Main Menu

Uniform Tips

Started by JC004, May 12, 2015, 08:36:57 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

kwe1009

If you are using white school glue then you can probably remove the device to reposition when you earn another device.  Plus, like PHall said, ribbons are cheap.

Jester

If I have to order them from Vanguard, I'll make a ribbon last as long as possible. My military ribbons are easy, I can just go to MCS and grab them.

That's part of the reason I only use plastic racks instead of metal. I've had the metal ones slice a ribbon right off the backing just by sliding it on.

SarDragon

Quote from: Jester on September 03, 2017, 01:09:29 AM
If I have to order them from Vanguard, I'll make a ribbon last as long as possible. My military ribbons are easy, I can just go to MCS and grab them.

That's part of the reason I only use plastic racks instead of metal. I've had the metal ones slice a ribbon right off the backing just by sliding it on.

It's all a matter of technique. I've wrecked exactly two ribbons on metal racks, and it was the same one - the purple and white POS that I've always had trouble with.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

capcolorguard

I think these were all great tips! Thank you for sharing them! I have a question though, how often would you recommend you iron your blues and ABUs?

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

SarDragon

Blues coats and trousers should be sent to the dry cleaners after wearing three or four times, or when they are visibly dirty.  They need to be hung up between wearing to reduce wrinkling. They shouldn't really be ironed after they have been worn. That just embeds any dirt.

I launder my shirts after each wearing, but you might get away with two or three wearings if you are really careful. I have more than one, so I'm not wearing the same shirt all the time.

Utility uniforms - wash them and hang them up immediately out of the dryer. That means they are on the hanger when they go from the wash room to the closet. No wrinkles. :)
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

kwe1009

ABUs are pretty good and being wrinkle resistant.  Unless you are overloading your dryer then they should come out with no wrinkles.

Blues should really only be dry cleaned.  You can iron them if needed but never directly.  Use something like a handkerchief between the iron and the blues.

Also, the service coat is a formal dress item and not an every day wear item.  It is worn for ceremonies or things like recruiting events.  If you only wear it when it is appropriate then it will last a long time between cleanings. 

J2H

All you have to do is shake out the wrinkles and wear, that's what I used to do.  I dry clean my blues pants, tie, and cap once or twice a year, I use Dryel the rest of the time, and launder the blue shirt.
SSgt Jeffrey Hughes, Squadron NCO
Glenn L. Martin Composite Squadron MD-031
#217169

SemperVigHooah

I personally prefer to buy from USAF veterans when it comes to uniforms because as stated previously, Vanguard often takes too long to ship out and the cotton/polyester blend is thin and flimsy (ABU-wise), and actual USAF uniforms have better durability. But onto the answer to the original question posted;

Put a cardboard flatblock inside of your PC to keep the top of it nice and firm, much like a ridgeway cap. I recommend thin cardboard when not wearing it and double-wide when you are. Do this cut and dry for a solid few weeks, and the top of your cover will stay shaped better than before. And, if it's within regs, get an 8-point cover. Just my two cents.

Jester

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on April 15, 2019, 03:29:42 PM
I personally prefer to buy from USAF veterans when it comes to uniforms because as stated previously, Vanguard often takes too long to ship out and the cotton/polyester blend is thin and flimsy (ABU-wise), and actual USAF uniforms have better durability. But onto the answer to the original question posted;

Put a cardboard flatblock inside of your PC to keep the top of it nice and firm, much like a ridgeway cap. I recommend thin cardboard when not wearing it and double-wide when you are. Do this cut and dry for a solid few weeks, and the top of your cover will stay shaped better than before. And, if it's within regs, get an 8-point cover. Just my two cents.

Where are you seeing 8-point covers in CAP?

Gunsotsu

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on April 15, 2019, 03:29:42 PM
I personally prefer to buy from USAF veterans when it comes to uniforms because as stated previously, Vanguard often takes too long to ship out and the cotton/polyester blend is thin and flimsy (ABU-wise), and actual USAF uniforms have better durability. But onto the answer to the original question posted;

Put a cardboard flatblock inside of your PC to keep the top of it nice and firm, much like a ridgeway cap. I recommend thin cardboard when not wearing it and double-wide when you are. Do this cut and dry for a solid few weeks, and the top of your cover will stay shaped better than before. And, if it's within regs, get an 8-point cover. Just my two cents.

Please provide guidance where in CAPM 39-1 where it is authorized/required to put cardboard in one's hat.

Spam


He isn't. The USMC style covers are not authorized. At all. I've put a stop to them in 3 different units under my command over the years.


