Bob Hudson Posted May 21, 2007 Share #1 Posted May 21, 2007 I saw a couple of tiger stripe camo shirts the other day and unlike all the others I have seen they did not have labels indicating they were made for commercial use. Both had handwritten numbers where the label usually is and they appeared to made of ripstop. Then today I checked out a tiger stripe field jacket I've had laying around for a while. It has a label, but it has a DLA contract number and very much appears t0 be a military label and not a commercial label. So the basic questions are: what kind of labels and other details were present on "legitimate" GI tiger stripe and did the military in fact have an official tiger stripe field jacket made after 1977 (that's then DSA became DLA)? Considering what people pay these days for alleged Vietnam era tiger stripe pants and shirts, it would be nice to come up with a somewhat definitive guide to these. I realize that this was a non-standard item during the VN era, but there must be some obvious signs about what is and what ain't. For example, rip stop: is that something that was never seen on the real thing? Thanks for input from any and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted May 21, 2007 Share #2 Posted May 21, 2007 Tiger stripes usually had no lables though some of the gold tiger stripes did have a US style label on the back of the pants( Ihave 2 mint pair of pants with this label), the shirts didn't. The only marking on tigers would be something like AS, AM, AL, (Asian small etc., this was either ink stamped or on a white neck tag) and US S, US M, US L and US XL,(US small etc. ink stamped, also sometimes labeled US RM, US regular medium, mostly on gold tigers). Tigers also NEVER came in ripstop, they came in various weights of cotton. If you have anything with a military DSA/DLA label in it they are after market copies. There also seems to be a dozen or more different colors/shades and several different patterns. Maybe someone can post pics of tigerstripes that are commonaly refered to a "silvers", "golds" and "lightweights" as well as the Vietnamese Marine pattern. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share #3 Posted May 21, 2007 If you have anything with a military DSA/DLA label in it they are after market copies. I have seen a lot of aftermarket stuff of various designs that attempts to emulate official issue, but none of them had the DSA or DLA contract numbers, instead they use some made up number or a "stock number". But that's why I'm hoping we can get some good photos posted on the real things. thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted May 21, 2007 Share #4 Posted May 21, 2007 There has never been a official Tiger Stripe issue uniform. Anything that has a DSA or DLA tag in it was made for the commercial market starting in the late 1970's. One of the first companies to make them was Ranger sales. Numerous other companies have made them for the civilian market with the most famous being Tiger Stripe Products, who put exact looking military issue tags in them. Here are some photos of a small sampling of what we have in our store right now. Let us know what type of detail photos you would like to see and we will get some posted as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted May 21, 2007 Share #5 Posted May 21, 2007 If you can find Tiger Stripe uniforms at Thrift Store prices you can use good judgement and speculate a little but if you want to get into the big buck stuff you should have a copy of: TIGER PATTERNS -- A GUIDE TO THE VIETNAM WAR'S TIGER STRIPE COMBAT FATIGUE PATTERNS AND UNIFORMS by SGT Richard Denis Johnson There are a few other books that get into some of these uniforms but this book is dedicated to the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted May 21, 2007 Share #6 Posted May 21, 2007 This is one version of the label from TIGER STRIPE PRODUCTS. You can see there is no attempt to deceive with this label as it is plainly marked made in USA. I'm sure there are people who have removed this label and washed the uniform many times in an attempt to deceive however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted May 21, 2007 Here are some photos of a small sampling of what we have in our store right now. Let us know what type of detail photos you would like to see and we will get some posted as soon as possible. If you have any photos of marks in Vietnam era jackets that would be nice to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted May 22, 2007 Share #8 Posted May 22, 2007 I had one of the early Tiger Stripe Products uniforms in my collection for years and I thought the thing was original. The shirt was a US-S and the pants were a US-XS. The US-XS is a dead give away that it is a Tiger Stripe Product made garment. If I remember correctly, the early Tiger Stripe Products didn't have the labels like they do now. This copy was so good that I showed it to several Viet-Nam veterans and the swore up and down that it was original. I eventually got rid of the uniform to my buddy when he started collecting militaria. Unlike the dealer who sold it to me, I told him that it was a reproduction. Before the Tiger Patterns book came out, you could go to a gun show and buy tiger uniforms for $75 a set. Boy, did that change after that book came out! Arch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted May 22, 2007 Share #9 Posted May 22, 2007 The first issue Tiger Stripe Products from the late 1980's were not marked like they are now. They were stamped just like a Vietnamese made piece. It wasn't until later did they start putting the