Review: Propper - Adventure Tech, Level V APCU softshell pants

I took the family up to the snow recently (yes, it DOES snow here in Australia, just not very much, or in very many places) and I got to try out a few pieces of kit that I have been waiting for an opportunity to pull out in public.

My last trip to the snow, some three years ago was a very unfortunate event; sleet and hail fairly ruined out outing, and I had passed on most of my snow gear to the others in my party, and as a result ended up cold, wet and miserable. Not to mention a touch hypothermic. Having lived in the snow several times (Denver, USA / Surrey, UK / Calgary, Canada) I was kicking myself for my lapse of judgement, but as I say, the others in my party were ok, and looked after me.

However, THIS time, there would be no repeats! I payed attention to my ever growing collection, and selected not only a range of layers, but also spares, in the event that I needed them. 

The key piece that I tried out, however, were my new pants from Propper. I picked these up from an eBay sale, and as it turns out they appear to be a discontinued range from Propper. However, the Propper Adventure Tech, Level V APCU softshell pants were a welcome addition to my wardrobe, and certainly proved their worth on my trip to Mount Baw Baw for the weekend. 

I wore a Tough Mudder/ Under Armor shirt and my Platatac Half-zip fleece top  on top, with my HeadSox on my noggin.

I have very long legs, which usually means that I go for a size larger waist to ensure the right length, for pants which don't have a W/L sizing, but in this case that played in my advantage, as I chose to wear these as over-pants, over the top of a base layer of my Platatac sniper pants fleece layer in the first instance, with my Urban Dax as a mid layer, in the event of unpleasant weather.

I found that the mid layer was unnecessary for the beautiful crisp and dry conditions we faced on the mountain, so I felt I could really throw myself about in the snow. 


The material of the pants is a very light, 4-way stretch fabric which is extremely comfortable, both on the skin, but also from a breathability and wicking perspective. This is due in no small part to the Schoeller Nanosphere Treatment that Propper applied to the fabric. This treatment apparently mimics the natural self-cleaning effect of some plants whose leaves always remain clean, because particles cannot adhere to the finely structured surface, and is easily washed off when rinsed, without allowing water to penetrate. It combines with the weave of the fabric to offer a high level of protection from wind, rain as well. It certainly shed snow and slush well, as well as the mustard and BBQ sauce I exposed it to at the chalet. It also seems to resist washing out, so should retain its abilities when I do need to give them a wash.

Also, they were in Multicam! I haven't had many opportunities to wear Multicam. I tend not to wear camouflage "for fashion", (although I got a MC Tactical Kilt from 5.11 .... review to follow! ) so having an outdoorsy activity to test it out in was great too.

The pants have a wide padded waistband, as well as pretty standard belt loops. I actually felt that the softness and lightness of the fabric would have warranted thicker belt loops, just to make them a bit more substantial. but really, I didn't have any problems with them.

The main front pockets were almost horizontally cut into the front of the pants. This was an unusual feature, and it did mean that when using these pockets, I needed to dive my hand straight down in front of me, but certainly did ensure that my pocket goodies remained safely stowed.
 

The pockets are lined with mesh, rather than the same material as the rest of the pants, or some other full-weave liner, which was an interesting addition, but certainly didn't hinder me in any way. The overlap between the front and back lips of the pocket were constructed such that they overlapped nicely, and I didn't experience any wind-bite or water logging as a result of the pocket placement.

The just-above-the-knee cargo pockets were small for this kind of pant, but certainly functional. (they fail the "will it take my iPad test", but I certainly didn't want to be lugging that through the snow), but they were billowed at the back, for extra capacity, and the left set included a zippered side pocket as well. 

 

Whilst tromping about in these on the mountain, I found that I could easily stow my phone in its SLXtreme case as well as my Contour cam, in ITS waterproof case, as well as two to three sets of gloves and or mittens, without a spill or lost technology all day. I did find that the knee-pads I wore sat very close to the cargo pockets, and this impinged on their ability to be filled fully. This was a little annoying, but the knee-pads were -very- large.

