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Product Details, Specs, & Guides
An homage to the jackets made by L.L. Bean & Others that ended up in the hands of the US's Tier 1 Special Forces during the Battle of Tora Bora. Dressed as low-profile mountain men with local garb and civilian clothing rather than wearing their cammies was instrumental to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, before he infamously slipped away after countless airstrikes and coordination with local militias.
Featuring a decidedly retro cut & fit, this puffy jacket will keep you warm while you're in the arid steppes snuffing out caves, and packs into itself for when you inevitably venture back to the sandbox. We closely cloned original materials, from the purple-ish zippers & aquamarine green mini-rip nylon shell fabric, and even included the original blue fleece lined collar and unique hand pocket design from originals.
Now no longer made by the original manufacturers, this retro homage serves as a proper tribute to the craftiness of Delta Force operators in the world's greatest game of hide-and-seek ever.
Specs
- Made exclusively for KSGI in Vietnam
- Green 100% Polyester Mini-Ripstop shell
- 100% polyester taffeta liner
- 100% synthetic polyester fill - low enough GSM to be packable within its own interior pocket, high enough to keep you warm in the hindu-kush
- Vaporwave-purple zippers
- Durable black grosgrain protects zipper tracks and other high abrasion seams
- Extra-baggy fit for layering and supreme comfort
Care Guide
For minor stains, we always recommending trying to spot clean first, but if you need to machine wash your jacket, wash on cold on a "gentle" setting, and line dry in the shade. Never use bleach, fabric softener, or harsh detergents.
Sizing
Please refer to the size guide for more specificity, but these are in US Letter sizes.
These jackets are intended to be an oversized, roomy fit, so you may want to size down if you want a more modern "fitted" jacket. But don't worry, even when you size down one, you'll still retain maneuverability.
Ready To Ship, 30 Day Returns
Easily Packable - Low-Bulk insulation for stuffing
Made in Vietnam


December 2001: Manhunt
تور بوړه ،افغانستان
Mere months after 9/11, the United States is already on the ground in Afghanistan — amongst the jagged 14,000 foot peaks near the border with Pakistan is a cave complex called Tora Bora.
According to our best intelligence, Bin Laden was inside, armed to the teeth, and the entire area is heavily fortified. We'd later find out we were too late and Bin Laden made his escape to Pakistan...
The hunt for the most wanted man on earth was tasked to the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, AKA "Delta Force". As far as special forces go, pretty much the best we had.
And they did it all in civilian clothes.
څوک چې لکه وکري، هغسې به ریبي
When In Kabul...
The US military was geared up for wars in the arid countrysides of Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. We were on our second round of desert cammies, and the only cold weather gear we had was in a woodland camo fit for a European forest. Neither of which fit the bill for the Arid Steppes & Mountains of the Hindu Kush range.
If you look up the few photos taken during the battle that took place, many are not in typical "tactical operator" kit.

Not Your Average "Gucci Gear"
هر ځلیدونکی شی سره زر نه وي
They look more like college students on their gap year enjoying the local culture. Pakol hats & Patu Shawls. Hiking pants. Full beards. And aquamarine-colored puffy jackets straight out of the L.L. Bean Catalog?
American camo screams "I'm an American, and I have a gun!", so they improvised both local kit and civilian clothing to conceal their kit & look a little more "Mountain Man" than "John Soldier".
Their tier-1 operator fits weren't built by Gucci gear brands or USGI suppliers, but at civilian storefront brands like L.L. Bean, Patagonia, and North Face.
Our Interpretation of the infamous puffer jacket.
Aesthetic Is Everything
Subdued enough to not stand out as “Im an American With a Gun” like Choco-Chip or DCU camos, but civilian enough to pass a backpackers favorite warming layer. On the arid mountainsides of Tora Bora, it looked like any other piece of scavenged western clothing — giving delta operators that signature "mountain man" look that helped them stay low profile.
Quintessential old-school-cool. A low pile that stays out of the way and keeps you warm when the sun goes over the Safed Koh mountains.
What's the Late 90s aesthetic without purple? L.L. Bean's "Mountain Classic" line was anything but tactical, and that shows here.
It gave the jacket structure, but more importantly, it helped critical seams survive the abuse of heavy chest rigs and AK-47 slings. Built originally for hunters who beat their gear around the bush like it's their job.


The Legacy Of Tora Bora
خپله لاسه ګله لاسه
There's no doubt about it, the whole operation in tora bora was a mess. Political red tape and reliance on local militias allowed Bin Laden to slip across the border into Pakistan, but at the same time, The operation was a masterclass in unconventional warfare.
The opening hours of the Global War On Terror were symbolic of the changes in tactics, gear, and working with the local populace we'd deal with for the next decades. We wouldn't be fighting with overwhelming air superiority, we'd be on the ground floor, growing beards, riding horses in the mountains, trying to win the hearts and minds of the local populace.
Call it the pioneering act of "Gorpcore" or "Grey Man" fashion — we know it for it's role in what's become the greatest game of hide-and-seek ever played.

"General Issue" Classics & Timeless Homages
KSGI is made for fans of NATO kit that just keeps working, whether you're snuffing out insurgencies in caves or playing war in the sandbox...
It's not the gear that makes the operator, it's the stories of those operators that makes the gear legendary.










