"The stuff the army issues is useless" and "no non-issue kit over seas!"

[aesop081]

I wonder if the guy giving this directive to all soldiers serving abroad has spent anytime in Afghanistan but more specifically more then a week outside the wire in Afghanistan.  We might as well break out the Scarlet's while we are at it.

I hate to break it to you but it doesnt take a week in Afghanistan to figure out that unblousing the pants is better. I'm sorry that whoever came out with this directive is being an idiot but not all of us who havent been to the sandbox act like dumbasses.

 

[logan7979]

Anyone else feel let down by the army? I mean i understand why things are this way, fact is im really upset that my equipment doesnt allow me to train how i will fight. If only CDS Hillier could become commander of CTS, he wouldnt put up with bullshit, and would find a way to get the right kit to the soldiers who partake in combat. Let the cooks use the heaps of very good webbing left over, combat arms should have superior kit, point finale, its also an incentive, works both ways.

Someone very high up should be analyzing this problem,
all you had to do CTS is sew the MOLLE system on

but no... you guys fucked up!

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I hate to break it to you but it doesnt take a week in Afghanistan to figure out that unblousing the pants is better. I'm sorry that whoever came out with this directive is being an idiot but not all of us who havent been to the sandbox act like dumbasses.

I was being generous. 

 

[Bzzliteyr]

CTS has nothing to do with boot blousing.

That is a ridiculous order and an unfortunate one.  Once outside the wire, I am sure most likely troops will still play the "hide and seek" game that we have started since we started war fighting.

Once again, it is too bad that some higher ups still have a parade square mentality.  I am pretty sure the Afghan nationals are not too concerned with the look of unbloused pants.  I believe I have seen British and American troops with their pants loose and I don't remember questioning their abilities.

I hope the fat guys we have running around don't reflect negatively on the military, they are so much less obvious than unbloused boots.

 

[blacktriangle]

I hope the fat guys we have running around don't reflect negatively on the military, they are so much less obvious than unbloused boots.

100% agree we need to sort out some priorities. Whoever comes up with this crap must be VERY bored.

 

[armyvern]

This is retarded silly.

Holy crap over -- we even have troops unblousing during a 5km BFT workup here IN Canada ... yet now the troops can't unblouse in the middle of the friggin' desert??

Someone needs some serious map work (although I'm sure someone, somewhere will justify this as cause to perform a 'lil bit more 'military tourism' to substantiate a necessity for unblousing).  :brickwall:

Vern shakes head in amazement at how some people's brains don't work.

 

[Yrys]

Small hijacked

It appears that the unblousing of pants while outside the wire is over.

Francophone civilian here : Pray tell, what is unbloused ? The translator that I use says the same word in French.
I've got a few guesses, but a few words of explanations would be better... It's not in the spell check either

 

[rifleman]

It appears that the unblousing of pants while outside the wire is over. According to what I've seen, trousers are to be bloused. It appears that "how you look" is more important than "how you fight" or principles of ventilation in a hot climate etc...
Having said that, we must now enforce it.

Has there actually been direction to that effect, because I am definitely interested in it.

 

[armyvern]

Small hijacked

Francophone civilian here : Pray tell, what is unbloused ? The translator that I use says the same word in French.
I've got a few guesses, but a few words of explanations would be better... It's not in the spell check either

Pants bloused (ie - tucked up & in over tops of combat boots):

http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php/v/Operations/FallenCdnSoldiers1.jpg.html?action=gallery

Pants unbloused (ie - not tucked in/hanging loosely to dispel heat):

http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php/v/Operations/KA2003B015A_lg.jpg.html?action=gallery

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Having been over there, my guess is this:

Soldier "Bloggins" comes in to KAF on a break from a FOB or Patrol Base after a long hard fight/week.  He offloads his kit and heads straight for a nice cold Tim Hortons Iced cappuccino. He does not have his pants bloused as he is still (most likely) wearing his war kit/uniform (including the 5 day old underwear).  Officer/ desk jockey sees him and makes the point of ensuring that no one will be caught with their pants down.. literally!!  Message is passed all over and there we go, no more unbloused pants.