The cargo pocket have hook-and-loops closures, and the top of the lid-flap had an opening for pen, light or knife clips, or could also trail a cable.

One thing that I found with these pants is that they stopped the wind dead. Whether I was standing on the top of a ridge, or zipping down a slope on a toboggan with the little ones, they simply cut the wind right out. They did so without the "zitch-zitch-zitch" that Gore-tex "hard-shell" pants might. 
 

This leads me to post this little guide to assist anyone else who occasionally gets mystified by ll the "hard-shell/soft-shell" jargon ... 

I've tried to find an explanation or scale to describe the "Level V" portion of the Propper scale (which goes to at least VII) but this might go some way to describe what different levels and ratings of waterproofedness and breathability mean.

One thing I found interesting about these pants are that not only do they totally lack any pockets at the back, but are also fitted with a wide elastic section, the full width of the waistband, for the entirety of the back of the pants.This meant that they did sit fairly snugly, even with the "slightly too large" size I got, and stayed snug when i was crouched, squatting on a toboggan, or kneeling to pick up and carry my small people. 

I really liked wearing these pants. I stayed snug, warm and dry. I tromped through snow and slush, picked up squealing kicking offspring and sat them on my legs , sat in the snow, built snow-dinosaurs and generally had a good time, all without a single sad, soggy moment.

It's a real shame these are no longer being made, but can still be picked up by searching for Propper Adventure Tech, Level V with the product code F7220, online. Good luck, stay warm and dry!

Review: Global Gear - Zombie Outbreak DeadHeadvest

Here is another fun piece from the Global Gear's Zombie Outbreak "Tactical Response Gear", which I've already covered some items from, the Hydro Bugout Pack and the Grunt Plate Carrier.

This time, it's another chest rig, the Dead Head Tactical Vest, in the same multicam looking pattern as the Grunt Plate Carrier, and in this case, is very similar tot he look of a couple of other vest's I've seen come up recently on Dvor: and OpsGear as well.

However, Global Gear is local, and I'm always keen to cover things that local businesses  stock. No point having to wait 6 weeks shipping when the zombies come, is there?

What can I tell you about this vest?

Firstly, like the Grunt Plate Carrier, the pouches are made of a textured vinyl, finished with nylon webbing. This isn't as big an issue for me on this vest, as the backing is a nylon mesh material, to which the pouches, webbing and other panels are sewn.

The left side front panel of the belly of the vest is covered with loop-field, to which is attached a twin magazine pouch panel, with a retaining loop of webbing. This can be swapped out for the included "fast draw" pistol holster, which for some reason comes attached over the left shoulder. (More on that later). As well as the removable twin-pouches, the left side features a single fixed magazine sized pouch. Above these are a triplet of pistol magazine / flashlight/ utility pockets, and a small radio pocket at the left shoulder.

Over on the right side, over the fairly chunky mid-line zipper, are three more fixed magazine pouches, each with the elasticized sides, hook-and-loop fixed lids and drainage grommets that this line features. Above these lays a wide admin type pocket, that has a panel of four shotgun shell loops of elastic attached to the lid with hook-and-loop. these could be removed to put a nametape or ID to the chest. The right shoulder is fitted with a thinly padded patent-leather panel, as a shooters-rest.




The back of the vest features three sets of three reinforced bands of nylon, like a kind of "super PALS/MOLLE" which is apparently for fixing larger tools to. This is actually a pretty good idea, as I'd like some way of attaching my Stanley FUBAR, my DeadOn Annihilator Superhammer my Fiskars log splitter or the ever needful Deuce by Zombie Tools to my rig, and these loops offer a means.

You can also see the "quick-draw" pistol holster that is currently attached to the back, left shoulder. Why you'd put a pistol holster here is a bit beyond me, unless its there for a buddy to draw, but I made use of it anyways, slotting my RangerHawk axe in it because I'm fond of keeping something handy for close encounters....

The pistol holster includes a small pouch for an extra magazine, or perhaps in this case, a sharpening stone. A hook-and-look lashing secures the holster through one of the d-rings present on top of each shoulder.

