diff --git a/code/modules/client/preferences_savefile.dm b/code/modules/client/preferences_savefile.dm
index a2d6497b9d..6f906d927a 100644
--- a/code/modules/client/preferences_savefile.dm
+++ b/code/modules/client/preferences_savefile.dm
@@ -265,7 +265,6 @@ SAVEFILE UPDATING/VERSIONING - 'Simplified', or rather, more coder-friendly ~Car
 	if(current_version < 47) //loadout save gets changed to json
 		var/text_to_load
 		S["loadout"] >> text_to_load
-		message_admins("we're trying to load [text_to_load]")
 		var/list/saved_loadout_paths = splittext(text_to_load, "|")
 		//MAXIMUM_LOADOUT_SAVES save slots per loadout now
 		for(var/i=1, i<= MAXIMUM_LOADOUT_SAVES, i++)
@@ -275,11 +274,15 @@ SAVEFILE UPDATING/VERSIONING - 'Simplified', or rather, more coder-friendly ~Car
 				message_admins("Failed to copy item [some_gear_item] to new loadout system when migrating from version [current_version] to 40, issue: item is not a path")
 				continue
 			var/datum/gear/gear_item = text2path(some_gear_item)
-			if(!initial(gear_item.loadout_initial_colors))
+			if(!(initial(gear_item.loadout_flags) & LOADOUT_CAN_COLOR_POLYCHROMIC))
+				message_admins("a")
 				loadout_data["SAVE_1"] += list(list(LOADOUT_ITEM = some_gear_item)) //for the migration we put their old save into the first save slot, which is loaded by default!
 			else
-				//the same but we setup some new polychromic data
-				loadout_data["SAVE_1"] += list(list(LOADOUT_ITEM = some_gear_item, LOADOUT_COLOR = initial(gear_item.loadout_initial_colors)))
+				message_admins("b")
+				//the same but we setup some new polychromic data  (you can't get the initial value for a list so we have to do this horrible thing here)
+				var/datum/gear/temporary_gear_item = new gear_item
+				loadout_data["SAVE_1"] += list(list(LOADOUT_ITEM = some_gear_item, LOADOUT_COLOR = temporary_gear_item.loadout_initial_colors))
+				qdel(temporary_gear_item)
 			//it's double packed into a list because += will union the two lists contents
 
 		S["loadout"] = safe_json_encode(loadout_data)