RedBeardOne | Redbeard Tactical

Velocity systems chameleon shirt

Posted by RedBeardOne | Jan 12, 2021 | Reviews |

As we mentioned multiple times, there is a clear difference between low-profile and low-vis approaches when it comes to concepts of operations. US based and veteran lead manufacturer Velocity Systems is one of the few companies who know about this and has designed their Ultra-Low-Vis hard plates as a dedicated level 4 protective solution for low-vis and low-profile operations. With the plates being only a few millimeters thick they almost add nothing to the wearers profile. Most people don’t know that the ULV plates are part of a whole ecosystem of carrier systems, of which we already showed you the ULV Assault Carrier and its smaller brother, the ULV Carrier. But there is also a dedicated shirt, being able to carry the ULV plates for Low-Vis applications. The Velocity Systems Chameleon Shirt.

This may destroy some people’s dreams; but working as part of a protective detail or during other operations that require a maximum of discretion, tactical clothing is a no-go. Wide, untucked, plaid shirts will give you away quickly and won’t fit the dress code of more official occasions and events. Suits and business shirts will give away the print of a plate quicky, so you have to cut every millimeter of fabric to reduce bulk. Due to this fact the Chameleon shirt is basically a performance t-shirt with integrated front, back and side plate pockets.

LALO Shadow amphibian

Posted by RedBeardOne | Jan 8, 2021 | Reviews |

LALO footwear caused a big buzz a few years ago. We already checked out LALOs athletic lineup and where pretty impressed with it. But manufacturing trainers is a very different animal compared to tactical boots. That being said, it took over a year to finally release a review as we wanted to do at least a few kilometers in the LALO Shadow Amphibians until finally releasing a review.

All testers got into this very skeptical, regarding our really bad experience with American designed footwear in the past. American boot designs aren’t bad in general, but coming from Europe we have the privilege to have access to some of the best footwear manufacturing companies out there, so I might be a little bit spoiled by LOWA, Meindl and HANWAG.

REVIEW: Black Trident – 9mm DS Pistol Magpouch

Posted by RedBeardOne | Dec 30, 2020 | Reviews |

Your handgun magazines are an interesting phenomenon in a tactical environment. Most likely – and hopefully, you will never need an additional handgun magazine during a deployment. But when you need it you will need it fast.

So the retention of your spare handgun magazine should be a well made decision. A decision based on a balance between rock solid retention -remember, the magazine will stay unused most of the time; and fast access.

Private Tactical Training: A Danger for Mil/LE units

Posted by RedBeardOne | Dec 20, 2020 | Tachacks |

Ok, maybe this articles headline was primarily a clickbait. As the ever growing, innovative and efficient tactical training industry can only offer better capabilities of development to our armed forces and law enforcement capabilities. Only? A long time ago someone told me that statements containing superlatives should always be looked at twice. So as a person working in the private training industry myself I wanted to play a little mindgame that was like “How could private tactical training harm the effectiveness of MIL/LE units?” and the results were pretty surprising.

AAR: Esa austria close protection officer (CPO) TRAINING

Posted by RedBeardOne | Dec 15, 2020 | Events |

There are many people out there dreaming of becoming an executive protection specialist one day. So, it’s no surprise that many companies have discovered the lucrative market of CPO trainings for them. The quality of many of those offers is -kindly spoken, mixed. As to many competitors are luring with absurdly short time spans while offering loads and loads of mostly action-oriented content. Or even promise their customers to get jobs after completing a class – which is a massive no-go for any commercial training.

But there are some companies that have a reliable reputation in training CPOs in Europe and ESA Austria is one of them. From September 21 to October 02 2020 the European Security Academy Austria offered a CPO class to teach people the basic skills for the close protection business.

REVIEW: Velocity Systems Triple 5.56 Shingle

Posted by RedBeardOne | Dec 7, 2020 | Reviews |

Continuing our review series of magpouches we will this time take a look at Velocity Systems .223 shingle in its Helium Whisper Variation. Velocity Systems is known for its expertise in creating no-nonsense gear which has its focus on weight saving while maintaining maximum functionality. We got some samples from Velocity Systems to evaluate how the systems works in various uses and environments.

