My very own ACU-pattern test

[TacoDelRio]

I got ACU BDU's from my local surplus store, and thought I'd do a few tests on them.

This part of the test is the "Woodland / Jungle" part. I'll do a desert part later on to see how well it blends in there, and I have no doubt it's gonna look great, or rather, not look like anything because it really blends in well! :D

Please mind my photography, as I was alone, and had to use the video function to get images on my broken camera.

Here are my photos:
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/5554/acublendin2et.jpg
ACU with BHI Recon Chest Dealy and M4A1 on rocks in a streambed

http://img91.exs.cx/img91/3491/aculoadout8ow.jpg
Another photo. Blends in really well!

http://img91.exs.cx/img91/9862/m4a1acu1pz.jpg
M4A1 from Classic Army (M15A4 RIS)

I took a break after a mini-IAD on a concrete flood control thing nearby, and I looked like a human head, boots, a rifle, and gear sitting on concrete. It blends into urban settings really well!

http://img91.exs.cx/img91/7741/aculoadout15po.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/7393/meinacu5pr.jpg
Myself with plants and **** in the background. The brim of the boonie hat is freakin' huge, but will probably help my frail white-man skin from turning to bacon in the Mojave in the summer. Just gotta get used to it. I usually fold the brim up around the top sides of the hat so I can hear better in thick vegetation. And it makes me look like a retarded cowboy with a rifle. ;)

MOVING AROUND:
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/9625/meacuapproach3rd.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/1217/meacuapproach12ih.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/6987/meacuapproach29jq.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/6207/meinacu19hw.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/8911/meinacu27bt.jpg
http://img91.exs.cx/img91/1162/meinacu36jz.jpg

The gear was comfortable to walk around in. It does the job, so it's all good.

http://img91.exs.cx/img91/931/waterfall3ra.jpg
A waterfall

http://img91.exs.cx/img91/5837/tunnel7ro.jpg
A 600ft long tunnel that makes your ass-muscles burn after a few passes!

I'll add on to this test when we go to the desert for training.

If any of you guys have tested out your ACU or other strange/nerw pattern BDU's, feel free to add to this post!

Have a good one,

-Ryan

[TacoDelRio]

Reply, damnit!

[tenda]

...beer...i'm in love twice with acu.... :petting:

[Howie Kaluha]

Eh, just doesn't seem to blend in all that well, especially in those woods you were in. At least, this is what I can see from the pics.

............doesn't seem to be nearly as good as Multicam woot

[bigjeff]

Kinda works well in Rock ratehr than urban area i think. p-)

[PHIL.BERT]

Nice test Mr. Skor! I like to see these tests. I am interested in the new digital PATS. Looks great on gray rocks and I bet it is good in urban conditions. Woods? Bluish. Maybe too much so. At least that is how it looks in the pics. What do you think?

[Digital Marine]

ACU is definitly the shiznit... WURDUP BRUTHA! woot

[Buckeye67]

Nice test Mr. Skor! I like to see these tests. I am interested in the new digital PATS. Looks great on gray rocks and I bet it is good in urban conditions. Woods? Bluish. Maybe too much so. At least that is how it looks in the pics. What do you think?

I think part of the problem is the way digital cameras tend to oversaturate colors. Often times the colors are a lot more "colorful" than you'd see something with the naked eye.

Due to that, I think that the grey in the ACU tends to "blue shift" when photographed - which makes the entire uniform appear unnaturally blue. I have a set of the Tru-Spec ACU's and an anorak made from actual ACUPAT fabric and looking at them in most light, they're never as "blue" as we see in photos like this.

In the Knob Creek thread in the photos and videos forum I'm wearing my pair of ACU pants and they don't look so blue. They look a lot more the way they actually appear.

I'm going hiking this weekend. I'll take the camera along and see if I can't get some photos myself.

[D.Sigurdsson]

nice test bro, but some of the pics look blurry :)

[Beinlausen]

Nice test, but that cammo is just a frickin disgrace to the US ARMY.

