Revealed ! Tasmanin Tiger products for 2016

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Revealed ! Tasmanin Tiger products for 2016

2016 is upon us. – As in an every year, new types and sorts of tactical equipment floods the market. Some products are a repeat cycle of the year before – and some are presenting true innovation. As every year different companies are coming out with endless types of equipment & endless ways to improve the way you use your kit.

 

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Tasmanian Tiger, the combat brother of the well known 'TATONKA', is set to release some cool new products. In generally TT's aim is to offer flexibility and singularity when it comes down to combat equipment. What that means? It means that they seek to create a line of equipment that completes one and another – singularity. Tasmanian Tiger is well known for their aggressive – yet delicate design of their products. Their aggressive robust look is not only a look – but a real field proven equipment. Yes, they might not be a frontrunner in the whole ''equipment'' industry, but that is due to the fact that they like to take things slowly and that means checking, testing and validating by an honest process the readiness of their products.

My personal experience with Tasmanian Tiger is quite rich. Especially with the newer products, as I had some time looking and using those in the field. While I personally think that few of the products could be even better, I love the way TT approaches and designs their gear.

 

So what's coming?

 

Tasmanian Tiger, like his bigger brother TATONKA, keeps a solid track on its backpacks legacy. This year (2016 of course..) TT is going to drop several mission \ routine bags. While some of those bags are tactical oriented, the TT-TAC series took a different path on the ridge between the civilian backpacker and the military look. This combination caught my eyes but more than this – my back. The new system and design is definitely a success.

 

1.TT – TAC series

The Tasmanian Tiger TAC series consists of 3 products:

 A 45L Pack

The A 45L Pack with the excellent V2 Plus back system will have an external T-square rip for packing gear on the move.

TAC Pack 22

The TAC pack 22 has pretty much the same concept as the 45L pack, but is smaller, compact and extremely comfortable, even when overloaded. This pack has a well padded back piece and the same T-Square rip concept.

TAC Case

For the casual guys among us, who carry their notes, pens & laptops, check this one out. The TAC Case – A satchel bag design that follows the same ''look'' as the rest of the TAC packs. The case is quite nice and simple. It is comfortable for use and offers enough space for different electronic utility such as camera, phone, laptop, cables, etc...you get the point.

2. IFAK

Finally TT decided to work on an individual First Aid Kit. The design is quite awesome, compact and low profile. It is easy to use or store and offers flexibility towards most common medical kit configurations.


3. Laser Cut plate carrier

This plate carrier is extremely light and resembles the design of Cryes JPC. Just like the JPC you can expect this plate carrier to be rather light & robust. TT also added a pretty well made padding design and an extra pouches configuration for radios or so.

Founder of Project Gecko checks out the TT LC Plate carrier

Founder of Project Gecko checks out the TT LC Plate carrier

 

4.TT's ''Medic Assault''

For the medics among us – TT's ''Medic Assault'' will go through a 'hair cut' and will be completely laser cut, low profile and flat.

 

5. Frag Grenades pouch

A new pouchfrom TT which is designated for the use of HE Grenades.

6.New duty belts

tactical belts became quite popular in the recent years. Its due to a new type of pouches & technology. As always the equipment industry evolves and flows like a river – Tasmanian Tiger recognize the need and created their own line of belts. The line conssits of 4 different type of belts. The difference ? Size, Material & buckle. Small overview regarding the 4 models -

  1. ''Stretch Belt'' - a tactical belt for spandex webbing. Comfortable and quick to detach \ attach. the buckle has a unique L shape. easy to put and fits like a glove.
  2. Tactical Belt MK II - A typical rigid belt with a cobra buckle with high quality polyester webbing. Durable strong and with the infamous cobra buckle of AustriAlpin.
  3. Equipment Belt Set - Same as the MKII - but more durable,and designed to hold additional weight (pistol,mags,etc)
  4. TT 50 Belt - extremely light weight (170g) and made of Polyprophylene & a plastic buckle this belt would be useful for the LEOs among us or those who like lightweight belts.


