Soldiers headed to Afghanistan will soon wear rugged new combat pants designed to stand up to the country’s unforgiving terrain. In know for a fact that the desert will rip the regular combat pants to shreds because of the effects of sand and weather as well as the normal stresses that combat will place on the uniform.
In April, the Army will begin issuing early versions of what it’s calling the “Army Combat Pant” to deploying units. “The Army Combat Pant came about based on feedback from soldiers in Afghanistan, which is an extremely harsh environment that causes rapid wear on our trousers. PEO Soldier has made multiple improvements to the regular-issue Army Combat Uniform pants such as reinforcing the fabric and sewing in the crotch, seat, and knees before considering the combat pants preferred by special operations units, uniform officials said. These specialized pants feature a roomier design for aggressive movement, abrasion-resistant material and molded knee pads that attach in a fitted knee pocket.
The regular pants are rugged but wearing them in the desert is a completely different story. As a former soldier I can see why each and every change is neccessary because all of the points that they have reinforced are the points that I had the most poblems with. I also found that my pants shrank tremendously because of the desert heat. I would wash them and they would be bone dry in about fifteen minutes. The unforgiving heat caused them to shrink as it dried them out. As they shrank they became tighter and harder to move around in. This certainly seems like it will be a great improvement for our military ring customers presently serving in Afghanistan.
