Easily the most comfortable and versatile one-hole on the market, this design became famous for appearing on Obi Wan Nairobi himself and being persona defining for Administrative Results on YouTube, but why is it so good? Apparently, a certain company from Canada didn't know because you're not allowed to buy it anymore.
Civilians have long been upset with LEO/MIL Restricted product constraints, but where high powered infrared lasers for the layman at least have some reasoning behind it due to their inherent danger, How the heck can you justify restricting a piece of clothing?
This FR Balaclava with its familiar looking design is the result of us being upset with the new state of military contract manufacturers giving the middle finger to us civilians. We threw down the gauntlet, sourced the same materials, and made our own.
Don't Fix The Materials That Aren't Broken
The body fabric is the most breathable Flame-Retardant material on the market we're aware of. It's the exact same stuff as the original, made in the USA. No reason to switch. There's a difference between chemical treatments for FR and being inherently FR - as you can guess the latter is far better at doing its job. Being inherently FR means it's excellent at self-extinguishing under high heat and even direct contact with flames - important for any firearms enthusiast dealing with hot suppressors and stray casings.
Inherently FR fabric can get expensive But every penny spent is worth it here. It's extremely comfortable in any weather condition, quick drying, low bulk, and it doesn't itch if you have sensitive skin or a big 'ol beard.
But as a disclaimer, stay safe when dealing with anything that gives off sparks, open flames, or radiates a large amount of heat. While the FR Fabric is the same as the original and could theoretically be a last line of defense, we have not yet submitted the balaclava for testing and certification.
Making It Fit Better
But one of our main complaints about the original, which you can even see on the famous pics of Mr. Craighead are the sometimes floppy fit. We dialed in the shape of the neck drape for easy owl-headed movements and the facepiece is much better at actually hanging out on your face. It's still super comfortable and snag free under helmets and ear protection too!
But don't be alarmed by "One Size Fits Most" - We really mean most. We've done some "independent testing" on the largest and smallest heads we could find in the warehouse and couldn't find someone it fit poorly on. Big-Brained Chads or Compact Kings, there's no need to worry.
Ways to wear
Unlike traditional balaclavas, the hood-and-facepiece design allows this one to be worn in a few different ways. You can either go full-ninja with the eye slot, pull down the facepiece to still cover your head and ears, wear the facepiece with the top-hood scrunched down in back, or even go "gaiter" mode with it just covering your neck.
Specs
This product Is a "Pre-Sale", meaning that inventory is already in production, and you're reserving the item ahead of time.
"Pre Sales" also mean there is limited inventory available to reserve. If it's sold out, it's sold out. At any point in time before we ship it to you, the item is 100% refundable.
After it ships to you, you're covered by our 30-day return policy and sizing exchanges are free!
We've translated the native UK shoe size to the US size. These sneakers fit true to size from what we've seen, so we'd recommend going with your usual US Men's sneaker size, or a size up if you're between sizes.
Nothing goes better together than South Africa and hockey shoes? No, not ice hockey, field hockey.
Typically played on grass or hard packed dirt, field hockey is substantially different from ice hockey (obviously.) As you can imagine, countries around the equator can't find ice to save their lives, but field hockey remains a popular pastime especially in the warmer commonwealth (or ex-commonwealth countries.)
With the commercialization of synthetic rubber and the advent of new shoe manufacturing methods post WWII, all varieties of 'field hockey' shoes exploded in popularity. Brands like Converse, Palladium, and Chuck Taylor were nothing short of a worldwide phenomenon.
So, hockey shoes were light weight, cool, athletic, and ideal for moving quickly. That sounds like it could come in handy.
The formative years of recent Central & Sub-Saharan African Culture occurred during the Bush War & Border wars — Conflicts which dominated South Africa and Zimbabwe (Formerly Rhodesia) during the Cold War. Outside of Africa and certain military circles both of these wars have faded into obscurity...
At the height of the Border and Bush wars, both South Africa and Rhodesia found themselves geographically, economically, and diplomatically isolated and facing the best efforts of the USSR, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, and several members of the Soviet Bloc. With their adversaries providing training, arms, logistics and advisory support to a rainbow of communist terrorists, militant groups, and Sub-Saharan nation states it was anything but a fair fight. The resulting violence was characterized by its fast pace and indiscriminate brutality — with frequent terrorist attacks on public infrastructure and civilian populations.
This period of counter-insurgency combat in the African savanna and wildlands forced tactical and material improvisation. Scrambling to stay competitive, Sub-Saharan African operations would develop doctrines and equipment that would stay relevant for decades to come.
South Africa’s elite Recce units (short for “Reconnaissance”) were some of the cream of the crop in counterinsurgency. Both were experts in tracking & long-range patrols far behind enemy lines, often in small groups vastly outnumbered by the enemy. In truth though, they did far more. They became the “go-to” fighting force for nearly everything, from airborne raids to underwater demolitions.
Inexpensive (being quite literally the cheapest shoes from Bata at the time) and effective, perfect for when you want to ruck the entirety of the African savannah in hot pursuit of some “terrs” or a mooi meisle. They didn’t leave the same boot print as standard issue combat boots did, allowing some measure of plausible deniability and concealment for any “Recce’s” operating somewhere the commies didn't want them to be. Nothing like a little vacation on the coast of Angola.
In researching the primary suppliers of Bush and Border Wars equipment, we kept stumbling across Bata. They are without the predominate footwear manufacturer in Africa, and knowing the illustrious history of the Takkies we did everything we could to get in touch with them.
In fact, there is only one Bata factory in the world who can still make the famous "takkies" — and that is very same factory that made them when Zimbabwe was Rhodesia. The original style of that period is entirely off the market, and we worked directly with the manufacturer using archival models and other original references. Make no mistake, besides a different tag (with our name on it), these are 100% authentic to the OGs the Selous scouts wore. Flexible, lightweight and covert, the Bata Takkies are an excellent choice whether your combat involves any bushwhacking or just trying to survive downtown in an American city.
Specs
Sizing
We've translated the native UK shoe size to the US size. These sneakers fit true to size from what we've seen, so we'd recommend going with your usual sneaker size, or a size up if you're between sizes.
If the shoe feels a bit tight, try unravelling the laces fully, and re-lacing the shoes. You may need your own set of laces depending on your foot shape.
This product Is a "Pre-Sale", meaning that inventory is already in production, and you're reserving the item ahead of time.
"Pre Sales" also mean there is limited inventory available to reserve. If it's sold out, it's sold out. At any point in time before we ship it to you, the item is 100% refundable.
After it ships to you, you're covered by our 30-day return policy and sizing exchanges are free!
