My Lowa boots (pronounced LOW-VA) have been the first and last army boot purchase of my career....that is not to say my military career has been spectacularly short, just that I have been so impressed with the comfort, fit, style and longevity of my Lowa Mountain GTX boots that I have not had any need to even look elsewhere for new boots since that original purchase!
Now before we get started, Lowa, like Meindl and Haix, are a company of two halves, operating a commercial arm aimed at the outdoors industry and a specialist tactical arm aimed at police, military and specialist security. The tactical range from Lowa is know as the Task Force Collection and comprises of around 21 styles and varieties of police and military boots.
The core Lowa Boots from the task force range are the Patrol, Mountain and Combat boot all hugely popular with army and military personnel. The 3 profiles are quite similar for the Lowa Patrol, Mountain and Combat boots, the Mountain being a Gore-Tex lined version of the Patrol boot and the Combat being a higher leg version of the Mountain (still Gore-Tex lined).
Additional the the 3 main Lowa boots are a selection of desert boots including the Lowa Zephyr mid and high leg (with the mid being available without Gore-Tex) and the Elite Jungle Desert Boot (the Elite Jungle Lowa Boot is also available in black).
There are a couple of varieties of the Lowa Patrol Boot, the higher leg Mega Camp and the leather lined Super Camp.
There are also Lowa boots aimed more at the police market, offering lighter weight, more flexible models like the Urban Military and Para Recon boots, both of which are available in Gore-Tex and non Gore-Tex models.
More recently Lowa have introduced the limited edition Sepia green Mountain GTX boot and are soon to release a range of boots in the new MOD brown which is replacing both the traditional black and desert boots for the UK military.
Friday, 24 May 2013
Friday, 17 May 2013
Police Vests
There are only a limited number of police vest manufacturers on the UK market and the standard vest design doesn't seem to vary that much. There are 3 main vest configurations, the "Standard Police Duty Vest", the "Mini Vest" and the "Molle Vest".
The standard duty police vest forms a zip up "waistcoat" with a variety of pockets and pouches on the front, most commonly:
- Cross draw baton pouch
- Spray Holder (with or without lanyard)
- Cuff Holder
- 2 x Radio Docs
- 2 x Large internal pockets
- .....a variety of smaller miscellaneous pouches or loops
The obvious advantage of this police vest is also it's disadvantage, it comes as a quick and complete set up unit, but is limited in how you can modify it. Take a look at the Op. Zulu Advanced Tactical Duty vest for the best police vest on the market. Clever features like the rear stash pocket and the elasticated belt attachment points make it a stand out above the rest and has clearly been designed by those who know the job.
Mini Vests, carriage systems or harnesses are hacked down versions of the full police vests, normally comprised of straps or a small amount of mesh across the back they offer much more limited carriage capacity and are often only designed to hold specific pieces of equipment, often for use under a coat or jacket in undercover situations.
Molle vests are a relatively new entrant to the market but allow for a much more customised end product. Once you have the police vest you can add as many pouches as the vest can hold for any number of different pieces of kit. As Molle is an international standard you can get pouches from a huge number of manufacturers including Blackhawk, 5.11, Arktis, etc etc. which are all compatible with a standard MOLLE vest.
The three major vest manufacturers in the UK market are Arktis, Op. Zulu and MLA.
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Police Earpieces
There are a wide variety of Police Earpieces on the market, whether you need an Overt or Covert Earpiece, listen only or with Push To Talk (PTT) and Microphone, whether you want in ear or headset, D Shape, G Shape or Acoustic and choice is to be honest 100% personal preference! What I will do today is run over the basic pro's and con's of each type of police earpiece and their normal uses but ultimately you have to try a few different types and find what works for you.
With covert ear pieces you have a couple of options a wireless in ear receiver and hidden mic that runs to a minimum of £200 and probably more like £500 or the more common acoustic earpiece with clear coiled tube which will set you back anywhere between £12 and £20. The clear tube runs out of the back of the wearers shirt collar and loops over the top of the ear and into the ear canal. There are two options then for fitting the tube into the ear canal, either the standard "Mushroom Tip" which blocks the whole ear canal of the "Gel Earpiece Insert" that fits into the ear well to hold it in place and then a smaller tube runs into the ear canal allowing both clear transmission of comms without the earpiece completely cutting off ambient local sounds. Acoustic Covert earpieces can have a 3 wire PTT and Mic allowing the mic to be lapel mounted or hidden in a sleeve or listen only.
