Make Sure You Look at the Context...

We're just going to briefly discuss the selection of your Tactical Outerwear. These few tips may seem extremely elementary, but sometimes something can be so obvious it is overlooked.

The main thing to remember when selecting your Tactical Jacket or Tactical Parka is the context of your surroundings. As you well know, many of today's top Manufacturer's, like 5.11 Tactical or BLACKHAWK!, offer their jackets in from a modular approach. This is a great idea and works well if you are operating in varying conditions.

Are you only wearing your outerwear during very cold/strenuous conditions, you may want an all out Duty Parka rather than a modular-type tactical jacket system. This makes perfect sense. In a situation like the one just mentioned, you may want a hip-length, totally sealed and solid winter parka.

However, if your tactical apparel needs to change along with a climate like ours in Ohio, then the modular system may be just the ticket. You'll notice that some systems, like 5.11's 3-in-1 Parka, have one price and the entire thing comes to you as a single product. Others, however, like BLACKHAWK!'s Shell Jak, Ops Jak and Training Jak are purchased separately and can be layered to produce an almost impenetrable fortress of outerwear.

Whatever type of tactical outerwear solution you decide on, just make sure you take its use into consideration. If you do that, you should be well on your way to a functional tactical apparel system.

K-9 Equipment & Training

It is important to remember that in order to do a job correctly, you need to have the right tools. This goes for K-9 training as well. Whether you plan to use your K-9 in a tactical police or military situation, or you are beginning to train for the sport of Schutzhund, make sure you get good dog training equipment.

You have probably noticed that on our site (www.TheCrimsonHill.com), we have begun adding to our K-9 equipment category. It is because the dog can be such an awesome asset in so many different situations, including tactical and volatile situations.

When picking a bite sleeve for your bite work training, pick something that is going to be comfortable and will last a long time. There are many good sleeves out there. The Crimson Hill has chosen to go with the Schweikert brand bite sleeve due to the high quality. We have sold this sleeve to the United States Air Force with no negative feedback. Just don't forget to pick up a jute sleeve cover to go with your sleeve. It gives your dog something fun to really thrash around on and it will keep that expensive bite sleeve from being destroyed.

Also, for that down time, find a good tug toy your dog will enjoy playing tug-of-war with. You on one end and your K-9 on the other make for a fun time. We recommend using either a Jute Tug Toy, a Leather Tug or a Bite Suit material tug. These are all durable choices and replicate the material being used during training.

Last thing... make sure you and your dog bond during training. For the Police K-9 and the sport dog alike, this can truly help them be "Man's Best Friend" (and Woman's Best Friend for that matter!)