 A couple of neat features are that inside each of the front panels is a zipperable pocket, for paperwork, or items you want to keep more secure. The main back panel also features a hydration pouch pocket, behind a hook-and-loop seal, although there are no attachment points to hang one.

The vest comes with a wide belt, adjustable by virtue of being hook-and-loop sandwiched between nylon webbing, with a big fastex style buckle. Each side of the belt features a removable single pistol magazine/flashlight pouch, and is mounted tot he vest by virtue of a set of press-stud and hook-and-loop loops.

You can see here the three size adjustment straps for the the torso, fairly standard, but a great add to be able to adjust to fit yourself comfortably. One issue I had was that the chest piece seemed too tall, in that the front and back sagged a little, although I may need to adjust the shoulder pieces, but this only does so much.

I found that this vest was a  higher quality construction than the Grunt plate Carrier, mostly by virtue of not being mostly all vinyl, other than the pouches, and it certainly would suit a costumer, recreational hunter, weekend adventurer or MilSim player very well.

Review: Zombie Outbreak - Grunt Plate Carrier

I was very pleased to see when I got my email newsletter from Global Gear that they were going to stock a fun new line, the Zombie Outbreak: Tactical Response Gear. I got in touch with them to see what they could tell me about the line, and they were kind enough to send me a few examples, which I'll be reviewing over the next few weeks.

Here is the first example, a Plate Carrier called the Zombie Outbreak Grunt in multicam.

I was really excited as I haven't looked at a quick-release/cutaway plate carrier before, and this one looked feature packed, which is something I always value.

This is a fun set, and I am really glad to have added it to my costuming collection, it will give me some great additional costuming for my MilSim and Stargate Lasertag LRP events.

Here are some of the things that I can tell you about the Zombie Outbreak Grunt plate carrier:
  

It comes with a front and back section, which includes flank flaps, in place of a cummerbund. Those flaps connect with hook-and-loop as well as having Fastex-style buckles (which are part of the Quick Release Cutaway system, and I'll get to that later). The shoulder connections are again hook-and-loop, with additional adjustable nylon webbing fastening to add to the security and load-bearing of the set.

The front and back are fully PALS/MOLLE webbing covered, but unfortunately the top four set of strips don't match up fully to the bottom four sets, either in rows, or the 1" gap between channels, making cross-linking of accessories a bit difficult, but not impossible.  You can see the drag handle at the top of the back, it is nicely reinforced and bar-tacked onto the shoulders of the back panel.

Some of the stitching was a little off, too, but again, you'd have to be looking pretty close for this to matter.

The first set of accessory pouches that come with the Grunt are a three- M16/M4 magazine style set of pouches, half-magazine sized sides, with elastic siding and a hook-and-loop closure on the lids. The backing features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips, to allow it to be connected immediately, without any accessories like the ITS Tactical MOLLE Stix.

The second accessory pouch included is an admin panel, which features two paperwork pockets, eyelets for threading dummy-cording, and a GPS/phone/flashlight pouch, with a hook-and-loop webbing strap. The admin panel also features a broad square loop field for affixing patches.  As with the first pouch, the backing features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips for attachment.

The third and final included accessory is a utility / flashbang pouch, which was originally mounted on the back panel, but I prefer to have my pouches around the front for ease of access. Elastic webbing pockets, on the back and front of the pouch give plenty of storage options, drainage grommets and webbing hinge-holders add to the functionality of this zipper closing pouch.

As with the first two pouches, this accessory features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips for attachment.

The inside of this pouch is also a little informative. You can see the pale green backing of the backside, which shows what appears to be the textured, heavy vinyl construction of both the pouches, and the entire plate carrier itself, rather than the woven 500-1000 denier nylon that companies like Cordura produce, and is the mainstay of tactical gear and apparel.