G Shape police ear pieces fit like an inverted G made of black plastic or rubber, hooked over the top of the ear with the earpiece speaker coming down to the opening of the ear canal (some ear pieces have it swivel mounted others don't). General consensus is that the G shape earpiece is the most comfortable for the most users.
D Shape Police Earpieces (surprisingly enough) are black plastic or rubber D Shapes with the curve hooking round the back of the ear and the straight part running down the centre of the ear with the speaker mounted in the middle to align with the ear opening. These do not fit as close to the ear as a G Shape earpiece and people with bigger ears may tend to find they flap about like Dumbo when running!!
Both D and G Shape earpieces are available in PTT and Mic or listen only and will normally set you back anywhere between £10 and £20.
The most common police radio earpieces are for Motorola MTH800 and CP040 Series, Sepura SRP 2000 series and a few models of Kenwood.
With covert ear pieces you have a couple of options a wireless in ear receiver and hidden mic that runs to a minimum of £200 and probably more like £500 or the more common acoustic earpiece with clear coiled tube which will set you back anywhere between £12 and £20. The clear tube runs out of the back of the wearers shirt collar and loops over the top of the ear and into the ear canal. There are two options then for fitting the tube into the ear canal, either the standard "Mushroom Tip" which blocks the whole ear canal of the "Gel Earpiece Insert" that fits into the ear well to hold it in place and then a smaller tube runs into the ear canal allowing both clear transmission of comms without the earpiece completely cutting off ambient local sounds. Acoustic Covert earpieces can have a 3 wire PTT and Mic allowing the mic to be lapel mounted or hidden in a sleeve or listen only.
G Shape police ear pieces fit like an inverted G made of black plastic or rubber, hooked over the top of the ear with the earpiece speaker coming down to the opening of the ear canal (some ear pieces have it swivel mounted others don't). General consensus is that the G shape earpiece is the most comfortable for the most users.
D Shape Police Earpieces (surprisingly enough) are black plastic or rubber D Shapes with the curve hooking round the back of the ear and the straight part running down the centre of the ear with the speaker mounted in the middle to align with the ear opening. These do not fit as close to the ear as a G Shape earpiece and people with bigger ears may tend to find they flap about like Dumbo when running!!
Both D and G Shape earpieces are available in PTT and Mic or listen only and will normally set you back anywhere between £10 and £20.
The most common police radio earpieces are for Motorola MTH800 and CP040 Series, Sepura SRP 2000 series and a few models of Kenwood.
Friday, 15 March 2013
Maglite torches
Maglite Torches are the iconic police torch, renowned for their "bomb proof" durability and made famous by hanging from the belt of every US police officer (or Cop) in countless TV shows and films over the last 20 or so years. The fact that they are still so commonly used today is testement to their build quality, and in fact my 3D cell is over 20 years old and still going strong (though I did fit an LED upgrade recently, doing away with the old filament bulb for a brighter output and longer battery life).
Maglites are available in a range of different sizes from the key ring size Maglite Solitaire to the baseball bat size 6D cell and everything in between! The basic models have not changed that much over the years, more recently the filament bulbs have been improved to the Xenon bulbs as standard but you still only get the same basic functionality "On" or "Off".
A little bit later than a lot of other brands the the party, Maglite released a range of LED Maglites and an LED upgrade module for each of their traditional torch sizes, however they recently pulled the official Maglite brand LED upgrade module from the market (though there are still a range of third party suppliers out there). The LED Maglite torches cost a good 20% more than there Xenon counter parts but you soon recover that in a reduced spend on batteries, not only do the LED Maglites offer a better run time as standard, the substantially better light output means you are likely to spend a lot less time looking for whatever you are after in the dark than trying to use a filament version!!!
Even more recently Maglite have expanded their range to offer a lot more of the functionality that brands like Fenix were starting to offer to the police market like, half strength, strobe, SOS and "turbo" modes as well as integrated rechargeable products which could be wall or vehicle mounted and charged from mains or cigarette lighter. The Maglite Magcharger system is quite an expensive outlay at first, but for a regular user like a night patrolman the money is soon recovered in savings on batteries not to mention the convenience factor.
