Category Archives: Informational

Where is Tactical Gear Production Headed?

I have worked the last 13 years mainly in the design side of the nylon tactical gear industry. I have seen the trends go from LBVs to plate carriers, to micro rigs, to belt setups with suspenders, to belt setups without suspenders, to recce rigs with hundreds of in-between products along the way. Entire companies have sprung up just to invent and manufacture interface devices to smash multiple pieces of industry gear together. I have even been responsible for some of them. These days you can find a piece of gear that will fit just about any mission that you might have. In the event you can’t, there are tons of smaller custom builders (like me) that can produce your one-off project to exact specifications. 

But what is the next leap? (And I don’t specifically mean in materials). You could call going from regular old Cordura to laminates and hypalon type materials a leap as it is a much better material to laser cut, but the build process is pretty much the same (i.e. you sew it together to make pockets). I’m talking about the next evolution in textile production – not just for the tactical gear industry, but that is where my experience comes from. I believe it is going to be in the world of 3D printing. That is, 3D printing the fibrous materials in a full (or nearly full) constructed state. Like, hit go on the printer and come back to a finished plate carrier a while later (perhaps a long while). Why would it be with a fibrous material? Today’s fabrics do a really good job of arresting a rip or tear before it gets too bad. This is sometimes referred to as “Ripstop”. This is accomplished by the weave of the yarns that make up the fabric. There’s no reason to throw that away. If you were to print solid flexible sheets instead there is a good chance that a “rip” would continue on over time (perhaps a short amount of time) and eventually render your equipment useless. And I’m not talking about just another plate carrier like we have today. What comes out of this theoretical fabric printer could be a design that contains build geometry that could not be produced on a sewing machine. 

Part of my business is building custom solutions for individual soldiers, police, contractors, and larpers. Sometimes those customers will send drawings of what they have in mind. However, they lack the experience of being a stitch-operator like myself. They may not realize that their drawing can’t be made the way they have envisioned it. 

For instance the attachment of a piece of fabric to form a pouch on one side might sew another pouch shut on the opposite side of the work. A good gear designer can usually find a way around this, but the situations do get complicated – especially when you consider a lot of these pieces go together in reverse and inside out. It’s a lot to get your head around until you have some time in it. However, most of these concerns would vanish if instead you are building (or printing) your gear a cross-section at a time. Layer stacked on layer of slightly varying geometry resulting in a perfectly reproducible piece every time.

Think about it: no hems, no seems, no need to have extra material folded over to help prevent the threads from pulling through a high-stressed area. Do you need an area reinforced? Simply tell the operating software that “this specific section of the design needs to be stronger” and let it do the work.

What about the camo patterns?

Just print them, too, like everything else. Now, I know this isn’t a viable option yet, but I am fairly confident that once the industry figures out how to reliably print the fibrous nylon material to a high degree of accuracy, varying the color of each layer and area in that layer will be an afterthought. We do it with 2D printers all the time.

Continue reading Where is Tactical Gear Production Headed?

ARNVG Night Vision Housing Reviewed by Licentia Arms

One of the most talked about new developments in the world of Night Vision as of late has been the ARNVG (Articulating Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle) housing from AB Night Vision. Licentia Arms produced a great introduction video to this new offering.

Users are so excited about this housing because it pretty much offers the best of all worlds in the realm of night optics.

  • Articulating pods.
  • Auto pod shutoff.
  • PVS14 optics.
  • 7075 aluminum construction.
  • Internal battery and external battery support.
  • Onboard IR illuminator.
  • Variable gain control.

All this at a weight that is amazingly low. The original RNVG housing from AB climbed to top or near-top of everyone’s wish list because of it’s extreme durability (aluminum construction). But what it always lacked was articulating pods and variable gain control (depending on who you ask). Those issues have both been addressed and added to the ARNVG.

What light sources will actually damage your Night Vision?

Everyone knows someone who knows the correct answer, right? But have any of them actually sat their NOD in front of a laser and just left it there to see what happens?

The guys at the FalconClaw YouTube channel did just that. They used an old Gen2+ device and are very open about not knowing if a modern Gen3 device will be impacted the same way or not. But, the results might surprise you.

3DSR Buckle. Ever heard of it?

