limeaide

Another addition to the Nike collection, this time sponsored by a fat Bodega sale. While not ACG, I can't really think of a better place to put this.

This is NikeLab's Tiger Stripe Parka, a 3 layer waterproof fishtail parka. It's sized quite generously- I'm floating in a medium, whereas I normally float between XL and Large items. It features some Acronym-esque features, like the jacket sling and some magnetic closing outer pockets. Build quality seems to be on par with most Nike items, and the seam jobs are reminiscent of my ACG pants. The jacket sling is really an attempt, it doesn't have the same system as ACR jackets. I imagine this is due to patenting more than anything. But, it works.

No testing of waterproofing yet. It's currently 109F at the moment, with no moisture in sight. I probably wouldn't have bought the jacket if it wasn't at almost half off- definitely not worth the premium. 

No photos right now, but it's pretty much as you'd expect. Can't get Lightroom to function at the moment. 

https://us.propstoreauction.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/126/?page=1

Some rather interesting items in here from the live action GITS movie. Very tech. Say what you want about the movie, but the costumes are quite well done. 

Almost a full size run of the AVM-001s still sitting. 

A few pairs remaining of 007 / 102

I swear by October we're all going to look like 8th graders on the first day of middle school. 

On 4/9/2018 at 8:43 PM, tempura_glitch said:

That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I remember circa 2006 I was all over their plate carriers and field pants with integrated knee pads.

The bag looks super interesting, I might pick one up to use as a gym bag. Does it have a mesh back?

That is a no- The bag has removable padding that's spaced to allow airflow. (Quite similar to the padding used on their carriers.) Behind that is velcro and some associated MOLLE straps to attach to the rear of a carrier. 
 

On 4/9/2018 at 10:13 PM, the-intern said:

Love bags, collect bags... have lots and lots of tactical kit. Here's a few more amazingly innovative tac bag producers:

Top tier tac: London Bridge Tactical (LBX, LBT), First Spear, Crye Precision, Tasmanian Tiger, Matbock, Mystery Ranch,

Mid level: Hazard 4, Prometheus Design Werx, Triple Aught Design, Hill People Gear, Maxpedition, LEAF, OTTE

Lots of entry level crap... not worth a mention. Though 5.11 does have some clever designs from time to time.

I love First Spear and LBT's bags. FS has some well designed covert bags, LBT has a great jumpable pack design as well. 

In the ever ending quest to find a backpack that is a.) Made from high quality materials, b.) plenty of function, and c.) doesn't look like it's meant for either an invasion (excessive MOLLE, camouflage, straps, overly militarized) or K2 (bright colors, insane amounts of padding), Crye's AVS 1000 is an excellent solution.
 
Crye Precision is one of the foremost military equipment manufacturers: Based out of New York, they provide some of the nicest gear taxpayers can buy to all branches and a variety of police forces around the globe. I've found their stuff to be incredibly well designed and purpose built, with a ton of ingenuity involved- Lots of R&D and working close with the people who use it everyday in bad situations. If you're familiar with Arc'Teryx, their LEAF lineup is similar to what Crye does. 

Some specs: 

100% nylon
Made in the US from US materials in NY
Stretch bottle holder on left side of pack
MOLLE on right side (very small discrete amount, only 3x3) 
2 small external pockets
1 large external pocket
Main pocket has a hanger for a hydration bladder (Camelbak) (Or a armor plate, if you're in to that) 
Dual zippers on every pocket (Originally designed for antennas, can be used for blueprints or large objects in a civilian fashion) 
Compression straps
Removable sternum strap
Comes in Black (pictured), Coyote Brown, Ranger Green, and Multicam
ITW Nexus Hardware

If you're not familiar with the AVS system, the pack is designed to integrate into an armor setup and offer scalability for a variety of uses and situations, but most of these are designed to integrate into the vest. The manual describes much of these configurations in detail, but for 99% of readers, the one setup they'll use the most will be the backpack. 

My initial worry with this particular pack was that it would be too big to be used in a carry-on situation or daily backpack. From use I've found that it's very low profile and fits well on my back. (For reference, I'm an L/XL in most shirts / jackets) The straps offer lots of adjustment and have management loops to store excess strap. (You never realize how useful this is until you actually have them). 

The use of 4-way stretch materials provides a subtle expansion when you really start stuffing the backpack full of items. The pockets on the outside also have this same material on the outside, letting you really cram them full. Looks are deceiving! In my tests, I would wager that I could fit about two and a half 2 liter US soda bottles into it. There is no official liter sizing, and I'm not sure how to estimate that, but I would guess 6 liters. 

One other neat component is the internal composite frame. It looks to be some type of carbon or fiberglass weave, and is removable. I'm not sure how airport security will respond to this.. We'll see soon. Zippers are shrink wrapped + pull tabs. Perfect for when using gloves. There is also removable padding on the interior of the bag (facing your back) and feels great compared to some other bags with nothing but a thicker nylon. 

