Matbock gear

[Chuckman]

Anyone heard of them?

I went to Raleigh this week for the annual Special Operations Medical Association conference, one of the vendors was Matbock. Headquartered in the Va Beach area, it looks like they have a shop in Raleigh. Their gear is super light, does not absorb water, and is heat repellent. Their plate carrier is under a pound in weight (My Velocity Mayflower APC is just under two, dry/no weights), but pretty coin at $550.

Innovative Tactical Equipment | MATBOCK

MATBOCK designs and builds innovative tactical gear including Night Vision Accessories, Tactical Medical Equipment, Tactical Backpacks, Lightweight Plate Carriers, K-9 Handler Accessories and other solutions to help warriors become lighter and faster. Veteran Owned and Operated - Made in the USA

www.matbock.com

 

[InertOrd13]

No personal experience other than at a few shows. A couple medical guys at work really like their gear and speak highly of the company.

 

[CZfool68]

Do they offer 30 year mortgages? Dayum, hope it’s good for those prices. I like good stuff, but would have to see if and fondle it before I dropped that mines dimes.

 

[surrealone]

Anyone heard of them?

I went to Raleigh this week for the annual Special Operations Medical Association conference, one of the vendors was Matbock. Headquartered in the Va Beach area, it looks like they have a shop in Raleigh. Their gear is super light, does not absorb water, and is heat repellent. Their plate carrier is under a pound in weight (My Velocity Mayflower APC is just under two, dry/no weights), but pretty coin at $550.

Innovative Tactical Equipment | MATBOCK

MATBOCK designs and builds innovative tactical gear including Night Vision Accessories, Tactical Medical Equipment, Tactical Backpacks, Lightweight Plate Carriers, K-9 Handler Accessories and other solutions to help warriors become lighter and faster. Veteran Owned and Operated - Made in the USA

www.matbock.com

I have a pair of Tarsier Eclipses (made by Matbock) on my nods. High quality, but spendy. I engaged their support team to make sure I got the correct size for the form factor of my binos (since it wasn't listed), and they were easy to connect with, high responsive, and provided the info I needed.

 

[CZfool68]

I have a pair of Tarsier Eclipses (made by Matbock) on my nods. High quality, but spendy. I engaged their support team to make sure I got the correct size for the form factor of my binos (since it wasn't listed), and they were easy to connect with, high responsive, and provided the info I needed.

You must be an ‘operator’ or related to Musk or Bezos.

 

[CZfool68]

Actually I m full of crap. I own a Mystery Ranch disc golf bag. It was probably $300 or so about 13 years ago. Pretty spendy for disc golf. But in my defense it was a post surgery purchase and I was probably heavily drugged.

 

[surrealone]

I'm neither an operator nor related to Musk/Bezos. I was going down the path of procuring a PVS-14 when @Studentofthegun made a case for stepping up to binos. After weighing his input, I realized that I was prone to at some future point getting a PVS-14 bridge and a second PVS-14 ... so that I could pilot a vehicle at night (since depth perception is non-existent with a single tube) ... in which case I might as well just save longer and buy BNVDs, thereby avoiding the extra weight of two illuminators plus a bridge to support two PVS-14's.

My tubes have seen a fair bit of use across the last six months -- scouting deer, boating at night with no moon (I live on a lake), that sort of thing. (They're stupidly useful when docking at the boathouse!) The Tarsier Eclipses allow me to choke the incoming light to the tubes quickly -- which is particularly useful when I want to look at something close to me without changing my focus from infinity ... as well as useful when there's something particularly bright in view and I don't want the tubes to autogate.

Suppressed night shooting/training is coming next. My gear-up for that is done but I still need to sight in both firearms. I'm blessed with friends who have gear that allows us all to do it for hang-out type fun -- though the wives gripe because they get stuck on kid duty. Now if 5.56 NATO ammo would just come down in price, I'd be happy.

- Surreal

P.S. I'm not young, so I do have disposable income to an extent ... but the nods were painful to buy. Buy once, cry once, though...

 

[Chuckman]

Their main med bag is a grand. No, I lie, it's $999. That's four TSSI M9s, 5-6 STOMPs, you get the picture. No way in hell I would spend that kind of money for a med bag.

But damn I really do like their plate carrier.

 

[surrealone]

@Chuckman, I'm med-bag stupid. $250 per Tarsier Eclipse was pricey (esp. since I needed two), but there's really nothing cheap in the night vision world -- largely due to production costs and limited demand. Even the Phokus Research Group Hoplite device (which is akin to a very basic Tarsier Eclipse) is $100 per tube ... and it lacks the control the Eclipse provides. Thus, I just took it on the chin when buying.

So that I have some context:
* What do normal med bags go for?
* What's special (in layman's terms, please?) about the Matbock bag ... other than the crazy price?
* Is the plate carrier reasonably priced?

 

[Chuckman]

@Chuckman, I'm med-bag stupid. $250 per Tarsier Eclipse was pricey (esp. since I needed two), but there's really nothing cheap in the night vision world -- largely due to production costs and limited demand. Even the Phokus Research Group Hoplite device (which is akin to a very basic Tarsier Eclipse) is $100 per tube ... and it lacks the control the Eclipse provides. Thus, I just took it on the chin when buying.

So that I have some context:
* What do normal med bags go for?
* What's special (in layman's terms, please?) about the Matbock bag ... other than the crazy price?
* Is the plate carrier reasonably priced?

The TSSI M9 is the gold standard of med bags. You can find them as cheap as $100 on ebay; I think new they are $250+/-. The military has evolved through about 8 meds bags or so, but even the Gucci bags--North American Rescue, SO Tech, Mystery Ranch--that SOCOM contracts, they are well under $500.

