BDU pant material

[rob_s]

I keep coming back to these pants in terms of style. I have multiple pairs from when I used to work at an army surplus store. Something I never sorted out back then, and am still curious about, is the material combinations. From what I can tell you can get

100% cotton ripstop
65/34 poly/cotton twill
65/35 poly/cottonripstop
60/40 cotton/poly ripstop
50/50 nylon/cotton ripstop

I'm sure there are more, but these are the most common.

So what's the difference? If you still wear this style of pants, which do you prefer and why? If you used to wear them, which did you prefer and why? Advantages/disadvantages to each?

I've seen this
https://www.epropper.com/fabrics.php
but I'm interested in the opinions of the group as a whole.

ETA:
more here, but this thread is over two years old
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=36185

[Failure2Stop]

I avoid the pure cotton.
They stay wet longer, are colder when it's cold and hotter when it's hot.
I prefer the twill over the ripstop.
Our issued uniforms were 50 cotton/50 nylon, and I think that they are a decent balance.
I hate Nomex, which has become a major played in "tactical" clothing.

I haven't payed much attention to the composition blend of most of what I have used but rather just company and model.
I like the Crye field pants, but I can't remember what their composition is, and I don't really feel like googling it ;)

[Pax]

Another here for Twill and of course against pure cotton.

Most all of my poly/cotton pants are ripstop, though Ive never noticed them actually stopping tears at the knees from progressing over time. So sure I'll take ripstop if it's offered, though it isnt a must have for me.

As for a perfect poly/cotton blend, I find that my 5.11s with higher polyester content (65 poly / 35 cotton) tend to resist abrasion better but burn easier from friction if I slide on my knees. I dont do a lot of that... So ~60 poly / 40 cotton is just fine for me. Light, dries quick, packable, etc. The few 60 cotton / 40 polys I have have all proved themselves fairly delicate.

Twills will suck in the summer of course. But which is more important to you. Durability or comfort?

[rob_s]

Twills will suck in the summer of course. But which is more important to you. Durability or comfort?

Comfort, within reason. Obviously I can't wear paper pants but I'm also not storming the Bastille. I'm not going to stand around in the Florida sun thinking "goddamn it's hot, but at least these pants will last me 14 more range visits than the ones that would have been comfortable".
:suicide2:

I wear my old BDUs around the house almost exclusively between the ones I have that are still intact and the ones that have been cut off into short pants. Tan and OD mostly, no camo.

That's what got me thinking they might make better range pants than all the "tactical" pants that are 2x the price and have fit issues or other problems.

I'm beginning to see that this is going to be like almost everything else: buy one of each and make up my own mind.

[M2AP]

I wouldn't want to wear 100% cotton BDUs in Florida. They suck bad enough during an Indiana summer. I do wear 100% cotton for cold weather work, cutting brush ect. They fend off briars ect a little better and hold up pretty well to that sort of abuse. All of the 100% cotton I've had are of thick, heavy duty material.
Other than that I wear (daily) 65/35 in khaki, o.d. and grey. They are comfortable over a wide range of temperatures, have decent durability and have good utility.
I've never seen a reason to spend more money for tactical pants, not for my purposes.
I may look into the 50/50s mentioned above.

[Iraq Ninja]

Has anyone else noticed how well the old BDUs hold its color, compared to the new camos that seem to fade quicker?

I still have a Vietnam era ERDL camo top that is in better shape than some multicam camo I have...

[rob_s]

I've never seen a reason to spend more money for tactical pants, not for my purposes.

If Vertx could get a handle on their sizing (and pricing, just a skosh) I would be unlikely to wear anything else, ever. But their seeming refusal to reign in their sweatshops and their slightly out-of-touch pricing (for me, I realize there are ninja pants that cost 10x as much) is what's pushed me back to looking at the BDUs. Hell, if they'd get the sizing sorted I might even be willing to just eat it on the sizing.

That and the fact that I looked in my laundry basket and realized that at home I don't wear anything BUT BDUs, either cut-off when it's warm or full-length when it's cold, so I might as well embrace it. :D

I want to see if I can maybe get a stitch-bitch to add a vertx-style cell phone/magazine pocket inside the cargo pockets on the BDUs.

[rob_s]

Propper Genuine Gear BDU Trouser, 60/40 Cotton/Poly Ripstop just now because I was ordering some other crap on Amazon and they had them for $23. Not sure what the deal is with their "Genuine Gear" bargain line but for $23 I was willing to find out.

