Tactical Tailor

Archive for 2011

Eagle Nest Outfitters Lounger

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

The Lounger from Eagle Nest Outfitters is just what I needed to relax after a hard day of writing. I’d seen it hanging in outdoor stores but the Lounger was ever properly set up to give it a go. However, at the most recent Outdoor Retailer, ENO had a couple of Loungers set up and they beckoned me into their booth to try it out. Truthfully, after a long day of walking the show floor, I thought I was in heaven and I knew right then I had to have one so when my birthday came earlier this month I got myself a present.

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The real quandary was how to hang it. None of my eaves hang out far enough to keep me from laying up against the house and none of my trees had the right limb for the job, so I had to come up with a different plan of attack. Instead, I settled for a stand I found on Amazon that is designed for use with other brands of loungers. They all basically look the same online so I bought one. Sure, it was easy enough to assemble, coming in only four pieces. But, as usual, Murphy showed up. The top piece sits on a sleeve and is held fast by two bolts. Unfortunately, the bolts are too big. Naturally, no return instructions but since the bolts were really redundant anyway, I decided to keep it.

A word of caution for those who decide to go my route. The ENO Lounger is built a little different than other brands. In fact, you cannot use the clip and spring that Amazon recommends you purchase with the stand. If you do, you will sit so low that your rear will scrape the base of the stand. You’ll be just fine attaching the Lounger right to the stand’s eyelet or if you need a little more height, you can fit the Lounger’s attachment ring around the tube of the stand. If you do this, prepare a collar to pin it in place as it could slip off if you bounce around too much. Better yet, don’t bounce around. Just relax.

The Lounger itself is available in a variety of colors and is very comfortable. It features a pillow for your head, removable drink cozy, two side pockets for magazines or books (my iPad fits fine in one) and an adjustable, suspended foot rest. The frame is collapsible aluminum so it can be transported and will accommodate up to 260 lbs.

As for performance? So far so good. I’d recommend a Lounger to anyone who has the means to hang it and use it, liberally.

www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com

Operation Urgent Fury

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

On the morning of October 25th, 1983 America awoke to reports that our troops had invaded a small Caribbean nation named Grenada in order to liberate American medical students from danger posed by political instability. Joined by Regional Security System troops from a variety of Caribbean partner nations they swiftly overwhelmed the Grenadian and Cuban troops. While Operation Urgent Fury was in name, a joint force operation and included the use of Special Operations Forces, it highlighted many interoperability issues such as use of operational overlays and radio issues.

I was in high school when this went down and it made me want to be in the Army even more than I already did. Thankfully, over time, many of the stove pipe issues suffered by the pre-Goldwater-Nichols military were beginning to be identified when I joined a few years later. Interestingly, the operation was conducted with many systems still in use from the Viet Nam war. Our next time at bat, in Panama, saw several new weapons developed during the Reagan buildup such as the F117 stealth fighter and the Marine Corps LAV. Additionally, SOF took a much more prominent role in operation Blue Spoon.

Let us not forget the 19 Americans killed in action and the 116 who were wounded. Unfortunately, there were 24 Grenadian civilians killed in the conflict and our communist Grenadian and Cuban foes also suffered heavy casualties.

Something Lurks Beneath Paris

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

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leaf.arcteryx.com

Forces Focus – 42nd Route Clearance Co Partners with Bundeswehr

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

While this isn’t an EOD project, it is a counter-IED exercise pairing the US Army’s 42nd Route Clearance Company and the Bundeswehr’s 441st Mechanized Infantry Brigade Rout Clearance Team in a classic Engineer mission.

Although in typical AFN fashion the clip is short on details, it does remind us how important our engineer forces are in providing route clearanceIt also shows that new equipment has been developed for this mission and some of it was adapted from EOD.

Thanks from SSD to all the folks in the Counter-IED business!

UFPRO’s Sniper Garment System in PenCott Greenzone

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Last week we mentioned that Uni & Forma was exhibiting the Sniper Garment in Hyde Definition‘s PenCott Greenzone pattern at the Parisian military expo MiliPol.

Unfortunately, all we had at the time was a line drawing of the garment, but Andrzej Krugler, Editor-in-Chief, of the Polish magazine Special Ops captured this photograph of the garment.

Be sure to visit them at www.special-ops.pl

Behind the Curtain at SmartWool

Monday, October 24th, 2011

This video gives you an inside look at the manufacture of SmartWool socks at their factory in the US. It’s a cool video that shows you the machinery at work and gives you a good idea of how the socks are made.

However, please remember, not all SmartWool products are manufactured here and although there are Merino sheep here in the US, Merino Wool is a product of New Zealand.

www.smartwool.com

Look What We Had to Say 3 Years Ago Today

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Our roots go all the way back to October of 97 when we launched the Gear Guru website. We haven’t missed a day of publishing in well over 3 years here at SSD. Maybe we are on to something.

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We have decided to alter the site’s name slightly in order to more accurately express what is going on here. One of our readers recently suggested the name “Soldier Systems Daily” and mulling it over, we decided he is right. We aren’t a true blog. We don’t pontificate on the woes of the world and we don’t feature feedback from our readers like traditional blogs. The reason is simple, we are a news source; a daily news source.

Our initial inspiration was the old Gear Guru website modernized with a serious dash of Gizmodo. Obviously, the Soldier Systems world isn’t nearly as big as the gadget-verse so we can’t publish as much as they do. But all things considered we are doing a pretty good job of keeping up. We started out publishing one article a day. Now we are at a steady two articles a day and depending on material have published up to six articles in a day. Of course, we aren’t anything without our readers and content. Spread the word amongst your friends and colleagues. We provide new material daily and a visit only once a week won’t keep you up to date. Also, keep those emails rolling in. Finally, we promise to continue with the same streamlined format that our readership praises.

215 Gear Short Sleeve Operator’s Shirt

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Now available for pre-order, 215 Gear’s Short Sleeve Operator’s Shirt is made for “today’s barrel chested freedom fighter.” With a description like that, seriously, how can you go wrong? Truthfully, it’s not all hype. According to 215 Gear it is made from CoolMax for comfort and assembled using flat seam construction to avoid hot spots. Finally, they’ve added a 4″ x 4″ Velcro square for IFF patches.

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Made in USA and available for pre-order in sizes Medium – X-Large from 215 Gear.