Hammocks!

DD frontline Hammock in MC 

Cost £££: 
At £57 it’s not the cheapest hammock out there but It’s a good mid range one with a built in mozzie net which will only cost you a night out down the pub. They also do a military discount for orders over £20 - http://www.ddhammocks.com/product/dd-frontline-hammock-mc?from_cat=27 



Value for money 3: 
There is quite a lot there, and there are more expensive hammocks out there that are almost the same but of a higher price .


Ease of use 3: 
There is quite a lot of buggering about when you first get started but this will get easier the more you use it. Setting up in the dark with no light would be very difficult but if you are in a situation when this might happen then a hammock probably isn’t the best thing to be sleeping in. 


Construction 4 : 
It’s well made but it’s not bomb proof, everything is well made and stitched but this is a civi item and I don’t think it will stand being used for a case vac. 


Allyness 2: 
I’ve given this a high 2 because I can't see your SF types using this outside the jungle to be fair. It’s more you echelon types. But allyness in the eye of the beholder and the looks of amazement I get when setting this up I just say “anyone can live like an animal“. 

  I've been interested in hammocks for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until an exercise in the Spanish Pyrenees that I thought a hammock might be a good idea. Because in a hammock you always sleep on the level, which is near impossible when you have a poncho up on a ski-slope. 

  The next years big exercise was in Estonia, looking at the ground it was wet and boggy and full of mozzies. So I went out and got a DD front line hammock. They are a British company coming from Edinburgh, and it came within a couple of days once I bought it. Once I set it up a few times in my garden I was ready to go. 

  When I got out here and set up everything worked well. The built in mozzie net kept out the biting insects and because of the suspension system the net didn’t collapse on your face. There are small pockets in each corner for stuff, and gear loops as well to hand things like a torch, it is quite roomy on there and feels homie when you're zipped up inside. 

  Because of the mozzie net It does take you a bit longer to get in and out, but it stops you from getting bitten to death and waking up looking like the elephant man. Saying that if I was just using it in the U.K I would probably forgo the mozzie net to save on bulk, and ease of set up.

  Summary:

  A hammock is not the most tactical of things so if you're a tier one operator then a hammock is not for you, but if you're back in echelon it could be for you. I’ve set it up in the back of man trucks, on the side of trucks, inside derelict buildings and between shelves in a store . 


  Once you have sorted out how you like it set up, and every time you sleep in it will be the same regardless of what the ground beneath you. If you're interested in hammocks then do some research, watch videos. You will find yourself getting quite nerdy about it and acquiring other skills like knot tying. It is also good for a life outside the military like wild camping etc. All in all, once it's setup right and you get the “ultimate hang” you get a cracking nights sleep. 

 - Coops

  This Kit Pest Review article was written by Tom Cooper. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.

Agilite AMAP 2 Daysack

• Cost​​ (£138): This is about the same as a motherlode but much better. Get it here. 

• Value for money​​: The pack is bombproof and will serve you for years to come - 4/5

• Ease of use​​​: The extra features of this pack make it incredibly easy to use. Clamshell opening, antenna ports, what more do you need? - 4/5

• Construction​​: Agilite lives up to their reputation for quality. Battle tested before it hit the shelf - 4/5

  Small daysacks are all the rage in the teeth arms these days. With the advent of the fight light concept, the powers that be realized that carrying up to 65kg whilst advancing to contact wasn't really a great idea. Fancy that? 

  So the weight is going down and the bare essentials are to be carried. Who needs a bloody great big daysack? As the old age saying goes, "bullet, bombs, comms and water are all you need to prolong the slaughter".

  So as I've purchased Agilite kit before, their site was one of the first places I checked out. I had a few set pieces of criteria whilst I chose. 

*No more than 25 liters

*Antenna and hydration ports

*Slimline

*Can't take up much room in a vehicle

  Luckily Agilite has recently released a second generation of their Agilite Modular Assault Pack (AMAP). This pack is more tailored to the international market and has been trialled in the field by Israeli special forces before Agilite put it into production. The pack was designed to integrate with the Agilite K series of plate carriers and ops vests, with a large velcro patch on the back so it can be mounted on them, don't be put off by it. You'll hardly notice. 

  On first impressions I noticed the pack was made of 1000D cordura, so this pack is pretty much bombproof and can take a world of hurt, furthermore the material is genuine 1947llc Crye Multicam. So it most certainly won't make you look like a crow with some chip shop Kombat daysack from the PRI. 

