The new uniform.

[Gold Winger]

" He was wondering if there was going to be a new emblem for Order of the Arrow since there was no place for the Arrow pin."

 

One of the pictures shows a button on the backside of a pocket flap. That's probably there for temp patches and the OA dangle.

 

"Scouters longed mightily for a uniform that could actually be worn outdoors, yet still recognizable as a Scout uniform."

 

I think that they made changes without acutally considering the purpose of the changes. For example, the silly pockets. They look to be smaller than the current pockets. My outdoorsing shirts from any number of manufacturers have nice big pockets so you can stuff a notebook into them or a couple rolls of film (remember that?) or a compass and whistle. Of the keys to good pockets is that it has to be deep enough so that stuff won't fall out easily.

 

Arm pockets? I've had them before and never used them. Maybe a pen slot. Perhaps our Army guys or aviation guys will tell us how often they use their arm pockets.

 

I agree on the collar. Should have gone back to a collar that looked good with the necker over it.

 

Oh well, we'll have to live with this shirt for another 20 years.

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Boyce]

Not a fan at all of epaulettes. Or the titty-pocket look (the front pockets look like bellow pockets). I much like the color of the pants, and the cap's really good.

 

One reason (among many: my scoutmaster resigning, other changes in the troop, high school and girl interests) I left scouting when I was 16 was because the uniform looked too militaristic. . . and also because the uniform looked like a great big billboard, with all the patches and stuff piled on. I guess this is where I'm coming from.

 

Simple is good, in my book. I don't like a fussy, overbadged, badged up look.

[epalmer84]

Wonder what color shoulder loop Varsity Scouts are going to use?

 

Noticed the BSA name over the right pocket is still red.

 

Probably committing heresy, but I would not mind the POR emblem to drop the logo and go to just the name. No one looks at the logo to figure out Scoutmaster or patrol leader. Change the background or the border to indicate trained and do away with another emblem.

 

Again more heresy do away with the Cub Scouting and Venturing uniforms and go with one universal uniform. Use the shoulder loops to indicate the membership level.

 

Ed

[Oak Tree]

I'll add my voice to the chorus. I generally like the color changes. They sure did get the red out. It's gone from the unit numerals, the trained strip, the shoulder loops, the hat, the socks. The buttons are clear or gone and that also simplifies the look. I like the choice of fabrics and I'm good with the darker green color for the pants. I like the gadget loops and the roll-up long sleeves.

 

The only things I don't like about it are the pockets. They look to be smaller and higher, which doesn't appeal to my fashion sense (and admittedly, I know it's not my fashion sense that we're worried about here, but it's the only opinion I have). And I don't get the shoulder pocket at all.

[Gold Winger]

"Probably committing heresy, but I would not mind the POR emblem to drop the logo and go to just the name"

 

I would rather go the other way. Get rid of the silly words and just use the emblem. Silver fleur for SM, gold for ASM, three bars for SPL, etc. Just like the old days. :-)

[scoutldr]

Just looked again...no room for the Veteran Unit bar above the troop numerals?

[Eamonn]

gkcobb

Hi and welcome to the forums.

While as I posted, I'm not sure if, where, or when this new uniform was tested?

I do think National Supply did ask for our input when they had the on-line questionnaire.

Of course it might be said that most Scouts don't spend a lot of time visiting the site!!

I have a lot of clothes that have the Colombia label on them. Most of them I picked up when they were on sale at Gander Mountain. When you look at the recommended retail price for these clothes, you really get a dose of sticker shock!!

I'm not in the retail clothing business and don't know very much about it.

Gander Mountain sells a lot of seasonal items, they need to move inventory to make room for what comes next.

Colombia can discontinue any line if it fails to make money, that is if the cost of manufacturing becomes to high.

The BSA as a rule doesn't have that luxury, once they come up with a uniform they are stuck with it and need to ensure that it is going to be available for sometime to come.

Yes I know the switchback pants don't seem to follow this!!

As a parent I have at times been upset at the high cost of uniforms. Sure I moaned and groaned about spending $76.00 on two pair of shorts, so my kid could wear them to NOAC.

Far be it from me to tell anyone how they should spend their hard earned cash. But, I have been trying to think about how many uniforms I did buy for my son while he was a youth member.

I do remember that he wore the same blue Cub Scout Shirt all through Cub Scouting until he became a Second Year Webelos Scout. (Don't tell anyone but we bought he pants at K-mart when they were on sale!!) He wore the tan shirt for a couple of years and I seem to remember that he got two new full uniforms for the 2001 Jamboree. My point is that we really didn't buy that many uniforms. When you take into account that he was a youth member for ten years. We certainly didn't spend $1,000.00, which would only be $100.00 a year.

While I have been called "Cheap" (I hate parting with my cash!!) I think the money I spent on him and his Scouting was and is the best use of my cash ever. This includes the money spent on uniforms.

Eamonn.

 

[Gunny2862]

scoutmomma and GW,

I haven't run into the problem of mismatched Swithchback legs either. Our guys stuff them in those little cargo pockets when they take them off.

