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Archive for the ‘Clothing’ Category

FirstSpear Friday Focus: Buy Socks, Give Socks & Exclusive Yippee Ki-Yay Stickers

Friday, December 3rd, 2021

In the immortal words of a damn fine soldier, Lt. Dan Taylor, “There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt. Socks, cushion, sole, O.D. green. Try and keep your feet dry when we’re out humpin’. I want you boys to remember to change your socks wherever we stop.” – Forrest Gump (1994)

Like any good leader we’ll get you the items you need to succeed. Here at First Spear, we remember what Lt. Dan said, and we have the tools for you to do this. Exclusive during the season of giving, we are offering a buy a pair, give a pair on our grunt-proof Merino Wool socks. We have both our Everyday Sock and Boot Sock. These socks will not only stave off that foot eating bacteria, but they’ll keep your feet dry, thanks to Merino Wools natural antimicrobial and high breathability. The reinforced and added cushion to the heal and toe will absorb those long days on your feet and shrug off those long hours of wearing boots.

In addition to our month of giving, every web order for the month of December will receive a limited edition FS Festive Yippee Ki-Yay Sticker.

Beginning of December 10th, we’ll be launching our 12 Days of Christmas, be sure to sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know, first-spear.com/landing.

To check out our merino wool socks, go to: www.first-spear.com/technical-apparel/american-merino-wool.

SSD’s Top Christmas Gift Picks from 5.11 – Day 8

Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

What’s with the Day 8? I told you it was going to be a week long series, but I had to include one of 5.11’s most classic items, the Performance Short Sleeve Polo. It’s an industry standard, worn by a myriad of companies and agencies, both with and without logos embroidered on the chest.

Made from snag and wrinkle resistant 100% polyester, it incorporates a pen pocket on the left sleeve as well as mic slots at each shoulder and chest. Most of us use the chest one for sunglasses.

I’ve got to admit, I’ve worn the long sleeve version quite a bit over the years as well. Both are comfortable and hard wearing.

There are loads of other gift ideas at 5.11 Tactical’s Merry Missions site.

Triple Aught Design – Overlord Sweater

Monday, November 29th, 2021

Earlier today Triple Aught Design kicked off their annual 12 Days of TAD event which introduces a new product each day for 12 days. The kickoff item is a modern take on the British Commando Sweater called the Overlord.

Traditional design cues are obvious but they’ve been modernized and the materials side is top notch. They’ve combined 100% extra fine Merino Wool in a 2×2 ribbed construction with their nylon amphibious cloth overlays at the shoulders and elbows as well as to fashion a pen slot on the left bicep.

Look for OD Green and Black in sizes XS-2XL.

tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/overlord-sweater

SSD’s Top Christmas Gift Picks from 5.11 – Day 7

Monday, November 29th, 2021

How could I create a Christmas list of 5.11 Tactical products without including a choice of pants? After all, the brand is named after a trouser model. But instead of the classic, I’ve selected one of their newer designs, the Apex Pant.

It’s a low profile design that doesn’t scream tactical. The material is 67% Polyester/ 33% Cotton which is both comfortable and hard wearing. It also has a bit of mechanical stretch and is treated with Teflon to resist stains. I always keep a pair of these in my pickup along with a spare shirt in case I need a change for changing a tire or something worse. This graphic depicts the pocket layout.

One of the things I like about 5.11 is that they always offer a wide variety of color and size options. There are too many colors to mention here but what’s important is sizing. They have 28-44 waist in 30, 32, 34 and 36 lengths! They can fit most anyone.

There are loads of other gift ideas at 5.11 Tactical’s Merry Missions site.

Grayman & Co Polo Shirt Update

Thursday, November 25th, 2021

I’ve got to tell you, if you’re looking for a very well made, nicely tailored polo shirt, keep reading. I have one of these shirts from the first, limited run and it is amazing. It comes from Grayman and Company, a Canadian company who make bespoke suits with tactical features. A couple weeks ago, they released their new merino polo shirt and it’s even better than mine. In fact, I’m upgrading and one of my sons is going to get the one I currently have. He just doesn’t know it yet.

They added some very discreet loops for comms wire management and a pass-through channel in the collar band if you want to hide a small wired mic under the collar flap.

Besides those features, this is very clearly a polo shirt designed by tailors. Merino fabric is usually in a jersey knit and you can find plenty of merino polo shirts at REI or by your favourite outdoor brands in jersey, but this one is in the more sophisticated ‘pique’ textured knit which is even more breathable and has a more refined look that goes well with suits and blazers. The only other merino pique polo shirt I could find on Google was by Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label and it’s $495. They also opted for a longer/deeper button placket than usual and constructed their shirt collar like a dress shirt collar, so it has structure and slots for collar stays. The collar stays they use are carbon fibre.