green type tags in them. The first series to this day is a bit tough to spot, if you haven't handled a lot of Tiger Stripes. Once they are washed they look really good. One of the easiest ways to spot them, is that they do not have the wavy stitching under the collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted May 22, 2007 Share #10 Posted May 22, 2007 Here are some images of original Tiger Stripe markings. These first two markings are out of the Gold Patterns. The black ink stamp is out of a shirt, while the typed white tag is out of a early pair of pants made on Okinawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted May 22, 2007 Share #11 Posted May 22, 2007 The next is out of a silver pattern shirt cut in a US style. The other is a silver pattern shirt cut in Asian style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted May 22, 2007 Share #12 Posted May 22, 2007 This next one is the type with the sewn white thin cotton neck tag. The last is a ARVN quartermaster type stamping you will see in Tiger Stripes, plus most other ARVN issue camo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB K. RKSS Posted May 22, 2007 Share #13 Posted May 22, 2007 Here's an orginal, I have, with "A L" marking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share #14 Posted July 12, 2007 Does anyone else have photos of marks in orginal trigerstripes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copran Posted August 9, 2007 Share #15 Posted August 9, 2007 Hi, Here are the size stamps found in my 2 shirts made in Advisors Dense Pattern but in the US Cut (with sleeve pockets and chest pockets with 2 exposed buttons) S and M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copran Posted August 9, 2007 Share #16 Posted August 9, 2007 QM Stamping sizes for the VNMC 2nd pattern Tiger Stripe: A5 = Ao - 5 = Shirt size 5, Q5= Quan-5 = Trousers size 5, both from 69. Unfortunately, they are quite faded, there is also the TTSXQT =Trung Tâm Sàn Xuât Quân Trang = Military Equipment's Manufacture Center Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copran Posted August 9, 2007 Share #17 Posted August 9, 2007 And finally the A-M stamp on my Gold shirt and the US-S on my Late War Sparse shirt. Hope that helps Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK101 Posted July 26, 2009 Share #18 Posted July 26, 2009 One of the easiest ways to spot them, is that they do not have the wavy stitching under the collar. So the real deal Vietnam ones have "wavy stitching" or the TSP ones have it? THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamoi1984 Posted July 26, 2009 Share #19 Posted July 26, 2009 I saw a couple of tiger stripe camo shirts the other day and unlike all the others I have seen they did not have labels indicating they were made for commercial use. Both had handwritten numbers where the label usually is and they appeared to made of ripstop. Then today I checked out a tiger stripe field jacket I've had laying around for a while. It has a label, but it has a DLA contract number and very much appears t0 be a military label and not a commercial label. So the basic questions are: what kind of labels and other details were present on "legitimate" GI tiger stripe and did the military in fact have an official tiger stripe field jacket made after 1977 (that's then DSA became DLA)? Considering what people pay these days for alleged Vietnam era tiger stripe pants and shirts, it would be nice to come up with a somewhat definitive guide to these. I realize that this was a non-standard item during the VN era, but there must be some obvious signs about what is and what ain't. For example, rip stop: is that something that was never seen on the real thing? Thanks for input from any and all. \Ive heard that there where late war tigers made in ripstop, however Im not sure if this is correct or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copran Posted July 26, 2009 Share #20 Posted July 26, 2009 \Ive heard that there where late war tigers made in ripstop, however Im not sure if this is correct or not? Yes , Tiger Stripe made in Thailand, supplied to Vietnamese Marines corps at the very end of the war were made in Poplin and rip stop material, but since there are many bogus made in the same ripstop material, it s difficult to make the differnce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK101 Posted July 26, 2009 Share #21 Posted July 26, 2009 How is "wavy sitiching" used to determine post Vietnam? THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamoi1984 Posted July 27, 2009 Share #22 Posted July 27, 2009 Yes , Tiger Stripe made in Thailand, supplied to Vietnamese Marines corps at the very end of the war were made in Poplin and rip stop material, but since there are many bogus made in the same ripstop material, it s difficult to make the differnce So, the late 80's versions are similar to the late war Thai ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted July 27, 2009 Share #23 Posted July 27, 2009 FS I do not think the US Army had a tigerstripe uniform ever made untill the USAF began to use the new uniform reciently . So that means all TS outfits were made by the military look-alike market manufactures , to fill the void in the market for this sought after pattern . I have seen TS used in Africa by French Special forces , in South Amercia and other hot spots around the world . I think the labels on these post 1975 garments may- be misleading and only added to the garments to give them added flavour . owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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