Coming soon from ITW Military Products – GhillieTEX Skeletal System.
It features the strengths of metal combined with the signature management advantages of the GhillieTEX line. These pieces are overmolded. They’re isn’t any mamby pamby pieces snapped together that will fall apart during a mission. They’re still producing final tooling and they’ve told me that as soon as the buckles are ready for purchase, you’ll read about it here.
ITW Nexus/ Military Products has announced that they have teamed up with AustriAlpin to introduce a new innovative joint venture at SHOT Show that aligns the best of both company’s capabilities.
ITW Nexus/Military Products Business Unit Manager Craig Ernst indicated that while they are letting us in on it early, the product is currently in its infancy stage with release industry wide later this year.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming pictures and an interview with ITW and AustriAlpin during the show.
ITW Military Products is exhibiting in booth #10479.
Originally developed for a Government customer, the Squadron Smock is evolved from traditional British designs. FirstSpear sat down with their customers and integrated the features they required for use under combat conditions. These smocks remain one of the most prized possessions of the men who were issued them.
Features
-Hood and Torso lined with gridded fleece
-Hood accommodates helmets
-Hood features drawstring and rear adjustment
-Hood Brim incorporates wire stiffener
-Scrim/Camo attachment points along hood, upper back and waist
-Velcro patches for ID on upper back and bicep pockets
-Removable padding in Cordura reinforced elbows
-2-Way Pit Zips for ventilation
-Pen pockets on both lower sleeves
-Drawstring waist
-Drawstring hem
-2-way Main zipper (closed with Velcro strips as well as Slotted Buttons)
-Snap closure at bottom of main zipper
-Drawstrings feature captive barrel locks for one-handed adjustment
Pockets
Amazingly, the Squadron Smock features a total of 18 pockets!
Here is the breakdown:
2 x Bicep Pockets with Velcro for ID
2 x Cargo Chest Pockets
4 x Cargo Pockets Along Skirt
2 x Zip Closure Exterior Napoleon Pockets
2 x Zip Closure Interior Napoleon Pockets
1 x Exterior Poacher Pocket
3 x Interior Flat Mesh Pockets
2 x Zip Closure Gridded Fleece Lined Handwarmer Pockets
There is an ingenuous pass through at the main zipper flap that allows you to access the left interior Napoleon pocket without opening the main zip. Additionally, there are three flat mesh pockets along the inside of the skirt to store flat items or those that need to be next kept to the body.
Cargo pockets are bellows design and feature drain holes as well as slotted button closures, interior D-rings and tacked corners with pass troughs for dummy cords. Additionally, the pocket flaps are the fold over style for positive closure and Cargo pockets also incorporate drain holes. Additionally, the Cargo and Poacher pockets as well as the main zipper flap rely on large Slotted Buttons which can be handled when wearing gloves or mittens. When paired with slightly undersized buttonholes, it means you won’t have a pocket fly open while in a helo or vehicle. Additionally, the Slotted Buttons are properly attached meaning there isn’t too much play in the ribbon and the buttons have room to slide which helps avoid rips.
Materials
The shell fabric on the Squadron Smock is 330 denier by 3-ply 70 denier Taslanized nylon with Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish. Additionally, it integrates a gridded fleece lining, 330D Cordura elbow reinforcements as well as mesh interior pockets along the skirt. All fasteners are US Mil-Spec from ITW Military Products and zippers from YKK.
General Impressions
Although I haven’t had a lot of experience with this particular smock (just 4 days), I’ve had years of experiences with smocks from a variety of origins. The Squadron Smock is excellent. Due to its construction it is admittedly a 3-season garment. With the fleece lining I feel it would be too warm for warm weather use. However, the fabric is very breathable, has a comfortable hand and feels like Cotton even though it isn’t.
The hood has plenty of room to go over your helmet when needed and features a wired brim. This keeps it stiff so it won’t sag into your eyes and can be formed when needed to form the opening during extreme weather. The hood also has a Velcro adjustment at the rear as well as attachment points for camouflage material that extend down the back of the Smock. Additionally, there is a Velcro patch for ID badges.
I really like the inclusion of Pit Zips. This will help with venting if worn during dismounted patrols. Additionally, the smaller bicep pockets are a welcome relief. They aren’t big enough to overload or have gear flailing around inside.
