Why The Greatest Field Jacket Ever Made Is Also The Cheapest.

Summary

Michael traces the evolution of the M65 field jacket from its origins in the 1930s through four major prototypes (M41, M43, M51, and M65), explaining how the US military’s 25+ years of development created what he considers the most utilitarian jacket ever designed. The video explores why this military surplus staple has maintained a devoted cult following for decades.

The M65 stands out for its ingenious hidden features - 15 buttons that each serve a purpose, including one “mystery button” that attaches the optional hood, arm gauntlets for wind protection, an integrated hood stored in the collar, and the NYCO (nylon-cotton) fabric that balanced durability, comfort, and water resistance. Michael explains how each predecessor jacket failed and was improved upon based on actual soldier feedback.

The video reveals why the M65 became an iconic piece beyond military use - it offered high-quality, well-designed outerwear at military surplus prices when affordable warm jackets were hard to find, and its beautiful olive green color aged gracefully over time.

Highlights

”15 buttons later - the most adaptable piece”

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“15 buttons later meant the M65 was the most adaptable piece the US military has ever made.” — Michael, 1:05

”Nobody knew how to dress for war”

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“War, it changed dramatically in the last 200 years. So, nobody knew how to dress for war for a pretty long time, and it killed a lot of people. It wasn’t good, but we got the M65 out of it.” — Michael, 2:33

”There is no other jacket they want to wear ever”

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“There is no other jacket on the planet that they want to wear ever. M65 for life.” — Michael, 12:42

”NYCO was the last great blended fabric”

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“NYCO fabric was probably the last great natural and synthetic blended fabric that the military was using widely. It’s very comfortable. It feels cozy. It doesn’t make really loud noises when you’re rubbing it together.” — Michael, 12:57

”The soldiers hated it”

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“Notice how it looks nothing like the M65 that I’m wearing right now. It’s because the M41 was terrible. Every all the soldiers were like, ‘This what is this? This is like a windbreaker that I would wear when I’m at home not trying to fight a war.’” — Michael, 3:35

Key Points

• 25+ Years of Development (0:16) - The US military started in the 1930s and went through four major prototypes before creating the M65 in 1965
• 15 Buttons with Purpose (0:53) - Every button serves a function, making it the most adaptable piece the US military ever made
• Mystery Button Explained (7:12) - The lone “floating” button attaches the optional hood to the jacket
• M41 First Iteration Failure (3:39) - Soldiers hated it, calling it a windbreaker - only liked the lightweight cotton exterior with wool lining
• Soldier Feedback System (5:49) - Military asked soldiers what sucked about M41: needed bigger pockets and removable liner
• M43 Removable Liner (6:26) - First jacket with buttons for optional hood and liner attachment
• M51 Korean War Updates (6:50) - Added zipper with giant glove pull for frozen hands, snappable storm flap instead of button placket
• Triangle Gusset Gauntlet (1:41) - Sleeve extends into hand protection for driving without gloves
• Alpha Industries Origin (8:36) - First made the M65 in 1965, still makes modern versions that accept original liners and hoods
• Velcro Introduction (9:35) - M65 was one of first uses of Velcro in the US, on sleeves and collar
• Integrated Hood in Collar (9:55) - Nylon hood stores in stand-up collar, soldiers kept losing separate hoods
• NYCO Fabric Benefits (10:28) - Nylon-cotton blend more uniform than wool, allowed Quarpel water-repellent finish
• M65 Liner Design (11:42) - Uses 12 buttons, no underarm fabric to reduce sweating and bulk
• Blackie Thomas (12:45) - Has YouTube channel devoted to M65 hacks; people get obsessed and wear nothing else
• $100 Surplus Deal (13:26) - Still available for around $100; was incredible value before Uniqlo era of affordable jackets

Mentions

Companies

• Alpha Industries (8:36) - Original M65 manufacturer in 1965, still makes modern versions
• Uniqlo (13:36) - Referenced as modern affordable alternative that didn’t exist in M65’s heyday
• Runna (4:23) - Video sponsor, personalized running coaching app

Products & Technologies

• M41 Field Jacket (3:39) - First iteration, circa 1940, cotton exterior with wool lining
• M43 Field Jacket (6:26) - Added buttons for optional hood and liner
• M51 Field Jacket (6:50) - Korean War era, added zipper and storm flap
• M65 Field Jacket (0:27) - Final definitive version made in 1965
• NYCO Fabric (10:28) - Nylon-cotton blend that enabled Quarpel treatment
• Quarpel (10:33) - Rudimentary water-repellent finish (not DWR)
• Velcro (9:35) - New in the 1960s, used on M65 sleeves and collar
• M65 Liner/Smoking Jacket (11:42) - Famous quilted liner, available on eBay for almost nothing

