UBAC ‘Green Zone’ DPM Combat Shirt

This one’s been a long time coming, another exclusive piece of professionally dyed surplus with a good story behind it.

We’ve taken unissued British Desert DPM UBAC combat shirts and given them a custom dye job to make what we’re dubbing Green Zone DPM.

Behind Green Zone DPM

These UBACs were originally Desert DPM, which was used extensively in the Gulf War, operations in Afghanistan, and is still used today in the Savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.

The story of dyeing Desert DPM has its roots in the river valleys of the Helmand Province of Afghanistan (Dubbed the “Green Zone” by many, due to its lush green environment). 

The greenery made British Desert DPM uniforms stick out like a sore thumb, much like woodland pattern gear did in the desert. Adaptation was necessary and neither Woodland nor Desert DPM was doing its job.

British Troops worked with what they had, and hastily dyed their Desert DPM to better match the environment of the Green Zone. Some examples turned out worse than others, becoming overdyed in the process.

There are genuine field-modified articles ranging from turquoise, navy blue, and other colors floating around on the used market. While interesting, they aren’t functional and are difficult to match with commonly found gear.

We wanted to take the original goal of the forces in the Green Zone and do it how they would have wanted it. A new pattern, better suited for a wider range of environments.

We’ve custom-dyed our shirts with a unique pattern, unlike Woodland DPM or genuine field-modified examples. Differing from Woodland DPM, there aren’t the usual browns, blacks, and mustard-tans present. It’s great for matching with non-DPM patterns and for adding a bit of functional and fashionable flair to your kit.

There’s two resulting variants of UBACs due to the nature of cotton dye when it interacts with different mixes of fabrics: MOD. A (arid, left) and MOD. T (tropic, right). 

The less cotton-mixed shirts end up with a yellowish-green (MOD. A) and the higher cotton content shirts end up with a much deeper, more OD-like green (MOD. T).

MOD. T goes great with MultiCam Tropic and a variety of greens, while MOD. A goes better with tans and browns that match or complement the main body of the shirt.

The UBAC

The UBAC itself follows the design of many of the currently available combat shirts during the 2000s and onwards. They feature a breathable and moisture-wicking chest with a quarter-zip for comfort under plate carriers and other load-bearing equipment. The sleeves feature pockets for shoulder padding for plate carriers and heavy packs, shoulder pockets with loop-side Velcro for patches, and two-buttoned wrist cuffs. In addition, they also feature pockets for elbow and forearm padding. They also sport the ‘ol Union Jack sewn on the shoulder as well.

Specs

• British military issue
• Cotton/nylon blend
• Quarter zip neck
• Shoulder & arm pockets for padded inserts
• Two-button wrist cuffs
• Velcro loop panels on shoulder pockets

Dyeing Process

The unique coloration results from a special dyeing process applied to each UBAC donor shirt. Unlike standard “over-dyeing,” we use a reactive dye which only binds to cotton fibers. This leaves all nylon undyed from the zipper and hook/loop to the nylon fibers in the body of the shirt itself.

As a result, the color will not leach or fade. Post-dyeing, your shirt is clear of residual chemicals and clean enough to put in a baby’s mouth.

Condition

These combat shirts are completely unissued, removed from their factory packaging for the dyeing process. Your shirt may or may not ship with forearm and shoulder padding- to be frank we think the Brits including these in a combat shirt at all as a design mistake and the combat shirt is better off without them.

 Sizing & Fit

Standard sizing. Our model wears a medium tee and wore a medium combat shirt. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to customer service.

Fits just like other combat shirts available on the market. slightly loose fit in the shoulders and arms for more freedom of movement and also long enough to be tucked into pants.