[M2AP]

Going by memory it seems that the early tiger stripe pattern faded quicker that the clones we have now. But yes, in the last several years it seems the newer BDU's in other patterns fade quicker than the older versions.
I wear mostly Propper brand as I've found the fit to be more consistant.
Some brands cut cost and that usually results in a tighter fit in the thighs, not to mention the durability just isn't there.
The thigh pocket pouch addition is a good idea that would be a simple upgrade. I often carry handgun magazines in the left thigh pocket and it is a cluster.
I learned a long time ago to keep the back thigh pocket buttons fastened to keep from losing things when seated.

[misanthropist]

65/35 treats me well, although I generally get it in the form of the 5.11 taclite pros (or more recently 5.11 strike). Those being about the only 5.11 products I've been particularly happy with, but anyway...

Living here in the southwest, it's cold and wet a lot of the time. 100% cotton is out of the question. I find that 65/35 dries fast and is both stain and abrasion resistant.

I work in construction and wear the taclite pros most (like 99%) of the time. They're convenient for me because they take in integral kneepad, of which I make extensive use.

Interestingly I was attacked by a huge pitbull at work last week and the doctor commented that if I hadn't been wearing the particular fibre I was, I'd be missing a big chunk of my left hamstring, instead of just having a bunch of crushed tissue. But the combination of abrasion resistance, puncture resistance, and slipperiness made the dog slide off rather than actually puncture the leg.

Anyway, the leg is now very ugly but the pants look pretty good still, actually.

So I have generally positive feelings about 65/35.

[Armati]

Just two cents:

I like 100% cotton ripstop. I have worn it in old OG107's and BDU. It works great for hot and humid areas, and breaths better than 50/50 NYCO for desert operations.

50/50 NYCO ripstop is my all time favorite GP fabric. It drys fast and is tougher than all cotton ripstop. BDUs and DCUs are great in this fabric. The new ACU weave very light - much lighter than the BDU/DCU. When it first came out most folks said it was like wearing PJ's. Of course, the actual ACU uniform suffers from the shit UCP, a poor cut, and questionable stitching. The new multicam ACU being issued for Afghanistan is better but not nearly as good as the Crye uniform. The Crye uniform is the best available IMO.

50/50 NYCO twill. The original BDU/DCU. This stuff is tough. It wear like iron and was the favorite of Mech crews in Germany and Korea where the climate was a little more temperate and they needed a highly durable uniform. You will be pretty much miserable in it if you have to wear it in the desert or the jungle (or South Florida).

Poly/cotton, in any weave is just horrible. It is stiff and hot, does not wear well, and does not breath well. You would be better off with some USGI surplus BDUs and have them modded.

[rob_s]

I have one pair of 50/50. They are M/R so they don't really fit right, and they are woodland so they aren't very "grey man" walking around SE FL, but they seem very fade resistant (which I don't actually care about) and comfortable enough. I should try to pick up a pair in tan and ML so I'll actually wear them more and see how they work out.

Problem is they seem to be rare, I can't seem to find any in non-camo at all, and far more expensive somewhat negating the point of wearing BDU-style pants to begin with.

[Armati]

Tru-Spec makes 50/50 NYCO ripstop pants in Black, OD, Khaki, and Multicam.

Personally, I have my doubts on Tru-Spec and Propper as professional grade uniforms but for routine range use and EDC wear I think you will be just fine.

[CaptainDooley]

I agree on pricing. I've had 3 pairs (2 replacements for the original pair), but all 3 fit the same. I love the design and the cut, however, for the the durability I've seen they should cost half what they do. I'd pay about $30 for them tops.


If Vertx could get a handle on their sizing (and pricing, just a skosh) I would be unlikely to wear anything else, ever. But their seeming refusal to reign in their sweatshops and their slightly out-of-touch pricing (for me, I realize there are ninja pants that cost 10x as much) is what's pushed me back to looking at the BDUs. Hell, if they'd get the sizing sorted I might even be willing to just eat it on the pricing.

[товарищ]

50/50 NYCO is the best for FL. NWT Woodland sets can be found for $15-20 on eBay/forum EEs.


Tru-Spec makes 50/50 NYCO ripstop pants in Black, OD, Khaki, and Multicam.

Personally, I have my doubts on Tru-Spec and Propper as professional grade uniforms but for routine range use and EDC wear I think you will be just fine.

Tru-Spec produces garbage, but Propper has contracts for making US military uniforms. Half of my uniforms are/were Propper and I never have issues with them (ACUs/MCCUUs)