Zulu Nylon Gear Mega Admin Pouch With Optional map pouch on Authors Rig

I have been looking for this exact piece of gear since before its inception, I am a convoy escort leader and have to sift through far too many bits of administrative paperwork than need be, but the Zulu Nylon Mega Admin pouch keeps my crap seriously accessible and organized.

Before this gem found its home on my plate carrier every admin pouch I have stuck on my MOLLE always left me still putting admin crap in pockets or crammed in a GP pouch because of design limitations, but not the Zulu Nylon Gear Mega Admin Pouch.

One big cool factor is the detachable map case (sold separately) that stows in the unit. I keep my phone list, LOA copies, cheat sheets and maps all handy inside this case. I even bought a second one to keep stuffed in there with my GTRs/MRFs, mission planning notes, and other operational materials.

Continue reading →

Tactical Assault backpack – Nepalese style

TACTICAL GEAR: Bag Whores – Part 1

This is a small selection of bags I consider interesting.  And if you’re wondering, why is model ABC from company XYZ missing?  “Because I never owned one,” would be the easiest answer. There are simply too many bags and companies out there to mention every model ever produced. So please, forgive me if I do not mention your trusted LoadMaster 5000 from Beta Industries…

In addition I cover everything price-wise but I already hear people asking: what about this alternative from Rip-Off Industries for USD 30 – it’s the same design but cheaper? Not my cup of tea my friends unless you want to store you valuable gear in a cheap bag. I know how much works goes into R&D and I value innovation.

I also recommend you to check out technical details on their website as I wanted to avoid copy-and-pasting of technical data. You’ll also find pricing and color options on those sites.

Continue reading →

The tactical gear bag, no Starbucks trip is complete without one

Unfortunately I collect too many things but fortunately my small flat forces me to swap things instead of dumping them in the basement after a several months.

This advantage allows me to always upgrade while patiently annoying good friends into forcing them to buy my used gear for a bargain… Welcome to my life!

There are several types of tactical-gear collectors (similar to the blade/cutler world) and I have lots of fun writing about them – they are fictional versions of people I know for real and you know for sure as well, so if you happen to identify someone it’s just pure coincidence:

Continue reading →

U.S. PALM AK Attack Rack (tight ass jeans not included)

The U.S. PALM AK Attack Rack is a low profile AK rig made of 500d Cordura Nylon that has 4 integrated AK mag pouches and 4 pistol mag pouches (the pistol mag pouches will also hold other stuff like lights, chemical sprays and large folding knives).

The rig is bar tacked on stress points, has boxed stitched Velcro panels (for your ninja patches), the pouches have oversized drain grommets and uses Mil-Spec ITW Nexus hardware (ITW Nexus is a high quality manufacturer of closure components).

Some folks prefer tactical gear that is made of 1000d Cordura Nylon, but lately I have been thinking that the weight savings VS long term lifespan of using 500d instead of 1000d may be a good trade off.

Continue reading →

HSGI Releasable H-Harness for Chestrigs (Rear View)

For those of you who have been reading DVM from the beginning you will know the first gear review we did was on the HSGI Warlord V-4 New Version. In that article I complained that the (discontinued) padded harness was uncomfortable so I used the un-padded ones that came with it.

Well now HSGI has come out with a Releasable H-Harness that is compatible with most chestrigs (you can choose the size of the side-squeeze buckles to fit your rig). Personally I dislike the cross-back strap system (no reason really) so I was glad to find out that HSGI made a Releasable H-Harness for my Warlord V-4 New Version.

HSGI graciously sent me over one of their Releasable H-Harness for Chestrigs for review and so I could use it on my upcoming deployment. The harness appears to be made of 1000D nylon and has the usual high quality stitching and construction you expect from HSGI stuff.

Continue reading →

Another “NTOA Member Tested and Recommended” tactical product

So your new tactical-groovy toy comes complete with a NTOA Member Tested and Recommended seal of approval on it – guess what that means?

Nothing

Before I get into why let me explain to the folks here what “NTOA Member Tested and Recommended” means. NTOA (National Tactical Officers Association) is a trade organization (mostly) for police officers and trainers who work in the tactical realm.

What “NTOA Member Tested and Recommended” means is one of their members has reviewed a piece of gear and given a score on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the best. The testing and scoring system is mandated by the NTOA.

Sounds good right?

Well here is where I have a problem with “NTOA Member Tested and Recommended” products and the NTOA itself. First off the NTOA clearly states on their website that:

“Please note that this is not product endorsement from the NTOA. It is a recommendation by a field tester for the law enforcement community”

If that is so, then why do they put the NTOA seal on products their members test? Seriously if they are willing to use their name and logo to endorse a product then why do they then distance themselves from a product that they endorse with their seal of approval and logo? (confusing right?)

I am guessing it has to do with the Fees they charge for listing any product that gets the “NTOA Member Tested and Recommended” seal on it – anywhere from 50 dollars to 10% of the products retail value.

So the NTOA won’t even stand behind their own members’ decisions on gear they have reviewed using NTOA testing standards, that they put the NTOA seal/logo on and charge companies scale based fees to list.

Am I the only person here that finds that to be odd and even contradictory?

Continue reading →

The typical tactical gear add

If you think I am exaggerating with the above add I made then pick up a copy of your favorite tactical oriented or gun magazine and scan the Tactical Gear ads. Seriously, they look like they are selling G.I. Joe toys to children and not Tactical Gear to professional operators.

All of these gear companies seem to follow the exact same add format:

- Rename things that already exist with “cool” sounding made up names
Sure, I am so stupid that I didn’t realize you renamed ‘PALS’ S.T.R.I.K.E.K.E.R.S

- Use capital letters on everything
ATTENTION GEAR COMPANIES, IT IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING TO READ EVERYTHING ON YOUR ADD IN CAPITAL LETTERS

- Use exclamation points
Your product is not that exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Always list out a bunch of “high-speed” people that supposedly use your gear
Sorry, I don’t believe the CIA, NSA and Delta Force use your Tactical pen holder, and even if they do I don’t care.

- Use flames or some other “combat” looking background
Wow, if I didn’t see a burned out building and a fireball in the background of your add I wouldn’t have bought your mag pouch at the PX.

- Have ridiculous pictures of models wearing your gear
Yep, that guy holding an M-4 with Iraq Photoshopped in the background is the only reason why I buy your brand of gear.

Continue reading →