Mil-tec trilam ecwcs jacket - MIL-TEC Trilam. Wet Weather Jacket w/Fleece Liner - Men's

I had been researching the Mil-Tec Trilam wet weather jacket (also referred to as a ECWCS jacket) for the past few weeks, looking for a replacement to my venerable parka that finally bit the dust. I found this jacket on Optics Planet at a great price - too good not to pick it up.

Finish - The quality of design, and the sewing with this jacket is absolutely the best feature about this - the Jacket is an updated version of the US Military Gen 1 ECWCS, using a trilaminate fabric instead of Gore-Tex. At first opening, I was struck by the finishing touches - no loose threads, heavy duty zippers for the inner pockets instead of Velcro, and a fabric with a 'soft' feel - makes this a quality product.

A couple of things might throw potential purchaser for loop, so 'caveat emptor':

* The front zipper is a European-style, in that the zipper pull is on the left side, vice the American-style right-hand side for men's fashions. Men's jackets in the USA have right hand pull zippers, and women's styles (often) are on the left side. Don't worry - this left side 'thing' is a result of euro-styling (I think the jacket is actually intended for a market in the vicinity of eastern Poland...so this makes sense). But it's going to take some muscle-memory training before you feel comfortable zipping up.

* Sizing - Mil-Tech needs to start looking at sizing their products in 'Long' or 'Tall' sizes. The XL jacket I have fits very well in the chest (I am 6'2" with a more-or-less medium build). I went with the extra-large for the additional room in the chest and armpits. Drawback - the jacket sleeves are about an inch-and-a-half too short. Is this a deal-killer? Not for me, but be mindful if you really need the extra length.

Finally (and this has been noted several times in other venues) - the fleece sweater which zips into the jacket is actually larger than the jacket itself. You can tell because the sweater sleeves bunch up and/or stick out the end of the jacket sleeves. Again, not a deal killer - but Mil-Tech has some work to do to make this a true five-star jacket.