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Oakley Introduces James Dietz Collection

May 16th, 2016

I am a huge fan of artist James Dietz and apparently, so is the team at Oakley SI. Dietz is well known for the unit and historical prints he has done over the years.

These limited edition sunglasses are pure Dietz. One of the things that James did to make them a cut above, was create custom sketches of relevant small arms which are printed on the temples. These sketches are similar to the drawings he does in the margins of his unit-only versions of his prints. It’s a level of customization few get to enjoy. Additionally, Oakley worked with Dietz to print a copy of the actual artwork that inspired each set of custom eye pro on the storage bag. The effect is awesome.

I asked Oakley’s Military Category Manager, Drew Wallace about how they made this team-up happen. Wallace commented, “The partnership was as simple as picking up the phone and calling James, building trust and sharing common values. He is a truly wonderful guy and a lot of fun to collaborate with. We commissioned him on three custom sketches that tied directly to the paintings, and we felt could translate onto eyewear graphically. Ultimately the collection was designed to bring awareness to Memorial Day and make a collection that felt special and had meaning across the community.” Explaining how satisfying it was, he added, “For me, one of the more special projects I have worked on.”

The new James Dietz collection from Oakley SI consists of three different models. Other than the special artwork, these offer the same level of eye protection as the standard models.

Fuel Cell

This Dark Grey on Grey model features a custom sketch by James of an M4 and the storage bag is printed with the Dietz painting “I shall defeat them on the field of battle” commemorating OIF. James actually went out to 2/75 at Ft Lewis to paint some of the guys for that work of art.

Crankshaft

The temple of this Tan and Grey eye pro features a sketch of a .50 M2 with the storage bag emblazoned with the famous paining, “Task Force Ranger” a depiction of a moment in the Battle of Mogadishu. James personally met with many members of the conflict and did a large dedication ceremony for the unveiling of the painting.

Frogskin

Moss and Grey in color, the Frogskin incorporates the sketch of an M1 Garand with the bpstorage bag emblazoned with the painting “Silencing the guns”, with a D-Day scene. This painting features LT Dick Winters, of Band of Brothersfame, who met with Jim in order to get the details in the paintung right.

This short video gives a great overview of the line.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Tags: James Dietz, Oakley
Posted in Eyepro, Morale | 2 Comments »

War Sport, LLC to Unveil New Product at 2016 NRA Annual Meeting

May 16th, 2016

Robbins, North Carolina – 11 May 2016

War Sport, LLC is excited to announce the debut of their highly anticipated S-9 at the 2016 NRA Annual Meetings in Louisville, Kentucky. The War Sport S-9 is a 9mm carbine that is built on the AR platform and utilizes the popular Glock magazines.

“It’s been an phenomenal year thus far for us at War Sport and with the upcoming release of the S-9 we couldn’t be more excited!”, says President of War Sport, Pat Forbis. “Our customers have been asking for a 9mm and we have answered back with a product made with the same quality and precision our customers have come to expect from us.”
War Sport will be offering the S-9 in three variants: 16” Carbine, 8.5” PDW, and an 8.5” pistol version. Production will begin in approximately 12 weeks with a variety of other options for customers to choose from, making the S-9 customizable to ones specific needs.

War Sport, LLC prototype S-9 8.5” PDW

War Sport will be located at booth number 4253 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, May 19 – May 22. The S-9 will be on display for the entire duration of the show for attendees to experience.

For more information about War Sport, LLC and products they currently offer visit the website at: www.warsport-us.com, or find them on social at: www.facebook.com/WarSportLLC, www.instagram.com/warsport.

Tags: War Sport
Posted in Black Rifle, NRA, Press Release | 14 Comments »

You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up

May 16th, 2016

Posted in KCRF | 8 Comments »

Crimson Trace Conducts Classes Across America

May 15th, 2016

(Wilsonville, OR)—Crimson Trace, the world’s most recognized and purchased brand of laser sights and tactical light systems for self-defense firearms, has opened the doors of gun shop and range classrooms across America. The new Crimson Trace Classroom™ program has already graduated nearly 1,000 students with more classes scheduled. Those class graduates work at the counters of stores and ranges from the Carolinas to California—and all points between.

