Leader of the Pack
WARRIOR GEAR SPECIAL SECTION
For the Most Part, Special Ops Warriors Go Into Battle
With What They Can Carry. Specially Designed
Gear Helps Shoulder the Load.
by Kenya McCullum, SOTECH Correspondent
For the Most Part, Special Ops Warriors Go Into Battle
With What They Can Carry. Specially Designed
Gear Helps Shoulder the Load.
by Kenya McCullum, SOTECH Correspondent
Backpacks can be found everywhere, both in the military and civilian worlds. But for troops in the theater, these ubiquitous accessories are not simply something you use for extra storage—they carry soldiers’ loads that can mean the difference between life and death. And because of the significant role that backpacks play, it’s imperative that they are chosen wisely.
Equally significant is load bearing equipment, such as vests and pouches that are used in order to more evenly distribute the loads that soldiers carry. The issue of soldiers’ loads has been an ongoing challenge throughout the history of the armed forces and it is one that the military has made a concerted effort to alleviate—thus helping troops perform more efficiently and avoid injury. This is particularly important for soldiers who are fighting current conflicts and has been studied by the military at length. For example, according to “The Modern Warrior’s Combat Load,” a report issued by the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL), the loads that soldiers now carry in the extreme environments they are currently fighting in are making even the fittest soldiers exhausted and therefore changes to equipment need to be considered. In response to these concerns, CALL made some recommendations that include the use of ergonomically sound, multi-functional gear that would take the load off of the soldier’s back and distribute it more evenly from head to toe. To this end, there are several different approaches taken by the military to efficiently handle soldiers’ loads.
IMPROVED LOAD BEARING EQUIPMENT (ILBE)
The most important considerations that must be taken into account when selecting backpacks and load bearing equipment are the mission that soldiers will be sent on, the needs that will arise during the course of that mission, and the ease at which each item can be integrated with other equipment. To meet all of these needs, the Marines use a family of equipment known as Improved Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE), which includes backpacks and components that can be easily attached to one another.
Among the backpacks included in the ILBE system is a 1,600 cubic-inch backpack, which is much like a student’s book bag and designed for short events that only last one or two days when soldiers need to travel light. When Marines need a little bit more space, they use a larger assault pack, which is 2,200 cubic inches that can be expanded to 3,200 inches as needed. In addition, the main backpack in the system is a 4,500 cubic inch backpack, which serves as the soldiers’ main pack and can fit everything a soldier needs during lengthier missions.
MODULAR LIGHTWEIGHT LOAD-CARRYING EQUIPMENT (MOLLE)
Similar to the ILBE system used by the Marines, the Army uses the Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment system, also known as MOLLE, for its soldiers’ load bearing needs. This 50-component system—which includes rucksacks of different sizes, load bearing vests, and pouches—is designed ergonomically to distribute as much of the soldiers’ load to their hips in order to avoid injury (such as rucksack paralysis that leaves a soldier’s arms and shoulders numb) and improve their marksmanship.
When the Army acquires components in the MOLLE system, they must meet a number of high standards like being compatible with airborne operations, the ability to survive in extreme temperatures from -40 to 140 degrees, and modularity that allows military personnel to easily pick and choose which components they need for a specific mission. Also, before the equipment is chosen, it must also go through a series of quality control tests. For example when testing backpacks, they are loaded with 120 pounds and dropped from a tower at a speed of 33 feet per second. The pack must survive three of these tests in order to be incorporated into the MOLLE system.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES
Similarly, special operations forces uses a family of about 75 load carriage products, which are chosen by a board of experts and purchased by USSOCOM. When USSOCOM goes about finding these load bearing products, the SOF community has a number of characteristics that they look for, such as how well they perform in both land and maritime environments (often there are two versions of one product to meet both of these purposes), how well they can be used during a specific mission, and how compatible they are with other components in the SOF load carriage family.
Two of the most popular products in this load carriage series are the light load assault pack used by all SOF soldiers and the 750 cubic inch assault pack, which is used to carry items like escape and evasion kits, ammunition and batteries.