The plate carrier pouches inside the front and back panels were a nice touch. They included a sheet of closed-cell foam padding, as well as a sewn-in webbing strap to assist in removing the plate, and a hook-and-loop closing pouch style closure. You can see here that I've included my typical plate substitute polyethylene cutting board. You can also see the internal finishing, and again, the vinyl material the set is made of.

Here is the inside view of the front plate carrier pocket, obscured by the Quick-Release Cutaway cables (yes, in lurid Toxic Zombie Green, much like the scales of my KA-BAR Zombie Killer knives.) The strapping for the Cutaway system sort of closes off this access, which means to load it with plates, you'd need to activate this system first, then replace it.


Lets have a look at that Quick Release/Cutaway system now. For those of you who have worn body-armour of any description for a length of time, you will probably agree that getting it off in a hurry can be a real pain. More so when having to do it in an emergency. (boo hulu) Injury, accident and duress add to this, so having a system that does it swiftly is a real boon.

The system is that a pull on the webbing loop at the bottom of the front of the plate carrier pulls these plastic coated steel cables, releasing the cords thread through eyelets that hare holding the sides, and tops of the plate carrier together. Here you can see the wire nestled in its seating, and the cords looped around it.

Once the cable is pulled free, the buckles and webbing holding the plate carrier together can be bypassed, letting the user tear the hook-and-loop free, and clearing the way to treatment or escape.

Here is the same system at the shoulder, where the cords wrapped around the cable, and fed under webbing to keep them out of the way, when pulled free, allow the shoulder pieces to tear away.

This is a really ingenious system, and whilst it is a pain to put it all back together, I'd rather have those extra seconds of medical aid/egress or mobility in almost any situation, to have the time to spend putting it all back together when needed.




here's me giving it a test.....

So, to finish off, here are some pictures of me in it. As I've said, I was really pleased to receive these (and other items, to come) and they have certainly added new dimensions to my wardrobe and costuming options. It was great to get to see how a quick-release system works, and definitely has some nice features, but I was a little surprised by the construction, both in the materials and care put into finishing. However for a substantial fraction (along the lines of 1/3 - 1/4) of& the price of leading lines, this is a option that really looks the piece, without breaking the budget.

Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent costume piece, and would probably even suit paintball, airsoft and recreational hunters as well for those who are happy with form over function, but it isn't what I'd stake my life on. A real bargain for what it is, especially with all the included accessories, and it certainly "looks the part". I expect to see a bunch of these at IRL Shooter events coming up!

Review: First Strike - Snatch Bag-ii

A running joke at our place is whenever I come home with a new piece of kit, i get asked "its not another BAG is it???" This isn't a bad thing, I get a lot of support about both my prepper leanings and my avid collecting of gear (hi all my peers at GHA). It is however a fairly regular occurrence that I will start waving a new piece around and get the grins and eye-rolls as I say "but this one is DIFFERENT..."

Having had a look at a couple of other items by Oscar Delta Special Products, namely their Deep Carry Tube and SERE V-cutter SnakeDr sent me one of their new Type II First Strike "Snatch Bag" bags, which I've been looking forwards to putting to good use.

I've been thinking about going for beach-runs and bushwalks with pretty minimalist gear (I know, this has usually meant a 10kg daypack of "needfuls" in the past) but a recyclable shopping-bag just doesn't lend itself to an active lifestyle. This is where a bag like the Snatch Bag come in.

Here it is folded up, small enough to fit in a Platatac FUP pouch for storage.



When unfolded, the 36cm (14") by 50cm (20") bag is really very spacious. Made from official Crye Precision LLC, MultiCam® in 500D Cordura material. It has also been given a waterproofing treatment to adds to its already a rugged and resilient construction. The internal seams are taped and triple stitched giving an extremely stable and strong bag for its weight.

The shoulder straps are really good, and multifunctional. Two 2.10m (7') strands of OscarDelta's very fancy SERE Go-Cord 960 (Hybrid Technora), also in Multicam. Even the stitched webbing shoulder straps are Multicam, for all over colour and pattern matching. Great attention to detail..

