Updated Army Service Dress project

[Furniture]

I bought PPCLI Officer's mess kit from Andrei Tailors, Ottawa in April 2023 and paid $1,803.48. That was for a Jacket, Pants, Vest, and buttons.

My RCN PO mess kit was under $1500 for jacket, pants, buttons and badges from Andrei this summer.

I chose barathea rather than doeskin.

 

[MacNav63]

My Dad once told me that when he went into the regular army in '52 he had mandatory payroll deductions, one for the mess and the other for the tailor to pay for his uniforms. He certainly got good value out of his mess kit since he was still wearing it when he retired in '87. Not sure how much wear he got out of the patrols though. I never saw him in them and the shoulder boards that I have only have two pips on them, so I'm thinking he never wore them after he joined the JAG in '56 (although I'd always heard about him wearing them at a court martial in Ottawa, which would have been at least '57). The mess kit jacket was the high collared variety, requiring a detachable shirt collar and came with a white shirt front for summer wear and a black bib for winter wear. No idea what either uniform cost but they both seem to be in pretty good shape more than 60 years on.

 

[Furniture]

My Dad once told me that when he went into the regular army in '52 he had mandatory payroll deductions, one for the mess and the other for the tailor to pay for his uniforms. He certainly got good value out of his mess kit since he was still wearing it when he retired in '87. Not sure how much wear he got out of the patrols though. I never saw him in them and the shoulder boards that I have only have two pips on them, so I'm thinking he never wore them after he joined the JAG in '56 (although I'd always heard about him wearing them at a court martial in Ottawa, which would have been at least '57). The mess kit jacket was the high collared variety, requiring a detachable shirt collar and came with a white shirt front for summer wear and a black bib for winter wear. No idea what either uniform cost but they both seem to be in pretty good shape more than 60 years on.

The quality of cloth and stitching from a good tailor means a set of mess kit should last a lifetime or two of normal use.

For all of Logistik's faults, even DEUs seem somewhat durable apart from the terrible shirts.

 

[OldSolduer]

My RCN PO mess kit was under $1500 for jacket, pants, buttons and badges from Andrei this summer.

I chose barathea rather than doeskin.

I’m glad I don’t need to make these decisions anymore

 

[Furniture]

I’m glad I don’t need to make these decisions anymore

It wasn't much of a decision for me, the tailor said barathea was cheaper and less warm.

I have far too much Scottish ancestry to spend more, and my zeal for King and country keeps me warm.

 

[dimsum]

It wasn't much of a decision for me, the tailor said barathea was cheaper and less warm.

I have far too much Scottish ancestry to spend more, and my zeal for King and country keeps me warm.

Is this where I mention that the Australian Defence Force issues their Mess Kit?

 

[Edward Campbell]

My Dad once told me that when he went into the regular army in '52 he had mandatory payroll deductions, one for the mess and the other for the tailor to pay for his uniforms. He certainly got good value out of his mess kit since he was still wearing it when he retired in '87. Not sure how much wear he got out of the patrols though. I never saw him in them and the shoulder boards that I have only have two pips on them, so I'm thinking he never wore them after he joined the JAG in '56 (although I'd always heard about him wearing them at a court martial in Ottawa, which would have been at least '57). The mess kit jacket was the high collared variety, requiring a detachable shirt collar and came with a white shirt front for summer wear and a black bib for winter wear. No idea what either uniform cost but they both seem to be in pretty good shape more than 60 years on.

In the early '60s our deductions were not mandatory, but all but a tiny minority of officers had 'em. For some regiments, the Guards and RHC come to mind, the costs of uniforms were very high.

 

[Furniture]

In the early '60s our deductions were not mandatory, but all but a tiny minority of officers had 'em. For some regiments, the Guards and RHC come to mind, the costs of uniforms were very high.

Sounds like the modern "Canex plan". My mess kit costs me ~$120/month for the next 8 months.

 

[Edward Campbell]

Sounds like the modern "Canex plan". My mess kit costs me ~$120/month for the next 8 months.

I was the senior sub in my unit for while; one of my duties was to remind the junior subbies (more often than should have been necessary) that their very FIRST financial obligation, before even sending one single penny home to the family, was to pay their mess bill, in full, by the 7th of the month, and their second was to civilian creditors, including the tailor. We were not that well paid - most junior officers, anyway, I had been a NCO tech so I didn't start to draw officers' pay until I was a capt with a couple of yers in rank - and many subbies lived pay-by-pay.

 

[Happy Guy]

I bought PPCLI Officer's mess kit from Andrei Tailors, Ottawa in April 2023 and paid $1,803.48. That was for a Jacket, Pants, Vest, and buttons.