There are several industry sources that the military uses for their backpack and load bearing equipment needs including BAE Systems, Blackhawk!, Eagle Industries, Spec.-Ops. Brand, and Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc.
BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems has been working with the Army to produce MOLLE-type rucksacks and load-bearing vests since the late 1990s. Sean Martin, BAE’s director of business development for individual equipment, said that this partnership with the military has helped them create quality products with soldiers’ need in the forefront.
“Backpacks and load carriages are basically soldiers’ home away from home, so being able to carry enough supplies to fight effectively and sustain themselves in the battlefield is critical to their survivability,” he said. “We design the product first and foremost with a military user in mind. Our design group is headed by people that have former military operational experience, versus taking a commercial item and trying to militarize it.”
In order to further this mission, BAE systems has launched a new brand of products—Eclipse Performance Military Gear—which will include a number of new backpacks and load carriage equipment with a tactical focus that can be used by both military and homeland security customers. Among the products featured in the new Eclipse line is the improved outer tactical vest, which was made in conjunction with the Army to provide comfort and ballistic protection for users.
BLACKHAWK!
But for seeing one of Blackhawk!’s 3-Day Assault Packs during his last duty assignment, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tom O’Sullivan would not have found his current career. “I picked it up and thought it was such a good product and such a nice quality that I looked up Blackhawk! and after I retired, I ended up working here,” he explained. Now O’Sullivan is the category manager of Blackhawk!’s tactical division and is servicing the soldiers that are currently in the predicament he was once in—trying to find the best strategy for carrying loads that will make them effective in their missions, as well as safe.
To that end, Blackhawk! manufactures backpacks made from sturdy 1,000 denier nylon and have strong stitching, adjustable shoulder straps, robust hardware, and ventilation that gives the soldier maximum comfort. The company’s 3-Day Assault Pack is a frameless backpack with silent zipper pulls, padded shoulder straps, and a detachable, elastic sternum strap with a silent release buckle. There is also a pouch to fit the company’s 100-ounce hydration reservoir system.
In addition to backpacks, Blackhawk! offers the S.T.O.M.P. II medical pack, which holds everything a military medic needs to save lives, and a series of hydration packs that includes the Stingray hydration pack—a lightweight nylon pack with a drink system protected by the Microban antimicrobial treatment system.
EAGLE INDUSTRIES
Missouri-based Eagle Industries didn’t start making its high-quality nylon products on the ground floor. Instead, the company began manufacturing in the basement—literally—when John Carver and his mother, Lorene Pyles, started sewing products in her basement. Initially, the company, then known as Scott-John, made products such as fanny packs and bags, which were used by motorcycle racers.
In 1982, Carver’s company transformed in a way that would also change the way that soldiers carry their gear. During this time, Carver studied the market and saw a great lack of quality tactical gear for both military personnel and civilian law enforcement, so he went on to redirect the focus of his products and changing the company’s name to Eagle Industries.
As a result, Eagle Industries created the A-III Pack—a product that allows soldiers to carry everything they need for a 72-hour mission—which is regarded in the industry as the granddaddy of military backpacks and is still one of the company’s most popular products. Since its creation, the A-III Pack has evolved over the years and one of its latest incarnations is the MOLLE Style 3-Day Pack, which combines the high standards of the original A-IIIPack with the modularity of the MOLLE— allowing the soldier to add on components as needed for a specific mission.
Other popular items in Eagle’s catalog include the Becker Patrol Pack, a functional backpack that allows the user to carry 50 pounds of gear and has militarystyle clips to attach more equipment as the soldier sees fit; and the Modular Assault Pack, a large backpack designed to give the soldier enough room to carry the gear needed during an extended mission.
Keith Ericson, Eagle Industries’ director of marketing, said that the reason why the company has become a staple in the industry is because of its “quality by design” philosophy. During the production process, the company’s quality assurance staff members literally compare each work order to a product prototype in order to ensure that all products that go out the door are made to Eagle’s specifications. And in order to make sure that Eagle stays competitive in the industry and that the company continues to innovate products, there is a design team that works on about 30 to 40 new designs on a weekly basis.
