Extreme Outfitters is holding an Open house at their new store in Jacksonville, North Carolina on Saturday 14 November, 2009. Also, in conjunction with EOTAC they are giving away a Bushmaster Patrolman Carbine to celebrate Veteran’s Day. So, if you are in the area, stop in and try on some EOTAC clothing and enter for your chance to win.
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Certain Restrictions Apply
ADS is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Gen III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System. Up to now they have been hard at work fulfilling the initial push of deliveries to the Army and have been unable to service individual orders. But they have built up their stock and are now offering sales to you.
They have developed tailored packages to meet any need and at great prices. For example, the Mid-Weight Cold Weather Package would retail for about $680.00 if sold separately but can be had at over $180.00 in savings when purchased as a single unit.
The Mid-Weight Cold Weather Package is going to prove very popular so we want to give you an idea of what is being offered.
The Package Includes:
GEN III ECWCS Level V Soft Shell Cold Weather Jacket and Trousers as well as the Mid-Weight Shirt and Drawers.
The Level V Soft Shell Cold Weather Jacket and Trousers are made from a wind and water resistant soft shell material and come in UCP. The material has a certain amount of mechanical stretch. They are designed for use in moderate to cold weather conditions as a soft shell combined with other base and insulative layers.
The Level II Mid-Weight Shirt and Drawers are manufactured from Polartec® Power Dry® Grid material in Desert Sand. Intended to provide light insulation in mild climates and serve as a base layer in cold climates, they wick moisture away from the body.
You have to visit ADS Tactical’s website to find the right package for you and they have a lot of options. This offer is reserved solely for individual purchase. These packages cannot be purchased by units. For unit orders please contact ADS.
Tags: ADS
Posted in ADS, Clothing, Deal of the Week | Comments Off on Gen III ECWCS Pro Packs
Originally called the Army Combat Pant and for a short period referred to as the Fire Resistant Ruggedized Pant, the program has transformed into the FR ACU Trouser Product Improvement Program. Ultimately, what this means is that PEO-Soldier is working hard to transform the FR ACU into an even more combat focused garment rather than developing yet another garment.
In an interview yesterday with LTC Mike Sloane, Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment, his Deputy PM Mr Todd Wendt, Mr Jeff Myrhe, Assistant Product Manager w/in PM SCIE and Mr Jed Watkins, Contract Support we discussed the latest information on this exciting project.
In addition to name changes, there have been some big changes in the goal of the project. But first let’s delve into the history of the project and then find out where it is going.
PEO Soldier identified issues with the seat, crotch, and knees of the ACU trouser based on feedback from Soldiers returning from theater. Specifically, in fall 2007, elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade presented PEO Soldier with information describing failures of the ACU trouser and they began a full court press to correct these issues. Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center and industry partners prepared several solutions.
The evaluation process for these solutions is a journey that began in FY 2008 and will be completed later this year. In April 2008, seven variants of the trouser were issued to units in Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont for a limited user evaluation. Unfortunately, none of the seven variants completely addressed the failures, but did provide valuable information for further improvements.
Massif Mountain Gear and Crye Precision collaborated on the next step, which resulted in the Massif Army Combat Pant Version 4.0A, which employed various weights of Defender M fabric and Defender M stretch fabric to make the seat and crotch more durable. At the same time, Crye Precision’s adjustable-height, integrated hard-shell knee pad design greatly improved the durability of the knee, providing greater protection to the Soldier. This feature in particular has been the most important solution in the project. External knee pads require constant adjustment and lightweight pads slipped into the knee pad slot of the trouser result in extra abrasion and worn knees.
This trouser was evaluated in two phases. Phase I was a human factors evaluation, conducted with 38 Soldiers from the 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning from 11 January to 23 February 2009. Phase II involved 222 Soldiers from the 150th Armored Recon Squadron of the West Virginia National Guard, who evaluated the pant for dismounted functionality and vehicle compatibility during pre-deployment training at the National Training Center from 4 March to 2 April 2009.
Based on lessons learned from the previous phases, a new full and open competition was recently held to allow manufacturers to submit their version of the trouser. Five companies competed. Crye Precision won that competition and is producing 7,020 pairs of combat pants. The Crye trouser is a bit of a departure from previous incarnations as they have replaced the mechanical stretch fabric with a gusset design. These will be tested during Phase III of the evaluation. Testing will be conducted beginning in the 2nd quarter of FY10 with an infantry brigade deployed to Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and each Soldier will receive two pairs of the Crye trouser in addition to their normal complement of FR ACUs. This evaluation is more than a simple test and will deliver actual enhanced capability to the Soldiers involved as the enhancements are refinements of earlier solutions.