You may or may not be aware that my day job is in the tactical gear design and production industry. Because of that I get lots of samples of new buckles either via mail or trade shows such as SHOT Show. Back in 2019 I received a few samples of the Three Dimensional Side Release (3DSR) buckle. I looked at it and tried to thank of a good use but at the time nothing came to mind. I forgot about it until it was rediscovered in a drawer at my shop. A very well thought out design and while reexamining it I wondered to myself why I hadn’t seen other gear-makers using the 3DSR. It has some great properties and the only conclusion I came up with was simply that nobody knew about it. So, here is me doing my part. If you are not aware of the 3DSR then consider yourself informed.

Image of 3DSR Buckle from Mil-Spec Monkey.

Features and Stats

  • 300 lbs load capacity.
  • Squeeze really well in your hand due to shape (easy to release).
  • Will release when overloaded instead of breaking.
  • Releases fairly easily under load.
  • Fragmentation Resistant (info below)
  • NIR (Near-Infrared Reduced).
  • 1″ webbing interface.

Properties

This is probably the most impressive part. This buckle isn’t made from the traditional acetal polymer that you usually associate with other like components. The manufacturer calls it “shatter proof” and was originally developed for USMC/ARMY pack frames and is supposed to keep its physical properties down to -40 degrees. The image below shows one of the buckles that has been shot by a 5.56 round at 20 meters (test not conducted by 30MC). You can see that the round passed through the buckle while it was mated together. The buckle pictured was still operational after taking the damage. An accidental disengagement of the 3DSR is unlikely as you must squeeze both sides to release.

Image of shot 3DSR buckle from documents from Down East Innovation, LLC.

As I stated before I am not exactly sure where this buckle would be used to the greatest effect in the “tactical space”. Perhaps in the should straps of plate carriers or even a on-riggers type of gun belt. It seems a bit wide to be used as a quick detach element on a rifle sling.

There you have it. The 3DSR. I promise to not take four years to report on an innovative components I come across, next time.

Most resellers of the buckle have it listed as an ITW Nexus product but I don’t believe that is the case. The confusion probably came from the fact that Fastening Systems distributes the buckle and they are largely associated with ITW due to the volume of ITW components that they ship.

Purchasing

I receive nothing from your purchase of this item. A simple google search revealed a few places where the 3DSR is available.

Digital Night Vision. Has it arrived?

Digital night vision technology has come a long way in recent years and has become increasingly popular for a variety of purposes, including surveillance, hunting, and other outdoor activities. It works by sensing in low light conditions and then amplifying that available light via software to create an image. The resulting image is displayed on a screen, typically a LCD screen. Digital night vision devices are generally more affordable and easier to use compared to traditional analog night vision. However, the quality of the image may not be as good as that of traditional night vision devices, and they may not work as well in complete darkness.

In this video Isaac Botkin lays down another dissertation level analysis of the current state of digital night vision. Specifically the SiOnyx Opsin. Personally, I will continue to stay analog but the future of digital night vision looks.. bright.

ITW Nexus releases the EVO SR buckle

For all you DIY gear makers our there. ITW Nexus has released a video showing off their new EVO SR buckle. According to ITW Nexus the EVO SR will launch in 10, 15, 20, 25, 38mm versions. Only color option so far is black. The buckle features a 2-way funneling type latch and body so it can be properly engaged without having the angle exactly correct when pushing them together. I am not sure if there is a great militarized application (over what is already available) for this buckle but it certainly is interesting and I am sure it will find its way onto future gear. Download the specs pdf from the ITW Nexus website here. If you are looking for an ITW Nexus supplier make sure to stop by the Materials and Sources page here on 30MC under the “Tactical DIY” section.

From the ITW Nexus website:
The Evo SR is the next evolution in fully featured side release buckle design. The Evo SR was designed using extensive user research, leading to real and impactful improvements to the user experience. These improvements include contoured, integral triggers, which makes the releasing the buckle easy and comfortable. The Evo SR also features new, innovative side-to-side and top-to-bottom angular funneling action for seamless buckle assembly. The minimalist aesthetic and accessible function make it a great fit for a variety of applications.

The Captured Russian ‘Spider’ IR Threat Detector Demonstrated.

You may recall a few days ago I posted a link to an article with a device captured by Ukrainian forces off of a Russian Wagner Group Mercenary. Link to previous article.

This video (not our video) has been released demonstrating the use and function. Pretty much exactly as we all thought.

Update with new information:
The following is unconfirmed. Apparently this device is from Shinex Tech from Finland. Available for $10,000/each and you need 4 for full coverage. Their website has been “down for maintenance” for a little while. Presumably to attempt to weather the bad press from being associated with Wagner at any level.