PMCI February 2017 | Page 20

pmcimagazine.com LOWA INNOX COMBAT BOOTS TAN LOWA and their collection of military & tactical boots are considered to be some of the best military combat boots on the market today. LOWA’s Innox tactical boots are the product of over 90 years of European boot-building craftsmanship and innovation. Most of the makes of JPC style rigs only seem to produce a carrier that is suited to medium sized SAPI plates, which is no good for me as I am a big bloke so I needed to find an extra large vest. I found the ideal rig when I found that MODI made a JPC style carrier in the size that I needed. So off went my order and around 6 days later I had an XL Modi JPC style plate carrier in my hands. One of the first things I did was to unpack it to fit some JTac Custom XL 20mm dummy foam plates, while I waited for the XL SAPI training plates to arrive, and compare it to my Crye Precision JPC. Once adjusted to the same positions as my other vest I put it on. Initial thoughts were that it was very comfortable and familiar. I could place my magazine holders in exactly the same places so muscle memory isn’t altered, which is especially important for training. Whilst obviously not a Crye JPC it is a close mimic; there are some obvious differences like the back of the plate bags are do not have the elastic panels, whereas the Crye does. The main body of the rig is made of a 500D Cordura type material so I am quite confident that it will stand up to the rigours of the range. The fit, comfort and ‘wearability’ of the MODI rig is up there with the Crye JPC so for those who need to train with weight and prefer to wear a load carrying rig, this would certainly fit the bill for a cost effective alternative to wearing your primary rig. Now the best bit, a Crye JPC costs around £265 (in the UK) before any shipping costs. The MODI XL JPC can be found around Hong Kong for as little as US$49.99 plus shipping (and any import costs). For me personally, if a MODI JPC lasted a couple of years on the training range then it would be money well spent. So far, all the stitching and material is holding up well and it looks like being a rig which could serve a long time in my training kit. 20 Armed Forces and private contractors worldwide rely on Lowa’s legendary fit, comfort and durability in the most rugged of conditions. No nonsense, hard wearing, easy-to-maintain and with al l of LOWA’s fantastic foot technology combined in a combat boot for the discerning professional. The LOWA Innox GORE-TEX mid is ideal for professional personnel worldwide. The innovative, lightweight and multifunctional mid-cut Innox GTX Mid is suitable for a wide variety of outdoor activities from foot patrols, boot runs, camp use and guard duty, even in wintry conditions thanks to the waterproof and breathable lining. The shaft shaves weight with its high- quality synthetic materials and lightweight sole unit; this unit features an aggressive profile meaning you can be sure-footed in whatever conditions you might encounter.