Mission Gear

ShotStop ballistic inserts offer high quality protection without breaking the bank

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to be discussing ballistic protection that you can slip into your backpack, but being prepared means taking the world as it is, not as we’d prefer it to be. In this era of active shooters and mass casualty events, more and more of us are looking for some level of ballistic protection we can carry with us, without constantly feeling like a Marine back on post. Sure, a plate carrier or flak jacket may be appropriate in some environments, but what about during class, in the boardroom, or at the airport? That’s when you need ballistic protection that won’t draw attention to you, won’t weigh you down, and is convenient enough that you don’t mind carrying it every day just in case something bad were to happen.

ShotStop’s line of BallisticBoard inserts offer a variety of options depending on the level of threat you anticipate, the bag you intend to carry the insert in, and of course, your budget. My favorite product is the BallisticBoard Clipboard — a non-threatening looking clipboard you can use while you do your job that doubles as a ballistic plate you can tuck into the front of your shirt to keep you from getting riddled with holes as you make a break for the exit (or the shooter) if Red Dawn were to unfold in your workplace.

Add an insert to this High Speed Daddy diaper bag and you just became Super Dad.

Their IIIA Backpack insert is thin and light enough to stow in your backpack and completely forget about… that is, until you need it. Rated to stop handgun caliber attacks, this lightweight insert is perfect for students and frequent travelers that could use that extra piece of mind while they go about their day. Of course, if the sort of threat you’re worried about is of the high-powered rifle variety, the BallisticBoard rigid insert is just the thing for you. This insert is thicker (at .95 of an inch) and heavier than the soft insert, so you’ll know when you’re carrying it. It’ll also stop a 7.62 round, so if you find yourself needing it, you’ll sure be glad you sprung for the extra cost (and weight).

We’ve got more from ShotStop coming at you soon, including a review of their plates inside the new AR500 Testudo Gen 2 plate carrier. In the mean time, check out ShotStop.com to pick up a set of inserts of your own!

Magpul Breach Glove: Preserve comfort and dexterity when manipulating weapons

In early 2010 when I first joined the military the Oakley SI assault glove was the go-to glove for any hard use activities. Over time new players have come to the game offering their own take on a hard use glove. When Magpul Core announced their Breach glove I was immediately interested. It had many of the aesthetic qualities of the Oakley SI assault glove while at the same purporting to have excellent dexterity and protection. I couldn’t say no and bought a pair shortly after they were released so how do they stack up?

They feel like a better fit Oakley SI assault glove to me. This might be due to the fact that the engineers at Magpul Core used people with hands similar to mine when making the fit for the glove. In any case, they do have a break in period of around 3 days of hard use before they fully settle around your fingertips. These are definitely purpose made for weapons manipulation. The Breach glove sports a gun gusset between the thumb and forefinger which aids in comfort and durability while holding pistol gripped firearms. In practice, I’ve always found the area between the thumb and forefinger to be a problem spot, especially when shooting handguns. The gun gusset is a welcome design addition to shooting gloves.

The usage of a leather palm was a superb idea as I’ve found that leather, in general, tends to handle the rigors of a hard environment (when cared for) better than synthetic material or simulated leather. On the back of the hand, you find hard knuckle protection made of padding and leather. When worn it doesn’t get in the way, though it’s worth noting, that compared to a non-hard knuckle glove, it does restrict mobility. The Breach glove does sport does screen compatibility on the first three fingers which is a nice touch in the high tech world of today.

UH-1 Holographic Sight by Vortex Optics

I have featured the Vortex Optics UH-1 on a few articles and this is my final review on it. It’s badass and I can’t imagine switching to something else… end of review. Just kidding. The UH-1 has been adopted by anyone and everyone that can get their hands on it as the go-to CQC/CQB optic. It’s fair in weight and the eye relief is incredible (I mean it is a holograph so that’s not really a point I can make lol) and the stigmatism is non-existent and that’s a big factor of why I like it. It doesn’t “blow up” or “star out” as some people find with the EOTech’s.

Craftsmanship and Durability

The durability is incredible as I have really beat this thing up. My buddies over at Vortex Optics told me to take it through the ringer and that’s exactly what I’ve done. The only thing that has happened is it has scratched but that’s nothing that a little paint can’t fix. I’ve dropped it, taken it on and off the rifle and I have also thrown it (for testing purposes). It has held its zero every single time. Trying to get it on paper is hard at first and that’s my biggest complaint, but I also only had a few minutes to get it on paper so I was rushing a bit. I also didn’t have it benched up so that may of been part of the problem as well.

