Eighty Four Battlejacket
Product Details & Specs
We're not chasing the meta - we're reimagining a beloved piece of kit from the 1980s. This is the Eighty Four Battlejacket, a reimagined SADF Pattern 83 recce kit for the 2020s.
Developed over the course of three years as a passion project by our staff, the same core tenant of our "Pattern Eighty Four" chest rig was gospel: make it usable with as many modern platforms as possible, keep core design elements from the original that worked, slim it down a touch, and add modularity and features based off actual user feedback and common field modifications of originals.
The result is a battlejacket that still feels like a battlejacket should. It's for rolling heavy and being a sustainment powerhouse. It fits just about anyone as well as just about any rifle platform you want to feed with it. But if you want to slim it down, take the back panel off and remove the chest pouches and you have something significantly lighter as a clean slate. You'll get a fully featured battlejacket right out of the box with no extra purchases needed, and you can customize it with accommodation for inserts, extra pouches, and even water bladders.
It's no "platform" or "system", it's not a "build your own rig", it's what you grab when nothing else can quite do the job - just like SADF Troopies did in the rugged terrain of South Africa.
Specs
- 1000D PU Coated Cordura fabric
- 100% Custom Polyester Mesh for structure and ventillation
- One Size Fits all
- Adjustable shoulder straps with tweave covers
- Adjustable front waist straps
- Harness adjustment with shock cord and velcro underneath back panel
- One 'dangler' velcro panel under hard-sewn magazine pouch bank
- Milspec ITW Fastex & Slider hardware
- Milspec hook and loop fasteners
- Milspec webbing and binding tape
- All removable pouches included! (2x Eighty four Mag pouches & full backpack panel!)
- Hard-sewn pouches include 2x Tall GP Pouches, 4x Eighty Four Mag Pouches
- Backpack panel features pouch for 3-6L water bladder and comes velcro-lined for organizers and dividers
- Tall GP pouches fit original SADF 2L Canteen, MREs, and also come loop-lined for inserts.
- GP Pouch flap is height adjustable and fully removable with adjustable buckle closure
- High quality bonded nylon thread
- All materials are NIR compliant
- Made in Vietnam
Complete Kit - Includes All Pouches
2X Removable Eighty Four magazine pouches & removable backpack panel shown are all included! Tall GP Pouches and 4x Eighty Four Mag pouches are hard-sewn in to the harness.
One Size Fits All - Adjusts at shoulders & Behind back panel
Full Assembly Instructional Video Coming Soon!
Eighty Four Battlejacket
Where We Began...
In 2021, we took it upon ourselves to do a major redesign of the p83 chest rig to give it the upgrade it deserved, which we then dubbed the "Pattern 84" chest rig. But what's the successor to the P83 chest rig without the crown jewel of the mud diamonds, the "Battle Jacket?"
The answer ended up being a passion project we've been working on since 2023. From pouches to new features, it strikes a balance of the OG's features & purpose, and a whole new rig.
This is both our way of bringing an old design to the 2020s, and making a true successor for battlejacket fans.
Breaking Down The Battlejacket
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Our all-encompassing "everything" pouch. Two removable P84 pouches come with your battlejacket, so you can run it slick, or attach different kinds of 2-row MOLLE pouches to your liking.
P84 mag pouches have enormous compatibility. See the list later on this page.
On the main hip belt of the rig, 2 more P84 Pouches per side are hard sewn in, along with small auxiliary pouches that fit multitools or pistol mags, just like on our P84 Chest Rig.
Note that, when stacking with tall mags, some may not fit with the removable mag pouch right above them.
The GP Pouches are much like the original battlejacket's: perfectly sized to hold SADF 2L canteens, MREs, and comes velcro-lined for any type of insert you can think of. The flap is fully height-adjustable and removable.
Also features two rows of laser-cut MOLLE on the rear for radio pouches, extra TQ mounting, and anything else your heart desires.
The included back panel has everything you'd want on the back of a battlejacket - Loop on the outer face for IFF, integral 3-6L water bladder storage, loop velcro lined for inserts/organizers, drawstring closure with a buckled flap to keep contents protected, and the straps can double as compression straps to keep loads secure against your body.
Did we mention it's removable?
The back panel reveals four long rows of laser cut MOLLE - run it slick or attach any combination of packs and pouches!
The expandable 'stinger' pouch with elastic shock cord retention is perfect for a highcut helmet, bulky outerlayer storage, or tarps/shelter halves.
Just like on the eighty four 2.0 chest rig, there are loop-lined velcro sleeves behind the mag pouches for inserting "dangler" pouches.
Mag Compatibability Guide
If you're using a popular, semi automatic magazine-fed rifle, odds are P84 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
AR-15 & Other .223/5.56 Platforms
In most cases we reccomend the standard 2 magazines per cell for a total of 6 mags. This will work with nearly all metal and polymer 'AR-15 type' mags on the market. However you can chose to 'overload' each mag cell with 3 standard capacity metal STANAGs for a total of 9 magazines.
Note: When overloading, we recommend inserting magazines in a front-to-back order, Not all polymer mags are 'overload' compatible.