  The AMAP can hold up to 14 liters (854.3 cubic inches) I've managed to fit in a PRC355 with two batteries, wet and warm kit easily, with room to spare. Any radio can be secured down with a internal retention strap and any antennas and cables can be fed through to antenna holes on either sides in the top of the pack. 

  Other internal features are the ability to fit a 3 liter hydration pack. I've trialled it with both a Camelback and a Source bag which both fit perfectly. There is a small hanging clip on the top of the pouch so as you drink water the hydration bag won't slump into a messy heap at the bottom of the pouch. 

  A rather interesting feature of the bag I found, was that when purchasing the ability to choose what types of straps you want. You have two options with a set of padded generic straps or a light weight jungle mesh. The straps are removable through a simple loops through a plastic eyelet. So you can remove the straps if you wanted to use it as a grab bag inside of a vehicle. 

  When wearing this daysack I found it sat perfectly just above my belt kit, but not too high that it would knock my helmet over my eyes in the prone position. This is a common problem for anyone who has worn a camelback Motherlode in this position. Size wise, you can top flap it in your bergan with no hassle whatsoever. If you remove the straps you can roll it up and fit it in your bergen.

  The design on this bag is top notch. One of my favorite features is the clam shell opening similar to the RAID pack KPR has previously reviewed. This enables me to get at kit with incredible ease and makes packing it a pleasant ordeal. On the front of the pack there is a helmet carrier. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea as I always carry my Mk7 on my belt kit, I tried putting my helmet in and it didn't fit too easily. This is perhaps the only downside of the pack. However you could use this helmet carrier for other purposes such as carrying link for quick access or carrying any kit you can't fit in the pack. 

  The AMAP 2 met every one of the criteria I set for my new daysack. All the extra features the guys from Agilite have put into the pack add to its usefulness. If you choose this pack to buy, you will not be dissatisfied and you will love this piece of tactical hardware. Regardless of what role you fulfill, wether you are a light role or armoured soldier this will suit you too the ground, no shadow of doubt. 

  This Kit Pest Review was written by Callum J Bickerton. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.

Arc'teryx Knee Caps

Arc'teryx Knee Caps

• Cost ££££
• Practicality 5/5
• Ease of use 5/5
• Allyness 4/5 

You can purchase them here

  Kneepads are a contentious issue among soldiers. Some couldn’t live without them, others utterly despise them. For years, the British Army didn’t issue any – they’re now a part of the Virtus system, and Blackhawk kneepads (in US Foliage Green, strangely) were purchased as a UOR for Herrick. A previous, rather woefully inadequate DPM version with no hard pad also existed. Part of the reason for the rise of the kneepad is the contemporary operating environment becoming increasingly focused on FIBUA – taking a knee in the soft, squidgy grasses of Brecon is a fairly pleasant proposition, doing so on the gravel-strewn concrete of Copehill Down is another matter. In real-life terms, when you start factoring in barbed wire, broken glass, and even such nasties as expended heroin needles, the importance of protecting your vulnerable joints increases substantially. The weight we carry has also increased significantly. Although the jury is out on whether kneepads alleviate MSKs, giving your knees a fighting chance and at least alleviating the pressure running through them with a bit of padding can’t be a bad thing. 

  So, with that in mind, what’s so bad about kneepads? A few common problems tend to plague most kneepads on the market today, and for some, they’re complete dealbreakers. To alleviate these, most wear only one kneepad, on their right knee where most of the strain will go through. All of us who use kneepads regularly will probably have encountered a few of these in our careers: 

• They move about, seemingly of their own accord. You know the feeling: you’ve strapped on your kneepads, you’re good to go, and you’re feeling like an old timey knight in armour. You step off, and within a couple hundred metres you’ve taken a knee two or three times and your previously secure kneepad is now somewhere around your ankle.
• The straps dig in. The tighter you try and get your kneepad, the greater the pressure on the rear of your knee, especially when kneeling. Eventually this becomes unsustainable, to the point that some of the cheaper and nastier offerings on the market, which don’t have elasticated straps, can cause sores and all sorts of dramas.
• Your Knee Sweats. The bigger and bulkier the kneepad, the more your knee sweats. As your trouser rides up behind it, it forms creases which can go solid with grime, and start rubbing and causing all kinds of dramas. In hot environments, ingrown hairs, more sores, and other nasties can quickly follow.
• They Don’t Flex. The optimum position for a kneepad isn’t actually on your knee, but immediately beneath. That way, when you take a knee, it sits comfortably over your patella. The reason for this is that most kneepads are protected by a fairly rigid bit of plastic. This has minimal flex and as a consequence, can sit really awkwardly when you take a knee.