7. Load Carrier

Those Infantry among our readers will probably smile – Remember those heavy iron framed back systems you had in the basic training ? Those you carried all those 50cal or other weaponary parts ? Its back. TT took the same old design and simply added into the carrier their famous V2 back system – making it an absolute advantage.

 

8. Chest Rig modular

One of the products that Tasmanian Tiger are well known for is the Chest Rig MK II. This year TT will released their Modular chest rig – basically the same product, but without any pouches – naked and with freedom of your own configuration. This model is also slightly light weight compared to the MK II. It will be released in Pencott camo as well.

Important - the chest rig is completely modular. it comes with no pouches. pouches in the picture are pre configured.

Important - the chest rig is completely modular. it comes with no pouches. pouches in the picture are pre configured.

9. Tasmanian Tiger Smoke pouch

A new multi purpose pouch. originally designed for a smoke grenade storage. For a very detailed review by Project Gecko please click HERE.

 

2016 Highlights in short

 

Laser Cut

As mentioned above some of the products are going to get laser cut. I assume you all know what laser cut means. Some benefits for laser cut molle 'systems':

 

  • Easier fabrication, which may ultimately contribute to a price reduction or the adoption of more features and higher quality in other parts of the system, thanks to lower production costs.

  • A weight reduction in the range of 20-40% (depending on the application).

  • The ability to run/hide comm wires for snag free movement.

  • Compact & low profile

 

Color

According to Tasmanian Tiger they are going to pick up a few new colors for their products. In general we are speaking of Coyote, Khaki, Olive, Black, Multicam & Pencott.

 

Highlight #1 – Pencott camouflage. You probably know Pencott , the excellent By the British company ''Hyde Definition''. Currently TT will release products in two patterns from Pencott – GreenZone & Badlands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlight #2 – Grey urban. Yes that right – Tasmanian tiger is going to release some of their TAC series (see above) in Greyish color. This will be done exclusively for the German TACWRK from Berlin, a well known Equipment store. I had a chance to see the Grey finish and I must say it looks awesome and really useful for LEO's or anyone who works in Urban environment. The Grey has a lot of advantages over the traditional black color....and obviously looks even better.

Summary

In the next week Project Gecko will release more detailed reviews regarding each of the products mentioned above, and more. We are currently still testing and evaluating some of the products. Yes it take time, but we do not compromise. 

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Project Gecko.

 

REVIEWS ARCHIVE

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Tasmanian Tiger Smoke Pouch

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Tasmanian Tiger Smoke Pouch

Tasmanian Tiger Smoke grenade pouch

When I get a pouch or any type of equipment that intends to protect crucial items such as magazines or grenades, I´m looking for multi functionality and not just for a pouch with a buckle. In the recent project with TT in the Austrian Alps I have found such a product – simple, but effective.

But first let me make it straight. This piece of gear evaluation is merely my own opinion and should not reflect any company terms of use of a product, or act as any 'tactical guru' statement for using Y & X. I simply love this pouch, and found it most useful towards other things than just smoke grenades.

So back to the story in a short version. Project Gecko had a team of 5 guys including me. We carried full equipment (1st, 2nd, 3rd lines) and carried different roles (DMR, MG, you get the point...) all as a part of a specific project we had to fulfill. While the whole crew was ready with their equipment and configuration, I had to reconfigure my plate carrier as I could not find my chest rig. So I picked up the Tasmanian Tiger plate carrier MK III and started to configure it quickly. The problem was, we didn´t have enough magazine pouches for either M4 mags or SR25, you know one of those first world problems.

 

So I saw those smoke grenade pouches laying down there in our truck. Those were left overs in different colors. My Israeli head, which turns bold in the IDF when it comes down to weird combinations, decided to take those pouches and tried to figure out if those could work.

