New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket
New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket

New Production SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket

Color
Color: DPM
Available

Made In Vietnam

Free CONUS Shipping, 30 Day Returns

Product Features & Specs

Pouches

  • Four double magazine pouches, compatible with R4 Vektor and STANAG pattern magazines, and partially compatible with Galil and AK 5.45 magazines. Not compatible with AKM magazines.
  • One large front pouch
  • Two large canteen side pouches
  • Two Smoke Grenade Pouches
  • Two small side grenade pouches
  • Large “backpack” pouch with two compartments

Specs

  • 1000D PU Coated Cordura fabric
  • Milspec ITW Fastex & Slider hardware
  • Milspec hook and loop fasteners
  • Milspec webbing and binding tape
  • High quality bonded nylon thread
  • All materials are NIR compliant

Fitting Your Rig

Proper fit is achieved by adjusting the shoulders and cummerbund so that the weight sits at your natural waist above your hips.

Pay attention to the height of the vest and position of the upper magazine pouches, as this will place the padding and magazine pouches in a way that will cause minimal intrusions to the wearer when shouldering a rifle.

To don the rig, simply put it on like a "Jacket" and fasten the two front buckles. It's a one-and-done adjustment!

Common mistakes include wearing the rig too low (at the "belt line" of your waist), Too high (magazine flaps open up higher than your chin) and not tightening the cummerbund enough so that the weight of the rig is entirely sitting on your shoulders.

SADF Field Manual
We are hosting a digital copy of the original SADF field manual containing adjustment, handling and maintenance information on the entire P83 system. To view the manual click here. Battle Jacket usage information can be found on pages A4, A12-A17, and A34-A46

Where We Began...

In 1983, the first well-known modern chest rig was made somewhere most people wouldn't expect — South Africa. Developed during a time of canvas and metal fittings the SADF's "Pattern 83" brought new materials like Cordura, Velcro, nylon webbing, and plastic buckles to the forefront of military kit. It went on to inspire chest rig designs for generations to come... Including our own.

In 2021, we saw the writing on the wall — military surplus isn't forever. Supply would run dry one day, and before it did, we took it upon ourselves to breathe new life into the rig that frankly needed very little fixing.

Read More Pattern 83 History

What makes this rig so good, even in the 2020s?

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Mag Compatibability Guide

If you're using a popular, semi-automatic magazine-fed rifle, odds are P83 fits at least 6 of your mags. Want to know for sure? We've tested dozens of different platforms and detailed our results below.

You can help expand this 'verified compatible' list by submitting your results to help@kommandostore.com

Rifle Platforms

"short" 7.62x51 battle rifle magazines and STANAG 5.56 magazines may need the assistance of the ejector strap, ranger plate, or mag assist to compensate for the rig's deep pockets, as they were originally designed in 1983 for South Africa's R4 (Galil) 35 round magazines.

In general, Magazines for the 7.62 SCAR, HK G3/HK 91, 7.62 AR 10 PMAGs, 7.62 FAL, and Metallic STANAG Magazines all fit without issue.

longer magazines such as those found on AK platforms work without need of the ejector strap.

If It Ain't Broke..?

The process of "modernizing" a chest rig like this is a balancing act. Change too little and there’s no benefit to the end user. Change too much and you might ruin what made the original good.


In our view, almost everything about the P83 rig was done right the first time. The philosophy of the SADF is clear, and we agree with their conclusions. We decided our big design changes should be saved for a whole new rig, but also offer an option to get the classic factory fresh.

Click the "+" icons for more information

Quality Counts

Near-Infrared Fabrics & Dyes
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Rated 4 out of 5
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5 Reviews
Reviewed by Daniel P., from United States
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5' 8"
Weight
160-175
How It FIts
Perfect Fit
What Platform Do You Use With This Rig?
  • AR-15/STANAG-Compatible
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

DPM pattern 83 battle jacket

I always wanted a pattern 83 battle jacket and told myself if ever someone made a quality repro then I would buy one. Well this is exactly what id hoped for, it is awesome. The materials and stitching are very solid and heavy duty. The velcro amd fastener components all seem to be comparable to all of my modern issued gear. I love this and would happily recommend to anyone wanting one. The only thing I will say, is at first I really wanted the nutria brown, but the DPM is definitely cool! Shipping was earlier than expected, too! Im 5'9 amd about 165-170 pounds and there is still a small amount of room to adjust down and quite a bit to adjust up in size. Thank you Ivan and the KS crew!

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Performance
Rated 5 out of 5
Image by Daniel P.
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Reviewed by Travis B., from United States
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5' 8"
Weight
150-160
How It FIts
Perfect Fit
What Platform Do You Use With This Rig?
  • AR-15/STANAG-Compatible
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Macro > Micro

You can carry everything you need to find out whatever it is you need to find out.

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Performance
Rated 5 out of 5
Image by Travis B.
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Reviewed by Damian Z., from United States
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5' 10"
Weight
175-190
How It FIts
Perfect Fit
What Platform Do You Use With This Rig?
  • AR-15/STANAG-Compatible
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Timeless

As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it. A timeless piece of kit.

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Performance
Rated 4 out of 5
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Reviewed by Robert W., from United States
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5' 11"
Weight
175-190
How It FIts
Perfect Fit
What Platform Do You Use With This Rig?
  • AR-15/STANAG-Compatible
  • G3
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

A modern classic

The Pattern 83 Battle Jacket was already my go-to on range day, or even on a hike, and if you're as much of a sucker for a good woodland camo pattern as I am this is a natural next step.

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Performance
Rated 5 out of 5
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Reviewed by Mark K., from United States
Verified Buyer
I recommend this product
Height
5' 11"
Weight
160-175
How It FIts
Perfect Fit
What Platform Do You Use With This Rig?
  • AR-15/STANAG-Compatible
Rated 5 out of 5
Review posted

Why hasn’t Kommando Store contacted me about being a Model for them?

I am so sexy. Why you no return my fone calls? Check out this sexxxxy British DPM?! If you can guess how many pockets I have on my full rig, Kommodo Store will give you $1,000,000 dollars!

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Performance
Rated 5 out of 5
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