Tropical Combat Uniform "Tiger Stripe"
This camouflage pattern was developed for jungle warfare at extremely short ranges ( under 50 meters ). It was mainly used by MACV-SOG units and various other units in Vietnam ( e.g. CIDG, various ARVN units ) where it replaced the "Duck Hunter" camouflage garments of commercial origin. This pattern was later replaced by the ERDL pattern. The cut of the garment is very simple. There are four buttoned pockets on the blouse and six pockets on the trousers. The individual's carrying system was usually ALICE, often modified as needed. SOG units rarely used helmets, more common were berets, scarves and so-called "Jungle Hats", for protection from insects falling from trees. These camouflage garments were extremely popular with ARVN members because they gave the impression to the civilian population that they were elite units, which in fact was not true. This is also why the transition of US SOG units to the ERDL pattern was so rapid. There are several types of TCU Tiger Stripe uniforms of American, South Vietnamese and other manufacture. They are known by abbreviations that denote the type of camouflage pattern, e.g.
Late War, Heavyweight Dense pattern - LHD.
Late War, Lightweight Dense pattern - LLD.
Late War, Lightweight, Sparse pattern - LLS.
Tadpole Sparse pattern - TDS.
Vietnamese Marine Corp Dense second pattern - VMD
The first photos show a REPRODUCTION of this field garment. It is a TruSpec product. The Tiger Stripe pattern is to US Army standard MIL-T-44047E for the pants and MIL-C-44048G for the blouse. However, this only applies to the cut. The latter is essentially identical to the classic TCU in the color "Olive". For details on US military and government specifications, I recommend :
http://global.ihs.com/
This camouflage pattern was developed for jungle warfare at extremely short ranges ( under 50 meters ). It was mainly used by MACV-SOG units and various other units in Vietnam ( e.g. CIDG, various ARVN units ) where it replaced the "Duck Hunter" camouflage garments of commercial origin. This pattern was later replaced by the ERDL pattern. The cut of the garment is very simple. There are four buttoned pockets on the blouse and six pockets on the trousers. The individual's carrying system was usually ALICE, often modified as needed. SOG units rarely used helmets, more common were berets, scarves and so-called "Jungle Hats", for protection from insects falling from trees. These camouflage garments were extremely popular with ARVN members because they gave the impression to the civilian population that they were elite units, which in fact was not true. This is also why the transition of US SOG units to the ERDL pattern was so rapid. There are several types of TCU Tiger Stripe uniforms of American, South Vietnamese and other manufacture. They are known by abbreviations that denote the type of camouflage pattern, e.g.
Late War, Heavyweight Dense pattern - LHD.
Late War, Lightweight Dense pattern - LLD.
Late War, Lightweight, Sparse pattern - LLS.
Tadpole Sparse pattern - TDS.
Vietnamese Marine Corp Dense second pattern - VMD
The first photos show a REPRODUCTION of this field garment. It is a TruSpec product. The Tiger Stripe pattern is to US Army standard MIL-T-44047E for the pants and MIL-C-44048G for the blouse. However, this only applies to the cut. The latter is essentially identical to the classic TCU in the color "Olive". For details on US military and government specifications, I recommend :
http://global.ihs.com/