2012 - The year your kit went on a diet

[k30dxedle]

I don't know how durable they'll be (probably not terribly), but if they end up holding up it's still an interesting option. Was actually rather more interested in the fact that they're listed as being 500D in all colors, one of the first recent pieces of China gear I've seen that isn't loudly and proudly 1000D. Perhaps they'll continue that trend. (The Multicam webbing is funky-colored as ever, but hey, whaddya want.)

 

(Also CK I have no recollection what your old sig was but it's almost disorienting not having it there anymore)

[TheFull9]

Well they do at least seem to have done the cuts right by making them properly formed rectangles with rounded ends, as opposed to just a single knife slit in the cordura. I've never actually confirmed if FirstSpear do any sort of proprietary treatment to the nylon in their reverse MOLLE, but with the 6/12 there's an extra layer of loop on the inside anyway which probably helps.

 

End of the day, with the very rare exception, when it comes to airsoft use this new gen of kit with the 330/500D materials is the way forward I think. Sure there are those on a very tight budget or those who do seriously thrash their gear around, but to be honest when you're playing CQB how often is it even tactically beneficial to leopard crawl along the floor? It's always my boots and kneepads that get worn personally, quite rarely my LBE and I never avoid laying down in the woods just for the sake of preserving my kit. So opening up the whole lightweight gear angle to more players with the chinese stuff should be a good thing in general. Taking in to account it's usually the stitching that's dodgy on ACM equipment, not the actual materials.

 

The old sig was pretty much the same sort of thing to be honest, but it was there for literally years so I suppose the human brain will always tend to notice things which are unexpectedly different.

[navymp28]

The weight savings are great and all and I can see the "Kit is meant to last a deployment and then be replaced" argument as well. I don't know what to think if the First Spear 6/12, I don't see it catching on to be quite honest when so many people have kit that already want to use But I could be WAY wrong. The single deployment kit is going to become a fiscal issue sooner than later even for Tier 1 units as the decade of combat ramps down. If you don't believe me understand that the SEAL teams had to scrounge, Beg, Borrow, and Steal for equipment prior to 9/11. This is going to go full circle in the next few years if things continue and we are forced in America to go in Sequestration.

 

Tubes is something I am a little suspect of as well and need to see it in my hands before I can be sold on it. Something about rigid plastic that bugs me. I know that the majority if this kit has been driven by the current theater of operations as well as the current role many of the JSOTF units are filling. One thing that I beleive has been lost on many of these manufacturers is that many of these units have been operating WELL outside of there role's and as the war in Afghanistan winds down your going to see a HUGE shift back to more traditional roles for many of these units. You can already see the shift in the USMC right now with it's refocusing into asia and back to a Maritime capability. Did you know there is an entire generation of Marine Grunts that aren't versed in Amphibious assaults? That is crazy talk seeing as how that is the Marines domain. Same with the SEAL teams, once these rolls begin to shift it is going to be very interesting to see if man of this newer lighter kit will be able to stand the riggers of these demanding skill sets. Especially the constant exposure to Salt Water and the like.

 

Out of all the better, lighter, Faster kit I think BFG, and Tactical Tailor are really on the right track. Sometimes innovation can actually lead to a step backward. Crye has made some great things but they have not had much staying power in the communities that receive them, and price will play heavily on much of this. If the price is too high do to the R&D costs then it will remain a fringe item and relegated more to the civilian sector and or private purchase. I forgot to mention Mayflower, LLC. That is the company to watch in my opinion, First Spear seems to be re-inventing the wheel...when the wheel was just fine.

[-MOOSE-]

Well, First Spear has come up with their way of lightening the load. I agree with what you are saying, but all companies want to put their innovative idea on the market and therefore they all have different and sometimes extreme approaches to their design. Some may succeed better than others, and some might fail completely, and from what I've seen from tests, First Spear seems to have a very secure design, with their StrandHögg and the 6/12 pouches. I cannot speak from experience though, but I do also agree with what you said about the plastic tube closure, I'm sure they work well, but will they wear out and can they break under stress? I do not see these as a part that will overtake the market at any point, but I may be wrong.

