Grey Ghost is our favorite liquidator of things tactical and we just found out that they just did of a run of branded lightweight assault packs and lightweight 3-day packs. Like the name says, they were designed to be lightweight. For example, the 3-day pack weighs 30% lighter than standard models. They were also designed to mitigate the IR signature. The photos below are not to scale and the pack on the left is the assault model while the one on the right is the 3-day variant.
Both are available in MultiCam as well as A-TACS and this has us scratching our heads. All we can find out is that they are over runs from a developmental contract for SOF. No matter, the “why”, at these prices these are going to go fast so if you want one you’d better jump on it like a fat kid on a donut.
TYR Tactical just released their new low profile Assaulters Sustainment Pack which can be worn with its integral shoulder straps or attached directly to the back of an armor vest. Take a good look at the photo below. You can see that the “comfort panel” consisting of the shoulder straps and padding can be removed and this is how it attaches to the armor.
It’s a pretty streamlined design with a 360 cubic inch main compartment and additional 680 cubic inches in the expandable, mesh beavertail. The ASP is manufactured from the patent pending PV material in 500D. Overall it is pretty versatile with three hydration ports in addition to the requisite internal hydration reservoir pocket as well as an internal storage zipper pocket.
Last week we posted a video featuring S.O.Tech’s head honcho explaining the various iterations of BLOCS. Now, we have a access to a video about the Mission Pack System. It is a great overview and can help guide you when deciding how you will use the system.
CSM Gear is run by a real-deal retired Navy Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman and his experience shows in his designs. It is some of the most no-nonsense kit on the market. In addition to the standard fare that you will run across with most outfitters, CSM Gear has a limited number of their Single Strap Packs left.
Designed for use by someone wearing armor, the single strap allows for the right shoulder to be free in order to shoulder a weapon without encumbrance and features a side release buckle to allow you to ditch the pack rapidly. The main compartment opens fully and the two outer pockets sit on a panel of foam, enabling you to use this pack as a shooting platform. In addition to full PALS fields inside and out, the pack also features a hidden compartment large enough to hold a 1911.
Available in Coyote, Ranger Green and Gray, it isn’t cheap but it is Berry compliant and well made.
We met up with Granite Gear at last month’s Outdoor Retailer Winter Market and had an opportunity to check out their tactical line. They’ve always got lots of cool products in the works. This past year they concentrated on developing products for the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) solicitation so there are a bunch of new medical products coming out. They are featured on pages 6 – 8. The DA-Med Pack in particular is well thought out and features the most innovative use of translucent cubic material we have seen yet. Additionally, the Armor Mounting System MOLLEs into place in order to stabilize the pack yet facilitates a quick removal.
A couple of other highlights to look at…First, on page 5 is the Voile strap, adapted from the ski industry it makes an excellent tie down for packs and odd loads. Next on page 9 is the Dragster, GGT’s drag bag. it has too many features to list here so just make sure you read about it in the catalog. Finally, is page 15’s Steripen Ready Aquasack that combines a water bottle, a specialized pouch for the Steripen and batteries, and an Aquasack to carry the whole thing in.
Like a flood gate opening Tyr Tactical released images of not less than 20 new products on their Facebook page yesterday. And these weren’t a bunch of little pouches. For example, they’ve included a 5-Day Lightweight Assault BackPack in the release. Although, I have to admit I am a bit skeptical on this one. That is a lot to ask of a frameless pack. I’m looking forward to seeing one to take a look at how they are reducing weight and handling that type of load.
As far as innovation goes, my vote is in for the Assaulter Sustainment Pack. Apparently, you can remove the padding in order to attach it directly to a vest. It also has a generous beavertail that will make it easy to access kit.
I’m not sure how they are doing it, or keeping up. They’ve already sprinkled some of the the new products throughout the website in their respective categories so you will have to head over and root around a little to get an idea of what I am talking about.
Ares Armor presents the R.A.D. (Rapid Armor Deployment) Pack. Designed to do exactly what the name implies, the wearer can deploy armor from a storage slot in the pack and deploy a sidearm in less than two seconds. Once we get to the features you will see that one of their main concerns was to keep the features of this pack from betraying its intended purpose. It is important to note that this pack was designed more for civilian concealed carry than for military or LE use although it looks like it will do a great job there as well.
One of the first things you are going to ask is, what armor plates will it accept? According to ARES Armor, it is designed primarily for SAPI cut plates but is fully adjustable to accommodate different sized plates and individuals. However, we have not had our hands on one yet so we are looking forward to feedback from users on how well it handles various plate setups.
Additionally, this isn’t a one trick pony. While it does offer armor protection, it can still be used as a normal pack. Featuring a rear compartment that is fully separated from the plate panel and that is designed for the storage of everyday items, it’s storage capacity is comparable to a normal bookbag-sized pack. There is also PALS webbing on the inside of the storage compartment that allows users to set it up however they choose. The RAD Pack can carry both front and back plates with backers or just soft armor panels.
As you can see in the video, a cable system keeps the front plate panel in place inside the pack. Once the cable is pulled, the plate can be pulled up over the head. not only does this provide immediate protection it also allows access to a chest mounted sidearm.
It comes with a simple universal pistol holster that is attached via PALS webbing into the front plate panel. This is what you pull over your head. There is also PALS webbing covering the entire front of the carrier to allow whatever setup you want or to change out holsters.
In order to maintain the low profile image, there is no PALS webbing or other military/LE/tacticool giveaways on the outside of the pack. Additionally, the colors are very civilian friendly: Black, Black and Grey, Black and Blue, in addition to Black and Red.
Ares Armor left us with this statement about the RAD Pack.
Its not made to turn people into super heroes just to give them an advantage in an unexpected gun fight. (imagine if one of the innocent people at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Arizona the other week etc. were wearing a system like this. Having armor as well as a handgun might have very well given them the bravado to save some lives)
Overall, it looks like a promising design. According to Ares Armor, they are manufacturing the packs themselves and are applying for patents that cover how the pack works. Naturally, this makes them Made in USA. While we aren’t going to delve very deep into this, Ares Armor is collectively owned by several veteran and active duty military members. A big part of their business model is giving back and we will write more on this soon.
