# Red cammo fatigues-are they just for fun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386 "2014-04-30T19:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/1 "2014-04-30T19:38:01Z")
I’ve seen cammo fatigues with purple and red added, for example. Are those for any real use, or just for fashion? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/2 "2014-04-30T19:45:13Z")
They’re in preparation for our eventual war on Mars. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/3 "2014-04-30T19:46:26Z")
I believe just fashion. There is a lot of “colored” cammo apparel made in sports teams colors. Red cammo for Chicago Bulls, blue & white cammo for the Cowboys, etc. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/4 "2014-04-30T19:56:14Z")
They are for fighting forces with different colour perceptions than ours. You should see what they look like to Insectoids. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/5 "2014-04-30T19:57:31Z")
The Navy had blue-camo uniforms for a while, I assume for no deeper reason then blue=water=Navy, and because you don’t usually have to hide on a boat. I think I’ve seen UN troops with blue camo as well. But those are really the only cases of non-traditional color schemed camo I recall seeing on military personal. And I’ve never seen red uniforms. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/6 "2014-04-30T20:58:29Z")
Hunting maybe? You’d be visible to other hunters but might serve as camouflage if what you’re hunting is colourblind. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/7 "2014-04-30T21:09:52Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I think I’ve seen UN troops with blue camo as well. The UN doesn’t have any troops - only member states maintain and equip military forces which might be used in UN missions such as peacekeeping or disaster response. It seems like a number of militaries use blue in their camouflage: [List of military clothing camouflage patterns - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_clothing_camouflage_patterns) (many more examples there than I would have expected) Is it possible they were Nepalese peacekeepers? The Nepalese army and police wear a bluish camouflage and have been in the news a lot due to their bringing cholera to Haiti in the wake of the earthquake. ---
**Author:** ![Zapp\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ee59a6/32.png) [@Zapp\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zapp_S)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/8 "2014-04-30T21:11:46Z")
They are used during military encounters in forests during autumns at sunset. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/9 "2014-04-30T22:19:11Z")
Have I just been imagining it, or is there legitimate grey/white camo for snowy environments? ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/10 "2014-04-30T22:48:20Z")
[yes](https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=643&q=snow+camo&oq=snow+ca&gs_l=img.1.1.0l10.1663.6139.0.9954.7.7.0.0.0.0.146.840.0j7.7.0....0...1ac.1.42.img..0.7.833.AaM4ndzWKdk) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/11 "2014-04-30T22:53:33Z")
[Alpenflage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenflage) is legit. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/12 "2014-05-01T00:14:54Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > The Navy had blue-camo uniforms for a while, I assume for no deeper reason then blue=water=Navy, and because you don’t usually have to hide on a boat. They still [do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USN_NWU1.jpg). And its still dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/13 "2014-05-01T00:38:09Z")
The only justification for the Navy’s blue camo uniforms I can come up with is no one will notice oil stains on them. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/14 "2014-05-01T04:44:14Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > Hunting maybe? You’d be visible to other hunters but might serve as camouflage if what you’re hunting is colourblind. That’s something I’ve thought of, too. For example, [this image](http://colorfilter.wickline.org/?s=1&r=www.color-blindness.com%2F2006%2F04%2F10%2Fcolorblind-web-page-filter&u=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.blacksheepnc.com%2FStore%2Fpc%2Fcatalog%2Fgld-was-6006.jpg&t=p) shows what [these pants](https://shop.blacksheepnc.com/Store/pc/catalog/gld-was-6006.jpg) look like to animals who can’t see red (like dogs). ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/15 "2014-05-01T05:45:21Z")
Nobody’s mentioned pink cammo for women? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/16 "2014-05-01T07:23:53Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > Hunting maybe? You’d be visible to other hunters but might serve as camouflage if what you’re hunting is colourblind. Maybe, but then why not use blaze orange? It’s a bit brighter. You just want to break up the pattern so that it’s not uniform. Colorblind = most mammals you want to hunt (going for an ape shoot soon?) Not colorblind = most birds you want to hunt ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/17 "2014-05-01T11:13:15Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > The only justification for the Navy’s blue camo uniforms I can come up with is no one will notice oil stains on them. My husband ( who is in the Navy) says it’s so there is no chance of anyone finding you if you fall overboard. :rolleyes: He does admit that the camo is much more comfortable than the old khaki uniforms, though… ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/18 "2014-05-01T11:19:17Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > My husband ( who is in the Navy) says it’s so there is no chance of anyone finding you if you fall overboard. :rolleyes: > > He does admit that the camo is much more comfortable than the old khaki uniforms, though… Retired Navy here. Just wanted to add that the nickname I heard for the Blue/grey camo uniform is “Aquaflage”, and yes the running joke is that you bettr not fall overboard:rolleyes:. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/19 "2014-05-01T12:36:52Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > They still [do](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USN_NWU1.jpg). And its still dumb. Ah, good to know. They’re getting rid of them though, aren’t they. IIRC, the plan was to give all the services the same uniform (presumably green camo). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386/20 "2014-05-01T13:38:47Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Ah, good to know. They’re getting rid of them though, aren’t they. IIRC, the plan was to give all the services the same uniform (presumably green camo). I’ll believe it when I see it. There have been plans to change for years. Starting with when the Army realized what a mistake they made with the ACU. All attempts at change have hit roadblocks so far. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cammo-fatigues-are-they-just-for-fun/687386.md?page=2)