U.S. Army Scorpion ACUs

cajuncarrier

5-Year Member
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Mar 3, 2013
Messages
387
Hey All,

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I've had a lot going on, like a wedding, graduation, and just life in general. I still come on this site everyday to keep up with what's going on. But quite frankly, there are so many others on here who have an abundance of knowledge that is far greater than mine. It's best to just let them chime in..

Anyway, DS MSIII texted me the other day

"Hey Mom, just so I don't forget, for Christmas I would like the new U.S. Army scorpion uniform. My current ACUs do not really fit and they are being fazed out.. Just a thought"

My response, "They don't provide you with that?"

DS - "Not till the semester after I graduate"

So question: Where do I get this? Any suggestions, experience- greatly appreciated..
 
You could try online, tacticalgear.com offers an assortment of different uniforms for different branches. Another valuable resource would be an army navy surplus store, if you have one local.
 
The Army at large is going through a big uniform change right now. The universal camo pattern (UCP) for the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) will not be phased out until 2019. Thus, the reason his ROTC unit does not provide them is that the cadets are not required to have them yet. That said, many folks cannot wait to dump the UCP pattern and are buying their own uniforms. I would ask your DS if his PMS is allowing cadets to wear them since the PMS (Professor of Military Science) establishes local uniform policies in the ROTC detachment. If yes and you want to buy them, they are available at select military clothing sales stores. I am in Northern Virginia and the National Capital Area stores just got them recently (Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir etc.) I believe Fort Bragg, Fort Benning and a few others have them too. Where does your DS go to school and are there any Army posts nearby? Last, I would not buy on-line. If you buy on-line you will more than likely get Multi-Cam which is *highly* similar to Scorpion W2, but not exactly the same. Scorpion W2 was actually a predecessor to Multi-Cam. Multi-Cam is actually allowed for wear in the Army through 2017 I believe because the Army issued a bunch of it for Afghanistan, but it will also be phased out over time. Bottom line: It's not required, it is a better camo pattern and I would buy it at a clothing sales store. If you *must* have it on-line, then www.militaryclothing.com seems to have the best selection from what I am hearing among my Soldiers.
 
I'm not saying you shouldn't get your cadet a new pair of OCP ACUs, but don't do it because the old ACUs are being phased out. The official wear out date is Sept 30, 2019. ROTC won't get issued the new ones until 4QFY16. Not a good reason to spend the money now in my opinion. Of course, if he just wants them, that's different. ;)
 
It might be tricky to find them online right now unless they have them at AAFES online now. The new ACUs aren't even at all the clothing and sales shops yet, they're being phased in. If you live near an installation with a big army division (82nd, 101st, 1ID-4ID, etc) you will be able to find it, but at some of the other posts they don't have them in yet. The new ACUs also fit slightly different so it might be best to get him an AAFES gift card and let him go in and try them on and have everything sewn on.

But I also understand that everyone wants the new stuff as soon as it comes out.
 
I would cautious ordering any brand new Army uniform online - they might look alike, but not the real thing.
 
I guess my question is, especially if you have an MSIII or IV....will they be issued the new pattern after graduating before they go to BOLC? Or will they be issued new ACU's in 2019? If they are a better pattern and your DS or DD might be deployed before 2019, you may want to pony up for the new gear.

After learning about this new Scorpion pattern, I went online and read many articles about it. According to what I read, The 'multi-cam' was the preferred choice of the soldiers way back in 2002 but the Army balked at the price tag from Crye Precision who owned the pattern.
 
It is my understanding that if you are in a unit that gets deployed and you still have the old pattern you will be issued the new pattern upon deploying. That might depend on the type of unit you are in or where you are deploying to.

The guard unit DS is now in was deployed before he commissioned and returned before he joined them, they were issued the multi-cam upon deployment. Upon returning they were told to go back to the current ACU's so everyone looked the same until the new uniforms were distributed.

I would agree with all of the comments above. I can't see an ROTC unit wearing the new uniforms unless the PMS said buy whatever you want to, but can't see that either. If he wants them for future use I would wait for graduation to make sure you get a size that fits him then.
 
I live near a major installation and there is a plethora of new uniforms (OCP) at the base stores. With the active duty forces here only about 40% (anecdotal) have the new uniform. I still have the ACUs and am not really itching to get the new uniform yet. It's around $100+ a set not including the undershirt and boots, but you can wear the old ACUs shirts/boots for now.

As a cadet I would just wear whatever is issued, it just doesn't matter even if the ACU fits like garbage . As others have said it's really up to the PMS to dictate the uniform. I remember when I started ROTC there were a few BDU uniforms in circulation within my unit. In my opinion save your money.
 
I guess my question is, especially if you have an MSIII or IV....will they be issued the new pattern after graduating before they go to BOLC? Or will they be issued new ACU's in 2019? If they are a better pattern and your DS or DD might be deployed before 2019, you may want to pony up for the new gear.

