On 20 April I was fortunate enough to join over 100 of my fellow gun owners for a celebration of Patriot’s Day, Second Amendment-style.
There were classes and folks from all over and ladies and exotic weapons vendors. And, there was lots of shooting. There was even some great photography from Kevin Markland. Make sure you check out this gallery to see what you missed.
Most of all, I want to thank Snake Hound Machine and the other sponsors for putting this together.
Spring has sprung and US Elite is cleaning house! Get up to 50% off products from Arc’teryx. Outdoor Research, Big Agnes, Camelbak, Inov8, Nordic Naturals, Osprey, XGO, OTB, Seal Skins , Skins, Drifire , Pipe Hitters, Kestrel and many, many more. All order over $99 comes with free shipping.
Sale on all in-stock items only. No returns or exchanges on sale items. And, all sales are final.
www.us-elitegear.com/spring-cleaning-sale.html?p=2
Hyde Definition recently gave us a look at their upcoming Pathfinder BDU. Named in honor of WW II’s paratroopers, naturally, the Pathfinder will feature the PenCott patterns. It’s Berry compliant and uses the ACU fit block so finding the right size won’t be an issue.
The Trousers
The trousers feature large cargo pockets with button down flaps.
There is also a zippered compartment behind the main zipper.
The double knees will accept padding.
Additionally, there is a lower leg pocket similar to the ACU with a hook and pile tape flap.
The rear of the waist is slightly higher than the front to prevent sagging and the pockets are of a horizontal slash type, both front and rear.
The button waist also offers a tape to tighten the pants in the event of weight loss.
The Jacket
The jacket’s two chest pockets are angled slightly outboard and rely on hook and pile tape flaps. The zippered Napoleon-style openings seen on this prototype will not be included on the production model.
The stand up collar does not utilize hook and pile tape and can be worn up or down. The front is zippered with a flap secured with hook and pile tape.
As with the ACU there’s a bi-swing back for comfort and reach as well as hook and pile tape cuffs.
The inset sleeve pockets are zippered and so far do not include QuietLoop patches although this may be offered as an option.
Look for the Pathfinder BDU as well as a few other surprises in early Summer from Domari Nolo, Predator BDU and Tactical Gear Now.
LiteFighter has updated their LiteFighter 1 Shelter System featured in the past here on SSD. It combines a Permethrin treated bug net with tub floor designed to fit a GI cot with a waterproof rainfly that turns it into a versatile shelter system. The rainfly includes dual vestibules for storage and the shelter offers dual side openings, internal stowage pockets, gear loops and pile strips for hook-backed nametapes.
LiteFighter shelters are available for unit and agency purchase through ADS Inc. Be sure to check them out at this week’s Warrior West Expo in San Diego.
Blue Force Gear® will be displaying at the ADS Warrior Expo West Show on April 24 – 25 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Military and Law Enforcement end users who would like to increase performance by switching to the lightest tactical nylon equipment, please email sales@blueforcegear.com to make an appointment or come by to meet the Blue Force Gear team and discuss your needs.
Also, stayed tuned to SSD for live coverage of Warrior Expo West and a special announcement from Blue Force Gear.
Out with the old in with the new… LBT is now phasing out its Coyote Tan load out bags to make room for the new industry standard Tan499.
These things are incredible. I bought one during their last sale and I love it. I store a lot of kit in this bag and also bought one for each of my kids. Now, these are being used by them in the Navy, Army Guard, CAP and even Scouting.
Take advantage of this insane deal on one of the best gear hauling bags on the market while supplies last.
Last Friday started out as a pretty bleak day for many in the Soldier Systems Industry as they began to receive letters from the Contracting Officer at Aberdeen Proving Grounds responsible for the Soldier Protection System, cancelling several portions of that solicitation.
The news spread like wildfire, first among the sub-contractors and then to their affiliates. Contractors and their subs had spent Millions of dollars and untold man hours to answer the complicated Requests for Proposals for the most ambitious Soldier Systems development program in over a decade.
(Photo – HP White)
SPS is a multi-year program that will pit several commercial development teams against one another in several areas in order to leap capabilities ahead. Unlike past Soldier Modernization efforts that relied heavily on C4ISR development, SPS looks for real solutions for load and Soldier protection challenges. According to the Army, “the goal of the SPS is to provide Soldiers with modular, scalable and mission tailorable protection to reduce weight and increase mobility while optimizing protection.”
SPS consists of six areas; Integrated Head Protection System, Transition Combat Eye Protection, Torso Protection, Individual Soldier Sensor System, Vital Torso Protection and Extremity Protection. Recently,
Late Friday, I was able to speak with officials at PEO Soldier and they clarified what had transpired by issuing this statement:
PM SPIE cancelled Requests for Proposals for the extremity protection system (EPS) and torso protection system (TPS) portions of the Soldier Protection System (SPS). The cancellation will allow writing of new Requests for Proposals that will contain language and industry incentives to encourage greater creativity in developing protection solutions and broader industry participation in the program.
Their message? All hope is not lost, we will reissue this and we want you to participate again.
Unfortunately, the letters received from Aberdeen aren’t so hopeful. Regardless of program component, they stated:
Specifically,the Government determined that the Technical Statement of Needs (TSN) did not adequately describe the Government’s requirement and the current approach does not effectively state the Government’s goal and intent.
What the cancellation letters reveal is that the Army has changed its mind about what it wants, after asking an industry already on the ropes due to drastic cutbacks in procurements, to risk large sums of money in order to support its needs. Some who worked on the proposals have shared their concerns that now that the Army has seen what they have come up with, that it may write those concepts into a future requirement and give others a leg up. Additionally, if the Army reissues the solicitation in the future, companies that were not competitive enough to participate in this last go around will have additional time to work on a proposal. This is hardly fair to the companies who went all in. But, if the Army doesn’t recompete the requirement, there will be no chance to recoup those dollars for anyone. Times are tight. A couple more of these debacles and some companies are going to succumb to this tough market.
Army acquisition officials need to vigorously vet their requirements to ensure our troops remain the best equipped in the world but also to ensure the industry it relies upon remains healthy to support the Army in the future. Please, no more false starts or wild goose chases. The American people and industry can ill afford it.
