How to Identify an Old Camouflage Army Helmet
The US Army has recently replaced the older Personal Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) helmet used in the 1980s and 1990s with the 2006 and 2007 revised versions of the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), which is, in turn, a refinement of the Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH). Any one of the following steps can determine that a helmet is a PASGT design.
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Instructions
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Chin Strap Placement
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1
Turn the helmet upside down.
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2
Look at the back side of the helmet (the part that covers the back of the wearer's head). If there are two attachment points there, it's probably an ACH helmet.
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3
Look at the sides of the helmet. If there are two attachment points at the side, and no back attachment points, it's a PASGT helmet. Some PASGT helmets were modified to a four attachment point system, these can be identified by the placement of the rear attachment points, which went to the side of the helmet rather than the back of the helmet.
Internal Pad & Attachment Point Placement
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4
Turn the helmet upside down.
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5
Examine the materials used to keep the helmet's shell a safe distance from the head of the wearer. If there are three pads and a leather head band (one pad at the front, one pad on each side) the helmet is a PASGT. If there are attachment points for 17 pads, and the pads are made out of a material like a gym mat, it's an ACH helmet.
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6
Examine the shell for holes and hooks. These are used to run communications gear through the helmet (headphones and microphones for radio gear). If they are present, the helmet is an ACH, otherwise it's a PASGT.
Camouflage Cover and Fit
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7
Put the helmet right side up.
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8
Examine the cloth cover for the helmet (camouflage on helmets has been printed on removable cloth covers since the late 1970s; this allows them to be cleaned, and to be replaced with camouflage covers appropriate to the terrain being fought in). If the cloth cover has a camouflage pattern made up of squares at odd orientations, it's using the 2006 revision of the Army's camouflage pattern. This cover does not fit on the older PASGT helmet.
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9
Put the helmet on.
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10
Tilt your head back as far as it can, or lie prone and prop up your chin, as if shooting while prone. If the back of the helmet digs into your neck, it's probably a PASGT (or it's an ACH helmet that's too large for you).
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11
Run your hands along the bottom side of the helmet; a properly fitted ACH will cover just over the top of your ears, a PASGT will cover the sides of your head down to just above the jawline.
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