More brand confusion

[DakRadz]

When I spoke of the consistency of uniforms - I meant to say "Dress Uniforms." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Navy_Uniforms.png
Here's the current Navy Dress Uniforms. And these haven't changed much since WW2.

By the way that new Blue Camo Navy BDU is a goofy piece of work. I was at North Island, CA. last week and saw those everywhere. These are easy to spot on land. So unless you fall in the water  - right when you'd prefer to be seen - the camo seems useless. Goofy and will go the way of the "Johnny Cash" within 5 years, I predict. SEE THAT PIECE OF WORK HERE:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/navy%20camouflage%20uniform/SVTbird/new_usn_uniform.jpg

A lot of people get the wrong idea about the camo, just like with CAP. The Navy camo is designed to hide wear and stains, whereas working khaki/dungarees have a life span of 6 months, they're hoping NWU will have a lifespan of about 18 months.
There is absolutely no active camoflauge design intended, except that the colors are the most common ones found painted on ships. And of course the blue is traditional. The Navy has announced two more variants of this exact same uniform- and one of them is a desert style like the desert style MARPAT. So for in-the-field ops, there will be true camo.

Now, CAP's BDU choice is also often given a sideways glance- why would we want to blend in?? When in reality we chose a uniform widely available at a reasonable cost to our members. They don't look well-thought out at first, but when you really look at the true reasons, they're pretty much dead-on.

[Smithsonia]

^^^^
DakRadz;
Hiding stains instead of people. No I hadn't heard about that one. I have argued for years the CAP should go all Blue BDU for seniors and mixed Woodland (given Fat and Fuzzy requirements and BBDUs for the rest) for cadets. I wear BBDUs and think they are great. Thad Allen wears his with pride, we can/should too.

[DakRadz]

I think the stigma with BBDUs (ODUs if you're a Coastie  ) is the very fact that they are generally required only by regs when a member does not meet AF standards. Some unit CCs may require all seniors to wear these; I think it's a good idea, because it isn't a "punishment" and all are included.

This would help with branding- we just need to set a uniform down and stick with it. And BBDUs are in fair supply, because the CG uses the same ones, only called different.

P.S. I hope I made it clear that the stains are paint stains and the like.. I can see someone visualizing a sailor spilling coffee on himself, then looking up and saying, "At least I have my new NWUs on!" Not what I was aiming for XD
P.S. 2 Just saw a girl with a similar last name to you on TV, whose dad tried to rescue her from raging floodwaters. That sounds like a CAPper to me. Any relations?

[Smithsonia]

DakRadz;
BBDUs are great except they fade at different rates so it is tough to keep my blouse and pants looking the same shade. I keep about 3 sets going
at any one time. With a pristine set of lightly washed ready and therfore dark blue for awards ceremonies and 2 faded sets for ground team missions. That said, I must have 2 or 3 sets of pants that don't match any blouse currently. I wear those with a black T-Shirt while training and office work.

BBDUs say both military and police/fire/rescue... so it works for us and for customers. Uniforms are good. If we want to individualize or particularize our duty uniform we should specify it on our ANSI vests.

Regarding your question in PS number 2: No relation to me that I know. O'Briens are common enough to be in trouble often. Glad she is OK.

[SarDragon]

When I spoke of the consistency of uniforms - I meant to say "Dress Uniforms." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Navy_Uniforms.png
Here's the current Navy Dress Uniforms. And these haven't changed much since WW2.

The pictured items are officer uniforms, and you are correct, they haven't changed much since WWII. The enlisted uniforms, specifically E-6 and below, are a little different story. There were significant changes in the '70s and '80s for those folks, both with their dress and working uniforms.

By the way that new Blue Camo Navy BDU is a goofy piece of work. I was at North Island, CA. last week and saw those everywhere. These are easy to spot on land. So unless you fall in the water  - right when you'd prefer to be seen - the camo seems useless. Goofy and will go the way of the "Johnny Cash" within 5 years, I predict. SEE THAT PIECE OF WORK HERE:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/navy%20camouflage%20uniform/SVTbird/new_usn_uniform.jpg

I like it. It is more utilitarian than the olde dungarees, and will, as mentioned above, last longer.

A ship is a dirty working environment, and it's a different variety of dirty that a Soldier or Marine encounters on the battlefield. You are constantly exposed to grease and oil while traveling around the ship, and this stuff never washes out completely. You can end up with a week old uniform with a big stain on it, and it is now unwearable anywhere but on the ship, underway. The new stuff will hide some of those stains and have a longer useful life.

[Slim]

This would help with branding- we just need to set a uniform down and stick with it. And BBDUs are in fair supply, because the CG uses the same ones, only called different.

