Tactical?

Scottieoutdoors

Settler
Oct 22, 2020
889
635
Devon
Yup, like others have said, sometimes things labelled tactical can be great, other times not....

A tactical chunder on a night out keeps the night going on longer and reduces your hangover - great.

That tactical sausage roll I had in a shop so that I could survive until dinner time turned out to be a really bad decision, I had really bad food poisoning and developed some sort of lactose intolerance afterwards!!!
 
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Silverclaws2

Nomad
Dec 30, 2019
287
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Devon
There's a difference between those who want to pretend they're in the military and those who wear army surplus gear because it's cheap, rugged and comfortable. I think we're straying from the original post, though
I have no problem with conversations that stray as that is what good conversations generally do, to have found from my question answered by so many that have, another question potentially pertaining has formed of which I am exploring at the moment through the straying, the question of 'Walting'
 

Silverclaws2

Nomad
Dec 30, 2019
287
155
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Devon
The comparison with the "pro" label is a good one. I've got tools labelled as professional which have held up to being used professionally and therefore deserve the label. Yet other stuff is cheap junk that falls apart in no time. So while it's supposed to imply a certain level of functionality and robustness, there's no industry standard for labelling something "pro" so it actually means nothing.
Arguably the same could be said of "tactical."
Pro in my day as a professional plant fitter was anything that did the job and I mean anything for my tool box to be full of all sorts of junk and junk that mostly formed modified tools made from no name, grind-able and weld-able tools to do things Snap-On either hadn't thought of or were of a cost I was not prepared to afford for just one job.

The rule in my day re the term 'Professional' was if something was labelled thus, generally it isn't to essentially bear the word ; 'Professional to pry extra money out of the less savvy, to have wondered if the same rule applied to the modern term ' Tactical.' And yes I am aware Halfords Professional range is rather good, but I suspect through Halfords marketing stuff of that quality, they were trying to repair their brand. Incidentally Lidl and Aldi's tools are pretty good too.
 

Silverclaws2

Nomad
Dec 30, 2019
287
155
57
Devon
I do wonder how many when they escape maintain the military appearance, to wonder how much of that appearance is anything other than institutionalisation, i.e. doing what's comfortable as a result of the programming. And yes I do wear veg gear, but I do so through being unable to afford other of what I know works in certain environments.

But back in my day is was considered not only uncool but potentially dangerous to adopt a military appearance off base due to what agreement was yet to be signed. To further wonder if the 'fashion' for the military appearance to derive at least ' tactical ' and there the increased awareness of ' walting ' might have arisen due to a lack of threat.
 

Scottieoutdoors

Settler
Oct 22, 2020
889
635
Devon
I wouldn't personally assume someone was walting if I saw them walking around in full camo out in the sticks, I'd assume they just bought some good gear for a decent price... but for me personally I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it myself..

Of course if someone was sporting more medals than a dictator and had their beret on back to front I'd assume something was off... But my opinions would stay internal...
 
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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,762
786
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Dunno about anyone elses experience but the only walts I've met would best be described as Semi-Walts.
They were genuinely in the military and I believe that bit but they big up their part in it, followed by various other stories that I just doubt a bit.
Followed up by some workplace experience I doubt as well, they do indeed have the qualifications but when you ask em where they've worked in the past it gets a bit vague.
Seem to turn up on building sites every once in a while.
Nothing you can really prove without obsessive amounts of effort and I just don't care enough to bother with it.
Just shake my head and usually leave em to it.

I don't think I've ever met one who was never in the military at all doing it.
 

Scottieoutdoors

Settler
Oct 22, 2020
889
635
Devon
@demographic

Probably because in the UK most of us view military personnel with respect, but it's not elevated to the somewhat cringe level of Godly like status the US go down... So for someone to pretend over there means they get people swooning at their feet. Over here it's more like "bet the weather was better in the Middle East than over here..."
 
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Silverclaws2

Nomad
Dec 30, 2019
287
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Devon
@demographic

Probably because in the UK most of us view military personnel with respect, but it's not elevated to the somewhat cringe level of Godly like status the US go down... So for someone to pretend over there means they get people swooning at their feet. Over here it's more like "bet the weather was better in the Middle East than over here..."
That wasn't the case in the 1990's when I quit the mob, back then it was more ' so what ', for me to learn to keep my former employment hidden, to basically try to forget all about it. It's only recently, yeah in lockdown where I have dared to remember my service, to wonder given what ' demographic ' has said, may I myself form a semi walt for trying to find pride in my service.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,257
1,724
Vantaa, Finland
As Finland has a conscript army, the situation is very different. In my age group over 90% of males have been in the service and know which end goes bang. It was not very long so calling all of us "soldiers" does have a slightly different meaning than in a country with professional army. "Walting" is vary rare and the few cases I have seen were middle aged men claiming to have been in the French Foreign Legion. Quite difficult to probe as my French is practically nil.
 

Athos

Full Member
Mar 12, 2021
258
199
East Sussex
Don’t concern yourselves with walts. All you need to do is ask them the colour of the boathouse at Hereford. If they give the wrong answer you should then ambush them with a cup of coffee.
 

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