No, they now get fleeces & Norgies, the longjohns still get issued though.

Alright, I was wrong all along. Next time I do a cft I will wear roller skates. Next time I go into the field I will bring 2 brollys, one green for daytime rain and one black for night.
Drinking a luke warm brew while gibbering would show poor admin. Why would showing recruits that issue kit is okay make me a poor instructor? Never heard that idea before.
I have merely put forward my point of view, no need for anyone to feel criticized.
I think you have missed my point but never mind.

Originally Posted by 762baynet

Sandy, if you let the recruits wear non issue kit that is fine but if not then you are jacking on them. You cannot say 'do as I say not as I do'. I once took a boll**ing from a co while on a very wet Sunnybridge while on exercise. He was head to foot in Goretex with Ludhags on his feet, just stepped out of a warm Landy. Were were not in waterproofs. He trapped on about physical and mental robustness then got into the landy and fcuked off. Guess what we recruits though of him?
Anyhow I doubt the blokes at Arnhem wore go-faster boots or wore Goretex.

Next you will be telling me i have to run in army issue trainers, look if i wore only army issue kit my body and especially my feet would be in tatters

Drawers, ECW you mean?

Ok, so Chinese fighting suit may have been a blast from the past, but how far do people want to take this puritanical zeal for issue kit?

Our recruit instructors do 3 cadres of 9 weekends each per year, plus many attend CIC as additional supervisory/continuity staff. Most successful recruits do one cadre, a significant number of those who start on weekend one have jacked by weekend 6. The staff are tabbing every weekend.

Our staff will continue to dress appropriately to the lessons being taken. Working dress for classroom work, smock and webbing for SAA, and something vaguely green and black for field work. They wear whatever boots they like as long as they are black, and Para smocks or windproof as individual choice. Their webbing is theirs, and set up how they want it, not how the recruits have theirs.

The recruits learn to soldier with the issue kit, and get some ideas for personal purchase kit from the recruit staff.

The Duke, do you allow your Recruit instructors to wear non standard webbing, ie an Assualt vest?

Right, i'm going to side with Sandy on this one, particularly from a PTI's point of view.

Recruits only go through training once, so there shouldn't be any issues with the issued kit. That said, if you're there for 2 years doing CFT's etc day in day out, your feet would probably fall off

Carlos,

They wear what they want. Most chose to use conventional webbing, but some use assault vests. Most wear Lowa, Altberg, Hanwag etc....some go G10 for men and wear the issue boots.

Their choice.

So, Run Charlie, did any of that help?

Isn't this a leadership thing? With the exception of PTIs (for whom I take the points made above) why expect recruits to do something that you are no longer prepared to do?

P Coy etc is different becuase these are courses for trained soldiers. There are more things to worry about than what the DS are wearing... But phase 1 recruits need to see that the issue kit does do the job (and a dammed sight better than when I did my training in 1991)

Issue kit; instructors are there to set the tone and an example.

What next - bringing ones own weapon? Changing the syllabus for CMSR because you think some of it is pump?

Its the Army, not a fancy dress free-for-all.