The pouch.

 

The Smoke grenade pouch from Tasmanian Tiger is simple. It has the traditional ''pouch'' appearance. On the top the pouch has a flap with a buckle (for quiet opening) and a shock cord around the pouch itself.

The shock cord idea is also not so new, but still very useful. In matter of fact I used to carry a lot of different inventory on me when doing tactical courses. Often, if not always, I do not have so many pouches available for what I carry. That´s why I always welcome products that allow me to stay creative. The TT smoke pouch does just that. The shock cord allows me to insert nearly ANYTHING and to keep it tight and secured. It is nothing so special, but it is really handy. The fact that I can secure nearly anything in matter of seconds completely regardless to its size or shape is freaking awesome. Chemlights, radios, multitools...you name it.

Because The flap of the pouch, which is normally responsible for securing and closing the pouch is detachable which increases the functionality rate of this product. Why? I will explain

In my service in the IDF, often a pouch would be used for several types of tools. Why? mainly because of budget or availability of pouches. Very often the smoke pouches became either pouch for a flashbang or M4 magazines. The problem was always of either keeping the flashbang tight inside or having the closing buckle on the flap, reaching its destination.

 

The TT smoke pouch allows me to detach the flap (velcro backing) and connect it either deeper into its base or higher on its tip – allowing me to play with the ''intake'' capability of the pouch.

 

This is freaking badass. Because when I was in the Alps, as I wrote above – I used this pouch to carry 2 M4 magazines. It was tight, steady and just really great. In matter of fact I am considering to buy 2 more smoke pouches for that very use. I also used the same pouch for a flash-bang, phone or a small radio.

 

Conclusion.

Get it. It wont cost much, it wont break and it would serve as more than just one pouch. When I look on this product I don´t see one designation, but 5 different possibilities which serve my own experienced way of using tactical gear.

 

Case closed. Get it!

- Eli-

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Freeman Outdoor Gear Fixed Blade 451

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Freeman Outdoor Gear Fixed Blade 451

Knives – Something that shaped our ancestors to hunt & survive back in the day. Undoubtedly, while today focus is mainly on guns and the newest tactical clothing, knives from all types, shapes and purposes have been quite interesting to me. Back in the IDF a knife was an essential tool to get your job done. My common uses with a knife used to look like this :

  • Gear Repairs \ modifications

  • Cutting

  • Picking and prying

  • Splinters \ debris

  • Digging

In this review I am going to tell you my experience with the FOG after almost a year of an extensive use. This knife has been with me out there and definitely made my life easier with different tasks. My use consisted of outdoor & shooting range like activities.

Blade.

The FOG 451 is a full-tang fixed blade which means that the blade and handle are constructed from one continuous piece of metal, which is better to my opinion, if you tend to abuse your knife in your daily activities. The blade itself looks amazing, but above all it feels quite awesome. In my case, the blade went through a lot of rain & dirt. In order to witness its durability and withstand, I refused to maintenance or sharp my FOG 451 kit. The blade today is in a top condition, sharp and solid.

 

Because of a full tang, the durability and strength of the FOG 451 is guaranteed. The full tang allows you to exert and create greater force on the material being cut through the handle of your knife. A full tang is stronger and without a question an advantage. It also makes the knife balanced, since the weight of the metal extends through the handle of the knife.

The FOG 451 blade was constructed out of a CPM-S35VN stainless steel with a drop point blade. The drop point is a common design for hunting knives and by far one of the most popular blade shapes in use today. When I first received the Fog 451, obviously the knife was insane sharp – but even today, after all that use, the knife is still sharp and ready to fight.

 

Finish & Design.

Speaking of the blade...its finish is quite amazing, a true eye candy. I´m not a knife expert, but I do know how to appreciate art and semantics and the little details. The Cerakote finish, unlike other knife manufactures, stands up to the toughest task. I used and abused this knife for so many stuff, from peaking dirt & dust out of small objects, my pistol to cutting rough objects. Despite the rough use and long exposure to nature elements the Cerakote finish is still in a great condition, compared to other knifes I used to own.

