The Army is wrapping up the woodland portion of the bookend camo test at Ft Polk, LA. Hopefully, we’ll see an announcement regarding the results soon.
Archive for October, 2014
US Army Bookend Camo Test At Ft Polk Comes To Close
Monday, October 27th, 2014Dutch Army Adopts Netherlands Fractal Pattern Camouflage
Monday, October 27th, 2014Yesterday, the Dutch Telegraph released a special edition of their newspaper, regarding the 200 year anniversary of the Dutch Army. Below, you can see a photo of the report which claims that the Dutch Army has adopted Netherlands Fractal Pattern (NFP) as their official new camouflage. The story does not mention the Dutch Royal Marines who continue to wear M81 Woodland camouflage. However, they may well make the transition to NFP as well. Although the article states that no one has been chosen to manufacture the uniforms yet, they will feature FR and insect repellant properties.
The article goes on to state that another feature of NFP, which took one-and-a-half years to develop by a collaborative effort between TNO and Dutch MoD, is that it’s recognizable. Ben Vlasman, head of the Joint Soldier Systems Knowledge Centre (joint kenniscentrum militair & uitrusting), says it’s not just to camouflage, but also offers something recognizable for other troops and civilians.
NFP is currently offered in two variants; Green aka Woodland and Tan aka Arid. To develop the colorways, they sent soldiers to the area of operations with a camera and a color card in ordeer to determine the dominant colors in each area.
The article did not mention which pattern would be adopted for use with camouflage pattern for equipment such as plate carriers. What’s more, the Dutch Army must still determine a way ahead for armor (ie plate carrier or armor vest). Considering the current state of the art it is probable that the vest will be modular is probable. The article mentions two scenarios in particular; worn lightly for a patrol in the jungle, or worn heavily when at a roadblock.
Thanks Robert!
5.11 Tactical’s Gun Camo Cap
Sunday, October 26th, 2014
According to Tactical Fanboy, 5.11 Tactical came up with their own ‘gun camo’, which is a camouflage-inspired design that uses the silhouettes of more than a few popular and/or iconic firearms. This cap in particular, which features the pattern, is made from polyester fabric with a dobby mesh six panel design, adjustable fit, and integrated sweatband.
The 5.11 Gun Camo Cap seems to be the only product currently available on the official 5.11 Tactical website that uses the Gun Camo, however they’ve also done a line of beanies, also available in Brown and Grey, that are available from numerous online retailers.
www.511tactical.com/gun-camo-cap.html
Pit Viper Adjustable, Military Designed Sunglasses On Kickstarter
Sunday, October 26th, 2014
Pit Vipers are adjustable, Military designed sunglasses currently up for funding on Kickstarter. Pit Vipers started when the founder began custom-painting Military surplus sunglasses. Pit Vipers are Z87 safety rated, offer 100% UV protection, and are adjustable at three points: lense tilt, ear piece spot, and the nose piece.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pitviper/the-pit-viper-revolution
Three New Challenge Bears Added To Kickstarter Campaign
Sunday, October 26th, 2014
Three new Challenge Bears, Scout Bear, Military Bear and Law Enforcement Bear, have been added to the Challenge Bear Kickstarter campaign. As a reminder, the campaign currently has 7 days left to go. The original article can be read below:
Carson, California: A group of formerly homeless Veterans issue a challenge to make our world a better place using teddy bears sewn in therapy.
GreenVetsLA, a non-profit organization started in 2010 by Jim Cragg a service disabled veteran, employs formerly homeless veterans as part of a work therapy program. The bases of this program is to teach sewing skills to struggling veterans and give them tools that will allow them to rejoin the society that they once served. All the projects that are taken on have a socially relevant component such as assembling first aid kits for the military or sewing environmentally friendly reusable cloth shopping bags.
For years the veterans have sewn the “Battle Bear”, a stuffed toy, made of camouflage material that matched the uniform of the deployed soldier. The soldier would take a picture with the bear, put a unit patch on it and send it back to the loved one to serve as a connector and companion during their absence.
This concept has morphed into the “Challenge Bear”, an inspirational bear made of durable military cloth scrap that comes with a challenge card from the veterans who created it to take on a social action project. Whether volunteering in a soup kitchen or doing a park or beach cleanup, this bear, strapped to the persons belt or backpack becomes a buddy on a journey to improving community. A Veteran in the program had the idea of taking a “selfie” with the bear while doing a “selfless” act and then posting that photo on social media to inspire others to engage in bettering our environment and our world.
As a nod to the formative years they spent in the military, the Veterans designed a special military / law enforcement Challenge Bear. Their hope is that teams, squads, and platoons would attach their unit patch and adopt a Bear for unit runs, road marches and other physical challenges.
For a recovering Veteran to have a person purchase and value a product they made is a victory. Our goal is to see viral demand for a Made in America, Veteran crafted bear that inspires and motivates others to do their part for community and country.
Challenge Bear is currently a Kickstarter campaign seeking support: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1507757642/challenge-bear.
To learn more about the program, see www.GreenVetsLA.org or www.VetCorpsUSA.org.
Panteao Productions – New Combat Optics Video With Freddie Blish
Sunday, October 26th, 2014Columbia, SC, October 24, 2014 – Panteao Productions announces the release of the first instructional video from Freddie Blish: Intro to Combat Optics.
Many people like to run non-magnified dot optics on their carbines. There is also the trend to run them on pistols. Yet a good percentage of folks don’t know the difference between the different brands of dot optics on the market or how to best utilize the optics within their given applications. With Intro to Combat Optics, Freddie Blish covers all there is to know and then some.
Freddie is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps, where he served 24 years. After his retirement from the Marine Corps, he served as the Director of Military Business Development for Aimpoint, Inc, where he developed an intensive training program on their use by the US Army Regional Training Center firearms instructors, US Army Mountain Warfare School, USAF Para-Rescue, and I Marine Expeditionary Force Advisory Training Teams.
In this video, Freddie reviews optics from Aimpoint, EOTech, Trijicon, Vortex, and JP Enterprises. He reviews durability, reliability, trouble shooting, optic mounts, the downed optic drill, the occluded optic drill, mechanical offset, parallax and asymmetric position, reticle tracking, optics for handguns and shotguns, and zeroing at 100, 200, and 300 meters. If you run a dot optic on your carbine/pistol or are considering it, this video is for you.
Intro to Combat Optics is available streaming from the Panteao website and will be available on DVD.
Video Page on Panteao website: panteao.com/product/intro-to-combat-optics-freddie-blish
London Bridge Trading – Gold Lion Label Series In 3 Color Desert
Saturday, October 25th, 2014
London Bridge Trading recently revealed the upcoming Gold Lion Label series 3 Color Desert package. It consists of the following pieces:
1 LBT-6094
1 LBT-6109A
3 LBT-9010A
1 DCU Dust Cover
The Gold Lion Label in 3 Color Desert is set to launch in November. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Firebird Evo Container in MultiCam Black
Saturday, October 25th, 2014
Firebird’s Evo container is currently available for order in MultiCam Black with Arid and Tropic in production.
