UDT Shorts, Silkies, and Ranger Panties: A Risqué Military Fashion Trend

UDT shorts might look like a relic of a bygone era, when men weren’t afraid to show off a little thigh, but in fact they have only become more popular with time. Other standard-issued uniform bottoms by the different branches of the US military have since been adapted to include the short’s same minuscule inseam that toes the line of inappropriate.
Want to keep up with all the latest stories on Coffee or Die? Go to www.coffeeordi....
Make sure to follow Coffee or Die Magazine on social media:
Facebook: coffeeordiemag
Instagram: @coffeeordiemag
Twitter: @coffeeordie1754
Follow BRCC on social media:
Instagram: / blackriflec. .
Facebook: / blackrifleco. .
Twitter: / blckriflecoffee

[@johnmccloskey3660]

Remember if they fit, go down a size.

[@invisiblerevolution]

😂

[@GoNavyAT2]

Truer words have never been spoken.

[@buddhiwww]

😂

[@col.strayga1389]

If it ain't tight, it ain't right!

[@PatrickHutton]

John it's miscreants like you that have got the banned lol.

[@Kghost0311]

My wife hates when I wear my silkies in the yard or to the store 😂😂😂

[@diltzm]

I too wear them for yard work, much to the chagrin of my wife and probcbly neighbors too.

[@meoffjack]

Doesn't your wife think you look sexy in those?

[@gbel9295]

I sport my Ranger Panties everyday for my neighbors..😆

[@Military.FutureUrbanCamo]

@@diltzm I want some camo ones

[@mudfish78]

She loves it when I do though.

[@gregchabot7160]

Daisy Dukes of Freedom. 🇺🇲

[@dewetmaartens359]

In South Africa and the old Rhodesia we wear short shorts at work, casually and as part of our military uniform/tradition. In Africa you want your legs to be fully mobile and not get snagged on thorns, makes you move quicker, also the heat. When it gets cold in winter (it snows in SA) we still wear them and look down on a guy wearing long pants. I'm wearing short shorts right now and have 7 pairs: All khaki-green and one blue one.

[@redpilledrhodesian1407]

It's a beautiful thing!

[@Military.FutureUrbanCamo]

Women will approach u

[@ryand4533]

Why wear pants at all then?

[@joshuacarron]

Rhodesians Never Die!

[@vandolmatzis8146]

kortbroek for all seasons

[@A_Qwynide]

*"WHICH IS A GOD DAMN DISGRACE"* - yes, yes indeed

[@garysarratt1]

Anyone who’s ever had to put all his clothing in a sea bag understands the appeal of smaller items.

[@HaroldCornbreadCarter]

The amount of UDT shorts with the word “Juicy” sharpied across the ass, that I’ve given as birthday gifts is unfathomable.

[@O8WRx]

Silkies all the way. Wearing them right now funny enough.

[@leroybishop2245]

UDTs and blue&gold tshirt combined with sunglasses and sun tan oil. Those were the days. Now my UDTs are a size 56🤣🤣🤣

[@eduardosuarez2414]

Were the blue & gold shirts used to signify who had done a dive recently?

[@petesheppard1709]

Back then, these were the only shorts worn by men and boys. Longer garments were for the flabby and elderly.

[@DanniChan_Worldwide]

Back at MCRD PISC 1987, we were issued the tight, red, shortie-shorts complimented by the bright yellow USMC tee. SHortly thereafter in the FMF I got my first pair of silkies, and now as a retiree I STILL wear my silkies around the house...so damn comfy!!!

[@underwaterlevelz1947]

I'm a competitive long distance runner, I wear silkies religiously when I train and compete. All the babes at my gym love it.

[@mikedelgado5901]

So glad I got out before all these changes, silkies for life

[@CaptBongo]

Proud supporter and wearer of UTD shorts and silkies since 1984. Really don.t care who bitches about them. Comfort and freedom over being polite and so called correct. Awesome post

[@tugboatphil22]

My Army time was 75-78, got out and went Navy 78-97. I ended up in a boat unit that supported Spec War, EOD, & Underwater Construction. UDT shorts weren't an issue item outside those type units. I was able to score a pair and loved them. The thing was, they were short, but for those of us who grew in the 50s & 60s they weren't that much shorter than what we wore as "shorts" in the summer. I can no longer wear mine due to them shrinking over the decades...mostly after I retired. But I still have them just in case.

[@subicstationditosailor4053]

Mine shrank substantially.

[@JudoTim3891]

😂 Yeah yeah, they shrank, that’s what happened!

[@GhostRanger5060]

All mine shrank too. That plus they now make my size smaller than they used to.

