Speaking of combat gear, it is definitely CP's G3 combat gear that stands at the center of "fashion" and the top of "contempt chain". The light of the trend pioneer is too dazzling, which always makes people ignore other fine products under the light, such as the protagonist of this article-Patagonia L9.
Patagonia, an outdoor equipment manufacturer named after the South American Plateau, entered the military field. Its military version products represented by PCU series are famous for their exquisite materials and high quality, and they are very low-key and rarely flow out. For the vast number of fans, they are also sacred objects that cannot be met and cannot be sought. This paper sorts out the collection of a foreign collector and appreciates it from many angles. L9 combat uniform is a good thing with low-key luxury and connotation.
Patagonia L9 NTS coat part
1, AOR 1 Camouflage First Generation Patagonia L9 NTS Shirt
First of all, what we want to see is the training suit jacket that is in the same period as the G2 training suit of AOR 1 color CP NC version, and this kind of coat using AOR 1 camouflage is much more difficult than that of NC G2.
Some friends will think that the author's collection doesn't "keep up" with the fashion of SF, just because the author simply likes to collect all kinds of good equipment with camouflage, but it is undeniable that many people really like to pay attention to the history and origin behind the collection after collection, so the author tries to write some contents in this regard as much as possible.
This paper focuses on appreciation, and the author will not put too much energy into these aspects. Therefore, if readers want to see some reference pictures about the use of SF ice and learn more relevant information, they have to bother to do it themselves and have plenty of food and clothing. In fact, the sources of this information are also very rich. Facebook, Instagram and other non-existent websites and some forum websites have buried a lot of treasures.
In view of the particularity of AOR 1 camouflage, these coats with the same camouflage must be distributed to the special operations forces of the US Navy, but compared with CP NC training uniforms, the number is much less.
Of course, this situation changed a little later. These good people in NSW offered an olive branch to Patagonia. After CP products become standard in NSW, Bata L9 can still occupy a place in their suitcases. I don't know if these L9 top-fittings are sold at the same time to supplement the deficiency of CP products, or because they have slightly different uses in the equipment system, but I prefer the possibility of the former.
This first-generation L9 jacket contains the elements of monochrome wool hook and loop and trunk fabric with sleeves, but this collocation is limited to the first-generation products owned by the author.
Before this coat, the author has received a pair of matching trousers, and spent a lot of time and energy looking for this coat, especially under the limitation of the author's small size, not to mention the harsh additional condition of good appearance, but the final result is still worthwhile for the author personally. After all, the original L9 suit was one of the few uniform styles that used AOR 1 camouflage.
The neckline design of this coat conforms to the standard initiated by CP, and the fabric of sleeve part is also expected to be 50/50 NYCO material; When clothes are hung on a hanger, the sleeves will not straighten, because they are three-dimensional cut, which conforms to the ergonomic principle and has a somewhat different effect from CP's cylindrical cloth.
There are two buttons in the upper arm pocket. Just like the CP NC shirt, you can freely choose whether to install elbow pads. The main material of NCG2 and L9 tops is man-made fiber (modified acrylic fiber, which also contains different auxiliary fabrics).
Man-made fiber is actually a very general term, which covers any material containing a certain percentage of synthetic fiber. Perhaps manufacturers use this term to avoid the risk of revealing the exact fabric composition of their products to competitors under the requirement of mandatory clothing labels.
A friend asked AOR 1 has many similarities with MARPAT used by the Marine Corps, so why doesn't the Navy directly adopt the design of the Marine Corps? The author believes that the US Marine Corps has its own regulations to restrict other troops from using its exclusive camouflage patterns. At the same time, SF also has its own favorite camouflage patterns, after all, hobbies are ever-changing.
2.AOR 1 Camouflage II (Transitional Edition) Patagonia L9 NTS Top
Now let's take a look at the over-version of AOR 1 Camouflage Patagonia PCU L9 "close-fitting" combat suit top.
As for why the author calls this jacket a transitional version, the reason is that in the early version, the jacket of L9 combat uniform was sewn on the surface of the upper arm pocket with ordinary solid yellow-brown matte fastener. Later, Bata made the trunk of his coat with AOR camouflage fabric, and with this super camouflage shackle in his arm pocket, L9 became a complete camouflage training suit.
By comparing all three versions, the author finds that there is no difference in tailoring between them. However, due to the change of materials, the aesthetic feelings brought by the three versions are different.
The Next To Skin in the name of Bata's combat suit jacket is usually abbreviated as NTS, which is worth mentioning, because it seems that the author rarely sees wearing combat suits like this without wearing them like this.
