Lowe Alpine Sting Pack

The Lowe Alpine Sting is an awesome pack that takes the best from the civilian market and makes it into a military style pack. I've used this pack for about a year and have found it to be very durable and it's features perfect for both military and civilian use.

For my review I'll consider the back of the pack the portion where the backpack straps are and the front the portion with the MOLLE webbing.

In regard to webbing, you'll notice that all the webbing is made of web material that is in the same camo pattern as the pack itself. This camo pattern is the DPM woodland pattern used by British troops and is very effective.

With a main compartment at 3576 cu inches this pack can hold a TON of gear. The main pocket is one large pocket with one smaller zippered pocket toward the top. I like this because it gives you a place to store some smaller stuff, but other than that it's a pretty simple main compartment. This main compartment can be used with it's full capacity or tightened down with the side compression straps to shrink the main compartment.

The closure for the main compartment it a drawstring neck with a top flap. The top flap has a pocket in it that is larger than you would think. The zippered opening for the top flap pocket is at the back of the pack. On the front of the top cover is a loop portion of velcro for attaching name tapes.

Moving to the outside you'll notice 2 "rocket" pouches on either side of the pack. These pockets are a great feature themselves. Not only do they provide additional storage to the main compartment. but they can be used individually as well. The pack comes with 2 additional smaller backpack straps. These are used with the rocket pouches. The rocket pouches detach from the pack and the straps attach to them to be used alone. There are 2 ways to use these pouches when detached from the pack:

1. Individually - The rocket pouch now becomes a rocket pack and can be used with one strap and slung cross ways over the shoulder as a sling pack or both straps can be attached and used as a backpack.


2. Together - These pouches can be zipped together to make a larger 2 compartmented pack. The only thing I've found with this is that the straps tend to be wide on the shoulders and feel as if they're going to fall off your shoulders. To remedy this I took a sternum strap from another pack and used and this solved the problem. You can also use the sternum strap from the main pack.

This feature is great for taking smaller items on a scout or short trip away from camp. I did this on a recent camping trip and was impressed with this concept. This pack isn't the height of comfort, but isn't uncomfortable either. It's great for it's intended purpose. Each of these pouches also has 2 straps on the front with side release buckles (SRBs) where additional gear can be strapped (as you see in one picture I have my rifle strapped there).

Under these rocket pouches on the main pack are the compression straps for the main compartment. Also on both sides, under the rocket pouches, there are sleeve pockets toward the bottom portion of the pack. These are intended for skis, tent poles, etc etc. I've found it useful for a short tactical rifle. When the rocket pouches are attached they help in holding these items in place. When the rocket pouches are removed the compression straps help with this.

Moving to the front of the pack there is plenty of MOLLE style webbing to attach additional pouches, hydration bladders, knives, tools, etc. Above the MOLLE webbing is a carry handle. I've found the handle placed here is very helpful. I use it a lot. At the bottom of the pack are 2 additional loops to hold the handles of tools like hatches and ice axes in place. Up further on the pack are loops to hold the upper portion of these tools. The front also has straps to hold down the top flap and compress the pack.

The back of the pack is great. At the top is another carry handle, but what I really like is the torso adjustments. The straps move up or down along the back of the pack to properly fir the pack to the individual for proper load distribution on the body. There is a nice padded lumbar support as well. The shoulder straps are very comfy and adjustable with a sternum strap and padded waist strap.

With a huge load carrying capacity, camo webbing, great features, and great durability I feel Lowe Alpine has outdone themselves with their military line of packs.

Volume: 3576 cu in
Load Zone: 20 - 55 lbs (although I believe this pack can hold more)

Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz

Torso: 15 - 20 inches

MSRP: $299.95

Blue Force Gear Vickers Padded Sling

The padded Vickers Combat Applications Sling is the same concept as the original VCAS with the added benefit of wider padding for greater comfort.

