Besides gear there were also a lot of new clothes and footwear to be seen at Enforce Tac 2023 and IWA 2023. As with gear we can only show you the items we thought to be the most exciting. If you’re searching for news about bags and packs check out our post about Enforce Tac / IWA 2023 tactical gear.

Helikon-Tex

There’s a lot to come from Helikon-Tex. Not only did they show a lot of new items but also “new” camo patterns. They are new in the portfolio but actually they follow the trend of reviving “vintage” camo patterns. With the most prominent being Rhodesian brushstroke. If there’s something like a “must-have” (alongside our PenCott MetroPolis of course) in the camo community that’s definitely a hot candidate.

The patterns will be available on a range of gear and clothes. Some reversible items with “USMC standard” or “wine leaf” pattern on one side and, like on the original clothing “USMC Mitchell” or “cloud” on the other side could be seen, too. Mostly on insulation clothing like Wolfhound and swagman roll. Speaking of swagman roll, there was also a reversible one with PenCott WildWood on one side and PenCott SnowDrift (you read that right!) on the other which drew a lot of attention.

They also showed the first plate carrier by Helikon-Tex. It’s modular like the Direct-Action ones but should come with a smaller price tag. Other news include small pouches and a very minimalistic chest-rig.

The MCDU uniform was released before IWA but it was prominently shown because it’s a big step. More stretch material on moving parts and a huge load of pockets for virtually everything you might want. A modern approach to military pants that don’t have to be discreet.

Lowa Footwear

To be completely honest we already knew what to expect from Lowa because we have had a sneak peek months earlier directly at Lowa. Lowa has modernized and improved their combat line and the best-selling patrol/CQB boot, Zephyr. In the combat line, ‘Combat boot’ has been improved and is now available in Mk.2 model and in new dark brown color. His ‘summer’ counterpart is revamped Elite desert (this one discontinued): same robust combat boot, but with Cordura mesh ‘window’ and called Breacher. Both boots are now certified as working boot.

Bestselling boots Zephyr have also been improved and dubbed Mk.2. The new Zephyr have different sole with more traction and are also a certified work boot. Minimum change in the design, but maximum in performance. The mesh window remains nylon, but is now original Cordura as has been in the days before. They have moved back to the heel the main stitching which will make the boot more durable but the same time more comfortable because the problematic pressure point is removed.

Arktis Endurance Textiles Ltd

Arktis showed some of their smocks and other clothing. Very prominently visible were clothes in PenCott GreenZone. As you might know Arktis now makes their own PenCott material and has several clothing items including rain gear.

Speaking of rain gear, Arktis showed very interesting waterproof jackets. They are intended for “onion style” clothing so they come without insulation. You can combine them with more or less warm clothes depending on the weather. They pack quite small and make less rustling noises than many other membrane filled clothes. Also they made a shift from Gore-Tex to Pertex, something outdoor market has been doing for a decade now but the tactical market is reluctant to do; even though the amazing performance of Pertex is obvious.

If you need an insulation layer, Arktis has you covered, too. They showed jackets with thick fake fur inside and standard ‘loft’ insulation like Apex Climashield.

PhantomLeaf

As promised here’s the big news about PhantomLeaf: They will be available via Perunika soon which makes Perunika your go-to shop for interesting and effective camouflage!

While Enforce Tac 2023 showed gear in Wasp II, IWA 2023 brought another great pattern by PhantomLeaf: Wasp I. For now that pattern is exclusive to “Civ-Tec”, an “open” and totally accessible part of Phantom Leaf. Cooperation between PhantomLeaf and Sturm, better known for their brand “Mil-Tec” has birthed a whole range of clothing and gear: military pants, combat blouses, softshell jackets, caps and boonie hats as well as camo nets and woobies.

Wasp I follows the same nomenclature for color schemes. The first colorways available are Z1b (rocky desert), Z2 (semi-arid) and Z3a (woodland).

Perunika is representing an exclusive line of Phantom Leaf for authorities. These were forbidden to take photos of, but the overall designs of patterns and the camo/ghillie suits themselves gave us the chills.

Carinthia

While most know Carinthia for great insulation gear, there are more and more clothes for warmer environments available. Over the last years Carinthia was mostly known for proven items that only received and needed minor improvements now and then. The new items on the other hand are full of new features which make them very interesting. Think of lightweight clothes for recon missions in high temperature environments. They come in the matching MultiCam Arid pattern, which seems to be a new trend this year for several brands. Speaking of patterns you can find a few new interesting new ones like German Wintertarn.

Since Carinthia ‘s focus is still insulation garments there’s also a new set that’s especially interesting for professionals. Like a high insulation “bolero” which allows access to a chest rig or plate carrier without compressing your jacket. This set comes with a few features that might seem odd at first glance but make sense when you learn more about them. Like the insulation of the pants doesn’t reach over the whole length to safe weight. Or velcro combined with buttons so that the connection still works in icy conditions.

A new material that’s used for some clothes is called “Loftshell”. It’s a layered mix of stretch material, insulation and merino wool. That makes for a very breathable yet windproof and water repellent material.

Clawgear

Like with their new lines of tactical gear, Clawgear came up with a lot of new clothes. Not only upgraded versions of known and trusted items but completely new ones, too. The renewed versions keep their names but the lines are now “rebooted” without the “Mk.” version numbers.

Clawgear took the chance to come up with completely new fabric combinations that make clothes suitable for different scenarios. ATS (Advanced Textile Solutions) make robust yet light clothes. Additionally there are flame retardant materials called “AGNI”. Last but not least “Raptor” stands for new waterproof and insulating garments.

A very interesting new feature called “Darkstone” is a special treatment for areas that are likely to show more wear and tear than others. Where former models had Cordura inserts the new Darkstone clothes just have tiny extra elements on the underlying fabric. The areas almost look and feel like the rest of the item but are said to be way more abrasion resistant.

Colorwise Clawgear not only has the classic uni color variants but all available MultiCam colorways. That means you can choose from MultiCam, MultiCam Arid, MultiCam Tropic, MultiCam Alpine and MultiCam Black.