Saving weight is always an objective in the development of gear for soldiers. There are always two benefits on lessening the load: the first one less load stress on the soldier minimising injuries that can be caused by carrying heavy loads;  and the second one is that it allows the soldier to carry more of vital supplies and gear.

For the US Marines, the use of the ULTRAcomp from Blue Force Gear, can potential reduce the weight of their load by several pounds. According to Military.com’s Kit Up! blog, ULTRAcomp can replace every strap used by the Marine, from slings to backpack straps, and can shave off a total of around 6 to 8 pounds.

If you are familiar with the Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma Kit NOW! or the Mag NOW! It is made of ULTRAcomp and other companies such as Safariland, Mayflower and Velocity Systems are developing products using the material. To explain what ULTRAcomp, here is how the company describes it:

ULTRAcomp® is a High-Performance laminate that far exceeds the military standard air textured nylon in tear and abrasion resistance.  Its hydrophobic features allows products to stay dry and light, whereas air textured nylon retains water and gets even heavier when wet.

ULTRAcomp® combines the durability of a polymer based laminate with the benefits of a Cordura® face fabric.  This is a case where the sum is greater than the parts in creating a unique material resistant to tear, abrasion and water all while reducing IR signature in a number of colors and camouflage patterns.  The combined strengths of the two materials becoming one pushes the limits on design while exceeding established standards of strength and durability.

It is also anti-microbial so it can resist staining and bad odour. Kit-Up! quotes Stephen Hilliard, Blue Force Gear's director of product development who was at the Modern Marine Expo, that they see a weight reduction around 15 to 20 percent, "When you look at the bigger picture and think about transporting 100 Marines on an aircraft and you're saving, say, 6 pounds for each, that's 600 pounds less. That's less fuel getting burned on the aircraft."

The blog also mentions that the ULTRAcomp is already being used by the Special Operations community with the Marine Raiders using their own funds to buy their kits that use the ULTRAcomp material. Blue Force Gear hope that other services will soon follow to get the benefit of weight savings.

Top photo: A Marine with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division  (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Carlos Lopez)