Just realized there’s two different brands that produce cammies. Never buying the one on the left again. Shitty quality, sleeves are uneven as hell when trying to roll them

[u/Jka121121]

Had to rant somewhere cause that quality is ass

[u/jbcsworks]

There’s a few contracted companies. I have a set of arcterx cammies from like 2005 ish.

[u/Rdubya291 → u/jbcsworks]

Ha! I have two sets from the same timeframe.

Bought those when we rotated back from Iraqi in Jan 2005.

[u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26 → u/Rdubya291]

If there are woodlands would you be willing to sell for the right price?

[u/Rdubya291 → u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26]

I have a set of woodlands and a set of deserts. Sorry man, I'm not willing to let these ones go.

The deserts were bought to replace some that had gotten pretty torn up and had some blood stains on them. I got the woodlands at the same time, so I have an irrational attachment to them... if that makes sense.

Sure, they're up in the attic... but every time I go up there for something I always pull them out.

[u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26 → u/Rdubya291]

I fully understand you, I appreciate you replying.

[u/MplsNate → u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26]

What size?

[u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26 → u/MplsNate]

I wear medium reg

[u/Mexi_Cant → u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26]

What are these going for I’ll dig out my sets for some money

[u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26 → u/Mexi_Cant]

I honestly have no idea how much they go for. They are very difficult to find online so a pretty penny

[u/MplsNate → u/Agreeable-Piccolo-26]

I was initially issued med reg everything. I learned that I fit better into small reg top and med short bottom. I was able to find one serviceable med reg woodland top, but no bottoms.

[u/Any_Elk_9505]

Fun fact, USMC MCCUU digital cammies have been in service (2002-2026) longer than the M81 BDU uniform was in service for the Corps (1981-2002)

EDIT: Technically woodlands were authorized until October 2006, (although I never saw anyone wear them after 2004)... but my point still stands.

[u/Gunrock808 → u/Any_Elk_9505]

Damn. I was in Okinawa when the marpats started hitting the shelves. I was proud that my BDUs were literally a stiff as a board. I didn't need a hanger to carry them, I could just carry them with one hand like a piece of plywood. But I was as excited as everyone else because I was happy to no longer be paying the dry cleaners every week.

[u/dork4u → u/Gunrock808]

I remember when they were doing initial testing for the "new" commies. We didn't like them.

Yes I will go back to my rocker, but y'all don't know what ut was like in the Old Corps.

SFMF

Where's my teeth

[u/Impossible_Cat_321 → u/Gunrock808]

You don't have to starch the marpats? I remember doing it myself for most of my work cammies and paying the cleaners for the inspection ones

[u/Toilet_King_ → u/Impossible_Cat_321]

It’s actually against the order to starch them, some people still will but definitely shouldn’t be doing that.

[u/TheReadMenace → u/Toilet_King_]

Yeah what did they used to claim? That you'd glow in the dark if you starched them?

[u/MacDubhsidhe → u/TheReadMenace]

They reflect IR light. Pretty cool to see tbh

[u/Vladi-Barbados → u/TheReadMenace]

The claim is follow the order and shut the fuck up because you don’t know what you don’t know.

Starch shines like a lighthouse through night goggles.
And it fucking flammable.

But hey if all ya do is sit behind a desk then sure, starch em up ol boy.

[u/CocaineFueledTetris → u/Vladi-Barbados]

Weird. Now I know. I remember our DI's made us starch em

[u/Vladi-Barbados → u/CocaineFueledTetris]

I mean we did a lot of weird shit in boot camp. It’s very specifically not the fleet or an operational environment. It’s not even training. It’s reformation.

[u/Ok-Direction-7431 → u/Impossible_Cat_321]

Just starch the 8 point.

[u/CVNasty96 → u/Any_Elk_9505]

We got a lot of bang out of those bulls

[u/BigBroncoRaptor → u/Any_Elk_9505]

Ok that is actually a fun fact. Ty

[u/Citizen_Peasant → u/Any_Elk_9505]

I saw such a unicorn checking into ITB on Camp Geiger back in Jan or Feb of 2006. 

[u/Simple_Tomorrow5190]

Here’s even another brand

[u/The-Green → u/Simple_Tomorrow5190]

how's the quality on those?

would be funny if this thread ends up causing someone to make a running list of the brands and puts them in order of best to shittiest quality and whatnot lol

[u/Simple_Tomorrow5190 → u/The-Green]

Pretty solid, sleeves roll nice😂

[u/The-Green → u/Simple_Tomorrow5190]

u/Jka121121 yo OP, gunny says coachys & associates passes the sleeves test. get you some.

[u/Jka121121 → u/The-Green]

Writing that down rn

[u/Bursting_Radius]

https://govtribe.com/vendors/pentaq-manufacturing-corp-dot-3fhw0

Pentaq Manufacturing Corp, a HUBZone-certified, minority-owned (Hispanic American), small disadvantaged business based in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, manufactures military uniforms and organizational clothing as a prime contractor exclusively for the Department of Defense, with all production at its single Puerto Rico facility. The company competes across both HUBZone set-aside and unrestricted full-and-open federal procurement, holding multiple single-award indefinite delivery contracts with the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Clothing and Textiles program.