The design itself is just beautiful and most important – productive. When you look at the knife for the first time, it may give you the feeling that this knife is stuck in time, between future & past. The design, especially with the drop point, reminds me of the old style of hunter knifes (dating long before 19th century) and while quality is something that improves with the age of the product, the handle and other features in the FOG 451 gives the end use a modern, technologically advanced knife.

 

Speaking of design...It's all in how you arrange the thing, the careful balance of the design is the motion and so is with the overall design and texture of this knife. The FOG451 looks alive, dynamic and in motion. It has a perfect shape, on both grip & blade resemble, a sharp & though character, but also a gentle and sensitive gesture. The grip (which could be easily disassembled) resembles a perfect harmony with the body of the blade itself. They fit together, flawless, without any sticking edges or irregular points. It´s all together, in according to each other shape...pretty much like nature.

The Grip.

The grip, from my point of view, splits into two, based on how I tend to use my knife. It is also important to remark that the grip is fixed onto the tang with 3 bolts.

  • Grip\ palm – Very comfortable. At least for my hand and palm the grip feels perfect. Further more it´s a unique design, with those small ''channels'' (cross-hatched patterns) that gives the end user flexibility and insurance of save use, even when its rainy and your knife is wet.

  • Jimmping – Nothing unique, but the FOG 415 Jimmping (machined cuts or cross-hatched patterns on the back of the spine of the knife ) are quite nice, and actually really comfortable for precision cut with the knife. Very comfortable...and a great design which you could easily work with, even with a glove.

The overall shape and feeling of the grip is just awesome. Ergonomic, user friendly and durable, like it has to be.

 

Finger guard – Safety.

When I was in the military, I had a chance (like most of us 'wilderness guys') to run across some folks who get cut ridiculously from their own blade. Whether it was an environment circumstance or the person itself...its quite unpleasant. The FOG451 bottom part of the handle, just before the blade, contains a ''U''- like design, that acts as a finger stop. Personally I´m in favor of this little design as it allows me not only to work safely during dark night or wet conditions, but also to initiate even stronger pressure towards cutting objects.

Sheath

The Sheath I got with my Fog 451

I used to carry this knife on my plate carrier, belt, battle belt, backpack, you name it. The knife was friendly and comfortable. Currentyl, Freeman offers two types of Sheath upon your purchase – Kydex & SpecOps...I have the Kydex, which is excellent.

What I find quite awesome in the FOG 451 sheath is its flexibility with different carrying platforms. Thanks to its unique structure the Kydex Sheath is ready with attachment points for horizontal, vertical, PALS and Para cord lashing/mounting, but that’s not all. On its back of the FOG is placed a pretty awesome feature for quick release or attachment, in case you want to secure your knife to a belt, Molle and basically anything in any way. It´s that little design that simplify life. Personally I found it a great plus for removing quickly the sheath when not in need. Another advantage is how easy it is, to attach the sheath to any Molle based surface.

The durability of the Sheath is not to question. It´s not only looking, it really is solid strong and rugged, with a fine design, which won´t get in your way or would damage the knife. In the bottom of the Kydex is a small drain hole, which guarantees an empty Kydex, in case you should find yourself in a storm.

Summary.

The Freeman Outdoor Gear Fixed Blade 451 is a rugged, tough and a heavy duty knife. This knife won´t break or worn off so easily and will definitely act as the leader of your EDC 'gang'. With its Kydex Sheath the FOG451 is almost the best you can have. Comfortable, robust and above all – flexible & dynamic upon user needs. Jeff's decisions on design and his pick of material results in an outstanding knife.