SPEC.-OPS. BRAND
After a successful decade at CamelBak Products—a company that supplies soldiers with drinking systems that can be conveniently carried on their backs—Jeff Wemmer decided it was time to go out on his own. In 2000, he founded Spec.-Ops. Brand—during a time when no one could have predicted what was in store for the United States in the coming years and how much there would be a need for quality tactical products for the military.
“The reason that I love working with the military is because it’s the only customer base on earth—unless you’re selling surgical instruments to a doctor—where the products you sell actually make a huge difference for the end user because it’s a life and death situation for these kids and these military career officers,” said Wemmer.
One staple product they manufacture to keep soldiers safe during missions is the Tactical Holds Everything Pack, more popularly known as T.H.E. Pack. This heavy duty backpack—which at 19-inches high, 13-inches wide, and 7-inches thick to fit snugly over body armor—is made from 1,000 denier Cordura Nylon fabric and has a removable waistband, a solid harness, and durable zippers. The company also offers load bearing equipment to help give soldiers immediate access to what they need for a mission. One popular product is The Over-Armor Spec.-Ops. Brand vest, which can easily be slipped over body armor and helps soldiers maximize their carrying capability.
TACTICAL & SURVIVAL SPECIALTIES
Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc. (TSSI)—a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business based in Virginia—has been supporting the U.S. military’s special operations community for over 25 years (as well as for those in 15 allied nations) and currently provides logistical solutions for the military, law enforcement, and disaster response communities. Among the products the company sells are a line of bags for special operations medics including the M-4 Special Operations Medical Bag, which was designed by a former special operations medic and gives medics a sturdy, portable space to carry all of their gear. TSSI also sells the M9 Assault Medical Backpack, which is made from 500 denier Cordura nylon and has a thin profile that reduces the bulkiness associated with medical products to provide a snug fit inside a helicopter, HMMWV or MRAP.
ALL FOR THE SAME PURPOSE
No matter which company the military chooses for the troops’ mission needs, Wemmer of Spec.-Ops. Brand said that each one is dedicated to providing the highest quality products that keep soldiers safe.
“Our commitment to our customers goes beyond making a living and making a profit. This is a conviction,” he said. “We have a code and we feel like we cannot in any way fail our customers, because their lives depend on it and when their lives depend on it, our lives depend on it. They’re out there putting it on the line for us, so we feel an extra sense of urgency and commitment to make sure that we build everything we can for them.” ♦
Equally significant is load bearing equipment, such as vests and pouches that are used in order to more evenly distribute the loads that soldiers carry. The issue of soldiers’ loads has been an ongoing challenge throughout the history of the armed forces and it is one that the military has made a concerted effort to alleviate—thus helping troops perform more efficiently and avoid injury. This is particularly important for soldiers who are fighting current conflicts and has been studied by the military at length. For example, according to “The Modern Warrior’s Combat Load,” a report issued by the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL), the loads that soldiers now carry in the extreme environments they are currently fighting in are making even the fittest soldiers exhausted and therefore changes to equipment need to be considered. In response to these concerns, CALL made some recommendations that include the use of ergonomically sound, multi-functional gear that would take the load off of the soldier’s back and distribute it more evenly from head to toe. To this end, there are several different approaches taken by the military to efficiently handle soldiers’ loads.
IMPROVED LOAD BEARING EQUIPMENT (ILBE)
The most important considerations that must be taken into account when selecting backpacks and load bearing equipment are the mission that soldiers will be sent on, the needs that will arise during the course of that mission, and the ease at which each item can be integrated with other equipment. To meet all of these needs, the Marines use a family of equipment known as Improved Load Bearing Equipment (ILBE), which includes backpacks and components that can be easily attached to one another.
Among the backpacks included in the ILBE system is a 1,600 cubic-inch backpack, which is much like a student’s book bag and designed for short events that only last one or two days when soldiers need to travel light. When Marines need a little bit more space, they use a larger assault pack, which is 2,200 cubic inches that can be expanded to 3,200 inches as needed. In addition, the main backpack in the system is a 4,500 cubic inch backpack, which serves as the soldiers’ main pack and can fit everything a soldier needs during lengthier missions.
