Painting Personal Gear on Armour ?

I am just getting back into modeling and don't have a technique down yet...however, I am trying to talk my wife into sewing some old t-shirts together to make back packs and the like, then I would just airbrush or brush paint them in the proper colors. To weather them...probably dry brush with a lighter shade of the base color or rub some pastel chalk into them in brown or a sand color or whatever color looks right. Hope this helps at least a little.

I paint with a base colour of OD or khaki and then work in some brown umber oil paint straight from the tube. Work it into the creases and folds, leave for a few minutes and then rub most of it off. Leave to dry for at least a day and thats it.
When finishing the model, have all the accessories in place and mist over a dust coat to give the same finish all over.
Hope this helps

Well, a flat OD, brown or khaki acrylic paint is very good in making a dull finish on plastic surface. This is what I use for such items.

Paint the base color of OD or dark green depending if it is old or newer equipment. Nest weather by using washes and drybrushing just like any other part of the model is my method. I don't really think your T-shirt method will work unless your wife has a miniature sewing machine and can add all the pockets and straps, etc. to the bags. Better to stick to kit items.

This is one place where I think drybrushing still has a place , it just makes artificial canvas look like an old pair of jeans , worn by the weather ! Do your washes after the OD then drybrush lighter shades of it to make it look weatherbeaten