Effectiveness of the ACU Camo Pattern ?

Flesh Thorn · Post by **Flesh Thorn** » November 21st, 2005, 11:42 am

I acquired a cap in the new ACU pattern and I am unimpressed with the pattern in a woodland enviroment. I placed it in a bush and also layed it out in a pasture that is a mix of broom sage and grass and the cap stuck out like a big piece of white garbage from within 100 yards. The loam color of the pattern seems to be too white. Has anyone here used it in a tactical enviroment ? Was it effective ? Maybe this pattern works better in a desert enviroment , but isn't it intended for the woodlands too ?

Goog · Post by **Goog** » November 21st, 2005, 3:27 pm

Yeah I thought the same thing about in the woods with it. I guess they figure we will be fighting in the desert for the next 10 years instead of the jungle. I think it is a camo pattern more used at night against night vision than anything else.

CAL · Post by **CAL** » November 21st, 2005, 3:30 pm

Has there been any thought of adapting a couple of different uniforms depending on the terrain of the theater of operations? Much like the DCUs for the desert, BDUs for the jungle, etc - or is the ACU the end all?

CGoog · Post by **CGoog** » November 22nd, 2005, 8:00 am

From what I heard the ACU's are the end of the line, I think they are the crappiest uniform they ever invented.

medicchick · Post by **medicchick** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:01 pm

cgoog wrote:From what I heard the ACU's are the end of the line, I think they are the crappiest uniform they ever invented.

Have you dealt with them at all?

I like them, but the pattern is more suited to an urban area. When the guys are prone on the firing range, in the gravel, I have a hard time seeing them. I believe at one point there were plans for a desert and a woodland pattern.

wellfed · Post by **wellfed** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:03 pm

Nothing a can of spray paint wont fix!!

kingaxis · Post by **kingaxis** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:08 pm

The new digitized camo sucks in the woods. I guess they are planning on fighting in the desert for a while. I had the chance to use the desert acu's on my first tour of Iraq. I like the design, with pockets on the upper arm and calf area. I think if they just stayed with the woodland and desert patterns it would have been great. I do get some grief for modifying my woodland and desert bdu's to put the pockets on the upper arm on my field uniforms.

B 2/75 · Post by **B 2/75** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:13 pm

Haven't worn them yet, but have been around mucho folks wearing them. The only complaints I'm getting are that the forearm pencil stash needs to be covered to prevent snagging on the pencil / pens (to be fixed in the MOD 3 ACU) and that the velcro on the sleeves gets full of crap in the desert (easy fix, sew yer unit / combat patch onto a piece of ACU material the size of the velcro pile patch, then sew that onto the correct size piece of velcro hooks patch. Now yer groovy, baby, and that ugly ol velcro patch is neatly hidden by the ACU backing up your nifty combat patch.

Other than the color (WTF, still better than the Vietnamese aiming stake) perhaps the only other negative thing is that you can't roll up the sleeves.

I'll likely be having to buy a set or two pretty soon. I understand that the mandatory posession date is March 06...

MY .02 Kopek opinion: If the only other uniform you've ever worn or cleaned fer yer man is the BDU, then your opinion isn't based on a very big base. To say that it is the worst thing they ever came out with is to get pretty far out on a branch that's pretty thin, and not based in experience.

CGoog · Post by **CGoog** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:49 pm

Medicchick, Yes I have delt with them, I deal with them everyday, I make and sell patches for them and any sewing that needs to be done to them, just a little bit more info for you, if you wear them out into the field any stains you get on them including grass stains, does not come out, and the uniform its self wears out very easily.

CGoog · Post by **CGoog** » November 22nd, 2005, 1:58 pm

Ranger B 2/75 , We have had quit a few people come in and have the whole sewing of the combat, unit patch to a acu piece and sewn to velcro, it actually comes out looking really nice...lot of work though. :D

Parabellum · Post by **Parabellum** » November 22nd, 2005, 2:51 pm

I go to woods with them and they are decent. If you use the right detergent you can get any stain out. Including the GA red clay. They are extremely confortable. They feel like broken in fields right out of the box.

Goog · Post by **Goog** » November 22nd, 2005, 3:58 pm

They don't stand up to wear that well at all yet. The 1st batches were coming apart at some of the seams (mostly waist and a few other areas). They are also wind proof, good when its cold, but hotter than BDUs in the summer. I like them as far a comfortable to wear and the new pockets. For a more woodland environment, I like the Marines digitized pattern.

medicchick · Post by **medicchick** » November 22nd, 2005, 6:29 pm

Unknown wrote:I go to woods with them and they are decent. If you use the right detergent you can get any stain out. Including the GA red clay. They are extremely confortable. They feel like broken in fields right out of the box.

This is about Rsov's stand on them. I've been dealing with them daily for over 8 months, and they have yet to wear out, and trust me, he's not easy on them. I have yet to wash them and NOT get a stain out.

Cat · Post by **Cat** » November 22nd, 2005, 7:12 pm

cgoog wrote:Medicchick, Yes I have delt with them, I deal with them everyday, I make and sell patches for them and any sewing that needs to be done to them, just a little bit more info for you, if you wear them out into the field any stains you get on them including grass stains, does not come out, and the uniform its self wears out very easily.

That is the assesment I got on them from soldiers as well.

CGoog · Post by **CGoog** » November 22nd, 2005, 7:48 pm

Good for you, medicchick! :?