Here’s a little eye candy for you. The Utility Bag from Kill Spencer combines military styling with some of the finest materials available such as Cobra buckles, leather accents, and FR canvas. Several other material options are available including vintage fabrics. Another cool feature is the retractable wall mount system and hub.
Kill Spencer bags are hand crafted in the USA. www.killspencer.com
Manufactured from 5/8″ titanium rod, the line of Vertical Assault Climbing Hooks from Wilcox Industries is available in four styles. Two versions of the three prong hook are offered (120 deg and 154 deg). The double and single prong hooks are also available but are not used as often as they hang up on obstacles less but are more difficult to hook. At the bottom of the photo you can see the pole interface which connects with currently fielded boat poles.
Remember the old paint by the numbers sets you used to get from your Great Aunt for Christmas? Looking at the condition of these CADPAT-TW Temperate Combat Boots currently undergoing trials, you would need the boot polish equivalent to get them back in shape. This photo of a pair of the trials boots was sent to us and identified as having reached this condition after three weeks of field use. Granted, boots usually get scraped up in the field. The difference here is that with so many colors going on, there is no way to use polish to restore the leather. That is unless there was a polish by the numbers kit.
At the beginning of April SSD published an article about US Army TACOM releasing Maintenance Information Message 10-040 authorizing Soldiers to paint their individual weapons. Now that everyone else is catching up with us on this one, we will let you in on an ugly secret about TACOM’s guidance on how to paint and strip your weapon. While the instructions on actually painting the weapon are quite comprehensive, the removal instructions don’t work. You simply cannot get the weapon completely free of paint based on the instructions in the message. First off, the specified paints probably aren’t the best choice. Then the guidance has you using Break Free CLP as a paint remover and it doesn’t work like that. Additionally, I can tell you something else after 25 years of working with the military. This is going to affect unit readiness. The TACOM Message states that paint will need to be removed from the weapon before it can be turned in. That caveat alone gives bureaucrats the right to refuse to accept a weapon that needs to be turned in for maintenance or disposal. That means a weapon that should be in the fight won’t be. It will happen, mark my words. Somewhere there is a GS-7 just waiting to turn away a weapon with paint on it. You don’t believe me? Think about the last time you tried to clear CIF.
We’ve already pointed out that the message only covers the M16 and M4. All of the rest of the weapons found in the Infantry Company cannot be painted. Not the M14, M9, M203, M320, M249, nor M240. And now, when a weapon that has been painted according to instructions set forth by Army TACOM needs to be turned in for maintenance, it could be turned away.
To their credit, PEO-Soldier published a great how-to guide with pictures based on guidance in MIM entitled, “Crib Notes for Soldiers – Weapon Painting 101“. Unfortunately, because it is based on the MIM it doesn’t work. The Army’s heart was in the right place, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. Maybe there is another way. Stay tuned for a few articles on alternatives such as McNett’s Camo Form Tape.
We broke the story on the new COMPOUND armor compatible clothing system from Arc’teryx LEAF a couple of weeks ago. Grey Group is an Arc’teryx dealer and has had samples of a couple of the pieces on display in their shop near Fort Bragg for awhile now. Fortunately, they posted some video on Youtube.
Tactical Pants Blog has produced a great one-stop resource for information on the major tactical pant brands. There are still a few smaller, boutique brands out there floating around as well as some surprises in store for the market this year. But overall, they have covered the mainstream with information on over 30 different models. Additionally, the handy comparison chart provides details to assist with making decisions on which style to choose. While not all encompassing, it is certainly comprehensive and we are sure they will continue to update it as new products are released or changed. It is definitely worth checking out.
tacticalpants.com/tactical-pants-guide
As most of you know by now, the MultiCam version of the Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniform slated to be issued to troops in Afghanistan has been officially dubbed the OEF FR ACU. This is because it is supposed to only be used in Afghanistan (Operation ENDURING FREEDOM). I guess someone forgot that operations in the Philippines are also part of OEF. But then again, I don’t share PEO-Soldier’s wishful optimism that commanders in other areas won’t want their troops to be outfitted in MultiCam as well. I mean after all, testing has demonstrated it is a very effective pattern in a variety of environments. Why wouldn’t a commander want his troops outfitted in the best equipment available.
At any rate, where are those new OEF FR ACUs anyway? Well, the Army is on its way to fielding, working its way through the procurement process, but meeting the goal of July is going to be difficult if not impossible. The recently released pre-solicitation doesn’t close until 1 June. Then, the Army still has to release an actual solicitation which is usually open for about 30 days, make an award, deal with any protests that might arise, wait for uniforms to roll off the line, and finally distribute them. While mills are chugging away manufacturing FR Defender-M from Tencate, none of the manufacturers of uniforms will place orders for fabric until they receive a contract so there is only so much leaning forward in the fox hole that can be done.
One of the reasons that PEO-Soldier isn’t jumping into MultiCam with both feet is that the Army hasn’t made a long-term decision about camouflage yet. PEO-Soldier says that the Army is moving toward a decision on Phase IV of the camo project but thus far, almost nothing has been released on what exactly this phase entails. Hopefully, we will begin to see some transparency considering the brouhaha raised over the selection of the Universal Camouflage Pattern.
This is another one of the gems I saw at the recent ADS Warrior Expo. Currently used in conjunction with London Bridge Trading’s High Gear brand, the Decon Zone Sanitizing System has also been adopted by military units as well as numerous professional and collegiate sports teams.
Developed by a former Navy diver, the system was initially envisioned to clean his son’s football equipment. It is a completely sealed, green system that produces no waste by-products but rather relies on ozone produced by a lightning-like spark. The ozone kills odor causing bacteria and it is converted back to oxygen at the end of the cycle. Ozone is more effective at killing bacteria than hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and iodine. Not only does bacteria make your equipment stink, it can make you ill. Staph infections and MRSA are becoming more common threats to health. For full details on all of the heebie jeebies that can kill you visit their blog; killbacterianow.com.
The Decon Zone Sanitizing System has already been purchased by a couple of Air Force squadrons and they continue to go strong. They aren’t just using it for armor. It is also being used for mess kits and canteen cups, search and rescue equipment, blankets, clothing, and medical products. The machine’s cycle is 12 minutes of exposure to ozone in addition to the time it takes to reduce the ozone at the end of the cycle meaning equipment isn’t down for maintenance for long. There is nothing to dry and no residual chemical hazards once the items are removed from the machine. An added benefit is that quality of life is improved. Personnel are more comfortable wearing armor and other equipment when it doesn’t smell, not to mention that there is less risk to their health.
So to sum all of the pluses up: Green technology, Developed by a Veteran, Keeps troops healthy, Improves morale. Not bad.
