Hood ajustment Help with design needed Please

[Moondog55]

Putting this here as more people read this section.
I have a US Army Goretex jacket with an extra large hood that has no size adjustment. While I can easily enough sew on and seal a standard Velcro tab is there a better design that is easy to do that would allow a 3-way tightening ?
Because the new ballistic helmets are so big this hood is or course huge in comparison
I have thought about a horizontal tunnel at the midpoint of the neck line sewed in the centre with adjusters on each side in combination with the standard rear centre tab. The alternative is Tabler buckles and webbing in the same configuration
Is there a better way?

[wayno]

a lot of hoods have a draw cord at the back with a cinch. the cord runs horizontally around the hood to anchor at the front. to shrink the hood size to the size needed when the cord is pulled.
the cord could also be a loop in a triangular arrangement where it attaches vertically as well as laterally so that it pulls the hood back as well as in at the same time.
with that arrangement there is the issue of maintaining waterproofness, you can try and glue a sleeve for the cords to your hood otherwise you'll have to seamseal it if you're going to stitch it

[Moondog55]

Yes I do want to keep the stitching to a minimum as seam sealing G'Tex is a bit of a PITA.
One adjuster or two with the cord anchored at the C/L?
I don't think I would mind separate adjustments in each direction

[wayno]

can be one adjuster. the cord runs out and back to the left right and vertically so its all one cord looping back to the cinch
but if you prefer to control the vertical and horizontal seperately then you could do two although thats sometimes where some brands put the velro tab on for the virtical aspect when they don't run the cinch vertically.

[Spartan]

Hi, Dog.

Why on earth are you worrying yourself with one of those US Army goretex jackets?! Planning on 'playing soldier' in the Army Reserve or local 'militia'?

To be serious for a moment, I'm assuming that you have one of the 1st or 2nd generation jackets, as ballistic helmets have been reducing in overall profile since the late 1990s. The earlier varieties certainly were rather bulky (i.e. the PASGT); nowadays the modern 'mich'-style helmets will fit nicely inside the hood of most modern civilian goretex jackets.

First it was ALICE frames, now milspec jackets. Things that make you go hmmm ...

All the best.

[wayno]

have new clothing, will alter....

[wayno]

just having the drawcords running around the side can be enough to help pull the top of the hood back as well if it angles up towards the top of the hood , if theres a peak, next to the side edge of the peak

[Moondog55]

Hi Spartan
like a lot of the members here I've worn the colours.

2nd generation jacket [the first was better as it had the hood adjustments and the ruff attachments] and I wanted a fixed hood
It was just too cheap to pass up. Excellent garment and apart from the hood very well made and designed. Just a little too heavy for bushwalking except in winter. I could have spent hundreds more dollars in the States but we already had 2 suitcases over our allowance for the trip home. As I have noted in other threads I am a fan of the new ECWCS [EK-Wacks] and the jackets and pants are direct copies of the Patagonia designs but made in heavier fabrics:- trading weight for durability of course

[Spartan]

Hi, Dog.

When I eventually 'hang up the boots', so to speak, I don't anticipate that I'll ever wear camouflage again. Still, I understand where you're coming from vis the US jacket: it is a very 'bombproof' bit of gear.

All the best.

[Moondog55]

my time in the CMF was spent in "Jungle Green" so I don't associate the Army with camouflage, besides I hunt and I need all the help I can get so I tend to spend a lot of time in bright orange with white and black splodge

[Spartan]

G'day, Dog.

The CMF? What was that like?
I've been in the Regular Army for long enough to remember 'greens', and I'll happily share that I much prefer wash-and-wear camouflage over the wash-starch-iron-and-wear predecessor.
Finally I've no personal experience of the pre-1980 iteration of 'citizen soldiery'. However, I have worked with, supported, trained and have been deployed with what I suppose are the most capable members of the post-1980 Army Reserve. Speaking in general terms I have been largely underwhelmed by the capability that they bring to the table, especially given the size of the investment made in them. Consequently, I'm not much of a fan.

All the best.

[Moondog55]

@ Spartan
Was more like adult scouts but with guns and rifles BUT there has always been a hard "core" of dedicated and competent people in the citizens military and my uncle and his mates in PNG during WW2 proved that chocolate soldiers can fight as well as anybody.
This was during the Vietnam era and none of us thought it was a joke- we all took it fairly seriously

I finally got the hood mod done Took me while to find the matching buckles and webbing in my box of bits, I'll get the hood seam sealed at Remote soon but in the meantime I'll silicon the outside

[Moondog55]

More photos showing the hood adjustment at work

[wayno]

like a bought one!
well i don't think thats going to break....

[Moondog55]

Thanks Wayno
Doing the thinking and designing took a lot more time than the actual sewing, the sewing only took 10 minutes. I really think it works quite well, I have seen polar parkas with very similar hoods

[wayno]

Thanks Wayno
Doing the thinking and designing took a lot more time than the actual sewing, the sewing only took 10 minutes. I really think it works quite well, I have seen polar parkas with very similar hoods

i think it could last longer than the rest of the jacket

[neilmny]

Your pretty handy at the making stuff Moondog that works really well.

[Spartan]

@ Spartan
Was more like adult scouts but with guns and rifles BUT there has always been a hard "core" of dedicated and competent people in the citizens military and my uncle and his mates in PNG during WW2 proved that chocolate soldiers can fight as well as anybody. This was during the Vietnam era and none of us thought it was a joke- we all took it fairly seriously.

