Actually, the 1970's Trial DPM Combat Uniforms aren't as rare as some folks might think. They still surface quite regularly on eBay, with shirt and trouser sets in decent condition (and human sizes) selling in the area of $100 to $125 USD. I picked up two sets in the space of 4 or 5 months - one in mint condition size 4 Regular, and the other in Grade 2 condition in size 3. The mint set is pictured on my web-site.
The DPM uniforms were actually produced in significant quantities - as in the thousands if not tens of thousands. The were originally manufactured by Peerless Garments of Winnipeg under contract to the Tanzanian Government. Yes, there are photos out there of formed battalions of Tanzanian soldiers during the late 1970's marching about in shiny new Canadian DPM combat uniforms. Somebody within the Canadian Army leadership saw those uniforms, and ordered a large-scale field trial. I know that at least one battalion of each brigade (including 4 CMBG in Germany) was issued the DPM combat uniform for fixed evaluation period. At the end of the day, we elected not to adopt the DPM Combats for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the DPM pattern was assessed as inferior to the plain Olive Green in terms of versatility and camouflage effectiveness - particularly at night. Second, the NYCO material produced by Celanese Chemicals of Montreal was notorious for premature fading. A problem shared by the Canadian DPM Parachutist's Smock, by the way. Anyhow, the DPM Combat uniforms faded extremely quickly, and when they did they took on an overall orange-brown tone. In other words, they stuck out like sore thumbs. Not a good thing in a combat uniform.
When Tanzania cancelled its contract with Peerless garments in the late 1970s literally thousands of production over-run uniforms made their way to Canadian surplus shops in mint, unissued condition. I clearly recall seeing racks upon racks of them in various Vancouver shops well into the early 1980s. I had three sets that I wore for Army Cadet field exercises - the DPM combats were that cheap and easy to acquire. Over time, the stocks of those uniforms slowly dried up, but you'd be surprised at how many are still floating around out there, stuffed away and forgotten about in people's basements. My web-site tends to attract sales offers from all over the place, and there have been numerous occasions where folks from right across Canada have stumbled across pieces of the DPM uniform while cleaning out their closets and basement boxes.
As an interesting aside, the Tanzanians went on to manufacture an indigenous copy of the DPM Combat uniform - complete with the uniquely Canadian pocket configuration, the slotted buttons, etc. That has carried on right up to the present, with an unmistakable Canadian influence still evident in the current-issue Tanzanian combat clothing. We had a Tanzanian student pass through the Tactics School last year, and I was quite surprised to see just how distinctly "Canadian" their latest uniforms remain.
Just some mildly interesting historical info to help pass the time....