Pictured Above: working on hot extract tactics in an undisclosed location in Virginia. Technically they say to always secure yourself in, but we were working on a new product to keep yourself in vehicles. Typically trucks are the best, but you have to use what you have around you. *Photo by @NatRodgersPhotography*

UH-1 vs EOTech

UH-1 AMG vs any EOTech I’ve used? I’ll take the UH-1 over just about any EOTech.. you may ask why? Stigmatism, man. Stigmatism is a b*tch and its always there for me.. until now. Vortex did a fantastic job on the UH-1 and broke into an area where they haven’t really been.. in fact an area where not a lot of optics companies have been. EOTech was the main go to.. Vortex shut that down. The guys I train are all slowly moving to the UH-1 and that’s great news. EOTech is still out there, but the sales have gone down a lot since the UH-1 came out. During training my buddy asked me “Have you ever used one of these?” and he pulled out a UH-1. I went to my bag and said: “I got one right here buddy”. After about 30 minutes of talking about how great it was, we finally got to doing a little weapons work.

Pictured Above: Doing some “shoot and move” training on a building in Suffolk, Virginia. Some people will ask why I’m running a monocular, but I was testing one out by ATN. *Photo by @NatRodgersPhotography*

The dot color is bright red, with adjustable brightness settings. It has unlimited eye relief but it is a holograph haha, it has a built-in Picatinny mount with a quick detach. It is a little heavy at 11.8 ounces but it’s not terrible. I would take a little weight on my rifle, rather than a little more weight on my kit. Vortex does have a magnifier, but I have not tested that out yet. Eventually, I will, but I’ve been traveling for work recently.

The UH-1 with NOD’s

The UH-1 is “not compatible” with NOD’s but it is at the same time. It is visible, but it takes some getting used to. Maybe Vortex will come out with a NOD’s “compatible” system, but so far I have not had any problems with NOD’s and the UH-1. Having a PEQ is ideal and in all honesty, if you shoot enough in a shoot house or CQC situation, you don’t really aim. You know where your guns are and where they are going. Oh boy, that whole not aiming sentence is going to start a conversation and I can already tell I’m going down a rabbit hole, but with a PEQ, or even without a PEQ, in CQC high-speed situations you barely have a chance to look down your optic. You live and die by a tenth of a second.

Pictured Above: Shooting during “Low light and no light” cold and wet conditions in the shoothouse in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

All in all, the Vortex UH-1 is a great optic and it’s a little cheaper than the EOTech. It doesn’t “starburst” so its great for those with astigmatism problems and all in all its a durable and well-constructed optic. Not to mention the Vortex guarantee. Vortex is a family owned, family run business.. by that I mean everyone that works there is family and you are family too since you purchased their product. The UH-1 is my choice for a CQC rifle optic!

It’s a gear off: Comparing the Grey Ghost Gear 5200 ALICE pack to the MOLLE II

Light Infantry is anything but and it only gets heavier as time goes on. Most of the time, heavy is good: heavy squats, heavy deadlifts, heavy riffs, heavy metal, etc. Weight is weight and despite the endless discussions between your privates when they should be pulling security – a pound of feathers and a pound of lead weigh the same – the best you can hope to do is carry it well. After my last deployment, the time came to decide on a new Tactical Tailor MALICE or branch out and try something new, the sister company and their Grey Ghost Gear 5200. For the purpose of this review, I will be comparing the Grey Ghost Gear 5200 to the still-currently-issued MOLLE II.
The MOLLE II features PALS webbing around the top portion of the main bag and is issued with two sustainment pouches commonly used on the left and right sides. The top flap also contains the map-style pouch but the main difference is the main pouch contains a modular divider that, when closed, cut the pack in half with a zipper-flap to access the bottom portion separately. This allows for more efficient packing in some cases, allowing the user to stow their sleep gear or other lighter items in the bottom, keeping their heavier mission essential gear in the top section.
The Grey Ghost Gear 5200 reminds me most of the Tactical Tailor RR5100 if it had been made for temperate climates. It came disassembled in a manageable box which gave me the opportunity to inspect each of the components.
The first thing I noticed was the straps are different from the Tactical Tailor Super Straps and closer to the Low Profile Super Straps – essentially shortening the thick padding to only cover the contact points with the user, increasing airflow to the underarms and sides that the padding on the super straps or MOLLE II would cover. The frame is the Tactical Tailor MALICE Frame but all other parts are branded with the GGG logo.
The only initial qualm I had with the components, initially, were the “made in Vietnam” tags. I’m well aware that plenty of reputable companies have their materials assembled OCONUS (GoRuck’s boots, ROCKY with the Dominican Republic, etc) but the Tactical Tailor MALICE Packs I’ve interacted with over my career have all championed the “made in USA” feature and I know GGG is a sister brand to Tactical Tailor.
The Straps and Waist-belt are very comfortable and complement the frame. The main pack features eight external pouches with routing channels running behind the medium and large ones for odd equipment (camo net poles, ski poles, extra weapon barrels, bipods, etc) as well as two large flat pockets on the inside and outside of the closure lid. Each of the smallest external pocket is at least large enough for two completely packaged MRE’s.
As the Senior Medic for my Light Infantry Company, I do my best to carry enough resupply for each of my Platoon Medics and a little extra. The external pouches are perfect for this application, as I can designate each of the medium sized pouches to fit two M9 Aid Bag internal pouches filled with interventions, organized by MARCH sequencing, just the way I like it. The Two largest external pouches are long enough to fit two 1L fluid bags and all of their stick-kits and extra lines along with whatever sustainment stuff I need (poncho, wet weather jacket, etc)