That beeing said, I only hope sombody gets enough brains to see that Multicam is the thing to adopt what ever pricage you get on it.

Digital patters are to clumsy, they only work in one or two habitats, but multicam is just that, multi camoflage.


Rant out.

[Static]

I personally aint feeling those camies dude.

Nice test though, but switch camies... :|

[D.Sigurdsson]

Nice test, but that cammo is just a frickin disgrace to the US ARMY.

That beeing said, I only hope sombody gets enough brains to see that Multicam is the thing to adopt what ever pricage you get on it.

Digital patters are to clumsy, they only work in one or two habitats, but multicam is just that, multi camoflage.


Rant out.



I personally aint feeling those camies dude.

Nice test though, but switch camies... :|

You guys are tarded the ACU rocks (IMHO) :lol:

[Howie Kaluha]

Nice test, but that cammo is just a frickin disgrace to the US ARMY.

That beeing said, I only hope sombody gets enough brains to see that Multicam is the thing to adopt what ever pricage you get on it.

Digital patters are to clumsy, they only work in one or two habitats, but multicam is just that, multi camoflage.


Rant out.



I personally aint feeling those camies dude.

Nice test though, but switch camies... :|

You guys are tarded the ACU rocks (IMHO) :lol:

I agree with these guys. Heck, at least Mr S had the balls to try it out. But, honestly, this stuff is almost quite useless. Either (A) you plan on laying on top of a rockpile all day long or (B) you work ONLY in a true urban setting. This camoflage is a serious mistake. And the biggest mistake is that the Army is going to be fielding this stuff.

I got one word for ya................MULTICAM :P

[callous]

I have a pair of TRU-SPEC ACU's and the actual colors are tan and two shades of grey. With an overall biege look. I think it will be good in urban and desert enviroments, But I don't think it'll work at all in the woods. I think the Army is gonna have to get another set just for the woods. Or scrap the ACU all together and go with another camo ie. multicam. Then again the actual ACU's used by the army might be different then the TRU-SPEC ACU's and this whole discussion is moot.

This reminds me. A year ot two ago the Army did a camo test. They found that most camos worked great in only one enviroment, but OD green worked in all of them. Maybe the Army should just go back to using OD woot

[cmdrfire]

Nice test Mr. Skor! I like to see these tests. I am interested in the new digital PATS. Looks great on gray rocks and I bet it is good in urban conditions. Woods? Bluish. Maybe too much so. At least that is how it looks in the pics. What do you think?

I think part of the problem is the way digital cameras tend to oversaturate colors. Often times the colors are a lot more "colorful" than you'd see something with the naked eye.

Due to that, I think that the grey in the ACU tends to "blue shift" when photographed - which makes the entire uniform appear unnaturally blue. I have a set of the Tru-Spec ACU's and an anorak made from actual ACUPAT fabric and looking at them in most light, they're never as "blue" as we see in photos like this.

In the Knob Creek thread in the photos and videos forum I'm wearing my pair of ACU pants and they don't look so blue. They look a lot more the way they actually appear.

I'm going hiking this weekend. I'll take the camera along and see if I can't get some photos myself.

I think you're right - I saw some ACUs that looked almost tan/greeny/beigey, but in all the photographs they look blue. Weird that.

Gimme MARPAT any day though p-)

[ArmyRanger]

by copywright they cant copy the actual ACU. so the colors are diffrent and chemical process is diffrent. i played airsoft with a guy wearing tru-spec ACU's and i saw his ass every time, the colors seemd to be bluish and white and grey. the actual ACU has Tan, Green and Grey in it. i didnt see any color in his tru-specs but blueish grays and some white

and im sure it looks diffrent on camra for some reason

[Rottweiler]

Wasn't there a thread where someone said that the current Tru-Spec ACUs are just for show until the summer when the real ones get put out? All of this "testing" of these Tru-Specs don't mean a damn thing until the real deal is out.

