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.
782 Gear has come out with a some pretty cool tactical apparel this year sporting some pretty fancy fabrics. Rather than a bunch of small reviews I thought a varied item post would give a good idea of some concepts they have cooking.
For more bargain tac pants options the Genuine Gear brand has popped up semi recently. With a little research it appears the pants are actually made by Propper which I consider a good thing as they have been making solid uniform items for a while. The core material is overall lightweight (6.25-ounce) consisting of a 60 % cotton / 40% poly blend. Upon first look, the layout certainly has that 5.11 original tac-pant vibe, but there are plenty of differences to make the Genuine Gear pants unique.
I've had the Emdom M4 specific CQB pouches for a bit and despite being a tighter double fit than I'd like, I overall dig the core design. When some AK class opportunities came my way I was reminded I didn't have jack in the form of AK pouches so naturally decided to give the Emdom AK CQB pouch a try. I'm a fan of velcro flaps as they offer good error tolerance in stressful situations being overall easy to rip open and can half ass a closure yet still be decently secure.
SKD has been working on thier PIG plate carrier for quite some time so it is great to see all the work and wait paid off. The project started as mostly modifying the Eagle plate carrier with improvements and when it ended up not quite good enough, SKD wasn't satisfied with half-ass and thus the PIG carrier became its own monster. As a pre-warning, most of the issues I had was due to my small size since the PIG PC only comes in one size. Those of a more "normal" stature or larger will likely have even better accommodation.
Revision sent a pair of these my way out of the blue to give a try so I've been giving them a beating for about 3 weeks. At first I was pretty meh about them looking at the box thinking the concept is supposed to be a stlyish design. When I ponder fashion / style based I think of designs like Oakley Romeo and Juliet series were they really push the shapes. Thus offhand the Vipertail didn't look much different than the old school Tom Cruise "Risky Business" glasses. Anyway, after actually giving them a try and seeing no one was giving much notice along with worn photo review, they really started to grow on me. Rather than flashy fashion, I think they work great for something more covert and low key. They don't scream tactical and they don't scream metro douchebag either.
Based on the old Typhoon Gearslinger, which was based on a single strap design, it appears the design has been resurrected in backpack (2 strap) form. Since this size class is fairly taken care of by the Sitka and Noatak I can understand the concept to make it more like a traditional backpack to offer more small backpack options to Maxpedition's line. I suppose the Pygmy Falcon-II is the only other design that comes close currently.
MAXPEDITION Barnacle - Small Util Pouch: 
KP Industries Tactical Ultra Flex III Knee Pads 
Deep Conceal Ultra Holster 
THOR GLOBAL DEFENSE GROUP TESTS THOR XM408 AT SNIPER COMPETITION 
HELMET CAMERA XTREME PLUS KIT: 560 resolution version 
Krill Lamp 360 Extreme 
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