Fabric Strip Name Tapes

[smitjud]

So, I ordered some new nametapes last Friday from www.1800nametape.com (note, this company no longer sells CAP insignia, which sucks because theirs was superior to anything on the market - you can still get Civil Air Patrol tapes though, just specify that as your last name on the white on blue tape).

They came today and look great - better quality than anything I have ever received from The Hock Shop or Vanguard.

The catch, I ordered a new product they have that I think will look wonderful once I get it sewn on to my uniform.  Sure they have the traditional tapes stiched on the webbing, they have the nylon tapes that I don't think anyone really cares for, but new on the market is fabric strip tapes.  This material selection makes your nametape on the same material that your collar insignia and specialty insignia are embroidered on and gives several advantages, so they say.

Maybe this isn't "new" but it's new to me.  Anyone else have any experience with this and have any thoghts on the pros and cons?  Here is what they had to say.

Spur Name Tapes would like to introduce possibly the next generation embroidered name tapes.   At the beginning of 2001, the U.S. NAVY started the "Fabric Strip" name tapes.  Instead of the 1 inch tape, they went with a 1 1/4 inch tape.  The tapes are strips of olive drab 65/35 polyester/cotton material folded and fused together.  The material is the exact same material that is used in the production of collar and breast insignias.  The U.S. NAVY put the tapes through vigorous testing before being approved.  With that in mind, we thought the tapes looked so good that we decided to make the fabric strips in the 1 inch tape so it can be used by other branches of the armed forces.

We constantly have people looking for "premium tapes" and we do offer the nylon tapes.  The fabric strip tapes are another option for premium tapes enthusiast and well worth looking into.

What we like about Fabric Strip Tapes:

They sew better than webbed tape.
They look better than webbed tape.
They are always the same color.
They are the same material as the cloth insignias.
The uniforms look more "uniform" with the using the same material for both the name tapes and insignias.
Over time, they maintain the same appearance as the uniform.
The tape is always exactly 1 inch.
Fabric strips are easier for a seamstress to sew on.

What we DON'T like about Fabric Strip Tapes:

More involved process of making the tape.
Not enough people know about them.

[JC004]

Interesting...I'd like to know more.

[DC]

Seems interesting, can you post pics when you get them sewn on?

[smitjud]

Absolutely.  Will be next week sometime at the earliest probably.  Out of town at the AL/MS Hurricane Conference this week for work.

[O-Rex]

They do make great nametapes

I got them too (for my last name) but they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

I bought the fabric strip from them, and have a local shop that will do the embroidery.

Like an idiot a good trooper, I did the 'salute & execute' thing when the U.S. Civil Air Patrol branch tapes came out.

[Tubacap]

There is no blue in the drop down menu for the fabric tapes.  Did you call them?

[O-Rex]

There is no blue in the drop down menu for the fabric tapes.  Did you call them?

It's under the "Law Enforcement" section. . . .

[Eclipse]

I got them too (for my last name) but they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

Just indicate what you want them to say.

They also make very nice flight badges...

[smitjud]

I they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

They will, I ordered and received them.  You just have to specify "Civil Air Patrol" as your last name when you order them on the website (They don't check ID to verify that you name is indeed not "Civil Air Patrol").  Ordered the branch and my name tapes on Friday and recieved them Monday (as oppossed to the weeks that Hock or Vanguard can take.

What they won't make anymore are the plastic or metal name tags and insignia.

[smitjud]

There is no blue in the drop down menu for the fabric tapes.  Did you call them?

http://www.1800nametape.com/law.htm

[Hawk200]

I had fabric strip nametapes on both Army and Air Force BDU's (when those branches still had them). I liked them. They didn't wrinkle up like the woven ones, stayed flat, and had the same fade as the uniform. They also matched the cloth background on the badges, so overall, they looked better.

Didn't know you could "end run" around the order system, but I may have to try it.

[DNall]

You all need to cease & desist right now!! You're going to get one of my favorite suppliers in trouble and I don't want lower quality for higher price when I can avoid it.

[O-Rex]

they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

You just have to specify "Civil Air Patrol" as your last name when you order them on the website (They don't check ID to verify that you name is indeed not "Civil Air Patrol"). 

Gee, why didn't I think of that before-duh!

[JC004]

I just got some fabric nametapes delivered today.  They're great.  smitjud, thanks!   :clap:

[SJFedor]

I got them too (for my last name) but they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

Just indicate what you want them to say.

They also make very nice flight badges...

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

[Eclipse]

I got them too (for my last name) but they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

Just indicate what you want them to say.

They also make very nice flight badges...

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

That site was listed as an official sponsor of the GLR conference, which several of the NHQ command staff attended, including the iCC, they are far from a secret...

[SSgt Rudin]

I ordered 3 sets yesterday for my new BBDU's, I'll throw some pic's up when I get them both pre and post sewing them on

[mikeylikey]

Guess I will be ordering some as well...... :clap:

[SSgt Rudin]

Guess I will be ordering some as well...... :clap:

Peer pressure's a [censored]....

[mikeylikey]

Guess I will be ordering some as well...... :clap:

Peer pressure's a [censored]....

