Repurposing Gear: The Power of Dye

The original pattern of the bag alongside my dye of choice.

On many sporting good websites (for me, SportsmanGuide comes to mind), we see a ton of military surplus mag shingles, backpacks, pouches, etc that can be had for cheap, giving you and your team to ability to outfit yourselves while being frugal. However, there is one problem: the majority of the equipment is in that oh-so-lovely ACU pattern. The reality is, most of us do not operate in an environment conducive to that pattern (does anyone, really?) Does that mean that we need to forego that cheap gear? Of course not!

I ran into this problem recently when I purchased a Blackhawk Patrol Pack in ACU pattern. It was the exactly the backpack I wanted but not the exact color. So, I did a little Google-fu magic and discovered some great threads – particularly on ARFCOM – about dyeing nylon gear using Rit Dye. I decided to give it a try and see if I couldn’t get the bag to the color I desired.

I started off first by washing the bag in the laundry using some Oxiclean. I then soaked it for 24 hours in Oxiclean in a tub in my bathroom as it had a funky smell to it. Then, I did a final wash in cold water (no detergent) in the machine and let it dry. Next, I did a quick calculation of how much liquid dye I needed. I chose Rit Dye (Dark Green) as others had used it before with success. The back of the bottle suggested 4oz for every pound of fabric. The bag weighed 4 pounds, but not all of the weight was fabric, so I assumed 2 pounds of fabric. Thus, according to the instructions, I needed just one bottle. However, I ended up using two because I got nervous that one would not be enough.

Many of the instructions I found online had you boiling water while submerging the pouch in the pot and adding the dye. For the backpack, this was not feasible given the size of it and the fact that I did not have a pot big enough. So, I came up with plan B. I went to Home Depot and bought a 21 gallon galvanized metal tub from the garden section that will ultimately end up as a planter for me. I set it on the back deck and placed the backpack in the tub. I then used the two biggest pots I had to boil up water. The plan was:

  • Boil water
  • Pour water onto backpack in tub
  • Add dye
  • ??
  • Profit?

    Water boiling on the stovetop.

While boiling the water, I added a cup of salt to it as many websites suggested I do so. I let the water get up to about 180 degrees (yes, I know that is not boiling – I got impatient) and then carefully carried the hot water over to the tub and dumped it in. I then quickly added the Rit Dye and used a brick slab (normally used for rucking – basically four bricks duct taped together) to weigh it down. For the parts that were not submerged, I used an old spatula to repeatedly dunk the exposed fabric in the water. I let the backpack sit in the dye for about 10 minutes because I wanted to preserve some semblance of the ACU pattern.

The bag submerged in the dye water – and the hands of my better half who helped me throughout the process

I then removed the backpack and let it hang outside in cloudy/drizzly weather because it would help wash the remaining dye out of the bag. Finally, I threw it in the washing machine with an old towel and ran it with cold water and no detergent.

The final results?

Final product – the color has changed but the old pattern is still discernible.

I am very pleased with the results. If you wanted a darker green and did not care about preserving the pattern, you could leave it in for longer and it would get darker. With Rit Dye, what you see is what you get, so pull it out when it is the shade that you want.

So, if you are looking to outfit a large group quickly and only have ACU pattern on hand, grab some Rit Dye and get to it!

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39 Comments

  1. johnyMac May 16, 2019 at 08:04

    Great idea Patriotman! I have passed up so much gear because of the ACU pattern. Time to revisit that gear.

    • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 08:52

      I have as well. But I really wanted this bag, which is no longer in production, so beggars can’t be choosy! That lead me to my search and the results you see. I was particularly happy that the pattern still exists.

  2. Anonymous May 16, 2019 at 08:14

    4

  3. Robin Allen May 16, 2019 at 08:25

    I tried something similar with a sleeping bag. The really good, cold weather bags are usually made for high visibility so they have bright colors which is not what I wanted. The results were less than ideal.

    • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 08:50

      Interesting. What material were they made from?

      • James May 16, 2019 at 09:13

        Nice,you repurposed gear to your liking and can now repurpose the tub you bought to do it in!I feel bad for any plants in tub though if you decide another dye job is in order!

        • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 09:22

          :D I don’t foresee any other big packs to dye thankfully. Any pouches or whatnot will just be put into a pot I think.

          Though, I did have a thought after posting this article that it may not become a planter and instead I may get a washboard so that I have an old school manual washing machine! It may have more utility keeping it as is.

  4. Matt Bracken May 16, 2019 at 09:53

    I’ve taken old faded jungle camos and thrown them in with black dye. They retain their camo pattern, and while not coming out truly black, they are much darker. These used to be my “night mission ninja” go-tos. Point being, dye works!

    • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 09:58

      That is such a good way to repurpose faded gear! I have some old hunting pattern clothes that are faded. I may look into dyeing them since they have lost some of their camo ability. Even if they just get repurposed if to general work clothes…

      • Survivormann99 May 16, 2019 at 12:36

        I am thinking that something like Rustoleum’s camouflage, non-reflective OD paint used in a tiger stripe pattern would be worth considering, too.

        • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 13:18

          How well would that paint adhere to the fabric? I would imagine that dye is more permanent.

          • Survivormann99 May 16, 2019 at 14:27

            Good question. I have not personally tried this, but the paint certainly adheres well to plastic or metal. Here is one review I found on Amazon: “I’ve used this to paint over ACU/UCP pattern pouches. It works very well. They go from being an eye-sore and standing out in the woods to blending in with the foliage.”

            You can find this Rustoleum camo paint at any Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe’s.

            If you don’t live in a rock quarry or in a landscape filled with sage brush, this paint could be a quick fix. One can only wonder how much money the Army squandered when adopting the ACU pattern. The Marine Corps, as usual, got it right. No surprise.

          • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 14:51

            Sounds like it is something I need to test out! Thanks for clueing me in on this! I have some old surplus triple mag shingles and somr single mag pouches I am going to test this on.

            Look for an upcoming post detailing the results!

            Cheers brother!

          • Matt Bracken May 18, 2019 at 09:31

            Spray paint will work on fabric, but it can make it a bit stiffer than you like.

          • Patriotman May 18, 2019 at 11:10

            I imagine it would. But the concept never entered my head to be honest. It is certainly a quicker remedy over dye if time is short.

          • Matt Bracken May 18, 2019 at 22:51

            I’d certainly wonder about its effects when seen on night vision or IR.

          • Patriotman May 19, 2019 at 19:36

            Yeah me too. If I get a chance to test it I will report back.

          • Pastor Mike May 18, 2019 at 19:17

            Very well written article Sir , thank you .

            I just wrote this so as to help any of you that wish to properly spray paint your gear without it ever flaking off or looking like crap. It was too long to post here hence the link.

            http://www.threepercenters.org/index.php/board,1.0.html

          • Patriotman May 20, 2019 at 11:25

            Thanks for posting this!

          • warweasel June 10, 2019 at 01:32

            yes and the paint will mess up how your straps go through the buckles, makes them too hard to quickly loosen or tighten..so don’t paint the straps!

          • Patriotman June 10, 2019 at 08:33

            Excellent words of wisdom!

  5. Anonymous May 16, 2019 at 13:24

    4.5

  6. ReallyNot May 16, 2019 at 17:33

    Wonder how ACU would look with a brown overlay? ….hmmmm

    • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 19:08

      I would imagine it would turn out quite well! Take a chance and report the results!

      • SneakyBaztard June 11, 2019 at 13:51

        I used tan and it turned out pretty good. Per instructions, added a cup of salt and a bit of soap to the mix. The grey isn’t so grey which is the worst component of ACU.

        link to pic: https://tinyurl.com/acuwithtandye

        • Patriotman June 11, 2019 at 15:18

          That looks great!! I am particularly enamored with how sharp and contrasting the light and dark spots are. The regular ACU is kind of sharp and the green downplays it to an extent, but the tan accentuates it. Thanks for reporting back!

