Every year I am impressed by Crye Precision’s dedication to innovation. This year is no exception.
First thing you’ll notice is they aren’t showing as many items publicly as in the past. Last year, they decided to limit the products they display to those that they will release that year but there’s still plenty to see. They’ve got a new way of doing soft armor as well as packs. There are also overwhites and a pack cover as well as new riggers belts.
LVS is an entirely new way of creating soft armor. The system offers NIJ IIIA protection and Crye Precision has created a patented process called Insert As Vest (IAV) that does away with external carriers for soft armor.
The panels are 3D formed to mimic the lines of the human torso which not only enhances concealability but also eliminates crumpling of ballistic material at the bottom of a carrier.
The basic carrier has two pouches built-in along the front of either side of the cummerbund for magazines, radios or other items but the panels can quickly be swapped to different covers which are really more sleeves than a traditional carrier. Available in Grey in S, M, M-L, L, L-L, XL, XL-L, 2XL.
Crye Precision is offering two new packs, the EXP 1500 and EXP 2100. These are low profile designs that don’t scream tactical and have an interesting feature whereby the wearer can extend the pack’s capacity by up to 500 cu in for the 1500 and 900 during in for the 2100, just by opening a couple of zippers. This feature also means the pack will accapt item up to 27″ long for the 1500 and 29″ long for the 2100.
The EXP 2100 also offers removable sternum and waist straps as well as comms/antenna/h2o ports at the top of the pack. Offered in MultiCam, Black, Grey and Ranger Green.
Features:
-Full perimeter (lay-flat) opening allows easy access to contents and offers all the benefits of both a top-opening and side-opening bag.
-Fleece lined pocket fits medium to small sized tablets (H: 11” W: 8”)
-Top access laptop storage (H: 12.25” W: 19.75”)
-EXP PACK MOLLE INSERT (sold separately) for attaching pouches and gear
-Molded back pad with integrated air channels
-Internal pAlS webbing on inside walls
-Internal mesh divider separates front compartment and main compartment
-Convenient briefcase style side handle 11. removable sternum strap
-Removable 3D formed frame sheet
Offered in two sizes (med 34l and large 73l) these lightweight MultiCam Alpine pack covers fold into an integral stuff sack and fit many different packs thanks to an internal drawstring.
The Compact Alpine Overwhites are in the MultiCam Alpine pattern and consists of a knee-length parka with thumb loops and pass thoughs to pockets of garmemts worn underneath such as combat shirts as well as a set of gaiters which come just above the knee. The gaiters offer greater mobility than traditional overpants.
The Fieldsuit and Combatsuit are being joined by the Flightsuit which is optimized for wear by aircrews. Issue flightsuits give a wedgie when bending but Crye Precision’s design eliminates this issue through their unique zipper design. It is available in FR and non-FR versions in even chest sizes 32-52 in Short, Regular, Long and X-Long lengths. MultiCam, Ranger Green and Black.
Available in two flavors, Loop Buckle and Quick Disconnect, the LRB is a low profile riggers belt. It can be worn alone, with the CP MRB as the inner belt, or atop the inner belt that comes with the MRB is you need to add life support capability to your war belt. It features a load bearing front anchor loop as well as a removable, LRB Floating Loop so you can move an anchor point to where you need it on the belt. It is lined with Velcro hook for integration with an inner belt and performance exceeds NFPA 1983. Offered in Black, Coyote, Ranger Green and MultiCam. Sizes Small-XLarge.
As in past years, vetted customers will also get to see several products in the back room, which are either under development or that have restricted distribution. For instance, last year, I got a glimpse of the new LVS body armor system. The year before that it was the AVS 1000 pack. Now, both are publicly available. You should expect to see all of the items in the booth available on Crye’s site over the next months.
Story by
Eric Graves
Editor
