Canadian Flag Velcro Patch Review – July 2015

Being that it is July 1st, Canada Day, I thought it would be a timely idea to do a review of some of the different Canadian flag velcro patches that I’ve come across.

First off, I’m going to point out what should be a simple fact, but not all patch manufacturers seem to realise; not all country flags have the same proportions of length and width. The flag of the United States of America is a 2:3 proportion (2 units high X 3 units wide), which according to Wikipedia is the proportions used by 87 sovereign nations. The flag of Canada is a 1:2 proportion (1 unit high X 2 units wide). So in comparison to the flag of the USA, the Canadian flag is the same width but not as high (OR as just as high but wider). This is also the same proportion as the flag of the UK, which considering the history of Canada makes a great deal of sense. While I included a reverse field USA flag in the main image of this post to demonstrate the point visually, the picture above right might demonstrate this better (but with the boarders around some of the patches, the exact comparison is unfortunately not super clear). I have seen some Canadian flag patches that are actually “clipped” to fit the 2:3 proportion and leave some of the red stripes cut off. Fortunately, none of the companies I am discussing today have that problem.

The next point is that you’ll notice I will use both the US spelling of “color” and the UK/Canadian “colour” in this post. I generally write with the “u“, but being that I am giving the name of a few American products, I am respecting their name for their products.

Canada’s Patch King

Canada’s Patch King has a large variety of full colour and “subdued” Canadian flag patches. Operating out of Ottawa, Ontario, they also have many different country flag patches. At the time of writing, they have three main sizes available and five colour options in both velcro and iron-on versions. The quality is very good. One of the points that for me is important is that they are low profile, don’t catch on things you may rub against and are reasonably durable. The photo to the left / above shows the large (2 X 4 inches) full colour, OD/Green, and Black Tactical colours after a few years’ of wear.

If you are wearing an ACU style uniform, the large 2 X 4 inch patch fits perfectly onto the loop velcro section of the shoulder pocket flap.

Colours:

• Tan/Desert,
• OD Green/Camo,
• Brown/Coyote,
• Grey/Urban,
• Black/Tactical

Small; 1 X 3 inches	Velcro $3.00 CAD	Iron-on $2.50 CAD
Medium; 1.5 X 3 inches	Velcro $6.00 CAD	Iron-on $5.00 CAD
Large; 2 X 4 inches	Velcro $9.00 CAD	Iron-on $7.50 CAD

 

MIL-SPEC MONKEY

The other main company that I highly suggest is MIL-SPEC MONKEY. Operating out of San Jose, California, MSM offers a huge amount of patches and other tactical gear that is designed in-house and in collaboration with other companies like Tactical Tailor and Ka-Bar.

The patches are 3 X 1.6 inches (the extra 0.1 inche is due to the reinforced edge around the patch). I personally really like the size as it goes well on coats and bags without being too bulky looking, while still being clearly visible and stylish. Like all of their patches, the quality of the art and stitching is beyond reproach. I have use these flag patches more than my other ones over the last few years and as you can see they are only a little worn and still in very good shape.

I have also found from a previous experience with them that they stand behind their products and will provide easy and fast customer support if there is a problem with any of their products.

Their Canadian Flag patches are available for $4.00 USD and in the following “cool guy colors”:

• Desert,
• Forest,
• MultiCam,
• FullColor,
• Arid,
• Urban

MIL-SPEC MONKEY also has a number of other national flags (as well as for the State of Texas and pirate flags) available, some sewn and some PVC. I contacted them yesterday to see if they were planning on creating a PVC version of the Canadian flag (hopefully in their usual assortment of “cool guy colors”). They responded very quickly stating that it was not currently planned, but that it was something worth considering. If they ever do offer a PVC version, I’ll review of them and place a link here.

PVC?

Speaking of PVC, I have yet to find a really good Canadian PVC patch for sale. Maxpedition does offer a PVC Canadian flag patch, in “Full Color”, “Subdued”, and “Stealth” for $4.99 USD. However, like all of their patches, they have their company logo (a stylized “M”) branded onto the patch. It is subtle, but it is there on all of their patches. Normally this does not bother me for most patches, but as a personal point the idea of having a company logo on a national symbol seems a little misplaced; almost like saying “your county, brough to you by our company” Take a look at the close up picture of thier UK PVC flag patch to see what I am talking about.

Any suggestions for a good quality PVC Canadian flag patch with velcro? One that is the correct 1:2 proportion? Please let me know in the comments section below.

Taylor