I think that I bought my mess kit in the mid-1980s for about $2K. Years later I had to buy another jacket because the old one had "shrunk" (my wife ordered me to get another one) and when I got promoted I had to change the rank, add gold striping on the sleeves and buy a black vest. I also had to repair my pants and went through several white shirts because I was playing crud too vigorously. The first jacket was doeskin and the second one was barathea because it was cheaper - by that time I had a family to support - kids braces were expensive even if the dental plan paid for a part of it!

I'm glad that I'm retired. Given my history, I don't think that the Patrol Dress on me would have endured my antics, although I stopped drinking alcohol (physical health related problems) and matured considerably after I became a father.

 

[Infanteer]

For Reg F Offrs, I'm assuming that Mess Kit will be a must buy and this Patrol Dress, for the time being, will be nice to have, but it will become another must buy. It has a bit a while since I've bought mess kit so I'm guessing that it must be at least $2500-$3000 now. Given all the uniform buys, a Jr Offr probably will spend at least $4500-$5000 for just uniforms and not including accessories. Expensive for the limited amount of use that you would get out of the Patrol uniform, but it looks nice.

Regiments/Corps will decide if they wish to include Patrols for wear as No 1C Semi-Ceremonial dress. I can't see why a uniform with even less utility than No 2 Mess Dress would be mandatory for members. Times are a changing....

 

[FJAG]

I was the senior sub in my unit for while; one of my duties was to remind the junior subbies (more often than should have been necessary) that their very FIRST financial obligation, before even sending one single penny home to the family, was to pay their mess bill, in full, by the 7th of the month, and their second was to civilian creditors, including the tailor. We were not that well paid - most junior officers, anyway, I had been a NCO tech so I didn't start to draw officers' pay until I was a capt with a couple of yers in rank - and many subbies lived pay-by-pay.

Memories.

In 1969 my OCdt pay was $400 per month. At the time there was a strange unification effect which meant that we didn't graduate as 2Lts but went right to full Lt and my pay jumped to the dizzying height of $600 per month with $82 deducted for rations and quarters as a living in subbie. With the surplus funds after a few months I bought a nice used 65 Mustang for $1,400 and sold my 58 Chevy for $100. Beer was cheap. Life was good.

Greens were brand new and we were all given a $600 clothing allowance, given bundle of green cloth and sent to a tailor to make our new uniforms and get out of the OR battledress and TWs we'd worn as cadets. It was just enough.

Still remember how much the RSM of 3 RCHA hated me and the regimental photographer (a sailor) for spoiling his otherwise uniformly brown regimental parade. Oh - there was a hair thing too.

 

[ueo]

Regiments/Corps will decide if they wish to include Patrols for wear as No 1C Semi-Ceremonial dress. I can't see why a uniform with even less utility than No 2 Mess Dress would be mandatory for members. Times are a changing....

No bulletsor other ammo, but new(?)mandatory orders of dress. Priorities???

 

[rmc_wannabe]

No bulletsor other ammo, but new(?)mandatory orders of dress. Priorities???

Hey, you're more than welcome to spend 1800 bucks of your own funds on Ammo. I doubt that you bringing it on a range would be authorized...

 

[Happy Guy]

Regiments/Corps will decide if they wish to include Patrols for wear as No 1C Semi-Ceremonial dress. I can't see why a uniform with even less utility than No 2 Mess Dress would be mandatory for members. Times are a changing....

The "coolness" factor - looking good in uniform and on parade, is one of the reasons that I think that eventually this will turn into another implied must buy. I think that this will only apply to Offrs and RSMs.

 

[dimsum]

The "coolness" factor - looking good in uniform and on parade, is one of the reasons that I think that eventually this will turn into another implied must buy. I think that this will only apply to Offrs and RSMs.

Geez - $400 or something for a crappy leather “flight” jacket was roundly ridiculed within the RCAF.

$1800 would be a tough pill to swallow, CANEX plan or not.

 

[ueo]

Hey, you're more than welcome to spend 1800 bucks of your own funds on Ammo. I doubt that you bringing it on a range would be authorized...

Bullets- system privides, mess kit patrols not so much . Havent seen any real soldiers wearing patrils/mess kit take and hold ground since...

 

[dimsum]

Bullets- system privides, mess kit patrols not so much .

Don’t give the bean counters any ideas!

 

[Infanteer]

The "coolness" factor - looking good in uniform and on parade, is one of the reasons that I think that eventually this will turn into another implied must buy. I think that this will only apply to Offrs and RSMs.

You'd be surprised how much time many soldiers don't spend on parade, and when they do parade, it's in operational dress.

 

[KevinB]

Honestly it seems that a simple two uniform system was too simple.
I mean we managed to mangle it down here as well.

U.S. Army Uniforms

The United States Army Uniforms

www.army.mil

The old Blues being now transitioned to an ‘optional’ Dress / Mess Dress uniform and the WW2 Era Pink and Greens have come back, as the general dress uniform (Army Green Service Uniform) complete with an idiot hat too.