Military 'woolly pully' sweaters

[Brandrea33]

LL Bean has a civilian take on the wooly pully in merino wool. I have two, they're really good sweaters, and really cheap for merino wool.

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/43324?page=commando-sweater-crewneck

They also have it in a henley style, which is what I have.

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/43323?page=commando-sweater-henley

I was gifted one from my wife at Christmas in a beautiful grey colour. It’s a very comfortable sweater. I was a bit apprehensive about wearing wool as I usually can’t manage, but the merino is quite wearable for me.

 

[Ticklishchap]

Ha Ha, yes indeed. I was glad of it though. It is still very cold now.

It’s great. I love the cold. And I’m wearing a Navy WP.

 

[Goel]

I think I finally found my ideal WP https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/overlord-sweater/

Is it stupid expensive? Yes. But it's exactly what I was looking for. Apparently the sizing is pretty relaxed, unlike the proper WPs, so I got my regular size and a size smaller to see what works.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I think I finally found my ideal WP https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/overlord-sweater/

Is it stupid expensive? Yes. But it's exactly what I was looking for. Apparently the sizing is pretty relaxed, unlike the proper WPs, so I got my regular size and a size smaller to see what works.

Looks good.

 

[TLW '90]

Does anybody know if the USMC commando sweater is actually 100% wool ?
Obviously they have cotton reinforcements, but is the actual knit truly 100% wool ?
The sportsmans guide has them new for about $60 with the club discount so I ordered one, they list it as 100% wool but I'm not sure.

 

[Harp]

I think I finally found my ideal WP https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/overlord-sweater/

Is it stupid expensive? Yes. But it's exactly what I was looking for. Apparently the sizing is pretty relaxed, unlike the proper WPs, so I got my regular size and a size smaller to see what works.

The last commando sweater I purchased came via England by way of Land's End for $40.00;
expensive then, forty some years ago, but I still wear it. My advice is to shop around the net
and discount brick such as Goodwill and save some quid. A good looking sweater though overpriced.
Commando sweaters are woolen not golden fleece as in fleeced.

 

[Harp]

Does anybody know if the USMC commando sweater is actually 100% wool ?
Obviously they have cotton reinforcements, but is the actual knit truly 100% wool ?
The sportsmans guide has them new for about $60 with the club discount so I ordered one, they list it as 100% wool but I'm not sure.

United States Marine Corps commando sweater is woven barbed wire, commo string, detonation cord,
time fuse, and garrote rope. Whoever in hell told you it was wool?

 

[TLW '90]

United States Marine Corps commando sweater is woven barbed wire, commo string, detonation cord,
time fuse, and garrote rope. Whoever in hell told you it was wool?

Wearing barbed wire sweaters would explain a lot about Marines.

 

[Harp]

Wearing barbed wire sweaters would explain a lot about Marines.

Ex-soldier, but once ate lunch with a hundred Marines inside a Naples, Italy U.S.Navy messhall.
The only soldier there, I wore khakis and spit shined Corcoran jump boots but you'd think
I was a Martian alien being from outer space.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Does anybody know if the USMC commando sweater is actually 100% wool ?
Obviously they have cotton reinforcements, but is the actual knit truly 100% wool ?
The sportsmans guide has them new for about $60 with the club discount so I ordered one, they list it as 100% wool but I'm not sure.

I should have thought the originals were wool. The one mentioned in Harp's comment 8114 is wool, according to the description. I always make sure any sweater I buy is 100% wool, it's so much, better than cotton or man made fibres.

 

[davyjones007]

Does anybody know if the USMC commando sweater is actually 100% wool ?
Obviously they have cotton reinforcements, but is the actual knit truly 100% wool ?
The sportsmans guide has them new for about $60 with the club discount so I ordered one, they list it as 100% wool but I'm not sure.

The USMC and US Navy are both 100% wool. The US Navy has a lighter acrylic one as well. The current issue Navy ones are "Navy Blue" which is another way to say black. They did make one up until the late 90's in actual blue, but I think it had a v-neck.

 

[Ticklishchap]

I think I finally found my ideal WP https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/overlord-sweater/

Is it stupid expensive? Yes. But it's exactly what I was looking for. Apparently the sizing is pretty relaxed, unlike the proper WPs, so I got my regular size and a size smaller to see what works.

It looks very nice. Tempting in fact -although I already have an embarrassingly large number of the conventional WPs

 

[Ticklishchap]

The USMC and US Navy are both 100% wool. The US Navy has a lighter acrylic one as well. The current issue Navy ones are "Navy Blue" which is another way to say black. They did make one up until the late 90's in actual blue, but I think it had a v-neck.

