Salomon has released the all black collection which goes beyond just shoes as in the past.
One that caught my eye is the X Ultra 4 Mid GTX which is not currently part of the Forces collection.
This lightweight hiker is a step up from a trail runner and incorporates Salomon’s Contagrip MA outsole. These mid-height boots are GORE-TEX lined and weigh ~426 grams.
Options include Men’s and Women’s styles.
“When we created this collection, we wanted to give women in our industry a wholistic solution,” said Angela Milligan, VP of Marketing at Vertx. “Women need clothing that can meet all their needs and that’s where Vertx® comes in.”
No matter the season, Vertx® provides the solutions women need to carry them through the day and beyond. To learn more about the Guardian Tank, Collins Henley, Trailhawk Jacket and future launches in the Vertx® Women’s Lifestyle Collection visit vertx.com.
S.O. Tech is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the V.I.P.E.R. Flat IFAK with a limited edition run of the SO Tech IFAK kits in MultiCam Black.
The S.O. TECH flat IFAK [NSN 8465-01-685-1142 and 6545-01-644-4988} has an interesting background. This, given the overall history of Jim Cragg and S.O. Tech (which is fast coming up on 25 years of service) is not much of a surprise.
S.O. Tech will be 25 years old soon itself (you may remember their 20th anniversary video series).
They explain the V.I.P.E.R. IFAK below.
Tasked by USASOC to go outside of the box and design a next generation load carriage plate carrier, we innovated moving the first aid kit to the lower back but keeping it rapid access. In 2011 the Science and Technology of Army Special Operations Command brought us in to incorporate solar panels in the rear plate carrier for Special Forces soldiers. The top half carried the panels opening up the bottom half for the elements of a SOF IFAK. At first it was a sleeve built into the shell of the rear plate carrier, but soon we moved it as a module down onto the belt realizing that it forms a great lower back pad. From there, we watched SOF operators across the spectrum have the “ah-ha” moments when they realized there was a great place for the IFAK that was out of the way, but not out of reach. Obviously, the conventional Army realized the same thing as they incorporated our design in the IFAK-2 project making 900,000 IFAKs.
The strategy we approached this design with looked deep into mindset of America’s most elite warriors. Weapons and reloads dominate the training day, and traumatic wounds signal defeat to a warrior. Pushing the med kit out of the tactical triangle satisfied the Alpha warrior, but any soldier who has seen a comrade’s blood knows down deep the need for quick pull IFAK access. Reaching with either hand and pulling the tools that will stop the bleeding elevates the confidence, and the feeling of that pack in your lower back offers a similar sense of support as the team member’s squeeze coming up the stack.
The S.O.Tech V.I.P.E.R. IFAK is the choice IFAK for the U.S. Special Forces, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service SOD, ATF, New Zealand Special Operations, Estonia Special Operations and many other elite units in the USA and around the world.
NSN’s: 8465-01-685-1142 / 6545-01-644-4988
Learn more about their medical catalog.
Find S.O. TECH on line at sotechtactical.com. On Instagram @sotechtactical and Facebook /SOTECHTACTICAL/.
If you’ve ever dreamed of testing boots, here’s your chance. Gore, the makers of GORE-TEX, are calling for a six month wear trial of US Military personnel for an all new style of boots. The Altama APEX SBM boots feature a new Gore developed insulation material called GORE-TEX THERMIUM™ and also GORE-TEX Extended Comfort technology. Gore has contracted Hyve, an independent 3rd party innovation and market research company, to run and manage the trial.
While no compensation can be offered for participation, we know that most SSD readers visit this site out of an interest in new equipment.
It’s a rare opportunity to try out a new technology before it is widely available and to be able to provide feedback on how to improve it. And that’s the point of this opportunity, providing feedback. If you participate, you’ll have to do that several times throughout the trial. This is your chance to get your hands on these boots before anyone else.
