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Archive | December, 2011

Elzetta Remote Tape Switch

By on December 15, 2011 in Flashlights, Guns, Tactical Gear

Elzetta has just released their new Remote Tape Switch for the excellent ZFL-M60 flashlights.

The Remote Tape Switch feature some really innovative features. The most significant is probably the constant on fail safe. Tape switches can and do get damaged from time to time and unlike other tape switches on the market, the Elzetta Remote Tape Switch won’t leave you in the dark. In the event that the tape switch is damaged and rendered inoperable, the user can simply tighten the tail cap all the way for constant on.

In addition to the constant on fail safe, the Remote Tape Switch features an integral zip-tie slot that can be clipped off if it isn’t needed. This should make mounting the switch easy just about anywhere on your handguard.

The Remote Tape Switches are available now on the Elzetta website in 5″ and 12″ lengths.

Review: BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile

By on December 14, 2011 in Tactical Gear

It wasn’t that long ago that I announced Beez Combat Systems (BCS) overhauled their plate carriers and I was fortunate enough to have some small say in the design of their Plate Carrier Low-Profile. Since that time I have come into possession of one of these plate carriers and put it through its paces.

The BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile is, as the name suggests, very low profile for a hard armor carrier.

Thoughts on the Design

The BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile is designed to be low profile as the name would suggest. In order to fit this low profile mission, it is devoid of any extra bulk like MOLLE webbing or padding. However, when we were talking through the design, we also wanted this carrier to be scalable to match the user’s needs so we incorporated a unique feature – a large hook and loop field on the front plate pocket.

The large hook and loop field on the front of the carrier is color or pattern matched to the rest of the carrier.

This hook and loop field is the key to the versatility of this carrier. It allows the user to instantly add various pouches to fit their requirements. This hook and loop field also allows you to stabilize a chest rig by adding some small patches of hook and loop material to the back of your chest rig. Chest rigs can often slide around when worn over a plate carrier but this hook and loop system can help lock the rig in place.

So, while this plate carrier is extremely low profile, it can be instantly scaled up to meet your load bearing requirements for items like rifle magazines, pistol magazines, flashlights, and first aid gear.

The top load design is unique.

Other Features

The BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile has front and back plate pockets. The front pocket features the large hook and loop field that I mentioned above and a smaller one designed to display name tapes, patches, or blood types. The rear plate pockets has a tube sewn on the lower portion that retains the waist strap. The plates (and soft armor) are loaded into the plate pockets from the top which is fairly unique.

The rear plate pocket has a "tube" that retains the side straps.

The 2″ wide shoulder and waist straps are not padded (though pads are available, more on that later) to maintain a lower profile when worn under a covering garment. The waist straps utilize 2″ side release buckles to secure the rear plate pocket to the front plate pocket. The shoulder straps are sewn to the front plate pocket with reinforced box stitches in such a way that plastic hardware is kept to a minimum to reduce the interference with your rifle’s buttstock.

My BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile features A-TACS camo but it is also available in a full palette of other colors and patterns including the new A-TACS FG pattern. I also really like that BCS gives the user the choice between 500D and 1000D nylon. The 500D nylon would be a great choice on a low profile carrier like this.

In Use

I have really enjoyed using the BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile. It works very well as a slick low profile carrier – or at least as low profile as hard armor carrier can be. In spite of its lack of padding, it is still fairly comfortable to wear thanks to the wide straps and light weight. I have been wearing it with training plates or TAP Gamma Plates which helps keep the weight down.

The design of the plate pockets is fairly unique. When the carrier is off your body, the pockets look like they would be very loose. But, because of how the straps are attached the pockets are drawn tight over the plates when the carrier is worn, locking them in place. They do not shift at all in my experience. It is a pretty clever set up because the plate pockets are basically self-sizing whether you use just a plate, just soft armor, or both.

Donning and doffing the carrier is easy. The large 2″ side release buckles are easy to use and easy to reach when the carrier is worn.

The BFG Ten-Speed Dappers work with this carrier like they were made for each other. Hopefully the fashion police can forgive the mismatched camo patterns.

The large hook and loop field on the front makes this carrier very versatile. It really comes into to its own when you add pouches from the Blue Force Gear Dapper line. Dapper pouches have hook material on the backs which interfaces with the loop material on the Plate Carrier Low-Profile. I have been using a Ar-15/M16 Dapper™ Triple Magazine Pouch Dapper Triple Mag Pouch and it is perfect for this application. It lays completely flat when empty and it can be used to carry as many as 3 AR-15 magazines. It can also carry flashlights, first aid gear, a cell phone, or even handgun magazines. In this configuration it is the perfect plate carrier companion to a battle belt (belt rig).

In this configuration, the BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile becomes a capable fighting rig.

If you are going to use the BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile, then I recommend purchasing the accessory shoulder pads. These shoulder pads are almost worthy of their own review. They have a tri-fold design that wraps around the shoulder straps and have very comfortable padding. There are various routing points on the shoulder pads that can be used to organize hydration tubes or comm wires. The coolest feature is the webbing loop with a snap that serves as a sling retainer. You just route your sling through the loop to keep the sling off your neck for comfort and help distribute the weight of your rifle.

The accessory shoulder pads are well designed and a must have if you want to carry magazines in addition to your plates.