Here Navy Blue means Navy Blue, but there is a Black version as well. I have both of course.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The USMC and US Navy are both 100% wool. The US Navy has a lighter acrylic one as well. The current issue Navy ones are "Navy Blue" which is another way to say black. They did make one up until the late 90's in actual blue, but I think it had a v-neck.

I much prefer 100% wool for sweaters.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The USMC and US Navy are both 100% wool. The US Navy has a lighter acrylic one as well. The current issue Navy ones are "Navy Blue" which is another way to say black. They did make one up until the late 90's in actual blue, but I think it had a v-neck.

I much prefer 100% wool for sweaters.

 

[TLW '90]

The USMC and US Navy are both 100% wool. The US Navy has a lighter acrylic one as well. The current issue Navy ones are "Navy Blue" which is another way to say black. They did make one up until the late 90's in actual blue, but I think it had a v-neck.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Ticklishchap]

I much prefer 100% wool for sweaters.

So do I. Acrylic is ugly, common and unmanly. If that’s politically incorrect, I’m delighted. F**k synthetics.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

I am a new member, so please forgive me if I am speaking out of turn. I just finally found something that I could actually speak to with some level of knowlege...

Ahem. I served as a US Marine from 1979-1985. We wore the Wooly-Pully, however it was not issued gear - if you wanted to wear one, you had to purchase it yourself. It was an item that was adopted from the Royal Marines of the UK.

100% wool. Never acrylic. Never a V-neck, just crew neck. It could be worn with what we referred to as the 'Bravo' dress uniform, which was a long-sleeve khaki shirt with field scarf (a 'tie' to you civilians, LOL). When so worn, rank insignia was worn on the collars of the shirt, which was arranged to stick out of the collar of the Wooly-Pully. I found it far too warm to wear in most circumstances. It also could only be dry-cleaned, being wool, but many Marines tried to wash it in the washing machine, with expected results, which turned it into a fuzzy bomb which could no longer be worn as a uniform item. It was also the single most scratchy wool sweater I have ever worn in my life. To be honest, I greatly disliked it.

I remember that they were discontinued for a time; but they seem to be back again. The only difference I see between the ones we wore then and the ones that are uniform items now is that the current USMC Wooly-Pully has epaulets. In my day, they did not.

Oh, and there's no such thing as a Marine 'Commando'. That's not a term we use.

Thanks!

Wiggy

 

[Ticklishchap]

I am a new member, so please forgive me if I am speaking out of turn. I just finally found something that I could actually speak to with some level of knowlege...

Ahem. I served as a US Marine from 1979-1985. We wore the Wooly-Pully, however it was not issued gear - if you wanted to wear one, you had to purchase it yourself. It was an item that was adopted from the Royal Marines of the UK.

100% wool. Never acrylic. Never a V-neck, just crew neck. It could be worn with what we referred to as the 'Bravo' dress uniform, which was a long-sleeve khaki shirt with field scarf (a 'tie' to you civilians, LOL). When so worn, rank insignia was worn on the collars of the shirt, which was arranged to stick out of the collar of the Wooly-Pully. I found it far too warm to wear in most circumstances. It also could only be dry-cleaned, being wool, but many Marines tried to wash it in the washing machine, with expected results, which turned it into a fuzzy bomb which could no longer be worn as a uniform item. It was also the single most scratchy wool sweater I have ever worn in my life. To be honest, I greatly disliked it.

I remember that they were discontinued for a time; but they seem to be back again. The only difference I see between the ones we wore then and the ones that are uniform items now is that the current USMC Wooly-Pully has epaulets. In my day, they did not.

Oh, and there's no such thing as a Marine 'Commando'. That's not a term we use.

Thanks!

Wiggy

Thank you Sir. I’ll reply in more detail later. Marine Commando is of course a British term, not US.

 

[Harp]

I am a new member, so please forgive me if I am speaking out of turn. I just finally found something that I could actually speak to with some level of knowlege...

Ahem. I served as a US Marine from 1979-1985. We wore the Wooly-Pully, however it was not issued gear - if you wanted to wear one, you had to purchase it yourself. It was an item that was adopted from the Royal Marines of the UK.


Oh, and there's no such thing as a Marine 'Commando'. That's not a term we use.

Thanks!

Wiggy

Hey Wig,

Welcome to the Lounge.

A 1952 film, What Price Glory? features James Cagney in a World War I US Marine Corps tale
wherein the said sweater is worn; although the famed garb's sartorial uniform provenance is
unknown to me, it definitely dates back to the Second World War. I recall remarking the Corps
issue sweater with a Marine captain at Ft Sheridan, Illinois forty-some years ago. British Marine
commandos wear the sweater and have a lineage worn since WWII, hence the name tag.