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N.Tel – What’s It All Mean?

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Last week we reported that OTB was rebranding to “N.Tel”. This is not the true story. OTB is in fact coming together with athletic and tactical wear fully under the New Balance banner. The N.Tel is actually the philosophy that drives how the entire team at New Balance does business. NB looks at the military as a collection of athletes and designs clothing and footwear with this in mind. The game might not be the same as traditional athletes but the level of commitment and need for stamina and physical prowess is still there. NB has a set of capabilities that they bring to a challenge and they listen to their customers to see how they can use their skills to solve problems.

We sat down yesterday at Outdoor Retailer with the team and we can tell you that in addition to the OTB line and New Balance’s System 7 there is some really cool new products on the way including Berry compliant Merino pieces that will blow your socks off.

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OTB Rebranding

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Right before last year’s SHOT Show, OTB Boots was purchased by New Balance. Now, a year later, we go to SHOT Show and see a brand new booth with banners proclaiming, “OTB, in alliance with New Balance” and “N.Tel Intelligence”. From what we can gather, the OTB line of products, along with new clothing and athletic footwear specifically tailored for the military is being combined into N.Tel.

Essentially, the message is “Your Intelligence Drives our Intelligence”. For those of you unfamiliar with this notion it actually an extrapolation of the concept “intelligence drives operations”. This means that you can’t go kill bad guys if you don’t know where they are and New Balance can’t produce their products without the input of Elite Soldier Athletes. Makes sense to me. However, I’m not too sure on how the name will play.
The only thing missing now is a dedicated website.

www.OTBboots.com,check it before it transforms into something new.

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Rappel On!

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

We spied these babies in the New Balance booth at Modern Day Marine. The Rappel from OTB Boots will be available in both low and high topped versions.

You may notice that the rubberized toe looks a little different than what you are used to. It’s because the rubber has been printed onto the toe which eliminates the glue and stitching that increases weight (and cost) and is vulnerable to wear. You will also notice the cut out breathing panels to increase airflow. Unlike other boots, the padding has also been eliminated from those areas.

While the low top version is a straight forward light hiker, the high topped variant sports a couple of features that make it a great candidate for a covert assault boot. The instep has integrated cleats to help retard descent while fast roping and the sides are covered in rubberized fabric that resists wear and increases friction.

Available early 2011 from New Balance’s OTB Boots brand.

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New Balance System 7 ADS

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

New Balance has developed a 7 layer FR clothing system. That’s right, it’s a complete system from New Balance, it’s Berry Compliant, and it’s Fire Resistant. Designed from the outset to work together as a system, NBS7 offers two types of male T-shirts and drawers as well as sports bra and boy short options for the female user. Add to this lightweight and mid-weight long underwear, fleece jacket, wind jacket, and inclement weather shirt and you’ve got some serious layering options. New Balance has also integrated a Combat Shirt and Pants into the mix. They top it all off with both soft shell and hard shell jacket and trouser options.

A quick review of the materials and you will see that they are using tried and true fabrics such as Tencate’s Defender M found in both Army and Marine Corps issued FR garments in addition to layering materials from Cocona and Drifire. Sizing options are unmatched from XX-Small – XXXX-Large. Did we mention that NBS7 will be available in Coyote as well as MultiCam? Available this Fall, check out the entire system at www.ADSinc.com/NBS7. They have prepared an excellent page detailing all of NBS7’s finer points for each component.

Be sure to attend the ADS Warrior Expo July 15 & 16 at the Virginia Beach Civic Center and check out the NBS7.

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New Balance Acquires OTB Boots

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum, or the actually the forum shops. As I was making my way to lunch at Caesar’s Forum shops, someone mentioned that OTB boots had been purchased. I did some checking, and sure enough, last Friday (15 January, 2010) New Balance purchased OTB Boots. This is a really good deal for both companies. It means New Balance can leverage OTB’s tactical expertise and OTB has access to New Balance’s domestic manufacturing capability.

I had no idea that most of New Balance’s footwear is made right here in the USA at their five domestic factories. For the military, they produce the USMC running suit, under layers for PCU, and the 993 PT Fitness Shoe. Naturally, this move means that there will be Berry compliant boots from OTB.

OTB officers, Dan Ellis and Mike Metcalfe will remain in place.

Visit OTB at SHOT Show booth #24065 or on the web at www.otbboots.com.

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