Yrys: "bloused" pants are when someone takes an elastic and tucks their pants in so that they do not drape over the combat boots they are wearing.  if they are unbloused they hang down over the boot.  

Example: in this photo the people on the left have their pants "unbloused", the gentleman with the black bag on his front has his pants bloused.

http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/netpub/server.np?find&catalog=photos&template=detail_e.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=34503&site=combatcamera

Disregard the chestrig on the second guy from the left, is it not officially issued and does not exist... hehe

 

[Yrys]

Ah, thanks ArmyVern!

Well, I'll stray a bit out of my lane to comment that is it sad if it's true that it's not permitted,
that soldiers can't decided which way they want it...


add :

Does the army clothing stores give elastics ?

 

[armyvern]

Ah, thanks ArmyVern!

Well, I'll stray a bit out of my lane to comment that is it sad if it's true that it's not permitted,
that soldiers can't decided which way they want it...

It'll last until the first soldier dies of heatstroke in Afghanistan and the BOI reveals that he had his pants unbloused (or had asked to unblouse) and someone within his CoC had to enforce this newest "policy" and tell him to "blouse", thereby possibly contributing to his death from such. OR, until someone overrules the latest and injects some "common sense" into this area once again.

:

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

It is offical.  We got the word here in Shilo about it with regards to overseas.

 

[armyvern]

Ah, thanks ArmyVern!

Well, I'll stray a bit out of my lane to comment that is it sad if it's true that it's not permitted,
that soldiers can't decided which way they want it...


add :

Does the army clothing stores give elastics ?

Boot bands ... available at Canex.

 

[Armymedic]

It'll last until the first soldier dies of heatstroke in Afghanistan and the BOI reveals that he had his pants unbloused (or had asked to unblouse) and someone within his CoC had to enforce this newest "policy" and tell him to "blouse", thereby possibly contributing to his death from such.

I haven't seen any heat exhaustion cases over on this side of the pond who had thier pants unbloused. I have however, seen dozen or more cases of people dropping out from overheating...with thier pant legs properly bloused.

Not to say that was a contributing factor (as opposed to the actual cuase: rucking in a humidex of 45C)

But I am sure a PMed will be by sometime to say that blousing does lessen the chances of you getting bugs (sand flys etc) up your legs.

 

[armyvern]

I haven't seen any heat exhaustion cases over on this side of the pond who had thier pants unbloused. I have however, seen dozen or more cases of people dropping out from overheating...with thier pant legs properly bloused.

Not to say that was a contributing factor (as opposed to the actual cuase: rucking in a humidex of 45C)

But I am sure a PMed will be by sometime to say that blousing does lessen the chances of you getting bugs (sand flys etc) up your legs.

I wonder if anybody will be tracking stats of those cases of heat exhaustion etc to see if the rate increases over there with this newest directive. I can imagine that it certainly won't be going "down" any. Perhaps it would stay status quo, but I can't see it occuring less; one would think it would rise. It's only habit that when people feel themsleves overheating that buttons start being undone, belts loosened, pants unbloused -- I wonder what's next on the list of "don'ts." It's almost as if people aren't allowed to "know their own bodies/limits" any more.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Well, as long as you can still wander around with your fly open, without a set of skivvies on,  I guess that's OK

 

[armyvern]

Well, as long as you can still wander around with your fly open, without a set of skivvies on,  I guess that's OK

No one does that!! Regs say we have to wear skivvies. 

 

[Yrys]

But I am sure a PMed will be by sometime to say that blousing does lessen the chances of you getting bugs (sand flys etc) up your legs.

If there is a civy that want to start a petition for the aemy to conduct a little study on the advantages/desadvantages of both,
I would probably sign it.

Well, what are skivvies  ?

 

[armyvern]

Well, what are skivvies  ?

Underwear. Passion killers. etc