If it's any consolation - and I know that it's not - this pet-project mentality exists elsewhere too. Almost twenty years ago when I was the NBC O in 444 Squadron in Lahr I UCRed every single piece of aircrew NBC kit except for the rubber boots, which, being the standard issue type, were the only thing that worked out of the whole lot. The rest of the mask and suit would have destroyed our whole operation within twenty-four hours even without the enemy actually using chemicals. The worst piece was the AR-5 mask, a heavy-duty black condom with a window and fighter oxygen mask that required a battery-operated (big battery) electric motor to provide positive pressure. That meant that one had to wear one's flying helmet with the mask at all times in order to keep the mask part against one's face and avoid the comical spectacle of one's black-clad head alternately expanding and contracting as inhalation and exhalation worked either with or against the blower/filter motor. A room full of aircrew with unsynchronized growing/shrinking heads was a real visual treat, accompanied by a symphony of mini vacuum-cleaner sounds. There was no voice transmitter, so a four-by-six-by-two-inch speaker/microphone unit had to be plugged in in order to hear and speak, and it was both highly directional and inadequate. There was no way to mask in the standard nine seconds - it took many minutes and at least one assistant.
The bozo ramming this down our throat refused to even consider the AC4 mask, a simple adaptation of the standard C4, which worked quite well, could be produced in the field by one man with a sewing machine, a C4 mask, and some other pieces, and cost $700.00 vice the AR-5's $7000.00.
The two-layer suit prevented one from doing the standard urination and defecation drills. I wanted a slightly longer zipper, as the original one came down to mid-fly level, and the "official" solution came down to a condom with a tube and bag to wear under the already too-tight suit. As the condom tended to get blasted off in trials, the suggested method of retention was.... denture adhesive. As for the defecation problem, we were told that "the adult diaper industry has made great strides lately". Fortunately, that idiocy died quickly when I had a couple of opportunities to lampoon it publicly.
The same twit who was pushing this also spawned the blue version of the goretex clothing onto our techs, who were left with very nice clothing to wear when working out of a nice warm(ish) hangar in garrison, but had to revert to the standard old combat clothing in the field.
Getting sensible kit is a huge uphill battle.
I can readily identify with Kevin's proposed solution. I felt the same at the time.