Okay, most folks will find this kind of mundane but the “official” word has it that the Army is going to a white shirt as part of the ASU. However, the new CSA has slowed plans to convert to the ASU. He hasn’t stopped plans, the transition just isn’t going to happen as quickly as originally planned.
The SOF Industry Conference in Tampa kicked off today. There is a lot of the usual stuff but I have run across some real gems.
Arc’teryx is offering the popular Kneecaps knee pads in foliage. They also have a very innovative rigger’s belt coming out later this year. The MC softshell is coming along as well.
True North Tactical showed a boonie made from a lightweight die cut nylon that looks to be part of a ghillie kit. It may have additional applications for those who primarily wear a helmet but want a hat to swap to while out in the field. True North’s line is manufactured by London Bridge Trading. There is a story there. Read the new post on True North Tactical to find out the rest of the story.
The folks behind the Timberland Force Multiplier Series tactical boot line are showing several new models. In addition to the mountain boot debuting in both US Cav’s and BQM’s most recent catalogs, they are also offering Jungle, Desert and Urban models in both low and high styles in a variety of colors. I appreciate their sizing system that utilizes modular insoles to accommodate a variety of foot sizes and sock preferences. I tried them on today and the fit was very comfortable. They are selling them to the NSW community as well as Federal LE. Hopefully we will begin to get some feedback from the field on how that sizing scheme is working out. I will be posting more information on each of the models.
DIY Tactical has received some patterned 1″ webbing in UCP, Desert Digital and MC. They have all of their webbing, nylon, and wares on display as well as samples of end products from some of the DIY forum members.
Eagle Industries was displaying a pretty trick assault pack. It features integral PALS in order to attach directly to the back of a vest or removable shoulder straps. It also has a fantastic beaver tail arrangement that is designed to fit a helmet with night vision mount fitted. Lots of features, good pocket arrangement, and quality manufacturing. This one should be a hit.
More to follow.
The mythical Airman Battle Shirt based on the Army’s successful (Army of One chest logo aside) Army Combat Shirt has yet to even see prototype stage. The original plan was to leverage the Army ACS contract and just change the color to the Air Force pattern in order to get the garment to the troops as quickly as possible. However, sources tell me that the entire program has been held up by one action officer in theater who feels that forearm pockets would be superior to the current bicep pockets found on the ACS.
And the band played on…
Look for comments and other industry information from the Soldier Systems Advanced Planning Brief for Industry held May 6-7 in Springfield, VA.
Watch this space to find out about the upcoming ACU test.
Watch this space to find out why Airman Battle Shirt hasn’t even reached the prototype phase.
Watch this space to find out about the Winter FROG Shirt program from the Marine Corps.
PEO Soldier was supposed to publish the presentations to their website but it hasn’t happened yet.
I recently received a set of clothing from SOD in Italy. I have never seen such attention to detail. Imagine a finely tailored Italian suit but instead of pinstripe for the boardroom it was Multicam for the battlefield. This is exactly what SOD has accomplished. The pile is multicam. The buttons are multicam. The zippers are multicam. The barrel locks are multicam. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries.
Watch this space for a full report on the SOD line including a kevlar/denim blend assault pant.
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