[PHIL.BERT]

Nice test Mr. Skor! I like to see these tests. I am interested in the new digital PATS. Looks great on gray rocks and I bet it is good in urban conditions. Woods? Bluish. Maybe too much so. At least that is how it looks in the pics. What do you think?

I think part of the problem is the way digital cameras tend to oversaturate colors. Often times the colors are a lot more "colorful" than you'd see something with the naked eye.

Due to that, I think that the grey in the ACU tends to "blue shift" when photographed - which makes the entire uniform appear unnaturally blue. I have a set of the Tru-Spec ACU's and an anorak made from actual ACUPAT fabric and looking at them in most light, they're never as "blue" as we see in photos like this.


In the Knob Creek thread in the photos and videos forum I'm wearing my pair of ACU pants and they don't look so blue. They look a lot more the way they actually appear.

I'm going hiking this weekend. I'll take the camera along and see if I can't get some photos myself.

I think you're right - I saw some ACUs that looked almost tan/greeny/beigey, but in all the photographs they look blue. Weird that.

Gimme MARPAT any day though p-)

Yes, most automatic digital cameras DO something with the "white balance" of a photo. They automatically adjust for different lighting conditions. On a gray cloudy day the camera might select 6000 Kelvin. 3200 K for incandescent lighting. 5000 K for a sunny day. The range can be 2000 (warmer...reddish, orange, yellow) to 10,000 (cold...gray, bluish, violate). If the camera guesses wrong, then you end up with false colors. Very often they do guess wrong because of the objects in the picture. (It's funny how the human brain adjusts for this, but the camera really needs to be told the temperature of the light.) The best way to keep the color correct is to manually program it on the higher end cameras.

Time will tell on the new patterns. Maybe the Tru-Spec ACUs are not close yet. I dunno, but I'm wanting to try some of these myself. I love my MARPAT though! Works in the FL dirt (pics coming soon) Multicam? Looks GREAT! I'll get a set one day.

[Buckeye67]

Wasn't there a thread where someone said that the current Tru-Spec ACUs are just for show until the summer when the real ones get put out? All of this "testing" of these Tru-Specs don't mean a damn thing until the real deal is out.

As I mentioned, I have a set of the Tru-Spec ACU copies and an anorak that's made from the "real" ACU fabric. The only differences between the two are that the "real" fabric has somewhat less edge distinction between the different colors and in the Tru-Specs - the green is slightly darker (yes, darker) than in the "real" ACU fabric.

[PHIL.BERT]

Wasn't there a thread where someone said that the current Tru-Spec ACUs are just for show until the summer when the real ones get put out? All of this "testing" of these Tru-Specs don't mean a damn thing until the real deal is out.

As I mentioned, I have a set of the Tru-Spec ACU copies and an anorak that's made from the "real" ACU fabric. The only differences between the two are that the "real" fabric has somewhat less edge distinction between the different colors and in the Tru-Specs - the green is slightly darker (yes, darker) than in the "real" ACU fabric.

Good to know. Thanks!

[TacoDelRio]

Alright, response time.

These ACU camo BDU's should be fine. Check out a summertime, and a wintertime picture of where we train in the desert:

SUMMER
http://img48.echo.cx/img48/4834/pcdv00837wm.jpg

WINTER
http://img215.echo.cx/img215/8435/shooteronhigh2nn.jpg

It should blend in very well to both environments. Should be nice in the snow, if a bit cold. As I have said before, I'm not done with the test, so obviously it's not going to look awesome in a jungle. That's probably why I own multiple uniforms. But hey, now you guys can see that it blends in with rocks and buildings and ****, right? Save ya some cash.

I might also note that when you get the BDU's wet, the grey turns into a coyote-brown-ish color, and the greens get darker. As with any camo uniform, it blends in alot better when it's wet and dirty. (Oh I love it when you talk like that! ;) ) woot So there ya go, just like real life.

