What Could This Be?
September 30th, 2016MDM – Gore CHEMPAK
September 30th, 2016At Modern Day Marine the WL Gore & Assoc booth has traditionally been about organizational clothing and individual equipment but with an ever increasing emphasis on CBRNE, Gore brought out its latest CHEMPAK technologies. Created as an alternative to traditional carbon fabric suits, Gore has incorporated not only new, breathable membranes, but also innovative design features to enhance the garment’s functionality and by extension, the comfort and endurance of the wearer.
They displayed three different suits. Although they all look similar, and are based on the same technology, they offer different sets of features. Named the CPCSU-2 Chemical & Biological Protective Combat Suit family, they are based on work done for SOF Chem-Bio suits and designed for a wide range of mission sets including combatting WMD, military humanitarian support operations and military support of civilian authority operations.
Providing durable, broad protection, it is easy to don and offers MOPP interfaces to the suit. When compared to traditional carbon suits, the CHEMPAK material improved heat loss by more than 20 percent.
This Flex Fit design was created for increased range of motion and lower audible signature. The thermal burden in this suit is also lower than others.
This suit was designed for affordability. Consequently, it doesn’t incorporate some of the features of the other two suits. However, thanks to the CHEMPAK membrane, the thermal burden remains lower than carbon suits.
Design Features
Gore has done some great work on these suits. Those of you who are divers may see some familiar concepts from dry suits. However, the features below may not be available for all of the suits.
Many of you are familiar with Gore-Tex TOPO fabric, a recently introduced stretch membrane for protection from the elements. The CHEMPAK suits integrate a similar stretch technology. These are incorporated as panels into key areas of the coverall to ensure flexibility while maintaining integrity of the suit’s environment. In all three cases, these are coverall designs which decrease the possibility of contamination via a compromised suit.
Another example is this glove interface which allows the wearer to quickly transition from MOPP 3 to 4 by pulling his hands in and inserting them into the attached gloves. Then, the user simply rolls up the opening and secures it with Velcro to seal it off and stows it under the cuff.
The CPCSU-2 also offers a removable hood which integrates into the suit as well as the mask. The advantages here are obvious; there’s no entry of outside air under gaps in the skirt of the traditional external hood. The membrane will also breath better than the rubber hood traditionally used with protective masks.
Finally, the legs of the CPCSU-2 open up to facilitate donning, yet close easily. Here, you can see the stretch material.
You may notice that the outer shells are removable. This is for maintenance as well as allowing the user to change his ‘paint job’ based on the environment he will be working in. In addition to environmental camouflage patterns, the user can select solid colors for low profile work or high visibility hues for disaster relief. Additionally, the user can specify different face fabrics for the shell. For example, full FR protection, no melt/no drip or anti-static are different shell fabric options.
Finally, independant testing shows that the CPCSU-2 family is lighter and lower unpacked volume than carbon-based suits.
For more information, visit www.goreprotectivefabrics.com.
Hill People Gear – M2016 Butt Pack
September 30th, 2016
Hill People Gear has answered the requests of customers and persuasive friends with an updated version of the venerable M1956 / M1967 military butt pack. For many in the US, a moldy military surplus M1967 on an alice belt with a couple of canteen pouches (and sheath knife if you were lucky!) was a first field setup and still holds a special place.
Just like the originals, the M2016 Butt Pack can be used as a shoulder bag or mounted on a belt with or without H-Harness. Unlike the original, HPG’s new offering is also designed to mount securely on the top of a full sized pack as a floating and compressible top pocket. It comes with a shoulder strap with other carriage options offered separately.
The exterior has 4 different surfaces comprised of FirstSpear’s proprietary 6/12 PALS grid fabric. There are both top and bottom compression straps for adding additional items. The interior is accessed via a full panel opening secured with a #10 zipper and additionally protected with side release buckles. Internal organization consists of a full 6/12 velcro / PALS field next to the removable HDPE frame sheet and a mesh zippered pocket opposite that.
I love their videos which not only inform you about the product but also have a travelogue vibe.
The Hill People Gear M2016 Butt Pack will be available in mid-November for $135 in two-tone ranger green / khaki and two tone manatee grey / foliage grey. To be notified when it is available, email info@hillpeoplegear.com. Please specify color choice.
FirstSpear Friday Focus – OEM Partner Series – SureFire
September 30th, 2016Occassionally, we use the FirstSpear Friday Focus to highlight one of their OEM partners. This is one of those occassions, and this week we are looking at the work FS does for SureFire.
For quite awhile I’ve known that FirstSpear manufactured the SureFire High Capacity Magazine Pouches but what I didn’t realize is how long the two brands have been working together. They’ve been cooperating steadily since 2011.
Why did SureFire ultimately go with FirstSpear manufacturing?
First and foremost, we chose FirstSpear due to the high quality of product they produce. FirstSpear constantly innovates, and never cuts corners, which are attributes we at SureFire relate to closely. Additionally, their fast pace of manufacturing and competitive pricing made the decision easy. We feel the collaboration between SureFire and FirstSpear works well, as both companies simply want to build the best products possible for our customers and warfighters.
Why is it important that the Suppressor Pouches were “Made in the USA”?
SureFire SOCOM suppressor pouches need to be “Made in the USA” due to The Berry Amendment. We are required to comply with The Berry Amendment to be eligible for certain government contracts, specifically the SOCOM contract we currently hold. The Berry Amendment is a statutory requirement that restricts the Department of Defense (DoD) from using funds appropriated or otherwise available to DoD for procurement of food, clothing, fabrics, fibers, yarns, other made-up textiles, and hand or measuring tools that are not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States.
Interestingly, FS also provides the headbands for the Maximus Head Lamp.
While the SSV line of holsters isn’t manufactured for SureFire, FS does offer models compatible with the X300 series weapon lights. Soon, they’ll be introducing versions which will accept the SureFire XC1.
UF PRO – P-40 Classic Pants Now Available In Desert Grey
September 30th, 2016
UF PRO is now offering the P-40 pant in a new colorway, Desert Grey. For a full overview on the P-40 pant, check out UF PRO’s release on them here, but in brief, the P-40 is a tactical pant designed to provide the wearer with comfort and functionality, with an anatomic cut, stretch areas made of Schoeller dynamic fabric, and 7 pockets.
ufpro.si/uf_pro_products/pants/15/uf_pro_p_40_classic_pants
Probably the Coolest Thing at Modern Day Marine
September 30th, 2016Granted, it’s not very Marine, but it’s poignant nonetheless.
You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up
September 30th, 2016
Reader Chris sent us this message, “Two of the bike guys wear TAD lite packs while mountain biking. I slapped the SSD patch on and we posed before starting ‘Top of the world’. Was an epic day of downhill.”