This is on top of whatever your Unit’s packing list requires. Big Boy rules or no, you’ll always want more socks and undies.
Thank your Doc for all the extra weight he lugs just for you.
The main Pack does not feature a separator in the middle to section off your sleep system and whatever else but it does feature the ALICE-Style Radio Pouch with an additional cinch, the aforementioned mesh pocket on the inside of the lid and two molle sections to attach hydration bladders and the appropriate channels to run your tubes out to you.
This one also came with an insulated hydration bladder and Tactical Tailor FightLight clips. The pack lid has an elastic skirt along with the dual drawstring closure for added water resistance.
Once loaded, the pack sits nice and solid. I appreciate that the bladder attachment flaps are free so I can lay the full bladder across the top of my load when only one bladder is being used. I’ve always hated having to stow it on one side like the old CFP-90 ruck.
Before taking it out to one of my Unit’s rucking events, I decided to put 4-8 miles on it in civi PT’s on a nice, sunny, humid Louisiana day. Under a loose ~50lbs load, I set off to complete 4 miles under an hour. It was a nice, relaxed 15 minute/mi pace and the straps were perfectly comfortable. I spent the first mile or so playing with the strap tension and policing any additional excess. The airflow afforded by the Tactical Tailor frame was phenomenal. After the first 3.5 mile loop, I went for another instead of turning out for the remaining ½ mile walk back to the vehicle.
If you’re not sweating, seek medical attention. If you are sweating, airflow is king to cool you down and minimize rubbing. The frame performed exactly as intended and the pads were the only thing making contact with me.
The low-profile nature of the straps kept the air flowing under my arms and the pads against my shoulders where the weight is balanced and supported against the waist belt.
Now, it’s all well and good to look and feel nice in your rumpus room while you’re getting ready for that 12-miler, or when you’re pulling that weekly PT ruck, but when you’re sitting in your vehicle in Louisiana and you start to notice the rain drops starting, you know it’s do or die time.
This is where my confidence started to falter; I knew the ruck sat well enough on my grey t-shirt on a sunny day during my funsies ruck but this had the potential to be a very uncomfortable morning. The ruck hadn’t yet been through any rain and especially not Louisiana rain. I knew I had bundled up the stuff I needed to stay dry in my waterproof bag but I hoped the rest of the pack wouldn’t get saturated and heavy.
When your AO looks like this almost year-round, you start thinking about drying-out as often as you can. I was especially nervous about the drainage grommets at the bottom of the ruck. I worried they might let water in as well as pushing it out.
Thankfully, those little ALICE-inspired bits of material create a nice semi-occlusive surface when weight is placed on them and prevents water entering from the ground.
My second worry was the water-resistance of the zippers. Most issued and even aftermarket rucksacks use overlapping flap closures and a buckle or cinch both for simple field repairs and to provide a surface for water to run off. To test, I tossed a handful of coyote undershirts into one of the small zippered pouches to see how saturated they got as the miles went on.
While they did get a little damp line from the untaped seam next to the zipper, the shirts came out perfectly fine. In a perfect world, your worn items will all be in a waterproof bag or a bunch of ziplocs but the overall water-resistance of the GGG5200 exceeded my expectations.
I will continue using the Grey Ghost Gear 5200 for my next Army adventure and look forward to really fine-tuning the way I organize the pouches and streamline the resupply process for me and my medics alike. Stay tuned for follow-up reviews.

