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(Some Guy)   Sports gear from Nike and other companies is cool and stylish, but it's not bulletproof   (wpxi.com) divider line
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10094 clicks; posted to Main » on 12 Apr 2006 at 11:23 PM (17 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



37 Comments     (+0 »)
 
LoneCoon [TotalFark]
2006-04-12 11:04:39 PM  
No. It's not. On either account.
 
keydock
2006-04-12 11:25:45 PM  
I think burnproof is more of the issue here.
 
mentaluproar
2006-04-12 11:28:43 PM  
I'm no expert here, but I'm pretty sure they are no sttacking the soldiers for their Nike's.
 
skinink [OhFark]
2006-04-12 11:33:02 PM  
Just.Shoot.It.


[image from usatoday.com too old to be available]
 
Bob Falfa
2006-04-12 11:33:57 PM  
Dang! I think that salesman ripped me off on this Adidas body armor!
 
Pelota
2006-04-12 11:34:24 PM  
I think receiving secondary burns from burning polyester wouldn't be the primary thought on a soldiers mind when dealing with an incendiary. I say, let them remain as comfortable as possible in the meantime by wearing wicking base layers.
 
crazyhair
2006-04-12 11:39:51 PM  
imagion if your side was 10 degrees cooler..

[image from my.ohio.voyager.net too old to be available]
 
Cosmic Crab
2006-04-12 11:40:53 PM  
Unavailable for comment.
[image from i65.photobucket.com too old to be available]
 
Vosh
2006-04-12 11:42:09 PM  
Commie traitors telling negative stories about war! Kill the traitors. Find them and kill them! (British accent) Gowhd cohmahnds it!
 
Gump
2006-04-12 11:42:21 PM  
man, i would not want to be out there without some underarmour.
 
hexane
2006-04-12 11:45:48 PM  
Marines wearing polyester and nylons.
Once a queen always a queen.
 
ubermensch
2006-04-12 11:47:51 PM  
I have heard that at one time, sailors wore polyester uniforms. Until there was a fire onboard one of the ships. More than a few people had their uniforms melted to their skin.

Guess who doesn't use polyester uniforms anymore?
 
samperkinsdog
2006-04-12 11:49:44 PM  
not like DC's anyway...

for those who remembered the kid who got hit in with the stray and his colin mckay's protected the impact...

(i couldn't find a link...)
 
bmihura
2006-04-12 11:52:23 PM  
If you're going to be burned, then what's the best clothing to wear if not synthetic? Cotton? Wool?
 
Jomigero
2006-04-12 11:54:21 PM  
As any college football fan will tell you, Nike gear is butt ugly.
 
You're a Mean Drunk R2D2
2006-04-12 11:56:16 PM  
bmihura
I suspect it's some kind of specially treated non-burning synthetic.
 
Godwin
2006-04-13 12:00:38 AM  
This is great:

TheWBALChannel.com in Baltimore reported that the site -- Military.com -- says that when the clothing is exposed to extreme heat and flames, some synthetic materials such as polyester will melt and can fuse to the skin.

They're reporting on a reporting of the original report. Nice editorial work there!
 
stevenc925
2006-04-13 12:00:42 AM  
Apparently, they don't want the soldiers to be confused with the terrorists.

[image from vedrashko.com too old to be available]
 
RadioactiveApe
2006-04-13 12:04:10 AM  
bmihura

An answer for you:

The camouflage utility uniforms are designed to turn to ash and blow away after the material is burned, but the burn hazard is still present, said Welling, who recommends wearing 100% cotton clothing while on missions.


http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,93820,00.html?ESRC=marine.nl
 
Je5tEr
2006-04-13 12:09:01 AM  
bmihura

If you're going to be burned, then what's the best clothing to wear if not synthetic? Cotton? Wool?

Nomex, nothing less.
 
optimus_prime
2006-04-13 12:10:03 AM  
I was cheap, so I didn't use UnderArmor. Hell, I sweated so bad, it wouldn't have mattered anyhow.

/can't image being that hot again
 
WillTAForCash
2006-04-13 12:10:15 AM  
bmihura
Probably cotton. Wool can melt too (though it's much less likely than with synthetics), but try setting your jeans on fire some time. It's pretty damn hard to do any damage to heavy cotton cloth using heat of any kind.

On the other hand, wool breathes a lot better than cotton, so if you're looking for something for the desert and can't use synthetics, wool may be a better choice.
 
dmd8605
2006-04-13 12:10:16 AM  
Jomigero: As any college football fan will tell you, Nike gear is butt ugly.