One deficiency that I see is the lack of any type of waterproofing / DWR. The zippers are shielded with fabric, but that won't last long in a rainstorm. I'm sure in incidental water contact it'll hold up fine, and generally a lot of mil electronics are weatherproofed, but it would be an interesting addition for a 2.0. The backpack straps are also less padded than I was expecting, especially compared to my MR ASAP. There also isn't a lot of internal organization possibilities either- You may have to look elsewhere to do this. Crye's EXP packs which are more designed for civillian applications do have a frame organizer, but those bags were too big for my tastes. 

The other colorways are definitely subtle but certainly look more government. I would stick with black unless you're dead set on a color. Ranger Green would be my second choice for something a little different. Multicam could work, but it's a very obnoxious camouflage in a civilian setting. 

In short, it's a high quality setup from a high quality company, coming in at a steal of a price point (252.10 USD) when comparing to other brands. The little details like shrink wrapped pulls and strap management shows a level of attention to detail that reflects on the rest of the backpack. 

In the photos you'll see a bunch of additional straps- That's for vest integration. 

Would you classify normal Stone Island as techwear?

After owning some pieces, I'm fairly impressed with the designs and fabrics- their sweatshirts are very comfortable. They're cut strange though- I guess it's the European sizing having me going up one or two sizes. 

Not really sure what Nike is up to here. But I like it. 

Not too crazy about the side text "AIR" but certainly an interesting rendition! (The orange ones are cool- If you want to look like a Space Shuttle Astronaut. Which isn't a bad thing..) Lacing will be fun to see what people come up with. 

Eying a pair of Flyknit Mercurials on sale- How do you guys like to wear these? I don't really think it's possible to blouse them, but if anyone has any photos or recommendations, I'm all ears.

http://soldiersystems.net/2017/07/02/acronymjutsu/

So which one of you writes for Soldier Systems? Never thought I'd see this pop on here. 

On 6/3/2017 at 0:05 PM, lesteel said:

could you guys please provide some pics with daf x cargos?

I tried, but I look like a total idiot. 

I don't know if it's just me- but the DAF1s are pretty damn hard to style. When they're fully zipped up and bloused it looks odd. When it's half-zipped with a little play, they're difficult to walk in without them banging against each other. This could also be my stupid body. 

 

For those of you interested in purchasing a pair of ACG pants from seasons past on eBay or second-hand, note that certain pants have different fabric compositions and fabric weights. From what I can tell, the cut is slightly different with a bigger taper on the blue (I think the Nike term is "Obsidian") and with different aglets on the drawstring. Not sure if the Obsidian pants have the super-deep pockets. Doesn't feel like it. (Please note on the OD pair the drawstrings are pulled out because of me- that is not how they should come) 

Olive Drab pants are 97% polyester, and 3 percent spandex. 

Obsidian pants are 74% cotton, 24% wool, and 2% spandex. Also feel lighter than the OD pair. 

Weird stuff happening over in Brazil. 

http://www.nike.com.br/calendario-lancamentos/sportswear/restock-sneakers

Must have been found in a warehouse or something. 

Really loving the color of those tan cargos. (The vent zippers are a neat feature as well) Not a huge fan of the pocket placement, but the raw item doesn't look as atrocious as that one model's styling.

Hopefully I can snag a pair. My FW16 pants were a bit large for a large. Might try a medium. 

WTB: Medium Acronym Presto in Lava / Hot Pink for a non-stupid price. 

Got my ACG Cargo pants in from either some season in 2015/16, not sure. 

Anyone else have problems with sizing? It seems my body just hits right where I'm uncomfortable in a medium (too tight), but large is a little too baggy for my tastes. Large works for now, but may have to get them tailored or something. 

Nice pants however, decent build quality, seams are covered. Really like them. Pockets are super deep, and are made of a mesh material. 

Anyone got a reading on Nike's ACG woven pants sizing? (From their latest drop, the ones in cargo khaki)

I'm 34-35" waist and about 5' 11" - 6ft. 

Thanks. 
 

37 minutes ago, brainerd666 said:

It's a little frustrating that there's only been mk-1's released over the last year or so. I bought the 3ts because it Looked more streamlined than the 3a-1 and has more versatility in terms of add ons. Tossing a couple mk's on gives you basically a 3a-1 with less storage. Hell- if I've done my math right, you can't even fit a decent re-usable water bottle in the mk with the flap closed (correct me if I'm wrong on that one please). I've had my eye on a few different non acr molle compatible pouches but haven't been really happy with the overall aesthetics. Hopefully we'll see some pouches in the proper drop... (If you all have links to decent molle gear btw, please do tell)

Depends on what you're looking for as far as MOLLE gear. I really like Crye Precision, which has a "Smart Pouch Suite", a collection of multipurpose pouches that's good for everything from fragmentation grenades to chew packets. Plus they come in a variety of colors. 
 

https://www.cryeprecision.com/armor-equipment/smart-pouch-suite

13 minutes ago, TEKsevenZERO said:

Offtopic, but please, someone educate me or enlighten me about the allure of Supreme? 

I'm serious.

Long story short, a lot of celebrities and rappers started wearing Supreme, and along with some high profile collaborations, Supreme turned into a powerhouse when it came to reselling. It seems people are willing to pay insane amounts of money for a hat Tyler The Creator wore. Their products are of decent quality, but nothing to write home about. I guess their sweatshirts are nice. Heavyweight. 

