Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 268:
Description
Vietnam War 4th Pattern ERDL Ripstop Jungle Jacket. U.S. Vietnam War Era 4th Pattern ERDL Camouflage Ripstop Tropical Combat Coat, Class 2, Slant-Pocket Jungle Jacket, circa 1968-1970 Offered here is an original U.S. military Coat, Man’s, Camouflage, Cotton Wind Resistant Rip-Stop Poplin – better known to collectors as the 4th pattern ERDL jungle jacket, a garment synonymous with the Vietnam War’s reconnaissance and infantry units alike. No named recipient or unit provenance accompanies this example; the manufacturer’s tag has been removed, leaving only ghost stitch marks at the interior neck and lower placket, and no separate published biography exists – its story rests entirely in the object itself. Developed in 1948 by the Army’s Engineer Research and Development Laboratories, the ERDL leaf pattern remained largely unused for nearly two decades until the escalating jungle war in Southeast Asia demanded better concealment than standard olive drab fatigues could offer. Beginning in 1967-1968, ERDL-printed ripstop poplin uniforms were issued first to Special Forces, LRRP teams, and Marine Corps reconnaissance elements operating in the dense terrain of the Central Highlands and I Corps, the pattern prized for its effectiveness against the layered greens and browns of the Vietnamese canopy. Standard infantry and additional Marine units gradually received the pattern as production scaled up toward the decade’s end, making surviving examples a tangible link to the war’s evolving camouflage doctrine and to the men who wore them on patrol. The jacket retains the classic slant-pocket 4th pattern cut: a pointed stand collar with concealed button front closure, twin chest pockets of bellowed construction with drain holes for jungle runoff, and two lower bellowed cargo-style pockets similarly fitted for drainage. Adjustable button-tab cuffs close each sleeve, and all buttons are the correct period dark olive-green plastic. The ripstop poplin fabric shows honest, consistent fading and softening throughout, consistent with extended field wear and repeated laundering typical of issue garments from this era. No case, insignia, or accompanying paperwork is present; the jacket is offered as the sole item in this lot. Condition is fair to good for an unlabeled combat-worn example: the collar seam shows notable fraying and loose threads at the neck opening, the lower pocket flap edges – particularly the proper left cargo pocket – exhibit pronounced wear and separation along the stitched edge, and the internal tag is absent, leaving only stitch ghosting where the manufacturer and instruction labels once sat. An honest, field-worn survivor of the war’s signature camouflage pattern – the kind of jacket that clothed the men who fought through the highlands and jungles of Vietnam.
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