MODULAR LIGHTWEIGHT LOAD-CARRYING EQUIPMENT (MOLLE)
Similar to the ILBE system used by the Marines, the Army uses the Modular Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment system, also known as MOLLE, for its soldiers’ load bearing needs. This 50-component system—which includes rucksacks of different sizes, load bearing vests, and pouches—is designed ergonomically to distribute as much of the soldiers’ load to their hips in order to avoid injury (such as rucksack paralysis that leaves a soldier’s arms and shoulders numb) and improve their marksmanship.
When the Army acquires components in the MOLLE system, they must meet a number of high standards like being compatible with airborne operations, the ability to survive in extreme temperatures from -40 to 140 degrees, and modularity that allows military personnel to easily pick and choose which components they need for a specific mission. Also, before the equipment is chosen, it must also go through a series of quality control tests. For example when testing backpacks, they are loaded with 120 pounds and dropped from a tower at a speed of 33 feet per second. The pack must survive three of these tests in order to be incorporated into the MOLLE system.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES
Similarly, special operations forces uses a family of about 75 load carriage products, which are chosen by a board of experts and purchased by USSOCOM. When USSOCOM goes about finding these load bearing products, the SOF community has a number of characteristics that they look for, such as how well they perform in both land and maritime environments (often there are two versions of one product to meet both of these purposes), how well they can be used during a specific mission, and how compatible they are with other components in the SOF load carriage family.
Two of the most popular products in this load carriage series are the light load assault pack used by all SOF soldiers and the 750 cubic inch assault pack, which is used to carry items like escape and evasion kits, ammunition and batteries.
There are several industry sources that the military uses for their backpack and load bearing equipment needs including BAE Systems, Blackhawk!, Eagle Industries, Spec.-Ops. Brand, and Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc.
BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems has been working with the Army to produce MOLLE-type rucksacks and load-bearing vests since the late 1990s. Sean Martin, BAE’s director of business development for individual equipment, said that this partnership with the military has helped them create quality products with soldiers’ need in the forefront.
“Backpacks and load carriages are basically soldiers’ home away from home, so being able to carry enough supplies to fight effectively and sustain themselves in the battlefield is critical to their survivability,” he said. “We design the product first and foremost with a military user in mind. Our design group is headed by people that have former military operational experience, versus taking a commercial item and trying to militarize it.”
In order to further this mission, BAE systems has launched a new brand of products—Eclipse Performance Military Gear—which will include a number of new backpacks and load carriage equipment with a tactical focus that can be used by both military and homeland security customers. Among the products featured in the new Eclipse line is the improved outer tactical vest, which was made in conjunction with the Army to provide comfort and ballistic protection for users.
BLACKHAWK!
But for seeing one of Blackhawk!’s 3-Day Assault Packs during his last duty assignment, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tom O’Sullivan would not have found his current career. “I picked it up and thought it was such a good product and such a nice quality that I looked up Blackhawk! and after I retired, I ended up working here,” he explained. Now O’Sullivan is the category manager of Blackhawk!’s tactical division and is servicing the soldiers that are currently in the predicament he was once in—trying to find the best strategy for carrying loads that will make them effective in their missions, as well as safe.
To that end, Blackhawk! manufactures backpacks made from sturdy 1,000 denier nylon and have strong stitching, adjustable shoulder straps, robust hardware, and ventilation that gives the soldier maximum comfort. The company’s 3-Day Assault Pack is a frameless backpack with silent zipper pulls, padded shoulder straps, and a detachable, elastic sternum strap with a silent release buckle. There is also a pouch to fit the company’s 100-ounce hydration reservoir system.
In addition to backpacks, Blackhawk! offers the S.T.O.M.P. II medical pack, which holds everything a military medic needs to save lives, and a series of hydration packs that includes the Stingray hydration pack—a lightweight nylon pack with a drink system protected by the Microban antimicrobial treatment system.
