Let alone that it is only $59.99! US PALM’s messenger bag weighs a scant 19 oz dry but boasts a full 7560 square inches of storage (18″h x 28″w x 15″d). Additionally, the shoulder pad features spacer mesh for comfort. Overall, not a lot of frills, just carrying capacity. This could make a good DIY project for a TacHacker.
You can see US PALM’s wares at SHOT Show in TangoDown’s booth #27303 or visit uspalm.com
Yeah, I know…who would utter such a blasphemy? Why, an Army KO, of course. Sure, it’s a paraphrase, but it covers the basic premise of the conversation. The fact that an Army contracting officer who works with Soldier Systems commodities doesn’t know about what has easily become the largest trade show of the year for our industry, is pretty indicative that the system is broken. See my article on the delay of the Army Camouflage Improvement Effort finalist announcement for further information.
Government must become a better partner with industry. For its own sake, if for no other reason.
Arc’teryx LEAF has been showing their new Wolf color quietly to its customer base for some time now. We’ve even caught a couple of glimpses of the color here and there which we’ve been able to share. The new Wolf color makes a great counterpoint to the Bird’s other exclusive pantone – Crocodile, which was developed several years ago to provide a shade compatible with both greens and browns for the the military side of the LEAF equation. Not only is Wolf well suited for Law Enforcement use, it gives all of us another color option to help blend into the background and truly become the Grey Man.
In conjunction with the release of Wolf, Arc’teryx is also debuting several new styles.
Additionally, Arc’teryx provided us with this official statement which does a great job explaining their concept of Wolf:
“Urban Wolf— blend into the sprawl
From a distance, or in situations with marginal light, the greyscale tone of most surfaces is dark grey. Concrete, glass, asphalt and rooftops are common modern backgrounds, environments that are subject to low ambient light and shadows. In these conditions, black stands out in the shadows, easily identifiable and clearly defined. In contrast, dark grey is the least visible colour; it blends into its surroundings.
Optimized for urban and industrial environs and their margins, Wolf breaks with tradition and introduces a colour blend for modern environments. A modern alternative to traditional uniform colourways, grey is less traditional and therefore a less recognizable uniform of authority. Wolf introduces a covert tonal shade for law enforcement purposes in urban environments.
Available in the new Drac Jacket and Drac Pant, Bravo Jacket and new Naga Hoody, the wolf colourway is a practical uniform option and is the colour preferred for Law Enforcement/SWAT and Military Special Forces use.
Arc’teryx leads the pack with Urban Wolf—on patrol in the margins.”
As you know, we’ve never been big on bling. For us, it’s more about substance than symbolism. But, if you see us at SHOT Show, say “Hi” and score a sticker.
Amazingly, the UK MoD has even procured Dry Suits in MTP but serving troops still can’t purchase anything in the pattern.
K. Dominic Cincotti is calling 2012 the year of camouflage and he might just be right. Camo is going to be all over the place in 2012, (just don’t hold your breath waiting for the US Army to make a decision anytime soon). However, plenty of new camouflage patterns and signature management technologies are going to become available for those in need. One of the companies at the forefront of this new emphasis is Cincotti’s company, Special Operations Apps.
In a press release, Cincotti said, “Camo, a multibillion-dollar business, will make huge gains in 2012, because it will mark a turning point in how camo is designed and made. Camouflage design has changed very little for centuries — until now, but new technologies, focused on how we design and manufacture camo, will produce a new shift in this market estimated to be in the billions.” We couldn’t agree more.
SOA has already begun to bring customized camouflage to the individual operator level with CamoScienceâ„¢ HD which combines a smartphone camera with an onboard app to produce a specialized camouflage pattern specifically for the area photographed (as seen above). The results are tuned for the environment it is produced in and can be exported for rapid, digital printing. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. SOA and their sister company MW R&D have just been issued a patent for their new Modern Warfare Camoâ„¢ technology. In fact, it’s just been featured on popsci.com.
According to SOA, “Modern Warfare Camoâ„¢ is both active and adaptive simultaneous multispectral camouflage.” US Army SF Veteran David Mullins, SOA’s team leader of subject matter experts said, “This is a truly significant patent that has been issued to MW R&D because it is a future-proofed solution we have now.” It’s a stealth camo technology that combines high-definition video imagery, a flexible thin-film display, multiple layers of sensor-blocking nanomaterials, and miniaturized thermoelectric array devices. Together, these countermeasures mimic the operating environment, producing multispectral simultaneous adaptive concealment.
MSR is a huge supporter of the military and they really came through for us today with 11 of their Whisperlite Stoves.
Also, don’t forget, today’s winners as well as every other winner, will receive a 2012 Tac Girls Calendar. (Just the calendar, not any of the girls)
To Enter
Enter your answer to today’s question in the comment section of THIS post, here on SSD. Today’s question is, “What is your favorite field ration?”
Don’t think about it, just do it because we could close comments at any time. And, remember to use a valid email address so we can inform you in case you win. One entry per email address per contest. You have to enter each one separately in order to win.
Details at soldiersystems.net/the-12-days-of-tactical-christmas.
You may have already heard about Scot and Tom Spooner and their new training company Invictus Alliance Group. But, you probably haven’t heard about their other day job, Labyrinth Guides Consulting. The concept is simple and they lay it out in this statement, “Take combat proven military experience, including leadership, team work, decision making, deliberate and contingency planning, and coalesce this information into the proper format, tone and delivery…”
You can read all about Scot and Tom’s backgrounds on the website and it’s pretty amazing having both served in Special Forces as well as a selectively manned unit. Invictus is already out there making their name by providing some great training but we thought that Labyrinth Guides Consulting might might pique the curiosity of our industry readers. You see, they provide some very specialized leadership training unavailable anywhere else. And while this training might be very enticing for those on Wall Street or other large industries, it seems custom built for the tactical industry.
In their flagship course, entitled “Battlefield to Boardroom” not only is there some extensive shooting as well as confidence and team building exercises, they also offer unprecedented access to veteran special operations personnel. During these sessions, combat veterans will provide leadership pointers and put them into the context of their real world experiences.
This is exactly the kind of experience that many companies have been asking us about. Not everyone in the firearms or tactical industries has military or law enforcement experience and this is a great way to get a glimpse at how the user community rolls. Additionally, companies often want to sponsor training opportunities for employees whether on an individual basis or as teams. Either of Labyrinth Guides Consulting’s current offerings; Boardroom to Battlefield or the shorter Black Ops Experience can be used either way. Additionally, they will custom develop an experience specifically for your needs. In their own words:
“The dated industry standard of one-sided leadership lectures, canned workshops, and 3-day seminars make unrealistic attempts to fit all business models, teams and leaders into rigid pre-cast molds. We strongly believe that the “one size fits all†approach to executive consulting is inefficient and inadequate. Labyrinth Guides use a customized approach to understand an organization’s unique needs, which enables us to formulate training and consulting interactions with pin point accuracy.”
Labyrinth experiences take place through a formal partnership with the 2,000 acre Rockcastle Shooting Center and Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, Kentucky.
Class sizes are 8 – 12. The next Boardroom to Battlefield experince is 30 January to 3 February, 2012. Be there…
You can follow Invictus or Labyrinth on Facebook. Additionally, you can learn more about Tom Spooner at warriorsos.blogspot.com.
For more information visit labyrinthgc.com.
