While at the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, we had the opportunity to chat with the President of Adventure Lights, Tim Ford.
For those of you who don’t know about Adventure Lights, they make palm-sized multifunction LED Lights that are used for flashlights, markers and visual distress beacons.
An issue with Adventure Lights has always been having to secure their VIP Signal Lights with a means other than the pocket clip on the back side of the body. Typically this is done with Rigger’s Rubber Bands or 550 Paracord.
We addressed this issue with Tim at the SHOT Show, and he showed us how the new lights are being manufactured to mitigate this issue.
To quickly fix the pocket clip, a simple bend of the looped portion of the clip is all that needs to be done. Using a flat-head screwdriver, simple bend the clip to create a hook.
This hook will then catch on MOLLE webbing and add extra security for the VIP Signal Light. In addition to all newly manufactured models coming with a bent hook, a properly sized zip tie will also be included.
If you look just above the rotary switch underneath the battery compartment, there are two small holes used to mount the light. Those holes are much smaller than the average zip tie, and even if one is found to fit, they’re typically not long enough to wrap all the way around your gear.
Gutted 550 Paracord is always an option, but even that becomes difficult to get through the holes, and is hard to secure tightly around gear.
Tim is a guy that loves feedback on his product, and it’s great to find that in a company. We’ll hopefully be highlighting some little known uses of VIP signal lights here soon on ITS, so stay tuned!
Here’s a video to show a hands-on demonstration of the fix…
Hopefully everyone has had a great start to the New Year!
While it’s unbeleivable that nearly a month has past us by, we’d like to throw out ideas for some last minute New Years Resolutions.
We’ve compiled a few of our own, and a few based on an email we received from Neil Strauss’ (author of Emergency) mailing list. He’s got some great insight, and we always enjoy reading what he sends out.
So, if you’ve yet to make your resolutions, or have forgotten them already, give these a read… Continue reading →
We’re excited about our newest Reader Appreciation Contest giveaway, because it offers those that weren’t able to attend SHOT Show a chance to get some of the great schwag that was there.
We’ve also included an exclusive 2010 SHOT Show Gerber knife signed (etched) by the legendary Pete Gerber.
Gerber had signings at the SHOT Show where these knives could be purchased for a $10 donation to a charity. This particular knife’s donation went to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Our Knot of the Week series picks up today with the Knute Hitch.
The Knute Hitch is a simple knot that can be used to attach a lanyard to a tool, or dummy cord any gear with a lanyard hole.
We’ll show the Knute Hitch tied in the lanyard hole of an SOG SEAL Pup Knife, but again, anything with a lanyard hole can be used.
It’s suggested that the lanyard hole be twice the diameter of the cord used, but as you’ll see in the video and photos, if you can squeeze the bight through, then that’s all you’ll need. Continue reading →
We’d like to wrap up our coverage of the 2010 SHOT Show with a review of what we feel to be the most innovative products we came across.
First, if you were following along with our SHOT Show Twitter updates then you’ll already know about our next reader appreciation contest we’ll be launching shortly.
We’ll be giving away a knife autographed (etched) by Pete Gerber of Gerber Knives and some other show schwag. Details on the contest will be posted this week.
Without further delay, here are our picks in no particular order…
Crye Precision StKSS and JPC
The Structural Kinetic Support System from Crye Precision looks to be a great way to isolate the weight of armor plates and gear on the lower back.
We’ll reserve our thoughts for when we actually get a chance to get hands-on with the product, as our concern now is whether the stays on the sides will push the chest rig up too far when seated.
Weighing in at under 1 lb., the Jumpable Plate Carrier features an Integrated Attachment System which is MOLLE without any backing material.
We’ve scanned a photo from the catalog so you’ll have some kind of visual reference of what we’re trying to describe, as Caleb asked us not to photograph the unit on display.
We feel the IAS offers an excellent solution for lightweight MOLLE attachment.
Blue Force Gear
Blue Force Gear continues to impress with their DAP (Denied Area Pattern) and Ten-Speed lines.
While elastic and velcro are nothing new in the tactical industry, we feel BFG has truly pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with these materials.
A-TACS Camouflage
The A-TACS Camouflage pattern is impressive in person, and sitting down with designer Philip Duke and director Steve Hanks revealed the astounding innovation that has gone into the development of this pattern.
We’ll have more information coming soon, and are looking forward to integrating it into our next camouflage comparison.
London Bridge Trading Company CASS
The Comfort Armor Support System from London Bridge uses what appeared to be a contoured acrylic back-sized plate integrated into a padded MOLLE waist belt.
When donned, the unit distributes the weight to the hips much like a hiking pack.
We got a chance to get hands-on with the CASS loaded with front, back and side armor plates. The system definitely worked as advertised.
Wearing it through our entire conversation at the LBT booth was not only comfortable, but it honestly didn’t feel like plates were even being worn.
The CASS is being marketed to those on patrol or standing watch, as the back-sized acrylic unit seems to offer decreased range of motion. As with the Crye StKSS, we’re unsure how the unit will push a chest rig up while seated.
