Posted: 11/17/2008 12:44:20 AM EDT
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Last time I put on a military uniform was in 2004...the ACU wasn't being issued back then...or maybe it was but I had only seen pictures of it...anyways, I always thought that BDUs were pretty comfortable...not perfect, but good enough for government work...but the ACU seems cumbersome and seriously what's with all the friggin velcro?
The last thing I would want as a soldier is a feature on my uniform that would give away my position whenever I had get something out of my pocket or roll up my sleeve...what was so wrong with the buttons on BDUs that the ARMY decided to replace them with a material that makes a loud "RRRRIIP" sound...just doesn't make sense to me. And they couldn't even add a decent elastic blousing strap to the pants...they kept the old stupid/useless little strap that nobody ever used? |
| Yeah, I also got out in 2004, and miss BDUs. I still have friends in, and they like them, but I have never asked, can you still roll the sleeves in ACUs per AR670-1? I remember some of my units rolled up on April 15th, and Down on October 15th, some units did not allow us to roll them up at all, and some allowed them to be rolled up all year. |
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When the Marpat first came out we all though the same thing with the Velcro. As time went on though, I realized that if I am opening up my pockets when the enemy is close enough to hear the the velco riiippp, I fucked up. On the other hand, our Velcro is only on the breast pockets, which is always covered by the OTV/IBA while outside the wire.
I don't know how many of the pockets are secured by Velcro on the ACUs. |
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There are some worthy improvements on them. Slant pockets, pen pockets, etc. However they need to ditch all velcro and go back to sew on patches. Pin on badges and velcro name tapes and patches? WTF? Would this be the same Rick who graduated from McCollum and has a baby from a girl named Patricia? |
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There are some worthy improvements on them. Slant pockets, pen pockets, etc. However they need to ditch all velcro and go back to sew on patches. Pin on badges and velcro name tapes and patches? WTF? You have to wear pin-on Jump wings and Air Assault wings?  That sucks!
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I like ACUs for the most part, I think they're fairly comfortable. Though I do hate the velcro on the pockets for a couple reasons. The velcro on some seems to wear out. I have one set that has pockets that don't want to stay shut. Also the fact that if you put something large in a leg pocket, it's always going to want to just push the velcro open. Another thing, if you would slide mud over the loop side of the velcro, I'm sure it's not going to stick well. The velcro name tapes and patches don't bother me that much. And as for the sleeves, I actually never liked rolling my sleeves anyway.
Also, in reference to the OP, I actually do use those strings built into the pant leg cuffs. |
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I preferred BDU’s also. The complaints about Velcro giving away your position and so on are pretty lame though. WTH does it matter if some Supply or HHC dude makes a soft sssiiiippp sound when he gets his note pad out? On patrol, the gunner and TC can’t even hear each other without yelling, Velcro noise is a non issue. Maybe for SpecialOps types, but not for Joe.
I’ve sat in an ambush with guys wearing BDU’s, and I really don’t think that it was any quieter when some retard decided he needed something out of his pocket. The amount of rustling and misc noise associated with getting a BDU pocket unbuttoned wasn’t any worse than someone carefully opening a Velcro pocket. |
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I preferred BDU’s also. The complaints about Velcro giving away your position and so on are pretty lame though. WTH does it matter if some Supply or HHC dude makes a soft sssiiiippp sound when he gets his note pad out? On patrol, the gunner and TC can’t even hear each other without yelling, Velcro noise is a non issue. Maybe for SpecialOps types, but not for Joe. I’ve sat in an ambush with guys wearing BDU’s, and I really don’t think that it was any quieter when some retard decided he needed something out of his pocket. The amount of rustling and misc noise associated with getting a BDU pocket unbuttoned wasn’t any worse than someone carefully opening a Velcro pocket. It is also interestign to note that every airsoft loving tacticool wannabee in the late '90s and early '00s was buying up assault vests and mag pouches with velcro all over like with wild abandon There has even been a huge market for "morale patches" due to the excess velcro surface on all the cool guy gear. Everyone was saying you were only cool if you had velcro all over your web gear like the "special ops" guys did. The snaps and such on the issue gear was simply not tacticool. Suddenly, though, when the Army puts velcro on the uniforms themselves - the same internet commandos world wide decry it a possibly giving away their position in some imagined hide sight where they would feel a sudden need to access a pocket - apparently less so then the velcro enclosed mag and utility pouchges that have been "the cool thing to have" for years prior. |
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While I have never worn ACU's (got out in '99), my complaint with velcro is simple - I could sew a new button on in the filed if I lost one. How am I going to fix velcro that no longer sticks? That is a much more legitimate gripe - I could easily see retrofitting pants pockets to buttons if I were to operate in an austere environnment for a while - then again, the elastic cords are handy. I prefer the velcro on the chest pockets, due to the body armor reality. |
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I think the ACU could have been great, but they screwed it up as expected. Kind of like the new dress uniform. I understand that the BDU's have been reauthorized for certain applications due to the ACU's color scheme sucking so badly.
