BDU VS. the New ACU

S

Scott Free

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Sep 15, 1999
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I'm about to buy a few pairs of BDUs and noticed the new ACU. Anyone have either the jacket or pants? How do you like them? What's the rational for the digital camo? I may try these when/if they're available in non-camo colors. The design is certainly interesting. I'm also hoping the price will come down a little closer to regular ol' BDUs. So--who's wear'n them? And what's the deal with digital camo?

Scott
 
the digi camo is supposed to mess with NVG gear IIRC, also seems to me to be a good camo for hunting/etc, i know it blends in well with the human eye anyway, i havent tried the ACU yet but do have some USMC pattern stuff, the brown shade, i like them, like the ACU also just havent gotten around to ordering them yet.
 
The ACUs are really comfortable. Not a big fan of the velcro though or the pattern, its supposed to be an all round enviornment thing. Its not very tactical in a forest setting, but I guess Uncle Sam sees us fighting in the desert for along time.
 
I think the marpat camo is a bit better, the ACU's are comfortable, they remind me of the old ripstop, all the velcro and a zippered front is stupid. Changing the pockets was a good thing.
 
Oh ACU's become the color of whatever you're rolling around in and stain! I have several pairs of orange acus. All I have to say is thank you georgia clay.........
 
The MARPAT camo is awesome. Very effective. The ACU sucks. I live right outside Fort Lewis and anytime we're over there the guys wearing regular OD camo blend - the guys wearing ACU stand out like sore thumbs in every situation. It's awful, it's a waste of money and a shame that they really didn't research it better. And now they're going to "dress blues"? What are they thinkin'?
 
The ACU camo pattern doesn't suck, it's just not the right one for heavily/dense foliage areas. It blends in nicely with the desert, urban terrain, and sparsely vegetated areas where darker camo colors stick out (BDU/MARPAT) Remember the marines have two different uniforms. If they were walking around in the desert ones they would stick out like sore thumbs too. Give it some time the army "will" issue the ACUS in a different color pattern. Trust me though next time I'm fighting terrorists in FT Lewis Washington I will be careful though :D I'm usual more worried about the gigantic man eating South African ants though :eek:
 
I still can't see why the Army didn't go with the Multicam from Crye Precision if they where trying to get away with a single " all around" cammo. IMO the Multicam is much better in all environments than the ACU, but the digital ACU cammo does a good job of breaking up the sillouette. Now if they end up with a couple color schemes for the ACU that would be better.
 
Multicam is some cool stuff. Crye also has a newer style uniform, probably closer to the ACU outfit than the old BDU's. http://www.multicampattern.com/ has some pics, http://www.cryeprecision.com/ is their other site.


If anything, I would go with a standard BDU simply because they are cheaper. The ACU and Crye outfits are kinda pricey, although I'm sure that will come down with time. Wish I could say something about how they feel to wear, all I have is some BDU pants. Something else to look at is the 5.11 tactical pants and shirts. Similar patterns to the standard BDU with some improvements. Also a bit more expensive than BDU's.

As for the best camo, I'd say it's a toss-up between Multicam and MARPAT. Multicam is supposed to be a better all-around camo, and MARPAT has two versions depending on the surroundings. And yeah, ACU is fugly :)
 
jrollins said:
Multicam is some cool stuff. Crye also has a newer style uniform, probably closer to the ACU outfit than the old BDU's. http://www.multicampattern.com/ has some pics, http://www.cryeprecision.com/ is their other site.


If anything, I would go with a standard BDU simply because they are cheaper. The ACU and Crye outfits are kinda pricey, although I'm sure that will come down with time. Wish I could say something about how they feel to wear, all I have is some BDU pants. Something else to look at is the 5.11 tactical pants and shirts. Similar patterns to the standard BDU with some improvements. Also a bit more expensive than BDU's.

As for the best camo, I'd say it's a toss-up between Multicam and MARPAT. Multicam is supposed to be a better all-around camo, and MARPAT has two versions depending on the surroundings. And yeah, ACU is fugly :)
Click to expand...

Some initial dislikes about the Crye filed stuff.
The knee and elbow pads are two small, if you take the knee pads out and trim about 1/2 off the bottom they make good elbow pads

The seams in the knee are at and angle on the legs and seem like they would rub.

The second layer on the knees and elbows is a nylon material that is different, I know they have it there for wear but I don’t think its necessary.

And really knick picking is that the pants are cut low, to me they are two low on the hips. They took out the pull-tabs because they said the rub (mine never did) but the cloth in the waistband is pretty thick I think it would rub.

Other than the above they seem pretty decent, I cant say yet if they are worth the extra money. They are in 50/50 nylon cotton which I hate, but it seem better than the old winter BDU's the Army had which I never wore again once I was out of basic.
 
Well, I prefer the BDU . Cause I have never use the ACU and all the velcro may get the mud and dirt in it making it difficult to close. I would also prefer the British DPM woodland to the US woodland type.
 
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