DPM picture contest as requested by LJ

[Ubar]

Here is a picture of my friend (2lt)  training somewhere in Africa a few months ago. Note the not shaped bush hat, it doesn't have to be shaped.

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might be more useful but it still looks gay

[Lance Jackass]

I have the assault vest the army couldnt afford to buy.

 

That explains things then. Typical!

 

One of the ops vests i used to have had the clips, but they were of a different size to the daysack clips. A few posts i read on another forum pointed to them being used as hydration bladder clips.

 

As for the cutting down of bush hats - pictures of squaddies in the jungle tend to have the full brim, as do first gulf war and early GW2 pictures. However "ally" has crept in over the past few years and a lot get cut down or folded forwards from the looks of it.

[fatJoe]

Err.. attack of my sister's bedroom? I keep meaning to take pics when im at a skirmish, but i always forget! that pic was taken when i got back from cadets

[schneiderboy]

Grim, is this green sweater issue?

 

Cheers

Daniel

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edit, lol, whats wrong?

Edited March 10, 2007 by schneiderboy

[Grim]

Grim, is this green "jumper" issue?

 

Cheers

Daniel

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Sorry for the late reply, as i have only just returned from my R2 weekend. Its the issue longsleeve thermal shirt with the warm weather issue t-shirt over it. We had been given orders to wear our CBA's under our combat jackets, and before we began guard duty we setteled in and took our jackets off to relax for a few short minutes.

 

Grim

[Gadge]

YOu should wear CBA under the smock anyway.

 

Its more practical as you can use your pockets and should you get hit you odnt get te contents of your pockets punched into you.

[Grim]

Well now that you say it like that it makes more sense. even thou i never use my combat jackets pockets except for sweet wrappers instead of throwing them on the floor. Im still new to alot of things in the british army/TA because im so used to the cadet ways. were out for the 1st time on our R3 so i should do well, i have always been more of a fieldcraft lover lol. Any advice you could give gadge would and is appreciated.

 

Grim

[Lipto]

Well I decided to go for a more british style loadout to my last one so i ditched the arktis vest and picked up some plce. What I still need to get is a jacket/smock, s95 combat gloves, a shemagh, assault boots, cam cream, l85 (swapping my minimi for one) and a haircut

 

 

 

EDIT - And yes, I know my gun is almost as big as me and how stupid it looks . Also, what is that band that people put around the bottom of thier helmets and where can I get one?

Edited March 12, 2007 by Lipto

[Gadge]

There are two 'bands' one is a rubber strip cut from an NBC overboot, you dont need this unless you're scrimming the top and persoanlly i wouldnt bother scrimming the top the foliage loops do just fine.

 

The other band is just apiece of elastic and its just tied to the central lower foliage loop and its only for when you're wearing a face wellie and need to lid on quickly.

 

Grim i kept choccy bars, notebook (and first aid aide memoire), compass, pace beads, penknife and a bit of para cord in my smock pockets (amongst other things).

[Gadge]

Oh and lipto you dont look stupid, you look fine but if you're putting the weapon int the shoulder put it in not over... you'll look better. I've seen much much worse Brit kit impression, i think your is prettty damn good actually.

 

However empty pouches look daft, if you're not using em why have em? I made the same mistake in my pics i put up a bit ago - that was the one mega error nobody spotted, all my vest pouhces are empty... not convinving impression at all.

 

If your main AEG is the 249 then cut out your plce dividers and use the pouches for smokes or grenades

 

Other thing you might want to do is marker pen your name across the front foliage loop, you can do blood type on the back but its a bit unecessary as the odds of having your helmet or webbing with you by the time a cas is recieving whole blood is slim.

 

But name on you helmet helps you to recognise folk in CNBR kit.

 

I'd take some pics of my lid but its on loan to an old colleague who was giving a talk on his time over the water and his first contact and wanted it for a prop.

 

Edit: some more pics:

 

Edited March 12, 2007 by Gadge

[Gadge]

And a bit of the old sniping... and hypocritically having the weapon out of the shoulder...

 

 

Edited March 12, 2007 by Gadge

[darkchild130]

I've noticed that when most people go for a Brit loadout they always seem to go for the PLCE, combat highs etc etc.

 

I think this should be re catagorized as a "Pre-2003" loadout, as after the breakout of the second Gulf war the British army just started using whatever works, leading to a huge diversity in kit.

 

These days the only consistantly uniform part of brit loadouts is the helmet, body armour and the DPM itself (and of course, the weapons). You can pretty much wear anything else and still look British.

 

A lot of the old, useful advice no longer applies.

 

People hardly ever wear twisters anymore, body armour is now worn over jackets, goggles and other assorted ###### can be worn on the outside of your kit instead of being neatly hidden away, NOBODY wears issued boots (except assorted remfs), a wild variety of gloves are now becoming more common place (whereas traditionally, wearing gloves was seen as gay)

 

And they are just some examples off the top of my head.

 

In short, a "post 2003" loadout can consist of any Gucci kit you can think of, as long as its DPM (or tan, or green)

 

 

EDIT: ooh, some things i just thought of though, anything that flaps, ie webbing straps, bergan toggles, helmet straps etc must be taped up, cos it looks chippy if you dont.

