The Leupold D-EVO | Dual Enhanced View Optic
The D-EVO is a 6×20 fixed power prism optic which uses mirrors and lenses to get the job done. It could be used stand alone but it’s meant to be used in conjunction with a Red Dot Sight.
Developed over the last year, the Dual-Enhanced View Optic has many features being considered for the Army’s future Squad Common Optic. Leupold chose to integrate the Close Mid-Range Reticle with Wind holds (CMR-W) from the popular MK6 line (7.62 version below for illustration). It offers bullet drop to 600m as well as windage but this version uses averages for 5.56 and 7.62 cartridges. It offers up to 50 mils of windage and elevation adjustment with 0.1 mil increments per click of the dials.
The D-EVO is 2″ tall, 4.6″ long, taking up only 3.2″ of rail space due to its mount. It weighs 13.8 oz and is waterproof to 66 feet.
The photo above is looking out at about 200m while the image below is at 100m. 
Credit: Leupold Optics, Soldier Systems
Gerber Cortex Flashlight | The Outdoors Master
Gerber is a recognized leader in military-grade tactical products. We had the chance to test for a few months one of their new Cortex flashlights.
These lights are proudly built in the US and are designed to meet the needs of the military professionals. The Gerber Cortex series is comprised of three flashlights: the Cortex, the Cortex Compact and the Cortex Rechargeable. This line of lights features the Gerber’s patented Omnivore technology, which allows them to operate on multiple powers sources. The Cortex and Cortex Compact can operate on either AA or Lithium CR123A batteries, while the Cortex Rechargeable runs on Lithium Ion 18650 battery but will also accept disposable CR123A batteries.
The Cortex Flashlight is built with adaptability in mind. It can run on either three Lithium CR123A batteries or two AA batteries. The Cortex accepts both alkaline and lithium, providing the operator with flexibility when battery choices are limited. With a maximum output of 675 Lumens (when running on three CR123 batteries), the Cree XML LED provides a level of light than can be effectively utilized to overwhelm an aggressor or identify a threat. In an outdoor environment this light can be effective for hundreds of yards.
Light beam at distance of 10 m (33 feet)
Light beam at distance of 20 m (66 feet)
As you can see from the images above the light has a very wide outer beam, while still having a focused hot spot in the middle. We believe that Gerber has found a good balance between wide-external and focused-central. This fine combination allows the operator to enhance its situational awareness while still being able to utilize the tool actively and selectively. The tail switch cap allows to select between three modes: high, low and strobe. The low mode provides an output of 40 Lumens and is well suited for administrative tasks.
The light is built with heavy duty in mind. The Cortex is made of aircraft grade anodized aluminium which feels solid and tough as soon as you grab it. Because of its aggressive design, the bezel can be used as a striking tool or even to brake glass, in case things go very south.
The light is also provided with a built in clip, for easier carry when a sheath is not available.
We believe that this flashlight could be very interesting especially for those who live in Europe, while other US made flashlights are very expensive this seems to have an excellent Quality/Price ratio. For the pure tactical application (CQB, even weapon mounted) we prefer to have a momentary only switch. But this product still does a very good job for a personal defense task. In all these months that we have been using this product (and we didn’t treat is very good) we have never experienced a failure of any kind. We have accidentally dropped this light for quite some distance and every thing was fine, and even underwater it worked magnificently.
We recommend this light for its adaptability, and we would definitely keep it in my car or in a Go bag. The Cortex’s adaptability and versatility make it a tool you must have. The fact that you can utilize this light for personal defense, search and rescue and general outdoor/tactical applications definitely make this flashlight one of the best we have ever owned.
So if you need to purchase a flashlight that can do the work of 3 or 4 we strongly recommend this. If you are looking for a light to keep on your person when hiking in the mountains, operating overseas, rescuing, hunting or even as and EDC tool, this is the one.
The Gerber Cortex flashlight is available at GerberGear.com
Haley Strategic Partners | The D3CR Heavy
Haley Strategic Partners has just released the Disruptive Environments Chest Rig Heavy. This new chest rig will allow a more mission specific set up for those who operate with a 308 platform while having the same slickness and low profile of an HSP soft good.
