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Archive for the ‘Clothing’ Category

The Mother of All Afghan Camo Solicitation

Friday, January 6th, 2012

The synopsis for this solicitation entitled, “Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment, uniforms and field jackets for the Afghanistan National Security Forces to include the Afghanistan National Army and Afghanistan National Police” is almost shorter than the title, “Contractor shall provide Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) uniforms and field jackets for the Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) to include the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) and Afghanistan National Police (ANP).”

Initially released over the holidays and updated today, the “Mother of All Afghan Camo Solicitation” as we are calling it, originated with US Forces in Afghanistan and has a pretty short response time. Offerors must reply by Jan 20, 2012 at 7:00 am Eastern. But with a contract ceiling of $150 Million, the juice definitely looks to be worth the squeeze if you have the contacts in country to make this happen.

Now, here’s the kicker, assembly of the uniforms and equipment must be accomplished in Afghanistan but materials can be imported…from any country. However, due to proprietary restrictions there is a directed source (ADS) for 3 of the 6 camouflage patterns required to complete the contract such as the GHOSTEX Kilo-1 seen above. It is important to note that ALL 6 patterns are Afghan patterns and already in use by their forces so they aren’t looking for new camo.

Vertx Smock Available for Order

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

We covered the new Vertx smock pretty well already. The big news here is that it is now available for order. In MultiCam size Small – 2XLarge.

Get yours at www.wearvertx.com.

The Story Behind Wolf

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Arc’teryx LEAF has been showing their new Wolf color quietly to its customer base for some time now. We’ve even caught a couple of glimpses of the color here and there which we’ve been able to share. The new Wolf color makes a great counterpoint to the Bird’s other exclusive pantone – Crocodile, which was developed several years ago to provide a shade compatible with both greens and browns for the the military side of the LEAF equation. Not only is Wolf well suited for Law Enforcement use, it gives all of us another color option to help blend into the background and truly become the Grey Man.

In conjunction with the release of Wolf, Arc’teryx is also debuting several new styles.

Additionally, Arc’teryx provided us with this official statement which does a great job explaining their concept of Wolf:

Urban Wolf— blend into the sprawl

From a distance, or in situations with marginal light, the greyscale tone of most surfaces is dark grey. Concrete, glass, asphalt and rooftops are common modern backgrounds, environments that are subject to low ambient light and shadows. In these conditions, black stands out in the shadows, easily identifiable and clearly defined. In contrast, dark grey is the least visible colour; it blends into its surroundings.

Optimized for urban and industrial environs and their margins, Wolf breaks with tradition and introduces a colour blend for modern environments. A modern alternative to traditional uniform colourways, grey is less traditional and therefore a less recognizable uniform of authority. Wolf introduces a covert tonal shade for law enforcement purposes in urban environments.

Available in the new Drac Jacket and Drac Pant, Bravo Jacket and new Naga Hoody, the wolf colourway is a practical uniform option and is the colour preferred for Law Enforcement/SWAT and Military Special Forces use.

Arc’teryx leads the pack with Urban Wolf—on patrol in the margins.

leaf.arcteryx.com

AltaCONTOUR Knee Pad

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Alta has introduced the AltaCONTOUR knee pad. It is an articulated pad with an adjustable elastic upper strap and web lower strap with their AltaLok buckles. Alta has also incorporated a soft rubber cap with “Compression Recovery” 1/2″ Neoprene foam.

Offered in Black, Coyote, Olive Green, UCP, and MultiCam.

www.altaindustries.com

PS – I just found out 2 Cent Tactical did a review of these awhile back. http://www.2centtac.com/?p=593

TASC Performance Clothing

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

TASC clothing was formed to produce performance apparel using natural fibers. I had read a couple of reviews and the other day I ran across their boxer briefs at a local outdoor store. So, I picked a pair up. TASC claims that the material will remain odor free. While I haven’t worn them for a week straight like some testers, I can say that they are very comfortable, featuring flat seams and a fabric made from 55% Organic Cotton, 40% Viscose from Bamboo, and 5% Elastane. Additionally, there is a knit fly which helps keep the air flowing. Although my experience is still new, I haven’t noticed any stretching out of shape. Based on this product, I’m looking forward to finding some of their t-shirts as well.

Currently available in Black with a couple of acid green stitches that are barely noticeable. Having said that, the guys at USN should go crazy for these.

tascperformance.com

12 Days of Tactical Christmas – Day #8

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Todays’ prize is the Massif Flame Stretch FR Beanie in Black with Grey stitching. Made from Massif’s ultra-soft Flamestretch fabric, this Nomex® beanie is soft, comfortable and formfitting. Designed to fully cover your ears yet fit under a helmet.

Also, don’t forget, today’s winners as well as every other winner, will receive a 2012 Tac Girls Calendar. (Just the calendar, not any of the girls)

To Enter
Enter your answer to today’s question in the comment section of THIS post, here on SSD. Today’s question is, “FR – Do you use it or not?”

Don’t dilly dally. We could close comments at any time. And, remember to use a valid email address so we can inform you in case you win. One entry per email address per contest. You have to enter each one separately in order to win.

Details at soldiersystems.net/the-12-days-of-tactical-christmas.

Bomber Jacket Art

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

If you are into bomber jacket art then do yourself a favor and visit this flickr. Too bad our modern military can’t honor traditions like these.

Doc's Disciples

Armor Holdings Take 2?

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Ok, it’s not the same thing but we do see Sun Capital Partners gobbling up armor companies. In addition to Protective Products Enterprises and Paraclete that we recently wrote about, they have also purchased Point Blank Solutions Inc (in October) which consists of Point Blank Body Armor and PACA Body Armor. That puts several armor companies under one “roof” and when you add in the other companies under the Sun Capital Partners umbrella that operate on the fringes of the tactical industry; Kelty, Sierra Designs, Slumberjack, Ultimate Direction and Royal Robbins, you begin to see the possibility of some synergy. Let’s see if they do as well.