Also I may be wrong but I didn't think you could put two left legs on the shorts, in this area they are labeled L and R on each legs zipper tag and the zipper is directional. We'd have to put one leg on inside out to do that.

[emb021]

"But I have to admit what I saw was a disappointment. First, did they listen to the boys? If they had they would have heard loud and clear, give us a Venture sytle uniform. These guys are more sophisticated than I think national gives them credit. They like the dark green plus the Venture uniform makes them feel less "dorky" or "cubby." If I could I would tell them all to buy a Venture uniform, strip off the Venture Scout emblem and sew the Boy Scout name on it. But I guess that is only a dream."

 

First off, its "Venturing", not "Venture".

 

Secondly, if you take away Venturing's uniform and give it to the boy scouts, what do the Venturers get??? There was a reason they gave the spruce green uniform to Explorers back in the 1940s...

 

If your boys want to wear a Venturing uniform, join Venturing. Simple as that.

 

Michael Brown

 

[Kudu]

More official information:

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsasupply/info.aspx?page=bsauniforms

[SSScout]

First there were Troop Numerals, White on Red.

 

Then, Add "Town" and "State" strips above the numerals.

Add a "Council" Strip above the "Town"

 

Then the PTB eliminated the "Town" and "State" strips and made the "Council" strip real pretty and prominent. ("Council" and Troop numerals")

 

Now the PTB make the "Council" strip less prominent and the Troop numerals less visible (subdued, I think, is the term?).

 

Is the final object to be a "Scout" but not a Scout from East South Jersy Troop #100 ?

 

Are Merit Badges being "subdued" too, or is some color being retained?

 

Sleeve pocket can be razored off carefully, POR sewed over the space.

 

I like the sleeve tabs for the long sleeve shirt. Bosom pockets do not look very "practical" to me. Size for notebook? Unsewed on badges? Pen slot? Velcro closing gets dirty easily with lint, hair, etc. and then doesn't hold tight. 'Course, I bet buttons are more expensive to sew on and think of the button holes.

 

Oh! where do we put our Totin' Chip? OA flap? I bet the bosom pockets aren't proportioned for that...

 

Is the ball cap a "headhugger" or does it have some "crown" for fit and ventilation? I find the HH type blows off real easy.

 

""One size fits some""

[Beavah]

Interestin' the reactions.

 

I think we've got to give it some time with da "where do we put [insert colorful optional badge or dangle]?" The right answer from the kids' perspective might be "on my wall at home" rather than on my uniform. Or perhaps, for an adult, "on my patch blanket."

 

Had someone tell me da reason for the shoulder pocket was because when you're wearin' a backpack or daypack, the straps cover the regular pockets and make 'em hard to get to. The shoulder pocket remains accessible. That makes sense, I guess, I've just never had an outdoor shirt like that. Closest is what Goldwinger describes - da pen pockets on the arm that show up in some aviation shirts (where shoulder straps cover the regular pockets). I did use those fairly often.

 

Had someone else this weekend tell me they have a ski jacket with an arm pocket like that for those cute little walkie-talkie family radios. Says it looks more fashionable and doesn't hurt when yeh crash the way keepin' it in a chest pocket does.

 

Anybody ever use one of these arm pocket setups that can comment?

 

B

 

[emb021]

"Then, Add "Town" and "State" strips above the numerals.

Add a "Council" Strip above the "Town"

 

Then the PTB eliminated the "Town" and "State" strips and made the "Council" strip real pretty and prominent. ("Council" and Troop numerals") "

 

Not quite.

 

You had "Community" strips and "state" strips. (actually, the state strips came later).

 

They didn't add a "Council" strip above the community strip, because then you'd have 3 strips. Instead they started to make a single large Council strip for JUST council/district scouters (and those boys on Jamboree contingent troops).

 

Later, someone realize the pain and expense of maintaing stock of hundreds of community strips instead of just council strips, so they dropped the community strips.

 

What as also a pain was that for a period of time, community and state strips were available in different colors for the different program uniforms: yellow on blue for Cubs, red on khaki for scouts, brown on green for Explorers, royal blue on sky blue for Air Scouts, navy blue on white and white on navy for Sea Scouts. (unit numbers, too!). So that was eliminated with just white on red community, state strips and numberals.

 

And a little later, they allowed for the more colorful Council Should Patch (CSP).

 

[emb021]

"Oh! where do we put our Totin' Chip? OA flap?"

 

Youre Totin' Chip card goes where it always goes. In your wallet.

 

If you mean your local, non-National Totin' Chip patch, it goes were it always goes: ON the right pocket like any other 'temporar insignia'.

 

The pocket flaps look big enough for the OA flap. AND there is a button under the flap for dangles.

 

 

[SSScout]

emb021: Thanks...

I knew the strip history was more complicated, I just simplified it from my own fuzzy memory. As a boy, my Troop resisted the elimination of the "Community / Town" strips, the Troop ordered a special combo town/state/numeral patch for awhile. I thought they made eminently good sense at the time, and the Council patch fit over it easily. Many moon later, when I came back to the Troop as a Dad, the Troop was back in the main groove with CSP and Troop numeral.

 

So we progress.

 

And what, more than $100. to get outfitted with the new up-to-date stuff?