Designed by Patrick Jouffret of Agency 360, a French design studio
in collaboration with engineer Philippe Arrouart, the Overade is a bicycle helmet designed to fold into a compact shape when not in use, for easy storage in a bag or backpack. It also offers the same level of protection as a standard bicycle helmet. The goal of its design was to create a portable helmet that would encourage more cyclists to wear them. Prototypes for the Overade have existed since 2010, but commercial production is expected later this year.
SSD has followed the development of Combat Flipflops pretty much since the beginning. (You may recall the picture of their SHOT Show debut on Tactical Mama’s feet.) In any case, they are cruising right along, expanding their product line and providing impressive assistance to the Afghans working at their factory. At first blush it might seem strange, getting behind “flip-flops” made in Afghanistan, but the guys helping the HNs making this happen are incredibly passionate about it. Think about it…there will be just a limited market for the ANA combat boots they started making. Once that’s done, then what? Here’s a viable way to support the indigenous economy, help train skilled workers and give them an opportunity to $10-a-bomb IED planting or narcotics cultivation. I was really impressed by these guys and am looking forward to SSD readers getting to learn more by dint of the Combat Flipflop Whiskey-5 (which will be coming soon).
Soldier Systems: Tactical Mama sportin' her Combat Flip Flops on the floor at SHOT.
Griff says they have some new models coming down the pike, including Jingle Trucks (So Loud You’ll Hear Them Coming), the Burkhas (Ladies Only) and the Technicals (Utilitarian footwear with heavy weapon embellishments). You can watch for the latest developments on the Combat Flip Flops Facebook page.
In the meantime check out the pictures they’ve posted on their production facility in Afghanistan on the Combat Flip Flops website.
Soldier Systems Daily: The Evolution of the Combat Flip Flop Facility in Afghanistan
Check out the latest trailer for the upcoming ‘Aliens: Colonial Marines’. It’s Kick-ass Space Marines fighting terrifying Xenomorphs, all gloriously pre-rendered. Sure, there’s no actual new gameplay footage, but it already looks a lot better than ‘Alien 3’ could ever hope to be. It’s a shame this game got pushed back to Fall.
Under the Radar ran a review by the Mad Duo today, covering the recent extended Blu-ray version of Real Steel. Not sure why they’re doing more there and on other sites than their own, but if you haven’t seen that movie (or even if you have) you might get a laugh out of the write-up. Or not.
Tell you one thing they’re right about for sure. Having some of those robots cammied up and equipped for a mission with USSOCOM would be a bad ass sequel.
As more than one of our readership has pointed out, this patch (from Bob Riggle’s rousing speech for ELITE) would be pretty popular if it was widely available. When will someone be making this?
Oh, and Lt. Col. Riggle, hat tip to you for your anti-hippie stance. God bless you.
Tactical Fanboy: Check the Modern Marfare 3 morale patch.
Yep. This is a lager brewed by Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg. It’s made for (well, besides bacon-loving patriots) eating along with meats like kielbasa, smoked chicken, maybe some grilled pork chops…you get the idea. “Bamberg makes a lightly smoky lager that’s crisp and amber-colored. It’s very dry and slightly nutty, with an unmistakable bacon note in the finish…”
One of the advantages of attending SHOT is not just being able to see new products at all the different booths. One of the things I like
most is the opportunity to catch up with so many individuals from so many places all in one week. You may run into one or two at the NTOA Conference, then another a New Breed of Warrior, but darn near everyone attends SHOT. This gives you the chance to hear and see what they’ve seen and heard and like, what kind of EDC or specialty kit they’re running, etc. When you run into multiple peers wearing something or talking about something they say you should investigate, you’d be foolish not to.
Over the course of SHOT I bumped into several friends who spoke very highly of the Cobra belts from Jones Tactical LLC. So we’re clear, I haven’t gotten my hands on one or worn one, but I heard nothing but good things (I wear a Yates CQB Cobra and love it, though I intend to give the Jones belt a try). Among those who advised their preference for Jones Tactical belts: MilsSpec Monkey, one of the engineers from War Sport, a USSA instructor and a couple of friends who prefer to remain anonymous.
Swedish treasure hunters of the deep-sea salvage company Ocean Explorer searching a classified location on the floor of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland may have found a UFO. Using a side-scan sonar they located a cylindrical object some 60 meters in diameter with a “rigid tail 400 meters long”. Apparently they also found a second disc-like shape some 200 meters away.
