Pattern 83 History

What is Pattern 83?

Pattern 83 is a set of three different load-bearing solutions commonly called "Webbing", developed by the South African Defense Force in the 1980s.

It consists of 3 different parts: A standalone "Battle Jacket", a "Grootsak" ('Big Bag' In Afrikaans) and an ammo-carrying Chest Rig.

Together, they laid the foundations for many modern packs, pouches, and a wide variety of load bearing equipment used from the cold war onwards, and it even inspired a few products on our store...

The Grootsak

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The Chest Rig

We've stocked both the surplus rig and we make a new production rig too.

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The Battle Jacket

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When the Cold War kicked off in the 1960s, Sub-Saharan Africa became the 'it' location for proxy wars.

A litany of communist-backed insurgent groups waged a fast-moving, highly asymmetrical war against the African Colonies, particularly Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa.

China, Russia, Cuba, and North Korea all funded separate, sometimes competing insurgencies.

As the biggest Western power, South African soldiers and mercenaries in particular played a dominant role in combatting these 'brushfire' conflicts.

35 Years Of Conflict: How P83 Came To Be

1960-1965

Crisis in the Congo

A political upheaval that would set the stage for the "Cold" war in Africa — a proxy civil war battlefield of NATO vs USSR driven by anti-colonialist sentiment.

What would originally be regarded as a one-off crisis would spell out the fate of many of the former colonies in Africa, and a slow upheaval of their societies that are still dealing with the fallout today.

1964-1979

The Rhodesian Bush War

Aided by South African military implements and employing revolutionary tactics, the infantrymen of the Bush War wore and employed a variety of different equipment, firearms, and techniques that set the stage for the next 50 years of fighting insurgent forces in and out of Africa.

Much of what was learned in Rhodesia would be carried down to South Africa, where the fire of insurgency would inch towards her borders...

1966-1970

South African Border Conflicts

After the other communist insurgencies & Dwindling UN/NATO support, the SADF & Allied forces relied on the domestically produced equipment based on British WWII-era designs.

Pattern 70, another Belt-and-Harness system, would break some of the design conventions thanks to the inginuity of an SADF Parabat, M.J. Du Toit.

1970-1981

A New Way To Web

Even with new kit, guerilla forces armed with little more than AKMs and sandals were running circles around their western counterparts. There was a clear need for something better.

In the mid to late 70s, the SADF began experimenting with new, intermediate caliber service rifles and innovative, lightweight field gear.

1983-1990

Brown is the New Green.

The SADF took notes from their adversaries and worked directly with the local outdoor gear industry to develop a next-generation fighting system, made from cutting-edge materials.

The three resulting components of Pattern 83 (The Battle Jacket, Grootsak, and Chest rig) could be combined to suit any mission from parachute drops, to motorized operations, to sustained weeks-long patrols.

2015

P83 No More?

Officially, the South African National Defense Force (SANDF, after political changes in South Africa disbanded their military) officially ceased production of Pattern 83. Allegedly.

Curiously enough, you can still see it on active SANDF units to this very day. Truly a testament to how long it lasts.

An iteration of the Rhodesian "Fireforce" vest, the Pattern 83 Battle Jacket is an assault pack and ammo vest in one.

Capable of sustaining one soldier for 2-5 days, the Battle Jacket is spacious, comfortable and surprisingly unobtrusive. It can be made to fit large quantities of ammunition, water, and other essentials depending on mission parameters.

The layout is thoughtful, and the battle jacket hugs close to the body. This unique design makes for a seamless transition between patrols and assaults — No awkward imbalances or 'sloshing weights' to break your stride.

Celebrated for its versatility, even when new production ceased in 2015 the SANDF continues to use & abuse them. Copies are flooding the market, and they've become one of the most sought-after rigs in the surplus world...

Overview - Click To Learn More

The Pattern 83 chest rig is known for it's groundbreaking hardware and forward-thinking design elements such as it's velcro-flap pouches.

But those ideas didn't pop out of nowhere. The SADF took direct influence from the various communist-backed insurgent forces they fought against, who were armed with little more than AKMs and the versatile type 56 'chicom' chest rig.

The South Africans decided to one-up the soviets, designing P83 to be lightweight, higher capacity, and bombproof. These rigs reduced the amount of excess sustainment weight borne by each soldier, and made vital ammo and equipment easy to access. It matched perfectly with their new counter insurgency strategy — ambushes, counter attacks, and blazing-fast assaults.

These ideas would go on to inspire much of the tactics and equipment used in the Global War on Terror, as well as a remake here on Kommandostore.

Overview - Click To Learn More

The Grootsak is rarely on our store, but it's definitely an important piece of the puzzle.

It was built to sustain patrols of SADF troopies for up to 2 weeks with little to no logistical support. Based off of designs from the South African outdoor industry, it focuses on capacity, durability, and ease of use. For the 'hide and seek' combat against insurgents, the pack was designed to be quick-release to allow troopies to drop the pack and fight at a moments notice with their trusty chest rigs.

The nature of the Border War required long patrols in austere environments, and the 'Grootsak' accommodated with 70L of segmented storage and dedicated pouches for water bottles.