Outdoor Research Wallcreeper Cover
The Wallcreeper Cover from Outdoor Research is a product that offers weather protection and easily adapts to offer multiple shelter and active-coverage configurations
Weighing in at just 4.4 oz. it features GORE military fabric, taped seams and water-resistant zippers.
Better than the traditional snap closure with Military Parkas, the Wallcreeper Cover converts from jacket/poncho to full bivy and even to a mini-shelter/tarp.
Beyond Clothing FR Cotton
Beyond Clothing had an impressive video at the SHOT Show simulating the flash fire from an IED on their WTX FR Cotton Coverall.
Their FR Cotton offers the comfort of cotton, but with fire resistant properties.
Mystery Ranch King Cab Pack
Innovative packs are nothing new for Mystery Ranch, but the King Cab really stood out to us as an easy way to expand existing NICE Frame packs, particularly for medics.
Essentially the King Cab is an intermediary, connecting a NICE Frame and any NICE Pack.
The adjustable mid section allows extra weight, like ammo cans, to be carried where it will be evenly distributed to the hips and not interfere with your center of gravity.
Typically when a pack is loaded down the weight is on the hips no matter were it is in the pack, but your center of gravity can be thrown off. The King Cab design seems to have alleviated that problem.
Ops-Core Manta Strobe
The Ops-Core Manta Strobe features a vibrating alert to indicate IR illumination and can also be activated in white light mode.
It’s very small in size, mounts to helmets with velcro, and runs on a single CR123 Battery.
Princeton Tec
Princeton Tec brought their A-Game to the SHOT show with some impressive lights for the tactical market.
In particular, the MPLS caught our eye due to its low signature, multiple mounting options and fail safe switching system.
Look for more from Princeton Tec on ITS Tactical soon.
Modern Arms MPSS
Here’s a brief video overview we shot of the Modern Arms MPSS (Multi-Purpose Selector Switch)during SHOT
Gerber Knife Retention System
Gerber Knives had a noteworthy new retention system on their L.H.R. Tactical Knife (Matt Larsen / William W. Harsey Jr. / Chris Reeve)
Surefire M720V
The Surefire M720V variable output LED Weaponlight offers a dual-spectrum TIR white/IR LED assembly.
It generates either 150 lumens of white light or, with a twist of the selector ring, 120 milliwatts of IR light.
There’s also a light head available in the same technology to adapt to existing lights.
Safariland Military Tactical Holster
The Safariland MTH is an innovation which we feel has enormous potential for a holster.
First, you don’t have to buy a new holster for every weapon light upgrade you make.
Second, if you don’t run your weapon light, you can adjust the amount of play in the holster. The inherent problem with traditional molded holsters is that if you decide not to run your weapon light you have to deal with unwanted play in the holster.
An adjustable holster such as the MTH seems to solve that problem from what we could tell, but without extensive hands-on experience it’s hard to tell from the limited interaction we had with it.
Hopefully Safariland will start producing the holsters for other handguns other than the Beretta M9, and come up with a better name for the technology.
Special Mention: Tactical Chucks
We didn’t find out much about these Converse shoes other than they’re coming soon. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments on the Tactical Chuck front.
We made some great contacts here at the show, and finally got to put faces with names. Thank you to everyone for your support, we hope that you enjoyed the coverage!
Yesterday (Day 3) we managed to complete our walk-through of the Law Enforcement/Military area of SHOT Show, it took us three days! Of course we stopped and talked with tons of vendors, but this place is massive!
The highlight of today was Crye Precision’s Jumpable Plate Carrier (JPC) that weighs just under 1lb. and features a revolutionary new AirLite Cummerbund attachmet. Basically it’s free-floating MOLLE. Unfortunately, we don’t have a photo to share as Caleb asked us to please not post it on the internet just yet.
We’ve been tweeting updates throughout the day that feature more photos and will continue to do so all week, so if you aren’t following us on Twitter click here!
These are some of the items that we felt were the best of what we saw today:
Another awesome day here at the SHOT Show! The huge news for today is our connection with A-TACS and EOTAC. We’d like to say thank you to Steve Hanks and Philip Duke of A-TACS, and to Fernando Coelho of EOTAC.
Fernando has provided us with some A-TACS camo for our upcoming Camo Comparison, and we’re excited to include it in our testing!
We’ve been tweeting updates throughout the day that feature more photos and will continue to do so all week, so if you aren’t following us on Twitter click here!
These are some of the items that we felt were the best of what we saw today: Continue reading →
We met with so many awesome companies today and made some great connections for our readers.
We’ve been tweeting updates throughout the day that feature more photos and will continue to do so all week, so if you aren’t following us on Twitter click here!
These are some of the items that we felt were the best of what we saw today: Continue reading →
Developed by the CIA, the Moscow Rules are an ode to the dangerous locale that Moscow was during the Cold War. Much like “Rules of Engagement” for spies, they still serve as prominent guidelines today, just as they did then.
The original Moscow Rules were said to have contained 40 different rules and a debate still exists over whether they weren’t recorded, or are still classified. Here’s the list still circulating around the Internet…