Dog,

'Scouts-with-guns'? A very scary thought. Before we continue to uncritically propagate the myth of the 'citizen soldier', I think it's worth noting that your uncle, along with all of the other part-timers who departed to various locations to fight during WW2, spent a minimum of three months being trained by the professional military in order to get them to an acceptable standard of soldierly competence. That is, to a standard comparable to that of the regular forces. Then, and only then, were they were employed in action. Ergo, the fact is they were able to fight "as well as anybody", because the 'regulars' trained them to be as good as anybody before setting them loose on the enemy.

Understand that I don't for a moment doubt the courage or the conviction of committed part-time Australian soldiers. As someone who has had a hand in training the 'cream' of the ARES 'crop', I suggest there are significant limitations in their general skill sets, limitations which restricts how they can be employed without significant bridging training.

Onto more pertinent matters, I'm seriously impressed with your modification to the jacket's hood!

All the best.

[wayno]

the era of world war two was when aussie amateur soldiers were more likely to come from a background where they were physically fit especially compared to todays military recruits and part timers....
i wouldnt fancy your average trainee today getting physically robust enough in time to be thrust into a situation after training and cope with a battle like the Kokoda trail, that was as physically sapping as any battle ever fought if you've ever read much about it.... the aussies fought in horrific conditions. they ended up disease ridden, suffering dysentary so bad they often cut holes in their shorts. and they were malnourished but still held off far superior numbers of fanatically aggressive japanese soldiers... i think there was something more than three months training that made them tough enough to keep fighting in those conditions.
you compare the way they handled themselves to the likes of British soldiers who were more likely to be from soft townie backgrounds compared to your average aussie back then. when the going got tough and especially when they were surrounded the British established a reputation for surrendering rather than sticking it out like a lot of units from the colonies could...
Tobruk would have probably fallen a lot sooner if the aussies werent holding it against the onslaught of the germans...

[Moondog55]

Well I think my uncle and his mates would disagree about the "Bridging training" they received in but I do take your point, but when training is only 4 hours a week what do you expect
But when I joined I could already shoot and use a compass etc it was discipline and confidence I lacked and the training really did help there

[Spartan]

Wayno et Dog,

I'm reticent to turn this conversation even further away from its proper course, but I thought I might offer a few personal reflections on the subject of 'soldiering'.

The Austalian Regular Army (ARA) Infantryman of today spends 12 weeks at Kapooka learning how to "march, shoot and salute". He then spends another 12 weeks at Singleton learning how to live, fight and survive as a combat soldier. Six months of initial training qualifies and equips him to be naught but the most junior soldier in an Infantry section. After a further twelve months of 'OJT', he underatkes a series of tests (including fitness, tactics, fieldcraft and weapons handling) that, if passed, qualifies him to be a 'Private, Proficient'. In other words it takes the Regular Infantryman 18 months of formal and on-the-job training to reach what is considered to be an 'acceptable' standard of proficiency in a conventional Infantry battalion. Of course service in either of the two Regular Special Forces regiments requires much, much more.

During my time in the Army, the ARA Infantryman has been called on to successfully: "seek out and close with the enemy, to kill or capture him, to seize and hold ground, repel attack, by day or by night, regardless of season, weather or terrain" in places as far flung as Somalia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.

By way of comparison Australian Army Reserve Infantrymen complete six weeks of recruit training at Kapooka, followed by a two week Initial Employment Course, conducted in regional locations by Army Reserve training cadres. After 12 months of 'effective service' (which equates to 26 'parade' days), the citizen soldier is deemed to be a 'Private, Proficient'. Notably, conventional Army Reserve Infantryman do not deploy on combat operations. Their depolyable role is to engage in low-risk, non-combat activities such as RAMSI in the Solomon Islands, and the Rifle Company (Butterworth) in Malaysia. The principle function of the Army Reserve Infantry battalion is not "closing with and killing the enemy", but infrastructure defence of assets in Australia. Notably, Special Forces reservists can, and do, deploy as reinforcements on combat operations, in war zones such as Afghanistan. But only after completing significant bridging training, and only after being assessed as fully competent to do so. And let's be clear on this, Army Reserve Commandos are significantly better trained, skilled and capable than are their conventional force Reserve brethren.

My opinion is the modern ARA Infantryman, whether conventional or unconvetional, is just as fit, just as capable, and just as potent a warrior as were his forebears from previous decades, and previous wars. And whilst I agree that the Japanese were a force to be reckoned with, "fanatically aggressive" as Wayno described them; be in no doubt that the Afghani Taliban is just as "fanatically aggressive", and perhaps a tad more ready to become a martyr, if he thinks he can take you with him!

As for the run-of-the-mill Reservist, well, as I've stated previously I'm not that great a fan.

In closing, my own late grandafther was a 'citizen soldier', one who spent four years of his life fighting the Japanese in the jungles of Borneo during WW2. Two of my uncles were 'lucky' enough to win the 'lottery', later spending a year each in Vietnam as Infantrymen (they trained to be of comparable standard to Regulars before deploying). FWIW, I've done my bit maintaining the family tradition a few times as well. Finally, Dog, I would that all young men undertook Army Reserve service, and for precisely the reasons you outlined: discipline and confidence. Sadly, however, there is no appetite in Australia for conscription, even in so mild a form.

All the best.

[Moondog55]

Nice summary Spartan, there really is no substitute for training unless it is training mixed in with superior equipment. That last point is relevant to the thread as the current crop of surplus US gear seems to be right at the cutting edge of good modern gear and because of the changing technology in very large quantities at very affordable prices. It just needs slight modifications for the new usage.

[wayno]

i wouldnt doubt modern regular soldier training,
but i'm just saying i have my reservations reserve training was the only thing that made the reserves as good as they were in WW2. it may have been better training than today, but i think there were other factors involved than just the training that had shaped those men before they went into training that contributed to their ability as soldiers.