This is a rare prototype U.S. Marine Corps cold weather fleece jacket produced by Peckham Industries using Polartec® fleece, finished in Desert MARPAT camouflage. Unlike standard issue layering pieces, this jacket represents a rapid, stop-gap solution fielded during the early Afghanistan deployments, when Marines encountered severe winter conditions and unexpected snowfall in mountainous desert regions.
 
Desert MARPAT was originally designed for arid environments, and early operational planning did not account for prolonged sub-freezing temperatures in areas such as eastern Afghanistan. As a result, select cold-weather garments were produced quickly and issued in limited numbers, often blending existing materials with non-standard camouflage applications to meet immediate needs. This jacket is one of those pieces.
 
Constructed from high-loft Polartec fleece, it provides excellent insulation while remaining breathable. Reinforced panels at the elbows and forearms, a high zip-up collar, elasticized cuffs, and a drawcord-adjustable hem all point to its intended use as an outer or intermediate cold-weather layer rather than a simple liner.
 
This example is tagged Large Regular, shows no visible wear, and remains in like new condition, making it an exceptional collector piece for USMC, GWOT, or prototype military clothing collections.