What's great about the new Maglites is that they have caught up with the technical innovations that other companies had beaten them to the post with, but maintained the traditions of rugged durability and reliability at a reasonable price point.
Maglites are available in a range of different sizes from the key ring size Maglite Solitaire to the baseball bat size 6D cell and everything in between! The basic models have not changed that much over the years, more recently the filament bulbs have been improved to the Xenon bulbs as standard but you still only get the same basic functionality "On" or "Off".
A little bit later than a lot of other brands the the party, Maglite released a range of LED Maglites and an LED upgrade module for each of their traditional torch sizes, however they recently pulled the official Maglite brand LED upgrade module from the market (though there are still a range of third party suppliers out there). The LED Maglite torches cost a good 20% more than there Xenon counter parts but you soon recover that in a reduced spend on batteries, not only do the LED Maglites offer a better run time as standard, the substantially better light output means you are likely to spend a lot less time looking for whatever you are after in the dark than trying to use a filament version!!!
Even more recently Maglite have expanded their range to offer a lot more of the functionality that brands like Fenix were starting to offer to the police market like, half strength, strobe, SOS and "turbo" modes as well as integrated rechargeable products which could be wall or vehicle mounted and charged from mains or cigarette lighter. The Maglite Magcharger system is quite an expensive outlay at first, but for a regular user like a night patrolman the money is soon recovered in savings on batteries not to mention the convenience factor.
What's great about the new Maglites is that they have caught up with the technical innovations that other companies had beaten them to the post with, but maintained the traditions of rugged durability and reliability at a reasonable price point.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Law Enforcement Equipment
UK Law Enforcement equipment is a bit different to what is commonly used by our cousins across the pond but most law re-enforcement equipment is developed in the US for the US market and then adapted for UK law enforcement.
The most common difference between American and UK Law Enforcement Equipment is the adaptation for firearms. Very few British law enforcement officers carry a fire arm, or even a Taser currently (though Taser use is being ramped up) and as such the need for pistol holsters or magazine holders is dramatically diminished. Most manufacturers of law enforcement equipment however if not actually american themselves, have aimed their products at the much larger American market, so the likes of 5.11, Blackhawk, Vertex, Arcteryx etc have all designed their pants or police vests to accommodate hand guns and ammunition. Two notable exceptions would be UK based Arktis and Op. Zulu who have a more geo-targeted with their equipment design and manufacture, producing vests specifically to hold UK Law enforcement equipment like PAVA or CAPTA defence spray, extendible batons, cuffs Airwaves Radio system with KlickFast Dock and then another couple of pockets for your pocket note book, sandwiches, etc.
Another key difference in law enforcement equipment needs is the design of tactical trousers (pants) . Yet again the US market is saturated with trousers built for holsters and to hold spare magazines and pocket knives, but no UK law enforcement personnel carry pocket knives as standard and only a very small percentage carry pistol magazines and even those that do are issued with specific magazine pouches rather than cutting their own detail as if an accident were to occur whilst the magazine is stuffed in a pocket rather than in an officially issued pouch with secure retention etc.
Other than the fire arms issue a lot of law enforcement equipment has to serve many of the same specifications, needing to be hard wearing, abrasion resistant, stain resistant, water resistant and /or fast drying, if not water proof, re enforced in the major wear points, suitably cut to allow minimise restriction of movement when running, or climbing, or transitioning from any number of positions and reliable enough to function for years in a variety of conditions.
The most common difference between American and UK Law Enforcement Equipment is the adaptation for firearms. Very few British law enforcement officers carry a fire arm, or even a Taser currently (though Taser use is being ramped up) and as such the need for pistol holsters or magazine holders is dramatically diminished. Most manufacturers of law enforcement equipment however if not actually american themselves, have aimed their products at the much larger American market, so the likes of 5.11, Blackhawk, Vertex, Arcteryx etc have all designed their pants or police vests to accommodate hand guns and ammunition. Two notable exceptions would be UK based Arktis and Op. Zulu who have a more geo-targeted with their equipment design and manufacture, producing vests specifically to hold UK Law enforcement equipment like PAVA or CAPTA defence spray, extendible batons, cuffs Airwaves Radio system with KlickFast Dock and then another couple of pockets for your pocket note book, sandwiches, etc.