People

• Michael (0:00) - The host of The Iron Snail
• Blackie Thomas (12:45) - YouTuber with channel devoted to M65 hacks

Surprising Quotes

“15 buttons later meant the M65 was the most adaptable piece the US military has ever made.” — 1:05

“War, it changed dramatically in the last 200 years. So, nobody knew how to dress for war for a pretty long time, and it killed a lot of people. It wasn’t good, but we got the M65 out of it.” — 2:33

“There is no other jacket on the planet that they want to wear ever. M65 for life.” — 12:42

“NYCO fabric was probably the last great natural and synthetic blended fabric that the military was using widely. It’s very comfortable. It feels cozy. It doesn’t make really loud noises when you’re rubbing it together.” — 12:57

Transcript

0:00 You can literally do whatever you can imagine with this jacket and get some really weird shapes going for warmth. The US military created some of the most famous jackets and coats on the planet. However, in the 1930s, they set out to create the ultimate jacket. And after over 25 years of development and four major prototypes, they finally had their jacket, the M65 field jacket.

0:30 You talking to me? It was made with a new fabric, a revolutionary fastening system, and giant bellowed pockets. That’s the my favorite detail of the whole jacket. The M65 jacket is full of hidden features that make it universally loved. Starting with some wild buttons. Look at this one mystery button that doesn’t fasten anything on the jacket at all. It’s just floating there.

0:53 And look at this. Two buttons, three buttons, four buttons, five buttons, six buttons, seven buttons, eight buttons, nine buttons, 10 buttons, 11 buttons, 12 buttons, 13 buttons, 14, 15 buttons. 15 buttons later meant the M65 was the most adaptable piece the US military has ever made. It also meant the M65 would get a cult following in the US. And I found it to be one of the best pieces of gear I ever had.

1:18 This is probably the best jacket I’ve ever owned. This is one of the best freaking outdoor jackets I have ever owned. Period. And I bought four of them to see what all the hype was actually about. And I have to say, yeah, I see it. I like where everything has a purpose. That little random stray button, huge purpose. Every single thing of Look at this.

1:36 Driving and you don’t have gloves or you need extra wind protection? Not a big deal. Open up the sleeve more to this triangle gusset gauntlet thing and then you could Hold on. Look at that. I like little technical features like that, little useful things that you can kind of deploy on your jacket. And we have a lot of them on the M65.

1:54 Today’s goal is simple. Our first goal, how did we get to the M65 from the Revolutionary War till now? That’s not going to take as long as you think. Goal number two, what is every single hidden detail in the M65? That’s fascinating. And goal number three, the M65 has a specific cult following in the US. People still wear the M65 today and only the M65. Why?

2:17 Maybe you already knew this, but I didn’t. I was trying to draw a straight line and show you like there’s the M65 and before that there was this jacket. Before that, there was this jacket. So, we could see the straight evolution. And you kind of can do that, but also you can’t at all.

2:31 War, it changed dramatically in the last 200 years. So, nobody knew how to dress for war for a pretty long time, and it killed a lot of people. It wasn’t good, but we got the M65 out of it. Essentially, war was so different that one guy would shoot his gun, a huge puff of smoke would cover everything, cannons would do it. So you had to try and see your own people if you’re going to command an army.

2:50 So everybody was dressed bright. Everybody’s waving flags saying like, “We’re right here. Here we are.” And instead of trying to hide, the big thing was let’s look really put together and proper and have a nice show of force and just be intimidating in that way.

3:05 Then slowly as war progressed, people were like, “Okay, well I think it was the British first. They had khaki on and that was really good at camouflage and technology was getting better. So there was less smoke, guns were way more accurate. So all of a sudden people had to hide and the strategy changed and the clothing changed with that.

3:20 And World War I was a big catalyst of people realizing like we got to stop our old ways. Like we got to stop this presentation on the battlefield and do anything we can get low and dirty and have the best clothing possible for that cuz war is not going back to how it was.

3:35 So about 20 years later we had the first ever iteration of the M65. We had the M41. Notice how it looks nothing like the M65 that I’m wearing right now. It’s because the M41 was terrible. Every all the soldiers were like, “This what is this? This is like a windbreaker that I would wear when I’m at home not trying to fight a war.”

