How To Dress Like You Wanted to be in the Military

| February 1, 2019

REF:  https://taskandpurpose.com/guide-overpriced-military-inspired-clothes?rebelltitem=9#rebelltitem9

Finally, the definitive guide on how to dress like you wanted to be in the military but never served.

Terms are included such as: Ralph Lauren’s Rangers, Semper Fine, Trust Fund Commodore, as well as tips for getting that elusive 10% off at iHop.

Category: Politics

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Club Manager, USA ret.

Cool. Shame the Supremes okayed giving the transgender’s the boot, the items shown would have worked well on them. Great piece.

The Stranger

I got nothin’.

Mick

— SIGH —

How long before we have POSers turning up wearing this bling?

HMC Ret

I’ve long advocated for service to country after graduating HS. That idea seems to be gaining some traction with the politicians. Don’t have a link; saw it on the local news yesterday … Google should do the trick. I don’t know who or at what level the idea was floated. I see the downside with the idea but there is, IMO, much benefit to both the country and individual. Just an idea I keep kicking around. Will it happen? It would be a tough sell. Today’s butterfly generation can’t be bothered.

I also strongly advocate for term limits at all levels of government.

Jay

I’ve always been about this. Doesn’t have to be military. Be a police officer, fireman, EMT, teacher…hell be a friggen GARBAGEMAN. Just friggen SERVE the country whose nipple you’ve suckled at for so damn long.

Concur on term limits. When you’ve got senators and reps who are famous strictly for being congress critters, they need to fucking GO. If no one can remember what the hell you did BEFORE you got into the chambers in DC, get the fuck ON.

Dustoff

^^THIS^^

USAFRetired

You’ll never solve the Washington morass until there are term limits on Congress.

Ex-PH2

“Cargo pants are dope.” – Does this mean that my USFleet black ripstop cargo pants with all sorts of pockets ‘n’ stuff are “IN” now?

Hey, I’m up for this stuff, right now!

‘Bout time I got busy and made up my Hello Kitty camo jacket and pants. And Danner’s got boots on sale, so I could prolly spray a pair with pink dye and get away with it, right? Right?

What’s that rating badge insignia on the navy jacket supposed to be? Internet Playstation Expert 1st Class? Just askin’. Don’t want my “stylin'” to be mistook for the real thing.

Daisy Cutter

Remember the days when you’d go out on town and see guys with leisure suits and military high gloss corframs at the discotheque?

Or the guys wearing the Navy web belt?

Or the Marines wearing the woolie sweater?

5th/77th FA

I will NOT be the FIRST to buy any of this Rainbow warrior inspired crap.

I will be FIRST to laugh my ass off when I FIRST see someone wearing such shit.

I’d rather be FIRST seen in public wearing Dave’s pink robe than this.

Glad you were FIRST to pre warn us.

Sparks

5th/77th FA, you said it brother. In fact, I have embarrassed my wife in public by pointing and laughing at some clown wearing a completely jacked up bunch of surplus garb. It’s one of my favorite pastimes.

OWB

Problem being that several of those items are already in my closet – but mine were issued. And with slight variations on the bling.

So it’s OK for civilians to wear stuff that was issued to us, but it’s not OK for us to wear it? Of course, basic training was like forever ago, back in Viet Nam times, but that’s what they told us. Maybe it’s now OK for me to break out the old field jackets. For the sake of fashion.

You know because, like, being in style is so very important to most of us. Yeah, that’s it. We be stylin’.

Ex-PH2

I’m going to get out one of my sets of dark blues to see if it still fits. If it does, I may just wear it some night after I get it dry cleaned and pressed.

2/17 Air Cav

I lost my OD fatigue jacket in a bar. Took it off, put it on a hook, and, while I was beering, some asshole swiped it. Still pisses me off.

2/17 Air Cav

Did I mention that was well before the turn of the century? Forgive and forget my ass.

Sparks

And if we ever see the ass hole, we’re taking our shit back!

OWB

Got an extra one over here that you can have. You might or might not like it, though. It smells like it was USAF issue, all JP4 and stuff like that.

Keepin' It Real

Fresh JP4 or exhausted JP4?

I ask because I may want to make an offer.

I love the smell of JP4 in the morning. It smells like… like…

Nothing says legit like one of those old olive drab coat cotton fatigue coats that smell like diesel, JP4 and a few other fragrances.

Retired Master

Now, those were the days. Luke AFB 71-73

26Limabeans

I wore my M-65 Field Jacket NSN (Claw?) well into the nineties. It was battery acid that did her in.

Sorry for your loss. I hope some punk beat the crap out him for it on a cold winter day. Yesterday. In Chicago.

rgr769

So, Ralph Lauren copies the old M-65 field jacket in woodland cammo. And wa- la, something that cost about $30.00 at
Clothing Sales is now worth (or sells) for about $150 or more. Ain’t free enterprise great. Of course he wouldn’t make them if there weren’t morons willing to buy them from him instead of making a pilgrimage to the Army surplus store or looking for originals on eBay.

Claw

Umpteen different NSN’s (depending on size), so I just picked one (that matches my size) at random:

8415-00-782-2943 Large, Long.

Bonus: 8415-00-782-2889 Liner, Large, for Coat, Cold Weather M-65.

rgr769

I still have both from my reserve days in the late ’70’s. NSN: 8415-00-782-2936.

Claw

782-2936 Small, Regular

782-2887 Liner, Small

/Smile

rgr769

Too bad I can’t zip it up. It fit perfect 30 years ago.

akpual

It shrunk

akpual

I don’t know what happened to my stuff. Might be in the car hole.