This boot will integrate two Gore technologies most of you have never encountered until now. GORE-TEX Thermium™ is a new insulation combining Gore’s expertise in polytetrafluoroethylene and silica aerogel, the world’s lightest solid element and best solid thermal protector which was developed by NASA. Thermium is ultra-thin, low-bulk, and non-compressible resulting in a lower profile boot than you’d expect for cold weather. The insulation is thermally mapped to target only areas where needed: around the toes, since they become cold first.
In addition, these boots also feature GORE-TEX Extended Comfort technology. Like all GORE-TEX, these boots will keep your feet dry from external water, but they are engineered with the next generation of footwear laminate technology for warm conditions which has a breathability ~2x higher than the existing technology. More breathability means more sweat can evaporate through the laminate, and more evaporation means more heat loss and less clamminess.
Below is the information W.L Gore & Associates (Gore) has provided to us to share with potential testers:
Please note that only a limited number of boots will be made available for the wear test trial and not all potential participants filling an application for the boots may be selected to participate in the trial. If selected, you will be asked to provide written feedback about the boots and Gore will require that the boots be returned (at Gore’s cost) for additional laboratory testing after the trial period has ended. Participants will be asked to provide some basic information such as your name, contact information, boot size, and military function. Feel free to share this opportunity with other military members who might be interested in participating. The Official Rules and applicable terms related to this wear test trial are included in the Hyve sign-up page when registering. All information collected about the participants during the wear test trial will be subject to Hyve’s privacy policy, also included on the sign-up page.
So head on over to www.goretexprofessional.com/about-us/news-and-events/gore-tex-footwear-user-trial to sign up.
We here at SSD are not involved in the test in any way and are only providing this platform as a means to inform potential wear testers about the opportunity. Although WL Gore & Assoc is an advertiser on this website, we are not being compensated by them or the boot manufacturer Altama for announcing this opportunity.
Festooned with your favorite Regimental Stable Belt colors, this collar and lead combo is made from sturdy nylon with metal hardware for years of service.
Made in Australia, the collar and lead combinations are offered in the following Regiment / Unit colors:
RAR – Royal Australian Regiment (Red/Olive)
SASR- Australian Special Air Service Regiment / 22 Special Air Service (Royal Blue)
RAAMC – Royal Australian Army Medical Corps / RAMC Royal Army Medical Corps (Red/Dark Blue/Yellow)
RAEME – Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers / REME Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (Dark Blue/Red/Yellow)
RAE – Royal Australian Engineers / RE Royal Engineers (Red/Dark Blue)
RVR – Royal Victoria Regiment (Red/Black/White)
Pilbara (Black/Brown)
Norforce (Khaki/Green/Orange)
For an additional fee, Platatac will embroider your dog’s name on the collar and / or lead.
platatac.com/catalogue/k9/platatac-stable-belt-dog-collar-and-lead-combo
We are no longer approving new commenters. If you don’t already have an approved account, you won’t be getting one anytime soon.
This is a news website and we publish items we consider newsworthy. Some are press releases, others are written by a handful of others. It is apparently quite difficult for many of you to comprehend that an article on SSD is not an endorsement by our editorial staff. It’s just news folks. Furthermore, articles published on the site are not paid for. Alternatively, we have some great advertisers, who offer fantastic products and services. You should support them.
As far as current comments go; we don’t care if you can’t afford it, shipping is too high, it’s made in the wrong country, the flat bill bill your ass look fat, they donated to the wrong party, said something that hurt your poor little feelings, or the person who owns the company has the wrong skin color to suit you.
The past few weeks have been eye-opening. It’s quite sobering as conservatives to find that those who claim to be on the same side as you promote political violence and a desire to deny civil liberties to others.
We will not provide a platform for those who wish to anonymously further divide our society, cast aspersions on others, or promote hate.
Consequently, we are considering closing the comments section of our posts completely. Until then, keep it civil and pretend the person you are responding to is sitting across the table. And, don’t make accusations about someone else if you aren’t going to share your true name and location with the class.
