Over the next couple of months I have quite a number of modern Australian items appearing on the blog, culminating in a great reconstruction for you at the end of January. We start today however with a pair of desert Auscam trousers:

Officially this pattern is known as DPDU, or Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform. Rather presciently, the Australian military started experimenting with this camouflage pattern in 1998 and it was released for operational use in 2001 by special forces. This went through another couple of iterations until it was standardised as this pattern which uses brown, grey, very light blue and purple on a yellowish background.

The trousers themselves are based on the standard design used for DPCU clothing. They have a large cargo pocket on each leg on the thigh:

A second layer of fabric is sewn over the knees to increase the strength of this area that is most likely to get damaged easily on operations when kneeling to fire:

The cuff of each trouser leg has a draw string that allows them to be tightened over a boot:

Slash pockets are let into the trousers over each hip:

There is another, buttoned, patch pocket over the right buttock:

The waist is adjustable with two buttoned tabs and belt loops are fitted around the waist in traditional Commonwealth style with buttons at the bottom of each one:

Sadly the label inside these trousers is heavily worn so is no longer readable. These trousers are the third piece of desert Auscam clothing I have in my collection now, previously having acquired shorts and a combat shirt. I still need to pick up a boonie hat in this pattern and the correct web gear for the War on Terror.