Outdoor Retailer | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for the ‘Outdoor Retailer’ Category

Off-Duty: LeoAdventures

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

When I was still served in the military I joined an interesting organization named LeoAdventures. They are a service organization designed to honor and serve those in Government, they are essentially a buying club but with a very exclusive membership. Membership is reserved for Government employees. They collect an annual membership fee of $19.99. This and LeoAdventures negotiating discounts for their members allows Public Servants to avoid receiving special gifts or gratuities which would violate ethics regulations.

Although I was familiar with the program I spoke with President Leslie Mellott at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. She is there every show looking for new vendors to add the the program. A wife of a long-serving Government employee, Leslie knows not only the risks her husband takes but also the sacrifices the entire family makes for their life of service. I really appreciate what she does.

One important point about this program is that it is for serving Public Safety and Military members. I feel that it is important to recognize these individuals whenever we can and I can remember how hard it was to raise a family and give them those extras on a military salary. The discounts provided through LeoAdventures membership do both. They honor our heroes and help them provide a better quality of life for themselves and their families. If you serve your community or nation I recommend you join. If you are like me and are a retiree or a supporter of our Nation’s finest then I urge to contact LeoAdventures and purchase a gift membership for someone you know.

The Brands LeoAdventures has agreements with:
Arc’teryx
Blue Seventy
Brooks Running
Carey & Company
Dell Computer
ExOfficio
Flyfishing Benefactors
GU
Highgear
Horny Toad
IBEX
ISIS for Women
Jetboil
Kelty
Larabar
MH Bertucci
Mountainsmith
MSR
Nuun Hydration
Otterbox
Platypus
Probar
Purefit
Rudy Project
Railriders
Ruffwear
SealLine
Sherpani alpina
SOG Specialty Knives
Suunto
Therm-A-Rest
Tracks
Working Advantage
Zamberlan
Zeal Optics

They can be reached at LeoAdventures.

Tags: LeoAdventures
Posted in Clothing, Gadgets, Off-Duty, Outdoor Retailer, Sustainment | Comments Off on Off-Duty: LeoAdventures

Fisher Trekker Space Pen

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

I’ve been using Fisher Space pens for quite some time but one of its major shortcomings is that everyone who sees me using it wants one too. Obviously, this means I’ve “given” lots of them away over the years. At the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, I stopped by the Fisher booth to ask about the cool camo finish I had seen on some space pens. Unfortunately, they told me that the multi-layered finishes were difficult to deal with and the thickness kept the caps from being placed on the end when writing. However, there was some good news. They plan on a tan variant of the bullet pen soon. I related my tail of woe over constantly losing my pens and they showed me the Trekker. It has a ring for a lanyard so you can tie it down. I am currently on the lookout for a Trekker.

For more information contact Fisher Space Pens.

Tags: Outdoor Retailer, Pen, Space Pen
Posted in Gadgets, Outdoor Retailer | Comments Off on Fisher Trekker Space Pen

Proforce Gear Sleeping Pad

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

Proforce gear introduced a new line of sleeping pads at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City earlier this month. Multimat’s Trekker line is well suited to military use. It is made from a lightweight, 150D Polyester shell over a PU foam core. The pad also comes with both a patch kit and stuff sack, both accessories that other manufacturers make you pay for separately. The one inch thick Trekker 25 will fit most Soldiers as it is 72.5â€ x 20â€ but packs down to 10.75â€ x 6â€. One of the things that is so cool about this pad is that it is reversible. One side is Olive Drab and the other Coyote Brown.

Proforce Gear imports the entire line of Snugpak equipment from the UK.

You can contact Proforce Gear here.

Tags: Proforce
Posted in Outdoor Retailer, Sustainment | Comments Off on Proforce Gear Sleeping Pad

Surefire Saint Head Lamp

Monday, August 18th, 2008

The much anticipated Saint head lamp served as the crown jewel in Surefire’s booth at the Outdoor Retailer summer market. Early models were available at SHOT 08 but were only shown behind closed doors. OR will serve as the Saint’s coming out party.

Naturally, the Saint features all the attention to detail you would normally see in a Surefire product. First off, its an LED. Surefire promises 100 lumens for 6 hours. The low setting will run at 1 lumen for a whopping 144 hours.

The lens is a coated refractive optic engineered to work specifically with this LED. This means there are no rings and you get a uniform beam. The light source is also adjustable 90 degrees up or down and features a built in SOS beacon.

