Kit Up! did some sneaky secret squirrel stuff and obtained these exclusive photos of the very first developmental test beds.
Our source gave us the go-ahead to post the pics and was eager to get some feedback from our tapped-in readers. One thing I noticed is that these pics do not depict the concept of the chest and back padding — intended to mitigate trauma from impacts to the body armor/plate carrier.
But we had a chance to twist and turn some of the G-Form padding and it’s pretty sweet.
With more smartphones and iPhones hitting the battlefield these days, it makes sense that some of the tactical accessory makers might want to dip into the personal communication device protection market.
We’ve looked at Magpul iPhone case Mod. 1 and after a few months of using it, we ditched it in favor of one that didn’t turn the phone on mute every time you put it in your pocket. We hear their newest version is better, but they’re not showing us the love, so we haven’t done a review.
Strike Industries is sort of Magpul-esque — making smart accessories for your AR and 1911 (think grips and swivels). But they’ve just developed a cool iPhone case dubbed “The Battle Case” that takes another approach to smartphone management.
We got our hands on a couple of these bad boys and so far we’re diggin’ ‘em. The loop at the end takes some getting used to — the ergonomics of the phone change with the extended grip — but the design saved us when the phone dropped into the “death slot” of the Kit Up! Suburbanator and we executed a tactical retrieval while still rolling at 60.
Strike did not have Kevlar inserts to demo with our review model, but for EOD bubbas or Joes prone to getting blown up, it could mean the difference between making that Angry Birds record and bricking the thing. Strike says they’re also working on a camera protector for the Battle Case.
We’re sending a couple of these things down range for a combat eval and will get back with a more detailed review later. But for less than $12 bucks, this thing is more than just tacticool.
Go check them out — you’ll LYMFAO…but make sure you DO NOT listen to them in a PC area. They can be quite offensive to those allergic to salty content (which we are not).
PEO Soldier’s top individual equipment buyer, Col. Bill Cole, told us yesterday during a media roundtable that the service will soon field one of two versions of a new Mountain Combat Boot design intended for wear in the hot summers of Afghanistan.
The original mountain combat boot had a requirement for an all-leather upper and Gore-Tex lining. The new boot — one version made by Wellco another made by Belleville — have Cordura uppers and no Gore-Tex lining, increasing breatheability and cutting down on sweaty feet.
Each Soldier deploying to Afghanistan will be given one pair of each — one winter, one summer variant — of the Mt. Combat Boot, “that way they’ll have the appropriate footwear throughout the year available to them,” Cole said.
The resounding grumbling from Soldiers was finally heard loud and clear by officials at PEO Soldier who saw the budget writing on the wall and decided on a radical redesign of what was once Land Warrior.
In a story to run tomorrow morning on Military.com we report:
The Army has abandoned its decades-long effort to pack nearly 20 pounds of batteries, computer processors and displays on future Soldiers in favor of a simpler solution that uses technology already in many Joes’ pockets.
Officials with the Fort Belvoir, Va.-based PEO Soldier told reporters Oct. 6 that they had decided to configure the so-called “Nett Warrior” system to use a commercially-available smart phone plugged into a secure tactical radio.
“There’s significant cost and weight savings in this approach,” said Nett Warrior deputy program manager Bill Brower. “We took out about 70 percent of the weight” from the original system.
Safariland is now offering a cool new holster that has the ALS retention system with a Cordura infrared signature-reducing coating that promises to be quite a contender in the tactical holster market.
This holster features the Automatic Locking System for excellent weapon security in an open top holster. Once the weapon is holstered, it automatically locks into place and when the ALS is de-activated by the thumb, a simple straight up draw is used. Its SafariLaminate™ structure and wraparound design provides strength and durability. The 6378USN incorporates the Safariland 3-hole pattern allowing the user to mount the holster in various configurations with the use of the Quick Locking System (QLS). The QLS provides a rapid transition between mounting points, a partial list is included.
The holster retails for $110 and will be available in MultiCam, Ranger Green, Coyote and Khaki. The company says it can also do “branch-specific” camo patterns (AOR-1 and AOR-2, MARPAT) by special contract order.
The holster is currently configured for the Beretta, Sig and Glock.
I’ve been test driving their SO 1.0 insulated softshell jacket and as someone who goes way back with high-end mountaineering gear, this jacket ranks up their with the most technical, best fitting piece I’ve ever seen. It’s no surprise that the bubbas with SEAL Team VI helped design the jacket.
Well, according to a top company official, looks like the DevGru frogmen will be test driving a new variation of the combat shirt out in The ‘Stan early next year. Wild Things is looking to team with Providence, R.I.-based G-Form to add lightweight padding to its combat softshell — an “under-armor” shirt that combines water and wind repellent shoulders and arms, with an athletic, breathable mid-section.
