CAP phase-in time for ABU's

[LeoBurke]

What ever happened to the old plain green fatiques?  I really liked those. :-(

Come on, how can you beat a badass look like the old pickle suit?

The real studs wore the Vietnam era jungle fatigues.  Talk about being a chick magnet!

[NIN]

Come on, how can you beat a badass look like the old pickle suit?

The real studs wore the Vietnam era jungle fatigues.  Talk about being a chick magnet!

Gee, Leo.. I'm recently single and you're already trying to set me up with some hot Internet babes...

Outstanding.  Thanks for being a highspeed wingman!

[LeoBurke]

Come on, how can you beat a badass look like the old pickle suit?

The real studs wore the Vietnam era jungle fatigues.  Talk about being a chick magnet!

Gee, Leo.. I'm recently single and you're already trying to set me up with some hot Internet babes...

Outstanding.  Thanks for being a highspeed wingman!

You know me "Mr Share-The-Love".   Luckily I was beyond that 'Macho' look. 

[Fireball]

An observation on the material itself. I read that the ABUs are all made from the same material to make one uniform for all seasons. Does anyone here remember back in the dark ages when the BDU first came out that same reasoning was used for the initial twill material that uniform was first issued in? I can remember shortly after Grenada the old ripstop jungle fatigues were pulled out of mothballs and authorised for stateside wear as a stop gap measure pending the development and issue of lighterweight BDUs. I'm just wondering if the Services are going down that same path again. I have a friend in the NG that commented the other day about how hot his ACUs were.

[mikeylikey]

I find ACU's rather cool.  I think with the modern fabrics, you can get a material that allows heat to escape while keeping cooler air close to the body.  If you AF types would not roll your sleeves, you would find that you actually stay cooler than if you did roll your sleeves!

[SDF_Specialist]

What are the odds that the AF will actually let us wear ABUs?

[mikeylikey]

^ Most likely very slim.  I have a funny feeling we are going to be stuck in BBDU's.  Nothing wrong with BBDU's, except me personally, I don't like the color or fabric of they are made from.

[DHollywood]

^ Most likely very slim.  I have a funny feeling we are going to be stuck in BBDU's.  Nothing wrong with BBDU's, except me personally, I don't like the color or fabric of they are made from.

Speculation and conjecture.

CAP has always followed the USAF in uniform wear and there is no reason to suspect we wont continue to do so..... is there ?  Sure the "corporate" uniforms will be there for those not in compliance with weight and balance requirements. 

Besides, Woodland BDUs will be around for a VERY long time - many other countries still use that as their pattern.

Its not like any of us here are going to have any say so or input anyway.

[Fireball]

I find ACU's rather cool.  I think with the modern fabrics, you can get a material that allows heat to escape while keeping cooler air close to the body.  If you AF types would not roll your sleeves, you would find that you actually stay cooler than if you did roll your sleeves!

    What type of climate are you in? Around here it is very hot and humid. I just remember how awfully hot the first BDUs were.
    I agree with you about having sleeves down. It cuts down on skin surface exposed to the sun. I also keep my sleeves buttoned very loose to allow for better air circulation.

[mikeylikey]

^ Just a tad north of you.  I guess everyone will vary on the ACU "coolness-hotness" factor.  They move more freely and are much more looser than BDU's.  I always felt "confined in BDU's.  When moving from the Deserts to the ACU's I loved it.  I thought they were the best thing to happen to the Army in 20 years.  However, I was overseas at the time playing in the sand, so getting a new uniform was like Christmas to everyone!   

[Fireball]

      Not having worn them myself, from just feeling the material they seemed a lot heavier than I'd want to wear. I guess it's in the eye (or back) of the beholder.

     On another note: I was driving by our local NG armory and the unit was in formation outside. Against the backdrop of pines and assorted undergrowth bordering the parking lot, the ACUs really stood out. There were a few guardsmen in woodland BDUs that were only noticible because of their exposed faces and hands. That really struck me as odd. What are your impressions of the actual effectiveness of the new pattern?
     
      Thank you for your service to our Country. I sleep better at night knowing men and women like yourself are standing watch.

[mikeylikey]

^  Thanks!  WE all serve differently, be it CAP, military, Law Enforcement, EMT etc, but all to make our cumminities better. 

As far as the effectiveness, if we ever find ourselves in a woodland or foliage based climate area, I think the movement in the ACU's, ABU's and MARPAT's will all be very noticeable.  If we stay in urban and sandy areas, not so much.  I think they should keep enough BDU's on hand to issue if we ever go to southwest Asia, or south America.

[Trouble]

OK now I am totally confused by the USAF.

Found this on www.pacaf.af.mil it is a few months old but still note worthy. I think we just found our (CAP) new uniform.

www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123041687

[RiverAux]

Nah, there was too much input from the people wearing it for it to ever be approved as a CAP uniform. 

[Trouble]

Seemingly more input was accepted by the AF on the Civilian Guards Uniform than was accepted on the ABU.  What that says about how the AF looks at its people is another topic for different thread.

[NIN]

     What type of climate are you in? Around here it is very hot and humid. I just remember how awfully hot the first BDUs were.
     I agree with you about having sleeves down. It cuts down on skin surface exposed to the sun. I also keep my sleeves buttoned very loose to allow for better air circulation.

My first "long term" wear of ACUs was last summer at Fort Bragg.  It was in the 80s all week, with 80+% humidity (one morning, walking to PT, it was 72 degrees at 0500 with a dew point of 71 degrees... the C-17s were appearing out of the murk on the high overhead for Pope and I was thinking "Why does the Army keep putting bases where its so ungodly hot and crappy?"

Was the uniform warm? Yeah.  Was it uncomfortable? Nah.

Best thing was going into my office and sticking my sleeve up to the AC unit. When the moisture wicking t-shirt "lights up" with cold air, you're gonna know it.. Whoooooooo!

[Slim]

Come on, how can you beat a badass look like the old pickle suit?

The real studs wore the Vietnam era jungle fatigues.  Talk about being a chick magnet!

Gee, Leo.. I'm recently single and you're already trying to set me up with some hot Internet babes...

Outstanding.  Thanks for being a highspeed wingman!

You know me "Mr Share-The-Love".   Luckily I was beyond that 'Macho' look. 

Not to stray off topic too far, but is that the Douggie Buggy in  the background of that photo?

[dougsnow]

Can I make a motion for the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform, or the MARPAT?

I just love the slanted pockets.

I am not sold at all with the ABU, and I would probably wait until the very last day for it...

[PHall]

I am not sold at all with the ABU, and I would probably wait until the very last day for it...

And nothing is forcing you to wear it either. You can always wear the Blue BDU instead.

[JayT]

I am not sold at all with the ABU, and I would probably wait until the very last day for it...

And nothing is forcing you to wear it either. You can always wear the Blue BDU instead.

No one really wears that, do they?