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In the late 70s and early 80s, the Army had the best uniforms they have ever had...
The Class B uniform was the TW, and that was a good looking and comfortable uniform, ideal for garrison (non-training or motor pool) wear.
There were still OG-107s and the various versions of the Camouflage Jungle fatiques around... they couldn't be beat in hot weather.
And the field pants and wool shirts were still around for wear in cold weather.
Seems to me that there are a whole bunch of very smart suggestions on this board.
One, Velcro is a no-go. Two, zippers are a no-go. If buttons are a problem, then some other closure system needs to be provided.
Combat uniforms need minimum identifying marks. Name and US Army are required by the conventions. The US Flag may be useful. Rank may be needed in some units. That's it.
Suspenders (braces) make sense, and we should be using them. We should also be using a "rigger" belt as standard issue.
The Jungles were the best designed uniform we have had (no great surprise, they were a modification of the jump uniform of WWII designed by Yarborough). Color modification probably makes sense (why not place rank on a tab in the front of the uniform, just like the Gore-tex jacket?). Shoulder pockets definitely make sense (return to the slant pockets of the Yarborough design eliminates the issues about getting into the pockets under body armor).
Different weight and design uniforms are needed for different climates. That is a simple fact. No uniform is going to work in the jungles of Panama, the mountains of Afghanistan and the snows of Norway.
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