Australian Vietnam War loadout

Just made this, relatively sure it's all correct, but if there's still a mistake, point it out and I'll fix it asap.

Jungle uniform
Boonie hat
Australian made US M56 type webbing (belt, H-suspenders, first aid pouch, 2 canteen pouches with canteens, buttpack)
2 British 1944 Pattern Basic Pouches (left and right)
Mk1 bandoleer
Toggle rope
L1A2 bayonet with webbing frog
P37 large pack with supportstraps and L-straps (pack in thin "Ersatz"style material)
Vulseal boots





The boonie is a repro, the rest is all original kit

Nice. Those pixie shirts with slant pockets are hard to get. Someone more knowledgeable should correct me on this, but with that uniform, the pouches would have been Australian copies of the M56 webbing like with your buttpack and canteens. The P44 webbing was used early on, but with more of the older style jungle fatigues similar to what was worn in Borneo.

Well my Australian pouches (at least one of them) are of a later type after Vietnam, so I did it like this. I did see these pouches still worn with later gear too, even some P37's

That is true, the P37 pouches were worn, usually modified to hand off the belt similar to how the SAS did it.

The pants are well past Vietnam, the bush hat looks like a repro from those pics, p44 pouches are not Australian but were used and the toggle rope is set up in a ridiculous manner.

Yes IIRC the pants are later dated, but the type should still be the same.
The bushhat is indeed a repro, couldn't find an original.
How is the toggle rope set up ridiculous though?

No, those pants are not the same ones. Maybe look at some pics of Australians in Vietnam?
Same for the toggle rope, pretty sure there are enough out there.

Great to have a friendly new member to the forum.

How about substantiating what you mean, I've looked at plenty of old photos, so how are my pants different than the ones in these pics?

The trs,Im afraid while very close are different to the Vietnam period ones in that(if this makes sense as I have no camera to post pics) on Vietnam era ones,the cargo pockets are a bit more forward with the edge of the pocket running parallel to the trs seam where as the 70s one,the trs seam is down the centre of the pocket.

Ok thanks, I'll keep them on there for now, if I do come across earlier trousers like that I might pick them up if the price is right.
I also have the earlier type crossdraw jungle trousers, so I can also see if an eralier shirt turns up and just put the whole earlier suit on this set

michelwijnand wrote:Ok thanks, I'll keep them on there for now, if I do come across earlier trousers like that I might pick them up if the price is right.
I also have the earlier type crossdraw jungle trousers, so I can also see if an eralier shirt turns up and just put the whole earlier suit on this set

I have taken,and posted pics on my FB group to better explain what I mean.

And there we go, wrong pants replaced by early ones!

Glad they arrived safely,and quickly for a change!!

Re the trousers - the pockets moved to the side sometime in the mid-80s.  The toggle rope should be attached to the M1910 hooks at the back of one of the canteen carriers in the absence of grenade carrying straps on the sides of the pouches.  

Aust VN uniforms could almost be characterised as early war and later, with some crossover elements.  Elements like the Patt '37 pack, the cross buckle trousers and to some extent the Patt '44 pouches would be classed as early war.  Things like the Pixie shirt and two pocket trousers (Pixie trousers were very similar) would be later.  Each rotating battalion and even sub-units could also have their own particular dress standards eg. some units strictly forbade pixie shirts as mosquitoes could easily bite through them.  Some sub-units ditched their issue packs and procured ARVN or US rucksacks as standard.  

Many individuals eschewed the bumbag (buttpack) for extra canteens in the humid tropical environment (two was usually NOT enough).  Some individuals would have done multiple rotations through Vietnam and may have carried items from earlier deployments which worked for them - the Aust Patt '37 pouches were a consistent favourite due to their superior carrying capacity - indeed some Aust soldiers were still using them out of choice up to the adoption of the new camouflage webbing in 1988!  

In short, as suggested before, just look at pictures and references and go by those - they provide a snapshot of what ONE platoon of ONE Battalion was wearing during a SPECIFIC period of time.  

Hope this helps ...