The whole package makes for a polo shirt that definitely looks more put together than a normal casual polo shirt and might be a good alternative to a dress shirt for some occasions. And it’s pure merino, so it’s temperature-regulating, breathable, odor-resistant (you can wear this thing for a week or more without washing it) and machine washable. The fabric is Italian, from Reda 1865, and the tailoring/construction was all done in Italy, so they ship it directly from Italy.

You can check it out at polo.grayman.company. They have a pretty useful fitting calculator so you can experiment to find the right fit.

PDW Roam Jacket EC

Wednesday, November 24th, 2021

Modern Take on the Classic American Trucker Jacket in Soft-Shell Fabric

For Fall/Winter 2021 Prometheus Design Werx introduces their Roam Jacket EC. Based directly on the classic American “Trucker Jacket”, PDW updated this style of outerwear with their Expedition Cloth, a technical, performance, nylon/poly soft-shell fabric with 4-way stretch and a DWR finish. Comfortably cut to wear over a base-layer or your favorite hoodie, the ROAM Jacket EC is also fully lined in their Guide Cloth, features chest pockets specially sized for most smartphones, 2 hand pockets, 2 interior pockets, their signature hide-away pocket under the collar, snap cuffs, center placket, waist tabs, and pocket flaps. Well suited for cool to cold weather wear, when worn with layers. This is another modern classic design from PDW and is expertly sewn in California, USA.

The Roam Jacket EC is a part of Prometheus Design Werx’s CORE-Line of technical apparel. Available in All Terrain Brown, and Universal Field Gray.

The Design and R&D Team at PDW states:

“We’ve definitely have a fondness for classic American styles, but update them with more contemporary cuts, modern performance materials and considerations for EDC. This Roam Jacket made with our Expedition Cloth soft-shell fabric pushes the classic American Trucker Jacket into the 21st Century. One of the first things we updated were the flapped chest pockets, which might have been great for stashing your pack of Marlboros back in the day, but it made much more sense to be sized to fit today’s smartphones. The 4-way stretch adds much more mobility and comfort, and the DWR finish adds protection from the occasional drizzle to rain shower. We also added that extra level of tailoring by adding a full liner in our equally technical Guide Cloth. This is the only trucker style jacket made today with soft-shell and the modern touches we put into it. The Roam Jacket EC is a timeless classic updated with smart details, and technical materials for today’s wearer. Built to last and expertly stitched in California, USA.”

The Roam Jacket EC will be available for purchase for $245.00 on Wednesday, November 24th, 2021 at 12:00pm PT via their website, prometheusdesignwerx.com.

SSD’s Top Christmas Gift Picks from 5.11 – Day

Wednesday, November 24th, 2021

On day 2 of our week-long look at Christmas gift ideas, I’m going to recommend the Halo Neck Gaiter. Although it’s offered in a variety of patterns and colors, Night Desert Camouflage is my favorite.

A simple design, it’s comfy and can be used for a wide variety of applications aside from just a neck gaiter, in a similar fashion to a bandana.

There are loads of other gift ideas at 5.11 Tactical’s Merry Missions site.

Milliken & Company Collaborates with C2R Fast on Direct-to-Consumer Outerwear Jacket

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021

SPARTANBURG, SC (Nov. 23, 2021)—Milliken & Company has announced a new partnership with C2R Fast, a UK-based tactical gear designer. The first product of the organizations’ partnership is the Fortuna Jacket, a military-grade insulated jacket that was developed with Milliken’s TactX™ RipStop fabric which includes a non-PFAS finish.

By combining C2R’s design precision with Milliken’s expertise in high-performance fabrics, the Fortuna Jacket offers superior durability and performance attributes typically seen and saved for elite warfighters and militaries around the world. The hooded, insulated jacket is available in three colors (Wolf Gray, Ranger Green and Navy), and will retail for £295.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with the talented team at C2R and we’re off to a strong start in our partnership with the introduction of the Fortuna Jacket. Milliken has been working in the government and defense space for more than 75 years and we’re always excited to do business with companies who value and understand the power a quality fabric can provide a garment,” said Bruce LaFlam, VP of sales and marketing, government and defense for Milliken.

Milliken’s TactX™ RipStop fabric offers leading durability and tear resistance without sacrificing comfort, making it ideal for the Fortuna Jacket which was developed for performance-minded consumers looking for outerwear that can be put to the test.

“At C2R we have always worked hard to guarantee we are utilising the latest textiles and manufacturing processes to ensure our customers receive the most unique and highest caliber product we can create. We spent considerable time evaluating different outer materials to identify the perfect combination of characteristics. Once we discovered TactX it was an easy choice. TactX demonstrates the determination to develop high quality performance textiles with the new DWR coating demonstrating Milliken’s determination to innovate in an environmentally conscious way. For this reason Milliken is a natural partner for us.” said Nick Shepherd, director, C2R-Fast.

The Fortuna Jacket will be available for purchase exclusively online at www.c2rfast.com. Pre-orders begin on Nov. 26 and jackets will begin shipping in December.