The Squadron Smock is absolutely built for combat, but…it looks good doing it. Even with all of its features, in the Coyote color, it doesn’t scream military. In a solid color, it looks like a high end, foreign jacket. You’re not going to be the grey man wearing it, simply because it is so feature laden, but you won’t necessarily be made for a guy with a gun.
If I were to change anything it would be to make the pen pockets slightly wider to accommodate larger pens. Additionally, the handwarmer pockets aren’t the deepest or easiest to use. However, considering the overall geometry of the Smock, it would be difficult to alter them without affecting other features.
I recommend the FirstSpear Squadron Smock if you are looking for a cold weather, fully feature laden, combat jacket.
Available for pre-order in Black, Coyote, and MultiCam sizes Small – 2XLarge. Look for deliveries beginning 1 December, 2011.
The FASTmag Heavy is in full production. It accommodates standard 7.62 NATO magazines such as the FN FAL, M14, AR10, and Magpul mags. The mounting slots are the same dimensions as the GEN III FASTmag and Pistol FASTmag so stacking mags is a snap. Both MOLLE and duty belt versions are offered in Coyote, Foliage Green, Tan and Black.
Available now from all ITW Military Products distributors.
ITW Military Products recently spent a day at the range. Look what showed up.
Send your SSD photos to admin@soldiersystems.net.
Ever wonder how all of that cool kit you see in the movies gets there? One of the ways is through the efforts of our friends at Tactical Pro Shop. One of our favorite things about Tactical Pro Shop is that they insist on authenticity and won’t settle for knock-off products. What’s more, their work with Director Michael Bay demands the highest caliber of authenticity. His movies might be fiction, but the equipment has to look right. I spoke with Tactical Pro Shop’s honcho, Matthew Kime about their involvement with these films, “Michael Bay hires professionals that, like himself, demand cutting-edge technology and gear.”
He went on to specifically discuss their involvement in “Transformers 3 – Dark of the Moon”, “We started this project in Feb. 2010, so we had to be very proactive regarding where things are heading, plus integrate conceivable pieces of tech that this ‘elite’ unit would have had developed for their mission.”
Above you can see the use of Fastmags from ITW Military Products. This is the kind of thing we are talking about. “Our strong relationship with our brands really helps us accomplish what would be extremely difficult to accomplish otherwise, our film customers really understand and appreciate our ability to get things done,” said Kime when we asked him about the integration of the latest technologies into film.
Here’s another example of this concept. This screenshot from a “Transformers 3” trailer depicts actor Josh Duhamel’s character Major William Lennox in a Chem-Bio suit in the A-TACS camo pattern. Here, Matt Kime describes the choice, “ATACS was an obvious choice when the request came for something that would work well in an urban environment, and the fact that it had not been seen before on film was a big plus.”
Tactical Pro Shop not only works with Hollywood to provide the best and brightest tactical equipment but also offers their services to you. Be sure to check them out.
Save with our friends at Supply Captain this 4th of July weekend. Enter coupon code FIREWORK in the at checkout, and get $10 off a $75 or more purchase. The sale is good now thru July 7th.
Look for the ITW MOLLE pistol mags in Foliage Green as well as a dozen new colors of 550 cord, including OD Green glow in the dark. Additionally, ITW Black MOLLE and Duty belt Pistol mags are in stock.
Shown quietly in back rooms at SHOT Show, the FastMagâ„¢ Pistol (FMP) from ITW Military Products has just been released. The unique design carries the magazine bullets forward and is compatible with most double stack 9mm, double stack .40 cal, single & double stack .45 cal magazines. That’s right, you can carry single OR double stack magazines in the same carrier. Just like its rifle cartridge siblings, the FMP is available in duty belt or PALS compatible variants. In addition to PALS compatibility, the FMP is also designed to ‘double-stack’ on all FastMagâ„¢ Gen III & FastMagâ„¢ Heavy.
The FMP will be available in Black, Tan 499, Foliage Green, and Coyote Brown. Except for Black, all FMPs are made with GhillieTEXâ„¢ material.
Currently available in Black from Supply Captain, get yours now.