Another key difference in law enforcement equipment needs is the design of tactical trousers (pants) . Yet again the US market is saturated with trousers built for holsters and to hold spare magazines and pocket knives, but no UK law enforcement personnel carry pocket knives as standard and only a very small percentage carry pistol magazines and even those that do are issued with specific magazine pouches rather than cutting their own detail as if an accident were to occur whilst the magazine is stuffed in a pocket rather than in an officially issued pouch with secure retention etc.
Other than the fire arms issue a lot of law enforcement equipment has to serve many of the same specifications, needing to be hard wearing, abrasion resistant, stain resistant, water resistant and /or fast drying, if not water proof, re enforced in the major wear points, suitably cut to allow minimise restriction of movement when running, or climbing, or transitioning from any number of positions and reliable enough to function for years in a variety of conditions.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
5.11 Clothing and Equipment
5.11 have got to be one of, if not my favourite tactical brand. The 5.11 range offers apparel including the legendary 511 tactical pant, jackets and even 5.11 belts, as well as a full range of bags and backpacks.
The 5.11 Tactical Pant is the product that started it all, way back in 1967 when at the top of Half Dome in California USA Royal Robins and his wife Liz noticed that that gear they were wearing for climbing was far from fit for purpose and they set about designing a pair of trousers that were stylish, functional and rugged enough for the rigours of climbing and outdoor pursuits. The name 5.11 comes from a virtually impossible difficulty level of a climb, the normal scoring system being 5.0 as the easiest and 5.10 being the hardest, 5.11 was therefore presumed to be impossible.
Over the years the 5.11 tactical pant evolved and was adopted by the FBI training centre as their uniform pant, and for a long time the pant was in fact restricted to FBI personnel. Commercially though the Royal Robins parent company was not doing so well and the 5.11 branch was spun off to develop the 5.11 Tactical Range and Royal Robins focused on the out doors industry. 5.11 Tactical is now one of the worlds largest suppliers of Law Enforcement Equipment.
5.11 now offer a bigger range of tactical pants with specific EMS pants, Security Trousers, light weight trousers, TDU and unform trousers as well as covert and casual pants and trousers in nylon, twill, various different weights of rip stop polyester and cotton canvas. 5.11 also now even offer two varieties of pants which contain a "stretch" material the Stryke and Traverse Pants.
For me though some of the best 5.11 products are the bags, more specifically the Rush series of Backpacks which offer some incredibly well thought out features and design elements along with the build quality and durability you would expect from anything 5.11 produce. The Rush bags are available in 3 sizes each named after the hours of deployment they were designed to serve, 12,24, and 72 respectively. For me the 24 is the ideal size for almost any situation, the compression straps mean it packs down as hand-luggage or a normal day sack just fine, yet there is actually tons of carrying capacity in there....easily enough for 48 hours.
5.11 Belts are a popular companion purchase to the tactical pants with the non metallic TDU belt coming in almost all the available colours that the pants do, and even offering their "Double Duty Belt" which is Coyote brown on one side and black on the other. For those looking for something a bit more rugged, the trainer and operator tactical belts offer 1&3/4" and 2" belts with steel buckles which can support a huge strain. These belts are also more rigid than the TDU belts and are therefore more suited to loading pouches as they are less likely to twist.
The 5.11 Tactical Pant is the product that started it all, way back in 1967 when at the top of Half Dome in California USA Royal Robins and his wife Liz noticed that that gear they were wearing for climbing was far from fit for purpose and they set about designing a pair of trousers that were stylish, functional and rugged enough for the rigours of climbing and outdoor pursuits. The name 5.11 comes from a virtually impossible difficulty level of a climb, the normal scoring system being 5.0 as the easiest and 5.10 being the hardest, 5.11 was therefore presumed to be impossible.
Over the years the 5.11 tactical pant evolved and was adopted by the FBI training centre as their uniform pant, and for a long time the pant was in fact restricted to FBI personnel. Commercially though the Royal Robins parent company was not doing so well and the 5.11 branch was spun off to develop the 5.11 Tactical Range and Royal Robins focused on the out doors industry. 5.11 Tactical is now one of the worlds largest suppliers of Law Enforcement Equipment.