The educational and informative two-part classroom includes an in-class session where students learn details about lasers, Crimson Trace product categories, and much more. Participating students learn about laser sight fundamentals, accuracy, protection, training and improving confidence.

A second segment of the Crimson Trace Classroom training places students on the gun range where they shoot revolvers equipped with Crimson Trace laser sights. One segment of this intense range session includes shooting with glasses specially designed to inhibit vision, and the students learn to rely on the laser sight for aiming. It’s a very popular course that helps gun shop staff better discuss laser sights with customers—and those discussions are based on experience. Stores that have included the FREE training for staff are reporting better prepared staff—and better served customers. The staff who complete the course also receive a certificate suitable for framing.

Stores and gun ranges interested in scheduling a FREE Crimson Trace Classroom event are encouraged to call 800-442-2406. Most classes are conducted by the eight Crimson Trace regional sales managers located across America along with other Crimson Trace staff.

For more than two decades, Wilsonville, Oregon based Crimson Trace has provided America’s gun owners, and military units and law enforcement officers around the globe, with the world’s largest selection of award-winning laser sights and tactical light products. Crimson Trace now offers more than 225 products and is widely recognized as the world’s leading brand of laser sights for firearms. Full details can be obtained by visiting www.crimsontrace.com or by calling 800-442-2406.

Tags: Crimson Trace
Posted in Press Release, Training | Comments Off on Crimson Trace Conducts Classes Across America

Tactical Retailer – “Is Bushcraft The New Prepping Trend?”

May 15th, 2016

Some of you may know that I write a column for the trade publication “Tactical Retailer”. “Is Bushcraft The New Prepping Trend?”, is my latest article.

While SHOT Show 2016 was my busiest ever, I didn”t see any major technology or product announcements. Everyone had new products, but they were incremental improvements. Additionally, everyone I spoke with was upbeat despite the slowdown in the worldwide economy.

Let’s face it, when times get tough, people turn to themselves. That’s how the Prepper movement started. But Prepping has hit its peak and people have begun to realize you can only store so much for future use and even a warehouse full of water and food won’t do you any good if you aren’t with it.

I’d like to discuss a “tactical” trend that’s starting to pick up steam. Regardless of whether you refer to it as fieldcraft, bushcraft or outdoor skills, the techniques that are part of this movement allowed our ancestors to make it day-to-day while they tamed this nation’s frontier. And while it’s seeing a resurgence here in America, bushcraft has been popular in Europe for quite some time with well organized groups and specialty stores.

Along with most of my generation, I learned my skills while growing up. I was a Boy Scout and honed them while camping and hunting. Later, I added to those skills while serving in the military by attending Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training. However, not everyone has had these same opportunities. Today, even those in rural areas do not learn how to survive on their own for 72-hours or more, thanks to our modern standard of living.

Prepping might have been the foot through the door, but as many are beginning to learn, you never know when you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to fend for yourself.

At SHOT Show 2016, there were more and more products aimed at survival, evasion and escape. Specialized items such as lockpick kits, fire starting kits, first-aid items, water purification and pocket survival kits have become increasingly popular, and there are multiple specialized suppliers who have stood up to meet the demand. My trip in March to the IWA Outdoor Classics in Germany only confirmed this.

Like I said before, these skills and the items to support them are intended to allow their user to survive and thrive in the backcountry. In some cases, the concept is to just get out of a risky area in order to make it to a safe haven, and in others, the idea is long-term survival and to live off the land. Both instances require skills as well as tools.

To read the rest of the article, visit www.tacretailer.com/2016/05/05/is-bushcraft-the-new-prepping-trend/. Industry folks might want to check out the whole publication.

Tags: Tactical Retailer
Posted in Media | 16 Comments »

Premier Defence Agencies to Offer MultiCam Run of Carinthia Survival Rainsuit

May 15th, 2016

The Carinthia Survival Gore-Tex rainsuit is pretty popular for it’s small size and great breathability. Thanks to an Australian customer, the factory has agreed to doing a run of them in MultiCam. This is really a limited thing and they are only doing a few extra.

Go to www.coolkit.com.au/multicam-survival-rainsuit and put in your order. Delivery is expected mid-July.

