Defence & Space

Galvion awarded FBI contract for their Hellbender FE helmet

Galvion announces the successful award of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contract for their Galvion Hellbender Federal Edition (FE) helmet…

2025-06-09 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

SBU on Operation Spider’s Web Details: Was a Tu-160 Strategic Bomber Destroyed?

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released a video compilation showing all FPV drone strikes carried out with Osa-type drones…

2025-06-07 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Karkonosze Program: A Game-Changer for the Polish Air Force’s Tankers?

The Polish Air Force has been requesting the acquisition of aerial refueling tankers for years. The program to procure a multi-role transport…

2025-05-23 | Sławek Zagórski | 5 minutes

Swedish A26 Submarine and Poland’s Orka Program

In early April, Saab organized a visit for representatives of the Polish defense media to the Saab Kockums shipyard, located in Karlskrona…

2025-05-08 | Przemysław Gurgurewicz | 16 minutes

SBU on Operation Spider’s Web Details: Was a Tu-160 Strategic Bomber Destroyed?

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released a video compilation showing all FPV drone strikes carried out with Osa-type drones…

2025-06-07 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Iron Beam with new laser director

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense unveil new Iron Beam laser director. Company to Showcase Full High-Energy…

2025-06-05 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

Advancing multi-domain EW operations: Rohde & Schwarz unveils latest innovations at AOC Europe

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates the next generation of SIGINT/EW systems, sensor fusion and signal analysis solutions, designed to meet the evolving…

2025-05-12 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

Iberian Blackout: Is Poland Prepared for a Similar Scenario?

The blackout on the Iberian Peninsula has prompted a few cautious questions about whether Poland is secure in the event of…

2025-05-02 | Krzysztof Zagórski | 6 minutes

Poland: GROTowisko-25 Conference Begins Next Week

On the weekend of June 14–15, 2025, the next edition of GROTowisko will take place. Once again, the military complex…

2025-06-04 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Russia: MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon Cancelled Again

The CEO of the Russian state corporation Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, announced that the 16th MAKS-2025 International Aviation and Space Salon,…

2025-06-04 | Rafał Muczyński | 2 minutes

Galvion awarded FBI contract for their Hellbender FE helmet

Galvion announces the successful award of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contract for their Galvion Hellbender Federal Edition (FE) helmet…

2025-06-09 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

Iron Beam with new laser director

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense unveil new Iron Beam laser director. Company to Showcase Full High-Energy…

2025-06-05 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

Galvion awarded FBI contract for their Hellbender FE helmet

Galvion announces the successful award of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contract for their Galvion Hellbender Federal Edition (FE) helmet…

2025-06-09 | Redakcja | 3 minutes

IDET & PYROS 2025: KALAN Tracked Amphibious Vehicle as the Successor to the PTS

During the International Fire Fighting Equipment and Services Fair PYROS (held alongside IDET 2025 in Brno), the Czech company New…

2025-05-30 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

SBU on Operation Spider’s Web Details: Was a Tu-160 Strategic Bomber Destroyed?

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released a video compilation showing all FPV drone strikes carried out with Osa-type drones…

2025-06-07 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Iron Beam with new laser director

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defense unveil new Iron Beam laser director. Company to Showcase Full High-Energy…

2025-06-05 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

SBU on Operation Spider’s Web Details: Was a Tu-160 Strategic Bomber Destroyed?

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released a video compilation showing all FPV drone strikes carried out with Osa-type drones…

2025-06-07 | Rafał Muczyński | 3 minutes

Polish Minister of Defence Travels to the U.S. for Meeting with Pete Hegseth

A press conference was held at the 1st Airlift Base with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz…

2025-05-26 | Redakcja | 5 minutes

Airbus, CNES and VAST reaffirm commitment to strengthening EO capabilities in Vietnam

Airbus Defence and Space, the French Space Agency, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology have signed a Declaration of…

2025-05-26 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

ICEYE and IHI start cooperation to develop SAR satellite constellation in Japan

The Polish-Finnish company ICEYE and the Japanese IHI Corporation are beginning cooperation in the construction of a constellation of up to 24…

2025-05-22 | Redakcja | 3 minutes
Shooting

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X – a Bayonet of Light for Your Weapon

The devil’s not so scary once you shine a light on him—and he’s certainly easier to neutralize in the spotlight. A weapon-mounted flashlight…

