New Uniforms in A-stan Falling Apart

[sevlex]

Oops! :gruebel:

http://gizmodo.com/5836555/why-are-us-army-soldiers-pants-breaking


Why Are US Army Soldiers’ Pants Breaking?


http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/09/ripped-pants.jpg

Our soldiers just got one more enemy in Afghanistan: their own pants. It seems their pants—which are completely new and supposed to be more durable than previous models—can't survive the rigors of the desert. They're ripping apart seemingly at random.

The new pants seemed perfectly fine. They use tightly stitched flame-resistant Defender M fabrics and Christian at Kit Up! says their "crotch design" is fine! But they can't survive up to the daily life of Army soldiers, and they get ripped right, left and center. The problem is so bad that the Army had to get back to select a new fabric, 40% stronger than the current material. They are currently making 100,000 new uniforms in Union City, Georgia.

Hopefully they will finish and ship those 100,000 new uniforms soon. I hate the idea of soldiers fighting on the battlefield and getting a big rip on their pants just at the wrong time and place.

[old Grump]

Don't tell anybody but those of us who were active 50 years ago also went through a lot of uniforms. These guys are not just sitting around the parlor playing Parcheesi.

Uniforms made in China so you know they have to be the best quality. Good enough for the Girl Scouts and the Aussie Army it's good enough for us.

[Richard Simmons]

Don't tell anybody but those of us who were active 50 years ago also went through a lot of uniforms. These guys are not just sitting around the parlor playing Parcheesi.

Uniforms made in China so you know they have to be the best quality. Good enough for the Girl Scouts and the Aussie Army it's good enough for us.

Defender M Fabrics is a division of TecCate Protective Fibers which it looks like operates out of Georgia.

http://www.tencate.com/241/TenCate/TenCate-Protective-Fabrics/Region-North-America/en/Home/en-Home-Contact-us/Locations

[Schuetzenman]

So is it the cloth or is it the stitching at the seams that's letting go? I see it's Multicam too!

[tank_monkey]

Defender M Fabrics is a division of TecCate Protective Fibers which it looks like operates out of Georgia.

Georgia? Damned former Soviet Republics! :D

[stinker]

I hate the idea of soldiers fighting on the battlefield and getting a big rip on their pants just at the wrong time and place.

Makes mooning jihadis before you shoot them convenient and easy at least. :shitonu:
They are tactical pants afterall.

[old Grump]

Defender M Fabrics is a division of TecCate Protective Fibers which it looks like operates out of Georgia.

http://www.tencate.com/241/TenCate/TenCate-Protective-Fabrics/Region-North-America/en/Home/en-Home-Contact-us/Locations:coffee:
I thought somebody would bring that up but not quite so fast. We also have them made by prison labor and there was a sweatshop, in Kentucky I believe, that got stomped on hard because of the dangerous working conditions. Boots and shoes are supposed to be made domestically but I read an article a couple of years ago that some of the production was outsourced to a Chinese plant. The same goes for our insignias and award ribbons and medals.

This is what US Military says about their insignias:


We are your Official full-service Department of Defense / U.S. Armed Forces military medals, ribbons, badges, attachments, and devices online store. Our Veteran Staff are knowledgeable, friendly, and in addition to customer service provide ribbon rack mounting (http://www.usamilitarymedals.com/advanced_search_result.php?ummID=841990c9a342346d1 cf1e1a47ea470ba&keywords=mounting+service) services. All medals, service ribbons, badges, and other articles sold by USA Military Medals are manufactured in accordance with Government specifications using government furnished tools, bearing a hallmark assigned by The Institute of Heraldry, and the manufacturer has received a certification to produce the specific items. Hence all of our military medals and ribbons are authorized for wear on all service uniforms.However I cannot find where the plant is.


So is it the cloth or is it the stitching at the seams that's letting go? I see it's Multicam too! We had a problem with stitches when the Navy switched from the old dungarees to the new improved flame retardent long wearing fabric in the early 70's. The uniform was hot and uncomfortable and after a year it was obvious that the material was stronger than the thread. Since it was our working uniform some of us doing hard physical labor literally had our uniforms falling apart on the job or we would get them back from the Navy Laundry and the arms were barely attached at the seams. That experiment only lasted a couple of years.

I know the military tests the hell out of uniforms but field testing by a mess of clerks is a lot different than hard use in the field by people humping real life heavy loads in rough conditions.

[jojo]

Actually it's the sand that embeds itself in the fabric from crawling around etc...... it just wears out the threads.

[old Grump]

Actually it's the sand that embeds itself in the fabric from crawling around etc...... it just wears out the threads.That sounds logical.

[Ronwicp]

One of the first things they teach in survival school is try to keep your stuff clean. Sand and dirt get in the fabric and acts like sandpaper when you move. An impossible task in that place Im sure.

But that shouldnt happen so quick.

And if they make them out of a heavy more durable material its gonna be hot.

[old Grump]

And if they make them out of a heavy more durable material its gonna be hot.Which is exactly what happened with the Navy Uniform experiment. They tested the fabric for toughness and they tested it for durability with exposure to the chemicals we worked with and they tested it for flammability but then when they put them together those of us who had to work in hot wet and/or dirty environments had them falling apart on us. It was fine for a clerk or a corpsman who was typing reports and filing things all day but the poor guy chipping paint, or up to his elbows in solvents and grease was sweating his tush off and seeing our uniforms fall apart. Because the fabric was tougher than the thread and didn't wick sweat away we hated putting it on then having to get into our work. The seams would rot and right in the middle of doing something strenuous we could feel our sleeve coming off at the shoulder or our pants splitting from knee to crotch. This is good for morale.

It's got to be even worse for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was bad enough at White Sands, at least nobody was shooting at us and we could change clothes every day.

I think most of the time our supply people get it right but when they mess up oh boy do they mess up.

[nfa1934]

I was talking to an Army CPT in the DFAC a couple of days ago about the MultiCam pattern, and he said that supposedly they are only good for 29 washes. You see the uniform in various stages of faded around here. Still blends way better than ACU. The CPT didn't say anything about durability other than washing though.

[Dan Morris]

I've always said that MilSpec stood for Military Speculation......actual useage is different than testing!
Dan

[insider]

My 5.11's hold up better than the new uniforms. The laundry here really tears up your clothes, they always come back with a stain, or hole, or not smelling clean, and always shrunk! Plus the sun, heat, and constant dust really break fabric down. The military got ripped off on those multicam uniforms.