Tactical Tailor

Archive for 2011

OR – Powertraveller

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

There was lots of power storage and generation at OR. One company was outside in the sun, showing off their wares. Powertraveller’s Powermonkey-eXtreme utilizes their MPPT technology and just won the German Outdoor Red Dot Award.

Waterproof for up to 30 minutes in 1 m of water, the powermonkey-eXtreme boasts a 9000 mAh capacity Lithium Polymer battery making it capable of recharging most 5V devices, including an iPhone up to 6 times, a Garmin Edge 800 up to 6 times and standard mobiles up to 12 times.

The powermonkey-eXtreme has two output channels; one channel outputs 700mAh max (standard USB) as well as a DC port offering 2.1 Amps max to support Apple iPads and other tablet computers. It can be recharged in three ways; via the universal mains charger, via the solar panel, or via USB. It holds a charge for a long time meaning you can leave it for up to 1 year and it will still hold 75% of its charge.

Powertraveller CEO Jerry Ranger is a former Royal Marine Commando who served in the SBS so it was great to hear that
lots of military personnel were checking the Powermonkey-eXtreme out. Granite Gear is coming up with a dedicated mobile tactical carrying solution!

www.powertraveller.com. Powertraveller products are available now for sale in the US from www.tacticaledge.com. Their US Distributor is Outdoor Tactical.

Austria SF to Adopt New Patterns

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

It’s been over two years since we last mentioned that the Austrian Army was looking at new camo patterns. Starting in 2009, they began to investigate new camouflage for their Jagdkommandos. They’ve narrowed the field a bit and their new digital Mehrfarbentarnmuster (multicolor camo print) not only offers visual camouflage but also generates noise in electro-optical surveillance equipment such as night vision gear. In the photo above is the current monochrome uniform with three of the candidate patterns. As you can see, they are a curious combination of pixels and stripes.

According to Austrian Defence Minister Norbert Darabos, they are committed to fielding new camouflage. The final decision on which pattern(s) the Jagdkommandos will receive should be made later this fall with units fully equipped by fall of 2012.

OR – Suunto Quest

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

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We’ve always been big fans of Suunto as they offer military versions of many of their models. The new Quest is a wristop training device and, since we assert that service members are athletes, it seems like a good fit.

Compatible with www.movescount.com, which not only offers workout programs but can store and analyze training data. Additionally, Moves Count allows you to customize what data you see on your Quest.

The Quest includes real-time heart rate monitoring, interval timers, and a stopwatch with laps, which can be recorded by tapping the touchscreen. It offers nine language options and a simple, three button interface. It is also compatible with other Suunto training tools including the Foot POD Mini for running cadence as well as speed and distance info as well as the Bike POD or Suunto GPS POD for accurate speed and distance measurement in a variety of sports.

Coming fall 2011 in Black or Orange.

www.suunto.com

OR – What You Missed

Monday, August 8th, 2011

If you didn’t check SSD over the weekend, this is the OR coverage you missed:

Ergo Hammock Combi from Exped

Keyhole

Five Ten Valor

Patagonia Announces the Forge

Recreation

Liberty Bottle Works

Special Operations Support Fund

NEMO Frontier

Icon Link II

Mojo Tents

Lowa GSG Revo GTX

Fivefingers Spyridon LS

Individual Concealment Kit (Visual)

Cordura

Nosilife by Craghoppers

Outdoor Research Rockfall Glove

AT Overland

Karrimor SF Bowman Pack

FRED from Princeton Tec

New Mountain House Menus

Brooks Range Elephant Foot

SureFire Minimus Tactical

An OR First?

Catching Up with D3O

It’s Tasty!

S.O. Tech What Are They Up To?

Aku Once Again Available in US

New from Demeritwear

Yeah, we were busy. Look for a few more articles this week.

OR – Ergo Hammock Combi from Exped

Monday, August 8th, 2011

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Exped makes some really cool outdoor kit but their new Ergo Hammock Combi seems to take the cake. Designed For true horizontal sleep, it won a OutDoor Industry Award at the OutDoor show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Above, you can see it at the OR Summer Market last week.

Coming soon from Exped

Helo Crash Commentary

Monday, August 8th, 2011

As per our editorial policy we will not publish details or speculation about this incident. Please don’t ask. We thank you for your understanding.

Remember, loose lips sink ships.

OR – Keyhole

Monday, August 8th, 2011

One of the best things about OR is getting a chance to visit the new or smaller companies with booths out on the periphery of the main floor. That’s where you find some real gems. This year was no different and one of the companies we found is Backcountry Solutions. They had a couple of products but the one that really caught our attention is the Keyhole, a hands-free camera harness. If you’ve ever worn an SLR when hiking, you know about what a pain-in-the-fourth-point-of-contact it is. It swings around and the lens sticks out constantly getting in the way. Deborah at Backcountry Solutions is an amateur photographer and had the same issues. She said she actually resorted to storing her camera in her pack. Obviously, this defeated the point of taking it in the first place and, weary of missing great shots, started working on a solution. The key feature is the keyhole plate itself. You ready your camera to fit into the plate by attaching the red knob to your camera in the tripod mount hole. This knob is designed to fit into the slot on the Keyhole plate. It’s that simple. Be sure to check out the video on their website.

The Keyhole is designed to attach to any backpack or chest harness that is equipped with typical 1” wide webbing on the shoulder straps. Quick disconnect buckles allow for easy backpack on/off. They’ve really put some thought into this. It even includes a tethered lens cap keeper as part of the hands-free system which keeps a hold of your lens cover when you bring the camera to bear.

It will take a few mods to make it PALS compatible but I think they are up to the task if someone wants to work with them. In our discussion, they certainly seems open to it.

Interested? Visit backcountrysolutions.com.

Win a Year’s Worth of Bates Boots from Galls

Monday, August 8th, 2011

SSD sponsor Bates Footwear is partnering with Galls to award two (2) fans with a year’s worth of Bates boots and shoes! Each package will be custom tailored to fit your footwear needs.

To enter, fill out the form at Galls’ Facebook page and don’t forget to “like” them for the latest news and deals.

Don’t wait. This promotion ends September 8, 2011.