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Hey guys, did I miss something?
A short while ago I was in western Africa and there I saw LOTS of camouflage patterns from all over the world. The uniforms were worn by UN soldiers, who also came from all over the world. I did not leave the city, so I have no idea how these patterns perform in the jungle.

Two cammo pattern struck my eyes:
1. Police uniforms from India. They were just like the British DPM's but only available in Black & Navy Blue colors. No cammoing what so ever.
2. ACU. The grey-blue-tan uniform worn by the US Army. Man, this is camouflage at its worst! It stood out in the city. It draws one's attention immediately. It is bright! Probably it performs extremely well in a desert sand/concrete enviroment, but in a normal (uh, what's 'normal' in Africa) city it does a bad job.

I also noticed the US Marines Marpat cammo. That did the job very well, it did not attract attention. The colors are very 'natural' and blend in to the surroundings, even in the city.

So, did I miss something? Why is the US Army spending many million bucks on a cammo uniform that can be seen very well?
But is can even be worse than ACU. It is called ABU, and is in use now by the US Air Force. This camouflage is twice nothing: Bad colors and a worthless pattern.

My gues...: Ben Laden's gang has infiltrated the US defense camouflage commissions!

At least the US MRE's are still the best!

aquarius wrote: ACU. The grey-blue-tan uniform worn by the US Army. Man, this is camouflage at its worst!

Not only the camouflage is worse, also the quality of the fabric and the hook and pile fasteners is very bad. The fabric easily gets tears and the hook and pile fasteners loose their function after open and close them a few times!

So long mreheater72

mreheater72 wrote:
Not only the camouflage is worse,

Everytime I see them here, I am wondering why they wear pink...

For different patterns, see this page:

http://www.kamouflage.net/

Hey guys,
Hopefully I can shed some light on this subject since I am in the National Guard and have the new ACU uniform. The ACU was chosen by the Army as a improvement to the BDU which has been is use for a very long time. It is a gray-green-tan variation almost simliar to the USMC Marpat camoflage with slight differences. It is true that the velcro fasteners easily wear out but the crotch and seams in the legs wear out too, according to reports of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. The fabric is a ripstop type weave designed for lightweight use and the color fades too quickly after repeated washings and field use.
The only reason I can find out so far as to why the US Army went to this camoflage is for the outline dispersement of the individual when viewed through night vision goggles. But in my humble opinon the Army needed something to catch up to the 21st Century and the Marines. The Air Force has camouflage similar to the Army's in the same color scheme but in a tiger stripe fashion. Much like the old Vietnam cammies that were used. I have seen this uniform up close and it just looks way to hot because of the multiple layers of fabric underneath. Also the Air Force probably didn't want to be left behind or outdone either so...... Hopefully that will be of some interest to the readers here. Thanks

i have used the old type woodland cammies the marines used and the newer marpat type. they are both very similar in weight and durability but i like the pattern on the new marpat better. to speak for durability i have a set of boot camp issue cammies that saw extreme use issued in 1996 and still in use by me today.

Treesuit wrote:Hey guys,
Hopefully I can shed some light on this subject since I am in the National Guard and have the new ACU uniform. The ACU was chosen by the Army as a improvement to the BDU which has been is use for a very long time. It is a gray-green-tan variation almost simliar to the USMC Marpat camoflage with slight differences. It is true that the velcro fasteners easily wear out but the crotch and seams in the legs wear out too, according to reports of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. The fabric is a ripstop type weave designed for lightweight use and the color fades too quickly after repeated washings and field use.
The only reason I can find out so far as to why the US Army went to this camoflage is for the outline dispersement of the individual when viewed through night vision goggles. But in my humble opinon the Army needed something to catch up to the 21st Century and the Marines. The Air Force has camouflage similar to the Army's in the same color scheme but in a tiger stripe fashion. Much like the old Vietnam cammies that were used. I have seen this uniform up close and it just looks way to hot because of the multiple layers of fabric underneath. Also the Air Force probably didn't want to be left behind or outdone either so...... Hopefully that will be of some interest to the readers here. Thanks

If it works, don't fix it! I'll always favored the MARPAT uniform (i was in romanian marines), British DPM and, for our german forum members, the best, Flecktarn. Below is me, this spring, at an arms fair.