Wearing of army clothing in town.

Kit, Clothing, Tools, etc
jansman
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Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by jansman »

Medusa wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 8:54 pm I work in a small town, well known for being a bit chavvy (sorry a bit judgemental but gives you an idea of the general dress code of the area). Leaving work today I saw someone in full camo gear including a massive bergen walking down the main street and he stuck out like a sore thumb. There are no army barracks and he didnt strike me as being military or areas to wild camp in around there, although I guess he could have walked from the railway station after a camping trip.
It does stand out ,doesn’t it? It’s interesting,that even on the angling scene nowadays,you don’t see a lot of camouflage gear.Even the the Ultra-Cult Carp fishing lads don’t so much these days.At one time,they would even pay £15 for a woodland camouflage plastic bait bucket! Wish I had been driving that bandwagon. :lol:
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by grenfell »

Well i do admit putting on my dpm foul weather jacket to go out in the rain yesterday evening and when ( or if) on a re-enactment it's common to see camo trousers being worn . I wear them because if nothing else they are practical in being better at hiding mud and black marks from firetrays or the forge.
Other than that i agree it does tend to stand out a bit and i wouldn't go out in full camo.
One question, when we talk of "army clothing" i reckon we are in reality talking of British army dpm or the newer multicam. Do people , the population as a whole , differentiate between types of camo or is it all just lumped together? The black , grey and white urban type stuff is more often seen as a fashion item. I have a liking for Strichtarn and i don't think most even know it's camo and if i havent got the rank epulets on it i don't think most even know it's military. While i don't think most know the difference between american woodland and British dpm others such as tiger stripe or flecktarn or the red blobs of swiss alpenflage or some of the Russian stuff is much less common but do people actually see a difference?
Arzosah
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by Arzosah »

grenfell, I don't think the ordinary public differentiate between different types of camo - I know that I don't. The only exceptions I make are if it's fuschia pink for teenage girls :mrgreen: and I'm guessing you don't wear that - and the cut of the jeans etc can make it perfectly clear that it's fashion, not anything else - skinny jeans are skinny jeans, no matter if they're camo or not. Otherwise, it's some guy in camo, and if he's head to toe in camo, in the present day, in an ordinary street, then to me that's somebody I'd be a little bit watchful of. Unless he's an actual member of the military, handing out covid tests/ checking admission tickets at the Olympics, that sort of stuff 8-)
grenfell
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Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by grenfell »

To be honest i expected that would be the case , that people just lump camo together. Your comment about the fashion cut is an interesting one. I wouldn't disagree with what you say but do find it curious that people can tell the difference between a military jacket in M81 woodland and a civilian jacket in the same but just see that M81 , DPM , flectar or jigsaw as generic camo.
Going slightly off topic i have a cement mixer in camo paint and was once asked why. Simple i said , a cement mixer is hardly what can be described as attractive looking item so to compound that they paint the things bright orange. Painted in camo it can sit in the garden and be much less of an eyesore. I did the same with my box trailer , an ugly white box is now a bit less obvious ugly green box.
Nurseandy
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Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:12 am

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by Nurseandy »

On topic but a different tack, "sewing bee" on BBC just had a challenge to convert army surplus clothing into "style" clothing items.
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by jansman »

grenfell wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 7:13 am To be honest i expected that would be the case , that people just lump camo together. Your comment about the fashion cut is an interesting one. I wouldn't disagree with what you say but do find it curious that people can tell the difference between a military jacket in M81 woodland and a civilian jacket in the same but just see that M81 , DPM , flectar or jigsaw as generic camo.
Going slightly off topic i have a cement mixer in camo paint and was once asked why. Simple i said , a cement mixer is hardly what can be described as attractive looking item so to compound that they paint the things bright orange. Painted in camo it can sit in the garden and be much less of an eyesore. I did the same with my box trailer , an ugly white box is now a bit less obvious ugly green box.
That’s a good idea with the mixer grenfell. Mine is covered with a tarp,but I have some odds and ends of green paint from a greenhouse project. Like you say,ugly item painted orange! :lol:
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Arzosah
Posts: 6323
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by Arzosah »

Nurseandy wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:57 pm On topic but a different tack, "sewing bee" on BBC just had a challenge to convert army surplus clothing into "style" clothing items.
I just watched that this morning :D very on point. Some of it was very stylish too!
grenfell
Posts: 3951
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by grenfell »

Nurseandy wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:57 pm On topic but a different tack, "sewing bee" on BBC just had a challenge to convert army surplus clothing into "style" clothing items.
Whether it's right or wrong to wear army clothing i'm in two minds about that idea. I can see the idea of turning something that is currently unwanted into something those obsessed with style might want to wear but on the other hand i see it as butchering historical artifacts. I mentioned that i like stricharn , the rain pattern camo used by the NVA . Prices for original items have been steadily rising especially in the larger sizes. Occasionally an item of clothing will come on the market that has been knocked up out of original material but is something that was never produced during the DDR period . Collectors won't touch them and they struggle to sell. Just seems a waste.
grenfell
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Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:55 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by grenfell »

jansman wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 5:54 am
grenfell wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 7:13 am i have a cement mixer in camo paint
That’s a good idea with the mixer grenfell. Mine is covered with a tarp,but I have some odds and ends of green paint from a greenhouse project. Like you say,ugly item painted orange! :lol:
It started off pretty much accidentally. The mixer was stood next to the workshop and i had wiped a few brushes out on it and it then dawned on me that i could make the whole thing much less obvious.
In the same vein i was given a wheelbarrow that needed painting as most of the original paint had come off. I had a gallon of pale brown eggshell so painted it with that and then just for the heck of it blobbed , or rather sponged , brown , green and black paint all over it. I leant it to a friend and his comment was " this must be old , last used on the Stalingrad front" . :D
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Wearing of army clothing in town.

Post by jansman »

grenfell wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 6:09 pm
jansman wrote: Thu May 20, 2021 5:54 am
grenfell wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 7:13 am i have a cement mixer in camo paint
That’s a good idea with the mixer grenfell. Mine is covered with a tarp,but I have some odds and ends of green paint from a greenhouse project. Like you say,ugly item painted orange! :lol:
Brilliant! :lol:
It started off pretty much accidentally. The mixer was stood next to the workshop and i had wiped a few brushes out on it and it then dawned on me that i could make the whole thing much less obvious.
In the same vein i was given a wheelbarrow that needed painting as most of the original paint had come off. I had a gallon of pale brown eggshell so painted it with that and then just for the heck of it blobbed , or rather sponged , brown , green and black paint all over it. I leant it to a friend and his comment was " this must be old , last used on the Stalingrad front" . :D
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.