The nylon eyelets give a very strong, silent and stable feed for the straps to run through, without putting extra bulk, or unduly straining the corners of the pack, as a sewn-in strap might.

No hook-and-loop, no clinking metal. This is a lean, mean storage unit!

Internally, a rip-stop nylon divider panel gives you two separate compartments, without adding extra bulk,and you can see there are three green internal loops, (two in the edge seams, and a bigger on at the back of the lip. Loops like this give you attachment points for dummy-cord, karabiners or Grimlock clips, as well as a means to hang the pack as the need arises.

Here you can see a closeup of the heat sealed GO-Cord, along with the eyelet and the  ITW  Nexus twin-hole spring-locks which are a really simple, and unusual cord management system. I liked its elegance, and of course, it's metal-free.

The draw string closure of the bag is strong and dependable, having twin cords forming this really helps, and there is a feeling of dependability to it. The drawstring stitching is snug and held tight throughout some vigorous tugging and rough handling, even whilst loaded up.

Here is the load seen in the bag above, a "going for a beach-run for a few hours" pack. Perhaps too much stuff, but I'm notorious for that.

My CAOS admin pack, by Nulu Nylon Gear, Zombie Squad 1L Nalgene, a take-away container of food, my running shorts and shirt, and a Sea-To-Summit microfiber towel.

This probably doesn't represent a well-thought out "bug-out-bag" loadout, but it does represent one of the key elements of "snatch-bag philosophy". This is what I had on hand when I pulled out the bag to take photos, and needed to fill it up -right now-, in a "this, this, this, this and that" fashion. No messing around with intricate pouches and MOLLE pouches, just grab and move.

This bag does exactly what it is designed to, it is simple, stowable, deployable and comfortable to load up and get out there with. The over all construction is tremendous (although I did notice the shoulder-strap webbing edges were unfinished, perhaps this was done on purpose to add to friction, or maybe I was just lucky enough to get a rough-and-ready per-production model (I love those!).

Review: colours, cams and gear

A little while ago, I mentioned I might do a review of my variety of cams and colours. Here goes I suppose! I gathered my collection of kit and clothes, and made a pile, sorting out the different cam patterns and this is what I came up with. I have placed them against each other so you can get an idea of what works with what, and where one might wear them.

(1) Desert AUSCAM/ DPCU "bunnies behind a rock" shirt.
(2) Desert Camouflage Uniform "coffee stain cam" shirt
(3) AUSCAM/DPCU "hearts and bunnies" Raven pack accessory bag
(4) M81 Woodland on my Stargate LRP pants
(5) Multicam "scorpion cam" on my Half-Med kit

I was gifted both the desert patten shirts, and don't have matching pants. Would love to get some in DCU, nostalgic to my years living in Dubai.



Then I noticed that my Woodland pattern things were slightly different, notably the pants I wear at Stargate LRP lasertag(4) were different to the (6) 3x30rdn Mag Pouch I reviewed, which is again different to the (7) Lazy Patch Duvet suit I have. I don't know how much of a difference this would make in effect, I suspect the differences are slight enough not to matter.
My colour preference for kit is khaki, because being a soft green, and not "camouflage", I feel I can wear it in social and urban settings without standing out too badly like a mall-ninja, but I have a collection so here is some more to compare and contrast....

(8) Platatac CSI folder in their Khaki
(9) AUSCAM pistol holster, appears to be "larger" print than the pack or jacket.
(10) Hill People Runner Bag prototype in Khaki
(11)  BlackHawk! Advanced Kneepads in Coyote Tan
(12) SCAR mini chest rig (review pending)in Tan
(13) my Drop-leg holster in Woodland
(14) my fathers OD boonie-hat from Vietnam (1969-1970)

As you can see, the differences between khakis/tans/ODs  and how each of them sit against the cammo patterns can be quite striking. Having made the choice to wear the once-common and standard Woodland to fit in with the Stargate LRP idea I've been running with, it would still be easy to transition to the now popular and apparently very effective Multicam, which is probably much more suitable to the Australian scrub, whilst still sensibly utilising my extensive khaki kit.