Vanguard ABUs

[JC004]

Now that Vanguard sells ABUs, I wanted to find out more about the quality before suggesting our cadets buy them. 

They ARE cheaper than AAFES.

The sizing they have is very strange, so I'm not so sure about that.

I'd be good to know how they compare, what the material quality is like, how the color matches current issue, and see some photos.


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Vanguard Item	Vanguard Price	AAFES Item	AAFES Price
Adult Coat (Shirt)	32.75	Adult Coat (Shirt)	34.69
Adult Pants	32.75	Adult Pants	41.93
Sand T-Shirt	8.00	Duke Athletic Poly/Cotton ABU/ACU Tee	(Not Sold Indiv.) (3-pk: 14.95)
Youth Coat (Shirt)	26.00	Youth Coat (Shirt)	(Not Sold)
Youth Pants	26.00	Youth Pants	(Not Sold)
Patrol Cap	10.00	Patrol Cap	6.02
Boot Bands: Trouser Blousers	2.50	Boot Bands: Trouser Blousers
Rigger Belt	9.50	Rigger Belt	3.88
Athletic Cotton/Lycra Cold Weather Hood	(Not Sold)	Athletic Cotton/Lycra Cold Weather Hood	9.40
Foliage Green Fleece Jacket	(Not Sold)	Foliage Green Fleece Jacket	64.00
APECS (Gore-Tex) Jacket	(Not Sold)	APECS (Gore-Tex) Jacket	177.82
Dri-DUKE ThermaForm Cold Weather Bottoms	(Not Sold)	Dri-DUKE ThermaForm Cold Weather Bottoms	24.25
Black Fleece Watch Cap	(Not Sold)	Black Fleece Watch Cap	4.97

[Ozzy]

I have asked on their FB page about them and if they were made by Rothco... Vanguard stated these are made by a private manufacturer exclusively for Vanguard and approved by NHQ... which means they are not the same at all to the ABUs we would receive from the Air Force.

I would rather spend the extra $20 or so for a set of issued ABUs then take a chance with these.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[JC004]

They did use an authorized military contractor (American Apparel) for some of the BDUs they sold, and those were fine.  Decent material and all.

But who knows what these could be like.  People try to avoid Vanguard for good reason - they have a history of bad quality.

They could make a lot more money if they were responsive.  I even suggested various products they might sell, but was flatly ignored.

[ProdigalJim]

They could make a lot more money if they were responsive.  I even suggested various products they might sell, but was flatly ignored.

Roger that. But remember, to their minds we're not really the customer...NHQ is. We have no choice but to buy from them. Even if we protest by wearing only the dreaded polo shirt (tm) they still get at least $20 from every member.

I, for one, am fed up. It's NHQ's job to write a tight contract and hold them to its terms for quality. If we're uninterested in doing that, it's all of us members who have to wear ugly, poorly matched stuff.

[NIN]

Had a conversation with the Sea Cadet unit XO at our parade on Saturday (they meet on Tuesday, we meet on Thursday, we share admin space).

They buy their stuff from Vanguard too.  Because he's both fuzzy & a tad portly, he has to wear their "alternate" uniform, a polo shirt much like ours.  Vanguard stopped making their shirts in 3X (perhaps he was more than a *tad* portly) leaving him out in the cold.   And now, apparently, Vanguard doesn't even make the shirt at all.