Tradesmen could be sure to make a tidy profit from selling their wares to the soldiers, and sutlers often became camp followers, following a regiment, while on campaign.

In addition the scarlet uniform is the ceremonial dress for cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada. The chance to wear something as distinctive as the regimental red could be extremely tempting; a new and vivid uniform would have been a welcome change from the drab colours worn by most men in everyday society and soldiers frequently drew interest from admiring women. Other pejorative nicknames for British soldiers included "bloody backs" (in a reference to both the colour of their coats and the use of flogging as a means of punishment for military offences) and "lobsters", most notably in Boston around the time of the Boston Massacre. However, in the days of the musket (a weapon of limited range and accuracy) and black powder, battle field visibility was quickly obscured by clouds of smoke.

There were many complaints about the presence of women and children in camp who distracted the men from their duties or made a general nuisance of themselves with one such protest made to Whitehall on 23 January 1720: "Complaint having been made, that you permit women and children to lye in the barracks . O'Sullivan alludes to two other encounters in which Irish rebels defeated English forces wearing 'red coats'. Note the Irish word is casóg (" cassock") but the word may be translated as coat, cloak, or even uniform, in the sense that all of these troops were uniformly attired in red.

The red coat goes beyond its original role as a uniform to become an enduring symbol of military tradition. This tradition honors the sacrifices of those who served before and serves as a reminder of the continuity of military values across generations. Accounts of the time usually refer to British soldiers as "Regulars" or "the King's men", however, there is evidence of the term "red coats" being used informally, as a colloquial expression. The cloth was added and boiled for two hours; after that, the cloth was drained and immersed in cudbear and urine for another two hours.

In financial terms the only cheaper alternative was the grey-white of undyed wool—an option favoured by the French, Austrian, Spanish and other Continental armies. However, the growth of the British Empire in the 19th century demanded the use of an established imperial force. This was in part a reaction to the constant gambling, whoring, drinking, and brawling that British soldiers participated in due to a variety of reasons.

When on campaign, soldiers would normally be supplied with an allowance of bread, meat, oatmeal or rice and either beer or rum to wash it down with.Another factor favouring red was that dyes of this colour were "fast" and less inclined to fade when exposed to weather. Use of the scarlet tunic originates with the Canadian Militia, a militia raised to support the British Army in British North America, as well as the Canadian government following Confederation in 1867. In 1827 United States Artillery company musicians were wearing red coats as a reversal of their branch facing colour.