P1G-Tac: Ukrainian Tactical Clothing

When you think of Ukraine, what do you think about? The ongoing civil war? That it was a former Soviet state? Or the famous exclusion zone known as Chernobyl? All these things are a part of Ukraine’s rich past and its current defining moments in history, but what if there was something else there worth looking at? Something that has the hardiness of Slavic engineering? While also being a fraction of the cost for most US made gear.

Enter P1G-TAC:

A company founded by its parent company PROF1 group in 2012 to meet the demands of Ukrainian special forces units and military, as well as a line of outdoor-clothing for sportsmen, fishermen, and hunters. They produce products ranging from plate carriers/load bearing equipment, rucks/packs, pouches, pants, shirts, socks, and even shooting bags that turn into a mat to lay on.

That’s a significant number of products. It would take me a long time to review all of them, so for this review, we will focus on just a few articles of clothing.

Disclaimer: This company does not keep a steady stock of certain items and the Varan and Jaba variants are out of production with many fabric manufacturers.

Going from top to bottom.

Camo : [JBP] JABA POLYOVA

Jaba Polyova or “JBP”  is designed to be a floral use camouflage for forest and grasslands. When testing the clothing we noticed it was IR treated and handled various light conditions well while giving the wearer a good silhouette breakup.

Boonie: MILITARY BOONIE HAT “MBH”

The “MBH” in Jaba Polyova aka the boonie. Aside from its unique camo pattern. It has a plastic tension button for around your chin/neck, metal vents for heat/water drainage, also featuring a single MOLLE strap around the boonie to place vegetation, or if you are feeling adventurous, a pouch. Double stitched, IR treated, and as a bonus it keeps the sun off of your neck. Neat, right?  

Baseball Cap: FIELD CAP “CBC”

Oh boy, where to start with this one? Should I start out saying it has loop panels for days? It has enough panels to mount any patch you desire or IR strobes on the left and right sides of the 2” in diameter panels. It also has a 5”x 2” front panel. It lacks a pin on the top of the hat so the overhead band of hearing protection won’t dig into the top of your head.

Scrim Net: FROGMAN CAMO SCRIM NET SCARF “FV”

The scrim net, While not looking like much it is a rather useful piece of gear. The scrim net measures 120cm x 150cm with reinforced stitching and edges to withstand getting caught on branches, large enough to cover an average sized person from head to ankles. It can be used to break up your silhouette, Wrapped around your head/neck to keep insects off or the sun itself off your neck. The scrim can be worn in a number of ways, either as a neck scarf covering your face, draped over your back like a cape, or if one is feeling creative, it can be used as a cover for gear as well. It’s made from Rip-Stop fabric and double stitched at the ends/ corners to resist tears if snagged.   

BDU Top: SUMMER FIELD SHIRT “FROGMAN HEAVY COMBAT SHIRT”

While the Frogman heavy combat shirt is basic in its overall design it has a few nice little touches added in to make it more comfortable for the wearer.

Starting off, it features a healthy amount of pocket space. Two velcro breast pockets with the left breast having a second zipper pocket sized to hold a small note pad/map. Both shoulders have the standard velcro pocket with a zipper pocket underneath the main one. There is also several points on the chest and shoulders that have loops to attach name tags or patches.

It is also double layered on the shoulders to resist abrasion from backpacks and double layered on the elbows to provide padding when going prone. Straps located at both the wrists and waist line allow adjustments for a closer or looser fitting jacket. The collar is reversible between a band collar for protection from the sun, dirt, and wind or a turn-down collar, both of which are held in place via velcro. Cuts under the armpits allow ventilation for the wearer. Made from Rip-Stop fabric and YKK zippers, this jacket is double stitched, IR treated, and flame resistant.

This makes it one of the cheapest and (in my opinion) well built BDU tops I own.

UBAC: COMBAT FIELD SHIRT FOR HOT CLIMATES “UAS” (UNDER ARMOR SHIRT) CORDURA BASELAYER

The UBAC is one of the most comfortable shirts to wear if using any sort of LBE or plate carrier. The chest area is made from elastic, body-hugging under armor which allows the shirt to whisk away sweat, making it immensely breathable. The sleeves and collar are made from IR and flame resistant Rip-Stop fabric. The elbow area is double reinforced and can accept internal elbow pads for greater protection.

The collar can be zipped up fully to protect the wearer from the sun, dirt, and wind. The shoulder has been designed in a way so it doesn’t bunch up or pinch when wearing armor or carrying a pack but while still maintaining flexibility. Two YKK zipper pockets are located at both shoulders along with a 1×3 patch panel and small loops on the upper shoulder to secure water hoses or comm wires. The wrists of the shirt fold down onto the top of the hand protecting them from the elements while leaving your palms free to move. These can be folded up and out of the way to allow better ventilation in hotter weather.

I have found myself using the wrist folded down more often than not since they work extremely well when paired with gloves keeping dirt and ticks off my hands and arms.

Pants: FIELD SUMMER PANTS “MABUTA MK-2” (HOT WEATHER FIELD PANTS)

Now these pants are the crown jewel of the Ukrainian set up, costing only $80 (at time of purchase) and built like a tank.

Starting off, the belt line is made in a way to feel ergonomic to the wearer. The belt loops are extra wide to allow larger weapons belts to be threaded through. The belt-line has also been double stitched and lined with a semi-rigid foam to stand up to use of battle-belts, distribute weight evenly across your hips, and reduce chafing from gear. The fly is again the YKK zipper and velcro flap to prevent the zipper from being undone while in use and to size the pants to the wearer.

At the bottom of the belt-line are four YKK plastic D rings two in the front two in the back. These can be used to attach LBE or carabiners.

There are a total of eight pockets on the pants four in the back and front.

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On the back of the pants near the buttocks there are two velcro secured pockets for smaller items like a wallet or note pad. Directly below the velcro pockets and near the thighs there are cargo pockets with buttons on them large enough to place four AR-15 mags standing up inside.  

Moving to the front. There is a standard deep well pockets big enough for a small plastic bottle of water, these pockets are also reinforced to withstand clip-on items like multitools / clip knives. Below the deep wells are another set of button up cargo pockets while half the size of the ones in the rear they can still carry a sizable amount. They’re large enough to fit a soda can and still have some room to spare.

Working our way down to the knees, we find that there are two knee pads. These knee pads are foam padded on the inside but hardened plastic on the outside. The foam is cupped to allow your kneecap to sit comfortably inside a pocket and a YKK tension string is present to adjust the height and tightness of the pad against your knee. The knee pads can be swapped out for other knee pads of similar style (like Crye Precision brand kneepads)

Going down to the ankles, there is a velcro flap to allow you to adjust the pants to be flush with your boots to keep dirt / ticks out of your legs or to allow airflow for cooling. I prefer to have them closed as it keeps ticks and foliage from building up on my lower leg.

Velcro flaps at the ankle can be both open and closed.

All together these items (after shipping) only ran me about $200, which is an amazing price point for something this well built. Here is a link to their website: http://www.p1gtac.com

Shout out and credit to Dean Papke for having provided most of the photos featured in this article.