British Under Body Armor Combat Shirt

British Army UBACS

The Under Body Armour Combat Shirt, or UBACS, is the British Army's answer to wearing a heavy shirt under a body armor vest in hot conditions. The torso is a thin, breathable knit that sits beneath the armor, while the sleeves stay in camouflage ripstop because they are the part left exposed. British troops wore it under their armor on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and today it suits plate carrier users, airsoft and paintball players, reenactors and collectors of British kit.

Features

• Wicking Knit Torso — The solid-color body is a lightweight knit that draws sweat away from the skin and dries faster than heavy combat shirt fabric.
• Ripstop Camouflage Sleeves — The sleeves and shoulders use ripstop, a fabric woven with a reinforcing grid so a small tear cannot run.
• Quarter-Zip Collar — A short front zip opens the neck for ventilation and closes up for warmth or sun cover.
• Mandarin Stand Collar — The low upright collar sits cleanly under armor and helmet straps without bunching the way a folded collar does.
• Raglan Sleeve Cut — Sleeves run in one piece to the collar, which keeps shoulder seams out from under armor straps and pack harnesses.
• Upper Sleeve Pockets — Each upper arm carries a closable pocket for small items you can reach while wearing a vest.
• Hook-And-Loop Patch Panels — Panels on the sleeve pockets take rank, unit or identification patches with a hook-backed fastening.
• Adjustable Cuffs — Fastening cuffs let you snug the sleeve over gloves or open it up for airflow.

Original Issue Design

This is genuine British Army issue, made to the military's own pattern rather than a commercial maker's version of it. The shirts shown here come in MTP (Multi-Terrain Pattern), the current British camouflage, and in Desert DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material), the tan-and-brown pattern used in arid theaters, with a matching solid-color torso on each. Some examples carry a Union flag on the shoulder, as shown in the desert pattern photo.