Guppy
I'll Lock Up
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- Cleveland, OH
I'm a big fan of military pants. They're pretty much all I wear. I've always liked them, ever since I saw my first pair of pants with side pockets on the legs. Modern or vintage, military, para-military, or civilian.
I'm not sure how on-topic this is, since mostly people who wear period clothing are going after something more formal, but I just love the ruggedness and practicality of fatigue pants, so I thought I'd start a thread on them.
Here, in no particular order, are my favorites:
US Army M1951 pattern
Easy to find (at least in the USA), inexpensive, good looking. I like the flaps on the front hip pockets. They can tuck inside the pocket if you don't need to secure the contents with the snap closure.
West German Bundeswehr wool
Getting hard to find, especially in good condition, these date from the 1960s. Made from a heavy melton wool, these are excellent in cold weather, rugged, and very, very handsome. Everyone should own a pair, if you can find one in your size and in good condition, do not hesitate to pick it up
Triple Aught Design Force 10 Cargo pants
Modern, military-inspired civilian pants. Fairly expensive, but if you're used to spending $$$ on raw selvedge denim, the price won't sticker shock you. They're well made and even better designed, with inner pockets to better secure small items you put in the main pockets. There's even hidden pockets inside the waistband for stuff you need to secure from pickpockets. They'll accept knee pads, and have D-rings on the front belt loops for attaching things like carabiners and keyrings, lanyards, etc. The front hip pockets are the perfect size for a mid-sized cell phone. This is my go-to pants on most days. Also available as shorts, and in other styles worth looking at.
Czech M85
I only became aware of these recently. They are weird, quirky pants, which I like about them. Part of the Czech military's uniform design of 1985. They are extremely high waisted, and to get a proper fit you'll need to measure your waist about an inch above your belly button, but the top of the waist band can fold over and button down, making them a bit more normal fitting. I actually like them buttoned up high. There are two side pockets on the front and two on the rear of the thigh, which are convenient, but oddly a bit lower than on most other military field pants. The front hand pockets are a bit shallow, and I find the stuff tends to fall out if I'm putting my feet up. The cuffs are odd, with a kind of foot loop like a stirrup that cinches the cuff tight when your foot is in it. They're kinda so ugly you can't help but like them. Unfortunately these seem to be almost gone from the surplus outlets, with only a small quantity remaining in odd sizes, but if you can find a pair in your size, they're probably dirt cheap. Pick them up if you like something different and quirky.
British 1952 pattern
Original issue are exceedingly rare and bound to be very expensive, but North Sea Clothing currently offers an exellent quality reproduction, in both navy blue and olive green. While expensive, they're worth the price. They feature a thigh pocket on the left leg, and a front hip pocket that is about the size of a mid-sized smartphone. I can get a Galaxy S5 into them, nearly a perfect fit. I like the wide belt loops that button to the pants.
USMC P44
Another odd style. These feature just three pockets: Two huge pockets at the side of the hips, replacing the normal front pockets at the top of most pants, and a giant, external bag of a rear pocket. Dubbed "monkey pants", originals will run you over $1000 if you can find them. Made with a nice herringbone tweed. Bronson and Workware are two asian makers who do nice reproductions, and I'm thinking about picking up a pair. Bronson also has a variant in short length for summer wear. I'm not sure how practical the pocket configuration is for these, but I'm again just attracted to the unusual style of them.
What else do you like? What do you think of these? Let's see what you got, the more variety the merrier.
I'm not sure how on-topic this is, since mostly people who wear period clothing are going after something more formal, but I just love the ruggedness and practicality of fatigue pants, so I thought I'd start a thread on them.
Here, in no particular order, are my favorites:
US Army M1951 pattern
Easy to find (at least in the USA), inexpensive, good looking. I like the flaps on the front hip pockets. They can tuck inside the pocket if you don't need to secure the contents with the snap closure.
West German Bundeswehr wool
Getting hard to find, especially in good condition, these date from the 1960s. Made from a heavy melton wool, these are excellent in cold weather, rugged, and very, very handsome. Everyone should own a pair, if you can find one in your size and in good condition, do not hesitate to pick it up
Triple Aught Design Force 10 Cargo pants
Modern, military-inspired civilian pants. Fairly expensive, but if you're used to spending $$$ on raw selvedge denim, the price won't sticker shock you. They're well made and even better designed, with inner pockets to better secure small items you put in the main pockets. There's even hidden pockets inside the waistband for stuff you need to secure from pickpockets. They'll accept knee pads, and have D-rings on the front belt loops for attaching things like carabiners and keyrings, lanyards, etc. The front hip pockets are the perfect size for a mid-sized cell phone. This is my go-to pants on most days. Also available as shorts, and in other styles worth looking at.
Czech M85
I only became aware of these recently. They are weird, quirky pants, which I like about them. Part of the Czech military's uniform design of 1985. They are extremely high waisted, and to get a proper fit you'll need to measure your waist about an inch above your belly button, but the top of the waist band can fold over and button down, making them a bit more normal fitting. I actually like them buttoned up high. There are two side pockets on the front and two on the rear of the thigh, which are convenient, but oddly a bit lower than on most other military field pants. The front hand pockets are a bit shallow, and I find the stuff tends to fall out if I'm putting my feet up. The cuffs are odd, with a kind of foot loop like a stirrup that cinches the cuff tight when your foot is in it. They're kinda so ugly you can't help but like them. Unfortunately these seem to be almost gone from the surplus outlets, with only a small quantity remaining in odd sizes, but if you can find a pair in your size, they're probably dirt cheap. Pick them up if you like something different and quirky.
British 1952 pattern
Original issue are exceedingly rare and bound to be very expensive, but North Sea Clothing currently offers an exellent quality reproduction, in both navy blue and olive green. While expensive, they're worth the price. They feature a thigh pocket on the left leg, and a front hip pocket that is about the size of a mid-sized smartphone. I can get a Galaxy S5 into them, nearly a perfect fit. I like the wide belt loops that button to the pants.
USMC P44
Another odd style. These feature just three pockets: Two huge pockets at the side of the hips, replacing the normal front pockets at the top of most pants, and a giant, external bag of a rear pocket. Dubbed "monkey pants", originals will run you over $1000 if you can find them. Made with a nice herringbone tweed. Bronson and Workware are two asian makers who do nice reproductions, and I'm thinking about picking up a pair. Bronson also has a variant in short length for summer wear. I'm not sure how practical the pocket configuration is for these, but I'm again just attracted to the unusual style of them.
What else do you like? What do you think of these? Let's see what you got, the more variety the merrier.
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