As far as I understand it, you aren't allowed to roll up the sleves like you were with the BDU's. ETA: Regarding the buttons, I have heard that if you get hit that the button can become detached and act as a secondary projectile - even through your body armor plate, and that's one of the reasons they went to velcro. -K |
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I think the ACU could have been great, but they screwed it up as expected. Kind of like the new dress uniform. I understand that the BDU's have been reauthorized for certain applications due to the ACU's color scheme sucking so badly. -K Yeah, the only thing that ACU pattern is good for is if you're trying to blend in at a quarry. I'd like to know how the hell multicam lost out to that pattern. |
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-No, you can' t roll the sleeves up
-Stop digging in your pocket while on a point ambush -Clean the velcro with a toothbrush and trim the excess fuzz with scissors -They were only designed to last 6 months, use your clothing allowance or ADO if deployed -Pin on badges, velcro name tapes and patches were instituted to save the soldier the cost of having all that stuff sewn on every uniform. In theory the soldier only needs 1 set of badges, patches and tapes, in theory - yes, the colors suck. Universal my ass. -arm and lower leg pockets are a good addition -more comfy than the BDU - the Patrol cap is a lot better quality -"boonie" hat is a clothing bag item - Rigger's belt is a lot better than the old web belt |
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I think the ACU could have been great, but they screwed it up as expected. Kind of like the new dress uniform. I understand that the BDU's have been reauthorized for certain applications due to the ACU's color scheme sucking so badly. -K Yeah, the only thing that ACU pattern is good for is if you're trying to blend in at a quarry. I'd like to know how the hell multicam lost out to that pattern. More expensive |
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I love my ABUs!  They're OK at best...nothing to write home about that's for sure! They get you mistaken for Army 101st guys, and get you yelled at in Kandahar for wearing a DCU Gore-Tex jacket! SgMaj-  "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SOLDIERS WEARING DCU JACKETS!!!"
Air Force Guy-
SgMaj- "DON'T JUST STAND THERE LOOKING STUPID SOLDIER!!!"
Air Force Guy- "I'm NOT in the Army... <Takes off jacket to show stripes and the Air Force tape> SgMaj-  "Your uniforms look too much like ACUs. I don't like them.
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I spent a few years in LRS as a Patrol Leader. I would not have tolerated any velcro on my patrol. I doubt anyone else in the company would have either.
I don't imagine it would be too troublesome to replace the velcro strips with buttons. And we never wore anything but "US Army" on our uniforms. No rank, no name tape, no skill badges, no unit or combat patches. We kept them sterile. |
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I don't imagine it would be too troublesome to replace the velcro strips with buttons. Not authorized. Maybe in some of the SF communities but i can't see why they'd be wearing acus anyway. I can't think of one environment where the combination of A) no sew shop around to fix your shit plus B) a chain of command who would give a shit about adding buttons to your uniform would exist. |
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I got out in late 2005, so I didn't get the ACUs either. But yeah, If I am sneaking around trying to go unnoticed, velcro seems like a bad option for opening and closing pockets.
Major John Plaster, one of the premiere snipers in the world is NOT a fan of the ACU and I think the correctly states that if you try to make a camo for all terrain, you end up with the camo that won't work in any terrain. |
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I'm going to be a bit different. I don't have any huge problems with ACUs.
As far as a single pattern goes, I think it's actually quite good. I don't often find people trying to camoflauge themselves by laying in a green Irish field, and most anywhere I've seen ACUs with my own two eyes(Generally Ft Irwin and Ft Knox), they've worked rather well. It seems to rely on the fact that if you're trying to hide, you're not standing in front of whatever dark green thing you're looking to be camofauged against like in most photographs. Yes, I would prefer a second, darker green uniform for fighting in areas like Ireland, but I honestly don't know if it's worth it. The Velcro complaints, however, I fully agree with. I have no doubt that the stuff will eventually wear, and I'm no fan of the pin-on insignia either. Otherwise, it seems fairly comfortable. NTM |
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I think the ACU could have been great, but they screwed it up as expected. Kind of like the new dress uniform. I understand that the BDU's have been reauthorized for certain applications due to the ACU's color scheme sucking so badly. -K Yeah, the only thing that ACU pattern is good for is if you're trying to blend in at a quarry. I'd like to know how the hell multicam lost out to that pattern. More expensive Its gonna be REALLY expensive when they have to replace it again 
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