  So how do you solve these problems? One option would be trousers with in-built kneepads, à la Crye Combat Pants, but that’s not necessarily a solution for all of us, particularly if we’re restricted to issued clothing or don’t want to spend £200 for a pair of trousers. 

  Enter the Arc’Teryx Knee Cap.

  Arc’Teryx have been in the ultra-high-end kit business for years, both in the civilian and military markets, and have established a reputation for durability, functionality, and allyness. Granted, all that good stuff doesn’t come cheap – do I really want to be dropping £40+ on a set of kneepads, I hear you asking. However, good quality has to come at a price, and the Knee Cap is an excellent product which solves most, if not all, the common problems associated with kneepads. Originally designed for the civilian market, it came into being as a kneepad for extreme mountain bikers, which required it to be durable, minimalistic, and comfortable under the repetitive flex of pedalling.

  The Knee Cap is a minimalistic piece of kit, with some pretty spartan padding and a hard outer shell. It’s held in place by two thin straps, an inch or so wide. The top one is elasticated, but the bottom one isn’t. By all criteria it shouldn’t work, but actually it does. Brilliantly. It’s ergonomically shaped, and, most crucially, it narrows to almost nothing in the middle, which means that unlike any other kneepad on the market, the Knee Cap flexes in the middle when you take a knee. This keeps it moulded to your knee no matter what flex the joint takes.

Does it move about? Short answer, no. Even during some pretty intense leopard crawling the Knee Cap stayed in place. Because it’s ergonomically shaped, it doesn’t sit awkwardly on the tip of your knee when you bend your leg at a 90° angle, but follows the lines of your shin and thigh. This alleviates the frustration inherent in constantly pulling your kneepad back into position. 

Does it dig in? Weirdly, no. You’d think that the narrower straps would cut into the back of your knee, but for some reason they sit just right. It may have to do with the shape of the Knee Cap, but whatever the reason, it’s pleasant to wear. 

Does your Knee Sweat? To an extent – you’re still dealing with a piece of foam rubber strapped over your skin, so it’s not going to be breathable. However, because it’s far lighter than most kneepads (and every gram counts!), the discomfort is minimal.

Does it Flex? ‘Nuff said! It’s the main selling point here.

  I wore the Arc’Teryx Knee Cap pretty much continuously on a fairly intense three day ex with minimal hassle, and it was barely scratched after a pretty nails scramble over several dozen metres of gravel. The Knee Cap is made in Canada, which is a welcome change and should invite more stringent quality control. Overall, it’s an excellent piece of kit which does exactly what it’s supposed to do, rather than what you wish it would. Do you want to spend £40 on a pair of knee pads? Well, that’s up to you. But if you want the absolute top of the line in field joint protection, then the Arc’Teryx Knee Cap is the piece of kit for you.

  

  This Kit Pest Review was written by Tommaso Lagana. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

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The Saxon Definiton of Strength

The Saxon Definiton of Strength 

This article is written by Nate Morrison from Spotter Up Tactical!

  The great Arthur Saxon is still considered to be the all-around strongest man known to history. In his 1905 book, The Development of Physical Power, he gave the following extended definition of strength and I couldn’t concur more.

  The usual idea about strength – I mean the idea of the average reader of health magazines – is generally a wrong one. Although a weight-lifter (and weight-lifters are supposed to be very narrow-minded in their views on this subject), I hope that I, personally, am broad-minded enough to recognize that a man does not prove himself an all-round strong man just because he is able to lift a heavy weight, especially when the weight is lifted once only. The following is my diagnosis of real strength:

  Genuine strength should include not only momentary strength, as proved by the ability to lift a heavy weight once, but also the far more valuable kind of strength known as strength for endurance. This means the ability, if you are a cyclist, to jump on your machine and ride 100 miles at any time without undue fatigue; if a wrestler, to wrestle a hard bout for half an hour with a good man without a rest, yet without becoming exhausted and reaching the limit of your strength.

