Berets, Anyone?

[totallyfrozen]

The only time I wore a beret was in the Army. I still have it, of course, but don't have any occasion to wear it other than as a costume piece and it's too sacred for that. As military headwear goes, berets are the LEAST effective for any purpose. Berets seem very distinct and make a bold statement about the style and maybe even the lifestyle of the man wearing them. I haven't found a place for them in my wardrobe and style, but I admire the men who have.


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[RJR]

The only time I wore a beret was in the Army. I still have it, of course, but don't have any occasion to wear it other than as a costume piece and it's too sacred for that. As military headwear goes, berets are the LEAST effective for any purpose. Berets seem very distinct and make a bold statement about the style and maybe even the lifestyle of the man wearing them. I haven't found a place for them in my wardrobe and style, but I admire the men who have.


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I wore a maroon beret as well and you're right about the value of a small beret in my opinion.I have found that the larger diameters are very useful in rain,cold,wind and sun.

 

[Harp]

The only time I wore a beret was in the Army... As military headwear goes, berets are the LEAST effective for any purpose.

Agree, berets best worn garrision duty but for field wear floppy hats are more practical.

 

[ErikFid]

Been wearing my new Czech Service Star all weekend and just ordered two more, one in black and winter green. I can see why the Auoresa berets and Super Lujo's are considered better quality, but frankly I find this beret superior in comfort. The felt is not as thick as the high end berets, making it great for wearing this Indian Summer and the quality and finishing are superb - love the checked tartan lining (and thgat at less than half the cost!)!

 

[Daan]

Been wearing my new Czech Service Star all weekend and just ordered two more, one in black and winter green. I can see why the Auoresa berets and Super Lujo's are considered better quality, but frankly I find this beret superior in comfort. The felt is not as thick as the high end berets, making it great for wearing this Indian Summer and the quality and finishing are superb - love the checked tartan lining (and thgat at less than half the cost!)!

You touch on an interesting phenomenon; there are a few berets that are much under valued without any justification (in my opinion). The Czech made Service Stars among these.

The reason? I can only guess; it may be that most people associate a beret with France.., the model's name that has some connotation with the military.., the assumption that the Czech Republic has no affiliation with / history, tradition of beret wearing/making..?
I don't know, but fact is that those customers who do try this beret all give very, very positive feedback (and often return for more).

Of course, this is not a military beret (despite it's leather headband and the absence of a cabillou).
The manufacturer has a history of hat making that goes back to the 18th century and berets have been worn in the Czech Republic (previously Czechoslovakia) much longer than in most other countries. The Czech Legion was, after the French Chasseurs Alpin, the first military unit to adopt the beret as its headgear of choice during WWI.

What I like about these berets is their lightness (without compromising quality) and versatility to be worn with the headband inwards or outwards (giving a distinctly different look and feel either way). The lining in tartan is not only quite beautiful, the viscose material is very pleasant to the touch too. I guess the best proof of my liking for these berets is that I just placed an order for 100 pieces to be custom made in the colour of the Carpathian Mammoth:

Commercially not a sensible decision, no, but sometimes one has to do what one has to do! (Available early October this year)

 

[RJR]

You touch on an interesting phenomenon; there are a few berets that are much under valued without any justification (in my opinion). The Czech made Service Stars among these.
View attachment 80696 View attachment 80697
The reason? I can only guess; it may be that most people associate a beret with France.., the model's name that has some connotation with the military.., the assumption that the Czech Republic has no affiliation with / history, tradition of beret wearing/making..?
I don't know, but fact is that those customers who do try this beret all give very, very positive feedback (and often return for more).
View attachment 80701 View attachment 80702
Of course, this is not a military beret (despite it's leather headband and the absence of a cabillou).
The manufacturer has a history of hat making that goes back to the 18th century and berets have been worn in the Czech Republic (previously Czechoslovakia) much longer than in most other countries. The Czech Legion was, after the French Chasseurs Alpin, the first military unit to adopt the beret as its headgear of choice during WWI.
View attachment 80704 View attachment 80705
What I like about these berets is their lightness (without compromising quality) and versatility to be worn with the headband inwards or outwards (giving a distinctly different look and feel either way). The lining in tartan is not only quite beautiful, the viscose material is very pleasant to the touch too. I guess the best proof of my liking for these berets is that I just placed an order for 100 pieces to be custom made in the colour of the Carpathian Mammoth:
View attachment 80706
Commercially not a sensible decision, no, but sometimes one has to do what one has to do! (Available early October this year)

They are favorites of mine as well.