My God, have you seen the new Ohio State jerseys? It hurts me as a Buckeye to look at them.
 
bmihura
2006-04-13 12:16:12 AM  
RadioactiveApe good link-- I like the turning to ash and blowing away idea vs. anything else
 
snoringtoad
2006-04-13 12:18:20 AM  
"Now, with so many encounters with IED explosions,"

oh yeah, SOOO many.
 
eraser8
2006-04-13 12:18:50 AM  
Sports gear from Nike and other companies is cool and stylish, but it's not bulletproof

It should be. This just proves that Nike is deaf to the needs of its main demographic.
 
iamjustsittingwatchingthetimegobye
2006-04-13 12:22:20 AM  
[image from pub.tv2.no too old to be available]
 
wingnutx
2006-04-13 12:29:48 AM  
I was cheap, so I didn't use UnderArmor.

Neither did I, but it was pretty popular.

I shelled out for some good Thorlo socks, though. Those were worth every cent of their $11 per pair.

Wrote it off on my taxes, too.
 
CanSomeonePleaseKilltheChristmasShoes
2006-04-13 12:34:12 AM  
ubermensch:

I have heard that at one time, sailors wore polyester uniforms. Until there was a fire onboard one of the ships. More than a few people had their uniforms melted to their skin.

Guess who doesn't use polyester uniforms anymore?

Guess who's not familiar with teh concept of "dress whites"?
 
xennex
2006-04-13 2:01:05 AM  
Synthetic fabrics make a very nasy burn when they melt into the skin. In a fire cotton can be a problem too, as sweat will cause 'steam burns' as it boils. However, I guess for a bomb the time to temperature readings are a little different than for a vehicle fire, and I don't know if this would be a problem. There are also a whole bunch of other fire protection fabrics, but wearing silicon dioxide in the desert may not be that great. Some of the char-treated cottons might work well for solders (sounds a like their current uniform behavior). The latest thing I have heard about is CarbonX, which is supposed to outperform Nomex in every way.
 
Racquetball Ninja
2006-04-13 4:10:32 AM  
Under Armour is a ridiculously cool and innovative company. They will take this problem and design a breathable, fireproof second skin before this war is over.

/Put money on it.
//Don't stop get it, get it.
///Shake it shake it... shake it shake it... oohooo!
////Gorillaz plug biatches!
 
AllahAckbar
2006-04-13 8:07:05 AM  
Reminds me of the Native American "ghost shirts" or whatever: that crazy chief said they would stop bullets...

/not saying all Native Americans are crazy
 
Daveman
2006-04-13 8:10:17 AM  
I loved my Under Armour. Bummer to hear it would have melted to my skin. Or might have, or whatever.

Doing summer in Iraq without, though, wearing all that gear? Man.

One of the nicest things about wearing Under Armour was, aside from the breathability, that your utility shirt and body armor would just slide around on it when you moved--no friction and no chafing. The standard-issue cotton t-shirts were not quite so awesome.

/Cotton kills
//At least in cold weather, anyway
///Not so cold in Iraq, except at night in the winter, maybe
 
FarkmeBlind
2006-04-13 9:21:54 AM  
AllahAckbar: Reminds me of the Native American "ghost shirts" or whatever: that crazy chief said they would stop bullets...

Does Mormon underwear stop bullets, too?
 
Jomigero
2006-04-13 11:36:33 AM  
dmd8605: My God, have you seen the new Ohio State jerseys? It hurts me as a Buckeye to look at them.

I'm a Gator. I still can't get over the random orange sleeve jersey for the UGA game last year. Miami and Virginia Tech had awful ones as well (though, in Miami's case, I think they should adopt them permenantly).
 
SithBob
2006-04-13 12:29:34 PM  
Burns can kill you and theyre horribly disfiguring. If youre throwing (a melted synthetic material) on top of a burn, basically you have a bad burn with a bunch of plastic melting into your skin and thats not how you want to go home to your family,

Cue the GI JOE music.

/youch
//I respect the hell outta anyone overthere
 
Firethorn
2006-04-13 2:08:04 PM  
I'd recommend going with silk then. Same burn pattern as wool, doesn't melt like polyesters, and is a superior wicking & low friction material than cotton/wool.

Gotta love government publications

BDU/DCU's are fire treated, so they're good, and silk's on the allowed list. While expensive, black silk t-shirts are available, and are within the same cost zone as underarmor($30-40 each).
 
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