[@oak815]

@@JudoTim3891 exactly I told my wife my belt shrank too

[@AlexM-oq5el]

I regret not getting a pair when I was in. Anyone could grab em from the nex, but I figured I wasn't high speed enough to justify them 😅

[@GhostRanger5060]

Old skool retired Cold Warrior here -- I wear my Ranger panties to the gym all the time. Last time was yesterday. Next time will be today. I don't care what people think. If the dingbats can wear yoga pants, I can wear silkies. Real men always will be proud to show their legs. Pansies wear tank tops and baggy pants because their legs suck. What makes most elite units different is that they have highly developed legs due to hard rucking, swimming, and running compared to their military peers in less elite units. I earned the tab. I get to wear the Ranger panties. Haters gonna hate. #manup #RLTW #oldskool #coldwarrior #lightfighter #manlylegs

[@seanx476]

Just like my father 😂 Old dungeries or blue jeans, he'd cut the legs off to where his nuts would hang out without a care in the world 🤣

[@PatrickHutton]

I usually wear meggings at the gym. I'm happy with my legs (thanks deadlifts and squats) but they're too pale and fuggly the public.

[@INSIGHTCO]

LLTB! Long live the brotherhood!

[@saltandsugarandsand6114]

REAL warriers don't skip leg day :)

[@stvargas69]

Played a oil rugby in college in the early 90s. The rugby shorts back then were short but boring. Threw on a knock off pair of tiger stripe UDT shorts and got nothing but compliments! Made me run faster too!

[@philipleckburg8443]

I wear silliest to this day! Best skivies EVER!!! PT gear, swim trunks. OHH RAH! And I wore the khaki udt shorts in recon. Back in the 90's. Keep the short shorts alive!

[@DG-uw6wx]

When one feels sad... always remenber a time when men in short shorts with FN's were making the world a better place.

[@JohnRodriguez-si9si]

I Myself, John Rodriguez, have had the rare honor and privilege of wearing both the UDT Shorts ( 1st Force Reconnaissance Company) and Ranger Panties ( 3d Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment) ,from 1987 to 1998. I AM STILL an Owner of 2 Pair of TruSpec UDT Shorts in size 34W.

[@SSGTStryker]

In our squadron, we’ve always referred to our PT short shorts as “Daisy Dukes of Freedom!” (We also called UDT, Silkies, and Ranger Panties the same moniker)

[@hagestad]

is mainly US trend. Why would shorts cover half of your leg or more combined with high socks?

[@SSGTStryker]

@@hagestad Agreed, kinda defeats the purpose. 🩳

[@Tunkkis]

​@@hagestad I prefer my shorts short and socks long.

[@McPh1741]

We were at lunch one day and my friend (prior Army) said he still had his in a trunk with a bunch of his Army gear. He said he’d give the trunk to his son and maybe some day he could show it all to his kids. I was like, “Yeah. I can see it now, your grand kids yelling at your son ‘Dad! I found grandpa’s hot pants!’”. Remember, the shorter the shorts, the more hardcore the training.

[@ModernTacticalShooting]

All true, we wore "black and tans" in 5th SFG. Black silky shorts with brown bdu t-shirt everywhere we could.

[@Dave-in-MD]

And all the UDT shorts are made by UNICOR. Federal Prison Industries.

[@jamesmcswain8120]

There was nothing like holding a mans legs during sit ups with aome silky's

[@ea5yliver]

Got my Untied Status Marin Crops silkies in a care package from my wife so I can wear them on deployment here. ❤️

[@GhostRanger5060]

You mean you didn't have a pair already packed in your ready bag? C'mon, Marine!

[@ea5yliver]

@@GhostRanger5060 Nah man, that was the first time I finally pulled the trigger on 'em. Bought 'em over a month in advance but they didn't arrive until two weeks after I shipped. 😭

[@GhostRanger5060]

@@ea5yliver Glad that story had a happy ending, brother. :D

[@tonyfourpaws4511]

I'm wearing silkies right now. They are my goto when I want to be extra comfy. people usually give me weird looks but They have probably never worn them so they have no idea.

[@Sinar-P]

Rhodesian Army from the 1970's. We went into battle with short shorts a camo shirt and a pair of tackies ( basketball shoes).

[@goodnightmr5892]

Obligatory “Ooooooooooh My“ 😂

[@sharkman5735]

I’ve been wearing them for 40 years !!!! One kind or the other!!

[@ericcallender1575]

If you got it, flaunt it. Good footage.

[@sleeplessvirus]

My first pt uniform was the banana suit. But just the sweats which had been shrunk more than the head of a dead missionary who took a wrong turn in the Amazon .

