Mayflower Research and Consulting has been the subject of several articles on Soldier Systems Blog. You can find them here. Mayflower tends to keep a low profile and in respect of that, we don’t post nearly enough about what they are up to. However, sufficed to say, they are working on a commercial line. In our last article on Mayflower (13 Sept 08) we claimed that their ecommerce site would be up in four weeks. Looks like we were pretty close.
The website is here. Check it regularly.
The Special Operations Sock is fairly thin but the padding is designed specifically to support certain areas of the foot. Think of it as the 330 Revolution for the foot. It’s great for hot weather and Bridgedale recommends you use it as a liner sock for extreme cold weather. Designed to be worn with 8″ boots, it features Bridgedale’s WoolFusion blend and a 3 year guarantee.
Available from Extreme Outfitters.
The concept is already entrenched at the tip of the spear and slowly gaining momentum elsewhere. Make no mistake, thus far none of the new Ultra Light Weight (ULW) equipment has been manufactured entirely of 330. Remember, even the old parapack used for ALICE was 420D. It is really more of a design philosophy. The elegance of this new design wave is its simplicity; functionality to enable lethality. None of the manufacturers breaking this new ground are building monolithic solutions consisting solely of one material. Instead, a design is reviewed from top to bottom for extra material and in a process that more resembles aircraft than pack design, the developers consider the application of each component of the equipment and decide what material provides the best trade off of performance and weight. Extra material and design elements are eliminated from the equipment. Additionally, user preferences are taken into account and may incorporate hybrid design combining the modularity of PALS with fixed pouches although, many of the newer ULW designs feature fixed pockets. The reasons include lower weight, simplicity, and uniformity on a micro level for operator muscle memory or on a macro level for element-wide specific mission sets. While having more then one rig may drive up cost, the organizations who have embraced this concept tend to accept the cost as part of doing business.
While the 330 revolution may not trickle down immediately to general purpose forces like so many other pieces of equipment who saw their genesis in the SOF community, many of the concepts certainly will, as individual personnel take on new assignments and manufacturers begin to influence the products they offer to military members. Eventually, I see new, higher tenacity ULW fabrics being developed to support the longer service life required for general fielding and military members asking for the elimination of redundant design features.
I mentioned the gang at DIY Tactical in a recent post about the SOF Industry Conference. They are the go-to guys for folks who want to have it their way. They even service small government customers with repair materials. Mike Rinaldi, who owns DIY spoke with me about his customer base and some of the products he sources. The problem many smaller custom shops have is that they can’t meet the minimums from the mill for specialty materials. In addition to the hobbyist and small businessman Mike says he sometimes gets calls from larger companies doing prototypes of small runs and need to use a fabric they don’t normally stock. But they offer more than just standard Cordura. They also webbing, hardware, and thread. If they don’t have it, they will get it.
DIY also sponsors a forum for the burgeoning entrepreneur where one can get advice on anything from setting up a small business to how to time a finicky sewing machine. Remember, the late, great Logan Coffey started out in his room in the barracks.
Lightweight – A recent history
The move toward lightweight military equipment is almost cyclical in nature. Today the market is saturated with “bomb-proof” gear designed to last a lifetime. But as the owner of Mayflower pointed out to me, we fought the Viet Nam war using parapack fabric. It was lightweight but not overly robust. Heavy, over engineered load carrying systems are a fairly recent phenomenon. The British made the jump to high tenacity nylon first when they fielded PLCE. But here in the US, on an almost parallel path the early Tactical Load Bearing Vests were made from ballistic nylon that quickly transitioned to 500D Cordura and Field Packs, Large Internal Frame were manufactured from 1000D Cordura. When the full jump to MOLLE came the materials transitioned as well. The benefit was obvious; the more abrasion resistant texturized nylons had a longer service life. In the fall of 2001, members of SOCOM began operating in the mountains of Afghanistan wearing these same systems. Quickly, they realized that to maintain the edge, they would need to shed pounds from their load wherever possible.
Looking back, I think that for the most part, the ALICE gear we used for so many years held up pretty well and at a fraction of the weight. However, I realize now that part of the problem is that the designs themselves were never updated. Unconsciously, we associate pack cloth with poor performance. It may not have been the materials nearly as much as the designs. Fortunately, new lightweight fabrics engineered for strength have entered the scene and a small cadre of forward thinking manufacturers are developing new designs to capitalize on their availability.
Modularity – Its strength is its weakness
I know I was leading the charge to move to a more modular solution but I have written in the past how I feel that the pendulum has swung too far in favor of modularity. Let’s face it, the average guy sets his kit up and changes very little. Members of some units cut the attachment system from their pouches and rigs and have the Riggers sew the pouches fast. I prefer a “hybrid” approach meaning that certain pouches such as those for ammunition will always remain in the same place but a warrior may be issued a different radio or other ancillary item based on METT-T. I am also an advocate of using the right material for the right job. Many “monolithic” load carrying solutions on the market are made entirely from one material; usually 1000D Cordura. Others utilize specific fabrics for different applications in their designs but overdo resulting in equipment that you can pass on to your grandkids but weight a ton. Just as with modularity, a balance must be made.
Solutions – An answer for the masses and a call to action
Considering weight, cost and flexibility, currently the best rig I have seen that espouses these principles is the SKD version of the Universal Chest Rig manufactured by Eagle. It is inexpensive and you can buy it today. However, others are applying the principles I have discussed and are producing kit for a small customer base. Soon, I expect to see these designs gain wider acceptance. I also hope to see larger manufacturers adopt at least some of these weight saving principles as well. Not only will they result in a lighter load for our warriors but we may also realize lower manufacturing costs.
My friends at Military Morons, have a great review here
Mayflower Research & Consulting LLC, a little known manufacturer of highly specialized load carrying systems displayed an ultralight chest rig designed for use by the military athlete at the recent SOF Industry Conference. Manufactured from a combination of 500D and 330D Multicam Cordura, the UW Chest rig is designed to carry 4 ea 5.56mm magazines, 2 pistol magazines, up to 2 small radios (MBITR) as well as two GP pockets. Additionally, the H style harness features loops to route antennas, comms wires and hydration bladder tubing. Lessons learned in the mountains of Afghanistan have been applied in the design of this innovative chest rig. Don’t let the lightweight construction make you think that it won’t stand up to punishment. The entire design is intended to take unneeded ounces off of the wearer’s load. When used in conjunction with other equipment built with this new approach the Soldier can take pounds off of his back. All buckles are ITW Nexus IR and all materials and workmanship are 100% American. In addition to Multicam, the UW rig is available in Ranger Green and Coyote in 500D Cordura. While most of Mayflower’s work is customized to the end user, a standard version should be available soon.