5.11 now offer a bigger range of tactical pants with specific EMS pants, Security Trousers, light weight trousers, TDU and unform trousers as well as covert and casual pants and trousers in nylon, twill, various different weights of rip stop polyester and cotton canvas. 5.11 also now even offer two varieties of pants which contain a "stretch" material the Stryke and Traverse Pants.
For me though some of the best 5.11 products are the bags, more specifically the Rush series of Backpacks which offer some incredibly well thought out features and design elements along with the build quality and durability you would expect from anything 5.11 produce. The Rush bags are available in 3 sizes each named after the hours of deployment they were designed to serve, 12,24, and 72 respectively. For me the 24 is the ideal size for almost any situation, the compression straps mean it packs down as hand-luggage or a normal day sack just fine, yet there is actually tons of carrying capacity in there....easily enough for 48 hours.
5.11 Belts are a popular companion purchase to the tactical pants with the non metallic TDU belt coming in almost all the available colours that the pants do, and even offering their "Double Duty Belt" which is Coyote brown on one side and black on the other. For those looking for something a bit more rugged, the trainer and operator tactical belts offer 1&3/4" and 2" belts with steel buckles which can support a huge strain. These belts are also more rigid than the TDU belts and are therefore more suited to loading pouches as they are less likely to twist.
Friday, 8 February 2013
Military Boots
There are a wide variety of military boots available in the UK from a broad range of international manufacturers all the slightly different boot needs of the various military branches in each of their specific roles.
One of the easiest ways to break down the military boot market is by manufacturer. I will look first at the two economically priced mass produced brands before I look in more detail at the hand made top end boots which are more popular with the military than the police.
Magnum make a small range of military boots, these days narrowed mainly to the Scorpion light weight patrol boots which have been the UK MOD issue tender boot for several years running. In the past Magnum have experimented with a broader range of military footwear, including the first (and I think only) full multicam boot in existence! This included a sole constructed from multicoloured rubber, not just a painted on finish, so the multicam would not wear off even as the sole wears down. However Magnums alternative styles did not prove popular with military users and they have narrowed their focus back to the police and security boot market.
Bates Military boots have crossed over between police and military more successfully than Magnum, mainly due to the popularity of the Bates Falcon Boot with the highly elite and well regarded UK Special Boat Service (SBS). The Bates Falcon has a very unique tread pattern that has proved to have exceptional grip qualities on wet metal surfaces, eg. the hull or deck or a ship or boat. Other than the specific needs of the SBS when doing ship assaults the Bates range are not specifically military boots, they are much more a police boot, aimed at the urban patrol/pursuit user.
The more popular military boots are from the German hand made manufacturers mainly Lowa, Altberg, Meindl, Haix and Hanwag, but not forgetting the relative new comer to the scene Turkish company YDS. Between these brands there is actually not that much to choose from, it is really just personal preference. All of these brands of military boots boast outstanding reputations for quality and durability as well as comfort.
One of the easiest ways to break down the military boot market is by manufacturer. I will look first at the two economically priced mass produced brands before I look in more detail at the hand made top end boots which are more popular with the military than the police.
Magnum make a small range of military boots, these days narrowed mainly to the Scorpion light weight patrol boots which have been the UK MOD issue tender boot for several years running. In the past Magnum have experimented with a broader range of military footwear, including the first (and I think only) full multicam boot in existence! This included a sole constructed from multicoloured rubber, not just a painted on finish, so the multicam would not wear off even as the sole wears down. However Magnums alternative styles did not prove popular with military users and they have narrowed their focus back to the police and security boot market.
Bates Military boots have crossed over between police and military more successfully than Magnum, mainly due to the popularity of the Bates Falcon Boot with the highly elite and well regarded UK Special Boat Service (SBS). The Bates Falcon has a very unique tread pattern that has proved to have exceptional grip qualities on wet metal surfaces, eg. the hull or deck or a ship or boat. Other than the specific needs of the SBS when doing ship assaults the Bates range are not specifically military boots, they are much more a police boot, aimed at the urban patrol/pursuit user.
The more popular military boots are from the German hand made manufacturers mainly Lowa, Altberg, Meindl, Haix and Hanwag, but not forgetting the relative new comer to the scene Turkish company YDS. Between these brands there is actually not that much to choose from, it is really just personal preference. All of these brands of military boots boast outstanding reputations for quality and durability as well as comfort.
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