Eric Graves
Editor
A few weeks ago I participated in an unboxing of a modified M65 field jacket and other gear worn on Operation Eagle Claw, the 1980 raid into Iran to attempt to free American hostages held by Iran.
Since then, several unit veterans have come forward to allow Dave Hall, President of the Silent Warrior Foundation charity to examine their jackets. In this second video, Dave meets with retired Sergeant Major Phil Hanson.
We’re fortunate that they produced not just one video during this visit, but two.
In the first unboxing video there were some surprises like the dog tags and watch cap. This time we get to see the non-issue boots worn by SGM Hanson in Iran along with some other items. You have got to watch these videos, if just to see the rigger modification to the Bianchi holster to make it a drop leg.
The information gleaned from these videos isn’t just of historical significance. The Silent Warrior Foundation is working Bergspitze Customs and Alpha Industries to recreate 10 examples of these jackets for a charity auction as part of their upcoming Whiskey and War Stories honoring Operation Eagle Claw event in August.
The jacket reproductions and many other items will be available for auction on www.auctionfrogs.org during the event.
I always try to do posts that have something to do with the Navy, being on the water, diving, or subjects like that. But I read about this a couple of years ago, and I have always wanted to post about it. The more I read about WWI, the more I am amazed at the plain disregarded for life.
The attack on Fromelles on July 19-20, 1916, was Australia’s first significant action on the Western Front. The 5th Division, which led the attack, was made up of veterans of the Gallipoli campaign and recently trained reinforcements. The operation was intended to keep the German reserves away from the Somme, where the main Allied attack had begun on July 1. This battle is considered Australia’s worst 24 hours in their military history.
The British 61st and the Australian 5th divisions were deployed at Fromelles. Both had just arrived in France without combat experience; for the Australians, it was their first battle on the Western Front. They were up against the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, which had just won the battle of Aubers the year before. To make matters worse for Commonwealth troops, the pre-battle bombardment, which lasted eleven hours, was poorly executed.
With skillfully placed German observation positions, some camouflaged within trees, viewing the troop assembling locations, the battle was never going to be the surprise the Allies planned. Second Lieutenant Waldo Zander, a 30th Battalion officer from Sydney, remembered being perplexed by inconsistent information sent to him and his soldiers before the Fromelles attack. He also mentioned that, despite requests for confidentiality, he had overheard French folks at the local establishments inquiring about the “big day”.
The infantry onslaught, which began at six o’clock in the morning on July 19, 1916, was met by intensive machine gun fire and bombardment in a large stretch of no man’s land (over 300 meters). The four waves of troops were slaughtered one by one; while a few Australian soldiers managed to get through German lines, they were rapidly isolated and exposed to counter-attacks. The bodies of dead and wounded Australians littered No Man’s Land, with some comparing the gruesome scene to a big butcher’s shop. Despite the failure of the first attempt, a second attack was launched at 9 a.m. The Australian survivors of the first onslaught, completely isolated after a night in the German trenches, sought to reclaim their lines on the morning of July 20. Still, they were met by the enemy’s machine guns once again.
The Australians then began an attack based on intelligence regarding the German lines to capture the third and last German line. The attacking Australians were met with the fact that the German third and final lines were missing. Aerial reconnaissance revealed that the third line was nothing more than empty ditches. In an undefendable situation, the attacking Australians formed their defensive positions as best they could.
The Australians were nearly annihilated within 15 minutes of leaving their lines when they attacked the ‘Sugar Loaf’ defensive feature, which was characterized as an “elevated concrete stronghold bristling with machine guns”. The 59th Battalion’s Corporal Hugh Knyvett stated.
The Australians lost 5,533 men and the British 1,400 in a twenty-four-hour period with nothing to show for it. Only 107 of the Australian 60th Battalion’s 887 soldiers survived the conflict. Adolf Hitler, a corporal in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment at the time, appears to have taken part in the combat.