3:52 Really, the only sticking point on the M41 that soldiers liked was that the outside was cotton, so it was a lot more lightweight. They can move around a lot easier, and there was a wool lining on the inside. What’s really important about cotton, and then when we get to the M65 NYCO, it’s so uniform that if you want to waterproof something or make it more water resistant, you can put wax on it way, way easier.

4:23 This video is sponsored by Runna. Initially, I tried to film this ad while on a run because I’m training for a half marathon, but the ad was basically just me out of breath and coughing the entire time. So, I decided it’d be best to redo it before I sent it off to Runna.

4:40 There we go. First run in the books. Average pace 9 minutes. Runna is a personalized automated running coaching training app and it talks to you quite a bit on your run which is helpful. Whether it’s your first 5K or your 10,000th ultramarathon, it can get it done.

5:00 It can train you with an Olympic athlete in your phone. You put it in your pants. Finally have an Olympic athlete in your pants. I like running a lot. If today wasn’t a rest day, my shoes would be steaming because I’d be running so fast through these woods. Boom. Bank left. 150 cop cars behind me.

5:20 But it’s nice to actually have a plan of you should run this far, you should run that far, you should do this to hit that time period. And while I run, my watch is saying like, “Dude, you got to slow down. You’re absolutely cranking right now. Tone it down.”

5:49 So, the military then got some soldiers and was like, “All right, guys. Tom over there made the M41. I know it sucks, but why don’t you just tell me why it sucks and we’ll see if it lines up.” And the soldiers were like, “Okay, great. First thing that sucked about that jacket.” And the guy was like, “Okay, maybe we shouldn’t say suck.”

6:06 First thing that sucked about the jacket is those little slash pockets are great for your hands and civilian use, but if you’re running around, I need to be able to store a lot of stuff. So, we need big pockets. The other really annoying thing is it’s nice to have the wool liner when it’s cold, but it’s not always cold. Sometimes we’re running around and it’s hot. Is there any way to split that in two? And the guy designing it was like, “Yes.”

6:26 Now, we have the M43. And now you’re starting to see the M65 come together. Oh, sorry. They also ran with that a lot more and they started to add some of the buttons that we were talking about before. They added buttons so you can put on an optional hood and a liner.

6:44 I didn’t get the wool pile liners. They are very cool, but here they are. I thought this one, the M51 that I have right now. I thought it had one in it. It didn’t. Then before you know it, it’s the Korean War and we have this. This is the M51.

6:50 A major change is if you have gloves on cuz it’s freezing during the Korean War, it’s hard to button and unbutton things. So, a big change they added, boom, a zipper with a giant glove pull on it to make it easier to take the jacket on and off and a snappable storm flap instead of just using the button placket.

7:12 Also, more buttons got added to this jacket so you could have more functionality and more things to add on. And that, my good friend, is the purpose of this lone stranded button. I will now live try to apply the hood of the M51 onto this jacket. It is very hard.

7:23 Okay, let’s see if I can do this. You open the collar and it opens like this. These buttons go in the jacket. Things up here. Go with the button on the collar. You button here. Button here. Button here. This collar goes in there. Okay. Through that eyeloop. That’s the other eyeloop.

7:40 Imagine trying to do this in an active war zone. This is that outside stray button that I was talking about. Fasten the button in there. That’s about Oh, no. Sorry. You do on that and boom. You have a great little You have a great hood when before you had nothing.

7:59 This changed the game. This whole layout, this layering, that extra button. This fabric right now is cotton. But something else was about to happen when the M65 came around and became the definitive greatest military jacket.

8:15 I’m just standing here because I really don’t want to go through all the work of taking this button back off. It’s fun to put it on, but this thing happens sometimes when I do these videos with the hoods you have to put up so high and you have to tie all these things and put them on. I get stuck in the hoods and then I have a freaking panic attack.

8:36 Okay, the M65. First made by Alpha Industries in M65. I mean in 1965. Sorry, just glitched out there for a second. This is their modern-day version. Well, just their modern day M65. They still make it. This is the full kitten kaboodle. The old liner still fits in. The hood fits in. Everything’s the exact same almost.

8:55 The liner is a little bit nicer. Actually, it has two pockets going on the side, but this is it. I actually, this is probably the best fitting one of the bunch. I had to size down to an extra small from a small, but I like it a lot. And this has a liner in it, so it’s a little tighter than normal.

9:07 Now, the M65, they were it was going to come out anyways. It wasn’t just they were going to stop at the M51. Technology was changing, but it was also specifically starting to be adapted for or prepped for the Vietnam War, even though it really wasn’t worn during the Vietnam War that much because it wasn’t the right tool for the job. It was a little too warm.