When I received this sling BFG had also just started selling their Multicam and ACU patterned slings. I've come to like the Vickers Combat style sling for it's ease of use, simplistic design, and very few extra straps and buckles. I have always used 3-point slings as a tactical sling and never really gave much thought to a 2-point sling. I always thought the 2 point sling wasn't as versatile as the 3-point and didn't work well as a tactical sling. My mind was changed greatly when I received Blue Force Gear's slings for review. Here are some things I've found advantageous in the 2-point sling...

1.There isn't the extra material there is in the 3-point sling to get in the way of the functions of the rifle. With the 3-point sling there is the extra material that runs down the side of the rifle and can get in the way.

2.Can perform the same functions as the 3-point sling in a simpler format.

3.Quick and almost instant adjustment to length (on the Blue Force style slings).

4.When switching to your weak side you're not "locked" into the sling like 3-point slings that utilize a release that lengthens the sling but tightens it around your body.

5.The sling can be tightened around your body for things such as fast roping and then instantly loosened for action if set up this way.

The Blue Force 2-point Vickers sling uses a pull tab toward the hand guard end of the sling for instant adjustments. All you have to do is grab that tab and slide it forward to tighten the sling and slide it backward to loosen the sling. It's that easy. This is very useful when transitioning to the weak side. Just loosen the strap and drop your weak side arm out of the sling to grab the pistol grip and transition to your weak side (see video below). The pull tab is a contrasting yet tactically colored webbing in order to help you differentiate it from the rest of the sling in your peripheral vision. This helps you grab it in a hurry.

Another good use for the quick adjustment is when using a collapsible stock. If you want to extend the stock but have the sling set up for when the stock is collapsed you can easily adjust the length of the sling to accommodate the length of the stock. When taking a more precise shot you can lengthen the stock and sling and get a good shooting position. The sling can then be shortened to pull the butt stock back tight to the shoulder and give you a good shooting platform for a better shot.

For those with a standard M16/AR15 butt stock there is a separate sling adapter for that style butt stock.

All hardware (ITW) and webbing is high quality. This sling is also made in the US, Georgia to be exact. The webbing used in this sling is 1.25" wide with the padded area being 2" wide material covering the closed cell foam padding. For those of you with a lot of gadgets on their rifle, or with a heavy barreled rifle you're like the added benefit of the padding when holding the rifle for long amounts of time.

With this sling being in the Multicam pattern it can be seen in the pictures how it blends right in with the Multicam uniform and doesn't silhouette the sling like a solid black sling will. I really like having the camo patterns available. BFG is the first I've seen do this with a weapon's sling and it makes a big difference if stealth and camo is what you require.

I highly recommend this sling if you like 2-point slings. If you've never tried a 2-point sling...try it...you won't be disappointed!

Colors: Black, Coyote, OD Green, Multicam pattern, Universal Camo (ACU), Foliage Green

MSRP: $64.95

SOG SEAL PUP Elite

The SEAL Pup Elite, created by SOG knives, is an absolutely excellent knife. I've used this knife for a little over a year and it hasn't let me down at all. In fact I haven't sharpened it yet and it's still cutting like it was new. I've used this knife during training and while camping and hiking. While camping I've split tons of logs with this knife...making tinder from logs was super easy. The features on this knife are very thought out and useful, whether using it for camping, hiking, utility use or for military use as it was intended.

For features I'll start out with the knife itself.

Knife

- Blade length of 4.85 inches. Excellent for utility purposes and just as good for fighting. Some argue on the length of the blade for fighting, but I think this blade is fine.

- Overall length of 9.5 inches. This seems to be a great length. Good for it's intended purpose, but not too long to be bulky.

- Weight 5.4 oz.

- Partially serrated blade. I love the partial serrations for use in cutting rope and cord. This saves on the blades edge.

- AUS8 Steel blade. AUS8 is a medium-carbon, high chromium stainless steel, which offers a good balance of toughness, edge sharpness and corrosion resistance. I've had this knife in the water and wet environments a lot and it's still had no rust buildup, keeping in line with it's SEAL name!!