REVIEW: Mayflower RC Jungle Mag Pouch (.223)

Posted by RedBeardOne | Dec 2, 2020 | Reviews |

The Velocity Systems Jungle Mag Pouch .223 is a fully enclosed magazine carrier that is optimized for harsh environmental influences. It is part of Velocity Systems Jungle Kit, which was developed by Mayflower RC for a specific unit requirement. If you didn’t read the full review of the Mayflower Jungle Kit you can do so in our comprehensive review.
After using this pouch as part of the whole jungle system and also on other platforms for about three years now it was about time to write a long-term review which would primarily focus on how well the construction keeps up, but also to expose eventual design flaws. You can also consider this review as a long term test of the two unique materials used on this pouch made by Blue Force Gear – the Helium Whisper attachment system and Ultra Comp laminate.

REVIEW: Black Trident Snus Holster

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 28, 2020 | Reviews |

Dip, Snus, Chew or Cope -name it how you like to, but I bet that everyone who served came into content with the swedish chewing tobacco, be it loose or pouch incarnations. Granted, dipping isnt a good habbit, but it has many advantages over smoking like the missing glow of a cigarette that wont give away your position at night, the missing smell and of course the fact that it doesnt directly affect your lungs.

REVIEW: Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoodie

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 24, 2020 | Reviews |

It’s getting colder outside, so it is obvious that youl need an insulated jacket. There are tons and tons of “puffy” jackets on the market. But if you are focused on quality and durability the field gets smaller. The Arc‘teryx Atom LT is one of those jackets you are going fall in love with from the first time you put it on.

I’m using my Arc’teryx Atom LT for over 2 years in many different kinds of situations and weather conditions now…

REVIEW: Velocity Systems Low-Vis Blowout Kit

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 21, 2020 | Reviews |

Sometimes an IFAK needs to be a compromise between size and the amount of medical supplies carried inside.

This is where the Low-Vis Blowout Kit by Velocity Systems comes into play. It offers almost four times the amount of space that a micro trauma kit now offers, while still maintaining the ability to be belt mounted.

The construction of the LV-BOK is a made up of two main components. The carrier sleeve as well as the components pouch. The components pouch is a simple zippered, clamshell style pocket that features a hook Velcro square and two reinforced pull handles on the back. On its inside you find enough space and elastic organization to store and organize a standard IFAK. The components pouch main fabric is 500DEN Cordura….

REVIEW: Direct Action Rifle Speed Reload Pouch

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 15, 2020 | Reviews |

Approximately 10 years ago the tactical nylon gear market got flooded by the products of young, innovative east European gear manufacturing companies. Some of them coming up with more and some of them coming up with less useful products of varying quality. Polish manufacturer Direct Action Gear is one of the few east European brands that survived until today, given the amount of innovation and manufacturing quality, this is no surprise.

REVIEW: Arc’teryx Seton Jacket

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 10, 2020 | Reviews |

Being the grey man is not done by wearing a grey jacket witth velcro patche areas. It is done by wearing clothing that has a casual cut. Unbeknown to mpst, Arc`teryx is offering a casual line. One of its offering is a “tamed” Atom LT, the Seton Jacket. The Seton jacket claims to feature almost the same DWR and insulation properties as the Atom LT, but with a civilian cut. Lets have a look.

AAR: 1st Swiss Close Protection Workshop

Posted by RedBeardOne | Nov 1, 2020 | Events |

From September 25 to 27 we originally wanted to visit the international Bodyguard Conference. But due to COVID Wodan Security was forced to cancel this big event. As some kind of stop gap measure Wodan Security set up the smaller Swiss Close Protection Workshop in Switzerland. We exclusively visited the workshop to show you some impressions.

TacHack: My Current Belt SetUp

Posted by RedBeardOne | Oct 21, 2020 | Tachacks |

Talking about belts in various tactical roles and functions we first have to look at the various philophies behind setups. There is the belt kit, which for hundreds of years proved to be a reliable way to carry more and more equipment around and still is a viable option for combat patrol, recce or light infantry tasks. Equipment is moved away from your chest and placed around your hips, allowing you to carry more equipment at the cost of your gear bouncing around a little more.