 

Name, number and blood group get written on your helmet and body armour, and you tie a knot in the end of your sling so your weapon cannot be pulled from you.

 

Darkchild

Edited March 13, 2007 by darkchild130

[Rogue845]

Yeah, I'd have to agree with Darkchild on this one. Every British impression I've seen reminds of a training establishment look - where everything has to be 'just so'.

 

When you get out into the field, all that just goes out of the window, and soldiers just start doing what works for them.

 

That my, my friends, is how to do a British loadout: DPM, helmet, SA80/Minimi, and the rest is just what works for you.

[Gadge]

Ah I agree guys but my advice is to get people on the right track before customising it with their own style.

 

I think the key is that people want an 'archetypal' Brit infantry look.

 

Its a bit like when we do impressions for re-enacting, sure their were some guys who wore item a or b or their is one photo of a single uk airborne soldier at arnhem with a m1 carbine... it woudl be daft to think that everyone carried them becasue of this one example.

 

So i think peopel want to go for a 'classic' Brit Infantry look a lot of the time.

 

The downside of doing modern loadouts is that they can look out of date in a year if any distinctive kit get sintroduced *and* if that kit is scare (liek the new body armour) you'll be struggling to get it for airsoft for a good year after its issued.

 

Dont disagree with you both just forwarding an idea.

[Grim]

I hate the recruit process because i have a ton of gucci gear i wanna use like boots smock gloves and laod bearing gear but nooooo every *fruitcage* has to look the same oh well as soon as i have passed all that will change and my fav gucci boots will live again lol. Not sure what gear to use this sunday at the skirmish though.

 

Grim

[Gadge]

I hate the recruit process because i have a ton of gucci gear i wanna use like boots smock gloves and laod bearing gear but nooooo every *fruitcage* has to look the same oh well as soon as i have passed all that will change and my fav gucci boots will live again lol. Not sure what gear to use this sunday at the skirmish though.

 

Grim

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Its done partly to build confidence in your kit and to get you used to operating with a minimum of comforts.

[amateurstuntman]

And you might have less luck with your boots than you hope.

 

My old unit wouldn't allow you to wear non-issued boots in camp. You could only wear your own on ex or ops. That said when on ops they let me wear brown boots.

 

Jobsworths

 

Stunt

[darkchild130]

when did you get out? A lot has changed in the last few years.

 

Darkchild

[schneiderboy]

Hehe, gadge, you like music, dont you?

 

Has the mk6 diffrent sizes like s,m or l?

 

Cheers

Daniel

[Gadge]

Yeah mate i'm a DJ on the weekends and used to orgnaise gigs and festivals and stuff.

 

Mk6 comes in several sizes as do ressies and body armour and most things

 

Mk6

 

xsmall

small

med

large about 59cm

x large about 61cm

 

couldnt tell you the other smaller sizes as i never got one issued those sizes.

 

Ressies come in

 

x small 1 (usually issued to the lasses)

small 2

medium 3

large 4

[schneiderboy]

well my head is about 57-58cm, so I would need a small? I d like that the hemet fits close

[Gadge]

Prob a medium but i'd recomend visiting somewhere where you can try a few on.

 

Wont you be wanting a para lid though?

 

I'm sure the sizing is the same but i wouldnt know for def.

Edited March 13, 2007 by Gadge

[schneiderboy]

Sure, but they are pretty rare and since I hate ebay they are nearly ungettable for me

 

edit: wow, I just had a look on ebay, a couple of helmets on. Has somebody got an ebay account?

Edited March 14, 2007 by schneiderboy

[Grim]

My goes to a little market here in liverpool nearly every thursday with my auntie, and one day she say an army helmet for £2 so she baught it for me. Turns out its a para helmet. What a lucky find eh. the cover needs replaceing because its in dead order, i might replace the chin strap for a Mk6 type but besides that i love it (even tho i will probably use my Mk6 or US MICH more. I could bring myself to part with it because my dad being an ex-para loves it as well lol.

 

Grim

[Eddie182]

when did you get out?  A lot has changed in the last few years.

 

Darkchild

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Just like Darkchild said, things really have changed. The RAF has always been at least a year or two behind the army when it comes to issue kit, and relaxing rules regarding it's use. And we've been pretty much using what the hell we like on ops and on unit (slightly more strictly) for about 2 years now.

 

For example, I binned my issue boots ages ago and now use either magnums or the newer pro-boots, also binned the cs 95 gloves and use the Hatch "operators" gloves in green instead and a modified SAS smock in 95 patt from SOF. Same goes for vests and webbing, I use arktis vest and my PLCE is covered in mods and non-issue stuff.

 

And the last time I went to an Army unit (few months back) there was all sorts of kit around, in fact I don't think I saw 2 people wearing exactly the same stuff at all. Apart from the odd sprog.

 

There really is so much flexibility nowadays that as long as you get the basics like DPM itself and weapons you can pretty much use anything and look 100% authentic.