BDU Badges and Velcro

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Has anyone tried sewing their badges onto velcro for their BDUs?

[SarDragon]

I considered it once, but thought that it would look odd, and non-uniform, so didn't.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I am getting rather irritated about having to sew, take of, sew again. My CIB is expensive to order, five buck anytime i need one and they are starting to look horrible from being redone and redone. So I was thinking about maybe just doing velcro and leaving it at that.

[a2capt]

Why does it have to come off?

... you think that looks bad? Velcro is rumply, sticks out on the edges, adds a different kind of stiffness to that area, leaves the stuff raised off the surface as much as 1/4 inch. Measure it

If placing the badge is, I presume it's some kind of badge, is a pain, the velcro pile is the same pain.  Then the item will "move", and you'll still get gigged with the seamstress ruler.

[BGNightfall]

Velcro may not be the best approach, especially if you're leaving the normal name tapes sewn down.  If you're removing and replacing your badges this frequently, perhaps consider gluing or sewing the insignia to a thin magnet.  You can move your insignia at will without worry.  With sufficiently strong magnets you probably would not need to worry about insignia shift, and in cases where it would be covered/rubbed by equipment, it could just be removed.

[DC]

I've seen it done twice, one looked great, the other not so much.

The setup that was done well used thin, like 3/8" strips of velcro on the inside of the patch to be applied. This kept it attached, but did not noticeably add to the bulk of the patch as a full pad of velcro would.

Why are you continually attaching, taking off and reattaching your badges? 

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I've seen it done twice, one looked great, the other not so much.

The setup that was done well used thin, like 3/8" strips of velcro on the inside of the patch to be applied. This kept it attached, but did not noticeably add to the bulk of the patch as a full pad of velcro would.

Why are you continually attaching, taking off and reattaching your badges?

New badges, change from one to another, also learned not long ago that I can't wear all three of mine. Plus the CIB is hard to get straight with the gap between badges because it is so much longer than others.

[DakRadz]

A one-time investment in paying for someone else to do the job might not be a bad idea.

Figure out which badges you want, and then just leave it that way. Just a thought.

[a2capt]

Thats what I mean, you say it's a pain to line up, so you need to line up a piece of velcro pile the same shape, otherwise .. if the stuff is sticking out the sides ... the whole thing is pointless.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Oh no, I would never give my uniform to someone else to sew. They do worse than I would. They don't know the Reg, even if I tell them how to do it they will mess it up no doubt. I did my own when I was in the Army when we were still in BDU and DCU.

I know I am picky and difficult

[indygreg]

I don't know where in Indiana you are, but there is a guy in Muncie that does GREAT work on patches(he was a rigger in the Army).  I can get you his info, if you'd like.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I don't know where in Indiana you are, but there is a guy in Muncie that does GREAT work on patches(he was a rigger in the Army).  I can get you his info, if you'd like.

A bit far for me, I'm in Bloomington (no jokes please), and that is a bit of a far drive for me just for a patch. Especially since my badges are already off. Wouldn't it be nice just to wear the medal ones on the BDU?

[Hawk200]

New badges, change from one to another, also learned not long ago that I can't wear all three of mine. Plus the CIB is hard to get straight with the gap between badges because it is so much longer than others.

Which new badges? CAP ones? I know there's no upgrade on AASLT, or Pathfinder. CIB could change, but you haven't mentioned anything about getting a second award.

Once you get some on, leave them. If you want to wear everything you have across a few uniforms, that's allowed, you're just limited to two at a time per uniform. About the only thing that might change is your GT badge.

When I put insignia on, I use Witch Stitch to hold it in place, then sew from there. You don't have to worry about it shifting while sewing it.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

AALST now has stars for denoting combat ropes and rappels. But my issue is that I had two on before, then I got GT. So I thought ok, move CIB up and put GT between CIB and AASLT, now I know that I have to take off one, so I drop my AASLT, now I have to move them again being that this is the first chance I have to change them, so I am at it again before our meeting Thursday. Also I am almost done with my requirements for GTL and then I will have a star on my GT here in about two months. So then I will need to change it again and take both off and put them back on and I will need to order a new CIB, also by then I will hopefully have my orders changed for a CIB 2nd award for Afghanistan, being that now they give a second CIB if you have been in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Wow, taking them off just now, I ruined one CIB and a GT Badge.

[RiverAux]

Sewing them on in the right place once vs having to try to place the darn things right on velcro after every washing?  Seems like an easy call to make.

Can't believe anyone hasn't said this, but I'm not sure velcro is "CAP legal" on the BDU.  Might be able to get away with velcro that exactly matches the edges of your badge, but certainly not like on the current military uniforms with lots of extra unused space around the patch. 

[HGjunkie]

I use velcro for my flag patch and that's about it. Granted, the only reason I do that is because I inherited it from my dad who was in the Army, so it had the velcro already attached and ready to go.

[jb3]

No matter what you do with your badges, make sure that you know what you are talking about before you post information. I'm not sure who told you that you would be getting a second star on your CIB but that person was seriously uninformed. There are only four CIB periods and GWOT is one, not two. The "Republic of Vietnam Conflict Era" lasted until 1995 meaning that a Vietnam vet who earned a CIB didn't get a star for Operation Just Cause, Desert Storm, or any of the other conlicts of that period. I know your post was more about your CAP uniform but I wanted to stop your rumor before other young Soldiers read it and think that they are getting a star on their CIB as well. I hope I didn't ruin your day.

JB

[manfredvonrichthofen]

No problem, my information came from my old PL who is now a BN CDR (MAJ)  asked me if I wanted my star and I thought he was joking. He then informed me of certain changes that are arizing. So far as I know he is processing my paper work himself.

[Eclipse]

I have seen a few members do this - mostly with pockets.  You can get woodland camo velcro, but it doesn't look any better.

It always looks at least "strange", and usually pretty bad.

The only reason there is velcro on combat uniforms is so that if captured a soldier, aircrew, etc., can "sanitize" their uniform
to hinder unit identification, etc.

You'll notice that grade is sewn onto the flightsuits for all the services, even though they have velcro for other insignia, as grade
is one of the things a combatant must provide when captured, anyway.

This is not a factor in CAP - no senior member changes grade so often as to need velcro on any uniform, and cadets wear metal in the phases where they tend to change grade rapidly, so it is a non-issue all the way around.

Just sew it directly on.