Additionally, the focus of the evaluation will no longer be to determine user acceptance of the whole garment. Instead, PEO-Soldier wants to determine which features of the garment are most effective in fixing the problem areas. The Infantry School drives requirements and will make the recommendations to the Army Uniform Board as to which improvements will be integrated into FR ACU. The Chief of Staff of the Army is the final approving authority for these modifications.
When asked if there were plans to remove the FR ACU from service and transform to an ACU for garrison use and ACP/ACS combo for combat operations, the answer was a simple “No”. However, PEO-Soldier officials caveated this statement by relating that the FR ACU will undergo a transformation in the future, making it a much different garment than we see today. In the interim, once approved by the CSA, the improvements to the FR ACU will trouser will greatly enhance the capability of our troops operating in Afghanistan and other regions around the world.
The 98th Air Force Virtual Uniform Board (they really ought to consider renaming that thing) released a policy message last month dictating wear of the new Air Force sage green fleece as an outer garment for the airman battle uniform. (italics mine)
According to the message, the sage green fleece which is made from Polartec® Thermal Pro® may only be worn over the ABU top. It is not authorized to be worn solely over a T-shirt or thermal underwear when worn as an outer garment. So at least it can actually be worn as an outer garment but once again the fashion police take precedence over operational value.
According to the message signed by Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, deputy chief of staff for Manpower and Personnel, at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, authorized wear of the sage green fleece requires the following:
– a Velcro ABU print last name tape with dark blue block lettering, centered between the zipper and sleeve seam on the wearer’s right chest,
– a Velcro ABU print U.S. Air Force tape with dark blue block lettering, adjacent to the name tape and centered between the zipper and sleeve seem on the wearers left chest,
– a Velcro subdued cloth rank with a solid sage green background, flushed and centered above the last name tape on the wearer’s right chest,
– the fleece must remain zipped no lower than halfway between the name tape and the collar,
– the collar must be folded over and resting on the shoulder, chest and back when the zipper is not completely zipped,
– the bottom length of the fleece must be as close to length of ABU top as possible,
– the sleeves must be worn down at all times, (obvious shoe cleriksm right here. They are always up in arms over flight suit sleeves pushed up)
– the fleece must be kept in a neat, serviceable and professional appearance at all times.
Items authorized for wear with the fleece include black or sage green leather, suede or knit gloves, black or sage green watch caps, black scarves that are tucked in, and black ear muffs. Yes, black earmuffs. I have never actually seen anyone wear these so if you have a picture please send it in.
The uniform board has authorized wear of the sage green fleece without name tapes and rank as an outer garment until Oct 1, 2010. Both the black and the green fleece without tapes and rank may be worn as a liner to the all-purpose environmental clothing system, or APECS. The black fleece will phase-out Oct 1, 2010. You will only need name tapes and rank if it is worn as an outer garment. Naturally, the sage green fleece jackets will be made available first to deployed Airmen and eventually available at AAFES/MCSS. ADS also offers the Gen III clothing so you might want to check them out.
Looks an awful lot like the Level 3 garment found in ECWCS Gen III to me. Sage Green, Foliage Green. Is there really a difference? So, all told, big win for Airmen. They get to wear a practical garment at home station. Also, big win for the shoe clerks who seem to ruin every good idea with rules that make no sense.
TAD Gear has just released version 5 (yes 5!) of their Ranger Hoodie. Manufactured from Malden Mills Polartec Windpro Fleece, it continues to feature a four panel construction Alpine cut, thumbhole cuff, and low-profile TAD Gear Aero hood. There have also been a few improvements with this new version. TAD Gear has removed the Cordura from the lower sleeve which seemed to seemed to stiffen it. Additionally, the stitching on the cuff has been improved and the the sleeve length has been decreased by an inch.
There is plenty of room to store your mission essentials with eight pockets in total:
2 large chest pockets
2 interior stash pockets inside main chest pockets
1 lower back dual zippered poacher’s pocket
2 updated, larger upper sleeve pockets
1 small ID pocket on lower left sleeve
Naturally, there are 4″ x 5″ velcro loop swatches for morale patches. It also comes with an optional pen tube which is removable and can be repositioned or used with other velcro items. The Ranger Hoodie is available in Sith Black, M.E. Brown, U.E. Gray, and M.E. Green sizes X-Small through XX-Large. All that and Made in the USA.
