At last month’s Outdoor Retailer, Combat Flip Flops frontman Griff showed me their new direction. Meet La Chancla for the ladies. There’s no leather here. Rather, these feature Combat Boot Rubber Outsole as well as an EVA Midlayer and Deck.
For those of you unfamiliar with the mystical ways of La Chancla and why this was the perfect name for CFF’s latest offering, we’ve uncovered this short documentary.
Men get similar construction but with the more masculine moniker of Floperator.
Earlier this month, Arc’teryx opened its first European brand store in the heart of London. I was fortunate enough to visit the store yesterday and several friends asked me to take photos.
I’ve visited the brand stores in Seattle as well as Washington, DC and this is the largest of the three, with two floors.
Shoppers are greeted with a daily update of weather conditions at several mountain destinations.
Upstairs is Women’s Wear.
In addition to multiple mannequin displays of the clothing and gear, Arc’teryx wants its customers to participate and there are several ways to do that.
I am most impressed by Arc’teryx’s effort to incorporate the brand story into the store. First and foremost is pride in their relationship with W.L. Gore & Co.
This includes interactive displays on the materials they use.
Arc’teryx takes pride in their color offerings and there are some hands on displays to help you see what they are all about.
The store is well staffed and they are both friendly and knowledgeable.
You walk down a large, open staircase to reach the lower level. This massive, floor-to-ceiling display is at the foot of the stairs and showcases some amazing artifacts.
Having visited the factory in Vancouver several years ago I can tell you that in the past, several of these custom jigs and molds were trade secrets, closely held by the company. They give you a real behind-the-scenes look at the ingenuity of their designers.
The basement floor is well stocked with Men’s wear and broken up into different types of clothing.
There is even a Veilance section as well as footwear (not pictured).
All-in-all, the London Arc’teryx store is a great experience and I highly recommend you visit, if you’re in town.
Veteran-owned tactical gear supplier Blackbeard Corporation has partnered up with Grunt Style to produce this limited edition 2nd Amendment t-shirt. The design consists of the 2nd Amendment in a word cloud format, shaped into an AR-15, with the Grunt Style logo on the left sleeve and the US flag on the right sleeve. This shirt is only available for purchase until 9/18, and will begin shipping 9/25. Available in sizes SM – 3XL.
www.gruntstyle.com/blackbeard-corporation-2nd-amendment
Just the folks who actually use Fireclean now? Not the guys on the sidelines who’ve never used the stuff and are just spouting off because they’re bored.
Hvidovre Denmark 15th September 2015: A recently tested lightweight small arms ammunition case is on display on the PPD stand, S7-261, during DSEI. Utilising composite materials and innovative design it reduces the weight of a standard NATO ammunition case by 70% and increases the number of rounds that can be carried on a standard NATO pallet by 10%.
The PPD LWAC (Lightweight Ammunition Case) completed various UN tests in Feb 2015 and was accepted by the end user in May 2015. The LWAC is now certified for use in non-operational areas such as training, paving the way for initial orders for training ammunition etc. The operational area tests (STANAG 4423) are underway. So far the LWAC has passed all of those it has faced such as the bonfire and being “fired at” tests.
The significance of the weight saving is demonstrated by the savings that Denmark would have made during its deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. It would have represented a saving of 8 C-130 flights (and €1.14M) just in entry flights let alone savings on in theatre transport. The US is striving to achieve a 10% reduction in theatre/combat zone transport. It has been calculated that such a saving would have saved the US 7 lives a year in Afghanistan. Shifting ammunition is a very large part of the logistic requirement so any weight saving has an instant human return not to mention savings in costs, CO2 emissions and other green issues etc. For the humble infantryman the weight saving will reduce future medical costs for damaged knees and backs.
PPD’s LWAC can be safely packed and stowed with no requirement for modification to platforms, stowage systems or weapon mounts. Different colours can be incorporated into the composite LWAC case to signifying the type of ammunition within it, blue= training, green=operational etc. As the LWAC cases can be made transparent, still with the colouring pigment, the number of rounds can be counted without having to open the case saving time during stock checks. An RFID tag can be built it allowing each case, its content and its movement to be tracked from the moment the LWAC case is made to the moment it comes out of service.
“The LWAC has undergone a series of rigorous tests conducted by NAMMO Raufoss and watched by independent observers. LWAC® performed exactly as we predicted and wanted,” said Jan Engmann, CEO of PPD.
“The effort put in by our specialist advisers and experts has been vindicated and the benefits of using composite in this way are there for all to see. The weight savings we have achieved with the resulting cost reduction make it a simple decision for logisticians,” added Engmann.
“Our strategy has been global from the beginning and the LWAC is already under evaluation by the MoD´s of UK, US, Singapore, UAE, Denmark and Norway,” he continued
The LWAC is fully recyclable without any preparation and meets all the EU requirements for “green gas” emissions out to 2040. Other cases and lightweight pallets are in design.
Angel 7 Industries has provided imagery and a release from their latest photo shoot of the i-RMR ballistic lens technology.
The most versatile eye pro on the market. A7 has developed a proprietary manufacturing process that allows various technologies to be combined into a single lens for multi mission capable eye pro systems that can be worn either day or night. A7’s Ghost Shield photochromic technology, the industry’s fastest and clearest photochromic, has successfully been combined with High Definition, LEP, and mirrored options (MP series) that transform from slightly sheened lenses into fully mirrored lenses in direct sunlight.
The benefit is that an operator now only needs to carry one lens instead of two or three to compensate for different threat levels and for day and night time use. A7’s Apollo, Raptor, and Stealth eye pro systems will debut at the 2015 DESI show in London, the world’s leading international Security and Defense event.
Ghost Army Tactical designed the A-PASS Tactical Navigation Pouch to meet US Navy requirements for a lightweight, durable, low-profile carrying pouch for the Android Precision Assault Strike Suite navigation system. Made of 300D Cordura Nylon, the Tactical Navigation Pouch features adaptable retention to work with virtually any phone, along with ambidextrous power cable access, adjustable side curtains, and one-handed open and closure.
Available in Black, Coyote, MultiCam, Olive Drab, and Woodland. AOR1 is available for Gov Agency customers only.
www.ghostarmytacticalstore.com/a-passtacticalnavigationpouch