[@kevinhenderson8944]

Funny how they become a sought after item. First thing I did when I graduated Ranger School was get a burger at the Four Winds Diner. Second thing, go to the PX to get my Ranger panties… then get my tab sewn on.

[@GhostRanger5060]

That's old skool thinking right there. NICE! #rltw

[@harrykrumpacker871]

Following current trends, expect UDT shorts to be either really baggy and below the knees OR a "capri" type short pants (we used to call them "high-waters") in the next Navy Uniform overhaul.

[@Triumph2727]

I still have mine! And a pair of American flag silkies that my wife and neighbors fucking hate!

[@jefffoy530]

I’ve been out of the Corps for almost ten years. I literally wear these every single day. I stopped wearing boxers several years ago when I ordered a two pack of ranger panties. I threw all the boxers away, ordered ten more pair of silkies, and haven’t looked back.

[@WildCelt130]

I bought silkies just out of boot camp because that's what the DIs wore. I quit wearing anything else for underwear ever since and I've been out of the Corps for 18 years.

[@franksmith6810]

I'm wearing a pair now!

[@SapperTac]

My wife hates when I wear my sapper snuggies. She says she hates man thighs. 😂

[@washguy5982]

My wife is in the same club!

[@brianvannorman1465]

Jealousy is a wicked thing. Especially if it's in your spouse.

[@vitigaymer1053]

She jelly that you wear em better

[@RoyG.]

Tell your wives to get over it.

[@tony66au]

That shot of Mat in silkies ..... Whew :-) Aussie call them footy shorts, Damned near perfection comfort wise and just a teensie bit revealing!

[@webherring]

Having grown up in the 70s and 80s, long shorts, especially during 90s and 2000s, are just clown pants.

[@unisuit]

Thomas Sullivan Magnum cannot be wrong.

[@solwanderer3708]

I remember catching my CO (Capt. looked like David Hasselhoffs beefier brother/Navy) while I was in a pair of silkies setting out on a run, he wasn’t phased in the least. Come to find out, he wears the same sized shorts… he is indeed beefier than I am.

[@eithkobbsh1094]

How would you know?

[@sharonrigs7999]

The Rhodesian plum smugglers were the best! When I was deployed to Kandahar Airfield in 2007, I was suprised to see Slovenian or Slovakian ( can't quite remember) rocking camo daisy dukes with a matching skin tight t-shirt.

[@GhostRanger5060]

Those Eastern Europeans know the deal.

[@happynowfarms]

At Benning in the 80's we purchased our own Battalion PT uniforms for basic/ait, they were Silkies at the time. The grey PT uniform came after.

[@Jadeserphant]

“Ranger panties” made me snort my iced tea into my sinuses. Sooooooo thanks for that. Ima go ask my husband if he still has his! Lolol

[@zachgregory1289]

If a ball falls out, they are correct size shorts. Just tape up.

[@gbel9295]

Ranger Panties...ROCK..

[@ranger1411]

Omg I know I am old now. Back in the day in 1st bat we went comando

[@mas8171]

I wore them with pride‼️ But you forgot to mention the Un-godly bloody pain of the UDT short’s inseam along the crotch/inner thigh after sugar-cookies on the beach and then the sandpaper-effect creating 🩸 down the legs and trying to walk/run like a f’n cowboy 🤠 off his horse! 1st Plt. C Co. 1st Recon Bn. ‘85-‘87

[@FiremanFrach]

😂😂😂@ the opening.

[@gardennovice7896]

They good for long distance runs and long term field ops. Never had a rash from short shorts.

[@TheSorcererAhrimanahsul]

The More You Know! I didn't know any of this it's pretty neat history.

[@PAPITO_49]

So that's what inspired the song, "Who Loves Short Shorts, We love Short, Shorts."

[@Piratedavessaltylife]

When you paddle kick for hours, you need Short Shorts. Less chaffing, lest obstruction.

[@andrabook8758]

uhmmm...speedos? like, why is everyone acting like no one else has thought of this before, lool

[@darkgardener9577]

LEADING THE WAY BABY!!!!

[@Paul-xq8gs]

Table tennis players wear short shorts. Praticing 10 hrs a day, six days a week over 25 yrs, thats a massive rotation of hot moist short shorts!!! Adelaide,S.Australia.🤤

[@dunexapa1016]

Yep, I am sure the enemy is impressed ...

[@heybabycometobutthead]

Only Americans think wearing shorts so long and baggy they look like skirts is normal shorts,

[@Dannysoutherner]

Not all of us mate. Yes, they do look like a dress.

[@pauldarling330]

OMG does my wife hate my UDTs. Don't care. I fucking earned the right to wear the damned things.

[@PAPITO_49]

Your right, it was hard for me to come back from Nam and put on Navy regular clothes.