Of particular interest is the battery box. Not only can you use AAs but also CR123s depending on the orientation in the battery box.

The head harness was designed for long term use. Surefire representatives said that during testing they had worn the harness in excess of five hours with no discomfort. I found the harness comfortable when I tried it on. The lamp and battery harness are well balanced. The harness features Breathe-O-Prene (R) pads designed to allow sweat to escape instead of building up. They can also be removed for washing. I have included the following graphic from Surefire’s Saint brochure. It goes into great detail about the Saint’s construction.

The Saint is designed to be waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 1 meter of water.

Surefire plans to eventually release a full line of head lamps and the Saint will be the middle of the pack.

With the exception of the first photo all other photos are courtesy of Surefire.

Tags: Surefire
Posted in Gadgets, Lights, Outdoor Retailer | 1 Comment »

Insect Shield – On and Off Duty Insect Treatment

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

The Editor brought home interesting literature from OR about the new Insect Shield treatment being applied to a variety of product lines. Word is that the developer of the Buzz Off TM line from Ex Officio struck out on his own and has licensed this technology to several companies. It works. Adventurers and explorers rely on Insect Shield garments to protect them from the onslaught of the insect world. Using a synthetic version of a natural repellent found in the Chrysanthemum, Insect Shield treatment lasts 70 washings.

Here is a list of companies who have signed up so far:
Ariat
Ex Officio
Horseware
L.L. Bean
Eagles Nest Outfitters
Tilley
Mad Dog Gear
Outdoor Research
Orvis
REI
Sloggers Garden Outfitters
Cintas

We are so excited about Insect Shield that we are going to make it a point to write about as many of the products as possible and will post the Insect Shield logo on every article.

For more info on Insect Shield check out their website.

Tags: Insect Shield
Posted in Clothing, Off-Duty, Outdoor Retailer, Sustainment | Comments Off on Insect Shield – On and Off Duty Insect Treatment

Lowa Task Force Boots

Friday, August 15th, 2008

At Outdoor Retailer Lowa Boots revealed to me that they will be bringing the UK-only (up until now) Desert Elite boot to the US market. They have realized for some time that Soldiers are wearing the Desert Seeker in conditions that really call for a heavier boot so they have decided to introduce the Desert Elite here.

There was also discussion of importing some of the styles from the MPS line including the Jungle Boot. We asked specifically about the Arctic GTX Mountaineering boot and were told that if there were a solid order for any of the line they would bring it in to the US. Unfortunately, the Biomex technology will not make its way to our shores as there have been issues with noise produced by the ankle supports.

For more information on the MPS range look here and for the entire Task Force line go here. Our favorite place to purchase Lowa boots is AFMO.

Images courtesy of Lowa.

Tags: Lowa, MPS
Posted in Boots, Outdoor Retailer | Comments Off on Lowa Task Force Boots

OR Update – Cordura Introduces Baselayer Fabric

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

At OR, Cordura expended a lot of energy promoting their new undergarment fabric developed jointly by Invista and Cyberknit. And for good reason, this Nylon/Cotton blend is comfortable. According to Cordura, the advantages of this new fabric are plenty. It won’t melt or drip like polyester, absorbs moisture quickly and effectively, and transports sweat away from the body. It is supposed to dry 2.5 times quicker than 100% cotton and as you know Cordura is highly abrasion resistant.

The shirts are manufactured by the Canadian firm Tac Wear and are available exclusively from Ranger Joe’s.

They are available in M, L, XL, 2X and comes in Black, Olive Drab, and Tan. Matching boxers are also available.

Learn more at Defend Your Base.

Tags: Cordura, Ranger Joe's, Tac Wear
Posted in Clothing, Outdoor Retailer | Comments Off on OR Update – Cordura Introduces Baselayer Fabric

Goodbye Raichle, Hello Mammut

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

In 2003 Mammut brand purchased Swiss footwear mainstay Raichle. Although Raichle turns 100 next year, Mammut found that they weren’t getting the market share under the Raichle brand name that they were seeing with the Mammut clothing, hiking and mountaineering lines. Starting this year, boots produced by Raichle will carry the Mammut name.

Many of you may have worn Raichle combat and mountaineering boots. No word on how this may affect their black boot line.

Tags: Boots, Mammut, Raichle
Posted in Camo, Outdoor Retailer | Comments Off on Goodbye Raichle, Hello Mammut