My recreated TA 1990's CEFO clothing, sleeping and carrying equipment.

[webkitlover]

Hi this is a re-creation of the CEFO kit I was issued and used as a TA soldier in the early 1990's. (Some has been added that I didn't use but I saw others using around the time, like the PLCE bergen, Kevlar Helmet, and the IPK kit).

It's taken several years to find all the bits, and pieces from charity shops and surplus shops. Also shown  a complete set of the clothing The carrying and sleeping gear can be seen on the top row of the wider shot. I collected it for my own fun, but after a while I realised I had enough that I could use it for good so I now use it for remeniscence meetings with ex forces guys and recently I displayed it for a Rememberance day service.

The ghillie suit far right on the wide shot was given to me (no I wasn't a sniper) but I thought I may as well add it to the rest of the kit for interest.

The only thing I haven't included is any weapon, so no SLR/SMG/SA80 or Bayonet, and everything else is inert.

I'd be very happy to explain any part of it why I was or wasn't issued certain bits

[Chris Hall]

What strikes me about you’re collection is the beer towel!! I to acquired a few for my pack. They were the right size for drying your face after a shave or wrapping around your neck when it pissed it down.

nice collection and recent history which although only 30 years old, is already disappearing.

[webkitlover]

🤣 a genuine laugh out loud!

I was just showing my wife that the first post was about a beer towel, well spotted! !

(for those that didn't spot it it's on the first picture below the left kidney pouch)it's " Green king IPA".

To be honest I never used one,  I tried to pinch one at the time but all the green ones had already been nicked from local pubs by other local squaddies! I think the local publicans eventually cottoned onto the theivery and started only used bright colours. seem to remember Carlsberg was a favourite because of the green and gold colours.

At the time I used some nasty green Pertex towels to save space, they were horrible to use, a bit like drying yourself with a shower curtain.  I also the issue 1x1m scrim scarf as a "stand in" fluffy towel, I didn't use it as a scarf, most of the time it was bungee'd to my belt as padding.

funny thing though, I've been looking and asking for one in charity shops for about a year, with no luck, I know E-bay sell them for silly money  (because they are now collectable).

I eventually asked in  a Salvation Army Shop, they said they do get them but can't sell them (they don't sell anything related to alcohol/smoking etc), eventually I gave up, but weeks later i went to the same shop resigned that I'd never get hold of one for less than £10. A shop assistant recognised me and said they had 3 beer towels did i want them?

Of course I said yes, and gave them the  £1 donation they suggested rather than buying it.

So..the Green king ipa is the greenest of the 3, I now have 2 colourful beer towels that I can probably sell for silly cash!

[webkitlover]

I should probably mention as well that there was a huge amount of modifying webbing pouches, and non issue kit, it was basically totally accepted as long as it worked and didn't look too different.

Even MK 1 OG PLCE haddn't reached the TA in 1992, and we'd only just been issued SA80's (the bad first one!), so I guess that's we were allowed a bit of freedom with carrying kit.

Many people stitched DPM fabric onto pouches I used a US buttpack covered in DPM, some guy managed to fit US plastic fasteners on his 58 ammo pouches. several people used Arktis rear pouches or US clip on pouches, extra waterbottles. the only thing that was standard was the ammo pouches, belt, yoke, a waterbottle, and the resipouch.

We were only ever issued the 58 large pack so you just got the best surplus rucksack you could, or the greenest civy one which obviously weren't IRR coated. The best I could find was a knackered Para bergen without the frame, or straps. I somehow put up with 44 patern webbing  cross straps which must have been horrible to carry.

Edited February 25, 2019 by webkitlover