The “California Combat Hoodie” is now available for pre-order at All Skill No Luck. The “tactical” Baja style pullover was the brainchild of Gripstop inventor (and longtime industry designer) Nathan Murr, in conjunction with ASNL’s Aaron Russel.
Murr explains, “What initially started out as a sort of fun, one-off project just for the sake of doing it, quickly turned into a legitimate product because of the overwhelming interest and support we received. When that many people surprised me, with such overwhelming enthusiasm for a modernized Baja hoodie…there was only one company I could think of that could pull this off with quality and style. ”
“I cold-called Aaron Russel at ASNL, and asked if he was interested. Aaron laughed and said that he was working on his own version, and that I had beat him to the punch! That wasn’t true, as Aaron had thought of a lot of the great concepts that we rolled into the final design.”
The collaboration started, but the hard part proved to be finding the proper material. There are only a handful of companies that produce the traditional fabric called “Jerga” Baja type garments are made from, and after months of extensively searching, All Skill No Luck located such a manufacturer.
The California Combat Hoodie is being made in Oceanside California, located just outside of Camp Pendleton. Between the military and surf culture of SoCal, the team wanted to update the classic Baja hoodie for the 21st century and to appeal to all fans of the legacy design regardless of their walk of life.
“Pockets are never a bad idea,” explains Murr. “Look, men generally don’t carry purses. Carrying a backpack everywhere is annoying. We have a limited amount of pocket space as it is, which is consumed even faster if you carry a gun, spare mags, light, TQ, etc. It doesn’t matter if you CCW or not, you have to carry your gear somehow. The more pockets, the better! We wanted to give the garment flexibility for that, regardless of how you intend to wear it. It could be skating in the city, riding your motorcycle, hiking in the woods, trailing a suspect down a busy street, or laying justice down on a cold desert night 7,000 miles from here. It has the features to do it all, and carry it all securely.”
Cali Combat Hoodie Features:
-100% authentic, Traditional Jerga fabric and pattern.
-Hand-warmer pocket.
-Velcro lined, securing Kangaroo pocket for a 3 cell M4 mag insert. Pocket can also used to organize and hold other gear, such as a pistol, radio, medkit, etc. when used with other industry common hook-backed pouches.
-Small Anorak style pocket located high center of chest.
-Two sleeve pockets with easy to remove external loop velcro if not using IFF markers-Generous cut hood for use over other headwear
-Internal loops to attach a concealed cummerbund for carrying heavier loads in the Kangaroo pouch.
-Designed by veterans, Made in America.
-Introductory price of $80.00
You can learn more and/or order one on the ASNL – Cali Combat Hoodie page.