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US Navy Experimental Blue/Gray Digital & Woodland Camo BDU's


Bob Hudson
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This was interesting find at the thrift store today - it's something I almost passed up since I figured it was some kind of funky fashion camo in shades of blue but then the digital pattern made me take a look and that's when I found this kind of label:

 

navycamoalabel.jpg

 

That's for the "A" pattern which is the digital camo of the Experimental NWU (Navy Working Uniform). There is also a woodland camo "B" pattern:

 

navycampbpantslabel.jpg

 

I picked up two sets of each pattern, but no caps.

 

Each shirt has a Chief Of Naval Operations "Task Force Uniform" emblem embroidered on the right breast pocket:

 

navycamoa.jpg

 

The woodland camo (how can you have blue woodland, by the way?????) has a ship and eagle emblem embroidered on the left breast pocket. The same emblem is also printed throughout the pattern much the way the digital USMC camo has an EGA. I could not find a pattern in the Navy digital camo, but will keep looking and will post some more photos later (I just picked these up this afternoon, snapped some quick photos in the car and am now sitting in Starbucks posting this - maybe I could get a barrista to model the shirts and pants and take photos here).

 

navycamob.jpg

 

According to what I've learned so far, Task Force Uniform began in 2003 or earlier and in early 2005 they announced that "Approximately 1,700 Sailors throughout the fleet will be issued four different sets of service uniforms to wear-test for six months. Sailors will give feedback to Task Force Uniform regarding the durability, practicality, and aesthetics of each uniform."

 

I apparently ended up with the four assigned to one sailor (his name is on them). I have yet to find out if they issued any conclusions about the tests.

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I did some more digging around and found this recent story about Task Force Uniform and the prototype uniforms (this is an excerpt, the full Navy Times story is here: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/11/navy_tfu_071122/ ) :

 

Mission complete for Task Force Uniform

 

By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer

Posted : Wednesday Nov 28, 2007 5:35:22 EST

 

Navy officials have pulled the plug on Task Force Uniform after a nearly five-year run revolutionizing Navy uniforms.

 

In NavAdmin message 310/07, released Wednesday, Vice Adm. John C. Harvey, the Navy's chief of personnel in Arlington, Va., pronounced TFU “Mission Complete” and announced the re-establishment of a formal Uniform Board, effective immediately.

 

“Task Force U advanced several uniform initiatives to improve Navy uniform designs, fit and functionality,” Harvey wrote in the message. “Most notably, our Navy will soon benefit from the consummation of three major uniform initiatives: the Physical Training Uniform, the Navy Service Uniform and the Navy Working Uniform.

 

“Building on our lessons learned from Task Force U, we are now ready to carry forward with a newly established and reorganized uniform board.”

 

TFU was established in February 2003. In its nearly five-year run, it brought about the single largest uniform overhaul in Navy history. Those three new uniforms are now in the early stages of implementation that will take the next two years to completely reach the fleet.

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Hey All, Been a long time since I have posted. I have been gone for 6 months to Great Lakes IL for Navy Boot Camp and Hospital Corpsman A school. I am home for another week and then off to Field Med school in Lejune with the Marines. But anyway there is alot of talk abut these, and the Digi ersion should be hitting the Navy Exchanges relatively Soon in navy Time. I am personally excited for these because our utilities suck. We have been told also the rules for wearing these will follow the same rules for our utilities of the rules the marines follow for their digis. Besides these, the workign uniforms and the dress whites will be changing as well, so keep an eye out for those, Maybe you can get me a complete seabag full of the new issue so I dont have to stay in line for mine :)

 

Semper Fortis

 

-HN Fritz

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Maybe you can get me a complete seabag full of the new issue so I dont have to stay in line for mine :)

 

Semper Fortis

 

-HN Fritz

 

 

Well if you wear small, these are going to be for sale, but they may give you funny looks if you run around with the CNO Task Force Uniform on your shirt :)

 

(By the way - congrats on your HN training... if you make it to Pendleton, drop me a message and I'll buy you lunch)

 

I assume the issue versions will look like the prototype photos we've seen. If so, I have to say the service uniform with khaki shirt just looks too much like a Marine Corps uniform and with gray shirt looks like something the Air Force would have done.

 

male_and_female-735x573.jpg

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WOW! I wonder how many of these sets with the TFU were issued out. I might be a buyer when you go to post 'em if the price is right. ;)

 

We still have debates about how these are going to be out in the fleet. It was a full time job making sure 4000 midshipmen at the Naval Academy looked good in camo utilities, and those are the "best and brightest".... how much harder will it be to keep every sailor in the fleet looking respectable and not like bags of a$$ (not sure how you pluralize that...) ;)

 

Anyway, fascinating!

 

Dave

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  • 3 weeks later...
WOW! I wonder how many of these sets with the TFU were issued out. I might be a buyer when you go to post 'em if the price is right. ;)

 

We still have debates about how these are going to be out in the fleet. It was a full time job making sure 4000 midshipmen at the Naval Academy looked good in camo utilities, and those are the "best and brightest".... how much harder will it be to keep every sailor in the fleet looking respectable and not like bags of a$$ (not sure how you pluralize that...) ;)

 

Anyway, fascinating!

 

Dave

 

 

 

I finally took some photos of these so I could list them on ebay:

 

navycamoafull.jpg

navycamobfull.jpg

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  • 3 months later...
bravo_2_zero

I picked up some of these for $8 on eBay.

n551878025_411048_2613.jpg

 

All new seller had 10 pairs of each camo print at $8 buy now in man's clothing pants. They fetch around $100 used in the military section on eBay.

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  • 2 months later...
bravo_2_zero

n551878025_561229_2774.jpg

n551878025_561230_8102.jpg

n551878025_561231_2270.jpg

n551878025_561234_6367.jpg

NWU-C Blue/Gray M81 BDU cut

 

n551878025_561232_6476.jpg

NWU-B Gray/Blue USMC design in cut.

 

n551878025_561233_2505.jpg

NWU-D Blue/Gray M81 BDu cut

 

n551878025_561242_2848.jpg

NWU-C Vs NWU-D

 

the flash on my camera don't do the colors on this set any good. All the colors very dark, like deep navy blue-near black. The flash makes them look like Rothco Urban sky blue stuff.

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Bob Hudson
All the colors very dark, like deep navy blue-near black. The flash makes them look like Rothco Urban sky blue stuff.

 

Hi - we've rolled that into a previous thread about these.

 

Anyone know when they start wearing them throughout the fleet?

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Hi - we've rolled that into a previous thread about these.

 

Anyone know when they start wearing them throughout the fleet?

 

 

They keep pushing back the dates. The new PT uniforms will be hitting the NEX shelves soon though. I will not be buying them unless our command directs us to. But I am looking forward to the new digi camo's coming our way, hopefully before I retire next year. The utility uniform is another one of those ones that I will not purchase untill I absolutely must. We ended up getting the khaki/black uniform similar to the Marines.

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Bob Hudson
We ended up getting the khaki/black uniform similar to the Marines.

 

Is that this one:

 

navkhaki2.jpg

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