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 !
14