Viper Accessories

Having recently acquired a great quality backpack from Viper Tactical, I decided to look at some of their smaller items, to see what they have to offer. Their website is full of useful bits and pieces and this is just a small selection.

Viper Tactical Elite Gloves

These gloves might at first appear rather ‘tactical’, but all the features are in fact really useful for general use. The most obvious external feature is the carbon fibre knuckle casing, a hard, black protective panel. The protection it affords your knuckles is great for many manual tasks and does not interfere with your grip at all. The fit is very comfortable, due to the neoprene and fleece linings and, with both the palms and the knuckles vented, your hands do not overheat. The textured grip panels work well too, providing an enhanced grip on any firearm. Overall, these are a great glove and, after only a couple of hours on your hands, they mould themselves to give a fantastic fit and feel.

Viper Neoprene Knee Pads

The knee pads are extremely well padded; in fact, they look almost oversized and, for those of us with ‘dodgy knees’, they make getting on and off the ground much easier. The padding is thick and so well reinforced that even on stony ground they really shield your knees well. For the younger and more energetic, taking part in paintball or airsoft activities, they will provide a high level of impact protection. They are secured with Velcro strapping, which is nice and wide, so sits and fits well, and they do not slide out of position in use. If you have bad knees, you will really benefit from a pair of them!

Special Ops Lanyard

The lanyard is on the large size; in fact, a bit too big to wear on your belt in my opinion, but it is ideal for securing items to your bag, while keeping them to hand and useable. At one end, there is a quick release belt loop, made of 25mm webbing, and at the other a large cord loop. The belt loops fit around most bag handles and gives a strong attachment. Extending up to 140-centimetres you can put your bag on the ground and use your keys to unlock the car boot, without disconnecting the lanyard. If you do want to disconnect it then there is quick release buckle built in at the belt loop end. With this item, you can avoid getting back from a day’s shooting and find that your keys are still out in the field somewhere. You can also attach binoculars to your kit bag, so that they do not get left behind.

A5 Notebook Holder

Another useful piece of kit, made of 600D Cordura, the holder keeps your paperwork clean and dry, whatever the conditions. The main compartment is fully-zipped and opens out flat, so the notebook is fully accessible. On the front of the holder is a full-sized flap, which lifts to reveal an admin compartment with spaces for pens, mobile phone etc. There is also a space for holding important documents, such as your FAC and a further zipped clear compartment for smaller items and money. For recording details from a day’s shooting, sight adjustments, ammunition performance etc. this is a great item to have along. Unfortunately, the holder does not come with a notepad, so you do have to purchase this separately.

Viper Tactical Splitter Pouch

If you shoot more than one gun, you will know that the bits and pieces you need to take along with a bolt action rifle are very different to those you might take with an under-lever or a long barrelled pistol. With that in mind and, rather than repacking your whole shooting bag, it is useful to have a gun specific accessory pouch that you can swap over. This pouch is large enough to hold the gun-specific bits like bolts, magazines, screwdrivers etc. but small enough to attach to any large shooting bag. With separate pouches for each gun, you can tag or label each one for easy identification and, if you buy them in a different colour to your main bag, they will really stand out and be easy to find. With two zipped compartments, each with internal dividers, MOLLE and belt attachment points, and a front Velcro closure pocket, there is loads of room for all the gun-specific accessories and it attaches to your back pack or bag in seconds. These pouches are great for adding space to an already overcrowded backpack and, being externally attached, are very accessible.

Conclusion

The Viper range is truly huge and these items are just a small representation of what is on offer. All the products tested are high quality and represent good value for money and, with shipping free on orders over £50, you can get them delivered to your door economically. Their website is definitely worth a visit, for small items like these, or larger products like clothing and backpacks.