There is no denying that in some cases, it is good to wear a warm basic layer or a close-fitting quick-drying clothes under the combat uniform, but as common sense, basically no one will wear anything under the coat.
If the weather is cold and users wear a lot of accessories, nylon accessories will help users keep a lot of heat. At the same time, there are also special combat suits (combat suits in cold regions) made of wool and soft shell clothing fabrics on the market. If it's cold and you don't need equipment, you might as well wear a coat, which is really light.
According to the actual fabric composition and close-fitting degree of combat clothes, in some cases, it is wise to wear a tight synthetic quick-drying base coat, but generally speaking, the more layers of clothes, the stronger the warmth, so the best choice is to buy a thin coat that can make the air circulate, and the quick-drying function in key parts is enough.
In view of the above reasons, if the budget is limited, I strongly recommend the UBACS frog suit in MTP color. If you don't mind spending a lot of money, UF-Pro Strike XT is the best choice (I will only give you two examples, but you are welcome to choose according to your own preferences).
Of course, the above suggestions are based on the assumption that there is no requirement for flame retardancy (FR) in the tasks that users participate in. After all, flame can change the game pattern, and then greatly affect the priority of users to choose equipment.
3.AOR 1 and AOR2 camouflage third-generation Patagonian NTL9 combat suit tops.
I have seen the first generation version of L9 suit jacket, which has a history of several years. Although it is a cool dress, the common color matching design used in most combat uniforms is also a product that largely conforms to the characteristics of the times. At the same time, textile technology has also advanced by leaps and bounds in the past decade, so now we have a full camouflage printing and dyeing version of AOR 1.
Personally, from a purely aesthetic point of view, I prefer the green AOR camouflage (AOR2 Emerald Holy Clothing).
This model is exactly the same as the first generation in basic tailoring, but some changes have taken place in material selection. First of all, the third generation products realized full camouflage on the shackle, including the shackle at the arm pocket and the adjustment belt at the cuff, and the shackle area on each pocket was reduced to about half of the original (this change occurred in the second generation products).
Then the point comes. There are also camouflage patterns on the trunk, and the material composition has changed from a large number of synthetic materials to cotton-based materials. How the flame retardant performance changes, the author can not elaborate. The third generation of cotton is better in this respect, but the first generation of artificial fibers are also mixed with some natural fibers, which have certain flame retardancy.
The only problem of the third generation is that the trunk is notoriously easy to fade and wear. It is said that the adhesive tape has insufficient adhesion to the sticker.
According to the information I learned from some reliable sources, NSW intends to or has already replaced AOR camouflage with Multicam (golden clothing is gone), so the third-generation L9 and other products will become interesting collections in the field of military collection in the next few years.
AOR2's disguised L9 shirt is exactly the same as the third generation AOR 1 Patagonia L9 NTS shirt. Good-looking is good-looking, but if you want to know more details, receiving the real thing is the most reliable choice. If not, it is also a good choice to invite big brothers.
4.MC Camouflage Third Generation Patagonia NTL9 Combat Jacket
There are few high-quality all-camouflage printing and dyeing battle suits on the market, so I looked everywhere for Bata L9, which has the reputation of military Gucci. The previous two AOR products are the third generation products, and I have never tried this high-end product.
If users want to wear a lot of equipment on their chests, they need a dress with light fabric and full-body camouflage, and don't want to use the classic T-shirt/training uniform combination style. Na Ba Tower L9 is the best choice I know. Bata is actually (possibly) making a multi-camera color version. Some friends found traces on Yi Bei.
There is a TAC. U, the author also made an evaluation on the oily mud turtle. Its price is economical, but the materials are poor, so it is totally impractical in hot weather. I still have an old Arc'teryx LEAF combat suit in my hand, which is completely printed and disguised (unlike the current product), but its zipper is solid color. For a basic coat, this problem is more serious. The only alternative I know is the high-quality multi-position combat suit produced by ur-tactical. If you want to use a full camouflage pattern combat suit in temperate regions, these two options may be the only ones.
5.AOR 1 and AOR2 camouflage early Patagonian L9 combat pants.
Some time ago, the author briefly owned two AOR camouflage versions of early Patagonia L9 combat pants, which can be matched with CP combat knee pads, so the author took a photo for your reference. Bata has two color versions, Multicam and AOR Camouflage. As far as I know, Multicam version is even rarer than AOR version.
As far as I can see, this particularly early model seems to have only two versions, one is the elastic cloth version with camouflage, and the other is the elastic cloth version without camouflage, as shown above.