Should you want to get this knife, visit G-Gear in Germany. They are an official distributor of Freeman Outdoor Gear in Europe, with high selection of knives and a quick shipment. Get it here :  www.g-gear.com


Thank you for reading,

Eli.

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UF PRO's SmallPac Monsoon rain suit - Part 1

UF PRO's SmallPac Monsoon rain suit - Part 1

Rain gear – The tactical value.

Writing a review about existing functions within a product is relative 'easy'. But applying a product in a mission...is something else. In this review I want to understand if this rain gear product is truly up to date technologically, and if it is really effective.

-Prologue-

It´s winter 2010 - my team and three others conducted a SR training in the valley of Ella (Israel). The training focus was on infiltration and the usage of advance camouflage 'solutions' which are OPSEC. Mission requirement was, to approach during the night up to 100 -150 meters from our objective and to deploy our 'things'. The 'thing' was a concealment method which allowed a specific team to be present in hostile area without thermal \ visual detection.

My role was what we call in the IDF 'a builder' . Without writing too much, i´ll make it simple: We were specialized in fooling enemy counter surveillance capabilities ( active & passive). By doing so, we could ensure our team the ability to remain present in an AO, concealed and undetected up to 14 Days. With that being said, often some of our way to 'collect data' was to remain static most of the day in close distance within our objective for a long period of time. That reality has 3 layers of exposure factors : your gear, the environment (weather, animals, etc) and the team level of discipline & professionalism.

Back to the story. – The entire infiltration, long range movement and approach to our OP, took us around 3-4 hours. 1 Hour after infiltration, Murphy laws 'served' us with a lot of rain, bitchy winds & muddy ground. All of a sudden we faced a different reality (which taught us a strong long lasting lesson on weather assessment & considerations as a part of our mission plan). So since we still did some kind of a hasty weather assessment, we had our rain gear with us.

One of my team mates  during EOD course. Note the rain gear.

One of my team mates  during EOD course. Note the rain gear.

Typical IDF Rain gear, very lose and weak.

Typical IDF Rain gear, very lose and weak.

So my team leader gave the sign and 10 minutes later we were all dressed up in our shining rain gear.

The area was full of 'enemy' (OPFOR) patrols and it was quite difficult to maneuver in our rain gear without making that 'plastic' rubbing noise. The rain actually provided us sort of a nice natural screen from visual, smell or sound. But it had it´s own obvious disadvantages as well.

Our movement was relative slow the closer we got. Once we finally arrived at our 'Jumping point' (last point before the main position), most of us were wet, some looked like they just took a swim and some looked like they just peed the ocean in their pants. The most fucked up part was, that it felt like we are being cooked alive – I will get back to this later.

AO Valley of Ellah before & after 'awesome' weather -

I conducted a POS assessment or in other words – reality check, whether the main POS in reality (not based on imagery \ maps) actually fits in our mission requirements. Long story short, after something like what, 1 hour and 15 minutes (or so, I am not sure) the POS was ready and it was our new home for the next 48 hours.

Its safe to say that from the moment the rain started, things got edgy in a way which risked the entire team, and the somewhat the mission itself – a classic mistake every team goes through during its development.

Without expanding to much over this matter, most of our rain gear was just inefficient for movement, and was durable as a paper ship. We made ton of noise with each movement, all of us were sweating like pigs and in the same time felt like we are getting cooked in our suits. Some of us ripped \ damaged the rain suits only in the process of actually getting to the AO (most damaged areas were around the crotch, knee areas and shoulders).

So based on that situation and other problems in the past with different rain gear, I got the following important questions to my SmallPac monsoon -

  • Will I sweat \ swelter inside?

  • Will it keep me completely dry, or partially dry?

  • Will it limit my mobility?

  • Can it handle hard use?

  • Will it expose me?

  • Will it be heavy and too big for storage?

  • Can I still efficiently access my 1st & 2nd lines?

The SmallPac Monsoon Jacket - More than just protection?


