Why is the boonie cap so demonized in the army?

In the navy as well. The shade they provide is awesome, especially if you have been out in the weather for long periods of time. Helps keep the chance of skin cancer way down on the face, neck and ears.

In the Marines the boonie hat was authorized for wear during every deployment anywhere, anytime. Even during some training exercises. But for some reason in the Army it was not the case. Which was very annoying.

My theory is since THEY never go t to then why should you get to ...

Sad truth is you rarely see either boonie hats OR patrol caps in the field any more. Usually, when a unit goes to the field now, its a PSAT(?) /Kevlar. Something that gives you headaches and neck aches all the time.

The boonie cap is the best head gear in the inventory. It’s too bad some unit commanders don’t approve of it. There were three times I can remember being allowed to wear them. One was during the time we were waiting to go home after Operation Desert Storm. Another was when I was on loan to JOTC (Jungle Operations Training Center) in Panama and, the last was when we were on the FOB during the counter-insurgency phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We were told not to try and “shape” them and, I don’t remember seeing anyone do it.

Tradition and the strict rules of authorized Military clothing. The boogie hat is just not authorized in garrison. Unless you did as I did. I had the beginnings of skin cancer on my nose and ears and had to go to a medical board which gave me a medical profile that stated, "Soldier will wear boonie hat at all times while outdoors. Now for me not to wear my boonie hat is a possible article 15. There is NO PERSON OF ANY RANK that can force me to remove my hat. Oh do not doubt I got pinged on a Dailey basis about my hat. Even when I told some of these uniform natzi's that I have skin cancer and needed to protect my head I still was forced to show my profile. I eventually got it on my phone.

As a sniper I only worn a boonie cap when in the field and deployed. Best design to break up the profile of the head.

retired as a Major, love the boonie, was authorized to wear ONE time, ONE day in over 20 years

Well being both active and now in the reserves..
Simply put..
Not everyone gets issued one. I've never had one. Same with the nice under armor combat tops..
One team one fight

I know it was the old days, but we had quite a few guys wear the boonie in Nam. I would when on compound but never when on a convoy or in the field. I wanted every bit of safety I could get. Heck, on convoys I even sat on a folded up flack jacket. Was it comfortable? Hell no. But did my butt fell safer, Yup.

Damn , 5,000 more views on this post and it will reach 100,000. That’s awesome

a co-worker in the shop had to get a skin cancer removed from his temple after he got back from Iraq - he had bee in a unit that outlawed boogie hats - he wouldn't have the cancer if he could wear a boonie hat

just like way back when - when nobody could wear sunglasses. - then the Army got the ballistic glasses, and to make soldiers want to wear them they made them as sunglasses - it happened after I left Active Duty so I didn't get to see the response?!?!

As concerns this subject I recommend a song from a few decades ago..
"Saigon Warrior" by Saul Broudy and Robin Thomas
(on Youtube)

The solution is simple; if you don't like the boonie cap...QUIT ISSUING IT! Heaven forbid somebody pin up a side or tilt down the front! The entire US Army's Good Order and Discipline" will collapse because some Specialist wore an "altered" boonie cap while on patrol in Afghanistan. How can we possibly beat the CCPA with platoons of soldiers whose hats aren't uniform? The more appropriate question would be "Why do we even have Sergeants Major in the first place?"

Some senior NCO's just need to bitch alot.......

While in Iraq with the 1st Cav, I never saw it frowned upon. A lot of guys just wore their patrol cap, but that sun was pretty fierce on the ears that way. Not wanting skin cancer, I always wore my boonie hat and no one ever said anything about it. It was an option. Same with everyone else. Now, if we wore our Stetson into the Mess Hall, the mess sergeant had fits. That's right, Mess Hall. I never agreed with this whole DFAC thing. I don't call it resisting change, I call it respecting tradition.

Never been a fan of the boonie cap, just don't like the look. I wore one once going downrange into Iraq and Kuwait in 2006, also lots of guys wore them in Thailand in the 70s... called them "go to Hell hats" as in "if you don't like my hat, you can go to Hell" :-)

Some enjoy their work more than others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oF0XYRhRvA&list=PLRDo6LhKTT8z9_LpGsFtKi1_1FCqzP7KA&index=245

The boonie cap is a patrolling cap specifically used when the need for noise and silhouette reduction justifies the trade off in security offered by a helmet. But also some people look really dumb in it