To order visit www.tadgear.com.
EOTAC, manufacturers of tactical and discrete wear have teamed up with Extreme Outfitters to establish a showroom in Jacksonville, NC at the Extreme Outfitters store.
“After the success with our flagship showroom in NYC, we sought out a store that would be a great follow up. Extreme Outfitters is that store. Located near Camp Lejeune, Extreme Outfitters serves the military, law enforcement, and civilian communities offering both tactical and outdoor equipment,” said Fernando Coelho, President of EOTAC.
“The EOTAC lightweight tactical pant is undoubtedly the most comfortable, durable well thought out tactical pant I have ever worn! You can keep buying more of the same or you can choose EOTAC and get in the game!,” said a very enthusiastic Steve Siderias, President/CEO of Extreme Outfitters.
Here at Soldier Systems, we think this is a great team up and can’t wait to see where this leads.
For more information about EOTAC’s line, contact Extreme Outfitters at (910) 355-2118 or visit them online at www.extremeoutfitters.us.
The tactical consumer has become pretty savvy. The latest issue of SWAT magazine came out last week and literally the same day it hit the news stands, readers were on the forums critiquing the lack of attention to detail exhibited by Woolrich in their ad for the Elite clothing line.
Here are but a sample of the myriad of issues with this particular ad:
Backward rifle scope
Slings are soup sandwich
Armor is so low as to be dangerous
Time will tell how expensive this mistake will be for Woolrich. On one hand some online have related that if Woolrich can’t pay attention to detail on their advertising, how can they produce a decent line of clothing but on the other, the net is abuzz with talk of Woolrich. Someone once said that there is no such thing as bad publicity and this one has gone viral.
This isn’t the first time an ad for a tactical product has come under scrutiny. There is the infamous HK catalog cover featuring a magazine loaded with rounds facing the wrong direction. Another example was early in the US Army’s “Army of One” campaign, a television spot featuring a Special Forces support Soldier atop a mountain showcased an M4 with a backward M68 optic.
So, a note to tactical advertisers. Find someone you can trust and who knows what they are doing and consult with them throughout the creative process. At the very least it will save you some embarrassment.
Last week I was offered the chance to join the cast and crew of “Tactical Impact” and “Tactical Arms” on the set at US Training Center in Moyock, North Carolina.
The US Training Center facilities are fantastic and provide the team a variety of backgrounds to accommodate filming. Viewers who have attended training sessions at the Xe campus will recognize the range complex and if it has been awhile since you last visited some of the additions would surprise you. In addition to ranges and various backdrops, US Training Center also features an on-site dining facility and hotel-like accommodations.
While I was there they were filming an intro sequence that will be featured on an episode of “Tactical Impact” focused on Special Forces. As the cast and crews are the same for both shows, segments are shot in overlapping schedules. Very little of the work is conducted indoors so it can lead to some long days in weather extremes from the North Carolina heat to cold rainy days that hover just above freezing. Cold and wet describes my time on set perfectly.
It is on days like this that the material provided by sponsors goes beyond the “This will look great on screen” to “Man, good thing this product performs as advertised”. And perform they do. Early this year as production for this season was ramping up, show co-host Larry Vickers called me and asked if I could recommend some equipment to be used on the show. After speaking with producer Eric Sherertz and soliciting input from co-hosts Jason Falla and Kyle Defoor, I contacted several companies to see if they would be interested in providing products for use on the show. The response from industry was fantastic, so keep your eyes peeled while watching both series for some of the newest products in the tactical market.
EOTAC provided a variety of clothing items from their Operator Grade line including specially embroidered shirts for the cast and crew. Additionally, Propper provided embroidered TAC.U uniforms as well as several items from the Adventure Tech line. Under Armour donated jackets, hats, and gloves. Additionally, several cast members use Vickers Tactical gloves. Arc’teryx LEAF was well represented through their US distributor Uber Group.
Footwear companies who have participated include OTB Boots, Tactical Research, and Salomon. Both Smith Optics and Revision Eyewear provided several styles of eyewear for use during the season and SOG Knives provided their popular SOG tool as well as pocket knives.
Bulldog Equipment also produced variants of their Mirage Camouflage uniforms for the show. As you can see from the photos Mirage does a great job of blending in with the environment used on the set. Additionally, Daniel Defense provides the DDM4 for use in many of the tactical scenarios depicted on the shows.
Despite the inclement weather, it was a great day and both cast and crew were able to get the film in the can thanks to the support of these sponsors.
