Although Crye was one of the first to make a combat shirt, other companies are now offering some worth while variants such as this Propper TAC-U Combat Shirt. The basic concept of a "combat shirt" being the sleeves and upper portion are done with more traditional military jacket materials while the torso is done very low profile with light weight breathable materials; the intent that armor will be covering that zone all day anyway. This concept change certainly helps a lot to keep cooler in hot climates and prevents pressure points from any extra buttons or pockets. The TAC-U Combat Shirt in particular uses 65/35 poly/cotton Battlerip fabric which includes a Ripstop weave, and torso has a 60/40 knitted Cotton/Poly Blend.

I've been beating on the 782 Gear Rogue Parka for a few months and have definitely been pleased. Soon after receiving it brought up the question; what the hell is difference between a parka and a jacket? The internets don't have a very unanimous definition, but something along the lines of: a parka is a hip length hooded coat made for cold weather. On the 782 site they claim "an amazing 3-season parka" which greatly to my surprise is actually an appropriate description. Whatever fabric magic they have going on, I've been able to comfortably wear this parka inside at cramped Shotshow ranging all the way to the snowy winter of Kentucky.

Using the same concepts from the Jumbo KISS, it was pretty much a no brainer to apply them to the Fatboy, the result being this GTG (Good To Go) variant. I would have just stuck with the KISS name variant, but I suppose it helps makes a distinction between the Jumbo and Fatboy. Anyway, the main idea appears to be get costs down while still keeping the core functionality of the bag intact, which I think it does well. Generally small details are taken off such extra webbing and dividers to achieve this while keeping the same overall size and layout. These changes along with using 800D as the core material achieved approximately a 25% weight reduction. The 800D is slightly more flexible compared  to the usual 1000D Maxpedition uses, however is still plenty strong to achieve long term durability.

For some of the other changes, the shoulder strap is now 1.5" rather than 2" and the HK snap is a simple plastic D-ring. Ladies will probably like the more slim strap, but those who weighted down their Fatboy may miss the wider 2" strap for long wear comfort; Don't worry the shoulder pad is still included. The phone pouch and extra webbing have been dropped for simple webbing zones with loop to allow patches or Maxpedition sheath pouch attachment. Due to requests in the past a drag handle has been actually added. Rather than a belt snap, the back uses a velcro flap as seen on the Jumbo series. The result will likely be more comfortable for most as the velcro flap lays more flat against one's body. The same back mesh padding is used which is comfortable, however definitely the durability weak point on the bag having the least abrasion resistance and gets thrashed by hook velcro. As a more substantial change, the secondary compartments are totally different. The GTG now has a water bottle pocket and a GP pocket where the original fatboy had the GP pouch on the other side and a flashlight / sheath pocket. It will depend on the user, however I think most will welcome the addition of the water bottle pocket. Personally I'd rather have the water pocket on the other side so easier to access when worn on the right-hand side, the balance I suppose is the GP pouch would be a pain to access (requiring bag shifting for most) if that was done. On that note, to swap the layout there is the option one could get the S-type (lefty) version and just wear it on the right, just keeping consideration the CCW zipper will open the opposite direction. Sadly there is no grommet on the bottom of the water bottle pocket, or anywhere on the bag for that matter, but not a deal breaker.

Another big change is the removal of the draw-string closure on the main compartment. Some will miss it as it help keep smaller items secure, while some will be happy to see it gone to have more snag free access. The CCW zippered compartment appears overall the same keeping a good size loop field in there; Great for compact or smaller pistols. On the frontal pocket the core is the same with the interior having divided elastic webbing rather than a sleeve divider.

That about sums it up on differences. It is nice that rather than being just a dumbed down version, the GTG changes offer some options that some people may prefer. Overall a great variant to get the price down while keeping the core functionality and size class of the bag intact. 
http://www.maxpedition.com/

Some more velcro insert goodies for you tac bag folks out there; Maxpedition has expanded the hook back pouch line with the 5" x 7" and 3" x 5" Zipper Pockets. The layout is overall simple using a double zipper opening. The interior has a sleeve pocket on one side and elastic divided into 2 channels on the other. 

Maxpedition has had their EDC Pocket Organizer around for some time and apparently customers of all kinds of pant types have been asking for new size variants. The original EDC size was made to fit comfortably in a cargo pocket and now the Fatty size makes full use of the cargo space; Mini fits better in side hand pockets, and Micro is even smaller to fit in the majority of pant pockets.

As another part of the Magnum RD (Rapid Deployment) line, they also offer Tac shirts. I'll be showing the long sleeve version here, however the short sleeve version is available and even a female variant. Still using the 5.4 oz. 100% cotton ripstop in combination with some serious ventilation efforts, these shirts are made with hot weather in mind. This is a good setup for me as being a white boy I gotta cover up in the sun pretty much no matter how hot it gets. The SilencerShoot 2011 ended up being a good starter testing ground for the shirt as it must have been 100+. Many appeared shocked that I was in a long sleeve, so I just had to inform them this white boy has to cover or burn baby.

Woooo more pants. Magnum is mostly known for boots, but have expanded their offerings in tac clothing this year. One may have low expectations due to the company not specializing in apparel, but I personally was pleasantly surprised. Using 5.4 oz. 100% cotton ripstop, the pants are very light and breathable. The intent to make these hot weather pants is clear with other signs such as the vent holes in the inner thighs and even mesh material pockets.