Oakley wearers have been asking for MultiCam models for awhile now and Oakley has obliged. Look for several of the most popular models in MultiCam.
In addition to MultiCam models they’ve also introduced Cerakote editions.
Additionally, you’ll see new boots. The SI-6 and SI-8 tactical boots share styling and differ by the height of teh upper. These assault boots feature a smooth toe and with fully tightened laces evoke the styling of the old GSG-9 but with a significant makeover in materials and construction. The upper is synthetic that features Hydrofuse construction. Look for sizing from 6-13 and then on out to 17 in full sizes. Offered in Black, Coyote and Desert Tan.
And now, they’ve introduced something completely new. The SI Belt is a Coyote Brown 1-3/4″ loop compatible belt available in S, M and L sizes that features the Raptor buckle.
That boot has just about the same profile as the Quest 4D’s. I’ll stick with Salomon on this one.
The belt looks like a cool “knock around” belt. Did they mention when it would be available to the masses? I know sometimes the stuff shown at shot is along way from official retail release.
Norbis,
That belt has some issues – I got my hands on one thinking it had the same load bearing as the AustriAlpine metal Cobra buckle, but turned out the Raptor buckle was significantly insufficient.
After doing a bit more research, i found this article
http://www.austrialpin.net/products/cobra/competition.asp
I love Oakley’s gear but I think they stutter stepped choosing the Raptor over the Cobra Buckle.
It all depends on what you plan on using the belt for. If you’re just going to hold your pants up it really doesn’t matter what kind of Buck you have on there now does it?
The problem is this belt has an attachment point for a retention lanyard so at first glance, it seems this belt is meant for more than just holding up your trousers.
I dig Oakley, have purchased a lot of stuff from SI, and was interested in this belt when you first posted about it but I was also under the impression that the Raptor buckle was on par with the Cobra buckle. I appreciate Sierra bringing possible flaws with the Raptor buckle to light.
I’ll go back and ask. Lots of belts have tie downs and do dads on them, but who actually uses them for that purpose? Most guys who get those belts aren’t in units that would have a mission that would require them to use the belt in that fashion. And if they are, the unit is most likely going to give you a belt and tell you to use that one because it is certified.
I haven’t seen any test results or certifications for these belts or for many of the others on the market for that matter but let’s face it. Guys buy cool guy belts to hold up their pants. I served in some pretty cool units in my day and only actually used my super cool guy belt for its intended purpose a handful of times.
Finally, take a look at some of required standards for life support capable belts. The amount of force they are required to withhold if sustained momentarily by your waist would rip you right in two.
The Raptor Buckle is rated to 12kn which is approximately 2,697 LBS. That seems pretty sufficient for any belt, even one with lift capabilities. Also, this article is directly from the Cobra website which makes it hard for me to believe that it is unbiased.
Raptor is rated….very sufficient. We are testing them at the FEMA USAR levels, and the teams love them. And they must be economical if the Firemen are buying them 😉
What he said. Taking a fall in a full body harness can be unpleasant, taking one while tethered on a single point, with who knows how many pounds of kit actually levering your body away from this single point, is going to result in that kind of tearing sound that travels through cartilage and tendon instead of air. I’ll bet that the Cool Guys who’ve actually done it track down an old CMC leg-loop add-on or learn right quick how to make a hasty harness. Or they keep all arms and legs inside the ride until it has come to a full and complete stop and the attendant has raised the lap bar.
There may or may not be problems with the buckle. If the Cobra people actually had a viable case, I’d assume they’d take it to court, as they not so obliquely threaten. I’m always PO’d, admittedly unfairly, when someone plays the threatened litigation card, claiming a greater purpose, and then never follows through on it. If the Oakley buckle is a threat, menace and fit only for tack on the horse ridden by Pestilence, the Cobra guys have a moral, let alone business obligation to press the trigger.
I swear, if the right Cool Guy somehow lost his belt and held his pants up with a piece of jute rope, Jethro Clampett style, for a quick trip to the comfort station, 2 weeks later it’d be in MultiCam on the cover of a magazine.
All this talk about load bearing belts etc, looking at label, is Oakley selling this as a “second chance” belt? Looks to be like a rigger “style” belt, for which that Raptor buckle appears more than able to handle.
Am I missing something with that assesment?
Instron load tests aside, having worked with the Raptor buckle personally, I’ve seen it go well past 2000 pounds, as said above.
2000 lbs seems very reasonable in terms of load for a “second chance” belt, even though I don’t believe it’s marketed as such…
I thought I’d chime in here. Much has been said and posted by others on the RAPTOR buckle, here and other places. I am the guy who developed this buckle. First let me say Oakley would not be using this buckle if they did not verify its stated capabilities. It defies common sense to believe that we at JBC would introduce and market a product intended for critical use, life support equipment that is NOT capable of operating as advertised. RAPTORs were developed specifically for casualty evacuation platforms and harness systems and have gone through extensive testing and verification to ensure their capabilities. Currently, RAPTORs appear on the CAT B Weapons Retention Harness used by US Army HALO jumpers and on Aircrew Harness systems currently used by Dept. of State SAR teams. I could go on and on here but I won’t. I am simply going to state here what I say to anyone who contacts me inquiring about RAPTOR buckles: Try them for yourself. I will soon have our dedicated RAPTOR site up and running. I will be posting current test data, done by a US government approved 3rd party test house. We are also in the process of getting on the Defense Logistics Agency Qualified Materials List. Meanwhile, if any of you have questions, my name is on the top of this post. My phone number is 757-687-0019, and my e-mail is: ocazares@jbccorp.com .
I would love to see pics of people (Current military excluded) with 2,000 lbs of gear hooked to their belts. I’m sure some have enough gear to put 2,000 pounds on their belts, but come on. Like SSD said, it holds up your pants. Do these guys hook their EDC to their belts? Let’s go with the heaviest…a double stack 45, 2 spare mags, a flashlight (maglite), Ar mag or 2… So that leaves 1,986 pounds available on the gun belt. I know, I know, what about a knife? Well, all the tacti-fancy pants I have these days have a swell little knife pocket built in. That frees up that extra space on the belt. Maybe you’re in next month’s strong man competition. Then you will need a belt that can pull 7 airplanes. Yeah. This Oakley belt isn’t up to the challenge. What junk.
You should probably go with the Veloci-Raptor buckle. The last space shuttle tried to tow the moon home using the Veloci-Raptor buckle, but the cordura melted on re-entry. The Veloci-Raptor buckle is so versatile there are attachments for the attachments. You could be dragged, hung, and flung from anything. It’s available in Multicam too.
Sorry, lost my mind for a couple of minutes. It’s a belt, and it looks cool.
As I said in my first post, I want it for a “knock around” belt. I have an issue riggers belt for the times it may be needed. I’m looking for a tan belt that’s comfortable with a releasable buckle. I don’t like the standard issue army belt because you have to keep re threading it. I don’t like the riggers belt because I really don’t need it daily. I’m kind of thinking that this belt fills that niche. Also, that loop on it is a great place to snap link anything you may need to tie down/secure quickly.