Paras - Uniform, Kit and other Particulars

I have my blanco ready! Just got to find a entrenching tool and holder then it's blanco time!

Cant recommend daves blanco website enough. definitely worth a read through before you attack your webbing.

Yep. I've had a good read of the relevant sections, damp the webbing first seems to be the first thing and most sensible of the options THEN apply with a cut down brush to the front of the webbing. I'm gonna get a shed load of rubber gloves from work for painting it.

If fed through from the correct side, the straps should lie behind the carrier, rather than going over the top as seen in the picture:

Ooh, that is interesting. I'll try that.

Cheers
Martin

If fed through from the correct side, the straps should lie behind the carrier, rather than going over the top as seen in the picture:

Ooh, that is interesting. I'll try that.

Cheers
Martin

Yes. Can you see in that picture, how the waterbottle is snagging on the edge of the e-tool? Well, if it's done correctly, that doesn't happen

Yep. I've had a good read of the relevant sections, damp the webbing first seems to be the first thing and most sensible of the options THEN apply with a cut down brush to the front of the webbing. I'm gonna get a shed load of rubber gloves from work for painting it.

I found having some plastic sheeting down to blanco the webbing on helped loads too. stops it going everywhere (i tend to do mine on the flagstones in the back garden) and you can use any spillage up rather than waste it by loading up your brush from the spill.

Good idea! Duly noted.

How are you supposed to wear the toggle rope around your waist when wearing webbing? Or are you not supposed to?

Actually a nice way is to wear it like this...

#1 make the toggle rope into a ring
#2 loop it round your waist with the toggles at your back above your belt, entrenching tool etc.
#3 put the loop in front of you over your head.

What you end up with is the rope running round the back of your neck, over the front of your shoulder, under your arm, round your back, under your other arm, back over your other shoulder and back onto your neck.

Surprisingly comfortable.

You can see me and Ramsay doing it here:

How are you supposed to wear the toggle rope around your waist when wearing webbing? Or are you not supposed to?

There are different ways and all of them work. You can just wear it as pendent (tried it, works), like a belt around your waist or like a rucksack, so the rope is on both your arms. All of this works.

Yith - I used your kit guide as a rule of thumb and had already tried it on as you had it. You're right, remarkably comfortable!

Just a few things left to get and then I shall start assembling it all!

The few things I have left still come to £220 exc p&p so it won't happen in one month haha

One thing - I know the kit guides have been up there a while...the prices may be slightly askew now, not that it really matters. It's been very helpful.

One question - why does the dummy in the last picture appear to be wearing Corcorans?

Corcorans were popular with SOE parachutists weren't they? or is that a myth.

Not something I've heard but don't know much about SOE.

I have seen photos of iirc Canadian paras in Corcorans.

Cheers
Martin

Soe did not usually dress as combat troops to jump.
Some Canadians did wear corcorans, usually those in the FSSF.

oops, Sorry, That would be failing as a spy 101. Perhaps my muddled brain was thinking of distant topics from Jedburgh: viewtopic.php?f=136&t=10387&start=15 where they look to be uniformed up.

Lots of Jedburgh were soe, that's why I said usually. How many of those wore Corcorans is another question.
The attraction of the Corcoran must be its elite connotations? They are a pain to get on and off and don't offer much grip in the wet.

Could be a national thing - some Americans wanting to wear American boots. I haven't done any looking into it at all so I dunno.

The Corcorans were issued to the Canadians participating in US jump training courses. They would retain the boots and jump wings (some would wear the US ones instead of the Canadian ones).

As to SOE - special forces always had more of a leeway in choosing the gear than regular troops. If some SOE operative really wanted the Corcorans he would probably be able to get them. I don't think they would be very common though.

Does the groundsheet double as a poncho or am I looking at the wrong type of thing?