Making Combat Clothing Better

[Lerch]

..It would keep some of the elements from getting down your shirt and possibly help the "chafing" or rubbing on your neck from the Frag vest...

I can't recall where (I think it was the US Army website) and it said that the Mandarin collar was designed to protect the neck while wearing the Interceptor OTV.

 

[Good2Golf]

Yes I agree, I like the "Mandarin" collar option. The new ACU uniform the US has has the option of Collar up or down. I think this would be a real benefit to our uniform. It would keep some of the elements from getting down your shirt and possibly help the "chafing" or rubbing on your neck from the Frag vest. I'm going to re-adjust my vest. Maybe that's the problem.

Just a though.

MPS, great idea, like Infanteer noted.  Sadly, it won't likely happen...I worked to get a mandarin collar put on next gen of Cdn FR flying gear and it was not implemented -- either through laziness or staffers thinking they know better than operators (especially those ops who staffed previously and knew very well the challenges the new crop of staffers faced, BTW) but it didn't get done.  I think the diag upper arm pocket (which WAS modelled after the US ACU's) is a great idea!  Hopefully we'll have success on getting it put on the next, next, next gen of flying gear... :

G2G

 

[MPSHIELD]

I can't recall where (I think it was the US Army website) and it said that the Mandarin collar was designed to protect the neck while wearing the Interceptor OTV.

Lerch-You are correct. It is for OTV. I believe the Madarin collar concept would also work out for our Gen 4 Vest. But as Good2Golf  said, it probbaly won't happen.

We can dream can't we?

 

[medaid]

hmmm the Americans put quite alot of thought into the desing of their ACU. Would any one like to build a similar design in CADPAT just to try it out in the field and tell us how it feels?

 

[Bergeron 971]

I could implement the idea's of the ACU into cadpat fabric. of course we'd need the cdn style chest pockets,
I like the single mag pouch on the side of the calf. A couple of my friends asked me to get some AR Cadpat and make them some before they ship out, I haven't had the time to go t o Mtl to pick up some cadpat yet.

And from the pictures I've seen in the Stan, they Velcro on the pocket for IR tabs, what every is like, 2 x 4 inch or something.
On mod's I do for friends I used the US style standards, 4 x 4, more space for other stuff.

As for the arm pockets, I've made them with both Velcro and bottons, its hard to explain, but if you wanted silence, you would  flip an extra piece of Velcro stopping it from being velcro'd shut and you would use the bottons instead.

The Mandarin collar I've done on one Cadpat tunic, and over 15 US woodland tunics. The still look good for garrison when flipped down. and look even better in the bush when flipped up and in use.

Another thing that the ACU has that wasn't mentioned are the slots for padding in the elbows and knees, I have a set of ACU but haven't trying the padding yet,

I like the ACU as it give alot of space for personal choices on how you can wear it.

The lower pockets of the cadpat tunic has come up as well between friends. Some just choose to tuck the tunic in their pants when using the tac vest.

The string in the middle, I don't understand how it could get uncomfortable under gear? I like that string, But I'll have a look with body armour.

 

[Yeoman]

medtech; I do believe there's a company out there that makes this uniform in cadpat. I have seen it before.
if I can find the website later on tonight, I'll pass it along.
I just don't feel like wasting money on something that I know the coc will never let me use.
Greg

 

[MPSHIELD]

I do believe there's a company out there that makes this uniform in cadpat. I have seen it before.

Daves sells shirt similar to it. Not sure on who makes them.

Bergeron 971 -Do you have any photos of the CADPAT modification that you have done, more specifically the madarin collar Mod?

Thanks in advance

 

[medaid]

Hey Yeoman and TAC MP, ya Daves gets alot of them made in that style, they modeled it however after the Cry Multicam uniforms. I think they're made by Frontenac. I've seen them, they arent made with very high quality fabric though. The fabric is rough and nothing like the clothe we use for our issued uniforms.

Yeoman: Ya I understand what you mean by spending their own $ and I whole heartedly agree with you. However, there are such a drastic down falls between what we're issued and what's needed overseas...well we cant help but spend something of our own sometimes right?  ;D

 

[Bergeron 971]

No I do not have pics of the Cantonese collar on cadpat, I can however take pics of a US woodland tunic I have.

this is a Frontenac tunic I've been playing with for a while when I'm Bird. As most of you know the Frontenac tunics look nothing like this.
I made CF style chest pockets, Made a epaulet for the chest which isn't sewn on yet,
I also added  the arm pockets with Velcro. if you see one side there is Velcro for a name tape on the left which is covered by a cadpat patch to hide the Velcro when not in use.
I plan to do the same for the arm pocket Velcro.

 

[PhilB]

of all of the things to spend your money on before deploying new combat shirts are not it. A) you will most likely not be allowed to use them b) now that there are pockets on the issued AR combats there is not much wrong with them. Yes they could definitely be better but they arent that bad. c) there is a lot of kit that is "that bad" that IMHO should be bought over combats. YMMV

 

[Yeoman]

eh you just need pockets on the sleeves, spots for velcro on there as well and you're pretty much gtg.
even I think going out and getting something like that is a bit too far (and you're talking to a kitwhore)
Greg

 

[PhilB]

Couldn't agree more, and I also am a kit whore. If I was going to spend any money on uniform stuff it would be for a shirt like this http://www.cryeprecision.com/product1.asp?P=CS1

At the same time it is easy to modify a shirt with an underarmour tshirt to this design.

 

[MPSHIELD]

With regards to sewing pockets on the sleeves, RHFC_piper  said you turn in a a few sets of shirts to get pockets sewn onto them once you arrive. Any idea as to how long it takes? What is the turn around?

Just curious

 

[PhilB]

We turned them in by organization 2 shirts at a time, it was about a 2 day turn around to get them back. I would think though that ,soonish, shirts will be issued with pockets as more troops turn in shirts with pockets already on them.

 

[Bergeron 971]

haha, must have forgot to post the link.

http://www.pbase.com/cdn_airsoft_regiment/unit_stores__protecorp_shop

 

[PhilB]

are you serious  ? airsoft  ? really  ? wow!

:

 

[MPSHIELD]

Phil B-Thanks for the answer! I will be heading over early Feb. We were told by several sources to try to get the pockets done before we leave but no base tailor would do it. Oh well.

I would think though that ,soonish, shirts will be issued with pockets as more troops turn in shirts with pockets already on them.

You would think that. The brand new AR sets i was issued don't have them on yet. Oh well.

 

[PhilB]

ours were done by the local tailor on the boardwalk, we got them done a month or so after we got in theater. If you want to get them done before I'm sure you could just take it to any local, off base, seamstress. All that they do is take the inner pockets of both lower out and sew them onto the sleeves, then trow velcro on top. Not hard to do.

 

[RangerRay]

In the early 90's there was a batch made without the lower pockets and they were trialed extensively.

It was deemed at that time to keep them on the combat shirts.

I do however like the idea of arm pockets. Wish we had them back in Feb.

Regards

I remember those shirts.  I believe that they did not have the drawcord in the middle either, and were designed to be tucked in.  Apparently, that part didn't make it to most of the troops that were issued them because they usually wore them untucked and looked pregnant as a result!  The one time I did see someone wearing that shirt tucked in, it actually looked pretty good.  I often wondered if the webbing fit more comfortably on with that shirt tuck in.

Even with the old OD shirt, I found those lower pockets to be a pain when wearing the old '85 webbing.

 

[mysteriousmind]

I thnk arm-pocket could be usefull, but depending on the size of the pocket and the trade.

Don't get me wrong, but for some trade It would be pretty useless to my opinion, and for other it would be so great.