 

[GrayEyes]

I wore a maroon beret as well and you're right about the value of a small beret in my opinion.I have found that the larger diameters are very useful in rain,cold,wind and sun.

The small ones have their uses, too -- especially in cool weather on occasions when the sun is not a factor.
Here are some hypothetical examples:

• It's a cold and rainy day, and you're walking about town or even hiking in the woods in a rain jacket, with the hood up. A small-diameter beret will keep your head warm and fit under your hood comfortably. Yes, you could wear a brimmed hat or a large-diameter beret and let the rain fall on that. But, personally, I'll let the gore-tex hood handle the rain and let the wool beret keep me warm.
  
• It's 22 degrees F ( -6 degrees C ), and you are out in your parka. You pull the insulated hood up to keep your head warm, but you want something extra up there. You could wear a knit beanie, or you could wear a small-diameter, thick-weight beret.
  
• A cloudy day, or at night? You want to keep your head covered, but don't want something hanging over your eyes? A small-diameter beret does the trick.
• You are working on the pipes that run under your house (in the so-called crawl space), or are under your car, or under the hood of your car, and it's a cold day? You may not want a lot of extra fabric flopping about, but you want to keep your head covered. Keep in mind that small-diameter berets were once popular with tank troops, operating in close quarters in an unheated heated spaces.
  
• You need something warm under your bike helmet or under your climbing helmet? A small beret might do the trick.

Also, the large ones can roll up, but the small ones can roll up or fold up into almost nothing to stash in a pocket. That's an advantage, particularly if you don't like wearing a hat or cap indoors.

I'm not saying that they are best for all people and all conditions, but there are certainly circumstances in which they are a very good option.

 

[Nico]

The small ones have their uses, too -- especially in cool weather on occasions when the sun is not a factor.
Here are some hypothetical examples:

• It's a cold and rainy day, and you're walking about town or even hiking in the woods in a rain jacket, with the hood up. A small-diameter beret will keep your head warm and fit under your hood comfortably. Yes, you could wear a brimmed hat or a large-diameter beret and let the rain fall on that. But, personally, I'll let the gore-tex hood handle the rain and let the wool beret keep me warm.
  
• It's 22 degrees F ( -6 degrees C ), and you are out in your parka. You pull the insulated hood up to keep your head warm, but you want something extra up there. You could wear a knit beanie, or you could wear a small-diameter, thick-weight beret.
  
• A cloudy day, or at night? You want to keep your head covered, but don't want something hanging over your eyes? A small-diameter beret does the trick.
• You are working on the pipes that run under your house (in the so-called crawl space), or are under your car, or under the hood of your car, and it's a cold day? You may not want a lot of extra fabric flopping about, but you want to keep your head covered. Keep in mind that small-diameter berets were once popular with tank troops, operating in close quarters in an unheated heated spaces.
  
• You need something warm under your bike helmet or under your climbing helmet? A small beret might do the trick.

Also, the large ones can roll up, but the small ones can roll up or fold up into almost nothing to stash in a pocket. That's an advantage, particularly if you don't like wearing a hat or cap indoors.

I'm not saying that they are best for all people and all conditions, but there are certainly circumstances in which they are a very good option.

Yep. All the above plus like wearing my headphones while walking during the cooler seasons.

 

[Nathaniel Finley]

The only time I wore a beret was in the Army. I still have it, of course, but don't have any occasion to wear it other than as a costume piece and it's too sacred for that. As military headwear goes, berets are the LEAST effective for any purpose. Berets seem very distinct and make a bold statement about the style and maybe even the lifestyle of the man wearing them. I haven't found a place for them in my wardrobe and style, but I admire the men who have.


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I bet somewhere on this thread somebody else already enumerated the many benefits of the beret for military commando operations. I haven't found that post yet, but here are my thoughts as a military veteran:

I reckon for guerilla fighting in all terrains a real working beret or a combat-grade beret is actually a darn fine option. Especially for extended times in the field where I would need to worry about personal hygiene, minimizing gear, and getting the most use out of every piece of equipment I have.

