BDU Variation Questions

[SARGE]

Gentlemen,

 

I have noticed several variations of camo BDU uniform coats (jackets/shirts) and I have a couple of questions.

 

Some desert camo BDU coats have standard size collars while some later ones have the wide "Elvis" collars. I presume this was a pattern change for some reason. Anyone know when this occurred and/or why?

 

Some desert camo BDU coats have pencil pockets inside the left breast pocket while some do not. Is this a variation pattern and when and why?

 

Some woodland camo BDU coats have waist adjustment tabs at the side seams while some do not. Anyone know when this occurred and are the tabs an early pattern?

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[cbuehler]

Regarding the collars, all the coats made from "Nyco" or cotton/nylon seem to have the wide collars and the all cotton ripstop coats have the narrow collars.

I was told that the wide Elvis collars on the desert coats were intended to offer more sun and wind protection when turned up.

 

CB

[Manchu Warrior]

The tabs were on the first pattern BDUs.

[Spathologist]

There used to be wing collars on BDUs, as well. Added sun protection might make sense, except I never heard of anyone turning their collars up. Everyone always used triangle bandages or shemaghs.

 

I truly detest those wing collars, though.

 

Pencil pockets, I never noticed. I don't use them.

 

I'm not familiar with what a "first pattern" BDU is, but the side tabs were used until the mid-to-late 1990s. I bought replacement sets in 1994 that had the tabs, but the replacement sets I bought in 2001 did not. I liked the tabs, gave a sharper appearance in garrison and didn't let the fatbodies hide their guts.

[Manchu Warrior]

Maybe I should not have said first pattern but the tabs must have been on the early version of the BDU because I was in basic in 1995 and I served in the army for eight years and never saw the BDUs with the tabs on them. Well, I did see them in the thrift stores on post or some NCO's that had been in for a while still wore them but I was never issued any and never saw them for sale in clothing sales. I even have a set that I purchased in the thrift store for a field uniform that I believe has white, not green, tags in them with the tabs on them.

[cbuehler]

Regarding the waist tabs, I think they came out in the early 1980's. All the ones I have seen have 80's dates on them if I recall correctly.

 

CB

[Laury Allison]

The older ones with the tabs would starch up a lot better and held up better than the later ones. Didn't the heavy-weight winter versions have a bigger collar on them??? I think I only had one or two pair of them and never did wear them but once or twice.

 

Laury

[Manchu Warrior]

The older ones with the tabs would starch up a lot better and held up better than the later ones. Didn't the heavy-weight winter versions have a bigger collar on them??? I think I only had one or two pair of them and never did wear them but once or twice.

 

Laury

Not to get to far off tarck. But, have you worn or held an ACU uniform in your hands? Compared to the BDUs the ACUs feel like they are cheaply made and with all the velcro they get all notted up when you wash them. I don't like them at all.

[DM1975]

Maybe I should not have said first pattern but the tabs must have been on the early version of the BDU because I was in basic in 1995 and I served in the army for eight years and never saw the BDUs with the tabs on them. Well, I did see them in the thrift stores on post or some NCO's that had been in for a while still wore them but I was never issued any and never saw them for sale in clothing sales. I even have a set that I purchased in the thrift store for a field uniform that I believe has white, not green, tags in them with the tabs on them.

 

Talking about the side tabs, I had uniforms issued to me in 1993 with the side tabs. One thing I noticed different between these and the ones without tabs is that the wrist cuffs were a different size. They were very small on the ones I had issued with the sid tabs. And talking about the ACU's, they aree crappy. They feel like wearin pajamas with a bunch of velcro on them. Everyone sticks to each other if they sit close to one another, the pockets are always trashy looking, the color is all wrong, and the shoulders feel very wrong. Plus it is hard to see someones rank if they are walking with their weapon slung behind them, the sling covers the rank up.

[Steve B.]

The first of the BDUs had the big collars (we claled them disco collars), and no adjusting tabs. They also had some wierd probelems with the dyes and shrinkage. They would often fade to an odd grayish color background, and the material would shrink inconsistently, sometimes leaving you with a shirt with one arm 4 inches shorter than the other, for example.

 

They fixed the dye and shrinkage problems, and then started getting complaints about the thickness of the material. They were just too hot when worn anywhere warm. This was emphasized when some of the units sent to Grenada had the same complaints.

 

They were redesigned to include a smaller collar, adjusting tabs at the waist, and a hot-weather version in rip-stop poplin. We were authorized to turn intwo sets of "old style" BDUs and receive two sets of hotweather "new style" BDUs if desired.

