If it's not quite enough that SureFire's new helmet light is one of the most clever innovations in tactical lighting for warfighters since the crook-necked flashlight, then how about an accessory for the helmet light to turn it into a chest light? A chest light? Yes, an ingenious new attachment is now available that allows the helmet light to be clipped onto any PALs webbing and provide a low-level navigation light. The helmet light snaps onto a ratcheting arm on the MOLLE clip, allowing the light to be angled anywhere in about a 120° arc, from straight down to slightly upward.

The helmet light itself comes with five LEDs grouped into a trio of three white colored LEDs and a pair of colored or infrared LEDs. The most popular alternatives are blue and IR. Independently controlled with their own toggle switches, the helmet light's LEDs can be lit simultaneously or individually in one of three bright-brighter-brightest settings. Additionally, there is an IR strobe LED on the top, or side, surface of the helmet light, also independently operated as an IFF (Identify Friend of Foe) signal beacon.

The brightness and runtimes of the different LEDs are:

White High: 19.2 lumens/6 hours
Blue High: 2.5 lumens/20 hours
White Medium: 5.0 lumens/28 hours
Blue Medium: 0.8 lumens/48 hours
White Low: 1.4 lumens/48hours
Blue Low: 0.3 lumens/96 hours
IFF beacon: 1.72 mW/120 hours

There is a master disable mode on the helmet light, which disconnects the battery and prevents the light from activating accidentally. The on/off toggle switches for the main array of three LEDs and the IFF light are protected with wing-style barriers.

While the helmet light is intended to affix solidly to a MICH brain bucket, the little light really shines (sorry about that) as a chest light. We all know how convenient it is to have a hands-free light, and now you can have one on your tac vest, plate carrier, backpack or any piece of gear with PALs webbing. We've put them on a backpack's PALs webbing and even clipped one to a ball cap.

The MOLLE bracket light attachment can be rotated on a ratcheting swivel to move the light up and down; side to side adjustment is provided by your body movement. It works really well. This is ideal for medical uses, rummaging through a ruck or quickly searching for that lost thingamajig. SureFire priced the MOLLE attachment bracket for the helmet light at a very reasonable $29 retail. The helmet light itself retails for $136, both from www.surefire.com.

Crye Precision Blast Belt

www.cryeprecision.com

SOMEONE needs to feed some dumb pills to Caleb Crye and his team of engineers at Crye Precision. No one should be that smart! First, Crye invented and patented what many experts consider to be the best military camouflage pattern ever designed, better than any of the so-called "digital" patterns. It's called MultiCam® and it came within a whisker of being the official Army camo, passed over solely because it was a patented pattern and the Army didn't want to pay a royalty for uniforms.

For an encore, Crye turned to developing an entirely new approach to body armor. His Armor Chassis™ system of an ergonomically tailored plate carrier with anatomically fitted armor plates is taking the elite Special Forces world by storm. In fact, Crye's armor will be what puts this über entrepreneur on the map. Utilizing state-of-the-art ceramics, textiles and synthetics, the Armor Chassis system and its matching plates are offering greater comfort and freedom of movement, along with enhanced levels of protection, than anything out there.

Which brings us to the subject at hand, Crye's Blast Belt. The Blast Belt is a ballistic waistbelt, not unlike those back supporting style of "heavy lifting" belts worn by construction workers and body builders. The difference is that the Blast Belt will stop an AK round, with the optional ceramic plates installed. Unto itself without the ceramic plates, the Blast Belt provides level III soft body armor protection. With its PALs webbing running all around, all manner of thigh holsters, mag pouches, evidence pouches and other MOLLE attachments can be paired with the belt.

While the Blast Belt is specifcally designed to mate with Crye's Armor Chassis plate carrier, it can also be worn alone as a range belt. The fact that suspenders can be easily attached (sold separately, as they say on TV) makes it comfortable for all day training sessions. Crye calls it a "load carriage platform for your waist." We call it a Godsend for lower backs. Crye readily acknowledges the one knock that everyone has on his gear—you can't get it. "For the past few years our focus has continually been directed toward equipping units that have chosen to adopt our equipment. These units often go unseen and we're not interested in drawing attention to them," Crye says. " It's easy to assume that we're just sitting around ignoring our customers. I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Like many other good companies who are committed to going the extra mile for our guys, my team puts in the nights, weekends and whatever else is needed, simply to try to make a difference. To date, we have produced and delivered tens of thousands of items, now serving in theater."

The Blast Belt is so good we're running it in GearHead, even if you might not be able to get one as easily as ordering from Amazon. Good gear is always in demand.

Kifaru XRay Pack

www.kifaru.net

BEWARE the man who only owns one gun and, by the same logic, beware the manufacturer who only makes one product. You tend to get very good by focusing on one thing.

In the tactical nylon business, no one but no one makes only one item—everyone makes a full array of mag pouches, backpacks, holsters, tac vests, pockets of all sorts and descriptions. If it can be sewn, they sew it. But there's one man out there who concentrates on nothing but packs and rucks. His name is Patrick Smith and his company is called Kifaru. Kifaru sells specialized military packs directly to the military, but the company doesn't make a single "high speed" product—no chest rigs, no plate carriers, no drop holsters, no 40 mike-mike rigs, no mag pouches—nothing but packs. You have to believe there's a reason for that, like maybe Patrick realizes that the best way to build the world's finest packs is to focus on packs.

Based in Wheat Ridge, Colo., Kifaru is the follow-on entity to Patrick's original company, Mountainsmith, which was renowned for its innovative backpacks for the mountaineering market. Kifaru's new XRay pack was designed by the company's military gear guru, Mel Terkla, as a combination two-day pack and patrol pack for missions in which traveling light is an imperative. The XRay is a great example of Kifaru's overall design philosophy of an integrated systems approach to backpacks in which everything fits everything else, and all components are multifunctional and modular.

The best thing about a Kifaru pack is the comfort. The back is reinforced with stiffening bars to make the pack contour to the nautral curvature of the spine. The supporting straps are placed to distribute weight to the hips and shoulders. Speaking of which, the weight distribution can be shifted easily to the hips where it is easily carried by the amazingly well designed waist belt, called the Omni Belt. Compared to just a standard length of nylon that passes for a "hip support" on most makers' packs, the Omni Belt is a true weight-bearing system.

"The most fundamental of pack components is the suspension system, the interface between the pack bag and its contents and you. There is no weight limit on any of our packs; if you can lift and carry the load, the pack will perform in relative comfort, without fail. Period," says Smith about his uncompromising principles of pack design.

The XRay is a top-loading design with a capacity of 1,800 c.i. and weighs 4 lbs. 2 ozs. There's a wide "flap" opening on the front of the pack which gives total access to the contents. The inside of the flap is covered with PALs webbing to which any MOLLE pouch or pocket can be attached.

Additionally, the outside of the XRay is covered in PALs webbing, all bar tacked into place as it should be. "We build our gear right here in Golden, Colo., from American materials, unquestionably the best in the world. Many have been with me for a couple of decades. Their skill and dedication at building the very best backpacks provide a continuity unmatched anywhere. They are paid well; they deserve it. Our gear is not cheap, but virtually all our customers testify that it more than repays its initial cost," Smith says unapologetically.

To which we say, right on.