Way back in April 0f 2011 we ran a rather unconventional Camo Design Contest prior to the kickoff of the US Army Camouflage Improvement Effort. During the ensuing two years the Army has downselected to four commercial families of patterns and tested the heck out of them. Since the Secretary of the Army is supposed to announce their selection this Friday in celebration of the Army’s birthday, we thought it would be fun to poll our readers on which pattern they want the Army to choose. This unscientific poll will remain open until Wed evening at 2359Z so that we can announce the winner on Thursday morning, just in case it might sway the Army’s decision. Feel free to vote for your favorite and tell your friends.
Krylon for the win.
I see what you did there.
Funny guy!
Aesthetically I personally prefer Kryptek, but believe it would be best as a “civilian” camouflage due to the scale like appearance of the emulated netting in the pattern, and that I doubt it preforms as well in SWIR as US4CES. Reserve the overall best for military use while having patterns of equal visible spectrum performance for LE, hunting and other uses.
And the answer is …. D
I agree that US4CES should win. I wore Multi-cam in Afghanistan and that is still a one uniform solution. Yes, it is better than our UCP but US4CES overall meets the requirements. Kryptek is for hunting caribou lol
How is Multicam (Boner-flage) a one uniform solution? The current OCP pattern would end up being the standard issue garrison uniform (temperate/generic) and the TA50 pattern as well if I remember correctly. There is a specific Arid and Jungle colorway Crye developed for the competition for other environments.
It seems a lot of people are missing that just because it’s Crye doesn’t mean its Multicam.
THANK YOU somebody gets it
It doesn’t help that SSD posted a photo of MultiCam and then labeled it as the Crye entry.
Guys, it isn’t that far off.
The Crye camo is exactly MultiCam minus the vertical bits which were removed because they don’t occur in nature..but its the same dyes and overall the same pattern that makes it pretty visable in the NIR spectrum therefore not any better than the current MultiCam that is in use today. Kryptek is the better choice although I haven’t found anything on how it performs in the NIR spectrum
(A) is my pick. Anything but Kryptek, it looks like crap!
I think someone is purposely selecting Kryptek. This poll is skewed.
I think you are right. People are purposely selecting Kryptek. It is an extraordinary camo pattern and effective in most every environment.
A should win.
There are a couple of surprises on this poll (From my point of view)
1. Thank US4CES isn’t higher in the rankings.
2. That anyone voted for Brookwood.
THAT, not THANK (damn predictive text)
That wasn’t your phone, it was NSA
Those A**holes! 😉
I don’t see how so many people like Kryptek. I’m sure it’s effective, but it looks like a reptile skin gimmick of a pattern.
Am I the only one that thinks this poll should be restricted to members of the Army, particularly those that have deployed and know what they need.
Nope, I agree
No. It’s just a poll, not a decision-making tool 😉
Why just Army? I’m Navy but I really hope this becomes DoD standard. I love AOR, but all this inter-service bickering is stupid.
Agreed. I’m laughing that this legislation is being proposed yet the Corps is waiting to see what comes out of Army testing and the AF is likely to follow the Army. I will find it funny of 3/4 of the services wind up in the same pattern long before legislation even takes effect.
I know you resent not being able to wear the type I NWUs. We are the real sea ninjas. Don’t be a hater.
Hahaha 😛
US4CES and Kryptek are both terrible.
Based on?
Even though it may seem to be a waste changing uniforms again, it is important to look at what is best now. Neglect and bad decision making led up to this. Boots on the ground will always be necessary. They should have the best, period. They have unfortunately been the lowest on the list for priorities. US4CES has put their data and comparisons out there. They have a profound backing, scientifically, it seems. The others have not put any further information out there to try at a better guess. I would have a hard time thinking that the other 3 patterns selected would even have made it to the end if they solely relied on good visual performance. The “other” variable SSD hinted at in prior posts leads me to think that the other-than-visual performance is the deciding factor. If ithe “other” variable is monetarly or politically driven, it is another failure of leadership that may cost further unnecessary lives. SSD, I do not know to thank you or to curse you. This camo ordeal has taken too much of my limited brain cell time.
I think it will be Crye and I believe it will be a money issue that helps make that choice. It’s my belief multicam is Crye’s transitional pattern. It’s my understanding the transitional pattern will be what is worn on a regular basis. Ordinero recently said the decision will be low cost almost no cost.
Do you think the recent House vote will delay the decision?
No
How about another camo design contest after the announcement? I am sure everyone will be ticked off.
The US4CES Photo is our 7 color version-D. Version D (4-colors per pattern) was not down selected and the 7 color version was not even one of our entries. This makes sense why US4CES is doing so poorly in this pole. However, it needs to be pointed out again that Phase IV is not a fashion show, which is what this pole is looking at.
Clearly a skewed poll, based on Fashion, and not Science!
Thanks for that info and for reminding people that this is a fashion based poll.
Looking at the boost in Kryptek’s votes after they shared it on their facebook…..
(B) KRYPTEK!! I am amazed at how the pattern blends into all terrains!!
I sense a lot of pixel hate. Sigh…
So the Army Times is reporting that Congress will not let the Army change camo patterns? Anyone have the dilly on this?
No. They want all the branches to have a common pattern by 2018-19, (or so they say) and to “limit” what branch can do when it comes to developing new patterns. In Short, whenever a branch wants to invent a new camo, They have to share it! No questions asked. No Hogging it like the Corps did.
B is the one that will save lives….
Blend of colors and pattern with a broad geo compatability.
Truly Awesome …..
Agreed mark! It’s awesome!
Kryptek – hands down!
BROOKWOOD will work the best in N. Korea
One cool thing about Kryptek….If you get bored you can pretend you’re a Sleestak.
ROTFLMAO! BINGO!!!! That or a “Predator”.
We are talking about the lives of our soldiers fighting for the freedom of our country. What ever we can do as citizens of the USA to gain an edge for our brothers and sisters fighting for this country we should do. With Kryptek they can gain some of that edge, with the ability to blend in to any surrounding and be concealed i consider an edge. There is no doubt in my mind Krypek with help our soldiers throughout gain that edge. There are patterns for every terrain.. No doubt in my mind that our soldiers deserve to be wearing KRYPTEK!
Could your attempt at hidden advertising be any more obvious?
SPOT ON.
I’m thinking it’s time we knock it off with camouflage uniforms, especially since we don’t seem to land on one that has any permanence. Warfighters are not ones to stand still, which is when any camouflage works, and the moment they move they’re detected by the bad guys.
Taliban doesn’t use camouflage, and, for the most part, they’re a bitch to detect. Same with AQ or anyone else we’re in a pissing contest with.
My money says we go back to OD and call it good. Screw wasting our hard earned tax dollars on something that isn’t keeping our guys any more alive in the field.
Semper Fi.
Not true. Movement does attract attention, but I have been 500 ft over a dismounted patrol wearing OCP (on the move), knowing where they “are” and not be able pick them up on multiple passes in a helo using purely visual cues. I can not same them same about UCP–no where close.
I did not participate in the poll (don’t give a frak about popularity / subjective polls…that is how we got UCP!) and just hope we (the Army) don’t screw this up again. Come on Friday.
This is a fashion show SSD even said so so what you are seeing is the bathing suit competition vote. Guy wrote up some good evaluation data but the fact that these patterns got as far as they did means that they work visually, and to degrees in the NIR and likely SWIR. The finally choice is not ours but we can have some fun in the mean time. Aces looks pro no doubt. Crye likely used some kind of multicam the next generation. Brookwood looks like some thing my young nephew finger painted. Kryptek pattern may look lizard like but is that really a flaw? Reptiles and other scaled animals have been using camoflage for far longer then we humans so its still a possibly. After all in the end for the Army it has to about what works. (and after UCP they might get skittish of a pixilated pattern) As for us we want something sexy, And both Crye and Kryptek look good on a bikini.
Hmmm, bikini….
That’s a good idea.
Instead of the above pictures there should be pictures of four models with bikinis in the camo patterns.
SSD – You have pull with the Edgar Bros. Let’s get a HOT SHOTS 2014 preview…
I don’t know what this has to do with camo but I’ll be in London next week for the photo shoot.
Kryptek’s “Highlander” pattern is far more effective than the competition period! The end goal is to save lives and blend into the surrounding terrain. Battlefield ready… Wish I had this when I was in the Marines. My vote is for Kryptek!!!
How do you think that the vote in Congress for all branched to have the same uniform will affect this? The MC and Navy (Seabee/ SEAL) patterns look better than all of these. Just saying…oh and Multi-cam uniforms suck ass…no 2 uniforms are the same fucking size/cut. That needs to be addressed along with the shit fucking patterns. If we just lost the EGA then I’m all for adopting the MC’s uniforms especially the FROG uniforms they wear while deployed.
Kryptek! Change is good, and Kryptek is that change. But that is just my opinion. Semper Fi
I can’t get over how many people are picking Kryptek. Just because something appears to be a “change” doesn’t mean it’s a better solution. I’m hoping the government doesn’t look at this poll for any influence…and if they did pick the most “popular” I’d be horrified.
If we didn’t just let testing decide the winner (which has happened in the past – for most camo including everyone’s precious multicam) then we don’t deserve a new camo.
I’m not even sharing my opinion on these camo prints… However, anything that tests 30% better than the current multicam does seem to be a winner to me. We need to SAVE LIVES…not look the prettiest!
Brookwood in for the kill! Since the testing results were so close, without any outstanding individual capabilities, the powers that be wanted the camo to go back to a modern form of what works. The program being under so much scrunity meant that they had to step in to assure that the choice was made. They said that they cannot rely on the military to make another multi-billion dollar mistake. Brookwood textile manufacturing has the largest capability to fill both the quick implementation as needed, and the long run requirements. They also have the ability to fulfill rapid mission specific needs. Is this one out there?
Except that the competition is for the patterns, not the contract to produce the uniforms.
I’m out at NTC right now, every Soldier I’ve shown these patterns to seems to think that US4CES is the best bet… Universally, they agree that Kryptek l
I’m out at NTC right now, every Soldier I’ve shown these patterns to seems to think that US4CES is the best bet… Universally, they agree that Kryptek looks weird, Brookwood looks too much like BDU (and if we went to it why not just return to BDU?), and the Army won’t use multicam, too much senior level butthurt about it from last time. US4CES is what Soldiers want.
I am in a section of 20 and the majority (14) selected US4CES out of the bunch. Plus, I showed them the ADS website with the three patterns.
Wouldnt the multicam save the most? Its already issued to deployed troops. Isnt there also a lot of gear available with that camo already in use and out there?
I am probably one of the few who have had the opportunity to wear and test all four of these patterns in the field while being shot at. While each has it’s characteristics that make it better than the others in one situation or another none of them stand head and shoulders above the others as far as being universal. A, B, and C all worked well in in leafy woodland conditions. As we worked in areas that were lightly wooded/rocky areas C became not such a good fit. A and B both performed well but neither a really universal. That being said we also tried three of the different color variations from Kryptec.
Highlander, Mandrake and Nomad. Against each other, each would outperform the other two depending on the terrain and cover. For my money and my life I would choose Kryptec’s Highlander as my all-around camo pattern and would have on hand a number of their other color variations.
Notice how all of the comments seem to be about Kryptek, and barely anyone is mentioning US4CES? How many of the posters are plants trying to push Kryptek?
Doesn’t really matter (although I agree it is silly). The decision has already been made. The silliness is only for grins.
True. Is it Friday yet?
The DoD should have picked… and should pick, multi-cam as it was already tested years ago and won 3 out of 4 major tests, and only lost the 4th test because of technicality that was introduced to ensure that it did not win all 4 tests. Multi-cam also has years of successful SOF and conventional force operational experience in multiple environments, proving its capabilities. Our current uniform hasn’t even measured up to this real world standard.
-NSJ
See the thing is, that a lot of people are saying that they will pick Kryptek because it looks good. What if it actually works better than all three? I’d rather be fighting in something that would help me not getting shot, than how the camo looked. That being said, any of these patters are 1000% better than UCP, and would be happy to use any of them.
Black. All black BDUs for everyone…… one and done. Black has been shown to be equally effective across any operating environment. Better yet, let’s really confuse the enemy and let every soldier pick his own battle fatigues. Get as many patterns as possible into a unit, they won’t know who the fuck they’re fighting. Give everyone different weapons too. That way the guy wearing NWUs carrying a SG510 will just blow the minds of the enemy. Ultraviolet camo works great too. http://www.militaryclothing.com/ImgUpload/P_198793_1212848.JPG
https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/4777878784/h1D7D43FF/
Also, I think North Korea has a novel idea, looks like they are using our method:
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/ba2/news/world/article9646901.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/koreasw12nw1.JPG
Seriously, though. To render an honest opinion I’d have to see them in person on a uniform. A computer image is “flat” and doesn’t really compare to what the fabric will look like. Better yet, let’s really confuse the enemy and let every soldier pick his own battle fatigues. Get as many patterns as possible into a unit, they won’t know who the fuck they’re fighting.
A-Tacs!!!
Kryptek looks like it will blend in much better than the other choices, and I’m sure the test results will show that soon.
All the options are better than UCP, bit again, after seeing all the options in the field, Kryptek stood above the others for sure.
I vote for B.
being that I’ve worn ERDL, OG 107’s, BDU’s, Chocolate Chip, 3 day pattern, ACU and now Multicam…. I feel that the US ARMY should adapt the Multicam, it’s the most versitle camouflage in the field today. Get away from the digital patterns.
Which pattern was picked?!?!
Wish I knew.
IMHO, a “clean” ACU set doesn’t perform well anywhere, but i’ll give it a little grace and say once its had a chance to absorb some of the dust and dirt from its environment, I believe it does ok. I’ve seen it blend in OIF/OEF.
One thing to throw out there as far as multi-cam, I love it, its great, but there were alot of other countries also wearing it in OEF. I would like to see whatever gets picked be exclusive to U.S. forces, no LE, no Civ sales. I cringe every time I see a news report that shows a local “SWAT team” in multi. there’s no need for it…its straight up silly. that’s what the urban types and Mossy Oak is for. I wore Coyote in OEF, brought that to OIF/OND…(bad choice), and then ran A-TACS (love it!) my third time to OEF. I chose that over multi because it worked better in RC-S. the Sleestak stuff is too Hollywood for me.
#1 is Kryptec.I thought the wild look was a joke and over the top until I tested it in the field myself.This pattern is almost too good for military use.Weve never had an option that could rival the civie hunting patterns and colors like Realtree/Advantage and the like.If you’ve ever had to deal with OPFOR in these civie hunting patterns you know what I mean.Anyone bashing this stuff based on the funny tie-die snakeskin look is fooling themselves.YES it looks funky as all hell but this stuff works!The only way to know for sure if a pattern preforms is to see it work with your own eyes , not a picture that happens to be in the perfect lighting and environment or a low resolution video.
#2 is the Crye milticam-like pattern. Ive been using multicam for the past couple years now and it is awesome in arid locations like the stan and the shrubby southwest Texas hills,but fails in greener locations like Louisiana swampland , jungles of South America or the North American pine forests pretty badly.
I would be happy with the Crye stuff,but Kryptec is on another level.
Until you have actually layed hands on a product and tried it out in the field you shouldn’t judge a product by looks. Kryptec is by far the best choise for quality and has a camouflage pattern that blends in with all outdoor situations. Kryptec is #1 in my book.
A-Tacs even if it’s not on this list