USGI FREE EWOL Parka, UCP

Description

This is a FREE EWOL parka that was used in the US Army and is typically worn by aircrew members and fuelers. The parka is waterproof and is worn over the duty uniform or thermal layers. The zippered front has a storm flap and the hood can be removed with a zipper when not needed. Each shoulder has a zippered pocket and hook field of ID patches. On the chest of the parka are fields for rank and ID patches and the armpits are zippered to allow for ventilation. Each sleeve cuff is adjustable with a hook and loop tab. Overall this is a good protective parka for outdoor work in the elements.

Features:

• Gore-Tex – Made with Gore-Tex material, a lightweight wind and waterproof material that remains breathable.
• Stow Away Hood – There is a stow away hood in the jackets collar for inclement weather.
• Removable Hood – Comes with a hood that can be completely removed from the jacket.
• Adjustable Sleeve Cuffs – Sleeves have either a button or hook and loop adjustable cuff for fit and wear.
• Exterior Hook and Loop Fields – There is hook and loop on the outside of the pouch for attaching ID and other patches.
• Zippered Shoulder Pockets – Pockets on shoulders for storing small items with zippered closure.
• Full Length Zipper – Has a zipper going the full length or near full length of the item.
• Zipper Storm Flap – This jacket has a storm flap for covering the zipper in inclement weather. Storm flaps help insure water and wind are not able to pass through the zipper.
• Jacket Zippered Armpits – Armpits on jacket have zippers to help with ventilation and cooling down.
• Universal Camouflage Pattern, UCP – Following in the steps of the USMC and its adoption of a digital camo, the US Army adopted the Universal Camo Pattern in 2004. The pattern was designed to function suitably in any environment. The overall intention of a camo capable of that is to remove the need to issue a camo pattern for each potential combat zone and environment, thus making the production and issuing of camo easy to troops. The camo was adopted and saw use in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where it would perform at best adequately. As a result of the camo not performing as good as intended the US Army began looking for a replacement. By 2011 the US Army would test in a variation of UCP, UCP-D, against Multicam in Afghanistan in the search for a replacement. By 2012 all US Army Soldiers deploying as combat troops to Afghanistan would be issued uniforms and gear in Multicam and UCP would be phased out of service in 2019 as a service camo. UCP would commonly come to be referred to as ACU, based of the adoption of the ACU pattern uniform that was adopted at the same time, much the same as the woodland camo came to be called BDU.
• EWOL – Extreme Weather Outer Layer, a component of the FREE system. EWOL layers are water and wind proof Gore Tex that is still fire resistant. EWOL layers are the outer most layers of the FREE system and meant for the worst weather conditions.
• FREE Clothing System – The Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble. FREE is a system of fire resistant clothing and accessories for wear by combat vehicle crewman and aircrew members that generally follows the format of ECWCS as far as layering goes. All layers are fire resistant and focused towards the needs of the Soldiers wearing them. Generally FREE Clothing is a upgraded version of the standard issue equivalent, along with being fire resistant.

Manufactured by:

• Various Government Contractors – This item is manufactured for the US government by various contractors.

Country of Manufacture: USA – This product is manufactured in the #1 country, the USA.

Issue Type: USGI – These are genuine US government issued items made to military specification (mil-spec).