PMCI - May 2016

GEAR ON TEST
16
VIPER “TITANIUM”
CLOTHING RANGE
When it comes to new tactical gear VIPER continue
to roll out both new designs and exciting, unique
colours. PMCI got an early look at their latest
“urban-inspired” Titanium grey clothing range.
“Urban Grey” has been one of those stories that just
keeps going and going; the “grey” story really took
off in 2012 when Arc’teryx LEAF launched their “Urban
Wolf” line of clothing. In the ensuing years numerous
tactical manufacturers have followed their lead and
followed suit by developing their gear in tones of grey,
and very recently we’ve been seeing “grey gear” being
worn by some very special police and military units.
The latest player to enter this arena is UK-based VIPER
with their initial range of TITANIUM products.
TITANIUM has really been chosen for urban and
industrial areas, and it breaks with tradition and
introduces a grey colour blend for modern, built-up
environments. A new alternative to traditional blue
or black, grey is less traditional and therefore a less
recognisable as a “uniform”. TITANIUM provides a covert
tonal shade for use in urban settings.
What VIPER have done is to look very closely at some
key clothing pieces initially, and keep things ultra-low
profile and pared back. Whilst all the features that you’d
expect are present they’ve been added in a much more
subtle way so as not to immediately scream out “tactical”.
The first item of clothing is a solid ballcap; the ELITE
Baseball cap is a classic, no-nonsense design made from
a mix of rip-stop tear resistant nylon and cotton. It has a
front Velcro ID panel and simple Velcro side adjustment
so one size fits most. Priced at just UK£9.50 this is a “nobrainer”
of a brain cover!
Priced iro of UK£21.00 the VIPER Tactical T-Shirt is a
great piece to wear next to the skin. It’s made from superheavyweight
220gsm cotton with a straightforward round
neck and two upper sleeve pockets with Velcro. This is a
great design, fits well and works extremely well in the
summer months.
The Contractor Pants are the latest design to be launched
in the VIPER trouser range and I have to say that they are
a really super, well-thought out design; it’s one that works
superbly well with the “covert” theme as the cut is very
“civvy” with some very low profile pocketing. Made from
rip-stop PolyCotton the pants feature two deep bellow
cargo packets with inner felt lined utility compartments,
two handwarmer pockets, and two rear seat pockets. The
knee panel is fully reinforced with a compartment for a
knee pad insert (you’ll need to buy these separately or
make some yourself!). They also have a gusseted crotch
and an elasticated waist panel on the rear for added
comfort, a YKK zip fly with button, and drawstring tie
bottoms. With a price-tag of UK£39.99 you get
a lot of trouser for your money!
Last but by no means least is the
Tactical Elite Jacket; this is an established
VIPER design, and I’ve been wearing a
black version for some time now and
it’s really stood up well to an awful
lot of abuse! The Elite jacket is made
from water resistant Micro-Shell
material, offering maximum comfort
on all but the very harshest of wet
weather days, and there’s even a
hood with an adjustable peak stashed away
in the collar. There are three external pockets in the main
body area of the jacket, two upper arm utility pockets
with velcro patches, and a small zipped pocket on the
lower left arm for ID cards or small map cards. The main
closure is a strong two-way YKK zip, and there are also
underarm zipped vents to you can regulate your core
temperature effectively, and elasticated cuffs with velcro.
This really is a cracking jacket and costs £54.99 which
is super value given the level of performance it provides!
I have to say that the new TITANIUM range features
some of the best designs that I’ve ever seen from VIPER,
and the grey colour that they’ve achieved is really very,
very good indeed; I’d go as far as saying that in my opinion
it’s one of the best grey tones on the market right now.
In addition to the extremely affordable clothing there
are also pack models that are already available to go with
it; I’m testing a couple of the models at the moment and
will report back on those in due course. 2016 is shaping
up to be another great year for VIPER; I for one can’t wait
to see what they do next!
In the meantime to keep up to date with the new VIPER
tactical products as they become available please visit
www.viperkit.co.uk. You can also follow VIPER TACTICAL via
their Facebook and Instagram pages which are regularly
updated.
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