Magpul is now shipping the Core Cover baseball cap. Made of a high-performance polyester fabric, it features a custom flex moisture-wicking headband , eyelet venting, and no top button for use with earpro.
The Core Cover comes in Black, Gray, and Coyote.
www.magpul.com/products/magpul-core-cover-ballcap
Additionally, the Sand color variant for the 25 M118 LR/SR GEN M3 Window PMAG is shipping.
www.magpul.com/products/pmag-25-m118-lrsr-gen-m3-window
This Combat Shirt is part of an ensemble of IED Fragment Protective Clothing created by Blücher’s Saratoga division which also includes bandana, protective collar, shorts and a shirt. Worn alone or in concert with one another, these garments increase the amount of body coverage against secondary projectile injuries.
In addition to providing environmental, camouflage and FR protection, the Fragment Protective Combat Shirt also stops secondary fragments such as dust, dirt and sand (v50 2gr RCc @ 320 m/sec, IAW STANAG 2920). These properties also mean that the material is cut and slash resistant.
Why Layer?
The number one reason to layer correctly for the outdoors is safety. Hypothermia and Hyperthermia occur when either heat loss, or heat gain occur at a faster rate than your body’s natural ability to self regulate. Modern technical clothing and layering techniques allow you to help regulate your body’s core temperature and survive in extreme climates.
Moisture Management Explained
No matter the environment, moisture management should be your main focus when building your layering system. There are two factors to consider when talking about moisture management; perspiration caused by an increase in body temperature and environmental moisture (i.e., Snow, Rain, Mud, etc). In a backpacking scenario, you will likely experience both. During a hike, climb, or ascent, you will expend energy and as a result your core temperature will rise and your body will perspire to cool you down. If that perspiration isn’t wicked away as you become static, or as the temperature drops, that moisture will begin to freeze. As a result, your core temperature will drop and you may become hypothermic. For the same reason, it’s important to pack a shell to protect you from environmental moisture (i.e., Rain, Snow) reaching your skin.
Choosing a Baselayer
Baselayers are the foundation of your layering system. Even the most technical jackets can be negated in function by the wrong baselayer. That said, there are three main considerations when choosing a baselayer; fit, construction, and fabric. Because the purpose of a baselayer is to pull moisture from your skin, you want your baselayers to be relatively form fitting. The more contact the material has with your skin, the more moisture the fabric will be able to wick away. Next, it’s important to consider the construction of your baselayers. Choose a baselayer that has optimized seam placement to avoid chafing when wearing a pack, or harness. Finally and most importantly, you must choose your baselayer fabric. In almost all cases, it’s best to avoid cotton (constant, extreme heat can be an exception). Cotton absorbs moisture, dries extremely slow and loses all of it’s insulation properties when it gets wet. The two main fabrics used for baselayers are wool and synthetics. Wool tends to dry slower than a synthetic, but it retains insulative properties when wet and can be slightly warmer. Synthetics are generally lighter than their wool counterparts and dry significantly faster. For Beyond’s Axios Layering System, we’ve found that the lightweight, fast drying attributes of Polartec PowerDry work best within our system.
Polartec Powerdry
PowerDry is a bi-component knit synthetic that has been optimized for breathability and rapid moisture transport. The next to skin fabric is made up of gridded fleece channels that pull moisture from your skin into the smooth exterior fabric where moisture quickly dissipates and evaporates into the next layer of the system. The result is a fabric that breathes extremely well when you’re hot and insulates when you’re cold. Also, one major advantage to a bi-component construction is that the wicking properties are construction based and don’t rely on chemical fiber treatments. Chemical treatments designed to help the wicking process can wash out and lose their performance attributes.
Aether Baselayers
Our A1 Aether Baselayers are built out of 4-way stretch Polartec PowerDry fabric. They feature antimicrobial underarm gussets to reduce odor, and flat-lock seam construction to increase packability while reducing chafing from a pack or harness. These layers have been optimized for moisture transport and core temperature regulation. In addition, we use Polartec Powerdry, Wind-Pro and Alpha in our A2-A3’s to ensure seamless moisture transport from your next-to-skin all the way out to your shell fabric.
Massif has long been known for their FR clothing solutions and the two items they showed me did not disappoint.
Designed to work in conjunction with Massif’s Fire and Ice Layering System, the FR Cool Knit is a moistire wicking fabric with a soft interior and four-way stretch for next-to-skin comfort. Flat seams don’t bunch up. Offered in Black and Coyote Tan.
Nitro Knit utilizes No Drip No Melt fabric technology from 37.5 for when you dont need full FR protection. The shirts are moisture wicking, have a comfortable hand, flat seams and are great for day-to-day wear. Offered in Black and Tan.
For this Autumn, San Francisco based outdoor products company Prometheus Design Werx debuts their A.G. Watch Cap on Thursday, September 24, 2015. PDW introduces a true, fully shaped and knitted, performance merino watch cap, that is made locally in California. Unlike the other “knitted” beanies or watch caps styles on the market, the PDW A.G. Watch Cap is not just a simple “tube” stitched closed at one end, but uses a true full shaping construction method, which is knitted on state of the art computer controlled German knitting machines for a superior fit and uniformed appearance. The premium grade merino wool yarn used to knit this cap is sourced from a German-Italian based supplier, “itchless” for superior comfort, and machine wash & dry for easy care.
The A.G. Watch Cap will be an evergreen seasonal style for Prometheus Design Werx, and represents their lead in producing fully knitted wool and merino performance outdoor products in the USA.
The Design and R&D Team at PDW states:
“We have much respect and admiration for this American outdoor classic that has been worn by US Service Members, and all manner of outdoors persons alike. However, we wanted to update this understated staple and create a new high standard iteration for today’s user. Taking the basic iconic ribbed knit appearance of the original, we sourced some of the world’s finest performance merino wool yarns, determined a versatile 2+ season wearable weight, and applied a true shaped knitting process to produce our reboot of this classic. PDW is also proud to be working with local knitters, and producing these watch caps in California. While the original issue watch cap stands on its own, we wanted to offer our updated interpretation of it. We believe anyone who will field ours, will find it highly versatile, much more comfortable, easy to care for, and retains that timeless and classic appearance.”
The PDW A.G. Watch Cap will be available for purchase on Thursday, September 24, 2015 via their website, prometheusdesignwerx.com.
American Marauder is selling tuxedo t-shirts with a Sword and Lightning Bolts lapel and a vest colored to match the crest of various Special Forces Groups. The shrits are 100% cotton and a Direct To Garment printing is used to minimize the ‘rubbery’ feel that some printed shirts have. The shirts are printed on demand, so allow some time for delivery.
American Marauder – SFG Tuxedo T-Shirts
Most people don’t know that Beretta supplies uniforms to the Italian military and these are full clothing systems going from undergarments to combat uniforms to fully seamtaped GORE-TEX outergarments. Clothing is available in both FR and non-FR variants in Vegetato camouflage.
From left to right we have the Outer Rain Kit, FR Clothing and Intermediate BDU.
Here are a few close ups of the features of these garments.
Beretta also offers mountaineering gear including boots, harnesses and helmets.
www.berettadefensetechnologies.com
CQC Limited has been manufacturing combat clothing and equipped for the UK Ministry of Defence and allied nations for over 60 years. As you can see from their booth, they are still going strong.
