9 minute read
GEAR: RAGNAR RAIDS
BUILT FOR RAIDERS!
ALTHOUGH WE TEND TO SPECIALISE MORE HEAVILY IN THE “HARDWEAR SIDE” OF AIRSOFT, THE TEAM AT AIRSOFT ACTION ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR COOL, FUNCTIONAL CLOTHING AND GEAR THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF REGULAR SKIRMISHING AND LONGER-DURATION AIRSOFT ADVENTURES! RECENTLY WE GOT OUR HANDS ON SOME SUPERB NEW GEAR FROM RAGNAR RAIDS AND WILL BE TORTURE TESTING THIS IN THE MONTHS AHEAD. BILL SETS THE SCENE WITH AN OVERVIEW…
It’s always a REAL pleasure to see new gear coming available in our home market in the UK, and last month I had the opportunity to check out some of the latest clothing models from RAGNAR RAIDS when I visited iWholesales to pick up some more new RIFs for the test pool. iWholesales, one of the largest UK distributors of AEGs, GBBs, accessories and gear have got wholly behind this range of clothing and gear, so by the time UK readers see this overview the gear should be appearing in your local store, and trust me, you’re going to want to check it out!
Although RAGNAR RAIDS may be a new brand for some, it has actually been around for a while already. Since the creation of the HART brand, the guys ultimately behind RAGNAR RAIDS, in 1990 (part of a company which was actually founded in 1948!) the team there have been working with cutting edge textile technology and design specifically for hunters and outdoor users, listening to their needs and progressing with them. Based in Spain, HART gear is now well known and well respected as a hunting and outdoor brand throughout Europe and they’ve now consolidated and expanded their team and their horizons to cater fully for new markets, including the one that we’re all interested in… tactical!
During this time their “outdoor spirit” has led to them also meeting the requirements of highly specialized police and military units, which were looking for very specific developments to perform their activities. Initially, since it was not intended for the general public the specialist “professional user gear” was made to order, and its very existence went largely unnoticed… apart from “those that knew”.
That all changed in 2019 when RAGNAR RAIDS was born as the conclusion to a journey that began over 30 years ago. Uniting the experience of their explorer spirit and fighting soul that have influenced every decision and every garment, in 2021 RAGNAR RAIDS was introduced to the world, and in their own words “this time we didn’t come to explore, we came to stay!”
You may wonder of course, as we’re part way through 2022 already, why it has taken so long for RAGNAR RAIDS to really get rolling, and my answer to this would be pandemic-related, and subsequently the problems that everyone, and not just in the tactical gear industry, has faced with shipping and distribution. Thankfully, most professional distributors like iWholesales have now got a handle on the latter and gear is beginning to flow more freely again! In relation to the RAGNAR gear I can tell you now that I’m very pleased that this is the case!
JOIN THE RAID!
Okay, there’s no disguising the obvious “Viking” connection when it comes to this new gear, and personally I think it’s a cool direction! As the RAGNAR website explains they’ve taken inspiration from the story of Ragnar Lodbrok who was a legendary Viking hero, as well as Danish and Swedish king! He is known from Old Norse poetry of the Viking Age and Icelandic sagas, and distinguished himself by conducting many raids against the British Isles and the Holy Roman Empire during the 9th century. As the web-spiel puts it...
“Ragnar Lodbrok, the most distinguished warrior of the norsemen, half way between legend and history. A man whose exploits in his raids have been passed down from generation to generation all the way to this day. His persona and his unrivalled legend has inspired our ambition to offer you our commitment, in the shape of equipment and clothing that meets the highest specifications and quality. May his legend accompany you throughout your life.”
It is undoubtedly a cool starting point for any range of gear, but there’s a couple of things I’ll pick out of that marketing statement. “Raids”; yes this gear is all about fast, dynamic movement that you’ll need as a “raider”, and the fabric technologies chosen and designs of the individual items are very perfectly in line with the intended use. “Accompany you throughout your life” is another interesting phrase as it suggests gear of a hard-wearing and durable nature, and again from what I’ve seen thus far the fabric chosen, components, and quality of finishing would indicate that everything has durability as a cornerstone.