Before Patagonia began to produce a new version of knee pads with four holes in their knees, these early models were probably produced as a supplement to the NC G2 combat suit issued by CP Company, but unfortunately, the author has no more reliable evidence to prove this. But at least it can be concluded that the early L9 is likely to be distributed to the relevant personnel who have the right to use AOR 1 and AOR2 in the same time.
Except for the knee pads, the rest of the pants are very similar to the later L9 combat pants.
AOR2 color pants are part of the first batch of AOR color equipment purchased by the author (if not the first batch). When I got them, I found that they were not brand-new, they must have been used, but for the author, collecting these pants was also an interesting new beginning of my collection career-I began to collect something different from the NC G2 and G3 series of combat suits.
In the end, I decided to sell them, because I was not very satisfied with their condition. Unless I was looking for something suitable for my size but not common, I would open a back door to the old and new condition of the items. In a word, I believe I will eventually find another good pair of pants as a substitute. At least now, I still have the early version of AOR 1 pants and the first generation combat shirt that matches it. You can be very sour.
Now let's take a closer look at the early L9 combat pants of AOR 1 Camouflage.
Some friends always talk about which SF members (especially SEALs) use what equipment when. But I'm not that kind of person.
Some friends in the school thought that the author was matching a model of a certain unit in NSW, but in fact, the author was not particularly interested in them or their works, but simply wanted to have the best combat equipment, and NSW not only had many such good equipment, but also AOR camouflage patterns that others could not use.
As early as the second generation /AC version of CP combat suit era (probably early G3), Patagonia was researching and producing the early version of their L9 combat pants. At that time, there were two kinds of AOR camouflage options for trousers. At first, the functional layout of trousers was very similar to that of similar products of CP, and CP knee pads were directly used. Later, Bata adjusted the design of L9, deleted some elements and adopted a 4-hole positioning kneepad system (donkey face kneepad) developed by herself.
However, the author still prefers the CP system, but the latest version of L9 combat pants adopts the locking fixing method instead of the previous screw pressing method, so even a picky person like me won't mind choosing to use L9.
The author understands that there are at least two versions of this model: the early version used solid color elastic cloth, as seen in this exhibition, and later changed to camouflage printed elastic cloth. I don't know if Bata made a batch of products with solid colors exposing shackles earlier, but in any case, from the perspective of modern equipment, this rare equipment in my hand is also very old.
As shown in the above picture, there is elastic cloth behind the waist of trousers, but not around the knees and crotch; Interestingly, some time ago, I owned the AOR2 version L9 combat crotch crack, and its predecessor obviously made a quick squat/kneel action, which was very lethal.
Compared with other combat pants, L9 cancels the hip pocket, but still retains the other eight pockets (thigh pocket and calf pocket Balabala). The small pocket is sealed with only a hook and loop, while the main pocket is equipped with a button with a hook and loop.
Compared with CP, L9 has a great advantage that Canadian buttons are used, and a piece of cloth is fixed through the buttons. This design is obviously superior to the 4-hole catch-search method used by CP in the customized version of NC/UKSF combat suit, and it is shocking that CP will continue to use this unsafe button in the upcoming G4 tropical version of combat suit.
6. Late version of Patagonia L9 combat pants
On Facebook (404), the author briefly mentioned the difference between AOR camouflage L9 and MC color/solid color L9 which can be bought online through legal permission. After that, the author bought these two L9 combat pants in a short time, so now is a good time.
According to the author's understanding, compared with the trousers on the commercial version, the L9 in AOR color is made by a group of unskilled workers who are not very active. There have been various speculations about the use of prisoners as labor force in the clothing industry. This is entirely possible for the long military supply chain in the United States, but the author has no conclusive evidence to talk about any kind of prison labor theory.
The most obvious difference between the two pairs of trousers is that the commercial version of MC color combat trousers has two adjustment strips at the knee pads, at least there are 1 or two other less obvious differences. These are the characteristics that AOR camouflage public edition lacks, but I can't get the real thing for the time being, so I can't say clearly.
Of course, there are AOR2 camouflage L9 combat pants worth mentioning.
CP, Beyond, Wild Things, Patagonia and perhaps more companies I don't know have been producing different AOR camouflage uniforms for US Navy special operations forces for a long time.
The original AOR 1 and AOR2 L9 combat pants produced by Patagonia Company are more like CP G2 army/navy customized combat pants in tailoring, using CP AC version of combat kneepads.