Man tell me about it......Colgan and everyone else that "went out and bought them all up" say how great they feel.  I just want a set I can run my fingers over....

[O-Rex]

you know, if Vanguard stocked them, I'd buy them.

Its ridiculous: cotton webbing is SO WWII: nobody uses them anymore.

When I was AD Army, I had a bunch of fabric name and branch tapes made in Korea to last me until I got out.  Funny, they were "the standard" over there, and when I got back  folks (who hadn't been to Korea) asked 'wow, where did you get those?!"

As I was getting out, nylon webbing nametapes became the rage, then disappeared.

Point is, CAP should get with the program when we switch to ABU's someday.....

[DC]

My mom was in the FL National Guard, her BDU tapes were made of nylon, with the words printed on them, instead of being embroidered. This was around 1990 - 1991...

[Hawk200]

My mom was in the FL National Guard, her BDU tapes were made of nylon, with the words printed on them, instead of being embroidered. This was around 1990 - 1991...

I remember those. Saw them around the Air Force too, on occassion. When I was in Basic, they had some that were some type of loom woven, very similar to the tags inside some shirts and such. The nametape was the cotton webbing type, so you had two different types of tape on your BDU's.

Those woven and printed tapes tended to unravel at the edges. I, and most of the people I knew, replaced them with tapes that matched the webbing type of nametape. It looked better.

[O-Rex]

My mom was in the FL National Guard, her BDU tapes were made of nylon, with the words printed on them, instead of being embroidered. This was around 1990 - 1991...

I remember those. Saw them around the Air Force too, on occassion. When I was in Basic, they had some that were some type of loom woven, very similar to the tags inside some shirts and such. The nametape was the cotton webbing type, so you had two different types of tape on your BDU's.

Those woven and printed tapes tended to unravel at the edges. I, and most of the people I knew, replaced them with tapes that matched the webbing type of nametape. It looked better.

I got those when I joined the Army in 1982: the U.S. Army tape was woven nylon and the nametape was ink stamped on nylon, which tended to fade.  Yes, we too replaced them with webbing (the only thing available at that time.)

Fabric nametapes had been around for ages: I've seen some old jungle fatigues and T-stripes from Vietnam that had them-and they still looked good.

[mikeylikey]

^ The stamped nametapes used in Basic were a cost saving measure....nothing more.  They could also be produced in seconds as opposed to fabric ones which take longer. 

[O-Rex]

Got the fabrics, very nice!  Since they are made of 50/50 nyco, they really don't shrink much (washed and dried them on high heat just to be sure.)

Also a "tight stitch" when sewing nametapes will help keep them from bunching up when you wash & dry even if you do use cotton webbing.  If you do your own sewing, about a 1.5 setting on a Singer will do the trick.  If you take your BDU's somewhere to have them done, just explain what you want a small stitch (they don't like to do it because it takes longer & uses more thread.)  The drawbacks are that its a royal pain to remove, and you might not be able to 'recycle' the branch or nametapes on other uniforms.

[mikeylikey]

Got Mine.  Highly reccomended!  I ordered on Sunday and they arrived toady!  Take that Vanguard (Vanguard is evil........evil!)

[0]

I got them too (for my last name) but they won't do CAP branch tapes, as they got a C&D from NHQ legal. 

Just indicate what you want them to say.

They also make very nice flight badges...

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 

For the flight badges, do they already have the artwork for the Wings?  or do we have to provide them with that? 

[Eclipse]

^^they have everything...

[MIKE]

And people wonder why these sites get C&D letters.

[smitjud]

It's a shame that CAP got so picky with the proprietary stuff after the Vanguard swap.  There were so many companies that like [sanitized] made beautiful flight badges (Watkins Aviation being one that comes to mind) of superior quality to Vanguard.

Can anyone explain to me the arrangement that allowed the Hock Shop to keep producing items when so many others were forced to quit?

Also, got a great, encouraging answer on the knowledgebase the other day - might be more suitable for a new topic, but since we're on the subject of alternate purchase points, asked a question in regards to the golf shirt:

The question I asked was:

Does the CAP Golf Shirt have to be purchased from Vanguard, or can you buy a shirt from a different, preferred manufacturer such as Under Armour or 5.11 and have the logo affixed yourself?

The answer received:

There is no requirement to purchase the golf shirt from Vanguard as long as it is the same color and meets the specifications in CAPM 39-1.

Please see knowledgebase answer(s) below for additional details.

Title: Wear of the Golf Shirt Uniform
URL: http://capnhq.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/capnhq.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1365&p_created=1091213887

Kind of an interesting answer given their past stance on alternate vendors, don't you think?

Again... hint, hint - MIKE

[O-Rex]

Got Mine.  Highly reccomended!  I ordered on Sunday and they arrived toady!  Take that Vanguard (Vanguard is evil........evil!)

evil........evil! 

-quote from Spongebob's Mermaid Man?   I watch My kid watches it alot.

Funny, the last two orders from the 'good folks' were for fabric, and they screwed up and sent me webbing.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you: if I ever need a set of "field" BDU's for NESA or something, I have plenty of cotton web tapes...