BTW, Cadet: "Ridgway" is a proper name (GEN Matt Ridgway), and is both capitalized and spelled thus with no "e". I assume that you're referring to the cardboard and starched mods to the M-1951 field cap, or fatigue hat, formally known as the "Cap, Field, Cotton, Wind Resistant, Poplin, M-1951", which came in while he commanded 8th Army (the ones with the Umbrella Corporation patch).  By 1953, with not much fighting or actual ops to do in Korea, the REMFs had taken over.

My opinion, if you want to wear fatigues to look like a garritrooper (not a paratrooper), then by all means just wear blues. Fatigues are for working folks - go get into the field, and you'll sweat your pretty cardboard into pulp!  LOL


V/r
Spam


TheSkyHornet

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on April 15, 2019, 03:29:42 PM
And, if it's within regs, get an 8-point cover. Just my two cents.

It's not within regs.

The Air Force doesn't even wear an 8-point.

If you aren't sure if it's even within regs, why suggest it to someone else?


Quote from: Spam on April 15, 2019, 04:55:41 PM
go get into the field, and you'll sweat your pretty cardboard into pulp!

I cannot stand anyone putting cardboard in their PC...nor anyone that Rangers their cover up.

Wash it. Starch it. Shove it into your pocket. Pull it out. Push out the folds. Slap it onto your head. Repeat. If you need to put a device into your cap so it keeps its shape, or else it otherwise is as flimsy as a cotton t-shirt, you bought a garbage cap.

SarDragon

Back in the dark ages when the Marines still wore BDUs, there was a statement in the 39-1 that specifically prohibited the "Marine style BDU cap" (8-point). It no longer appears in the 39-1.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

Eclipse

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on April 15, 2019, 05:08:24 PM
I cannot stand anyone putting cardboard in their PC...nor anyone that Rangers their cover up.

Nothing "smarter" then your hat looking like a dog bowl so it holds water in the rain, or like it got stuck
in the dryer door.

Get one of these and you're done.



https://kellac.com/military-hat-shaper/

2 color-matched stitches in the back when you're sewing on your grade and it will
never come out, you can put in in your pocket where it belongs and springs back to life when it comes out.

As to 8-pointed hats, being on a Navy base with a NEX we saw a lot of those BITD because
of panic parents dropping off their cadets, but can't imagine how / why anyone would suggest
that as the preference for CAP.

"That Others May Zoom"

AndyA60

The tactical pants on Vanguard I would not recommend if you plan on working during a  heat wave with no air conditioning, they do not breath (true story), . Nice pants but not for temps over 100 degrees. Therefore I do ask for any tips on what cotton or breathable tactical pants there are that coincide with the color that is the standard on Vanguard?

Eclipse

Quote from: AndyA60 on July 29, 2019, 08:09:05 PM
The tactical pants on Vanguard I would not recommend if you plan on working during a  heat wave with no air conditioning, they do not breath (true story), . Nice pants but not for temps over 100 degrees. Therefore I do ask for any tips on what cotton or breathable tactical pants there are that coincide with the color that is the standard on Vanguard?

There is no "standard color", so anything in the range from BDU.com works.

"That Others May Zoom"

AndyA60

no standard grey? thats what Im talking about, so as long as its in the grey family?

PHall

I use Charcoal Grey Propper Poly-Cotton Rip Stop BDU trousers that I got from BDU.com.
No problems and being rip stop they breathe well.

Eclipse

Quote from: AndyA60 on July 29, 2019, 08:36:58 PM
no standard grey? thats what Im talking about, so as long as its in the grey family?

Correct "medium" is the full spec.

"5.2.2.4. Trousers/Slacks. Medium Gray (solid color). Wool, polyester/wool blend,
polyester/cotton or cotton trousers. Either slim, straight leg or loose fit, with or without pleat or cuffs is
allowed. Commercially available "tactical" slacks and "chinos" medium gray slacks with or without cuffs
are approved for optional wear. Shorts are not authorized. "


https://tacticalgear.com/propper-lightweight-tactical-pants-gray~1 (one of many, many options)



"Propper Lightweight Tactical Pants
What is the first thing you'll notice about Propper's lightweight tactical pants? The featherweight factor. Using a mere 6.4 ounce fabric, the style does anything but weigh you down. With 11 pockets, there's room for just about anything and everything you'll need in the field. Durability stays top-of-mind with the reinforced seat and knees plus a reinforced front pocket opening. The fabric is coated with DuPont Teflon to repel stains, and the blend of polyester and cotton ripstop makes the style resistant to wrinkles and color fading.

Features of Propper Lightweight Tactical Pants
Fabric: 65% polyester / 35% cotton ripstop
Pockets: 11
Two coin pockets
Cell phone pocket big enough for most smart phones
Wrinkle-resistant and fade-resistant
Snap closure with French fly
Stretch waistband expands for easy movement
D-ring for tools and keys
Belt not included"

"That Others May Zoom"