  Apart from sports, enduring strength means that the business man shall stand, without a breakdown, business cares and worries, that he shall be capable, when necessary, of working morning, afternoon and night with unflagging energy, holding tightly in his grasp the reigns of business, retaining all the while a clear mind and untiring energy, both of body and brain. The man who can miss a night’s rest or miss a meal or two without showing any ill effect or without losing any physical power is better entitled to be considered a strong man than the man who is only apparently strong, being possessed of momentary strength, which is, after all, a muscle test pure and simple.

  In the latter case, where a man raises, once only, a heavy weight, all that he proves himself to possess is muscular control and great contractile power, but it does not guarantee sound internal organs, nor does it prove that a man would come out well in an endurance test. The man capable of long feats of endurance should live longest, and such a man will find his powers of more avail in every-day life than the man who has sacrificed vital strength for an extra few eights of an inch of muscle, and perhaps the ability to raise a few pounds more in a certain position in a weight-lifting test.

  I think the above will cause some of my critics, perhaps, to admit that, after all, I have broadminded views on this important question, i.e., “What is real strength?” Therefore, if a weight-lifting competition were held, I should like to see quite a number of lifts attempted, as is the method on the Continent, and to see each man go on with the lifting without too many opportunities for rest, so that we should not only ascertain who is possessed of greatest momentary strength but also who is possessed of endurance strength as well, and it is a combination of these two which makes real strength.

  Neither do I consider a man a really strong man if he is in certain parts developed out of proportion to others. If a man has tremendous arms and chest and weak legs then he is only half a strong man.

  If he should have strong legs and arms and weak lungs or a weak heart, then again he is by no means entitles to be called a strong man, and some day the inevitable breakdown will occur which will cause carping critics, always ready to attack physical culture, to point to such a broken-down athlete and say, “Here is proof of the harm done by physical culture and weight-lifting.” The cause really is that this man has not properly understood physical culture, and has developed one part at the expense of another. So you see that if a thorough examination could be made of all so-called “strong men” before the public, we should probably find that only one in twenty is really deserving of the name of “strong man.

  You can read the original article here!

  This Kit Pest Article was written by Nate Morrison for Spotter Up!. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

  If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.

Helikon Level 5

Helikon Level 5 Soft Shell

• Cost​​​ £49.99 (Although not on the website, Odin Tactical usually stocks these, give them a call to find out) • Value for money​ 4 • Ease of use​ 5 • Construction​ 5 • Allynes​s ​ 4

Foreword - I also own this jacket and I can confirm all the points below. I describe it as my 'summer smock' and think that description fits it particularly well. I can also confirm it does attract some attention on camps, so probably keep it for range days and ex. Stay Frosty - Alex

 - HELIKON Level 5

Soft shell jackets seem to be all the rage, they range from cheap ones made by Chinese producers, to the pinnacle of jackets made by Triple Aught Design (which you need a mortgage to afford). They serve a good purpose as a light weight jacket to keep the wind from getting to you and most seem to have some degree of waterproofing. Today's review will focus on one of the most popular brands in Europe, Helikon Tex. A Polish based company, Helikon is popular with the military, law enforcement and BB warriors alike. They offer a wide range of products from daysacks to jackets and all the rest in-between. My first impression of this jacket was how lightweight it was at 700 grams. Despite it being so light, it's made from a robust 98% nylon 2% spandex blend. This allows the material to stretch well and still maintain its robustness. 

- Plenty of velcro for high speed patches

I've used this jacket on a few exercises and a range package, it is by no means a replacement for a smock. However, due to it's lightweight nature it's good for anyone wanting to wear a lighter outer top layer. It's only really effective in cold weather if you're layering well. Yesterday on the ranges I was wearing the soft shell with a tee shirt and a thermal top and even in March weather for Salisbury plain I was very toasty. Despite it being a soft shell, it's waterproofing is really only useful in a light shower. So don't chin of your Gore-Tex jacket for this as you'll get soaked. The stitching of this jacket is well done however after some use you may have to burn a few loose threads on the cuffs. Pocket wise the jacket has two on the arms, two on the hips and two on the back like poachers pockets. The zips have pretty large fabric tabs to make grabbing them in gloves a hell of a lot easier.