 

The BDUs first began to be issued army-wide in the early 1980s. IIRC it was 1982, I was at Ft Lewis, and troops were allowed to turn in one set of fatigues in exchange for one set of BDUs. This was to allow everyone to get at least one set.

 

Within a couple of years, the supply system had caught up, and all new soldiers were issued nothing but BDUs, and the fatigues were no longer authorized. People with sizes smaller or larger than the average were quite likely to get the "old style" BDUs since they were still in the system. The more middle of the road sizes were only available for issue in the new style by about 1985.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Steve

[Schnicklfritz]

When I went into the Marines in 1985, we were issued pickle suits with these wide collared, disco pattern collars. I believe they also lacked the waist tabs that were suppose to blouse the coat. This style coat was not in use very long. A few in our platoon were issued the RDF style poplins along with the woodland disco suits. They gathered the RDF style back up and reissued the newer pattern woodlands.

 

I had to buy new camo 8 months later because my stuff was issued too small in boot... go figure. But I shrank into it in boot, but gained some of the weight back afterwards. When I bought my new pickle suits, the style that was avaliable then was the narrow collar uniform. They also changed the camo pattern a little on this style. The early pattern was smaller with the pattern being larger later I believe or visa versa. The poplin stuff came out around 1987. We were also allowed to start wearing the canvas Nam style jungle boots. There were some changes after I got out, but the only one I can think of now is that the cover was stitched all the way around the top. The poplin stuff was crap, both in the RDF and Woodland style suits. Ripped easily and freyed along seams.

 

If you had the RDF style suit, you were the s#^t then. You were allowed to wear it as long as you were issued it in boot. I remember one boot butterbar came into the unit in 1989 wearing the Nam slant pocket ERDL suit. It was 2 sizes too big on him and he looked like a baffoon in it, but he thought he was a salty ol' dog in it.... ...ok.

[Laury Allison]

Not to get to far off tarck. But, have you worn or held an ACU uniform in your hands? Compared to the BDUs the ACUs feel like they are cheaply made and with all the velcro they get all notted up when you wash them. I don't like them at all.

 

Yes, I've had several pairs of ACUs that I've sold on Ebay. I never did wear them though and have heard from some that they aren't holding up very well. I did wear a flight suit some while I was in, which has the same velcro issues. One thing you can do is turn them inside out when you wash them and that will help keep the velcro from getting knotted up so bad....The material shouldn't fade out as fast either by doing that either. I learned that from my mother...she always washed our blue jeans like that and it makes them last longer.

 

The first BDUs I had were very thick...those things wore like steel. I loved the summer-weight ones I had and they lasted for years. The winter ones were so thick I burned up in them the first time I wore them...and it was in the middle of winter. I think that's why I never wore them again after that.

 

No matter what uniform they come up, some soldiers are going to love it and others are going to hate it. I'm sure the same discussions took place when the HBTs were replaced. I know they did when the OG fatigues were going out. It will probably happen again when the ACUs get replaced...

 

Laury

[Spathologist]

The reason the ACUs look like crap is because people aren't following the laundering instructions.

 

Zip the zippers, button the buttons and cover the velcro.

 

Turn them inside out.

 

Wash in cold water, with detergent that has no optic brighteners.

 

Hang to dry, or if you have to use a dryer, use low heat (stuffing them in the dryer on high heat is what really screws them up.)

 

Don't iron them.

 

I've lived in them for an average of three days out of the week for the last two years, and have had no more problems than I had with hot weather BDUs.

[Laury Allison]

The reason the ACUs look like crap is because people aren't following the laundering instructions.

 

Zip the zippers, button the buttons and cover the velcro.

 

Turn them inside out.

 

Wash in cold water, with detergent that has no optic brighteners.

 

Hang to dry, or if you have to use a dryer, use low heat (stuffing them in the dryer on high heat is what really screws them up.)

 

Don't iron them.

 

I've lived in them for an average of three days out of the week for the last two years, and have had no more problems than I had with hot weather BDUs.

 

 

Good points! The flight suit was very similiar in these respects. If you put them in the dryer, DON'T leave them on high heat for 90 minutes....you aren't cooking a turkey! Take them out when they are still a little damp and hang them up to finish drying. Turning them inside out will greatly increase the life of the material and reduce the "fuzzies" on the velcro areas. I personally liked having a uniform that I didn't have to iron or send to the cleaners to have a pound of starch added to it, but that still didn't mean you could beat them on a rock and expect them to look like you are ready for an inspection either.

 

Remember "If at first you don't succeed....READ THE INSTRUCTIONS"!

 

Laury