-SGT Arnold Blackhawk Company Senior Medic

T3 Gear 3-Day Hydration Pack

Truthfully, I always tend to stick to backpacks by The North Face for every day and operational use, but I was given the T3 Gear 3-Day Hydration Pack
to try out and now I don’t know if I’ll ever move away from T3’s backpacks. Through 3 maritime operations, it has held its in a league like no other out on the open ocean which is mainly where my operations are. It isn’t waterproof, but going 45-55kn in a “fast attack” open console boat doing operations it has held its own in a league of its own.

I’ve had many of times where I would reach into my pack and my food is soaked and or my gear is. My food and my gear inside remained dry every time I was out on ops even if I came back drenched head to toe in the salt water. This is a huge factor to me. During downtime, all I want to do is get some food in me and possibly some dry socks or so on and so on. The fact that all my gear was dry every time I reached into my pack really shocked me. I was expecting at least my socks to be wet, but I was wrong.

With the ocean comes salt, with salt, comes corrosion. Often times I have to apply wax to any of my zippers on my north face packs but with the T3 the zippers have remained smooth and I haven’t had a problem with opening and closing it rapidly even if there is salt all over it. After each of my ops I would dip my pack into the salt water and let it air dry really putting it to the test and I still never had an issue with the zipper getting caught up. The T3 3-day hydration backpack is extremely rugged and probably in my top 2 of most durable packs out there.

The T3 3-Day hydration backpack features one large main compartment and 1 medium compartment. I personally put 3 large frozen smart waters (it was 82F that day) and one 40oz hydro flask in the medium compartment. I put the Rite in the Rain notebook in one of the smaller slips and even with frozen waters, the pocket that my rite in the rain notebook was in was still dry. In the large compartment, I put my Type III Gore-tex pants, my food, a Northface windbreaker, goggles, a shemagh, an extra pair of sunglasses and my helmet and I still had plenty of room to fit maybe 3-4 days worth of clothes in there. The comfortability of the T3 Gear 3-Day Hydration Pack is truly remarkable. It sits really well on the shoulders and I would feel very comfortable having a medium-long range land based load out on my back with it. It has a waist strap which adds to the comfort of being able to distribute weight. To test out the comfort, I added 3 of the heaviest front and back plates I had and I started running. With the ability to cinch it down to be tight with your body gave me the comfort I needed. Usually, with weight in packs, your weight slides around with the momentum of your weight. With the T3 Gear 3-Day Hydration Pack , this just doesn’t happen. It feels like you’re just carrying weight. No shoulder rub, no shifting of weight. I usually get rubbing on my shoulders with some weight in my north face packs at about 5-6 hour mark into a trip. With the T3 Gear 3-Day Hydration Pack , I had no shoulder rub.

Another plus is that It fits really well on top of a plate carrier, and its slim enough to almost use as an assaulter pack if you really wanted to. The ability to cinch everything down to make it super slim is very attractive to me which is why I would consider using it as an assaulter pack. With the ability to compress it, it makes moving on a boat easy. Being in a 26ft boat, moving from side to side around the center console to either tie up mooring lines, set up your weapons platforms, or just help out your coxswain in general, you can get snagged, lot especially with molle. I did get snagged when we pulled up to the dock the first time but I ended up tightening everything down a little more and that took that problem away. When I did get snagged though I got snagged good and still the molle did not rip. The quality in this pack is another outstanding feature.

The versatility is what I like most about the T3 3-day hydration backpack. It’s not too big to carry every day, but it can still be used for medium-long range ops. It is very easy to route a drinking tube due to the ports in the key areas of the pack. The D ring hooks make for a good way to air out a backpack. Most of the time my gear gets salt all over it and ruins it, so I always rinse out my gore-tex and gear after ops. The D-rings make it easy to drain. There are a number of drain holes in the pack (I mean its made by a former SEAL, so of course it’s somewhat built to operate in water) but take care of your gear and it’ll take care of you. The accessibility is another strong feature T3 brought to this pack. If we’re in between ops, floating in the ocean and so on and so forth, it is very easy to be able to have your buddy grab something out. The compartments are easy to access and grab something right away (Another reason why it would be a good assault pack or medium range op pack).