The D3CR-H addresses the same mission as the original D3CR, but has been slightly redesigned to support .308 platforms. Optimized for work in urban, vehicle, rural and other confined settings, the Disruptive Environment Chest Rig was built to be worn as a stand alone system with a detachable H-harness or clipped into a armor platform equipped with a quick release system.
When run as a stand alone, the platform is low profile enough to be worn fully loaded and not print on a normal/loose fit jacket or sweatshirt. When run on a armor platform with a quick release system, such as SwiftClips™, it can be attached or stowed in seconds, giving the end user the versatility to transition from low vis to high vis or vice versa.
The rig intentionally does not include a radio or dedicated full size medical pouch so no matter the posture, essentials such as communications and medical kits can remain on the end user at all times. The D3CR-H is also compatible with the Haley Strategic D3 Expansion System allowing the end user to add features including the holster wedge or multi-mission hanger pouch.
The rifle magazine pouches accept almost any .308 magazine. The Multi-Mission Pouches accept 1911, Glock, Sig, M&P, XD and other standard double or single stack pistol magazines, as well as many handheld lights and multi-tools.
The system features:
4 .308 Magazine Pouches with Hypalon® magazine retention tabs (Pouches support SR25, SCAR, FAL, AR10, M14, Lancer Systems, PMAG LR)
2 Multi-Mission Pouches with Hypalon magazine retention tabs (Fits standard double and single stack pistol magazines as well as other equipment including flashlights and multi-tools)
Zipper GP Pouch (Medical, compass, GPS, phone, batteries and other various small electronics)
Zipper Tool Pouch (Includes elastic keepers for more mission specific essentials, such as Kestrel wind meters, ballistic calculators, dope cards, batteries, tools and various electronics).
The D3CR-Heavy will be available in early December in Coyote and Multicam for $179.
S&S Precision | Introducing the 757 and GRT System
S&S Precision has released a couple of very interesting products in the past few days. They have enhanced their apparel line with a patent pending pant/pistol retention system: the 757. The other system they have introduced is the Gear Retention Track, which allows the operator to attach the SMR (Skeletonized Magazine Retention) directly to the Molle webbing, a belt or even in a kangaroo pouch. 
Read More…
AUSA 2014 – FNH Introduces CSASS Contender | MK 20 available commercially
At AUSA FNH USA is displaying their Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) entry. Based on the tried and true SOF Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) system, FN’s CSASS rifle is essentially the same package they developed for the MK 20 Sniper Support Rifle selected by USSOCOM. FN has stated that the rifle would be available for commercial sale about a year from now, and it will be manufactured in the South Carolina plant. Read More…
Smith Optics Outlier and Inforce 6vx: gear review
Being able to see properly is one of the most important skills, it can increase your survivability in almost every dangerous scenario. Since most of the time the two biggest obstacles to our “gift of sight” are darkness (at night) and being blinded by the Sun (during day) we’ve decided to focus on a Flashlight and a pair of sunglasses.
Since most of the time we end up being in an urban environment we wanted to find two practical, durable pieces of gear. We also didn’t want to draw a lot of the attention looking all tacticool but fit a bit more in the environment.
We ended up with two products with a very good price/quality ratio: the Outlier by Smith Optics and the 6vx by Inforce. Read More…
New MultiCam Patterns Revealed: Alpine, Arid, Tropical, Black
The original transitional MultiCam camouflage served a very precious role for concealment in Afghanistan where varied terrain provided a problem in “blending in” with a environment specific camouflage pattern. There was although the request of a wider variety of more specific patterns of camouflages. The answer was the release of a “family” of four new types of MultiCam, which are designed to cover Arid, Tropic, and Alpine terrains. They have also released a MultiCam Black pattern specific to law enforcement.
One of the key points of MultiCam is the fact that it allows the individual on the field to move within diffrent enviroments without being easily detected. By adding these four new variants (mainly “Arid” and “Tropical”) they have enhanced the capability of the single operator, allowing a more accurate and mission specific piece of gear, while keeping the main feature of the MultiCam Pattern.
MultiCam Alpine (Snow Covered Environment)
MultiCam Arid (Open Desert Sand and Rock Terrain)
MultiCam Tropical (Lush Jungle Environment)
MultiCam Black (Law Enforcement Identification)
Giacomo Guizzardi
Urban Survivor Blog 