- Black TiNi tiger striping.

- Blade spine rasp for notching, filing, and thumb placement. This is a great feature for striking a flint as well!!

- Injection molded, glass reinforced Zytel handle feels great in the hand. The perfect size with deep finger grooves. The handle is scored for a sure grip in all conditions. Lanyard hole.

Nylon Sheath (Included)

- Ballistic nylon construction.

- MOLLE attachment system. This system can also be used to attach it to the belt. The loops for the MOLLE system are a little tight on this sheath. The snap tends to get caught up on the loops especially when removing the sheath. If you remove the knife from the sheath when attaching and removing the sheath it helps a little with this.

- Kydex inner to protect the sheath from the blade.

- Strap holding the knife in the sheath has a snap and also velcro to help in case the snap doesn't catch.

- Cord holes in bottom of sheath for tying around the leg or as additional mounting option.

- Front pocket is great for a multi tool, firesteel, extra magazine, etc, etc.

I love this sheath because it offers great versatility. It allows you several mounting options and also the ability to hold extra tools in the front pouch.

Kydex Sheath (additional option)

- This sheath has a cool attachment system. It attaches to the belt with a sliding belt loop. To open the belt loop you squeeze 2 tabs at the bottom and half of the loops slides up. To put it on your belt just slide the sliding portion under your belt until it clicks. The only thing I don't like is that it digs into your side when worn under an untucked shirt.

- The sheath has a notch cut out of the blade portion for cutting cord without taking the knife out of the sheath. This is so when using it in a maritime environment on a boat such as a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) the knife won't puncture the RHIB if cutting cord. It also makes it safer to cut cord and webbing.not bad....my birthday today so I guess I'm good.

- Drain hole in the bottom.

- One other thing you'll see in the video is that if you don't put the knife in in the right manner the shape of the blade can cause it to get caught up on the Kydex. Not a huge issue, but something to be aware of. Watch the video to see what I'm talking about.

Overall this is an excellent knife. As I said before.. I've used this knife for over a year and I've not babied it....and it's still in excellent condition. I had never used SOG brand knives in the past and had no clue of the high quality of their knives. I can see this as an excellent hard use knife, for military or otherwise. The only thing I would change would be to make the back of the belt loop portion of the kydex sheath a little less abrasive on the skin. Otherwise, everything on this knife is perfect!

MSRP:
Colors/Styles:

Maxpedition CCW holster

The Maxpedition Universal CCW Holster is one of many items in Maxpedition's hook-and-loop modular accessory line. The holster is simple in design yet works great. It uses the hook portion of hook-and-loop to attach to the loop portion inside many of Maxpedition's bags. You can also find items in 5.11's line that this holster and Maxpedition's other hook-and-loop products will attach to.


The holster is made out of 2 inch wide webbing and you lay your pistol on the flattened out holster and then wrap the retention strap around it and then place it on the loop portion of velcro in your Maxpedition bag. It's that simple. The retention portion of the holster has some rubber like grip material added to it to help retain the pistol, so, you'll want to take that into account when adjusting the holster for the pistol. You won't want it too tight or that rubber will grip and make it difficult to draw your weapon.


I've found this holster to be a great value. It allows you to hold your pistol inside a bag in a safe manner and gives you yet another concealed carry option. Once adjusted right, drawing the pistol is easy and the holster stays in place and doesn't move around.


MSRP: $9.99
Black Only

Will work with the following Maxpedition items (at time of writing)


- Kodiak Gearslinger
- Sitka Gearslinger
- NeatFreak Organizer
- Fatboy Versipack
- Fatboy S-type Versipack
- Jumbo Versipack
- Jumbo S-type Versipack
- Typhoon Gearslinger
- Monsoon Gearslinger
- Condor 2 Backpakc
- Falcon 2 Backpack
- Vulture 2 Backpack
- MPB (Multipurpose Bag)
- Last Resort Tactical Attache
- Operator Tactical Attache