Arktis where are they these days?

With a media blackout that would make North Korea proud Arktis seems to have gone to ground. So what did happen to one of the UK's premier tactical equipment manufacturers?

A little back ground for those who don't know, Arktis made there name with there take on the ubiquitous chest rig that was de riguer for many of the guys tackling the IRA on OP banner. 

There seem to be two main reasons for Arktis seeming to evaporate from the UK scene. The first one is pretty self explanatory, as it hit most UK retailers and bespoke kit manufacturers. This was the change from DPM  to MTP. A great number UK kit retailers struggled to stock Multicam as it was generally only popular with SF types and sold few retailers in differing quality. 

But Arktis seems to be clawing back into the MTP market place with select bespoke items that are generally available from their ebay shop.

And as for the second reason Arktis seems to have disappeared is the business seems to be getting a lot of sales across the channel with the French military. The 1601 model assault vest became a must have item for French troops in Ivory Coast, Arktis and its equipment got a good reputation within the 2REP that its deep Reece commandos put in a tender for a bespoke chest rig. Pictures of this chest rig where hard to come by but hopefully I'll bring them to you soon.

Arktis has been at the forefront of replacing the average French soldiers poor quality issued equipment. And has won contracts from the French MOD to develop a unique arctic camouflage for its mountain infantry to use in Afghanistan. 

However despite all these good things, it has been slow to get of the mark in the MOLLE market as well as several other fields. With a lot of the guys on the ground preferring the tailorability of MOLLE platform its bizarre that a company with such a sterling reputation would found to be so lacking. 

If you compare this MOLLE belt to even a low grade manufacturer. It would be in poorer design and less suited to what the troops need. It looks rigid in construction and not well thought out in regard to adding a yoke system.

 In the future I'll be trying to get my hands on Arktis kit to review. But I hope these musings which are all of my own opinion shed a little light on what's gone on in regards to what was once one of the premier tactical companies in the UK.

Until my next post Gladius actual out.

Everyone wants to look ally right?

Well everyone wants to look like a special forces guru right? Everyone wants to be decked out in Crye precision. And a load carrying system decked out in so many pouches you can carry all the kit you may or may not need. This seems to be the school of thought heading through parts of the armed forces at the moment. Now I'm not saying that looking ally is a crime by any way shape or form because I'm guilty of spending money on kit purely on the Gucci factor alone (my AKU boots I hardly wore in afghan being the best example) I have to add that these boots were not nessecarily meant for infantrymans work, but mainly for jumping out of a blackhawk shooting a high profile insurgent commander and jumping back on the helo within a short period of time. Which if truth be told isn't most people in the armies day to day whilst in afghan. 

When I first arrived to my battalion you could spot who the ally call signs were just by the way they looked. Decent webbing,Gucci smock and non issue boots. This is still the trend that continues to this day, but has been supplemented by different role changes attributed by 13 years of continuous campaigning. For example MOLLE kit only came on general standard issue in the British army with the advent of the first generation on osprey body armour. Since then we have seen what can only be described as a MOLLE explosion! For a perfect example of too much MOLLE I'll describe my own osprey armour in afghan, I began the tour with the medic and commanders pouch as they were required as part of our SOP's. Then on the ops panel I had four bungee mag pouches. Some might think that this doesn't sound too bad, but I still had my battle belt holding six more mags and my grenades. And let's not even mention my daysack.

And the stupid thing was that I thought that this was the perfect way to carry my kit. Until major issues such as moving fast, getting into wagons and alike made me decide to make my kit more streamlined and as a result all of my ammunition got pushed to my battle belt. Right now the army is going through its post herrick reappraisal and on the ground is trying to learn the lesson from the ground up and balance leathality and mobility as well as sustainability on the battlefield. Which a few of the old and bold Cold War warriors amongst us call fight light, but is going through the army as project Payne. But that's a subject for another article.

Gladius actual out.

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