They do ship quick, don't they?

It would be nice if Vanguard could get fabric name and branch tapes from the same vendor that does the gore-tex slide-ons: same type of material.

[mikeylikey]

evil........evil! 

-quote from Spongebob's Mermaid Man?   I watch My kid watches it alot.

You Sir, are correct!   :clap:

[FlyingTerp]

Just received my fabric strip name tapes today.  3 days from order to delivery!

The quality is great and the fabric strip looks much nicer than webbing.

Here's a quick comparison:

[DC]

That does look really nice, even the detail of the embriodery is better.

[JC004]

That does look really nice, even the detail of the embriodery is better.

They are really nice.  I like mine a lot.

[mikeylikey]

And MINE. 

[FlyingTerp]

That does look really nice, even the detail of the embroidery is better.

The 1800nametape embroidery is much better.  Vanguard's webbing tape is not as bold and notice that the print is not even. 

[sarflyer]

Wow! I can't believe the difference in quality.  My unit will be using 1800 from now on.

[DC]

The print isn't centered on the webbing either.

Thanks for posting the pics, they look great, I will definately order from them from now on.

[Eclipse]

Yes, if you order them that way, in both 3 and 5" sizes.

I just ordered some for my vest and they did a nice job.

In the same order I received fabric tapes for someone else, and I will say that they are a much more vivid blue than the web ones.

In the last month or so I've ordered fabric in white on black, black on orange, and white on blue and I prefer the look of both the fabric and the lay of the stitching.

[afgeo4]

Do they still do the gortex parka nametapes in CAP blue?

[PHall]

The ABU name tapes I just got from AAFES are the fabric strip tapes.
Makes sense since they have the camoflage pattern on them.

[MIKE]

Everybody is doing fabric strip now... started with the Navy.

I hate to say it like this again... but if you want to have these kind of options... Don't post the vendors.

[PHall]

Everybody is doing fabric strip now... started with the Navy.

I hate to say it like this again... but if you want to have these kind of options... Don't post the vendors.

Yeah, I'm just waiting for them to send one of those letters to AAFES!

Of course knowing AAFES they would send a cease and desist letter to CAP! :clap:

[MIKE]

AAFES makes CAP tapes?  That comment wasn't directed at your post PHall... it was to those who's posts have disappeared.

[PHall]

AAFES makes CAP tapes?  That comment wasn't directed at your post PHall... it was to those who's posts have disappeared.

I have ordered some in the past where I put CIVIL AIR PATROL as the name to be embroidered. And I got them too!

I don't think the vendor in San Antonio who does the embroidery work for AAFES cares about it one way or another.
As long as AAFES pays them, they're happy.

[mikeylikey]

I have ordered some in the past where I put CIVIL AIR PATROL as the name to be embroidered. And I got them too!

But they are useless, unless AAFES just started printing white on blue tapes?!?

[JC004]

Last time I was at Dover AFB (which was a while ago), they carried CAP tapes in stock and you could order the CAP nametapes.

I prefer my fabric strip name tapes now, though.

[winterg]

Just got my fabric strip nametapes today.  I'm a believer.  Very nice quality!

[jimmydeanno]

So I haven't put together my BDUs since my last promotion in March.  I ordered the new insignia from The Hock and was pleasantly surprised in the quality of them.  They seem to be different than before - the back side is black.  I also ordered new wings and GTM badge.

However, it made me notice that my branch tape and nametape were pretty faded and didn't look so hot. 

So, I just ordered some of these cloth tapes and hope they will match the new insignia in terms of color saturation and texture - here's hoping.  I'll post an update when I get them.

[Eclipse]

Black?

You mean just the attached backing material or the actual insignia is black on the back?

[jimmydeanno]

Yeah, the backing material.  It's the first pair(s) I've ordered with the backing material.

[Tubacap]

^backing for which insignia?

I just got mine tapes in the mail the other day.  OUTSTANDING!!!!  I can't wait to get them sewn on.

[arajca]

Got a set a couple weeks ago, just in time to put on a new bbdu. Showed the extras around the unit. They received wide acclaim, and a couple "why didn't you tell me about these two months ago, when I bought my tapes from Vanguard?!" Just about everyone I showed them to is planning to use them on their next b/bdu setup (unless they still have the regular ones left).

They look better, sew on easier, and - so far - don't have the pucker factor that the web nametapes have, even after prewashing. And, the corners don't curl up outside the stitching!

[jimmydeanno]

I'll post an update when I get them.

Here's my update.  I just received these in the mail and I must say...outstanding.  They are a spot on match to the collar insignia I just ordered in terms of fabric texture, color saturation and embroidery quality.  In comparison to the new CAP tapes that I ordered previously these things are 100% better.

Great job VHSRN (Vendor who shall remain nameless).

I would definitely recommend that everyone who reads this purchase these tapes, you'll be amazed at the difference in quality.

[CadetProgramGuy]

When I did soem training down on Ft Jackson, I went off base, and got CAP name tapes in ACU, and then in ABU, then in regular.  Got my name done as well.

If you look hard enough you can find them.