Jan 16, 2012

FirstSpear Explains 6/12 and Tubes



FirstSpear website

 FirstSpear™ is in the business of providing innovative solutions to long unanswered challenges. Our Tubes™ technology reaffirms that position. The common closure method for most Armor Carriers on the market today is to join the cummerbund in the front with hook & loop fasteners like Velcro®. This presents many performance failures. The hook & loop adds weight and bulk; is noisy and wears out quickly; and retains water, mud and snow. From a safety standpoint the hook and loop closure flap allows for cummerbund protection accessories like side plates and inflatable floatation to shift position and misalign from where they should be to provide maximum performance. The common release mechanisms found in most releasable vests typically utilize a variety of cables, routed through a complex maze of channels that when assembled correctly, are clumsy, heavy, awkward and difficult to reassemble. When assembled incorrectly, the results can be catastrophic.
FirstSpear™ Tubes™ solve all these challenges. Quick to close and even quicker to doff, Tubes™ are manufactured from lightweight high-performance polymers that exceed the strength of other molded fasteners currently used on Operational equipment. Molded in signature suppressive colors and with a variety of choices for activation, this closure system can be rapidly deployed and completely reassembled in SECONDS.
Let FirstSpear™ show you how Tubes™ technology will improve performance, enhance mission functionality, reduce weight and allow you to ditch the cable.
Patent Pending

• Up to 50% reduction in weight & significantly less bulk
• Backward compatible with standard MOLLE/PALS
• Forward compatible with FirstSpear’s™ ultra-lightweight 6/12™ pockets
• Enhanced cable management
Weight! There are several philosophies on dealing with weight as it applies to load carriage. Some development has occurred in lightweight materials, but these tend to sacrifice performance. Other developments have taken place in “load transfer” by shifting weight around, but they reduce flexibility while increasing heat retention, bulk and even overall load. FirstSpear™ has taken a different approach. We listened to the Users and decided to eliminate the weight and sacrifice nothing. In the design assessment of current pouch attachment systems, FirstSpear™ recognized that the major weight parasite on both the platforms and the attaching pockets is the yards of bulk nylon, snaps and polymer stiffener. The FirstSpear™ 6/12™ technology eliminates these components and achieves a 20%-40% reduction in weight per standard Assaulter configuration when compared to current pocket attachment systems. The FirstSpear™ team invested more than a year developing and testing the FirstSpear™ 6/12™ Pocket Attachment System. It utilizes state of the art fabric technologies to deliver a completely modular system, compatible with standard MOLLE pockets. From adhesive heat-set backing to laser cut precision attachment points, the 6/12™ system is a completely new, design-engineered solution that meets the need for modular, lightweight load-carriage platforms and pockets. Additionally, 6/12™ provides greater fabric flexibility on unarmored platforms and tighter mounting of pockets to create a cleaner silhouette that aides in enhanced signature management and mobility. The 6/12™ platform face is completely slick when pockets are removed and allows for easy management of communications cables and wires.
Don’t transfer the weight, get rid of it.
Patent Pending

Modular Pockets Compatible with FirstSpear™ 6/12™ Platforms Weight reduction is not just a buzz phrase at FirstSpear™ - it is an ethos demonstrated by the 6/12™ pocket line. Utilizing these pockets on FirstSpear™ 6/12™ platforms allows the wearer to achieve a weight reduction of over 40% without sacrificing performance. By removing the heavy nylon webbing, polymer reinforcement and metal snaps of the previous system, not only is weight reduced, but the overall profile of the pocket on the platform is significantly condensed as well, allowing improved signature management in all visual, IR and thermal spectrums.
Patent Pending