Close Protection Coat

What coat do you wear over your suit for UKOPS?
Now with the cold weather that has set in CPO's really do need a quality coat.

What do you look for when you buy a coat, what should be its main attributes?
What is the best coat you have had and do you always go by the same brand?

I am a huge fan of the M65 style jacket, they are always in fashion in one form or another and superbly warm with plenty of pockets that do not look out of place. The only downside they are smart casual at best.

Its a shame tactical gear specialists such as 5.11 or Blackhawk have not come up with a smart looking coat that goes with a suit but that has many hidden pockets inside that makes it great for a CPO.
It would look like a normal smart coat from the outside but tactical inside.

Our suppliers do them, but they are pricey so not a big seller at all. :(

Do yoiu have a link to the coats you mention CL?

Great thread. I eagerly await more responses.

H

We don't have them on our site, we don't publish the appearance or features out of respect for previous client's needs for discretion

Customloads wrote:We don't have them on our site, we don't publish the appearance or features if it out of respect for previous client's needs for discretion

For an overcoat?
Do they look different than regular coats?

H

It's a jacket, not an overcoat and once you have seen the features you would know how to recognise one.

Customloads wrote:It's a jacket, not an overcoat and once you have seen the features you would know how to recognise one.

Ok, thanks. So it's not covert per se, rather low profile, right?

Similar features to the casual 5.11 stuff, but smarter...

http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Outerwear/Concealed-Carry.html

Thanks for the response Customloads.
I am currently looking for a coat/overcoat to wear over my suit.
Something that doesn't let rain pass through, something that won't let the cold get through, which offers ease of movement, a coat that you can wear in very posh areas around Europe, something covert which won't indicate to passer by that you are doing CP. It needs to have many pockets and zip pckets inside.

The type of coats on the 5.11 link you provided are great.
The only thing is, they won't go with a suit, they look sporty and they are definitely not covert as someone with one of those in the street will be clocked straight away...

I think anything like that, north face, berghaus etc... Should be avoided with suits.

Best

Ted, get a quality, well fitting long/trench coat style as used in the colder countries over a suit and have your own inner pockets etc., done at a tailor exactly to your needs.

That way, it won't look tactical, because it's not made to be. It will fit well, and have all bells and whistles exactly as you want.

I don't know of an off the shelf solution and where possible, advise to have custom stuff made.

Keep warm!

H

Thanks H.

Seems no tactical gear specialist has come up with the idea yet!

As you say, it needs to be unbranded so as not to say too much about the wearer's activities. So the tactical manufacturers are less interested.