  7. Matt in Oklahoma May 16, 2019 at 19:48

    Good stuff. I love using Rit Dye on stuff

  8. Pineslayer May 16, 2019 at 21:01

    I have used spray on packs and pouches with good results. The stuff is Colortool Spray by Design Masters. I love dye too. The Molle II large rucksack, in the dreaded ACU, has held up pretty well. I would say that the spray costs more, but you can put a pattern on it easier than with dyes. that spray seemed to soak into the seams well and not sit on top like you would think it would, but it also took more coats to deepen the effect. Another thing I have noticed about the spray/dye thing is that it gives the item a non-tactical dirty homeless look, which might be a good thing for a GHB.

    • Patriotman May 16, 2019 at 23:03

      Thanks for a brand recommendation. I will try both out to see if there is a difference. I never would have thought of doing it…..

    • Pastor Mike May 20, 2019 at 21:04

      Thank you Pineslayer for the tip , I had never heard of that brand before , I’ll check into them and see which works better myself.

  9. Anonymous May 17, 2019 at 05:09

    5

  10. Rucksack Rob May 17, 2019 at 07:04

    I’ve been using RIT dye for decades. Back when the only high-speed gear was made by backpacking and outdoor companies, you had to dye it. They actually used to make an OD color but now you have to blend multiple colors for different shades. You can download a printable page from the RIT website that has the proper blends and recipes for various shades / colors. ( I only printed the tactical shades, since I’m not dying an evening dress and didn’t need the various shades of red, chartreuse or salmon…lol)
    One key point that every one has missed is that after the final rinsing, you have to trow your item(s) in a dryer while still wet to ‘set’ the dye into the fabric or next time you’re out in the field in a rain storm, the dye will just start flowing again right onto / into the contents, meaning you (dyed clothing) or what ever is in your ruck. Don’t know if that has happened to anyone else but it did to me and after calling the RIT helpline, that was their suggestion.

    • Patriotman May 17, 2019 at 10:02

      You mean you don’t want a chartreuse assault pack? ;)

      Solid advice. I would imagine a cycle on warm would do the trick.

  11. Einherjar May 17, 2019 at 08:34

    Do be aware that some Rit dyes have a UV component to them and can make the article being dyed stand out like a turd in a punch bowl when viewed with night vision gear. Buy a cheap UV flashlight to give your gear a once over in a dark room (UV flashlights have other good uses as well}.

    • Patriotman May 17, 2019 at 10:01

      Really? I did not know that. This is relevant to anyone thinking about undertaking this. I am going to get a UV flashlight to test it.

      Are there ways to mitigate it? Naturalize it with the environment maybe?

  12. johnyMac May 17, 2019 at 08:36

    I just reread Patriotman’s article and new comments. I thought back to my Long Rifle/Leather stocking days when I would dye all my cloths with crushed up walnut shells. In hindsight, RIT dye probably would have been easier. LOL. But no self respecting Long Knife from the 1770’s who would use RIT.

    Great discussion gentlemen.

  13. anonymous May 17, 2019 at 13:30

    I’m wondering if anyone has had experience with dying the Swiss ‘Alpenflauge’ jackets – pants, the ones with red flecks of color. The units themselves are very good for the price – but the color, wow does it stand out in our locale Does anyone know of a color web site which would advise on how to tone it down some ? I’m thinking maybe yellow or light green would darken the red to darker red (plum ?) Dang, sounding like a show from the ‘Bravo’ channel, lol.

  14. wilson lee June 7, 2019 at 16:33

    An old turkey frier is great for processing & dyeing. Actually keep the water around 200 and let the item steep for a bit really will set the color.

    • Tim June 15, 2019 at 15:25

      I tried RIT on some ACU pouches before I deployed to Kandahar in 2014. We’d been issued the OCP uniform for that trip but all our gear was old LBE woodland stuff. I’d found a mud encrusted coyote brown Tactical Tailor battle belt at a surplus store for $5 that cleaned up well, and figured a dye job would better integrate the ACU stuff I wanted to put on it. After much soaking and slowly adding brown and seeing no significant change, I got impatient and dumped the whole package in. I ended up with 2 canteen covers and some ammo pouches in a striking Eggplant purplish hue. Ugh. I oversprayed it with an OD green paint just to take the edge off of the purple and it…..worked. Distinct and definitely differant.

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