DPM Coldweather "Falklands" Caps.

[Scotch Harry]

Have a few of these in the collection and noticed some differences in that some are quilt lined,others pile,some have khaki KF type lining material to the ear flaps,others green and some of the peaks are smaller than others.

 

Anybody got any ideas why this is or how to accurately date them as all I have been told is that the larger peaked ones are early/Falklands period and the smaller peaked ones being later/modern????

 

 

Thanks

[Eaglehurst]

I had always used the rule of thumb that the quilted ones were pre-83/84 and therefore Falklands era whilst the pile line were later versions...however I recall reading something recently that called this into question and that the pile versions were also used pre 83/84 ie Falklands era....

[Scotch Harry]

I also thought that quilted=early and pile=later but remember talking to a Falklands vet many moons ago and he said he could remember both being worn and that he hated the pile lined version as they made his head itch.

[43rdrecce]

Didn't some of the earlier ones have sticky backed size labels? I thought that the post Falklands production had green labels regardless of the lining style. I must admit I don't recall seeing the fully fleece lined ones until after the Falklands period.

I had a complete RM arctic rig in late 1982 ( all manufactured and issued pre FI) the ECW cap did indeed have a larger peak than the later 83-84 period ones. The dpm material was of the original gabardine type and pattern of very fine quality. The lining was quilted, with Angola lined side and front 'flaps' the fur pile was also of a better quality ie finer, than the later manufacture. On the RM example I had the fur was a definite olive. Some of the Falklands period caps had a lighter and more yellowy shade of fur pile.

I recall thinking at the time that the post Falklands made were pretty cr-ap quality. I also recall that they were widely made for the civvy market in the 80s, again of not very good quality.

They were everywhere in the mid 80s and I would think that quite a lot were not genuine issue.

 

Not sure when the Dutch army adopted their version, these are often passed off as 'British' and FI issue.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[wdbikemad]

The "Dangerous Brian" DPM Arctic Hat came out around 76 along with the arctic windproofs and "Chinese fighting suit".........the original pattern was in gabardine DPM, quilt-lined, and likely with brown-KF flannel lined flaps..........sticky labels were fairly common too.......

 

Post-Falklands, probably late-80s, some labels were now cloth and sewn-in........the pile lining seems to have replaced the quilting around the late-80s/early 90s, and the inner flaps were generally the common green KF flannel.....

 

Some issues from probably 94 onwards were made in DPM "ripstop" as used in the CS95 field jacket.............

 

Not certain about the differences in peak sizes.......it could just be a manufacturing variation, but the arctic hat I was issued with in 83 definitely had a huge peak and was quilt-lined......

 

They were not made in normal head sizes either, only "small, medium" and "large"........