Just to keep the record straight, there is a difference between BBDUs for CAP, and the USCG's ODUs.

ODUs come in two varieties, both of which feature a two pocket shirt.  The older, tuck-in version is in the process of phasing out on the active duty side, but CG Aux members will be wearing them for a while.  The current, un-tuck version also has a two pocket shirt, but is worn un-tucked, and has a dark blue or black Coast Guard crest embroidered on the left pocket.  The initial version of the un-tucked ODU also had crests embroidered on the sleeve cuffs, and the flaps of the cargo pockets on the trousers.  The ODU is also a different shade of navy blue, as specified by the Coast Guard.

DakRadz;
BBDUs are great except they fade at different rates so it is tough to keep my blouse and pants looking the same shade. I keep about 3 sets going
at any one time. With a pristine set of lightly washed ready and therfore dark blue for awards ceremonies and 2 faded sets for ground team missions. That said, I must have 2 or 3 sets of pants that don't match any blouse currently. I wear those with a black T-Shirt while training and office work.

I'm guessing you have 100% cotton BBDUs?

Best solution I can offer is to either buy the polyester/cotton blend BBDUs (no fading or shrinking), or make sure you wash pants/shirt at the same time.  When I was wearing 100% cotton BBDUs, I always numbered them so the sets would stay together, and always washed them together.  Didn't stop them from fading, but at least they were faded uniformly.

I've since gone completely to the poly/cotton ripstop blend (three sets), my oldest set is about two years old now, no fading whatsoever.

[DakRadz]

Okay then, everybody off the DakRadz BBDU reasoning bandwagon. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Miss Information Palace


Thanks for the enlightenment, sir.

[Al Sayre]

When I was in the Navy, folks were constantly having to buy new dungaree pants at $15.00 a pop because they faded from Navy Blue to Sky Blue after about 20 washes.  I found that the soulution was to just re-dye them using 2 packs of Rit Dark Blue & 1 pack of Rit Black dye per load (4-5 pairs of pants).  If you follow the instructions, this produces a very nice Dark Navy Blue that makes them look almost like brand new. (Of course you will need to remove the patches first.)  After you dye them, you wash them immediately in cold (IIRC) to set the dye. I believe that same combination would work well for the BBDU. 

Also, be sure to run a couple of Hot wash cycles heavy on the bleach with nothing of value - not empty (I had a few old towels for this purpose) through the machine to remove any left over dye before you do regular laundry.

[DakRadz]

When I was in the Navy, folks were constantly having to buy new dungaree pants at $15.00 a pop because they faded from Navy Blue to Sky Blue after about 20 washes.  I found that the soulution was to just re-dye them using 2 packs of Rit Dark Blue & 1 pack of Rit Black dye per load (4-5 pairs of pants).  If you follow the instructions, this produces a very nice Dark Navy Blue that makes them look almost like brand new. (Of course you will need to remove the patches first.)  After you dye them, you wash them immediately in cold (IIRC) to set the dye. I believe that same combination would work well for the BBDU. 

Also, be sure to run a couple of Hot wash cycles heavy on the bleach with nothing of value - not empty (I had a few old towels for this purpose) through the machine to remove any left over dye before you do regular laundry.

I wasn't aware Admirals were authorized dungarees. Sounds like good advice if I can rally everyone to switch to BBDUs

[HGjunkie]

You couldn't catch me dead in BBDUs.

[DakRadz]

If you're dead, I don't think I'll be chasing after you to catch. Special request to the coroner, because you know, "It was his dying wish he be buried in these, sir.... Oh yes sir, thank you!" 

I win. Besides, wouldn't you rather people saw CAP? Or something. Heck, if we can achieve more brand recognition than the USCG, with the same (To the layman) uniform, I'll be happy. YMMV.

[Slim]

You couldn't catch me dead in BBDUs.

Must be nice to have the choice.  Remember, a lot of us don't.

They really aren't that bad.  At least my full color patches don't look goofy on them. 

[RiverAux]

I thought we had it bad..The State Defense Force in South Carolina is the South Carolina State Guard.  Apparently they are switching back to the patch they used during WWII.  The only problem is that the name on the patch is "South Carolina Defense Force".  But, they're not changing their name. 

This would be like the AF deciding to put "Army Air Corps" on their tapes, but still officially being known as the US Air Force.

[High Speed Low Drag]

You couldn't catch me dead in BBDUs.

Be careful with your statements.  There is a C/LTC I know that is way outside H/W requirements & is turning 18 in 3 months.  He will have to switch over to BBDUs at that time, even though he is a cadet.

BTW - His H/W issues are medical-related.