2025-06-09 | Anna Mielczarek | 6 minutes

Mactronic M-Fire Guardian – A New Flashlight for Professionals

Mactronic is introducing a new angle flashlight, the M-Fire Guardian. According to the manufacturer, it is the first angle flashlight with red…

2025-06-04 | Michał Ihnatów | 6 minutes

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X – a Bayonet of Light for Your Weapon

The devil’s not so scary once you shine a light on him—and he’s certainly easier to neutralize in the spotlight. A weapon-mounted flashlight…

2025-06-09 | Anna Mielczarek | 6 minutes

Mactronic M-Fire Guardian – A New Flashlight for Professionals

Mactronic is introducing a new angle flashlight, the M-Fire Guardian. According to the manufacturer, it is the first angle flashlight with red…

2025-06-04 | Michał Ihnatów | 6 minutes

Protective Rescuer Vest – BC Arms Archangel

The Archangel Rescuer Vest is the result of a collaboration between Polish companies Currahee and BC Arms. It was created in…

2025-05-16 | Mariusz Rams | 6 minutes

Direct Action Spitfire Plate Carrier – Part 1: Testing the Carrier

Nowadays, the market offers a wide range of options in the gear and load-bearing equipment category. One of the most basic…

2025-05-08 | Michał Gaweł | 14 minutes

Enforce Tac 2025 starts on February 24th

Enforce Tac is an international trade fair aimed at law enforcement officers, experts from government agencies, and representatives of the…

2025-01-30 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

POLSECURE: Holsters HPE Poland offer for uniformed services

At the 3rd International Police and Public Security Fair POLSECURE 2024 in Kielce, Holsters HPE Poland presented its offer for…

2024-05-01 | Redakcja | 2 minutes

MSBS GROT BULLPUP conversion now available

Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” Radom is introducing long-awaited conversion kits for the MSBS GROT S16 FB-M1 and S10 FB-M1 semi-automatic rifles,…

2025-06-02 | Michał Ihnatów | 3 minutes

IDET 2025: Grand Power Showcases M4M1 Carbines for the Slovak Armed Forces

At the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET 2023 in the Czech Republic, Grand Power — a Slovak firearms manufacturer — showcased…

2025-05-28 | Michał Ihnatów | 4 minutes

Setting Up a Shooting Belt: An Example with Clawgear

To assist with shooting training and beyond, various belts and gear configurations have been developed and customized to suit individual needs. It’s…

2024-11-28 | Łukasz Kołodziejski | 14 minutes

Weapon light: a practical tool for everyday service. How to choose?

In the world of armed forces, where every second can determine the outcome of an operation, precision and effectiveness are…

2024-08-29 | Redakcja | 7 minutes

Over 100% increase in gun permits in Poland in 2024

The Polish Police have released statistical data on firearm permits issued in 2024. An increasing number of Poles now hold…

2025-02-20 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

Firearms In Poland 2023: Number of permits continues to grow

The National Police Headquarters has released statistics regarding the number of firearm permits and firearms themselves in the hands of…

2024-02-17 | Michał Ihnatów | 5 minutes

5 Best Value ATN Rifle Scopes Under €1500

ATN is a leading manufacturer of daytime optics, smart night vision, and thermal vision technology. The innovative features and ergonomic designs…

2022-11-11 | Redakcja | 8 minutes

MILMAG Visits Grand Power

Grand Power is a Slovak manufacturer of the acknowledged good quality firearms. Take part in our guided tour with English subtitles.

2022-05-23 | Redakcja | 1 minutes

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X – a Bayonet of Light for Your Weapon

The devil’s not so scary once you shine a light on him—and he’s certainly easier to neutralize in the spotlight. A weapon-mounted flashlight…

2025-06-09 | Anna Mielczarek | 6 minutes

Protective Rescuer Vest – BC Arms Archangel

The Archangel Rescuer Vest is the result of a collaboration between Polish companies Currahee and BC Arms. It was created in…

2025-05-16 | Mariusz Rams | 6 minutes

EOTECH Holographic Sight – History, Technology, Practice

The holographic sight is a device known for nearly 30 years and used by professionals around the world. A favorite sight of many…

2024-09-02 | Michał Gaweł | 12 minutes

ZipperFox 25 by Wisport

The Polish backpack maker Wisport is known for it`s unconservative range of products. The company (based in Kobierzyce, Poland) makes two distinctive types of packs. Very classical, almost archetypical models with addition of MOLLE webbing, and innovative ones, quite often far away from what is expected. The subject of this article – ZipperFox – is one of these novelties.

