In this third of our coverage of WL Gore’s various technologies and their military applications our subject is the Woodland Combat Desert Jacket. While we are all familiar with the popular GORE-TEX brand, many do not know that WL Gore has worked extensively with the military since the mid-1980s to develop specific fabrics for various purposes.
The Marine Corps has adopted a woodland MARPAT variant of the popular Combat Desert Jacket. It’s an interesting garment. Based on the name alone you’d probably realize that it was originally issued in Desert MARPAT. Other than being developed specifically for use in South West Asia, another thing that you don’t normally see with military garments is that it is made up of multiple types of fabrics. It’s a softshell garment featuring a lightweight, water-resistant fabric with a Gore membrane that is engineered to withstand rain, wind, and sand. Additionally, there are strategically placed stretch zones for increased flexibility and mobility. There is also a moisture-wicking lining. The CDJ also incorporates 99.9 percent pure silver in the gridded fleece lining to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi in the garment. Early in the production of the original CDJ there were issues getting the printing to match on all of the different fabrics, but they long ago mastered that issue and as you can see from the photo, it looks great.
This waist length jacket features a chest mounted rank tab as well as a single chest and bicep pocket. Finally, there are slash handwarmer pockets on either side.