The Matbock bag at $999? I wonder, legit wonder, who buys these? They do have a NSN so they are in the government procurement system. I have zero clue what makes them a thousand dollar bag. Only so many ways you can change up a med bag, and it seems on par, organizationally and functionally, with the rest.

I know Matbock's nylon is proprietary. It's water repellent, heat dissipating, and virtually indestructible. I don't know if the cost of that is what bumps the price up so significantly.

The plate carrier. I have a Velocity Systems Mayflower, which is $275 or so. The Crye JPC is about the same price. They are both 'upper tier' of PCs on the market along with a handful of others. At $550 the Matbock carrier is very expensive. But wait, you say, it does come with a 556 mag placard and a zippered thing of some sort. But them for any other carrier, you are at $300ish (PC + placard). Here's the secret sauce with the Matbock: it truly sheds water (many PCs absorb water so get heavier), and dry it is well under a pound (for context, the Mayflower APC is almost 2 pounds). The weight alone, in my opinion, makes it best in show. Worth $550? For the hard user maybe. I am thinking about trying to sell my Velsys Mayflower and some other stuff for one.

 

[surrealone]

@Chuckman - thanks for that. It provides some insight into Matbock pricing and the potential rationale for it -- on both items.

On the med bags, I have to think that $999 - $500 = $499 = several lifetimes worth of water repellant spray applications. I can see certain groups/teams ('hard users', as you put it) being too busy to monk around with periodic treatments with water repellants, but that's probably a very small market.

Ounces make up pounds, and pounds make up the difference between comfort and pain when things are worn or carried for a long period -- so I can see shaving 1lb from the carrier. That's a very expensive 1lb reduction, though.

 

[Chuckman]

@Chuckman - thanks for that. It provides some insight into Matbock pricing and the potential rationale for it -- on both items.

On the med bags, I have to think that $999 - $500 = $499 = several lifetimes worth of water repellant spray applications. I can see certain groups/teams ('hard users', as you put it) being too busy to monk around with periodic treatments with water repellants, but that's probably a very small market.

Ounces make up pounds, and pounds make up the difference between comfort and pain when things are worn or carried for a long period -- so I can see shaving 1lb from the carrier. That's a very expensive 1lb reduction, though.

I like Gucci gear--I have some Gucci gear (though not a lot). At some point one has to balance out the cost/benefit. I carried the M9 and STOMP med bags on deployment, and those are like the proverbial Timex: takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. I can't see being a bit extra water repellent and a little lighter is worth using my own Visa. Maybe if I could get an agency or department to purchase I would trial it. But even then, with options like the Mystery Ranch and So Tech, I'd just buy two of those and still save money and call it a day.

Now the PC, to me, that's a game changer. I don't wear one 24/7 like back in the day, but now I am almost obsessed lol. Dropping over 50% in weight, especially with soft armor, that thing is dope.

They have a belt system I really like, too, and while it's also expensive, it's not sky-high cost prohibitive. But I just bought an AWS bet system.

 

[DrScaryGuy]

off topic, but i honestly thought this said "matlock gear" and all i could think was ... a gray suit and what else?

 

[JBoyette]

So I live in this world.

It all comes down to three key elements for pricing.

1. Berry Compliant? Add 40-60% to cost.
2. Water Proof? As in swim with the item, add 60% to cost.
3. Two-step or one-step distribution?

You can not compare a Blackhawk made in Vietnam product to a Barry compliant product, this is why Vista owns Blackhawk (consumer) and Eagle Industries (U.S. military).

Matbock is on the outer cutting edge of gear design and materials, like how Crye once was. I am not saying that Matbock is bad, good or even better, they are just on the leading edge.

 

[Chuckman]

So I live in this world.

It all comes down to three key elements for pricing.

1. Berry Compliant? Add 40-60% to cost.
2. Water Proof? As in swim with the item, add 60% to cost.
3. Two-step or one-step distribution?

You can not compare a Blackhawk made in Vietnam product to a Barry compliant product, this is why Vista owns Blackhawk (consumer) and Eagle Industries (U.S. military).

Matbock is on the other cutting edge of gear design and materials, like how Crye once was. I am not saying that Matbock is bad, good or even better, they are just on the leading edge.

I only played with their stuff for 10 minutes at a trade show, and it was some of the most well made gear I have seen, especially the probably proprietary nylon. I like their belt system, but to use it to full capability, you'd invest close to $300, $400. I have mentioned the med bag, which is so cost-prohibitive that unless it comes with a medical provider and ambulance or helicopter, is not worth the cost. The plate carrier, tho. Oh, that plate carrier.

 

[JBoyette]

I only played with their stuff for 10 minutes at a trade show, and it was some of the most well made gear I have seen, especially the probably proprietary nylon. I like their belt system, but to use it to full capability, you'd invest close to $300, $400. I have mentioned the med bag, which is so cost-prohibitive that unless it comes with a medical provider and ambulance or helicopter, is not worth the cost. The plate carrier, tho. Oh, that plate carrier.

Here is the question one must ask in the world of business:

You identified a niche market, is there a market in the niche?

Example, I have the RZR® MOLLE line of gear that I launched a year ago next week. Its currently being sold in the MCX, NEX and AAFES stores. Thats my target customer and my team presented the line to the buyers (customer) and they agree we are a fit for the Exchange's customers (my consumers).

But, the exchange buyers (my customer) have criteria of what their customer (my consumer) expects when shopping in the Military Clothing Sales / Exchange. I have to design the product line to fit for P's of the customer, so the product is presented to my consumer.

You can tell, in the Matbock model for sewn goods, the customer is the consumer, this leads back to my point 3 in my first post...

John