ACU

[zagarol]

Hi everyone,

 

My friends and I are looking to get a unified teamesque look We currently all have the same tac vests Ibex HK vest in black.

 

Now the obvious choice for combat clothing (BDU's) is to go the good old DPM route as we are in the UK, its cheap as dirt and you can get it everywhere, However, we want to stand out from the crowd a bit, so to speak not in the field though! .

 

We have had a search around and came up with some options, of which, one is ACU. It looks cool on the flecktarn site and the various entries on Wikipedia / Kamouflage.net.

 

I have heard though that the americans call it ICU (I see you) due to its woefull camo characteristics. Is this true?

 

Edit: For spooling ear!

 

Any photos / links of ACU being field tested / used would be great.

 

Many thanks,

Zag

Ps. We play in a mixed enviroment including: Urban, FIBUA (Fields and fearns) and woodland so a mix of locals would be great.

[GuzziHero]

My site team is going for ACU and it certainly looks very professional and distinctive. But I dont think it works well as cammo, sadly

 

And you may end up looking like this:

 

(caution, large pic-age ahead)

 

http://www.vcorps.army.mil/images/people/O...mRalphR-ACU.jpg

 

Thats what happens when someone tries to look TOO serious!

[minimiman]

Have a look at my website www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk in gallery3, sunday 18th there are several pics of a team that wears ACU. Yes it is distinctive, No it doesn't work well as a camo.

 

IMO all the other camo patterns worked better on the day, the best was probably Multicam, followed by good old DPM then flecktarn.

 

It's a very personal thing camo and you will always get differing opinions, I think ACU looks quite cool but sucks as a camo, it's too grey/blue, a colour that doesn't naturally occur that much in the UK.

[Wraith18A]

I have heard though that the americans call it ICU (I see you) due to its woefull camo characteristics. Is this true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No. Not true; well, mostly people just call it ACU. Or ######.

[zagarol]

And you may end up looking like this:

 

(caution, large pic-age ahead)

 

http://www.vcorps.army.mil/images/people/O...mRalphR-ACU.jpg

 

Thats what happens when someone tries to look TOO serious!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

that's one very ###### off guy!!

 

Have a look at my website www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk in gallery3, sunday 18th there are several pics of a team that wears ACU. Yes it is distinctive, No it doesn't work well as a camo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the link. Yeah I see what you mean about the colouring it does seem a little un-natural.

 

Please keep the pics coming so I can make an informed judgement.

 

Cheers,

Zag.

[doc_newstead]

I've seen it referred to as UDCP (Universal Digital Combat Pattern) in an article, but had trouble finding it referred to as that anywhere else. Rationally, calling the pattern 'ACU' doesn't make sense, but it seems to be the common way to say it now.

[JCYC5]

ACU works well in Urban environments... then again, everything short of bright orange works well

[tangman]

If you actually try to stay concealed rather than just walk around and expect the BDU to camoflauge you then its not too bad imo.

 

With that said ACU was created with the mindset that the majority of small arms combat was to take place in a urban/mout environment so I guess they made it more for urban than woodland.

 

I love it personally and use it instead of Tri Colours now

[doc_newstead]

I'm still not convinced. To be fair, I haven't actually eyeballed it yet, but in photos, no amount of excuses or rationalising can hide the fact that it's just a little bit lame in any greenery. I'm not expecting Predatoresque chameleon abilities, nor do I assume that a uniform pattern is the only thing necessary for concealment. But it would be a little more reassuring if it didn't stand out quite as much as it does!

 

And it's always six of one, half a dozen of the other; if you take a photo of somebody wearing it in the open, say long grass, it'll be like "Oh well that's not really fair, he's in the open and exposed anyway". But you can backtrack and find (probably) the same people doing exactly the same thing with Multicam, saying "Hey look, I'm lying out in the open and you can barely see me!".

 

Also, what with Guy Cramer and his panoply of custom-tailored camos (I'm pretty sure you could walk across a field and expect to change clothes half-way ) promoting the benefits of localized patterns, I can't see what's 'universal' about it. People seem to fear actually coming out and saying the self-evident truth; it was clearly made for a certain desert/urbanized war, and we don't expect to be seeing it the jungle or countryside for some time to come.

[Sale]

The uniform is called ACU, but the pattern is AUC. I have one real ACU (made by Propper with the IFF-tags and all), but I haven't thoroughly tried it in the field. I do wear the pants regularly in the street and I've observed a little how it compares to typical backgrounds in the city.

 

It works well in urban enviroment and possibly a little sand, but stands out in bushes. Not like a neon orange vest or something, but there are better camo patterns for woodland enviroment.

 

-Sale

[hivemind]

I've worn ACUs to several skirmishes now, probably two urban and four or five woodland. It was great in urban, and fine in woodland.

 

My experience tells me that the dark patterns work worse than ACUs. We got a guy who wears Street Stalkers, and another that just shows up in a black paintball jersey and black jeans, and they both stick out a lot more than anyone else.

 

But it's movement that gives it away. Shadows don't move.

[Sale]

That's true by the way. A little too light color is better than too dark. Black always stands out against the background, unless you're playing in a coal factory. I'd much rather go into the woods in an ACU than black BDUs.