A combat-grade beret would be big enough to shield my eyes from sun but easily pulled away from the eyes when moving through dense jungle or underbrush. It would provide insulation against hot and cold weather. It won't blow off my head at high speeds - and it doesn't rely on a rope around my neck to stay put (which can also easily get snagged). It provides hair and scalp protection from lice, ticks and other varmits. As somebody else mentioned, if I've got to work under a vehicle and want to protect my head from grease, it will do that without argument.

It's stuffable when I have to wear a helmet or it can be worn under a helmet for extra warmth. It can be easily cleaned for parade purposes when I'm back from the combat zone so I don't have to fuss with yet another item of clothing. And a new one can be easily enough manufactured if I'm in a hostile environment for extended periods.

I don't think it's a mistake that the beret is the international symbol of a commando. Truly versatile and hassle-free. Floppy hats don't seem to offer half these perks. I've never been a commando and the fact that few (if any) U.S. SF operators actually wear berets into battle makes me think their versatility is not up to modern combat; but 200 years ago and even up through the French Indochina wars I reckon the beret was a godsend to a guerilla soldier.

 

[leftyguy]

Here's my new BA "denim" blue edition limitee. Beautiful colour

 

[Liddleman]

Here's my new BA "denim" blue edition limitee. Beautiful colour

Very stylish, looks great on you. 10, 11 or 12 pouce ?

 

[leftyguy]

Thx!
It's an 11p, unlined

 

[GrayEyes]

Thx!
It's an 11p, unlined

Why the preference for unlined?

 

[totallyfrozen]

The small ones have their uses, too -- especially in cool weather on occasions when the sun is not a factor.
Here are some hypothetical examples:

• It's a cold and rainy day, and you're walking about town or even hiking in the woods in a rain jacket, with the hood up. A small-diameter beret will keep your head warm and fit under your hood comfortably. Yes, you could wear a brimmed hat or a large-diameter beret and let the rain fall on that. But, personally, I'll let the gore-tex hood handle the rain and let the wool beret keep me warm.
  
• It's 22 degrees F ( -6 degrees C ), and you are out in your parka. You pull the insulated hood up to keep your head warm, but you want something extra up there. You could wear a knit beanie, or you could wear a small-diameter, thick-weight beret.
  
• A cloudy day, or at night? You want to keep your head covered, but don't want something hanging over your eyes? A small-diameter beret does the trick.
• You are working on the pipes that run under your house (in the so-called crawl space), or are under your car, or under the hood of your car, and it's a cold day? You may not want a lot of extra fabric flopping about, but you want to keep your head covered. Keep in mind that small-diameter berets were once popular with tank troops, operating in close quarters in an unheated heated spaces.
  
• You need something warm under your bike helmet or under your climbing helmet? A small beret might do the trick.

Also, the large ones can roll up, but the small ones can roll up or fold up into almost nothing to stash in a pocket. That's an advantage, particularly if you don't like wearing a hat or cap indoors.

I'm not saying that they are best for all people and all conditions, but there are certainly circumstances in which they are a very good option.

All good points. I'd only ever wore my Army beret under a GI Gortex coat hood once or twice. I can see how you'd value it in cooler temps when you're wearing a hood; however IME, my ears always got cold in a beret. I prefer the watch cap, personally.
I do think berets can look good at times, though.


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[ErikFid]

Here's my new BA "denim" blue edition limitee. Beautiful colour

Looking great! You may have had the last one as the 11P has sold out. Are these un-lined models the same as the lined models apart from the lining?

 

[Daan]

Looking great! You may have had the last one as the 11P has sold out. Are these un-lined models the same as the lined models apart from the lining?

True, the 11p Édition limitée in denim-blue has sold out, both in the lined and un-lined version. The same size is available in black though in very limited numbers, or denim-blue in 10p and 12p-Alpin.
And yes, apart from the lining, the berets are identical.

