This is the first of 4 items I’ll be showcasing here that was part of the private group order of Tiger Stripe pattern uniforms from Crye, initiated by the cool dudes behind Tiger Striped Misfits. Whether these were the first TS Crye items to ever be manufactured I cannot say for sure, but they were the first batch that made their way out to civilians. I have never personally seen a photo of any military personnel wearing TS Crye uniforms prior to the items making their way to their owners, but I have heard stories just via word of mouth that some very small quantities are supposed to have existed prior. Again, no hard evidence, just what I’ve been told.
The private batch order process for these initially began around mid-2019, though I didn’t get my hands on my own purchases until the start of 2021. Purely due to some bumps in the road at Crye and the fact I had my order routed via a contact in the US before heading over the pond.
Sadly there is nothing I can say about any of the Field or Combat cut uniforms produced in Tiger Stripe with regards to the cut and features. They are 100% standard for G3 commercial production in that regard.
I could imagine a smaller, boutique brand maybe integrating some unusual feature that was a nod to Vietnam, or maybe even a cheaper brand that mass produced such a uniform and did special packaging or something of the sort. But the reality is that Crye is primarily focused on its’ many and various government contracts, so while they will occasionally do non-standard runs of camos for certain groups and retailers (under specific conditions), the end product will not vary from standard production in any way other than the appearance of the main fabric.
This particular variant of Tiger Stripe camouflage is often referred to online as the ‘Propper version’, which is certainly true in terms of the pattern geometry and that Propper made quite a volume of TS uniforms using this specific camo, though I have not seen Propper TS uniforms in person myself in order to compare colours. More on this later.
There has been great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth online over the fact that this particular version of the pattern is what has been used in all the Crye jungle Tiger production, but I have grown to really quite like it myself. Also the fact that 90% of the complaints I have ever seen have come from people who have not managed to get hold of these, tends to suggest a heavy likelihood of cope.
One question that I used to have about the pattern is the fact that the Propper uniforms are all a Poly/Cotton blend whereas the Crye G3 Jungle Tiger labels do, as usual for G3s, indicate a Nylon/Cotton fabric. Hence I wondered what the fabric really was and where it may have come from. But after a brief search, I found that Tru-Spec has in the past produced BDUs in this exact variant of TS. Those BDUs are labelled as being NYCO fabric and they are also of a rip-stop construction, as per the Crye G3s.
Whether there was any conversation between Tiger Striped Misfits and Crye in terms of the exact fabric used I do not know. If there wasn’t a roll of this pattern already in Crye’s New York warehouse, then I suspect that this specific material is simply the one that was in-stock at a fabric supplier somewhere and was available to be bought and used for this production batch. Any remaining fabric stock may have been used for the further examples of these uniform which were sold by Tactical Distributors.
Stay tuned to TheFull9.net for the other 3 pieces in this 4 piece set.
On the small chance that anyone reading this happens to own a pair in 34/36R and wants to trade for my 32R or sell theirs, do get in touch via any of my social media accounts (links top left) or e-mail me: chrisk@thefull9.net
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