Here’s a little eye candy for you. The Utility Bag from Kill Spencer combines military styling with some of the finest materials available such as Cobra buckles, leather accents, and FR canvas. Several other material options are available including vintage fabrics. Another cool feature is the retractable wall mount system and hub.
Kill Spencer bags are hand crafted in the USA. www.killspencer.com
Our friends over at Military.com’s Kit Up! have followed up on their story about the Army’s medium rucksack program which resembles an over sized MOLLE assault pack. The Army produced three competing designs that differed in the frame style and the “external” frame won. Here, unveiled for the first time is this revolutionary new frame designed by Down East.
The first thing that should strike you is that the frame is open at the top. The sewn portions of the pack are designed to provide stability between the tops of the frame arms, while allowing the frame to form around body armor, water reservoirs, etc. This approach allows plenty of ventilation while efficiently transferring load to the hips. The frame system retains the trampoline style belt foundation of the larger MOLLE system while providing adjustment options in both the shoulder pads and belt. The frame weights less than a pound and is made of ITW’s high performance, frag-resistant polymer; the same used in the current MOLLE2 Large system.
As you can see the new frame is in TAN499 to match MultiCam. The new medium rucksack will be manufactured by BAE and possibly Eagle under the MOLLE program. The ruck is currently only slated for issue to Afghanistan bound troops who should begin to receive them this summer.
Imagine a NICE frame and an ILBE had a baby. Well they did and it is called the Working External Load Bearing Equipment or WELBE. Unveiled last week at Marine South, the WELBE is the brain child of Mystery ranch founder Dana Gleason. It takes advantage of the NICE frame’s external design and Bolstered Ventilation System (BVS) technology to keep the load stable even wearing armor with a rear plate.
Game changing? Quite possibly. The Marine Corps continues to browse for a new pack and the industry is abuzz with speculation over what direction they will go. While the Marines like the ILBE, it was designed before armor with an integrated rear plate was standard issue. The interface between armor and pack bag needs some improvement and the WELBE may be just the solution. Not only would it allow the modification of the thousands and thousands of packs already in service, specialized pack bags could be also fitted to the WELBE. Additionally, odd shaped loads can be carried when the WELBE is used as a stand alone mode in a manner like the NICE frame. The ILBE pack is an Arc’teryx design manufactured by Propper. A move to modify in service packs would be good for both companies as the ILBE would remain in service longer and the Marines would be more likely to purchase more of the packs in the future.
An added bonus for the market is that the WELBE is also compatible with the Canadian issue pack which suffers from the same issue as the USMC’s ILBE.
Natick has awarded BAE a contract for a unspecified number of Large Airborne MOLLE rucks. The packs which will be delivered in Coyote, will undergo testing by the US Marine Corps. The airborne pack is a modified version of the Large MOLLE intended for use by parachutists While no quantity of packs was specified in the award the number will be low as they are being used for testing and not fielding.
Details of the award can be found here.
Tactical Tailor introduces their new Elite Operator Series packs. These four new packs have been designed from the ground up combining new materials and features to give the user unsurpassed comfort and function. Best of all, these new packs come with a price tag that won’t break the bank, costing as little as half the price of similar packs.
Extended Range Operator
The Extended Range Operator pack’s large size and extensive list of features make it ideal for long missions or extended stays outdoors.
Modular Operator
The Modular Operator pack is comparable in size to a standard three day assault pack but with additional features that put it in a class of its own.
Urban Operator
The Urban Operator pack is the Tactical Tailor version of a standard day pack, but it is anything but standard. Built for comfort and durability, the pack will carry all your daily essentials.
Removable Operator
Designed as a ‘quick attach assault pack’, the Removable Operator pack is designed to attach to modular vests or larger packs, but also features hidden straps so it can be used on its own.
Tactical Tailor has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about their new Elite Operator series packs and they are finally here in their new catalog issued today. Also be sure to take a look at the Law Enforcement line which joins their full line of tactical products including armor systems. It’s a great catalog that becomes more of a resource than an ad. Not only does it feature a full NSN list of their products cross referenced to catalog page but TT has also included a guide for use of their patented MALICE Clip.
2010 Military & Law Enforcement Equipment Catalog
Last year we introduced readers to WL Gore’s proprietary camouflage pattern OPTIFADE Open Country pattern. This year they have introduced a new pattern; Forest which is specifically designed for tree stand hunting in wooded environments. Like the Big Game/Open Country pattern, the new Big Game/Forest pattern is based on how deer see, both spatially and colorimetrically. Incorporating both micro and macro patterns, the unique micro-pattern considers the way a deer or other ungulate perceives color, the ratio of positive to negative space and other visual elements to create an effect that allows the hunter to blend with the animal’s perception of the environment. Whereas, the macro-pattern breaks up the symmetry of the human body so that if a hunter is detected, the animal will not be able to identify the hunter as a predator.
As a bit of a side note, while WL Gore has shown the patterns at military trade shows to gauge interest they have been quite adamant that they are not for use by military forces and furthermore that they are not at work developing a military pattern. Interestingly, their partners in development of both of these patterns have been Guy Cramer and Lt Col Tim O’Neil both well known for the introduction of numerous military patterns into the market. Regardless, the science behind OPTIFADE is solid and now there are two options available for outdoorsmen depending on environment.
OPTIFADE clothing in both patterns is available from Sitka which was recently purchased by WL Gore. Packs in OPTIFADE can also be purchased from Mystery Ranch.
