Original M1948 US Fishtail Parka with real fur hood VERY Rare!!

Coming Soon! original M1948 US Fishtail Parka with real fur hood VERY Rare!!

 

This was the US Army’s no expense spared fishtail parka, patten date M-1948, adopted in 1949 and approved 25th July 1950 and made for one year only in the same year. The Parka-shell was made of wind-resistant cotton sateen in Olive Drab shade 107 and featured a snap and slide fastener closure heavily offset to the left for snorkel fit when done up, slit front pockets, and a patch pocket on the upper left sleeve for pencils and cigarettes. The hooded parka liner was composed of wool-pile cloth in Olive Drab shade 30A.

The finest ever produced fishtail parka!! Even back in the early sixties these parka’s were rare and sought after because they were only in made for one year due to their high production costs. These are extremely rare! 

 

The M48 parka liner is virtually impossible to find these days.

These collector pieces are so rare that they cost a small fortune.  

 

Specifications: 

M48 Outer Shell – The hood is permanently attached to the coat and is not detachable like the M65 parka. The outer shell was constructed using heavyweight cotton sateen. 

M48 Liner – A unique factor with the M48 parka is that the liners were produced with a hood. As mentioned, the outer shell has an attached hood so the liner fastens into place perfectly. The liners were constructed of alpaca wool and are therefore extremely warm and heavy. Each liner also has a chest pocket which is unique to the M48. 

Pencil / Cigarette Pocket – The pocket shown on the left sleeve of the M48 parka is what truly identifies them over other parka coats. Quite simply, do not buy the M48 parka if this feature has been removed. 

Wolf Fur Trimmed Hood – The actual wool-lined hood forms part of the parka coat and cannot be detached. The wolf fur strips initially used by the U.S. Army were thin and over the years, fur is known to deteriorate quite badly. Therefore, we replace the fur accordingly so that the hoods look far better. 

Heavy duty brass Talon zips – These zips are super strong and better than any comparable zips found these days. They underwent vigorious military testing and it is rare to come across an M48 zip which is broken, even after all these years. The M48 zips are 30 inches in length, compared to the M51 parka zip which is 22 inches long. As a result, the zipper on the M48 parka fastens much higher around the neck affording better protection for the wearer. 

Pockets – Are wool-lined to keep the wearer’s hands nice and snug. 

Features / Details 

There are many small features which set the M48 parka apart from it’s successors. 

Drawcords – These were thicker in construction compared to drawcords used for the M51 and M65 fishtail parka’s. They have a white inner core running through them which is unique. Normally, the drawcords found in an M48 parka are not fitted with plastic aglets. However, I have come across a couple of exceptions over the years by one specific manufacturer. 

Rear Hood Drawcord – This allows the hood to be pulled into better shape around the wearer’s head and is another unique feature. 

Cotton patch at the top of the zip to prevent the cold metal from touching the face. 

Two large cuff buttons on each sleeve to prevent cold weather from entering the body. The M51 and M65 parka’s only have the one large cuff button to each sleeve. 

M48 Pockets are lined with Alpaca wool. 

When you put on an M48 parka you will realize the quality that went into production and understand why they were only produced for such a short period of time. As far as parka coats go, they are unsurpassed, and they simply do not make parka coats of this quality anymore.