 

-Sale

[CobaltSky]

Solid colours will never work, no matter how closely they match the surrounding environment so it doesn't surprise me that the guy in the PB jersey stuck out.

[Maple-Leaf]

I've seen it referred to as UDCP (Universal Digital Combat Pattern)

 

That is true - UDCP is the official US Army name for the camo pattern. ACU stands for "Advanced Combat Uniform", just as BDU stood for "Battle Dress Uniform."

 

I've eye-balled it at several skirmishes now - its pretty good in an urban environment or a dry one; but in dark, brown or green woodland it sticks out pretty bad at close range.

 

Its said that it works better at further ranges, and also it is supposed to be so good at night that the Americans had to put those little reflective IFF tags on the uniform because they kept losing each other in the darkness.

 

And as most infantry engagements for the Americans now occur at night, in dusty urban environments, and not in European woodlands....

[navymp28]

People seem to fear actually coming out and saying the self-evident truth; it was clearly made for a certain desert/urbanized war, and we don't expect to be seeing it the jungle or countryside for some time to come.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Funny thing I have heard scuttlebut from some of the fine Army chaps that I occasionally work with and they have all mae comments along the lines of a new pattern already being op tested and will be fielded by something like 08, so in essence the Army wasted a ###### ton of my tax dollars developing and implementing this uniform. But like I said...it is just scuttlebut.

 

NMP TWO EIGHT

[SilentSoldier03]

ACU, like MARPAT, is made to break up the soldiers outline in a hostile environment, not to blend directly. It may not look like it works well, but it does.

[Badly Browned]

Having seen ACU in action for a good half year now, I can say that it doesn't absolutely suck at woodland like some people claim, but US Woodland and MARPAT do work better than ACU in a green environment.

[Operator]

Ps. We play in a mixed enviroment including: Urban, FIBUA (Fields and fearns) and woodland so a mix of locals would be great.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

FIBUA stands for Fighting In Built Up Areas also known as FISH = Fighting In Someone's House!

 

On a more on topic note, at Comabt South Woodland a couple of weeks ago there were a few people with ACU and they blended in ok, but not as well as DPM or Flecktarn. They were more concealed than the guy in a red hawian shirt though!

 

I've got a pair or the Propper ACU trousers that I wear as casual, I haven't worn them skirmishing as our team wears DPM, but they would look good with a tee shirt and a CIVCON loadout.

[col.parsons]

Although I've not personally field tested them (yet), I've got two full sets of ACUs - one by Tru-Spec, and one by Bulle. I got the Bulle set first, and it's very much a blue/grey/beige colouring.

 

However, wearing it around campus at uni, I've noticed that it really does blend well with concrete, and my legs virtually disappear as I walk around the car park! Clearly, this indicates that it's best for urban.

 

Also, the Tru-Spec set are a lot more dark green/mint green/sand, and would probably be better for something like a coniferous woodland. But as I've said, I haven't yet field tested them properly so I can't say for definite.

 

Will update once I've skirmished in them (hopefully in a month).

 

Si

[3vi1-D4n]

ACU isn't actually too bad. In the open at 100m-300m in the open grass, if you are just passing a casual scan, Woodland and to a lesser degree DPM will show up as more obvious but ACU doesn't, its very strange.

 

A more serious 2nd glance will generally show the ACU. In bush its ok in some places, but its as effective as woodland for 0-10m camo which is not great compared to DPM or Tigerstripe. Beyond that its ok.

 

DPM is great in bush. I have seen a guy in DPM stop, and then just drop down, next minute 8 guys have trouble finding him where he was just 5 metres away from us the whole time. Black works well in the bush if the guy is 5 feet tall, and doesn't have a well built or overweight

body.

 

In tall sparse woodlands with little undergrowth, ACU doesn't work well, but most of the traditional camo works ok. What is more surprising is that black works very well. It is because sparse woodlands have shadows that are almost as large as a person and the black minimises the wearers profile to fit around the shadow. People who wear black generally survives longer in this terrain than those wearing traditional camo short of a ghillies.

 

ACU sucks hard at night in the bush and woodlands, being white grey its like wearing desert 3 color at night. But DPM and woodland are too dark also and looks like big black blobs moving. But OD works best at night in bush especially IDF ODs, because it creates the grey like the rest of the background instead of having dark colours to highlight the pattern.

[AdamLazzara]

Personally, from my experience, if you are going to be playing in desert like or urban areas, then the ACU is fine. But if you are going to be heading into the woods, get some MARPAT, which is essentially the Marine Corps. version of the camo. But MARPAT seems to work better in desert to.

 

Check this out. Militaryphotos.net does it the right way

[navymp28]

I did this side by side today...this shows ACU, MARPAT, and standard US woodland side by side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this kinda helps with the ACU question.

[Badly Browned]

Nice comparison. Makes me love my MARPAT even more. Although up against that light colored fence the ACU does best.

[AdamLazzara]

Nice comparison. Makes me love my MARPAT even more. Although up against that light colored fence the ACU does best.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thats somewhat proof that ACU was meant for urban areas if you think about it. Old grey fence, ACU. lol

[CobaltSky]

I think MARPAT did the best there. I wouldn't wear it though as I don't like digital style patterns.