Any thoughts in response to the proposals for a softshell replacement for the trusty GP Jacket?
If you haven’t seen it in print, here’s the online Issu version of the RAF News edition that covers it
They were being trialled at my place recently.
Not impressed, and none of the guys trying it liked them either. The feedback sent back wasn’t positive!
They’re just not smart and the less said about the branding the better!
To me it looks like an improvement on the GPJ - the current jacket tends to be cut too short and I’ve never really liked the elasticated cuffs and waist.
The branding shown is gash but would be less offensive as a directly-embroidered logo. The white rectangle is not pretty.
And, of course, they make the same noise as the old crisp packets when you march!
I don’t use this word often but they look gash!
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No, just no! They look awful.
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Whether they are liked or any good is a moot point, just what is it with the label? This looks like a label your mum would put on your clothes when you were in primary school, except mum would put it on the inside. Unless the RAF are catching with the idea of brand labels on the outside of clothes, but not quite the same cachet as designer name. The question is what happens when it’s been washed and ironed a few times, given the penchant for ironing clothes in the military. I’ve never ironed a casual jacket of that type, which is what it looks like.
I would imagine that it’s cheap and cheerful and not designed to last.
I would have thought with the recent upsurge in activity, wandering around off base with something like that is just asking for trouble.
Simply because it’s cheaper to make a hundred thousand labels and stitch them on than it is to embroider the logo.
Gen.
But why would you need it? I imagine that for 99.999999999% of the time it would be worn around people who are either in the RAF or know what other RAF insignia look like, hence making it redundant. Unless people in the RAF keep forgetting who they work for and need something to remind them.
The brainstorming meeting for this must have been on a Friday PM after several drinks at lunchtime. It then makes you wonder through all subsequent meetings why it wasn’t laughed out of the room.
Will the army and navy also be adorning their clothing in a similar fashion?
The RAF are - for some bizarre reason - perpetually terrified that their personnel will be mistaken for the army. I have no idea why, as anyone who would actually care what service someone is from would know, those that mistake us for the Army don’t care and very frequently would think that we were Army even in full dress blues standing under a sign that says “Royal Air Force” in two-foot high lettering.
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I’d suspect that there is a desire also to reduce the amount of stock ranges to save money. These will come in Xs, S, M, L, XL, VRT, and SNCO with an extra single special request for WO.
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That is truly horrid; though the RAF aren’t alone in being paranoid about not being recognised (ever seen the RN waterproof with ‘ROYAL NAVY’ in massive letters on the back?)
That said, I think the GPJ is also horrible and wear mine once a year if that.
(Shuffles foot on the floor) I like the navy’s Goretex. I know it’s roughly the same as the RAFs, it just looks better instead of a horrid mid blue.
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I like it too but the branding isn’t exactly subtle.
Generally I think the RN have nice uniforms - shoot me but I do!
I hate my GPJ, it’s a horrible garment. (I miss the 1972 pattern bomber jacket, that thing was cool)
But these… These are an abomination.
I agree completely - except for the No1 Jacket. The RAF one just looks neater
Regardless is the feedback wasn’t positive or if there’s a hundred points to not get one…
Some officer no doubt has shares in the company, and it will get brought in regardless.
I did some trialing of kit a while back, and they still ignored major points that were brought up.
Pointless really. There’s no spine in the chain of command anymore. Anything that the lower ranks say just get manipulated by the yes men through the system.
Labels/branding of work clothes has been around for years. We’ve had logos on work supplied shirts for 25-30 years. This has gone from the old thermal print plastic things that faded and broke up to embroidered items, the quality of the clothing has been questionable, although not paid for by the taxpayer. When we have a new intake and on sports nights cadets wear school logo’d clothing. In fact I’d challenge anyone not to see at least one piece of logo’d clothing every single day and then there are the increasing number of people with work ID cards around their necks, like the one I’m wearing as I write.
It’s surprising (although possibly not) that the RAF took so long to catch up, We’ve had CI clothing that has been around for a number of years and then all the unit / regimental clothing / paraphernalia (including ATC sqn) that has been available for more years than I’d care to remember.
That said the jacket as per photo with it’s label does look very amateurish and extremely cheap.
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