The SmallPac Monsoon Jacket seems to be 'just another' jacket at first glance – but quickly has proven me wrong. The jacket combines reality and up to date features, which are based on the typical high end user UF PRO normally sells to. For an instance, the shoulders do have arm compartments, something that I personally never had in my typical military rain suits, or that awesome Hood/Harness configuration included. But ok, the question remains: Does it really make sense to blend into your rain suit some of those motives you would see within...lets say BDU jackets? Well fuck yeah.

Shoulder compartments.

Normally I tend to store more essential stuff on my 1st line (uniform) than on my 2nd line (vest \ PC). I do that due to the fact I don’t want to be entirely depended on my plate carrier \ rig in case something happens. In most rain suits you can forget about it, as automatically the suit acts as a barrier between your vest and the uniform below. With those 2 arms compartments, I have the ability to access some of the stuff I still want to have available under intense rain shower. Might sound a bit ridiculous...but that´s something you don’t see so often in rain gear.

 

Hood – A Gimmick or an actual advantage?

 

Designing such a suit is a challenge by itself. The question is - does it really works?

Two answers: Yes, & surprisingly even more than yes.The thing is, the hoods I used before in the military had a very traditional hood design (folding). Since the hoods have been just hoods, without nothing inside to control its shape or texture, often in different angles of movement \ shooting the hood kind of collapsed into my face. Sometimes I felt I looked like Kenny from South park and sometimes, especially in prone position – I simply didn’t take the shot once on target as I had a very narrow field of view.

Common problem in most Hood designs.

Prone behind cover or shooting from an uncomfortable position –that is what normally happens in reality of engagement & combat. Those are also the moments of truth, and its for those moments when you really know if the gear you wear is giving you an advantage or disadvantage. The rain suits I used during my service in the IDF proved me to the limit quite often, in many ridiculous ways. -

 

  • Wind \ running – Often the hood just slipped back from strong wind or when we took a run. Result was a wast on time on readjusting and by doing so losing awareness of the environment.

 

  • Visual – As mentioned before, very limited due to the hood ability to easily collapse.

 

  • Flexibility – The 'cave' effect – since there is no actual contact between your head and the hood, the hood would not change its shape in according to the heads movement which adds a great visual cost, and less comfort.

The Monsoon hood design - The perfect answer?

So after going through some of the problems I mentioned above, lets check out the hood of the UF Pro design.

 

The shape and its solution for any problems in the hood.

The ability of the hood to maintain a great 'light bulb' kind of shape (at least to me it looks like a bulb) gives the end user more flexibility and helps to overcome some of the problems mentioned above. There are two specific functions, which allow the end user to accomplish this little victory – and I will list it by priority.

1. Visor \ Frame.

Just like in most Ghillie suits – the head piece is sewed together with a bonnie or a cap, so the head piece will get a user friendly shape. In our monsoon case you will find a visor instead. The visor has of course several adjustment possibilities (as seen below). Remarks : simply attach to the ports INSIDE the hood, for better adjustment & size.

2.Flexible.

The guys at UF PRO sew a thin metal-like wire, which goes across the 'rainbow' of the hood (pic below). This little function allows the end user to not only achieve more out of his suit – but to literally use and shape somewhat its capabilities to his own surrounding.

This little function can be most useful for concealment, being static or struggling to look through a sniper scope during a fucked up weather without the hood falling \ getting in your way.

The UF PRO Design

The cuts make a lot of sense, and you can see, someone made it while looking through the mirror of wildness. It´s modern, little bit out of the common box and delivers a strong sense of power and durability.For an instance, the design of the chest zipper is simply simple and yet outstanding. In most combat shirts, jackets or in our case – a rain suit – many gear designers just stick a zipper and that´s where it ends. If you like UF PRO, you´d notice that for them, that is where it all starts. They don´t compromise over comfort & efficiency. The zipper design is quite awesome and deserves a closer look.