[@Blue_Maxxx]

Was never issued UDTs in the Corp. Did have silkies and was in when they unauthorized them for PT so we started to wear them for everything else we could.

[@homersimpson6707]

Our uniform of the day used to be green T's, UDT shorts and palladium/Israeli desert boots. Some great memories.

[@PD-we8vf]

Wtf are the seals wearing in the pool now? Long Underwear under the udt’s

[@11bravo72]

I have 4 and 1 of them are Ranger Panties 😎

[@jona_KardCiv1]

The Marine silkies had no support for the balls. So you had to wear tighty whities underneath.

[@boathemian7694]

Hahahahaha! I was in the First Recon Bn. At Pendleton, we were issued those udt shorts. Actually they along with a bush cover and jungle boots and a tshirt were acceptable uniform at certain times. Now I run every morning in my silkies. Ooorah

[@brendencroup8310]

Don’t forget rhodie shorts

[@josephguttmann1083]

i just love wearing silkies anytime of day

[@alicantuncer4800]

2:08 nice pushup form

[@MVK_GS]

Retired in 2016 and still have mine.

[@brianvannorman1465]

Go NAVY!!

[@derekquinn462]

Anybody hearing the NAIR commercial in the background?

[@tedbaehr1862]

Anyone know when short shorts went away??? I think 1990's basketball started the trend of longer shorts. Truly a travesty! To this date, I despise wearing shorts that touch my knee caps.

[@bobbarr6590]

Uniform of the Day - Green t-shirt and Catch Me F*** Me’s.

[@DogSoldier0351]

Silkies for life Semper Fi

[@ipdavid1043]

Short is good and flexible

[@twostep1953]

I've still got my Ranger Panties, and I've been out so long they are barely hanging together.

[@tztz-h9h]

Donald Trump is Jesus Christ. The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America.

[@TheGuerillapatriot]

when I was a kid that was normal

[@erics2091]

♫ We might be crazy. We might be drunk. We’ve been wearing our *silkies*. Now here we come. ♫ Slight twist on ‘B!tch I Operate’ lyrics by Vargas and Best.

[@paulmorris6177]

Still have my UDTs from my time in the Marines (‘86-‘90)…😂

[@donisz]

Boys where is the new episodes?

[@thepunadude]

BANANA HAMMOCKS!

[@The_Comedian556]

2:24 damn

[@WenisTRON]

Just saying we had silkies first, rangers did not lead the way on this.

[@kathrynr.7065]

Silkies were a determining factor in the decison to marry a Marine. 🤷‍♀️ It's amusing when you see an old retired gunny rockin' the nut-huggers when working out on base. Keep it up, hard chargers! 😂😏😯

[@jimbrickwall8307]

If you aint getting cat called by other men, go down a size

[@SuperDarkrock]

LOL, aaah, the days of chaffing bawls.

[@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__]

Or the "catch me, fook me" shorts

[@ianmurray4081]

Ranger panties the next best thing to going “Commando “🍺🫵🤟🇨🇦🫡🇺🇸🤟🫵🍺

[@richardmurphy9006]

Only the GAA in Ireland wears shorts in sports always will I guess I see soccer players pulling up their baggy shorts honestly athletic shorts are the dogs Bollocks

[@bigchillingmode]

James from Tfbtv

[@andrabook8758]

you do know that speedos were a thing and still are, technically speaking, right? Just checking.

[@mistersmith3986]

Sthilky & Sthmothe

[@Dannysoutherner]

Short shorts and speedo suits are great. These long bags they give to guys these days are not practical. If you swim in them your legs get tangled up in them. They take forever to dry and I don't like anything flapping around my knees, too distracting. Guys today are too willing to follow the fashion trends than wear something useful. Think outside the box. They are not a gay thing.

[@seventhmonkey458]

No different than the gym shorts we wore in the late 70's and later. The longer legged shorts were a fad that came out of urban basketball and took over. Nowhere near as functional, but hey, fashion...

[@pakelly99]

I can hear a sound, it’s a bit like when adults speak on peanuts, e.g. when Charlie Brown is in a school and the teachers address the class. But then it was more like WO W’ WO WO. In this case it’s more like BO BO BO BO BO B’ BO BO. And, give me a bit of your sandwich [I’m literally starving to death]. I don’t like you!

[@Tom-r1r]

Houston Jones.

[@jefejeffwell1113]

Remember boys: “Free the knees”

[@seanx476]

My dad used to wear blue jean cutoffs up to his nuts he made himself EDIT: blue jeans or his old dungeries 2nd edit 😂 He made me run the crater with him (Aliamanu), him in nothing but dungeri cutoffs 😅