Conclusion

The BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile is a low profile plate carrier that can quickly and easily be scaled up to an extremely simple, functional, and effective load bearing plate carrier. I am proud to have had a very small part in the design.

Check out the BCS Plate Carrier Low-Profile on the Beez Combat Systems website.

 

Benchmade 8 Hook with Glass Breaker (BLKWMEDR)

By on December 12, 2011 in EDC, Knives, Survival

Benchmade Safety Cutters are some of my favorites pieces of gear because they just work so well. Their reliability and cutting power amazed me when I reviewed them. Now Benchmade has expanded the Safety Cutter line with the new 8 Hook BLKWMEDR which features a carbide glass breaker.

I keep a Benchmade 8 Hook in my truck where I can reach it easily in case I need to cut my seat belt in an emergency. This new 8 Hook incorporates a carbide glass breaker which makes it even more well suited to emergency use in a vehicle. It gives you the ability to cut your seat belt and break a window to extract yourself from your vehicle in an emergency – all in one simple to use tool.

Check out the 8 Hook BLKWMEDR and all the other 8 Hook Safety Cutters on the Benchmade website.

UW GEAR AK MINUTEMAN Mk. II Chest Rig

By on December 10, 2011 in Tactical Gear

Most nylon gear manufacturers start from a military end user perspective and while the gear can be successfully adapted to use by civilian shooters, it would be nice to have gear that is purposefully designed for the prepared citizen. This is why a new tactical gear company called UW GEAR is unique. They build rigs with designs and features that are geared toward what they like to call the Armed Citizen (AC).

UW GEAR is a new company but one of the founders of the company, Diz, is anything but new to making nylon gear. People who have been around tactical gear for a long time will no doubt recognize Diz’s work. His gear has been sought after for years for its unique design and custom quality. Now, after a time away from custom tactical gear, Diz is back.

UW GEAR’s first offering is the AK MINUTEMAN Mk. II Chest Rig. As the name implies, this rig is made for the AK series of weapons and is available in both 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 versions. UW GEAR doesn’t build one size fits all chest rigs, instead preferring to tailor each rig to the specific magazine of each weapon.

The AK MINUTEMAN Mk. II Chest Rig has a number of standard features that tailor it to the AC. The most obvious example is the flap closure system or that the pouches are even covered with flaps at all since most chest rigs are moving away from full coverage pouches. Many chest rigs make extensive use of hook and loop material or bungee retainers to close pouches. UW GEAR wanted something quieter, more robust in harsh conditions, and easier to repair in the field than hook and loop so they designed a system that consists of a tab that can be inserted into a small retainer slot. This provides great retention and full protection from the elements while still providing easy access without the noise of hook and loop material. It is a very slick innovation.

Magazines, both empty and partially full, are precious to an AC since they do not have the benefit of a supply chain. They have a finite number of resources with which to continue the fight, so UW GEAR thoughtfully added a magazine retention pouch on the back of the rig. At first glance, the pouch looks like any other map pouch that is commonly found on a chest rig but this one is a bit different. The main difference is the length of webbing that runs from the bottom of the pouch up to the opening where it forms a small tab. This acts as a small “lever” that makes the insertion of a magazine quicker and easier. Again, it is a very slick innovation.

AK magazines are somewhat bulky and really need to be carried in a single layer that is close to the body. This is why the older green and brown Chicom chest rigs are still so popular today – they carry AK mags exactly the way that they should be carried. The AK MINUTEMAN Mk. II Chest Rig is similarly configured. It features 4 pouches that hold the magazines very close to the body without any extra layers like MOLLE webbing or pouches. If the user does want to add additional pouches there is MOLLE webbing on the sides of the rig.

The AK MINUTEMAN Mk. II Chest Rig looks like one heck of a chest rig for civilian shooters. Be sure to watch the video to see the above features in action.

UW GEAR is also currently working on a version for the AR-15. Check out UW GEAR on their website and their forum where you can interact directly with the owners and read more about the philosophy behind this rig.

SKD PIG Kangaroo Pouch Mag Insert

By on December 9, 2011 in Tactical Gear

There is no more modular plate carrier on the market than the SKD PIG Plate Carrier. The array of options and innovative accessories make it extremely versatile. Several of those innovative accessories, like the PIG Kangaroo Pouch Mag Insert (KPMI), will work very well with carriers other than the PIG.

The KPMI is a single mag pouch that is designed to be inserted into the kangaroo pouch of a plate carrier. Several carriers have these kind of pouches and the KPMI will work with many of them including the Shellback Tactical Banshee PC. Each KPMI holds one magazine which makes it more versatile than most kangaroo mag pouch solutions (which typically hold 3 magazines side by side) since the KPMI can be scaled to the specific carrier that they are being used in. For instance, the Banshee PC’s kangaroo pouch is only wide enough to fit 2 magazines so most kangaroo mag pouch solutions do not fit but 2 KPMIs work perfectly.

The KPMI has some really nice features including shock cord retainers and elastic to help grip the magazine even when the shock cord retainer is deactivated. The opening is also slightly larger than the rest of the pouch to aid in inserting magazines.

The KPMI is just a small part of the PIG Plate Carrier system, but it is big on usefulness, even in other plate carriers. Check out the KPMI on SKD’s website.

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