SHOT Show Exclusive: Condor!
This year’s SHOT Show has plenty of incredible things to see, some new, some innovative, and some a small change on a classic formula. They’re a booth that will surely be passed over because of the name Condor, but they have some incredible and innovative new offerings. You can take your pick of armor, bags, and even a tease at an upcoming chest rig.
The first new thing is a folding shield that is the lightest on the market. Unfolding from what appears to be only a laptop bag, you end up with Level 3A rated protection covering an approximate 4 feet by 18 inches. Condor claims it will survive 52 hits from a 44 Magnum, and is also designed to accept rifle plates.
Also accepting hard plates are their new line of backpacks, using an 11”by 17” polyethylene plate that weighs little more than the bag. They have 3 new bags of which the Pursuit has the most interest. It’s a modular bag that has padded panel inserts to allow sorting of your gear, surely an upgrade for people operating a camera. You can also leave it undivided to fit a solid AR pistol with a folding brace/stock or something similarly sized. It is sure to be popular with shooters of both firearms and cameras.
Condor does have a mixed reputation for reliability, but their innovation is certainly nothing to scoff at. I’m personally looking forward to seeing some of these items come to market and I hope that Condor can put out a great product at their usual affordable price point. One thing is for sure, some of these items are going to shake up the market and push other companies to try harder, too.
The last, most exciting thing they’ve introduced is currently a prototype that they said probably won’t come to market until next year. At first glance, it appears to be a mere pouch but when you unzip it fully, it unfolds into a micro chest rig complete with H harness and a hook and loop pouch that will accept magazine inserts for pistols or rifles.
When used for pistol magazines, you can fold it back up to it’s more innocuous state without removing the magazines from the pouch. It also boasts buckles that will allow it to mount to any Condor plate carrier with matching buckles. At this point in time it doesn’t have a name so they’re accepting suggestions with the winner getting a free rig. Fingers crossed that our creativity with writing translates over into naming.
Here’s to hoping that the bags are winners from Condor. I’ve not heard great stuff about the web gear but I know several people with their soft shells who swear by them.
They seem to have been improving in quality recently and they’ve definitely come a long way from their smaller days.