We’ve been remiss in sharing Tactical Fashion Police field reports. The last one featured a home made combat shirt. But this one will definitely get you noticed down the pub. Granted, it’s not quite as nice as the Tigerstripe Tuxedo Coat I sported at SHOT show, but it’s definitely got flair.
Thanks NP!
The T.A.S.K. (Tactical Ass Scrubbing Kit) is quite possibly the only non-disposable tactical body cleanser currently on the market. Constructed from 8mm antimicrobial spacer mesh, the T.A.S.K. fits standard-sized soap bars, although it also works well with just slivers of soap and even liquid soap, and facilitates a thick lather to wash away dirt and grime, while inhibiting bacterial growth. Includes 6″ webbing loop for hanging out to dry, use at a field sanitation station, or simply for retention.
Available in Black and Tan.
www.fightandflight.com/index.php/tactical/miscellaneous/t-a-s-k-tactical-ass-scrubbing-kit.html#
If you attend SHOT Show, you’ll see Mil Spec Monkey and his crew of merry men everywhere. Whether he’s picking up women (literally), riding a Tactical Dino or running to and fro’ with cameras in hand, shooting video and stills, that guy gets around.
I caught up with Monkey as he filmed Senior Team Leader Joseph Garcia of US Corrections Special Operations Group and his K9, Max. STL Garcia discussed use of the Core Survival HEL-STAR strobe to mark team members as well as the Team Wendy Bump Helmet.
Look for Monkey’s video soon.
We’ve mentioned the TAT 3-D targets a couple of times in the past so it was cool to get a chance to check them out at SHOT Show during the FirstSpear range day. They are 3-D modular targets that resemble manakins. You can replace the face and chest plates as well as hands. Additionally, there are various accessories such as knives and small arms that can be placed in the hands of the target in order to enhance realism.
The target can be configured with foam, steel plate or cardboard face and chest components. Backed by an armor- grade steel plate with a frag reduction frame, the removable foam chest plate can take a beating. Interestingly, frangible ammo seems to beat the foam plate up more than anything else.
Whiskey Two-Four offers oversized laser cut Hypalon zipper pulls, which allow a no-slip grip even with sweaty, gloved, bloody, greasy, or soiled hands. Several styles are available, as are custom options. Works well on #8 and #10 sliders. For custom pulls or orders of 100+ quantity, you can email custom@wtfidea.com.
The popular Garmont T8 has been issued NSN 8430-01-551-4915 series. The cited NSN is for a size 9.
The Garmont T8 boot features a Super Vibram sole for maximum traction, stability, and shock reduction. The boot also utilizes a foot bed cup system which reduces the amount of stress on the ankles and knees, and a heel retention strapping system for stability and support. The upper is constructed with abrasion-resistant split grain leather combined with dd diamesh for breathing and ventilation.
The Garmont T8 is available for unit and agency purchase through ADS Inc. Dealers interested in carrying the T8, contact boots@outdoortactical.com.
Andrew Bawidamann is an artist, so when he does something different it gets my attention. For example, the PALS Universal Platforms that allow you to mount virtually anything via PALS. It’s a cool design and quite useful. Recently, he introduced the Horizontal Appendix Carry Mag Carrier, AKA the Chris Marshall, named after his buddy who came up with the design initially. Bawidamann liked it so much that he asked to make a run of them. As much as he likes the bullets up, horizontal, belt mounted design, he thought others might as well. For the past few weeks he’s been at work, hand building them. And he’s learned. by his own admission, the design isn’t optimized for mass production. Consequently, don’t get worked up over the price. These are more a labor love than a money making enterprise. Like Bawidamann says, “The price reflects the suffering.” Manufactured from Boltoron in Black. I’m not sure how long he’ll make them so if you are interested, you might want to get in on these sooner rather than later.
Currently, the Horizontal Appendix Carry Mag Carrier is available for several models of GLOCK, M&P, 1911 and SIG. Check the site for availability.
We recently ran across an interesting new hexagon-based camouflage from British company CROPS and asked them for some information to share with our readers.
History & Background:
I have been obsessed about camouflage ever since I was a child, back then I used to hide in the back garden using material which had been painted and died to make my own camouflages, this all thanks to my mother’s everyday role as a textiles specialist.
As an adult in the military I would buy ‘arctic cam whites’ and once again spray paint, screen print and stencil my own camouflages. Only this time for a more serious role than that of hiding in the back garden!
Having designed and developed a number of rural based technical equipment, optical platforms and more recently three variant low-profile rigs and the technical CROPS combat pant. www.crops.uk.com
Current times:
Now working alongside the UK based manufacture ARKTIS, we (CROPS) continue to be innovators within the tactical clothing arena.
Approached by a small overseas Special Forces unit with the following brief, “we require a new, never seen before camouflage print which would aid concealment at distances between 100 – 150 metres in an urban environment. This then was to be made into a technical coverall consisting of a number of set features required of the tactical team”.
Urban concealment concept:
The first stage was to identify the correct colour pigments required to blend into the domestic and industrial urban back drop, I remembered years ago I stencilled an urban print on to my ‘arctic cam whites’ using the following colours. Pale sand, baby powder blue, pinks and dark purpley-red blends with a deep orange. These colours where stencilled in the same way as a WW2 German camouflage known as ‘Lozenge’ a basic hexagon-base camouflage typical for night operations. Once happy with the colour pigments, the next stage was to arrange them so that they worked together creating the overall effect.
We started playing around with a number of designs trying to add a 3D concept on flat fabrics, introducing artificial trapped shadows, fake textures and colour bleeds. After a number of tests and trials, so was born the latest in urban concealment fabric concepts, DISPERSAL.
DISPERSAL:
The DISPERSAL camouflage design is an optical effect that you will notice works in several ways; at greater distance its cuts up the outline of the wearer, mimicking broken rubble and harsh masonry lines. Whilst at shorter distances the ‘blurring effect’ fools the eye making it seem like its merging with the environment.
So effective the print has been at fooling the human eye, factory staff working to cut and machine the design, have had to be taken off the line complaining of dizziness and blurred vision!
Trials:
Remembering the original brief which was concealment between 100 – 150 metres, I drove around looking for as many different back drops I could find to test the print. Once convinced that the product worked I needed to test it on a real target location, this was to be a fully operational construction site.
The aim was to insert and slowly move as close to the workers as possible until compromised! With a college situated on the boundary armed with a camera and powerful lens, I started my insertion been photographed at stages. I achieved a distance of 10 metres before running out of rubble and only left with the option of standing up and walking out, this confirm the DISPERSAL as nothing short of awesome.
I emailed some images to a friend who had not seen the print and asked him to find me, 50 metres nothing, 25 metres nothing, and at 10 metres with a hint did he find me.
The Future:
After all this hard work the unit in question failed in their commitment, so the DSP print is up for grabs, CROPS is interested to hear from specialist units who have a requirement for this one of a kind camouflage.
What’s next:
The DISPERSAL is now in the trial stages for operations in the Rural, Arctic Mountain and Arid environments. All prints will be available in time from our on line store as well as our other specialist products which have been designed for the tactical and surveillance professionals. The store which will be going live very soon can be found at www.thesurveillancestore.co.uk
Written by: Ben Wall – CROPS School of Rural Surveillance