Summary – The best gear in the world can cost you a whole paycheck, but the durability, the price, the comfort – none of those can be beaten with the T3 3-Day hydration backpack . It is a step above the rest and it comes with a lifetime warranty which means that the guys over at T3 stand by their word and genuinely love their own gear. Now remember, I don’t get paid to write these reviews. I write these reviews because I genuinely want people to have the best gear out That’s. That’s why the writers and I at the Loadout Room do what we do, so if you don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself – but from what I’ll tell you, I probably won’t ever use a north face or any other brand of pack again. T3 Gear is the way to go!

Author – AJ P. Is a former US Navy Sailor who made the transition to private military contracting. He currently is working as a DoD contractor on the east coast. In his free time he enjoys training, shooting and hunting.

Princeton Tec Quad Tactical Headlamp

I was shivering uncontrollably. My thin warm weather rip-stop Crye multicams did little to ward off the December chill in Northeastern Washington. It was 2030 hours, well past civil twilight this far north and it had been dark for four hours by this point. We’d been evading by moon and starlight and had settled into our third location for the night. Freezing rain occasionally rifted over us in sheets. We huddled into a defilade to make comms via our PRC-112 emergency radio. We received a text message data burst for our next set of coordinates. However the backlight on our radio was not working. “Jones, turn on your headlamp” I nodded while my teeth chattered nearly uncontrollably and when I hit the button on the top of my headlamp to turn it on, nothing happened. Hissed threats against the headlamp followed as I tried fixing it. However she’d given up the ghost after three days in the field – the plastic frame had cracked from the temperature deviation between the day and the night and water had gotten into it. The headlamp was dead and it was the only light we were allowed. Our operation became much more difficult because of that equipment failure.

Critical gear failing in the field is anyone’s nightmare. I never imagined that headlamps could fail in such short notice until I began to do Survival and Evasion exercises as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Specialist (SERE Specialist) for the United States Air Force. My gear needs to be able to survive in all conditions throughout the world. I demand quite a bit. When I finished training as a SERE Specialist I was issued one hell of a headlamp from Princeton Tec known as the EOS and I’ve seen it issued to a variety of other Special Operations forces throughout the military for the plain and simple reason that this thing doesn’t die. I’ve taken the Princeton Tec EOS headlamp everywhere and put it through everything. I have confidence in it to the utmost.

So when I was given the opportunity to review another headlamp from Princeton Tec made specifically for military professionals or outdoors enthusiasts I was ecstatic. I was sent the tan / multicam quad tactical MPLS (Modular Personal Lighting System). What we get compared to the workhorse Princeton Tec EOS is a lighter package, the quad tactical weighs in at just 78 grams compared to the EOS weighing in at 103 grams. With the reduction in weight the quad tactical is outperforming the EOS by emitting 78 lumens compared to the EOS, which emits a healthy 60. Be advised that the quad tactical puts out a wider focused beam that allows your peripherals to work with you compared to the EOS which is more focused beam. In either case I’ve found that I like the wide beam on the quad tactical more. They both take 3 AAA batteries.

The profile on the quad tactical is slimmer and closer to your head / helmet which means I’m not catching this thing on branches or lower overhangs as much. Further the power button up top is much improved in my opinion over the EOS. The power button on the EOS was slightly offset to the right of the top of the device compared to the quad tactical where is it dead center. It’s just more intuitive in my opinion. The headband remains the same between the two lights which doesn’t disappoint me at all. These lights are also all waterproof to one meter. The red filter is interchangeable to three different colors; red, green, blue. Compared to other headlamps that require you to flip a switch a certain way to activate the red light I much prefer pulling the filter over the light – it’s simple and you know you’re going to get red. Plus you won’t be that one guy in the group that accidentally flips to white light and destroys everyone’s night vision.

The quad tactical like the EOS have a variety of different mounting solutions. A NVG adapter is included so that this light can be mounted directly to your helmet. The standard straps can also be removed and attached to MOLLE webbing. Or you can loosen the band and wrap this thing around your helmet and secure with some 100 mph tape (my preferred method).

The headlamp is a simple but essential piece of gear. Make sure you have one that is rock solid. I can’t say enough about the simplicity, reliability and ruggedness of all Princeton Tec designs but also the EOS and quad tactical specifically. Given the lighter weight and the brighter overall output I’ll be sticking with the quad tactical for the foreseeable future.