Custom Patches for Your Tactical Clothing and Equipment

Tactical gear and clothing encompass the apparel utilized by the military, law enforcement, and emergency responders. These types of clothing are durable enough to withstand the elements that they may face while they are in the field, such as rain or fire. More often than not, tactical clothing is also integrated with various compartments to ensure that the wearer will have ample space to store all the gears that he or she needs to bring.

Usually, tactical clothing is also made to be uniform depending on the main purpose of the wearer. For instance, the design of the tactical clothing of firefighters from a certain state may be very similar to the ones worn by the firemen of another state. To effectively distinguish one from another, custom patches are made and attached to these kinds of apparel. In line with this, below are some of the different types of custom patches usually incorporated for tactical clothing and equipment.

Embroidered Patches

One of the most common types of patches is the embroidered ones, which are also referred to as cloth badges. This type of patch allows you to incorporate any design that you wish embroidered custom made patches work best for smaller designs. Nevertheless, you can leverage a larger canvas to create a more prominent design as you deem appropriate.

Several techniques are incorporated in making embroidered patches, including the iron-on technique, the felt sew-on method, and the self-adhesive and removable pin patches. Custom made embroidered patches that follow the iron-on method entail the need for a couple of pieces of fabric and a couple of pieces of paper-backed fusible web. On the other hand, felt sew-on embroidered patches require minimal edge finishing because the felt material is less prone to fraying compared to other types of fabric.

Self-adhesive patches is an even easier technique to generate fabulous looking embroidered patches. With this method, all you need is a permanent peel-and-stick fabric adhesive. On the other hand, removable pin patches will help you produce a pin that somehow looks like a badge. However, you need to stitch the edge too for a more seamless look.

PVC Patches

PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, and this material can be used to produce high quality and fantastic looking custom patches too. Custom PVC patches are preferred because of their durability and water-resistant characteristics, making them perfect for tactical kevlar vests. The best part is that you can use Velcro to attach this patch to a wide variety of different products such as helmets and backpacks for the military, police, fire departments, and airsoft teams. However, these can also be a little bit more expensive compared to the traditional embroidered patches because they are less likely to fade, and they can also withstand almost any temperature.

In making PVC morale patches, the process usually begins with designing because the cut and shape of the patch will greatly depend on the design. Usually, custom PVC patches’ design comes with an appropriate border, which is considerably far from the patch’s main design. This is to ensure that the merrowing machine is restricted from making any unsuitable edges on the patch. From there, the design is sent off to a reliable patch depot who will manufacture the tactical patches in bulk.

Woven Patches

The age-old style of woven patches is considered classic and timeless because it produces a clean, simple, but interesting effect. Several people prefer woven morale patches because of their quality. Aside from this, woven patches are versatile enough to be either attached permanently or temporarily using a Velcro backing. Rest assured that a beautifully woven string made from continuously stitched threads will be able to perfectly capture the spirit of the organization represented by the wearer of the tactical clothing and gears.

In creating a design for a custom made woven patch, you can choose a single string color for a toned-down look, or you can also choose multiple colors to produce a more vibrant design. The former is the one that works well for professional tactical wear. Another great thing with woven morale patches is that they work well regardless of the size of the design, making it perfect for apparel or gears such as backpacks and hats.

Chenille Patches

Chenille patches resemble the texture of a caterpillar; hence, the name chenille, which is also French for a caterpillar. Its soft and unique look is achieved by the short lengths of yarns twisted together between two other core yarns. However, to ensure that you achieve the best custom chenille patch perfect for tactical gear, you need to come up with a good design that translates well with this specific material.

Because of the big stitches incorporated with these patches, chenille type patches work well with big designs. Hence, instead of using it for each member of an organization, it can be used to denote or signify the entire group alternatively. For instance, explore the use of chenille patches in an airsoft team banner. Nonetheless, if the design is huge enough, chenille patches will also look wonderful enough at the back of a jacket.

While you may not see chenille patches in servicemen’s everyday uniform, you will likely see this type of patch on their casual wear, which is still provided to them in uniform. More often than not, these apparel are used during their sporting events and team gatherings.

Leather Patches

Leather patches are used for a wide variety of products, including hats, bags, jackets, and other apparel, to name a few. They also work best for tactical apparel and other gear because of their durability. Apart from being promotional items, these leather patches are often used as labeling materials too. Several entrepreneurs prefer leather patches because they add value to the natural look and feel of their products. In the same manner, it also adds a professional look to the tactical clothing of military personnel as well as emergency responders.

One of the great things about leather patches is that their use is not limited to tactical clothing, but they are perfect for other tactical gears too. For instance, they can be custom made to personalize the bags of military personnel and service members and their vests and caps. In this way, it will be easier for them to determine their belonging since most of their stuff looks exactly alike. Leather patches work well as key holders too.

For people who are conscious about their moral obligation to the environment, there is no need to worry because leather patches can be made from faux material too. Rest assured that faux leather looks and feels just as good as genuine leather and the superior quality ones are just as durable. Thus, they will not only look perfect with the tactical clothing and equipment that you will attach them to, but they will also last a long time.

Printed Patches

One of the primary advantages of going for a printed patch is that it is the most affordable type of patch available. Because of this, it is quite easy to produce printed patches in bulk, which proves to be beneficial if there are numerous tactical kevlar vests, helmets, and backpacks that need to be produced within a short amount of time. It is also the most versatile type of patch with a fast turn around when it comes to its production. This means that you can incorporate any color you want for your design and produce photo-realistic images on the final product.

Printed patches are also washable, which is why they are not only perfect for tactical gear but sports gear and uniforms for airsoft teams too. However, you need to ensure that they are properly sewn into the apparel or that they are made with an extra-strong iron-on adhesive. In this way, the patches will not easily peel when the clothing is drenched in water and soap. While it may take quite some time for the ink to fade, you can even lengthen its lifespan by using a mild detergent in washing the clothes with these patches.

Perhaps the only drawback of custom-made printed patches is that they are not textured, which means that since they are two-dimensional, they don’t have an embossed effect like an embroidered or a woven patch provides. They are also not fully waterproof, making them vulnerable to damage when they are submerged in water for a long time. Thus, make sure that the tactical gear and equipment that you attached printed patches are used in areas that are not often subjected to water and wet situations.

The Bottomline

If you are into the business of providing tactical clothing and equipment to the most reputable servicemen in the country, then make sure that they are recognized accordingly. The best way to do this is to leverage custom patches that will not only signify the organization that they belong to but their purpose as well. Rest assured that everything they do is geared towards the betterment of the community or for the common good.