Rottweiler: "Wasn't there a thread where someone said that the current Tru-Spec ACUs are

just for show until the summer when the real ones get put out? All of this "testing" of these Tru-Specs don't mean a damn thing until the real deal is out."
-Thanks. Going out and testing this **** beats sitting on my computer anyday. Plus they cost

Static: "I personally aint feeling those camies dude. Nice test though, but switch camies... "
-I've got more. I'll wear the WC's I was issued.

Beinlausen: "Nice test, but that cammo is just a frickin disgrace to the US ARMY."
-Don't you worry, you're pretty far away! No need to join!

D.Sigurdsson: "nice test bro, but some of the pics look blurry"
-Note from my first post, "Please mind my photography, as I was alone, and had to use the

video function to get images on my broken camera."
My Fujifilm camera isn't very soldier-proof. ONLY DROPPED IT ONCE!!! (Like the French!) rofl

Anyway, that's it for now.

Anyone else got some tests?

[Rottweiler]

Sorry if I came off a bit arrogant, I'm not having a good day. :|

I'm just holding off any comments of how effective this uniform is until I see the US Army itself use it and how they use it. It's been said before: this uniform can't be that bad, can it?

[TacoDelRio]

None taken, dude. I don't take anything seriously on here (usually).

I think this will be just like the 5.56mm Vs. 7.62mm debate. All the same. ACUPAT looks like it's gonna be awesome in urban areas.

Multicam is just plain awesome, or so the pictures say. I personally don't think there's any one uniform-color answer to every possible environment that troops may be subjected to. Having one tool for a wide range of jobs is cost efficient, but not the best. Then again, that's why you got different groups, right?

[tenda]

...multicam it's nice but expensive.....so i will go for an acu... :petting:

[TacoDelRio]

The best camo: KRYLON!

[TacoDelRio]

Oh yes, and natural foliage, local, of course! :D

[callous]

I'm really considering dying my ACU's with some green dye.

[RGRBOX]

I tested the ACU a few weeks ago in the Bavarian Forest. Doen't work at all. I'm staying with my MC for the moment. I'm still waiting to see the ACU in Iraq. Any pictures yet...

[Howie Kaluha]

I'm staying with my MC for the moment.

:D woot

[RGRBOX]

I just went out and tried the both of them again.. The only place I could find where the ACU works is inside a MC camo backpack... but the MC worked great. I put my MC jacket on the ground and if it were'nt for me also laying the ACU ontop of it, then I would have never found them...

[ArmyRanger]

those boots ur wearing blend in better than the ACU. , but we will know for sure a buddy of mine is getting his ACU's issued on Wen and he will take some enviroment pics for me

[TacoDelRio]

I bet you guys $50 and a hoagie (sammich) that this **** will be good in typical urban areas (IE with concrete instead of mud bricks).

Maybe I'll try that out.

[RGRBOX]

I bet you guys $50 and a hoagie (sammich) that this **** will be good in typical urban areas (IE with concrete instead of mud bricks).

Maybe I'll try that out.

Look forwar to seeing the pics... but damn, I haven't had a Hoogie in 10 years... you think you could Fedex me one...

[cmdrfire]

I bet you guys $50 and a hoagie (sammich) that this **** will be good in typical urban areas (IE with concrete instead of mud bricks).

Maybe I'll try that out.

Think you're right there bud (about the urban, as opposed to the sammich).
Be interesting to see the differences between the Tru-specs and the real ACU (i know Buckeye mentioned he's got the a real ACUPAT anorak), possibly it's made out of a different material (not just colouring, but materials used in manufacture that affect the colours on the material). Also could be that Tru-Spec prints on the ACUPAT and the real deal is not screen-printed, or vice versa.
I know that the Tru-spec MARPAT originally had problems with the coyote brown base (and thus all colours printed onto the base) being way, way too bright, and this was due to the printing process that they used. I've got a sample of their desert MARPAT, compared to my real MARPAT, and because the materials are different and the production process is different, a colour which you can see was originally coyote brown comes out a lot brighter.
Just some thoughts. Go run around a town in the ACUPAT and see how it handles, should be interesting.