- Terminal Lance

Helikon make this jacket in a plethora of camouflage. I chose the MTP variant and it blends pretty well with issued kit, to the point I have been asked for its NSN. A word for the wise, this isn't a jacket you can mince about camp in, as it is visibly different to the eye. Unless you're unit doesn't mind. My final thoughts on this jacket are that the guys at Helikon have made a terrific product. Amazing quality and a solid design. However, if your looking for a replacement smock or Gore-Tex I wouldn't recommend it. If you're light role and exposed to arduous conditions this may be suitable in spring or autumnal conditions. Even hanging out of a cupola on armor this is a great jacket as there is a minimum of things to get caught on the wagon. These jackets are all the rage in the tactical world and are popping up in camp PRI's and garrison town kit shops. If you're going to get a soft shell, avoid the Chinese knock offs and give Helikon a gander.

 - Callum, pretending not to pose

  This Kit Pest Review was written by Callum J Bickerton. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.

Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness

  When people are travelling they seem to enter a mental bubble where they are much less aware of what is going on around them.  This lack of awareness does not end with travellers.  If you look around you, you will find many examples every day.   Many London Black Cab drivers are fitting dashboard cameras after near misses where people step out in front of them talking on mobile phones or listening to music players.

 - British SBS at the battle Qala-i-Jangi, situationally aware af. - There's a great documentary on what happened early 2000's during that battle. You can find it here

  If you are aware of your surroundings you will be much safer.  There are many models of levels awareness, such as Cooper’s Colour Codes, most of which are aimed at Law Enforcement or Military.  Clearly this is more than most people need so I will not drag you down that particular rabbit hole. 

  So what is situational awareness?  Basically it is being aware of your surroundings and identifying potential dangers and threats.  It is more of a mind-set than a tangible hands-on skill.  In order to develop this mind-set you need to accept three things.  Firstly, that threats do exist.  You need to lose the “it can’t possibly happen to me” attitude.  Next, trust your instincts.  Thousands of years of evolution has given us a well-tuned set of “spidey senses”.  If something feels wrong it probably is.  Finally, take responsibility for your immediate personal safety.  The Emergency Services cannot be everywhere all the time.  They are necessarily a reactive service.

  Being aware is a conscious choice, and something you need to work at.  Here are some simple ways in which you can improve your situational awareness.

• Next time you come out of a shop into a carpark take a mental note of how many cars have people sitting in them.
• Try to identify all exits when you go into a building.
• Count how many people are with you in a restaurant or in a train carriage.
• Make a mental note of any cars which take the same turns as you when you are driving.
• Start people watching.  Try to work out what their story is.  What kind of mood are they in?  What do they seem to be doing?  What do they do for a living?

Barriers to Situational Awareness

  Previously I stated that situational awareness was something you must make a deliberate effort to cultivate.  As with any other endeavour there will be barriers to fully following through with this commitment.  Being aware of this will help you in developing your awareness.

• Perception – Our own mental interpretation of reality can have a significant effect on our awareness.  Our own perception can colour how we react to a given situation.  Our perception can be influenced by;
• Past experiences – We react to things based on our past experiences.  If it looks like something we have seen before we will instinctively react as we have before, but things may be different this time.
• Expectations – We interpret information in ways that ratify our beliefs.  We rationalise things are a certain way because we want it to be that way.
• Filters – We are constantly provided with information.  However, we don’t always use it.  We often ignore information which doesn’t match our mental perception or expectations.  This is the mental equivalent of “selective hearing”
• Over Motivation – Being overly or excessively motivated can affect your ability to fully assess a situation.  This might cause you to miss risks and overlook safety.  An overriding sense of “mission importance” could jeopardise sound judgement and objective thinking.
• Complacency – Don’t assume that everything is under control.  This will affect your vigilance.  When things are slow or you are carrying out routine tasks your awareness will diminish.
• Overload – Doing too much will cause distraction and stress, and will result in increased errors.  Prioritise and delegate to minimise distractions.
• Tiredness – This will affect your ability to concentrate on your surroundings.  Make sure you take time to unwind in an environment that doesn’t need your full awareness to remain safe.  Make sure you are getting enough sleep.
• Poor Communications – Teams are more efficient if they have high quality communication.  Working together and communication effectively will act as an awareness amplifier.

 This Kit Pest Article was written by Ben OToole. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.

Condor Mesh Tactical Cap

Condor Mesh Tactical Cap

• Cost: ££££ (£12.09) GET IT HERE
• Value for Money: 4
• Ease of use: 5
• Construction: 4
• Alliness:         2

*TRIGGER WARING* – Review of an airsoft brand!