You won't be issued any. As an officer you get a one time uniform allowance to buy uniforms before BOLC. Generally an ROTC unit will let you keep one set (most likely ACU) but it depends on the school. ROTC is not a priority for uniforms/equipment hence why my school had desert BDU and Vietnam-era ruck sacks.
 
It is my understanding that if you are in a unit that gets deployed and you still have the old pattern you will be issued the new pattern upon deploying. That might depend on the type of unit you are in or where you are deploying to.

The guard unit DS is now in was deployed before he commissioned and returned before he joined them, they were issued the multi-cam upon deployment. Upon returning they were told to go back to the current ACU's so everyone looked the same until the new uniforms were distributed.

I would agree with all of the comments above. I can't see an ROTC unit wearing the new uniforms unless the PMS said buy whatever you want to, but can't see that either. If he wants them for future use I would wait for graduation to make sure you get a size that fits him then.

That multicam uniform is different from the new ACU.
 
It is my understanding that if you are in a unit that gets deployed and you still have the old pattern you will be issued the new pattern upon deploying. That might depend on the type of unit you are in or where you are deploying to.

The guard unit DS is now in was deployed before he commissioned and returned before he joined them, they were issued the multi-cam upon deployment. Upon returning they were told to go back to the current ACU's so everyone looked the same until the new uniforms were distributed.

I would agree with all of the comments above. I can't see an ROTC unit wearing the new uniforms unless the PMS said buy whatever you want to, but can't see that either. If he wants them for future use I would wait for graduation to make sure you get a size that fits him then.

That multicam uniform is different from the new ACU.

I saw some comparison photos online today and assuming there are legit, they are pretty darn close. I'd also add that I though the multi-cam looked a little better based on what I saw. Maybe the patent ran out on multi-cam and the Army labs were able to make a "generic" version.
 
It is my understanding that if you are in a unit that gets deployed and you still have the old pattern you will be issued the new pattern upon deploying. That might depend on the type of unit you are in or where you are deploying to.

The guard unit DS is now in was deployed before he commissioned and returned before he joined them, they were issued the multi-cam upon deployment. Upon returning they were told to go back to the current ACU's so everyone looked the same until the new uniforms were distributed.

I would agree with all of the comments above. I can't see an ROTC unit wearing the new uniforms unless the PMS said buy whatever you want to, but can't see that either. If he wants them for future use I would wait for graduation to make sure you get a size that fits him then.

That multicam uniform is different from the new ACU.

I saw some comparison photos online today and assuming there are legit, they are pretty darn close. I'd also add that I though the multi-cam looked a little better based on what I saw. Maybe the patent ran out on multi-cam and the Army labs were able to make a "generic" version.

No, you're right they do look similar, but there are subtle differences. The Scorpion pattern was originally developed by the Army and another company, the company then modified that pattern again into Multicam and the Army modified it themselves into Scorpion W2 (so they owned the rights to that pattern). When it came time for the new uniform, Army owns the rights to Scorpion W2 so it was cheaper to use this pattern, which is very similar to Multicam since Multicam came from Scorpion, than to pay the extra fees associated with printing Multicam*. This also allows the Army to restrict the pattern to servicemembers only, which is where MemberLG's post has great advice since many online retailers will try to replicate it, but it will still be different.

*Alledgedly
 
Thanks all for your responses. I guess there are many questions to ask him and for him to ask. But I believe the reason he wants a new set is because they don't really fit him anymore. I believe he hit a growth spurt from 18 to 21!!! Lots of changes in a young man's body during that time. We live in Louisiana (bet you couldn't guess from my username ;) so the closest Army base is Fort Polk which is about 1 1/2 hours away. We do have an Army surplus store about 30 minutes away, so I could check there.

All of you have presented great questions for me to learn about the new issues. Thanks a bunch. When I find out more info, I'll keep y'all updated.
 
A surplus store won't have them yet as there is no surplus. There is a real good chance Fort Polk would have them already if you're willing to make the trip. Nothing wrong with wanting the new uniform and if I was looking to get new uniforms, I'd go with the new ACU versus the old one as it will be gone in a few years.
 
We live in Louisiana (bet you couldn't guess from my username ;) so the closest Army base is Fort Polk which is about 1 1/2 hours away. We do have an Army surplus store about 30 minutes away, so I could check there.

If you are not active duty, you might have problem purchasing official uniform items from an Army military clothing and sales store.
 
Typically, at DS's school anyway, if you outgrow or otherwise render your uniform unusable, you simply turn it in to supply and get a new one. Does he not have that option?
 
Typically, at DS's school anyway, if you outgrow or otherwise render your uniform unusable, you simply turn it in to supply and get a new one. Does he not have that option?

I'll have to check on that. But I just spoke to him with. He will find out more info from his cadre.
 
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