Every year at SHOT we see some of the most bizarre and cool items. Not sure how this one qualifies. Perhaps we were hankering for a cold brew after a long week snapping photos, but on Friday as everyone was packing up, Sam Cadle and I stopped by Rapid Dominance’s booth. Lo and behold, tactical beer gear nirvana!

The guys were wrapping up and tearing down, giving away every piece of tactical nylon on the booth. After introducing ourselves, RapDom’s personnel offered Sam and I a messenger bag (review coming soon), but most interestingly, the “Tactical Beer Koozie.”

RapDom extols its virtues:

The Deluxe Tactical Beer Koozie is a miniature tactical vest beverage koozie (Up to a 40oz Bottle). The exterior is made of 100% Kodra nylon and the interior is made of 100% Polyester.

• Tactical Vest Koozie
• Outer Shell : 100% Kodra
• Inner 100% Polyester
• Approx. Dimensions: 6.5″ Heigh, 5.5″ Adjustable Diameter

The vest fit my future child’s stuffed lion like a glove. Might as well give Leo some armor for the abuse the babe will bring.

Built just like a real tactical vest, these are actually good quality.. IPs (Irish Pennants, or errant thread endings for non-Marines) were non-existent. The 1/2 sized molle loops were functional, and the vest comes complete with adjustable cummerbund. Also included are shoulder pads for weight-bearing and spare Velcro space for your name-tapes or morale patches.

But, it doesn’t work very well for its intended purpose. The beer koozie will keep your beer cold by keeping your hands off of the bottle, it does not hold onto the bottle well. The koozie lacks a bottom flap to hold the bottle and tactical nylon does not grip a sweating bottle well. RapDom should add a flap to keep the Koozie attached to the bottle. None of us want a tactical party foul. 

I had the “Deluxe” version, which has a bigger inner diameter. The “mini” version is best suited for beer bottles. Add some grip-tape to the inside and you will be good-to-go.

The “deluxe” version retails for $16.50 and is adjustable to 6.5″ diameter. The “mini vest” version retails for $13.50. Both are available for RapDom’s custom-label program.

While I got mine for free, $16.50 isn’t bad to protect your favorite stuffed animal from toddler tyranny or prepare for the ultimate tactical tailgate.

After a long day of being tactical, there is nothing quite like settling down to clean weapons over a cold brew.

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