It's hype- the brand image is en vogue right now. 

What mainly speaks to me however, is that all of the items that resell for $$$ have the logo plastered all over it, or it's a t-shirt. If you go on their webshop, the nice pieces (in my opinion) for sale are still in stock, weeks after a release. 

On topic;

I'm a little late to the party, but I got my DAF-1s in. DHL sure took their damn sweet time, but that's life. Will keep them on ice till winter. It'll be 95 next week. 

Anyone in Germany know if the Lufthansa strikes are still delaying DHL stuff? I know they reached a verdict on it, but I guess there's a backlog. 

My AF1s are still floating around in the postal ether. USPS says they haven't received them, and DHL "says" they handed them off to USPS. 

My friend told me: DHL = dauert halt länger. Oy. 

56 minutes ago, chaosen said:

This is an interesting example but I think you're over-generalizing and while the scenarios may seem comparable on paper, the ideas you bring up really don't apply here in the same way. 

You simply can't compare the purchasing power/habits of people looking to buy a high-end vehicle with the purchasing power/habits of people looking to buy luxury clothing. The reality is that both the product and their respective consumer bases are entirely different. Even if we ignore the obvious price discrepancies (i.e. $100K+ vs $1K+), the two markets just operate and are served in very different ways; involving very different customer decision-making. 

We live in a generation where the public is becoming increasingly fashion-conscious (byproduct of the internet, social media exposure, celebrity impact and so-forth). As a result, people are more willing to spend disposable income on fashion items. Even a student working a minimum-wage job might save up a month's income, or -- god forbid -- take out a credit card loan, to purchase that Acronym jacket or bag that he/she wants. The point is, for somebody who really wants something in the luxury clothing market, they can (and probably will) find a way to make ends meet. 

Regarding your idea that "Hype may drive up prices, but hype does not sustain prices" - again, the fashion industry is just a different animal. As mentioned in this thread already, just take a look at the resell value of Supreme goods, or even Yeezy's (or other coveted sneakers), over the last few years and you'll see that your comment doesn't hold true. 

 

 

 

Great counterpoints. I guess my example was more on the idea of how price gouging happens and prices tend to deflate substantially after the hype ends. Things will only go so high before people walk away from a deal. In retrospect, and reading @Cairxoxo's comment- "hype does not sustain prices" I agree is incorrect as well- Hype will sustain a certain price, but it will only go so high after a certain period of time. Eventually people will move on to the next hot thing. Maybe I'm thinking too much like a stock analyst but when we see a bump in prices due media spotlight or some other reason (Like a tweet from it's CEO, hi Tesla) it doesn't stay at that price for long.

Supreme though, is a strange beast. The company basically spits in the face of it's fanbase yet continues to sell out constantly. Amazing. Unless they do something dumb like go downmarket or start franchising, I don't see the 'preme economy dying any time soon. 

This reminds me of a similar situation within the Porsche community, another one of my interests. 

If anyone is familiar, this was happening with the 911R, a distilled down "pure" and "heritage" 991 (chassis code for the latest model year) that was fairly limited. Allocations were first given out to major players with Porsche, i.e. 918 owners and people with collections that are equivalent to the GDP of a small African nation. Once the cars started trickling in, people were asking insane amounts of money for a car that was 200k out the door from Stuttgart. Anywhere from 750k to 3 million from what I recall. Same goes for the GT3 and GT3RS. 

What happened? Nobody bought them. A few are now sitting at 600k. Still an outrageous markup, but on par with most limited Porsches. 

That's the key to this situation or temporary price spike. Not a lot of people can afford a limited edition Porsche. Not a lot of people can afford (or want to buy) an ACR piece. Acronym just happens to be right outside the comfort zone of many people's purchase ranges, in my opinion. 

Hype may drive up prices, but hype does not sustain prices.

On 2/12/2017 at 8:10 AM, freecat said:

For future reference (https://www.dhl.de/popweb/ProductOrder.do?checkOnInit=false&insert=false&itemId=0)

The first option has no insurance or tracking, for a 50€ insurance + tracking you need to add 3€ to the price. 

The "paket" options includes insurance up to 500€. +14€ for 1k€ insurance, +28€ for 2k€ insurance etc...up to 5k€

In your case, it would cost 37€. I can proxy things if anyone wants btw, just pm me.

Just a quick question, how long do you think the Paket will take? I'm hearing between a few days and 10 or so. I've been given a 12 digit tracking number, that only works on the dhl.de website. 

Thanks again. 

 

Found this on Youtube. Posted in 2006, now older than 10 years! It's interesting as a newcomer to see how the brand has evolved. 

2 hours ago, xc-mtb said:

DHL is good. Bit be sure to pay for insurance and tracking as "Paket". Recently had a parcel that took nearly two months from Germany to USA. 

 

UPS is an option as well but more complicated.

Thanks everyone. I will relay this information. 

Hopefully shouldn't be too expensive. 

Maybe I should just write off a trip to Germany as a business expense- hah