Thier site isn’t set up for overseas sales. Email them and they’ll advise you of postage and the price less tax.

Tags: Carinthia
Posted in Clothing, Multicam | 1 Comment »

Spiritus Systems – S.A.C.K.

May 15th, 2016

The Sub Abdominal Carrying Kit or “S.A.C.K.” is the most versatile tactical “fanny pack” on the market. It was designed to keep critical equipment easy to access from both sides or when in a confined space like a vehicle.

The pouch features a half zip design, which means that your equipment will not easily fall out of the pouch even if the zipper is left unsecured.

The outside of the pouch features a small zippered stash pocket that is constructed using a durable 4 way stretch material and is perfect for easy access to small items. The stretch material keeps those items snug and in place. The bottom of the pouch features two elastic loops that can be adjusted to hold a tourniquet or other equipment that you may need to rapidly deploy. If bottom carry doesn’t fit your mission needs, you can easily remove and reinstall the loops as necessary.

The inside features soft loop Velcro on both sides. This makes the pouch very dynamic, giving you the ability to use our custom organizers to fit your requirements (Coming Soon). It also features two slide locks that make it easy to adjust the tension of the elastic loops hanging below. The two grommet holes on the bottom aid with drainage of the pouch, if submersion occurs.

The S.A.C.K. is designed to fit on the back of our Micro Fight Chest Rig, or any other plate carrier or rig that can accommodate standard hook and loop, making it a versatile choice for those changing load-outs often. Simply pull this off one kit and add it to another.

www.spiritussystems.com

Tags: Spiritus Systems
Posted in Load Carrying | 6 Comments »

SPARTANAT – GEAR Made in Denmark: VERDANDE.EU

May 14th, 2016

During IWA I met the guys from the Austrian gear blog, SPARTANAT. They mentioned that they had been conducting interviews with various European gear manufacturers. They thought SSD readers might be interested and I agreed. Please let us know what you think.

GEAR Made in Europe: VERDANDE.EU

SPARTANAT: Verdande is a small gear manufacturer from Denmmark. What do you specialize in?
Verdande: Verdande specializes in designing and producing custom products for Military, Police and EMS persons/units. We are starting slowly to design standard products, in preparation to sell to international dealers, but most work we do is still custom based.

SPARTANAT: How long have you manufactured gear?
Verdande: As a company we started aprox 2014. But the footwork started around 2006 when we was in the Danish infantry and had reached a point when the gear we needed to get the job done, either was very bad or did not excist. So started to learn how to sew on a old Pfaff 230 sewingmachine. And then learning everything by ourself and slowly getting better and better machines to make the gear.

SPARTANAT: You have a significant feeling for design. Where does this come from?
Verdande: It is a mix of our personal experience from deployments to KFOR, Iraq, ISAF and seeing the different needs to different missions ranging from a Police mission to combat. Trying on your own body to walk with gear that you could easily remove 40% of the weight if it was made in a different way.

But it is also a mix of our customers idea when they come with an idea that will make their job easier so they can focus on keeping themself and their collegues alive.

SPARTANAT: Anything you want to tell costumers?
Verdande: Our design goal is to make products that are lightweight, because the heavier your gear is the less ammo you can bring to the fight. Our products is also lowprofile because its hard to attack through small compound doors if your kit is to bulky. And we try to make things to the highest level of quality as possible because people lifes depend on it. In the Danish infantry we are being trained to be transparent and tell new soldiers from your own mistakes and experinences to make each other better. This is something we have also taking with us into our company and we know there is a lot of new gearmakers around Europe and while other companies might not be willing to share information how to do things then you are always velcome to ask us a question. We see a lot of european gearmakers that are still on a hobby based platform but have potential to something bigger. We are just a message away 🙂

SOLSYS: Why Verdande?
Verdande: The name Verdande was chosen because we wanted something from the Norse mythology because this is a part of our country’s history and we chose the Norse name Verdande and our logo is the tree Yggdrasil.

VERDANDE on the Internet: verdande.eu
VERDANDE on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Verdande.EU

Interview by spartanat.com

Tags: Spartanat
Posted in Industry, International | 5 Comments »