9:29 But we still have some updates that kind of suit Vietnam better than the M51. First thing, nylon adds a lot of stuff that we’ll talk about in a little bit, but it also dries much faster than cotton.

9:35 Also, in the ’60s, hello to Velcro. So, there is Velcro all over this jacket, on the sleeve. I’m surprised they didn’t use more actually, but on the sleeves and on the collar. And speaking of the collar, introducing one of the most legendary features of the M65, the stand collar with a very beautiful, clever design and some nice fluffy snow. Check out that Velcro.

9:53 And soldiers were losing their hood all the time, which sucks when you’re in a very rainy condition. Pull out the conveniently placed hood back here. Boom. Is it raining? I didn’t I couldn’t tell. Integrated nylon hood. It does. It’s not perfect, obviously, but still, it’s great to have.

10:10 We have this ripstop liner on the inside of the M65. One of my favorite things about it is it’s not sewn down at the bottom. It’s more comfortable if you’re layering and everything like that, but it’s also because it allows easy repairs. So, these are the pocket bags. Easy to access, repair, and change.

10:23 And in the same way that cotton was a much more uniform fabric than a wool, M65 and NYCO and those nylon filaments makes an even more uniform sateen. So, they could apply Quarpel, which is a very rudimentary. I don’t think it’s a DWR. I think it’s just a water repellent finish.

10:42 Apparently, it didn’t work that well. Quarpel water resistance test. Take one. Oh, yeah. Okay. Look at that. Oh, but it was better than what anybody else had at the time because of that uniformity.

10:54 We have our storm placket that is fastened by snapping, but also we have a shorter length zipper. So that way if we’re sitting in a car or something, it’s comfortable. You don’t have to worry about it. Nowadays, we probably do a two-way zipper, but still.

11:04 We also have cinches at the bottom if you really Well, that goes a lot further than I would think. Cinch these bad boys up. And that’s not it. You think that was the only cinch? You think a jacket that makes arm gauntlets is going to only have one cinch? You think a jacket using Quarpel is only going to have Oh, the other one’s broken.

11:22 And of course, we have the legendary smoking jacket, which if you’ve ever been to New York or lived in New York, you will see these popping up everywhere because they’re cheap, they look super cool, and they’re huge.

11:42 Okay. Now we have the liner. Equally as famous as the M65 itself is the M65 liner. This uses 6 8 10 12 buttons to fasten inside. And it’s also sometimes called the smoking jacket. The fact that you can go on eBay and get a liner for practically nothing. It’s not insane quality or anything like that, but it is cool. And you get the M65 for like a hundred bucks still today.

12:00 That’s part of the reason people from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and still today. But, you know, people really gripped on from that era with this jacket. That and a few other things. But, let me unfasten this first. But boom. The M65 liner.

12:13 Depending on what era you get the M65 liner from, it will either have buttons so you can button it together or it won’t. And earlier one doesn’t cuz it was just a liner at that point. And then, probably for two reasons. One, so you don’t have a big bunch of fabric under your underarms. And two, probably so you sweat less and can dry faster. There’s no underarms on the M65 liner. You can go right to the pit.

12:31 And when you put absolutely everything together from the M65 to the liner, you get this weird phenomenon that kind of causes or puts a spell on people that like M65s. There is no other jacket on the planet that they want to wear ever. M65 for life.

12:45 Blackie Thomas, shout out to Blackie Thomas. He has a whole YouTube channel basically devoted to little M65 hacks. People get obsessed with it because it is the most utilitarianly designed jacket of all time.

12:56 But that’s not it. There’s a few other things happening. NYCO fabric was probably the last great natural and synthetic blended fabric that the military was using widely. It’s very comfortable. It feels cozy. It doesn’t make really loud noises when you’re rubbing it together. It doesn’t have to be ultra light.

13:10 You have this kind of weighty relaxed feel along with the fact that the original M65 was this really beautiful green that as the jacket aged softened and lightened and just got more and more beautiful.

13:20 Cool. Finally, if you’re like, I’m just cold and I want a jacket and I don’t have a lot of money. Can’t spend a lot of money. Boom. The M65. Really great quality jacket, really well-designed, most up-to-date military materials at that time. Velcro is just coming into the US through the M65.

13:36 And with all that, the clothing world was very different at the time. There wasn’t a Uniqlo that you could just go pick up a warm jacket at like a hundred bucks for. You went to a military surplus store and the M65 was a spanking deal. Very cheap, very high quality.

13:50 And that’s that. Dunk your hands in your pocket and go like this and look around. Probably be the coolest dude at a party. I’m going to a Christmas party today. I’m going to wear the M65.