Chameleons are able to change their appearance to blend in to their surroundings. This attribute is a great advantage for the chameleon as it tries to catch lunch and avoid becoming lunch. The Chameleon Sling from Interstate Firearms Training is able to change its configuration to suit your current situation. It can be used mounted to armor in a number of different configurations or as a stand alone sling. This flexibility is a great advantage for the user who must adapt to a variety of gear configurations depending on the situation. The ability to change to suit your surroundings an asset to lizards and slings.
The Chameleon Sling looks like a pretty typical single point sling at first glance.
Overview
The Chameleon Sling consists of three basic parts. There is a long elastic (bungee) section that has gate clips at each end, a short connecter that ties the sling to your rifle, and an adjustable webbing section that is used to convert the sling into a standalone single point sling.
The bungee section consists of tubular webbing sewn over heavy duty shock cord. It provides plenty of elasticity without bouncing like a spring. The steel gate clips at each end allow this sling to be attached to many different types of attachment points but PALS webbing is the most likely attachment point. The weapon attachment point is attached to this bungee section via a metal ring that allows it to move freely from end to end. This is one of the secrets to why this sling works so well (more on this later).
This free-sliding weapon connector is one of the secrets of the Chameleon Sling’s success.
My evaluation sample came with an ITW MASH Hook as its weapon attachment point. This is the only version currently available but other attachment points like snap shackles and QD sling swivels will be available in the future.
These are made for Interstate Firearms Training by Jones Tactical so you know they are well made. The stitching is beefy throughout and all the webbing ends are neatly melted to prevent fraying. This sling looks like it will last forever.
These gate clips are the key to the versatility of the sling. They allow it to be attached to your gear in a variety of ways.
Observations from Use
There are several different configurations that the Chameleon Sling can be utilized in. I tested several.
The Chameleon Sling works very well as a standalone single point sling. It is much like any other single point bungee sling that you have used with one notable exception: the weapon connecter is free to slide along the length of the sling. That doesn’t sound like a big deal until the first time to lower the rifle to free your hands for other activities and the rifle slides to the side (the lowest point on the sling) rather than straight down in front of you. It’s like magic. Rather than dropping down where its swinging mass might threaten your… bits and pieces, it drops safely to your side and out of your way but still immediately accessible. Anyone who has been smacked in the junk before while using a single point sling will appreciate this.
I utilized the Chameleon Sling on this AK for most of the testing.
Sling plates from Echo93 work perfectly with the MASH Hook equipped Chameleon Sling.
The Chameleon Sling shines brightest when it is attached to a plate carrier in a wrapped-around-the-side kind of method. You simply attach one of the gate clips to some webbing on the front of your plate carrier and one to the back so that the sling wraps from the front of your plate carrier to the back under your support side arm. You can adjust the fit by moving where the Chameleon Sling is attached. In this configuration the sling allows the rifle to fall to the side and out of the way when your hands are not on it. It acts as its own weapon catch in a way since you can tuck the butt of the rifle under the bungee section of the sling to stabilize it. I am not certain that Interstate Firearms Training Intended that to happen but it is extremely useful.
One of the many configurations for the Chameleon Sling that you can try.
There are other possible configurations like just using the short weapon connector section to tie the rifle to your rig or routing the bungee section over both shoulders. Both work but are overshadowed in their usefulness by the wrap around method.
I spent a lot of time with the sling and I did identify a few gripes. The steel gate clips that are used on the bungee section work but they are large, heavy, and have some sharp edges where the pivot pins are peened. These edges tend to catch on the sling webbing like Velcro. The hardware works as is, but I can’t help but think that there might be some better hardware options out there. A concept this good might even merit some proprietary hardware.
The other gripe is that I that I would prefer a shorter webbing section for use as a single point. I am not the smallest guy in the world and I would prefer to be able to adjust it a bit smaller when being used as a standalone sling. The webbing offers a ton of adjustment but doesn’t quite go as small as I prefer.
The Chameleon Sling is GREAT in this wrapped configuration. This is its bread and butter.
Wrap Up
I didn’t want to send this one back and that is about as high praise as I can give a gear item. I don’t always like single point slings but this one does it for me. This sling is different than anything else out there that I know of and the concept is so clever that it easily overcomes some small downsides. I will be picking one of these up for myself.
Interstate Firearms Training is working on a website but it is not up and running yet. You can check out their Facebook Page and order your own Chameleon Sling on TacticalDynamicsFirearmsTraining.com.
