Current British Army snow clothing consists of multiple layers of clothing such as smocks, fleeces etc in the standard MTP camouflage. Over this is worn very thin white camouflage clothing that is designed to break up the outline of the wearer and merge them into a snowy background, but offers no warmth at all. This is done very deliberately as whilst white camouflage is very effective in snow, if the background changes to trees or bushes then it would stand out like a sore thumb. By making the clothing very light, men do not mind taking it off as it doesn’t reduce how warm they are and it can be easily rolled up and stuffed in a pocket or a bergen as it does not take up much room. Today we are looking at the trousers from this snow camouflage suit:

These are made from very thin and light fabric and are voluminous to allow them to be worn over other clothing as well as to reduce the edges of the set when it is worn so that it blends better into the background. The waist of the trousers secures with a button and a draw string:

The cuff of each leg is also fitted with a simple drawstring so they can be pulled in around the ankles:

The trousers do not have any pockets, but they do have slits to allow access to the pockets of the trousers being worn beneath:

A single label is sewn into the trousers with care instructions, sizing and the stores codes:

In service it was often the case that men wore only the trousers of the set. This was because snow usually lies on the ground, with bushes appearing darker above it so by just wearing the trousers a man kneeling down to fire would blend in with both the snow on the ground and the bushes above, offering a more effective camouflage than just a plain white or MTP uniform would.