Could be a UFO. Could be some weird mangle of sunken ships since, you know, there are tens of thousands of sunken ships on the bottom of the Baltic, dating back to when their crews carved on each other with bronze.
It’s the iconic Chuck Taylor sneaker, but made into a military-inspired boot form. The upper is a non-waterproof powdered suede and it features heavy-duty laces. Pretty interesting, and cool-looking, if not totally functional as an actual boot. Comes in two colors: Chocolate (Brown) and Castlerock (Black).
This is pretty cool. Always good to see someone achieve success, especially someone without contacts and agents and whatnot. This guy began a Kickstarter page for his graphic novel, and now it’s on the New York Times best seller list. That’s awesome and we with him continued success. Read the story in its entirety here.
Check out this reveal trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 6. Fan favorites Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield return as the main characters along with a brand new protagonist as they deal with a world-wide zombie/BOW (Bio Organic Weapon) outbreak. Looks even more action packed than previous games in the series, which, considering 4 and 5, is really saying something.
Yesterday we ran an article about Best Ranger. I did a poor job of explaining the issue of Big Army’s limitations supporting the Best Ranger Competition. This is my fault, not the NCOs we spoke to about it and I apologize for the vague wording. The fact is, Best Ranger IS supported by Big Army, but regulations prevent certain things from being funded by them (such as prizes, some of the dinners and hospitality stuff, etc.) I apologize for the apparent inaccuracy and will work diligently to avoid anything that could be misinterpreted, misunderstood or is out and out wrong in the future!
Please still consider supporting Best Ranger. You can get the details by calling l Ms. Bryant at 706-718-9520 or e-mailing her at CandyssBryant@gmail.com.
TANSTAAFL
Rangers from 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan.
As you might have expected, there were a number of sunglasses, goggles and other types of eyepro at SHOT. Body Specs had several on display, but the most interesting were the Pistol model. They’re a fairly high impact wrap style eye-pro, hard coated for scratch resistance and all the usual tacti-goggle-glass features.
The cool thing about them, however, was the adjustability feature. The lenses are capable of telescoping out and panascoping up and down (angling), allowing you to adjust for length (fit from your face) and the cant of the goggles themselves. Whether you’re one of those good looking guys make everything look good or one of those big mongoloid types with a huge forehead, you can fine tune the fit. Cant them down so they don’t bump your eyebrows, adjust if so they aren’t molested by the front of your helmet, the lighting or your shooting position. If you prefer an adjustment from when you’re got a helmet on versus when it’s off, easily done (same as if you prefer a modification from standing to prone).
The nosepiece has a wide contact area, doesn’t seem to slip at all, and supports an Rx insert if you need corrective lenses, and they have some new specialized purple or brown lenses made for competitive shooters.
One question we’d have would be how frequently you can adjust them before they begin to wear down. Upon first try, they have sufficient resistance but in fairness we’d have to ask long term would they start slipping on their own? It would be impossible to say without putting them through field trials, but at first glance and a quick “try-on” they feel pretty good. In any case, they only run $40 retail, which is pretty inexpensive compared to some of the Gucci military goggles and better known eyepro. Might be worth taking a crack at it.
Bod Specs is a woman-, veteran-owned business based in Grass Valley, CA. You can call 530-268-8882 or e-mail the owner directly at Anna@bodyspecs.com. They do have a distributor on the GSA Schedule if you need one.
The Pistol comes with smoke and clear lenses, retention lanyard and a semi-rigid carry case you can attach to your gear should you be so inclined. Oh, and the Pistol has an NSN:
4240-01-526-9637. More at the Body Specs website.
Yesterday Tactical Fanboy’s TANSTAAFL ran an article about what looked like a rail-mounted skull, something we picked up from keeping an eye on those Hos at Spartan Imports. I did some checking and that comes from Steel Flame. The website is www.steelflame.com. The guy behind that site is a master jeweler named Derrick Obatake who does some really cool work (you’ve seen some of his stuff in movies like the Expendables). Actually, calling it cool is a bit of an understatement. Bad ass might be a better word for it. Check him out on Facebook too.
Tactical Fanboy: Steel Flame Custom Darkness Clips on Emerson Karambits.