 

First Spear has tried to "invent" something new to sell, but it just seems to me that the success of this design is mainly attributed to its new and cool design rather than usability. I do not doubt that it will perform well, but besides the cool design, I do not see a feature this carrier has that is something I could not live without. There are many more comfortable and light weight carriers on the market, this one is simply a little more fancy in ways, innovative, but still nothing too special. Their design is definitely something to like though, and I do like that you are not restricted to the 6/12 pouches, which are also of an innovative design. Still, there is quite a number of light weight carriers and lines of pouches on the market, you just need to find what you like the best. I do not blame anyone for buying theStrandHögg, or think that they are just a fanboy, I'm sure it is a good product, it's just not something I'd spend my money on.

[TheFull9]

I can't really see a reason to dislike 6/12 personally. You can use any of your old style pouches anyway, plus you have the option of using their new style of 'pockets', so it's not like it's a factor necessitating the individual to buy a whole new set of gear. Pretty much all the actual materials they've used are basically the same as they've ever been, so if old cordura can stand up to salt-water exposure/heat/cold/whatever the concern is, then so will new cordura. The Trelleborg stuff is new (that's the same material that BFG are using for the HW backings and their RACKminus) but it's originally made by a company that specialises in producing materials for particularly harsh environments.

 

http://www.trelleborg.com/en/

 

There's also some Crye stretch fabric in there (á la your G3 combat trousers knee area), but it's on the insides so that should generally be ok. I know FS had some issues with their initial batch of polymer used for the Tubes because they had a few guys breaking them in the field (who, they wouldn't say) so they sent out a replacement set kit to everyone that purchased one of the initial batch of Strandhöggs. My set's on the way at the moment, although my Tubes that came on the PC are perfectly fine, FS reckon the polymer and production process they've used for these replacement kits is tougher so I may as well swap them over anyway.

 

Either way, we're on an airsoft forum, and I think lighter kit is ideal for airsoft. You lose a marginal percentage of strength and resilience, and yeah there's guys who really abuse their airsoft kit probably more than some guys doing the real thing sometimes; but most folks at a skirmish don't smash their gear around all that much. Personally I find it a lot more comfortable and generally enjoyable running my Strandhögg + TT FL Belt at a game vs. a 1000D-template setup. I'm a little dubious on whether the belt is going to hold up because I go crashing through a lot of dense woodlands at some games and after one outing doing that the stitching isn't exactly looking 100%, the FS rig is absilutely fine though.

[Interficium]

I hear what you're saying Navymp but consider that it's just the way the industry is right now. 90 percent of the smaller shops want to cater to the SOF community because in a lot of ways it's easier (and cheaper) then chasing your tail for years trying to land a bingo big gov contract, and those big contracts for grunt equipment are likely to diminish in quantity significantly over the next few years. It helps that a pretty big chunk of civvie shooters and airsofters (which is where the real growth money is going to come from now that the war econ is trickling away) naturally gravitate towards the latest and greatest tacticool gear.

[TheFull9]

Didn't want to start a whole new thread, so thought I'd post a quick update for those who've maybe been on the fence about these new sorts of technologies.

 

Since Blue Force Gear switched the backings on their entire pouch line-up to Helium whisper they've released/announced a few different load-bearings rigs using the tech.  Two chest rigs (solid and split front) are now on the market, a warbelt was recently released and a PC is on the way.  More importantly however, BFG have over the past few months licensed out helium whisper to Mayflower R&C, Tactical Tailor and a German company called Stratagem, who are the first in Europe to pick it up.

 

My Strandhogg is fairing nicely after a fair few skirmish games now, I've yanked and pulled the 6/12 around a fair bit switching around pouches and I've not caused any sign of a tear yet.  Similar story with my TT Fight light belt and the BFG 

whisper pouches I've been using on those platforms.  You can tell after a while in use that this type of kit isn't going to last the same as 1000D stuff, but then it's not designed to and that's not why you should buy it.  The difference you notice in terms of fatigue due to load carriage is definitely there; for me it's been a very positive move forward all round when it comes to skirmish day.