PMCI - March 2021

pmcimagazine.com
GEAR ON TEST
HELIKON-TEX GO TIGER!
Our friends over at Helikon-Tex in Poland have been
teasing us for a little while that they will have a “new”
camo pattern joining their extensive range, and finally
they’ve let us know the details, and we’re overjoyed
to see classic “Tigerstripe” appearing on a couple of
models of clothing to get the ball rolling!
Most people will have an immediate connection with the
family of Tigerstripe patterns due to its usage by Special
Forces, SEALs, the ASAS, NZSAS, and the Ranger Recon
teams in Vietnam, but in actual fact it was already in
military usage WAY before that! The Vietnamese Marine
Corps were already playing with the “VMX Experimental”
pattern in the late 1950’s which is thought to have had a
relationship with the French Indochina “Lizard” pattern,
using as it did a virtually identical stripe configuration.
The “VMX” in turn was developed into the first “official”
Tigerstripe pattern, the Vietnamese Marine Corps Sparse
or “VMS” which was issue from mid-1959 onwards!
But as much as “Tiger” is a much-loved and revered
historical pattern, it’s also one that is more than valid in
the right environments today, and if we’re honest it’s a
pattern that we dearly love! Whilst the pattern may not
be “current” to us that’s not really the point, as the two
models that Helikon-Tex have launched are the URBAN
TACTICAL SHORTS and the URBAN TACTICAL PANTS, clothing
designs that we’ve looked at before and rated very highly!
What makes the Urban Tactical Pants and Shorts so
special?
The cut and pockets layout employed in these pants
maintain civilian enough to wear every day, while retaining
full functionality of combat pants, capable of supporting
tactical essentials. Elastic Velcro-closed belt allows easy
adjustment. Wide belt loops allow as wide as 50 mm belt,
including all HTX tactical belts: EDC, UTL® or Cobras®.
Due to the clever layout of the pockets, equipment can
be placed close to your centre mass, around the hips and
waist. Front and rear pockets edges are reinforced to
withstand constant use of light or knife clips. Two Velcroclosed
front pockets are big enough to carry a smartphone
– or even an AR/AK rifle magazine! The thigh pockets look
flat, but thoughtful design allows pouches or wallets to
be carried with ease. Bespoke internal pockets on the
trousers allow fitting of Low Profile Protective Pads® if
you need them.
We’ve worn the Urban Tactical Pants on the range and
during training courses and they’re a great, hard-wearing
and super-comfortable model, as well as being extremely
durable and putting up with all manner of abuse! The
feature set is solid without being too much, and all the
pockets are usable in the very best way. We’ve not yet
tried the shorter design, but with summer just around the
corner these could be the very thing we need!
These are two very popular garments to get things
started with their “old is the new new” range of clothing,
and we sincerely hope that we’ll see more coming in this
pattern from Helikon-Tex, as it looks like they are most
definitely giving an old tiger some sharp, and cool-looking,
new teeth!
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