Pentaq's customer base is tightly concentrated: the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Clothing and Textiles program accounts for 340 awards (70% of total prime awards) and $810.2 million of the $894.1 million combined potential value across the vendor's footprint. The Department of the Army Acquisition Support Center PEO Soldier contributes $64.2 million across five awards, and the Department of Homeland Security US Coast Guard places 141 awards valued at $18.9 million combined. This concentration reflects Pentaq's role as a cornerstone apparel supplier to military uniform supply chains rather than a diversified service provider.

[u/BroseppeVerdi]

Well then just don't roll your sleeves and they'll be even. Probablem solved.

[u/Jka121121 → u/BroseppeVerdi]

Thanks genius

[u/quickdraw_ → u/BroseppeVerdi]

Jim Amos tried this and wound up living in infamy for it. 

[u/BroseppeVerdi → u/quickdraw_]

I thought his infamy was more a combination of unlawful command influence in the Taliban pissing case and hate for his car.

[u/quickdraw_ → u/BroseppeVerdi]

There was also fancy Fridays, not going to TBS, "the NCO Reawakening," and probably half a dozen other things. 

But tell you what, he got asked about the sleeves literally every time he visited any group of Marines anywhere on the planet.

[u/Impressive-Put3479 → u/BroseppeVerdi]

Yup! Fuck Jimmy Conway and Jimmy Amos. Coupla cunts.

[u/BroseppeVerdi → u/Impressive-Put3479]

What was Conway's deal? I hit the fleet right before he retired.

[u/Warbird1775 → u/BroseppeVerdi]

This is good advice

[u/TestedNutsack → u/BroseppeVerdi]

Gunny sleeves🥴

[u/BroseppeVerdi → u/TestedNutsack]

https://giphy.com/gifs/1hAxQTH0HEWS3L0oRF

[u/a_man_named_brian]

There are at least 5 companies so yeah, there is a lot of variation.

[u/Jka121121 → u/a_man_named_brian]

Realizing that after seeing other comments lol

[u/Groundhog891]

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap. 

Kipling's Tommy

[u/NotreallyD]

Is MARPAT still patented?

[u/Rdubya291 → u/NotreallyD]

No.

But also yes.

The patent expired a few years ago. But MARPAT was also trademarked. That's why you'll see a bunch of similar looking patterns on civi camo, but they have to call it "digital camouflage" they can't call it 'MARPAT.

Hench, the USMC requires and only authorizes MARPAT cammies, meaning you have to buy from one of the vendors they authroize to produce them.

[u/NotreallyD → u/Rdubya291]

So, I could possibly pick up a set in Oside then? I still have my woodlands from when I served in the early 80s.

[u/Rdubya291 → u/NotreallyD]

You can pick up an authorized set in just about any surplus store. Bought some for my 14 year old a couple years ago because he wanted to be a Marine for Halloween.

However, you can go on the internet and find things in "digi" camo and buy it off line.

[u/HyperMidgit → u/Rdubya291]

Had a buddy buy some off brand trousers and would rep em every drill weekend, we all knew but then again it’s the reserves so it passed

[u/txleapd → u/NotreallyD]

Marpatented?

[u/BigDaddieKane]

Pretty certain they are manufactured by inmates, unless that changed recently.

[u/Spyrothedragon9972]

There are more than two lmao

[u/Ok-Divide8481]

Maybe the company should spell their name "pendejo"¿

[u/BalderVerdandi]

Ahhhh... makes the older generation glad we had Poplins.

[u/Traditional-Rain6306]

My freaking Alpha Coat had the top front pockets at an angle rather than level which always made mounting the ribbons and such so annoying. I was too cheap to buy another coat in the fleet, lmao.

[u/Appropriate-Taste124]

So the company that manufactuers the one you dont like got in massive trouble to using the wrong material which was less flame retardant and less durable than the other

[u/Jka121121 → u/Appropriate-Taste124]

That makes sense. The quality was ass

[u/Toeknee818]

A: they're still making the digital pattern?!?! B: American Apparel???

[u/SemperFudge123 → u/Toeknee818]

I remember when the I finally broke down and got a few sets of the digital pattern cammies back in 2003 and saw on the label on the inside that they were from American Apparel. I got curious and looked it up and it was indeed the same company with the skeevy advertising and pervy CEO making the hipster clothes and handling some military contracts. 😂

[u/Jka121121 → u/Toeknee818]

American apparel is the way to go apparently

[u/milkmanluke]

same shit in the army it sucks cuz one brand fades a lot more than other ones

[u/grounded_eagle77]

My favorite by-far are my pair from coachys and associates. My least favorite are my Pentaq Manufacturing Corp. employees he Coachys just fits well while the Pentaq doesn’t, and the Pentaq is way too stiff and doesn’t actually fit like a M-R, they fit like a M-S.

[u/_BehindTheGrind]

Dude discovered knock-offs

[u/Jka121121 → u/_BehindTheGrind]

I didn’t think I’d be buying knock offs at the big ass Pendleton px 😭