Combat Dress
Encyclopedia
Combat Dress was the name of the uniform worn by members of Land Force Command of the Canadian Forces
from 1968 to 2002.
The combat uniform was olive-drab colour pants and shirt replacing the old Battle Dress
from the British
. This pattern was adopted by NATO members in the 1960s, but abandoned for camouflage and disruptive patterns by all but Canada
. Development of CADPAT
started in the 1990s, but it was not until the turn of the 21st century that widespread adoption began. The Royal Canadian Army Cadets
adopted the combat dress for field use and it is also worn by civilian instructors for the cadets.
For more on combat dress go to CF Operational Dress.
The basic combat clothing was a flocked cotton over nylon. There are many different variations on the Canadian combat shirt (tunic); one was a simple button up with FN magazine type pockets, another made of a heavier material (for cold weather) and had a zipper in place of buttons with the same pocket style but without dividers for FNC1A1 magazines, and the cadet combats that was made of a lighter material then to both and had different pockets arrangement and size as well as no draw strings. The combat jacket was of heavy cotton while the arctic jacket had a nylon shell. Both the combat shirt and the jackets had two lower cargo pockets with inserts that could hold 3 FNC1A1 20 round magazines each. The upper 2 pockets were angled inward and could hold 1 FNC1A1 magazine each. The combat shirts also have one inner pocket that was held closed by velcro and was clearly visible by an outline of thread on the outer right side of the shirt. Both the jackets and combat shirts have draw strings on the bottom and in the middle of the shirt, these were there to prevent debris and winds from entering the shirt as well as to prevent billowing during para jumping. Combat pants have buttons on every belt loop, this was if the pants were to large you could button over to the next button to make them smaller. Combat pants also had "blousers" which were tucked into the boots and the draw string on the bottom of the pant leg with be tightened around the top of the boot to keep out foreign objects and pests. Often the "blousers" were ripped out of the pant leg and used as toilet paper. Combat buttons on the Canadian combats are edible when boiled.
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
from 1968 to 2002.
The combat uniform was olive-drab colour pants and shirt replacing the old Battle Dress
Battle Dress
Battle Dress was the specific title of a military uniform adopted by the British Army in the late 1930s and worn until the 1960s. Several other nations also introduced variants of Battle Dress during the Second World War, including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and the...
from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. This pattern was adopted by NATO members in the 1960s, but abandoned for camouflage and disruptive patterns by all but Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Development of CADPAT
CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern currently used by the Canadian Forces . CADPAT is designed to reduce the likelihood of detection by night vision devices. The basic uniform consists of a wide brim combat hat, helmet cover, shirt, jacket, trousers,...
started in the 1990s, but it was not until the turn of the 21st century that widespread adoption began. The Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
adopted the combat dress for field use and it is also worn by civilian instructors for the cadets.
For more on combat dress go to CF Operational Dress.
Components
- Olive Green T-Shirt
- combat shirt (tunic)
- combat cargo pant
- bucket hat
- combat dresses
- combat jacket (with detachable liner)
- Arctic Jacket (with detachable liner)
The basic combat clothing was a flocked cotton over nylon. There are many different variations on the Canadian combat shirt (tunic); one was a simple button up with FN magazine type pockets, another made of a heavier material (for cold weather) and had a zipper in place of buttons with the same pocket style but without dividers for FNC1A1 magazines, and the cadet combats that was made of a lighter material then to both and had different pockets arrangement and size as well as no draw strings. The combat jacket was of heavy cotton while the arctic jacket had a nylon shell. Both the combat shirt and the jackets had two lower cargo pockets with inserts that could hold 3 FNC1A1 20 round magazines each. The upper 2 pockets were angled inward and could hold 1 FNC1A1 magazine each. The combat shirts also have one inner pocket that was held closed by velcro and was clearly visible by an outline of thread on the outer right side of the shirt. Both the jackets and combat shirts have draw strings on the bottom and in the middle of the shirt, these were there to prevent debris and winds from entering the shirt as well as to prevent billowing during para jumping. Combat pants have buttons on every belt loop, this was if the pants were to large you could button over to the next button to make them smaller. Combat pants also had "blousers" which were tucked into the boots and the draw string on the bottom of the pant leg with be tightened around the top of the boot to keep out foreign objects and pests. Often the "blousers" were ripped out of the pant leg and used as toilet paper. Combat buttons on the Canadian combats are edible when boiled.