 

[Daan]

Two fantastic films from the very Heartlands of the beret, the French Béarn.
The first film shows life in the Vallée d'Ossau in 1962. The valley of Ossau is one of the three great mountain valleys of Béarn. It stretches from north to south over fifty kilometers from Rébénacq to the Col de Pourtalet (on the Spanish border). It is made up of two cantons: in the lower valley is the canton of Arudy (a stone's throw from Oloron Sainte Marie); in the upper part of the valley lies the high mountain canton of Laruns. It is crossed by the Gave d'Ossau (river) and dominated by the Pic du Midi d'Ossau which peaks at 2,884 meters.
Shepherding, cheese making, eating & drinking, harvesting, dogs, mules, donkeys and yes, many berets.

The second video is of Béarn's oldest shepherd Auguste Casassus, 78 at the time of filming. It portrays life in the high Pyrenees during the summer months; the milking of the sheep and making of cheese on location, living with his dogs in almost complete solitude and an iron constitution.

This really is beret country, where shepherds and farmers have worn berets for endless generations, where many small beret factories dotted the valleys of Nay, Arudy and Oloron and where two of France's last remaining beret manufacturers still reside.

 

[leftyguy]

Maybe it's just me but I find unlined berets mold to my head better

 

[totallyfrozen]

So I had a surprise this morning. I showed my wife this thread (the photos, really) and asked, "What do you think of berets?"
She said she likes them. I said, " For men or women?"

So to my surprise she said, "Men. I think they look really masculine."

Dang it, you guys! Now I'm going to have to add some berets to my wardrobe. [emoji2]


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[totallyfrozen]

I bet somewhere on this thread somebody else already enumerated the many benefits of the beret for military commando operations. I haven't found that post yet, but here are my thoughts as a military veteran:

I reckon for guerilla fighting in all terrains a real working beret or a combat-grade beret is actually a darn fine option. Especially for extended times in the field where I would need to worry about personal hygiene, minimizing gear, and getting the most use out of every piece of equipment I have.

A combat-grade beret would be big enough to shield my eyes from sun but easily pulled away from the eyes when moving through dense jungle or underbrush. It would provide insulation against hot and cold weather. It won't blow off my head at high speeds - and it doesn't rely on a rope around my neck to stay put (which can also easily get snagged). It provides hair and scalp protection from lice, ticks and other varmits. As somebody else mentioned, if I've got to work under a vehicle and want to protect my head from grease, it will do that without argument.

It's stuffable when I have to wear a helmet or it can be worn under a helmet for extra warmth. It can be easily cleaned for parade purposes when I'm back from the combat zone so I don't have to fuss with yet another item of clothing. And a new one can be easily enough manufactured if I'm in a hostile environment for extended periods.

I don't think it's a mistake that the beret is the international symbol of a commando. Truly versatile and hassle-free. Floppy hats don't seem to offer half these perks. I've never been a commando and the fact that few (if any) U.S. SF operators actually wear berets into battle makes me think their versatility is not up to modern combat; but 200 years ago and even up through the French Indochina wars I reckon the beret was a godsend to a guerilla soldier.

With all due respect, I've never met a beret yet that can stop a bullet, shrapnel, or flying debris. Berets are part of the garrison uniform. We never worn them in the field. A Kevlar helmet, a boonie for hot weather ops, or a watch cap for cold weather ops.

Is the beret the international symbol of the guerrilla ("commandos" use guerrilla tactics so there is an association there)? Perhaps, but I think I have to ask if that was the case prior to WWII. I don't think it was. So what's the origin? I think it's most likely the French Resistance who waged guerrilla war against their nazi occupiers. It's no secret the beret is associated with France.

Honestly, I'm not aware of any American units wearing their berets in combat. In considering covert ops, it would be foolish because if a troop were to somehow lose the beret anywhere along the way, the enemy upon finding it would easily be able to confirm 1) that a unit had been in the area, 2) which unit it was.
That alone is too much intel to allow into enemy hands. Just the fact of being able to concretely confirm the presence of a covert unit could cause international scandal and be called and Act of War.
Typically, when going into the battlefield, we'd have to remove the colored uniform patches that we wear in garrison and replace them with subdued colored patches. If you're going in deep in a covert op, you remove ALL the insignia off your uniform and don't wear any identifying markings on the combat uniform.
Just my 2 cents, but I don't recall any Americans (can't speak for foreign troops) wearing the unit beret in combat. Well, I guess you might have to if you were ambushed in garrison.


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