Note the zipper and its wide expanding opening angles.

Note the zipper and its wide expanding opening angles.

It seems as UF PRO simply built the zipper as some kind of an 'extra' layer above an existing layer, which acts as a normal part of the shirt. Thanks to this design, the jacket will still be able to prevent water from coming in. This is awesome and most useful for people like me, who tend to heat up quick when moving around with heavy equipment, and tend to get crazy from tighten clothes. Further more, this design gives the user the ability to once again shape the suit for his needs without compromising its sole purpose – staying dry.

Speaking of staying dry ...

 

Will I sweat \ swelter inside?

Well, depends.

See, you will still sweat inside, at least that´s how it was for me during 2 hours CQB. While, from my point of view, there was a significant difference in its performance between the jacket & the pants – the Shirt caused me to sweat more, but compared to other Goretex suits, much less. Thing is, you can not expect a suit to be 100% breathable while you want it to sustain both rain & wind.

My tip is like this. – Think smart before you dress up. Every soldier with field experience knows how much the right configuration of clothing can help us to sustain. – Ensure you wear breathable clothes, which could circulate somewhat the heat and help you to decrease the heat level.

 

Mobility.

Mobility is essential in any kind of human activity. Mobility can set a clear difference between a successful and a complete disaster. While moving in a green side environment (outdoor) it requires a more general type of mobility. – I tried the Monsoon jacket in a CQB environment, which is more specific regarding movement and more hot than outside. Add the plate carrier, which is already becoming less comfortable under layers of clothing – and you´d get an interesting test.

''The full potential of labor can be utilized only if there is mobility in labor.,,
Paul Hoffman

Wrist 

The wrist piece of each sleeve has an elastic finish, which ensures that, despite the rain or constant use, the sleeve would remain and offer a circle like structure, which perfectly isolates the end of the sleeve from any leak. There are also extra buttons, made to ensure comfort.

I find it most important since obviously in reality we tend to climb,crawl and move in different manner. The wrist and its adjustment allows us to ensure comfort but above all the ability to isolate & prevent any possible leak of water.

Arms

Comfortable. In fact I´m not sure, but it felt like the sleeves were little bit longer than a normal jacket on purpose. The material was most friendly, and not so tight. I could easily stretch, flex or band my arms in most directions, without having that annoying tight \ rubber feeling.

Shoulders \ Chest

Of course that during a 3 Hours repeating movement and stress, those areas tend to get ridiculously warm, and they did! But compared to those cheap jackets \ IDF standard issue – the Monsoon jacket appears to be less warm, and most comfortable. Thanks to a particularly long zipper, you could open and ventilate your suit (somewhat) despite the use of a plate carrier.


Lower back

This is extremely important and was actually one of the first things I looked into. My suit in the IDF (on its various issued versions) had one problem – the lower piece \ lower back had normally no shock cord, or a way to close basically the layer from its bottom. By its ability to be isolated from the outside – every time we went prone or just crouch, the lower back piece would sort of 'climb up' and expose your back, unless you take on purpose a jacket, which is twice your size (and then you got thousand more problems).

 

See, in longer static positions (especially as a sniper \ spotter) this proved to be a significant problem as at some point, after a 5 hours observation, the water made its way down to my ass – and that sucks, really.

 

 

 

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Summary

 

The jacket is simple to use, and durable. I'm pretty sure that this product life span is longer than a typical low \ mid budget solutions. Its weight and recent new camo application (Pencott, GreenZone) makes this rain suit more relevant than ever for any person who spend a significant time in the wilderness. While we will keep the packing \ storage to the next article – It is still important for me to remark that it is extremely easy & simple to store the suit back in its designated pouches.

Further more it is important to remind you that while this review was particularly aimed towards rainy weather - This suit suitable for wind.

 

Next part – We will talk over the pants, packing solutions weight mobility and few other cool functions.

 

Thank you for reading,

Eli

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