Countering Night Vision

Desert Night Camouflage, or "DNC" was one of the very first camouflages designed specifically to confuse night vision devices with it's pattern.

In the early 70s, DNC was developed with the sole purpose of being hard to see with first-generation Soviet Night vision — it's grid pattern & random "speckles" broke up the shape of a soldier and blended them into their terrain when viewed through low-resolution night vision

To their credit, it allegedly does its job pretty well. Widely issued to troops to wear over their "Chocolate Chip" BDUs was a "fishtail" parka and trousers with pass-through pockets to allow access to gear underneath.

DNC Meets DCU

There was one problem with the combo: the desert at night is borderline frigid cold.

To remedy this, "woobie" parka liners could be buttoned into some of the fishtail parkas, but a higher tech solution was on the horizon that, while not officially issued, would cement itself as a legend in the military surplus world decades later.

The short lived "Chocolate chip" desert pattern was already being phased out by the end of the Gulf War, to be replaced by "DCU", a 3-color desert pattern that would serve well into the 2000s.

With the introduction of DCU, an experimental garment was sent to Special Forces in limited numbers: A reversible day-night Jacket & Trousers combo with a GORE-TEX Membrane.

Rule Of Cool.

The reversible parka, even though it's been proven to not be quite as effective as intended when used against night vision, became a lasting "Grail" in the tactical gear community.

Making it again wasn't as easy as turning the production lines back on - with companies defunct and patterns missing, we had to roll up our sleeves and work tirelessly to get it right.

Day And Night

The Reversible Parka may have seen limited use but the reversible nature of it and the then-high-tech GORE-TEX made it an ideal desert combat jacket. It even had real pockets. Seen in use into the early 2000s along with DCU, it became known for its more modern cut and adornment by tier 1 special forces.

Years later, fashion brands would pick up the camo and it's reversibility as a drippy statement. From Big hypebeast Brands like Supreme to cult-followed Qilo Tactical, Desert Night Camo became the #1 "hypebeast" camo of choice.

A Lasting Legacy

While short lived due to the advancement of enemy night vision technology, the rule of cool keeps DNC alive and well over 30 years later.

Whether you're a tactical gear guru or a hypebeast yourself, you've seen it, you've wanted it, and checking eBay & other sites for real-deal reversible parkas might have left you wallet-shy. That was us, so we decided to just do it ourselves.

We wanted to bring it back into the spotlight and make it accessible to everyone without perverting the original patterns (looking at you, Supreme) or straying too far from the garment that made the camo famous.

It looks, feels, and functions just like the original without the need to go "grail" hunting. So you can get out there and use it.

average rating 4.9 out of 5
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Overall Quality
Rated 4 out of 5
Performance/Durability
Rated 4 out of 5
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66 Reviews
Reviewed by Damian S.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5'11"
Weight (Lbs)
200-220
Size Purchased
XL
Standout Features
  • Cool Camo Pattern
  • Value For Money
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Fetch

Get in los3r, we’re going shopping. It’s Britney birch. Just kidding anyways this jacket is sick dude. Nobody can see me at night, and during the day? In the desert? Invisible. Nobody pays attention to me anyways. 5/5 love this jacket. Fits good. Can’t wait for it to rain so I can really flex the proverbial drip.

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Rated 5 out of 5
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Rated 5 out of 5
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Reviewed by salvador l.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5'8"
Weight (Lbs)
180-200
Size Purchased
XL
Standout Features
  • Performance/Durability
  • Value For Money
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

"Who's footprints are these"?

I almost feel like Genome soldier if Metal Gear Solid was set in the desert. Though this GoretTex feels comfortable and light, it will keep you warm and dry from rain and wind. I orderd mine in XL but it feels like a XXL because of my TRex arms. One way to remedy this is just by rolling your sleeves which will give your cuffs a distinct look with DNC pattern. Only gripe is that it doesn't have armpit vents but thats the name of the game with 1 to 1 replicas.

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Rated 5 out of 5
Performance/Durability
Rated 5 out of 5
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Reviewed by Kaden K.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
6'3"
Weight (Lbs)
180-200
Size Purchased
L
Standout Features
  • Looks/Feels Like The Original
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Great Quality

Great Quality

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Rated 5 out of 5
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Reviewed by JP
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
6'1"
Weight (Lbs)
200-220
Size Purchased
XL
Standout Features
  • Performance/Durability
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

KSGI DNC parka

Great parka thats waterproof and warm.

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Rated 5 out of 5
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Reviewed by Ben N.
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
6'1"
Weight (Lbs)
140-160
Size Purchased
M
Standout Features
  • Cool Camo Pattern
  • Performance/Durability
Rated 4 out of 5
Review posted

Nice light waterproof windbreaker

Lengthwise it fits perfectly, but it's very wide. This is probably intentional for freedom of movement but it threw me off for a little bit. If I could change anything I'd put the side pockets on the Desert Night side of the jacket instead of the 3 color desert one. Desert night does get an insanely spacious 'inside' pocket however. Otherwise it's a great waterproof windbreaker.

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Rated 5 out of 5
Performance/Durability
Rated 5 out of 5
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