STREET AND SCOUT
It’s interesting too to see how RAGNAR have distilled their initial offering down into two main categories, STREET and SCOUT. Okay, there’s also VALHALLA, but that’s a separate thing that I’ll comment on before I finish. “STREET” is very much RAGNAR’s take on the “EDC” area, with a range of clothing that would be equally at home for everyday wear as it is on the range or at the gym. There’s a superb mix of clothing starting with TYR ballcaps, the THOR AOR1 tactical jeans (the AOR1 is on some cool design accents) that feature a superb fourway stretch denim, through technical T’s like the VANIR, LOKI and FENRIR polos, to a low-key, fully-featured pant in the shape of the SKOLL. There’s also a wicked yet tight collection of logo T’s and some awesome morale patches, and a very nice hooded jacket, the EINAR! In the “SCOUT” category you get more into the “tacticool” side of things, and all the designs are indeed both tactical with a healthy dose of
cool! The technical T’s cross over onto the SCOUT range, but here you’ll find some excellent full-spec tactical pants in the form of the RAGNAROK, a couple of tactical glove models (VALKYRIE Mk1 and 2… the Mk1s are FABULOUS for anyone like me that likes a snug, lo-pro shooter glove!), and a bit of a “flagship” garment in the RAGNAROK hooded Combat Shirt, one model of which also features AOR1… well, SEALs and Vikings, do I need to say more!
Now I did mention VALHALLA earlier, and this I have to admit I have not yet had “hands on”; VALHALLA is where RAGNAR get into the “hard gear” side of things, and equates to their plate carrier and load bearing system. As they put it, again in their own words:
“Because there are no standard missions, you cannot use standard set ups. Valhalla System was created to respond to this need for a real configuration of combat equipment for each operator according to their needs. Because all warriors are different, all configurations should be different too. We adapt to you and not the other way around.”
This does look righteous, and if you visit this product area on www.ragnar-raids.com you’ll find some excellent video of the gear in action; in fact the website is chock-full of videos for just about every item! We’ve been promised a VALHALLA system to check out as soon as one arrives “in country” so we’ll be able to tell you more on this later when we’ve used it.
I had my hands on every model in the range when I visited iWholesales and to be honest, even after minute inspection I could find nothing negative about anything in terms of design, fabrics and components, and the quality of finishing; all were absolutely first rate! But of course the proof of that long-term durability will only come after thorough testing; as I said, I already LOVE the Mk1 gloves, and I’ve been wearing a Coyote LOKI T on and off ever since (in fact you’ll see them being worn in the main image of my FLEX review!) the guys very kindly gave me them to test, and thus far both items have performed in an exemplary fashion, and are very, VERY comfortable, but of course this is only my initial appraisal.
Thanks to iWholesales we actually have a selection of the gear to put through its paces in the coming months, and both Jimmy and Jase will be getting involved in the testing process, so expect to see RAGNAR RAIDS gear revisited later in the year. All the clothing is already in stock now, and as I said earlier UK players should see this starting to appear in their favourite stores soon, if it’s not already there! The brand is already available throughout Europe, and even further afield too if you fancy a bit of “norse” in your life!
To conclude for now I’ll once again give the last words to RAGNAR RAIDS themselves, and they are certainly words that resonate strongly in me, as I am sure they will in you...
“The concept of a special unit is very old and its commitment in each community was forged under a single symbol. A brand must convey the values in which it believes, we do not expect you to be the fastest, the strongest or become a Special Forces Operator by wearing our clothes. We hope that under our symbol you will acquire the commitment to face your fears, to fight every day for your family, for your friends and to be better than yesterday.
“You must accept that commitment and you will soon recognize it in others who, like you, joined the Raid!”
My thanks to the team at www.iwholesales.co.uk for providing samples of the latest RAGNAR RAIDS gear for us to test long-term, and please do visit their website and social media to get even more detail on this range of clothing, and much, much more in relation to high-quality airsoft kit! AA
AESIR
LOKI EINAR
