Camelbak produced this video explaining how they test their Groove filter technology. The Camelbak Groove features a bite valve and replaceable filter elements. One of the main features of the Groove filter is that it removes nasty tastes so they recommend that you only use water. It seems the filter removes good tastes as well. Interestingly, the activated material in the filter is coconut carbon (anyone remember this?).
www.camelbak.com
Mountain Hardwear has two alternatives to the GI rigger’s Belt for those that like the basic look but don’t want to scream “average”; the Double Back Belt and the Alloy Nut Belt.
Sure, they’re not life support capable, but either are the issue Rigger’s Belts which really are nothing more than a few feet of Type VIII webbing and friction adapters from a Parachutist H Harness. The issue belt might look cool but won’t do much for a you in a jam. On the other hand, the Mountain Hardware belts look really cool and come in enough different colors you can make up your own combatives belt system. What’s more, you won’t look like a toolbag if you wear one of them in civilian clothing.
Colors include Espresso, British Tan, Stone Green, Grill, Moondust and the boringly named Black. One size fits most.
Update- One of my colleagues who is a big MH fan told me he had purchased the Alloy Nut Belt and it just wouldn’t stay tight. I have had hands on the Double Back and the design keeps the belt secure but he feels that the webbing on the Alloy Nut Belt was too supple and slippery to stay secure. Looking at the two designs you can see that the buckles are drastically different and this may contribute to the disparity in performance. So at this point, the SSD verdict is Double Back = Good, Alloy Nut = Not So Good.
Thanks for the input Rob! If anyone else has any input please feel free to share it in the comments section.
It’s literally been years since we last wrote about Arborwear. We hadn’t spoken with anyone from Arborwear in quite some time and they’ve always been considered a bit of a specialist brand. After all, the company was started by lumberjacks. But, we ran into Arborwear Team Captain Bill Weber at last month’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in SLC and it became blatantly obvious how much we have missed out on. They have just gotten better and better. They make a lot of great clothing but one thing that caught my eye was the Stretch Tech Pant. I’ve always loved the Tech Pant with its comfortable fabric and cut that moves with you. This new Stretch Tech Pant doesn’t disappoint.
They come equipped with two front pockets and two rear pockets along with a side cargo pocket and utility pocket. The bottom cuffs feature 18″ zippers and Velcro tabs to fit over boots. Available in Teflon-coated Charcoal four-way stretch fabric they include Black Kevlar knee patches which are darn near indestructible. Waist sizes 28-44.
First Lite specializes in Merino wool clothing for hunting. We have gone over the many merits of Merino in the past but summarize; warm even when wet, inherent anti-microbial which inhibits odor, and inherent FR. Several friends of SSD have been raving about First Lite’s garments, particularly their underwear and hats so we thought we should introduce the brand to you.
This is the Gila Hunting Pant. It’s tough to find wool pants these days, and Merino has an increased comfort range so you can wear them in a wider variety of environments than most pants. Plus, if you get wet, you’ll still be warm and if you sweat, you won’t stink to high heaven. Plus, Merino isn’t scratchy like traditional wool.
You will notice the odd camouflage pattern which is called ASAT. To give you a little history on ASAT, you need to know is that it stands for All Season All Terrrain so it was envisioned as a “universal” camouflage pattern. Dating back to 1986, ASAT was developed for hunting and features a Tan base. Interestingly, in the late 80s, Brigade Quartermaster commissioned an “urban” variant using a Grey base with dark bands. Based on this, we guess you could look at ASAT as a family of patterns dating back over 20 years.
Remember, First Lite manufactures hunting clothing and their color options reflect this. They offer Black, ASAT, Mossy Oak Breakup Infinity, and Real Tree Max-1. Additionally, some products may be offered in more of fewer color options. Since we are in late winter, many colors are currently sold out.
Finally, in addition to the Gila Hunting Pants above, First Lite offers several next to skin layering options as well as headwear.
At 80 bills it ought to be. Basically, it’s a cool design but the Fluent Stash from Nau is manufactured from felt and so well designed that it’s almost a shame to consider using it for a shower kit. In fact, they suggest it might be just the thing for your electronics. The closure hook pulls double duty and can be used to hang it while in use. It’s felt so the color “Caviar” looks like a Dark Gray. Naturally, it’s recycled, but not made in the USA.
To get you thinking about the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in SLC later this month we thought you might enjoy this collection we found on oobject.com as much as we did.
It features equipment used on various Everest expeditions from the 1920s until today. While technology allows for lower weight and increased comfort, ultimately, the old school basics used in the ill-fated Mallory And Irvine expedition were more than adequate to protect the climbers.
From Ural Russian Motorcycles comes the Ural Patrol T. A copy of the WW-II era BMW bike used by German forces, the Ural Patrol T combines old-school style with modern features like two-wheel drive and off-road suspension at a much cheaper price then the average antique original.
In a marketing first, Chrysler has announced the release of a vehicle with a video game promotional tie-in: the Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops edition. Available in two variants, the two door version is based on the Wrangler Rubicon model while the four door is based on the Wrangler Unlimited model. Both models feature a black exterior with Black Ops graphics on the roof and front quarter panels, 32 inch off-road tires in a high-gloss mineral gray, and tail lamp guards and a fuel-filler door from Mopar. The MSRP on the two door is $30,625 and the four door is $33,500. Since there’s finally a Jeep with tie-ins to a video game, perhaps someone will consider releasing a UNSC Warthog in the near future. The fans can only hope…
-Tactical FanBoy