ArmyATC

I had a similar thing happen. It was my flight jacket with my first set of wings attached. Hung it on a hook at a restaurant and some asshole stole it. Still pisses me off as well.

Ex-PH2

Plenty of surplus stuff is still around.
https://www.military1st.com/20-3501-01-surplus-m65-jacket-olive.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInKOa3rGb4AIVlbrACh06fAQYEAQYASABEgLk9_D_BwE

I found someone with a collection of really OLD rating badges and ship/squadron/etc. patches for sale. Nice collection, like a history lesson.

Martinjmpr

That PT belt is 100% legit though. Only the “real deal” would rock a reflective PT belt. If I saw someone wearing that on Nov 11th I would immediately snap to parade rest, thank him for his service and point him the direction of the nearest Applebees.

Atkron

AKA: How to dress like a twat.

SFC D

MRS D is eyeballing that purse, but she’s thinking range bag.

Ex-PH2

Back in them there Olden Times – the ’90s, I think – it was kind of popular to wear camo from the surplus store. No one thought anything about it, because it was mostly just utilitarian. Those “designs” are made using surplus fabrics, that’s all.

This, too, shall pass. Don’t get your skivvies bunched up in your small space over it.

Fm2176

Prior to enlisting, I was a wanna/gonna-be with a penchant for collecting military surplus and militaria. Before shipping I sold most of my stuff (especially the more modern surplus) and found that BDU trousers went quickly while the blouses went unsold. Lots of laborers like using the pants as inexpensive but durable attire, it seems.

RGR 4-78

I have 3 pairs that I wear for yard work and brush hogging.

Ex-PH2

If they’re sold as surplus stock, I see nothing wrong with wearing them when I’m out with a camera. The patterns have changed (again), so no one on AD will be wearing them.

I’m sure it would be quite svelte to be out in the bush with a camera, wearing surplus blueberries, a red t-shirt, and a pair of waders.

Billy

Not for nothing, but civilian fashion and military fashion have been influencing each other since the middle ages. Chill. Out.

charles w

My daughters found my BDUs and promptly took ownership. They said the kids were paying big bucks for these items. They still wear them.

5th/77th FA

Was this another contributing factor to your drinking problem? Was this why you volunteered for Macho Grande? Did they use your stapler to attach sequins? Did they find them in the basement, or were they still closeted?

charles w

No one, and I mean no one will ever pry that stapler from my hands. I told them there will be no bedazzling.

Ex-PH2

May one assume that The Stapler to which you are referring is the official red Swingline stapler?

Jeff

Same here Sir. My little girls love my old Marine utility jackets and fight over my old field jacket. Even with the hydraulic fluid stains! Then again, the new style for them is converse high top sneakers! They were the cheapest sneakers would could get as kids(1970’s), now my wife is paying almost 40.00 bucks for them!

Perry Gaskill

Spc. Fernando puts down his copy of GQ long enough to say, “It all looks marvelous.”

26Limabeans

Rip stop slant pockets are all the rage again.

Skyjumper

This dude in webgear justs cracks my ass!! LMAO

Eff’in limp wrist, unicorn butt sniffin’, light in the loafers, Brucie’s Bath House fluffer (Entrance in the rear), sand infested mangina, couldn’t grow a pair no matter how hard he tried, never saw a prącie he didn’t want to suck on, snowflake Dickhead! 🙂

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charles w

He has the “stare” though. The gear could hold all of his products that keep him fresh and clean.

Ex-PH2

Why, it’s all in matching tweedy plaid!!! What a conflation of flapdoodling!

M48DAT

I like the external waist cord, Damn thing must be inside out.

Zulu02

Still have 3 generations of field jackets: the old old one with the lapels that you starched, the OD one with the hood, and the “new” woodland one. I also have one pair of cotton fatigues that I played in the rice paddies in. If you leave it in the sun for an hour, you can still smell the paddies. The only thing I wear is the gortex winter parka, and it has to be pretty cold for me to do that.

3/10/MED/b

Lost both my BDU field jackets to a flood. That was a pisser.

Hack Stone

If you flash your All Points Logistics employee identification card, can you get a 10% discount?

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

I dress like a hobo wannabe lumberjack with mechanical, plumbing and tacktekill skills.

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

Seriously, I have more Woodland and Arktick BDU then anyone in human history. When the zombie crew attempts a take over, watch the Woodland and Arktick uniformed targets scores.

Deckie

Still occasionally wear my old pea coat, though it is getting tighter on me as my horizons ((ahem)) expand…

My favorite will always be an old work jacket I had, a first pattern US Navy deck jacket from around 1942, looked almost like a blue tanker jacket. Thing was toasty!!

CAPT Bones

I saved 2 pair of “killer” woodland style cammies from the 90’s. I sent them to the cleaners and I just got them back looking fine. Couldn’t wait to wear them at Lowe’s this Saturday.
I cannot get the damned things buttoned at the waist! It’s quite odd but I feel they must have shrunk over time ! Is this common ? Or is it just me ?

Ex-PH2

They simply did not grow along with you, CAPT Bones! It’s a very common occurrence. Somehow, clothes fail to meet your needs after a while.

OWB

Closet shrinkage. It’s a real thing.

jon spencer

I’ve got some BDU’s that get worn on occasion, mostly work involving grease and rust. Some german flectar camo, that I use for duck hunting.
The BDU’s were issued (I’m old) and the flectar was cheap.
That’s about it for military camo for me.