Like the rest of the DPCU uniform, there are six distinct patterns of hat issued in the camouflage- two trials and four production variants, plus further examples with broad of shallow brims. Today we are looking at an example of the final, fourth production pattern hat, dating from the 2010s:

The changes between patterns are subtle, but in this case, the big change is the introduction of a neck skirt to help protect the back of the wearer’s neck:

Unlike British bush hats where this is secured with Velcro, in this instance it is sewn into the hat itself and is non removable:

If the wearer does not wish to have a neck curtain he must either tuck it inside the hat, or more commonly just cut it off. Note also the chin strap made of a woven cotton cord, this would originally have had a plastic slider on it to adjust length but this is missing from this example. This particular hat comes from the end of production of the DPCU, with a date of 2014:

Like other examples of Australian headwear, this hat seems to be undersized- it is a 56 which should be far to small for me, but I can (just) wear it, which is not normally an option on British headwear of the same size.

This particular hat was introduced as part of the Land125 project to update Australia’s military uniform and equipment. This particular pattern can be seen being worn here: