Earlier this week, the US Army released photos of several accessories for wear with the new Operational Camouflage Pattern variant of the Army Combat Uniform. Rather than the Desert Tan and Foliage Green that accompany Universal Camouflage Pattern, the Army will accessorize OCP with Tan 499 and Coyote 498.
These new items will be introduced along with the roll out of the new OCP ACU with improved features in Summer 2015. While the Army has not yet established mandatory possession dates for OCP or wearout dates for the currently issued UCP gear, the supply chain has been told to expect the use of UCP to end in 2018.
Is it the lighting or is that t-shirt the same shade of “tan” from the M81 Woodland days?
It’s the lighting. Tan 499 is like the color of the tan hardware on your packs. Like a faded version of coyote brown.
PEO Soldier says that these colors are correct. The T-shirt looks dark to me.
I don’t know what packs you think may be my point of reference ;).
Interesting because they got the lighting right on everything else.
I’m mostly asking because I have 4 seasons of Ibex “Army Brown” SS & LS.
Giggity.
‘Your’ being a generic term in this case ????
I like the old Army Brown better than Sand for sure.
Mountain Combat Boots?
The shirt looks to me almost like it’s a slightly more brown foliage green, like the Tanker/Fueler cotton t-shirt from UCP ACUs.
I like the way it all looks so far. I can even deal with all the Velcro…
That was the delay in getting these out. I went to PEO Soldier and asked them to verify the correct color.
SSD
Any update on the proposed OCIE UCP to coyote dye concept?
I’ll ask. It was supposed to commence in October.
Was as in OCT14?
Yes, of this year.
Interesting. I imagine you’d have posted something is that had changed. Still about that time our BDE CSM starting cracking down on mixing and matching patterns and colors. I doubt the two are related though….
As a retired guy it doesn’t impact me directly. But I’m very interested in the sheer logistics of the over dye concept.
In all my years I don’t remember the Army ever attempting anything like this. Frankly it sounds like it will be a cluster.
Do soldiers bag up all of their specified items at one time and turn them in laundry style? Or perhaps all the rucks get done first then FLC then pouches?
In any case, if done that way the entire unit can’t do much if any training and is essentially non deployable until their stuff gets back. So how quick the turn around is if centralized becomes a critical issue.
Or will it be like the older style insect treatment that gets distributed in packets for each soldier to apply individually? (Which certainly seems more practical). Of course the outcome if decentralized will likely not be very uniform.
I appreciate that the Army is trying to get as much utility out of the UCP OCIE as they can. But I suspect that the over dye effort will be more trouble then it is worth.
Maybe I’m over thinking the problem. I look forward to hearing from serving soldiers who eventually get to experience the process for themselves.
TLB
You’re not overthinking it, they are under thinking it. The over-dye idea is a bad one.
I would assume they would dye currently stored inventory while unites keep the UCP and once a large quantity of stored OCIE gets dyed have them switch and then repeat until complete… I doubt the Army could fathom that idea though, the f*ck everything else up.
units*
they*
Damn I cannot type today.
Haha that’s really funny, I rocked coyote gear exclusively until about that time then our new BDE sgm started cracking down. Now it’s back to racks in UCP or FLC and everybody’s favorite army issue assault pack.
Instead of dealing with the process of over dying why not just give soldiers free reign and a couple cans of spray paint, wouldn’t be pretty but it would be cheap and easy.
The problem with spray paint is joe would cheap out and nobody would have the correct shade. Not to mention the NIR treatment in the dye being painted over and the added weight of the paint.
Well I’m pretty sure the UCP ta-50 is going to be used in garrison and conus training only at this point. As for the NIR effectiveness, I’d rather paint my kit and be able to blend in then worry about NIR coatings being mitigated. In the very small chance we face an enemy with high tech night vision capabilities other than 509th OPFOR guys I really don’t think it makes that much of a difference anyways.
I really like that color on the boots.
Same here. My motorcycle toe won’t be as noticable.
Now we just need photos and results from the bookends with ocp ocie and we’ll have a complete picture of what we’ll be dressed like for the foreseeable future
Boots are Belleville 990’s correct? Are they shown for the purpose of color or will it become a standard issue boot?
They look like the Bates hot-weather Mountain Hikers I’ve got, IMO. I’ve heard complaints, but the boots don’t bother me when I wear ’em.
Yup, they are the Belleville Hkr 990s, I got a pair of them myself. They’re pretty sweet, already plenty of them in the system, so the color must be relative to the new combat boot they’re coming out with and it just hasn’t been made yet. They’re at least issued to units in Afghanistan..
These seem to be different the the RFI boots I’ve been issued. I’m looking at a pair right now and the nylon is much more green than in the picture and the rubber sole looks greener too……
Have they decided to change the boots all together? I hope not I actually like 8″ boots better.
im not found of 8 inch boot myself i have large calfs
Fond*
Sweet… retirement is set for 2018
Psh, not if you’re National Guard it’s not. 😛
Oh good god I hate those boots. They fell apart really fast in an almost garrison setting when I was in AfghaniLand this year. It was only 6 month tour and the soles and the toe covering bit just peel off so fast, within the second month. I love the Altama GI boots now, sure they’re heavy as anything and everything but they last a long time for me. Just my opinion from experience.