AR-Adjacent platforms with similar magazines such as the 30/35 rd. 5.56 Galil, HK93, G36, and others will fit at least 6 mags, but due to the contours of some of the magazines, you might find trouble stacking more than 2 in a pouch.
Longer magazines like the 40 Round Magpul PMAG and the proprietary Steyr AUG 42-Rounders will fit with a total of 6 mags in the rig. If you're crazy and use the Surefire 60-round 'quad stack', we tested that too. each mag cell can fit 1x 60 rounder plus 1 standard capacity STANAG.
Kalashnikov Platforms & Similar
Each mag cell holds 2 magazines comfortably. Standard Capacity AKM, AK101, and AK-74 Magazines will fit just fine. Plastic, metal, and Bakelite all work, and P84 2.0 makes it much easier to re-index these mags than the previous version of this rig.
We also tested 40rd 7.62 and 45rd 5.45 RPK mags. While they physically fit inside the pouches, 7.62x39 40 rounders can't take advantage of the flap closure. Retention is acceptable thanks to the elastic, but it certainly isn't a "jumpable" configuration.
It's much the same story for 5.45 45 rounders — they fit side by side better than the x39 mags, but still can't take advantage of the flap closure.
7.62 NATO/.308/6.5c "Battle Rifles" & DMRs
P84 accommodates straight walled 20 round .308 mags for the AR-10, MR308, FN FAL, and SCAR-17 without issue. The rig will comfortably fit the standard 2 per cell for a total of 6 mags. For the HK G3, due to the contours of the magazine, we don't recommend double-stacking.
We've tested the much less common SCAR & FAL 30-round magazines, and they also fit without issue, even with baseplates attached.
Pistol Caliber Carbines/SMGs
Magazines such as those found in HK MP5s, B&T GHM/APC/TP Platforms, CZ Scorpions, Grand Power Stribogs, UZIs, Colt AR-9s, and Glock 'stick' type mags will fit, but with a catch: They must be placed side by side in order to maintain retention.
The best way to run PCC magazines for maximum retention is to place 4 in each main mag cell.
Results may vary with magazine extensions and different types of base plates. Compact pistol magazines, such as those used by the Glock 19, may be too short to use effectively in P84's main pouches, but will fit in the multitool pouches if you want to carry them on your rig.
New & Improved
How we took our user's feedback and upgraded the rig.
Comfort & P83 Style
Slimmer & Trimmer
Like the chest rig, the P84 battlejacket didn't need to reinvent the wheel, it just needed to slim it down. With the removable chest pouches and cutting the small corner pouch off the original, the harness retains it's ability to breathe and distribute load without some of the 'jank' of the 80s original.
Our Mag Pouch Philosophy
It Just Fits.
Large velcro straps never went out of style - our P84 Pouches are inspired by the versatile original dimensions of P83, with elastic for retention of smaller STANAG mags and countless other kinds of box mags.
The Rule Of Cool
It's not a Vest. It's not a Beltkit. It's the Battlejacket.
Our battlejacket doesn't follow the "meta" - and thats on purpose. We made this as a spiritual successor to one of our favorite load bearing kits of all time, and through countless hours of testing and use, it puts many contemporary "vests" and "split rigs" to shame.
All Accessories Included
No DLCs needed.
The rig comes with all of the pouches and back panel we designed right in the box. No need to "build a system" piece by piece, and get nickle-and-dimed. But of course, it leaves room for expansion and modularity so you can make it perfect for any mission you want.
If It Ain't Broke..?
The process of modernizing a design 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 battlejacket was done right the first time. The philosophy of the SADF is clear, and we agree with their conclusions. We were careful not to reinvent the wheel with P84 — instead we focused on improving what was already there, and putting our customers first when considering any changes.
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Superior Comfort
The Battle Jacket's Upgraded Harness represents a big leap in comfort. In addition to adjustability, we ditched the squishy and bulky foam of the originals for denser materials that stay flatter and more comfortable. If you're not satisfied, plate carrier shoulder pads are an easy mod!
The result is slim, comfortable, and very hard wearing — no aftermarket padding needed.
What we loved about the OG is still there. It distributes a large load right at your hips, making carrying that much sustainment on you an absolute breeze.
Materials Matter
Custom mesh on the back of the rig mimics the original P83 SADF-spec material. You'll find the back of the rig is much more comfortable against your body, reducing abrasion 'hot spots' on your gear.
This semi-rigid structure helps make P84 breathable and load bearing without adding excess weight.
The mesh also aids in drainage, allowing the rig to shed water.
Compatibility
Like the original, P84's specially designed magazine cells accommodate almost all semi-auto rifle mags. the Tall GP pouches can accomodate inserts for even more specialty mags!
We've certified many different types of magazines, but the sky is the limit — in a pinch, even pistol caliber carbine mags will run in our rig.
Don't Go Bare-Back.
We kept the idea of a rear pack from Pattern 83 — No need to fix what isn't broken.
What we improved was largely based off field mods that were done to the original rigs - expanded it's overall storage, added space for a water bladder, and lined it with velcro for your favorite organizers.
With the contents protected with a flap-and-cinch construction, you won't find that storage is a problem.
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