the fabric that was avalible.
R711 OUT


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## Canashea (5 Dec 2006)

Its a big shame they stopped making these smocks.

















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Para_Smock


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## George Wallace (5 Dec 2006)

Canashea said:
			
		

> Its a big shame they stopped making these smocks.



Not really.  The fabric faded very quickly in the sun and wash (sometimes as little as three days wear and a couple of washes.)  The snaps on the pockets were of poor quality and broke quite easily.  However, after all that, I still wish I had mine..... oh well!


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## daftandbarmy (6 Dec 2006)

The smock 'concept' is a good one. Wear a t-shirt or warmer shirt underneath. Easy to unzip and throw on a sweater (or 'jumper' if you're from the UK) when you stop. Much better than the button up cdn combat shirt in that regard. Pockets big enough for the stuff you need to put in them (although the popper studs sometimes gave out, and could be noisy). Tough and hard wearing. Baggy, long enough to just about kneel on. Not tailored, so you could vent in hot weather, or put thicker layers on underneath in the cold. The Cdn Abn smock material wasn't a great 'venter'. You could also wear the INIBA flak jacket underneath quite easily and make yourself look like a heavyweight boxer. It was cotton and fire proof - found that out the hard way a few times. I doubt the cdn cbt shirt/ Abn smock could take a molotov cocktail without going up in smoke. Weighed a ton when soaking wet though and the Cdn shirts dries faster. Have to keep Gary Gore-tex handy. The rest of the army in the UK were issued a copy of the Para Smock in the 80's. The first runs had crappy material though and it wore out/ pockets fell off and had a generally poor fit. I saw a whole arm come off of one guy's 'pseudo-smock' once. They must have fixed that by now. Luckily we were able to stick with our Para smocks. Cdn combats always seemed better fitting with higher quality finish than some of the stuff they came up with in the UK back then.

The SAS type windproofs were good too, excellent for tabbing above the treeline in all kinds of crappy weather. The arctic windproof was excellent in cold weather, especially north Norway. Similar material, but longer cut with a wire rimmed hood. Monster pockets with proper flaps and buttons to keep things in. Kept the wind out so you could ski at temps down to minus 30 with a wool/cotton blend Norgie shirt and HH thermal underwear quite comfortably. I remember several occasions when I had to chip the sheet ice off the front of my windproof after a long ski march to unzip my windproof and didn't even notice the cold inside. Fast drying too. However, few windproofs survived the blackthorn hedges in South Armagh longer than a couple of weeks, or the barbed wire fences of Salisbury Plain for that matter,and FIBUA of course. Smocks were preferable in these environments.

Ahhh... the good old days (yeah, right)


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## Pathfinder (9 Dec 2006)

Black Watch said:
			
		

> PreFair (behind SAIL) in Beloeil...over 600 in stock...



Black Watch, I'm looking for Cdn Para Smocks (and/or material), was that six-hundred you said??!
Send grid reference, over! 

Cheers, Pathfinder


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## Bergeron 971 (10 Dec 2006)

*I have an Airborne jump smock for sale, had it for years,new but used 2 times by a friend, only cdn od cdn flag sewn on.
Its 99.5% new. Still has orginial colour as when it would have been freshly issued. 
.5% cause it was warn twice.

Askng price 100$ + shipping.

I'll go to my local and take pics if someones interested.

Any takers?*


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## Paul Gagnon (10 Dec 2006)

big bad john said:
			
		

> I can guarantee that a serving British Soldier would not be permitted to wear it.



He must be getting his info off of Wikipedia. The article on the Canadian Para Smock and the DPM Parachute Smock make the same (incorrect?) reference.


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## cadettrooper (11 Dec 2006)

Bergeron 971 said:
			
		

> *I have an Airborne jump smock for sale, had it for years,new but used 2 times by a friend, only cdn od cdn flag sewn on.
> Its 99.5% new. Still has orginial colour as when it would have been freshly issued.
> .5% cause it was warn twice.
> 
> ...



what size?


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## daftandbarmy (11 Dec 2006)

Paul Gagnon said:
			
		

> He must be getting his info off of Wikipedia. The article on the Canadian Para Smock and the DPM Parachute Smock make the same (incorrect?) reference.



I can guarantee that there's no way a British regular soldier, especially in the Parachute Regiment, would be permitted to wear this smock.


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## Bergeron 971 (14 Dec 2006)

Tag reads:

PEERLESS GARMENTS LTD.
SMOCK PARACHUTE DISRUPTIVE PATTERN
8415-21-870-8201
SIZE: 3 SHORT LARGE
HEIGHT: 63 to 76
BREAST: 41.6 to 45.5
NATO SIZE: 6070 - 0515
DECEMBER, 1978

This smock is new and in unissued condition.


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## 2-3-Bravo (4 Jan 2007)

Hey, not sure if you're still looking for the para smock... There's a store in Calgary that has a few up for sale. All in size Med mind you. The store is called Harrisons... I think. You can email him at bunkertobunkerbooks@yahoo.com or call him at 403-313-4353. Hope this helps


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## cadettrooper (5 Jan 2007)

Wow harreson's is actually up-and-running again, in calgary?...........


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## 2-3-Bravo (6 Jan 2007)

Yes... Calgary. I was just in there yesterday. Not too bad of a store... a bit limited in genuine surplus (lot's of knock offs) but over all, great stuff that civies eat up!


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## army outfitters (8 Jan 2007)

Fascinatiing. Give you one guess were he picked them up from???
Give up yet????
He is also now open in Saskatachewan somewhere now as well


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## cadettrooper (8 Jan 2007)

2-3-Bravo said:
			
		

> Yes... Calgary. I was just in there yesterday. Not too bad of a store... a bit limited in genuine surplus (lot's of knock offs) but over all, great stuff that civies eat up!



wow
            2-3-bravo if you stop by again anytime soon, do me a favour and tell him Curtis from Victoria says "hey",
 he'll know who your talking about................

                                                                                                                       Cheers, Trakalo


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