EAGLE INDUSTRIES
Missouri-based Eagle Industries didn’t start making its high-quality nylon products on the ground floor. Instead, the company began manufacturing in the basement—literally—when John Carver and his mother, Lorene Pyles, started sewing products in her basement. Initially, the company, then known as Scott-John, made products such as fanny packs and bags, which were used by motorcycle racers.
In 1982, Carver’s company transformed in a way that would also change the way that soldiers carry their gear. During this time, Carver studied the market and saw a great lack of quality tactical gear for both military personnel and civilian law enforcement, so he went on to redirect the focus of his products and changing the company’s name to Eagle Industries.
As a result, Eagle Industries created the A-III Pack—a product that allows soldiers to carry everything they need for a 72-hour mission—which is regarded in the industry as the granddaddy of military backpacks and is still one of the company’s most popular products. Since its creation, the A-III Pack has evolved over the years and one of its latest incarnations is the MOLLE Style 3-Day Pack, which combines the high standards of the original A-IIIPack with the modularity of the MOLLE— allowing the soldier to add on components as needed for a specific mission.
Other popular items in Eagle’s catalog include the Becker Patrol Pack, a functional backpack that allows the user to carry 50 pounds of gear and has militarystyle clips to attach more equipment as the soldier sees fit; and the Modular Assault Pack, a large backpack designed to give the soldier enough room to carry the gear needed during an extended mission.
Keith Ericson, Eagle Industries’ director of marketing, said that the reason why the company has become a staple in the industry is because of its “quality by design” philosophy. During the production process, the company’s quality assurance staff members literally compare each work order to a product prototype in order to ensure that all products that go out the door are made to Eagle’s specifications. And in order to make sure that Eagle stays competitive in the industry and that the company continues to innovate products, there is a design team that works on about 30 to 40 new designs on a weekly basis.
SPEC.-OPS. BRAND
After a successful decade at CamelBak Products—a company that supplies soldiers with drinking systems that can be conveniently carried on their backs—Jeff Wemmer decided it was time to go out on his own. In 2000, he founded Spec.-Ops. Brand—during a time when no one could have predicted what was in store for the United States in the coming years and how much there would be a need for quality tactical products for the military.
“The reason that I love working with the military is because it’s the only customer base on earth—unless you’re selling surgical instruments to a doctor—where the products you sell actually make a huge difference for the end user because it’s a life and death situation for these kids and these military career officers,” said Wemmer.
One staple product they manufacture to keep soldiers safe during missions is the Tactical Holds Everything Pack, more popularly known as T.H.E. Pack. This heavy duty backpack—which at 19-inches high, 13-inches wide, and 7-inches thick to fit snugly over body armor—is made from 1,000 denier Cordura Nylon fabric and has a removable waistband, a solid harness, and durable zippers. The company also offers load bearing equipment to help give soldiers immediate access to what they need for a mission. One popular product is The Over-Armor Spec.-Ops. Brand vest, which can easily be slipped over body armor and helps soldiers maximize their carrying capability.
TACTICAL & SURVIVAL SPECIALTIES
Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc. (TSSI)—a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business based in Virginia—has been supporting the U.S. military’s special operations community for over 25 years (as well as for those in 15 allied nations) and currently provides logistical solutions for the military, law enforcement, and disaster response communities. Among the products the company sells are a line of bags for special operations medics including the M-4 Special Operations Medical Bag, which was designed by a former special operations medic and gives medics a sturdy, portable space to carry all of their gear. TSSI also sells the M9 Assault Medical Backpack, which is made from 500 denier Cordura nylon and has a thin profile that reduces the bulkiness associated with medical products to provide a snug fit inside a helicopter, HMMWV or MRAP.
ALL FOR THE SAME PURPOSE
No matter which company the military chooses for the troops’ mission needs, Wemmer of Spec.-Ops. Brand said that each one is dedicated to providing the highest quality products that keep soldiers safe.
“Our commitment to our customers goes beyond making a living and making a profit. This is a conviction,” he said. “We have a code and we feel like we cannot in any way fail our customers, because their lives depend on it and when their lives depend on it, our lives depend on it. They’re out there putting it on the line for us, so we feel an extra sense of urgency and commitment to make sure that we build everything we can for them.” ♦