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Best morale patches of 2019’s SHOT Show

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019

February 6, 2019 by Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer Leave a Comment

When the US military transitioned away from sew-on unit patches and flags to hook-and-loop fasteners (velcro®), a whole new ballgame began.  Morale patches designed and produced by civilian gun and gear companies exploded in popularity, with some people designing popular (and lucrative) enough patches that they’ve turned it into a full-time occupation.  I met with Jason of Golden Tiger Works who’s created some awesome Hawaiian-themed pieces.

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
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Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019

No longer limited to embroidered unit patches, many and now made from PVC and their designs often include pop culture characters and references. For exampl,e Doublestar had the following “Guardian Angel” at their booth.

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019

 

Some trade/sale groups have popped up on social media, like the Morale Patch Black Market on Facebook.  It’s places like this that you’ll find out just how valuable some of the patches are.  This is especially true for SHOT show exclusives, limited run or damn funny patches.  The MPBM’s own patch (below) is never for sold, only given.  After meeting with one of the group’s administrators Vince Vega, i was gifted one such.

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019

While most use these patches as a way to promote their own brand, some forge a more anonymous path, producing works that don’t indicate their manufacturer.  Two such are PatchesOlHooligan’s Merida and a Domino’s Noid that I saw on a trade wall.  Manufacturer unknown.

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019

Speaking of trade walls, they’ve changed a bit over the last couple of years at SHOT.  Before, it was “take a patch, leave a patch”.  Now, everyone I ran into was “leave a patch, get one of ours from the patch wall attendant”.  While this means one can’t raid a trade wall for their favorites, it also means you get to see a much wider variety as nobody gets to snag all the good ones.  Below are a couple of my trade wall favorites from this year.

Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
Manufacturer unknown.
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
Maxim Defense, often repped by fellow B3 2/75 Ranger Kris Paranto
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
Defense Distributed and Ghost Gunner, advertising their unique angle of 2A preservation
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
Our own company logo printed on a PVC patch by Industrythreadworks.com
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
5:11 often has SHOT show exclusives, to go with their awesome gear
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
B.E Meyers
Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019
from TRU-SPEC

Morale patches are a pretty popular way to expand on America’s gun culture and connect it to many other aspects of our world.  A warning to the uninitiated, collecting can be addictive!

–Rex Nanorum

@Rexnanorum

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Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: @rexnanorum, #tacticalfoodie, 511, Best morale patches of SHOT show 2019, Defense Distributed, Domino's Pizza, GG2, ghost gunner, gi joe, Golden Tiger Works, jigsaw, loadoutroom, Maxim Defense, Merida, morale patch, Morale Patch Black Market, Psalm 144, Psalm 144:1, Rex Nanorum, saw, SHOT 2019, SHOT show, SHOT Show 2019, tactical foodie, the machine gun nest, The Simpsons, top gun, TRU-SPEC, unity

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Jens "Rex Nanorum" Hammer is an Alaskan Expatriate living in Oregon with his wife and kids. Growing up on commercial fishing vessels, he found his next adventure with the 2nd Bn, 75th Ranger Regt. After 5 tours to Afghanistan and Iraq, he roamed about the west coast becoming a commercial diver, rated helicopter pilot instructor (CFII) and personal trainer before becoming a staff writer with Loadoutroom.com

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