  I have a thing about hats.  I wear a hat pretty much every day.  Imelda Marcos had shoes, I have hats.  I particularly like baseball caps.  The drawback I have always found is that after a while my head gets too hot.  Some of the places I work are very hot and I need to be able to protect my head from the sun and I need a peak that can shade my eyes, but I don’t want my head to overheat.  So, I went looking for a hat that was a bit different.  I was also looking for a hat in a plain colour because I like to wear neutral colours when I am working.  I also don’t like to wear bright colours when I am out and about in the woods or on the hills as I don’t like to jar with nature.

  One of the hats I already have is a so called “truckers cap” where most of the crown is made from mesh and is very cool to wear.  I saw something similar from a US manufacturer on Soldier Systems being sold as an “operator cap”.  I quite liked the look of it so I went to their website.  Given the places I work and the level of my ability to lose stuff I was not prepared to pay what they were asking plus delivery….

  Enter the Condor cap.  One quick google search later I found the Condor Mesh Tactical Cap.  So what makes it tactical?  Firstly, the range of different camouflage patterns.  If it’s in Ghost Recon Wildlands they have it!  Secondly there are Velcro patches all over it to stick morale patches to.  Finally it doesn’t have one of those annoying buttons on the top that would dig into your head if you wore a headset or ear defence over it.

  Frankly none of the above were of any interest to me, especially as I was buying a plain coloured cap.  At £12.09 delivered I was prepared to take a punt on it.  I was very pleasantly surprised.

  The hat is actually very well made.  All of the stitching is very neat, straight and uniform.  I was expecting lose threads to be hanging off all over the place, but there were none.  All of the internal seams are flattened and covered with a fabric tape to prevent any rubbing.  The peak and the front panel are made from a decent poly cotton fabric.  The remainder of the hat is made from a mesh which is slightly darker than the other fabric.  The Velcro patches are the same colour as the mesh.  When I got my hat, the Velcro was plain, but a look at Condor’s website shows the front patch to have a bloody great big Condor logo on it.  Whether this is the case when you actually get the hat or it is photoshopped on to stop the images getting nicked for Ali Baba, I couldn’t comment.

  The next feature I really liked was that the patches were all sewn on after the rest of the hat had been made.  This meant that I could remove them without destroying any of the other seams on the hat in the process.  Working abroad I prefer to be the grey man, as much as a pale white bloke can be, so ally morale patches are not my friend.  That said, if you are military or perhaps an armed security contractor a patch on a cap would be a good place to conceal some SERE kit like a handcuff key or shim.

  In terms of fit it was very good.  I have a 58cm head, which is about average.  For my head, I didn’t need to make much adjustment to the back.  If you were to leave yourself 10mm of overlap on the Velcro you could take this up to a 65cm head.  Likewise you could take it down to a 51cm head, although it would bunch up a fair bit at the back.  The crown isn’t overly large either.  Some caps have so much fabric on the crown that you look like your head is misshapen or the cap sits on the top of your ears, which is uncomfortable.  This hat fits nicely to the whole of my crown without coming down too far.

  The peak is a decent width and length.  It provides shade to the eyes very well and there is no issue wearing it with sunglasses or eye-pro.  I regularly wear it with a pair of Wiley X SG-1s and have no issues.  If you’re into having a back-pocket crease, like I am, the peak will take and hold it with no problem.

  Where Condor makes these hats in all of the different flavours of camouflage patterns, they only use genuine fabrics such as Crye, Kryptek and A-TACS.  Also, clearly the fabrics are not IRR coated, although I cannot see that this would be an issue, even Hereford use fabric softener on their kit so the coatings are normally destroyed the first time the kit is washed!

  I have recently retired mine, mostly because my missus claims the smell of it makes her eyes water…  I wore it nearly daily for the best part of 3 years and it never let me down.  The colour has never faded significantly, although that could have been because of the dirt.  There was some fraying along the front edge of the brim but that just added character!

In summary, I would say that if you want a really comfortable and cost effective baseball cap to wear in the field, on the hills or even in a pub beer garden I would go for one of these hats without hesitation.  In fact, my replacement I have just ordered is the same hat, but in the new brown colour.

  This Kit Pest Article was written by Ben OToole. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any thoughts or comments related to this article then leave a comment! 

 If you'd like to visit Cooper's Kit Corner, you can find it here.

 If you'd like to visit Gen Kit Exchange, you can find it here.