TACCOM 2019

Vincent J. Curtis

13 Sept 2019


TACCOM, in its 2019 version, is Canada’s largest gun show.  It brings together the world’s largest and most important gun manufacturers, equipment suppliers, Canada’s largest distributors, and allied businesses into one trade show.  If you’re a gun-guy, TACCOM 2019 is hog-heaven.

Yes, the usual suspects were there. Sig Sauer featured its P series of firearms, Glock, FN Herstal featured its FN509; and even Canik had a small display.  You touch, feel, and even dry fire some of these military style handguns.

Allied and related businesses also had substantial presences, like Durham Military Vehicles, and Hudson Supplies.  I’ll bet an LSVW hadn’t had such TLC than the one on display at the Durham booth.

Hudson was there to cultivate interest in its line of carry gear for which it is a master distributor: Tasmanian Tiger.  Hudson head honcho Marc “Buckleman” Beaudoin got his start marketing extremely tough and secure lock-unlock buckles for attaching MOLLE gear to each other.  And the buckles and tactical gear were certainly featured in his booth.  But the star of the show was the extraordinary array of the Tasmanian Tiger gear.

Tasmanian Tiger is a line of premium professional grade carry equipment for military, police, first responder, EMT, and generally people who have to carry heavy loads long distances.  Hikers and backpackers would find the line interesting to browse, and they could find something of use to them, so versatile, modular, and varied are the systems.  In Tiger you have carry systems all designed to work together no matter which pieces you mix and match.

The foundation of the carry system are the X1 and V2 frame systems.  The bare X1 frame reminded this writer of the legendary 1966 pattern pack frame with its bottom shelf-frame and tubular construction.  But this frame ran up to the shoulders.  It also had reinforcement bars that crossed into an X.  The X1 system is designed for bulky, heavy loads that are to be carried on the back for long distances and for a long time.  The frame is designed to stabilize and distribute the load.

The lumbar area is extremely well padded, as is the hip belt generally.  Well-padded shoulder straps ease the burden on the shoulders.  In addition, care has been taken to ensure good ventilation across the back.

The V2 frame is size adjustable and intended for medium to heavy loads.  It is designed as an inverted-V frame with fiberglass reinforcing bars.  Like the X1, the V2 frame comes well-padded in all the right places, and is extremely comfortable to wear.

Those are the bases of the systems.  The really interesting part is the wide variety of packs that attach to these frames.  They are all modular, MOLLE attachable, and made with weight-saving 700 cordura nylon. 

The TT series of packs range in size from nine to an incredible 100 litres.  There are the simple “Essential” packs, a 22 L, 25 L, 30 L, 37 L, combat and mission packs; a 25 L radio pack.  There’s a 45 L, 50 L, 75 L, 80 L pack, and the incredible 100 L range pack.  These packs come with internal and external division for mission specific applications.  Colours include black, olive, khaki, coyote, and multicam.

Then there’s vests and web gear designed to work with the packs.  These can carry plates, as well as a variety of pouches for rifle and pistol mags, cuffs, and loads of other stuff.

If you plan on carrying anything on your back, your front, or even the back of your front seat or headrest, you got to have a look at the Tasmanian Tiger line from Hudson Supply.  Military, police, EMT, or just a plain hiker or back packers like me there’s got to be something interesting to you.
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