OPPO – Return of a lost friend!

The OPPO Glove story and its possible return!

A few years back gloves with “attitude” seemed to pop up all over the tactical world, the use of knuckle protection was suddenly in focus (and later the finger ventilation) and we lacked the same in our inventory!
These aggressive looking gloves did get its share of poo poo´s but are now widely used in a full range of tactical outfits and “normal” soldier use.

In the beginning we saw the benefit in protecting the knuckles and we had a glove called “Zenit” that was more like a rough motorcycle glove with all the trimmings… Real black nubuck leather, Schoeller’s Kerprotec, Kevlar etc, but they were way too cumbersome to be a tactical glove!

Back to the drawing board the focus changed to Nomex rather than Schoeller’s Kerprotec in the palm area and as base. Also a more sturdy plastic type as regard to Kevlar in the knuckle area would be ok as protection.

Out of all this came the OPPO Glove! The name originated from the feel that our glove would be as a close friend, a “thing” to rely on and your “best” accessory!
What is more rewarding than have a best friend to back you up!?

Having some insight in the jargon of the Elite British Royal Marine Commandos they tend to use OPPO as referral to – “A close friend.. The ‘opposite number’ of a two man team; a system used to ensure maximum effectiveness in military activities”. Not too far off from the Swedish Armed Forces “Stridspar” – the buddy/back up system known to all infantry units all over the world.

With this in mind and the fond thought of a real life Ranger buddy of mine, my former OPPO! All added to highlight the meaning of this concept and the OPPO Glove was born!
We did have a limited stock that dwindled to zero and during that period we of course discovered some flaws and design after thoughts… Was the hook and loop closure to small?
To short? hook and loop not needed what so ever? Did went holes in the fingers (Punctuated in the fabric on our model – an early finger vent design) only to add dirt to get in = added discomfort? Were the shine of the knuckle protection to bright? etc etc.. It seemed this “Darling” had potential to an “A2” ? (that would be an alternate two…)

Clearly there was an opening for such glove but could we perfect it more? Not only to please professionals… Oh yes, remember, there is a large crowd out there that is in need of good protection but doesn’t care about Oakley and Hatch (two excellent Brands by the way) that for sure “owns” the professional side of the elite hard core business.. But what about the rest!? The ones that need a good tactical upgrade option but do not reach for the absolute elite brand to get the job done!
This is where we – TUG fill its mark!

The other day I stumbled on a sample from a manufacturer (they tend to send stuff to show what they can do) we had it idle for some years actually and it was placed deep into a box of goodies stored away and the “OPPO glove A2” thought was reignited after fingering on the found “all green glove” not all that off in design from our original OPPO!

The time had come to sit down and redesign it! That feeling was quite sure! Grabbing a piece of paper and a green glove I began writing down all the alternates like , hanging loop design and placement, cuff, fingers, knuckle protection etc , etc, small and large things I had noted through the years now bubbled up deep from within and went straight slab down on the design paper!

After a day at last it was time to contact the manufacturer – would they want to manufacture a small batch uniquely designed OPPO A2 gloves? The answer?….. was yes and we are heading down that path right now this minute!

There is no set timeframe for them but we are making progress in having a new fresh type of OPPO Glove available for all the needs to “Tactically Upgrade Your Gear” within a short period!