Nemo’s Magbag laughs at wimpy tentpoles and airbeams
February 9th, 2010 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Instead of using their super-strong airbeams, Nemo has found something even stronger to support your shelter, an MRAP.
Their newest bivy, called the Magbag Shadow SE 1P, has a set of detachable rare earth magnets that attach to the undercarriage of suitably tall vehicles to create a 27″ high 1-person tent. If you can’t find a vehicle to shelter beneath, the Magbag works just fine as a traditional, unsupported, bivy. The new M-ATVs are low-rider low (for and MRAP, anyway) at 13.4″, and isn’t tall enough to work with the Magbag.
The Magbag is made from 40 denier “OSMO,” Nemo’s proprietary waterproof/breathable tent fabric, has two doors, one large one on the side and another on the front. The doors can be made with mesh fabric for ventilation. It’s 2.5 pounds and comes with a stuff sack, stakes, magnets and a repair kit. Dimensions are 89″ long x 27″ tall x 31″ at the head tapering to 25″ wide at the feet. It’s a mil-only item available through ADS.
Rep. John Murtha died today
February 8th, 2010 | Business News One More Thing | Posted by Rob Curtis
TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images
Rick Maze is reporting that Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the powerful and controversial chairman of the House subcommittee responsible for defense funding, died Monday.
Murtha died at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., where he had been hospitalized for an infection following gallbladder surgery.
Murtha was on the GearScout radar for his efforts to change the camouflage pattern worn by troops in Afghanistan from UCP to anything that works better. He was responsible, directly or indirectly, for bringing all kinds of defense related money and programs into his district.
Win your next ribbon argument with the Ribbon Checker
February 7th, 2010 | Link | Posted by Rob Curtis
We just came across this M.R. Gustafson’s handy Ribbon Checker for USMC, Navy and Coast Guard uniforms. If you aren’t sure where your new ribbon goes, check it with this page. Just check off the ribbons from the list presented, and the site presents a visual guide to help you get them in the right order. Nifty.
Lots of AAFES shops getting the boot in Afghanistan
February 6th, 2010 | Business News | Posted by Rob Curtis
Military Times’s staff writer Karen Jowers is reporting that Gen, Stanley McChrystal has dropped the hammer on mall crawling in Afghanistan.
“MWR programs across the theater should be limited in scope and tailored for an expeditionary force,” McChrystal said in his Feb. 5th, 2010 FRAGO. “MWR should never be the distracter that changes the focus of the mission.”
It could be hard times for guys on the Red Alert and Pringles diet. More than 50 AAFES concessions would close under the order, including popular fast-food outlets like Burger King, Popeyes and Taco Bell, as well as jewelry stores, souvenir stores and new car sales outlets.
Read all the details what’s getting shut down and when over at Military Times.
Winner of the Landyachtz Chinook Longboard
February 6th, 2010 | Off-Duty | Posted by Rob Curtis
Congrats to YN2(AW) David Hernandez whose number came up in our random drawing for the Landyachtz Chinook longboard we offered up after we wrote about 4 longboards in the Military Times newspapers in the fall. We were thrilled with the response. Who knew there were so many shredders in the ranks!
Even though the winner was chosen randomly, we read all the responses. Boy, that was a bad idea! There were so many good stories that we wish we had a few hundred boards to give away to all of the entrants. But, we didn’t so we used the GearScout double blind, random number generation method to choose David and he’s promised to send us some pics when he gets his stoke on.
Review: SmartWool running gear on the trail
February 6th, 2010 | Off-Duty Review | Posted by Sara Davidson
When I think of wool I think of itchy, scratchy and ugly grandma sweaters, I do not think of performance apparel. Listen up though, SmartWool isn’t your grandma’s wool sweater.
Watch Danner make a boot
February 4th, 2010 | video | Posted by Rob Curtis
Danner put up some marketing videos of their workers making boots in their Portland, Oregon facility. It’s a commercial, for sure; but it’s great footage of bootmaking. There’s more video on Danner’s site if you get jazzed on bootmaking (or video).
Contract Watch: Combat shirt, soft armor panels
February 4th, 2010 | Contracts Programatics | Posted by Rob Curtis
Some news from the contract offices today: DLA canceled its solicitation for 168k (max) Advanced Combat Shirts.
Most likely the Army is just reacting to the budget by cutting a few liabilities, or maybe the combat shirt buy is being held until the Army decides on a camo pattern for the Afghan theater. We know that there’s been a lot of back and forth on the UCP-D vs. MultiCam during high level meetings here in D.C. over the last week, but no decision has been made. Regardless of this cancellation, the fact that the decision wasn’t announced by the end of January makes me think the photosimulation test wasn’t a slam-dunk for UCP-D.
Also on the contract buzz today was Natick’s notices that it’s buying soft armor packages for testing from Safariland and First Choice Armor. Looks like this is related to an aircraft or aircrew protection program.
UPDATE: I just spoke with DLA/DSCP’s spokeswoman Diana Stewart who explained the Advanced Combat Shirt is safe. In fact, they reafirm that every deployer is getting one. Steward told us the DLA/DSCP got a little ahead of themselves by putting out an open bid just as the Army decided to transition the program into its contract sustainment cycle. Part of sustainment means shifting the competitive procurement process to a mandatory procurement process.
Mandatory procurement means DSCP needs to write a new contract that ensures an uninterrupted supply of the item–likely handing over the bulk of the buy to NIB/NISH once they are approved to produce the piece. DLA/DSCP are also using the hiatus to give PEO time to pass off the latest technical data package since the Army has made a few tweaks to the shirt recently. We also have to mention that Massif, the shirt’s designer, is likely involved somewhere in this process trying to maintain some of the revenue involved in the continued procurement of what began as their product.
INOVA flashlight brand sold to Nite Ize?
February 3rd, 2010 | Business News | Posted by Rob Curtis
We’ve heard from a couple of sources that Emissive Energy Corp. just sold its INOVA line of flashlights to Nite Ize. You’ve seen the little colored INOVA pinchlights on sale for $5 in every PX/BX/NEX/Trailer/HadjiShop on the planet.
Emissive seems to be keeping the military focused InForce flashlight line, though. We’re chasing the story down and will update when we get an official response from either of the players. Emissive released the original made-in-the-U.S. InForce lights in 2008 and followed up with the 6/9v models last year.
Petzl Ange ‘biners make light of your climbing
February 1st, 2010 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Petzl just put out its newest carbiner, the Ange, and it’s light. It’s probably the lightest keylock ‘biner on the market. The Ange is a cross between a traditional and a wiregate setup that uses a single wire gate that latches into a keyed opening to create a fully captured gate. The drilled out keyhole means snow and dirt are pushed out of the opening, and there is no hook to catch while loading or unloading the ‘biner.
The new gate’s action is provided by a small spring in the base that promises three times the life of a traditional wire gate ‘biner. The Ange comes in small for $10.95 MSPR (28g and 23mm gate opening) and large for $11.95 MSRP (34g and 26mm gate opening).
The body has a few more features worth noting: There are bumps on the top and bottom rope bearing surfaces to keep lines running in the strongest part of the device, another raised area to keep quickdraws in place and a slightly straightened nose that makes clipping in faster.