Tactical Fanboy: Virtus Dagger medallion on the set of Expendables 2
Tactical Fanboy: Another Virtus Dagger medallion on the set of Expendables 2.
Edit: I apparently didn’t write this terribly well, so some of the part about supporting the Best Ranger contest didn’t come across the right way (that’s my fault, not the NCOs we talked to). Best Ranger IS supported by Big Army, but regulations prevent certain things from being funded by them (such as prizes, some of the dinners and hospitality stuff, etc.) I apologize for the apparent inaccuracy and will work diligently to avoid anything that could be misinterpreted, misunderstood or is out and out wrong in the future! TANSTAAFL
A couple of us had the privilege and pleasure of spending some time with instructors from the RTB (Ranger Training Brigade) while we were at SHOT. If all goes well we’re going to be periodically sharing some Ranger news with you. (Only stuff that’s either open source material or cleared hot by their PAO, so we’re clear.) Now, you may not be aware of it, but yesterday was a pretty big day in US Army Ranger history. Yesterday, the 25th, was the anniversary of the “Abrams Charter” of 1974. That’s the directive by General Creighton Abrams (you may recall they named a big vehicle after him) instructing the Army to activate the first battalion sized Ranger unit since World War II. US Army Forces Command HQ command then published General Orders 127 , which stood up 1ST Battalion (Ranger) 75th Infantry. General Abrams believed that the Army would be improved as a whole by the inclusion of permanent Rangers within its ranks (in no small part due to the diffusion of leadership and fighting ability throughout its ranks as Ranger qualified Soldiers slowly spread into other units).
The Abrams Charter said: “The Battalion is to be an elite, light and the most proficient infantry in the world. A Battalion that can do things with its hands and weapons better than anyone. The Battalion will contain no ‘hoodlums or brigands’ and if the Battalion is formed from such persons it will be disbanded. Wherever the Battalion goes, it must be apparent that it is the best.”
You may be one of the many people who’ve watched the Best Ranger competition. We’re going to delve into that competition in the future, discuss its development and goals and whatnot, but we’d like to throw in a quick plug on its behalf – though the competition is supported by Big Army, there are a number of constraints that prevent Big Army from assisting with ancillary expenses (like dinners, prizes, etc.). There are a number of reasons why, but essentially those ancillary needs are all taken care of with the support of benefactors. If you are interested in supporting Best Ranger, we urge you to contact them and help out. (Here are the current 2012 supporters: feel free to join their ranks.) If you are interested in supporting the Best Ranger Competition, call Ms. Bryant at 706-718-9520 or e-mail her at CandyssBryant@gmail.com.
More on that to follow.
2/75 Rangers in Afghanistan just a couple of months ago.
Soldier Systems ran an article about Blue Force Gear and their new Helium Whisper kit, including a really nice little dump pouch that you could damn near tuck into a handcuff case or your pocket (were you so inclined). This is some video we took at SHOT of Blue Force Brittney (smart, capable, a great shot and pretty too…what’s not to like?) discussing the dump pouch (spent mag pouch, whatever; when I was growing up it was just a dump pouch). Check it out and maybe getcha one.
Sometimes you need more than just combat effective gear and the more obvious accessories. Sometimes you need rail-mounted awesomeness that makes acts as a force multiplier by virtue only of being awesomely awesome and tacticool. How about a rail mounted skull? It increases the range of a black rifle by an average of 17.4%, if will decrease the spread of an iron sights shot group to about half what it was (at the hundred), and if you ever run dry or suffer a malfunction you can flip the rifle around sideways and scare the hell out of whomever you’ve been shooting at (though with a skull on there it’s pretty hard to imagine you’d have missed in the first place).
TFB: A rail-mounted skull is the appropriately deadly accessory for any "true" warrior.
Now if they’d just make bullets that whistled or screamed while they hurtle through the air. You know, like some of the old Samurai arrows, or a Stuka. Hat tip to (and picture, and smart-assed tone)courtesy of Andrew at Spartan Imports.
There were several service dogs in evidence at SHOT Show, not surprisingly. Soldier Systems caught up with the director of one organization that helps provide them at no cost to the veteran: and recruits the dogs from animal shelters! Read the article about Paws and Stripes, if you would, and consider supporting them. At a minimum go like their Facebook page and help spread the word!