Later, the author thinks that Patagonia got a bigger contract, which can provide more equipment for the navy boys and use its own patent to design and produce the pants as shown above; However, there are still many similarities between the new products and Crye Precision products, but we can't ignore those new changes.
The new L9 mainly adopts the new knee pads designed by Bata. Although it is similar to CP's knee pads, it does not infringe CP's patent at all. We'll talk about knee pads later. Let's talk about pants first. Readers can see that there are four small holes for positioning around the kneepad groove, instead of digging a big hole in the middle like CP.
The foam pad installed in the kneepad groove is characterized by four male bolts, while the plastic cover installed outside has four female bolts. Slip into the foam pad and clamp it on the outer cover, and the installation of the knee pads is completed. Just like D3O's protective gear products, Bata chose to use bolts instead of fasteners that need to be turned for a quarter turn.
In view of the author's bad and embarrassing use of D3O, I am not confident about the comfort of Bata's knee pads, but I will never know until I try.
The whole kneepad groove and its surroundings are made of elastic material with the same color as the trousers. Similar to the design of CP combat uniform, there is also elastic cloth in the back waist. Although the crotch is made of triangle cloth, it is made of NYCO fabric instead of elastic cloth for CP.
The layout of most pockets is the same as G3 pockets, with the exception of hip pockets. It's a pity that there is no hip pocket to some extent, but these pants are not short of other pockets. Velcro straps can be used to tighten trouser legs, but L9 has no waist adjustment function. In contrast, I personally think that it is of little significance for CP to add this function to pants when designing.
L9 is equipped with buttons on the placket and thigh pockets, which are used together with the shackle, which coincides with the G2 training suit of CP NC version.
Ironically, Patagonia also likes to pretend that he doesn't make products for the army, and then secretly take funds from the Ministry of National Defense, as if this self-deception won't make them evil gun addicts, Rightists with blood on their hands, or similar absurd people.
The reality is that Bata's main customers in the United States do not support military or 2A, and their main products are not military materials, not to mention that their management is on the same side as customers. In order to get the order, Bata came up with at least two schemes to meet the demand. Just like this dress, many of Bata's military products come from Readyone Industries, and their promotional videos are boring.
From the information I found on the Internet and the rumors I heard, Readyone is obviously the black hand hidden under Bata, but if readers want to know about this kind of thing and are interested in who is making things for the army, I suggest that they just search, not spread conspiracy theories.
(In fact, official website also wrote very clearly that clothing manufacturers like ORC employ disabled people to make ACU, NWU, PCU, ECWCS, and army tropical combat uniforms, which are familiar to the public; But who knows what happened under the table? ORC official website shows at least one scene of disabled workers working. Readyone can only see the empty delivery room, and the beautiful country forces prisoners to work, so maybe they were stoned to death.
However, the names of other Patagonian garments owned by the author are different, and it seems that the manufacturers are related to the color of the garments. In my opinion, any American soldier (or anyone who may need this uniform for government work) can buy L9 combat uniforms in multi-camera colors and solid colors. These commercial products come from other manufacturers, which are slightly different from AOR 1 and AOR2 of Volkswagen. It seems that the production process is better.
Besides, I don't know much about these combat pants, and I don't have any good experience, but considering that not many companies can produce such complicated high-quality military uniforms, L9 is still worth having.
7. Patagonia's second-generation knee pads
This kneepad is the second generation product of VIKP, which can be used on Bata L9 combat pants.
A few years ago, the author used to wear the first generation of knee pads to play an air gun for a day, which was not too intense, so he had a simple understanding of this old guard. Air gun is a game without much danger. I only did some jogging and kneeling shooting, but in a few hours of casual games, I broke the plastic of the outer cover and the bolt used to connect the plastic outer cover with the inner foam pad bounced off countless times.
There is no doubt that this is the lowest and worst product I have ever tried, and such a stall will really be distributed to the US special forces (although only a few people are using it). The author also knows that this problem is not a case. There are many pictures and posts on the Internet that encounter the same problem, and everyone is complaining.
I haven't tried on the new knee pads in the picture above, but on the surface, they seem to correct the two main problems I complained about before. The outer cover is made of more flexible material, and it is connected with the foam flexible board installed on the inner side to form a small bayonet. The whole locking mechanism can be rotated by a quarter and locked in a fixed position.
However, the bayonet still looks quite thin and weak, which still gives people an unreliable feeling. However, it can be seen from the feedback from friends that the new version of knee pads seems to be better than the previous generation. It is a good idea for a friend to break his kneepad once during strenuous exercise and then use only the cushion. w