Tradition

At the first glance the ZipperFox looks quite normal and resembles its „older brother”, the SilverFox model. The top cover is missing, but the general shape is traditional. Pack has two wide shoulder straps, equipped with quick release buckles. The load-bearing element consists of 25-mm webbing, sewn onto the straps. More webbing, located horizontally, creates a complex system for hydration and comms wiring. The sternum strap is attached by polymer connectors and can be adjusted horizontally and vertically. The fixing point for the hydration mouthpiece, as typical for Wisport packs, is located on the chest strap connectors.

There is one strange feature that can be noticed straight away. The load adjuster straps look like they were randomly attached from a diffrent model. The attachment point for these is only 20 mm above where the shoulders start. This results in a very small adjustment range. Maybe this is enough, but the diffrence is hard to notice when using this adjustment.

The back of ZipperFox is based on a single slat frame. There is no height adjustment, which is acceptable in 40-liter packs. A detachable hip belt (different than in SilverFox) is soft and noticably improves the comfort for the user. Every part of this that contacts the body is covered with very fine meshed, dirt-resistant foam.  The length of the belt can be adjusted and it has 2 MOLLE cells located on each wing.

ZipperFox is equipped with SAS load bearing system with a hip belt. Previous model – SilverFox – lacks this feature

Single, aluminum frame slat

Rain cover (included) has its place in the bottom.

The final part of the back is the hydration compartment. It is narrow and the opening is protected by a zip-fastener. The bladder hangs on a loop and the small hole for the tube is protected with a velcro flap.

Hydration compartment can be accessed by a straight zipper on the right side. Earlier models had an L-shape zipper. Simplifying this bit allows for fabric reinforcement.

As is usually the case with military series Wisport products, the MOLLE webbing covers pretty much every flat surface of the main compartment. It is located on the front, top and sides of the backpack. The bottom has two buckled straps for attaching additional equipment. The identification velcro patch also lacks MOLLE. This is where typical solutions end and exotic ones begin.

Wisport ZipperFox, due to its features, is quite unconventional. It takes up just the space on the back of the wearer so it is small not to get in the way when sitting or looking up.

Not a lot of character when closed. Lots of webbing shows the military nature of the pack.

Straps on the bottom are a great location for a sleeping bag or other rolled items.

Innovation

What makes ZipperFox a novelty, is a very long, reversed U-shaped, zip-fastener, running along the top,  both front-side edges,  and terminating where bottom meets the back. Zipper has 4 sliders, 2 convergent, and two on each end. This configuration offers many possibilites. However, before we get into the pack, two buckled straps have to be released. These are located on the sides of the main compartment and allow for the carrying of extra-long items. These straps also take a substantial strain from the zip fasteners. After unbuckling, the sliders can be moved and the sides of the pack open. This allows for easy access from the sides to the main compartment and, at the same time, reveals the inside surfaces of the sides. This is important, as the right one has twin mesh pockets, protected with double-slider zipper (each pocket can be opened independently).

Main compartment opened up to first pair of compression straps. ZipperFox opens in the opposite direction of classic packs.

Unbuckling the top compression straps opens 1/3rd of the pack height. This results in good access to most of the content, while the pack maintains its shape.

The lid pouch is made of mesh. This allows for quick identification of carried items.

The left side has an open mesh pocket on the bottom and a MOLLE panel higher up. This panel is attached only at the sides, which creates a convenient „sleeve”, useful for carrying long items ( like a comms antenne or a small axe). These kind of items often move around and catch on other things in the pack. This is a very clever solution.

Nylon pouch attached to the back swings, so can be placed on the pack`s contents. This simplifies the access.

The essential feature of ZipperFox is achieved by the two converged sliders of the main zip-fastener. When placed on the „top” of the arch, these can be used to open the pack in three stages, each separated by side compression straps. First, the top part (working as a lid) can be opened. After unfastening the first pair of straps, zipper opens up further, revealing about 2/3 of the main compartment. The opening of the second pair of straps, allows the user to open the pack right to where the bottom meets the back. And, surprise, we have a completely flat backpack. Just like a cardboard box.

The inside of the pack offers several features, especially in comparison to the SilverFox model. The back wall is equipped with two pockets. One is a small, nylon pouch with a zipper. It is attached only at the top, which allows for a great access. It swings right onto the contents of the main compartment. The second, nylon pocket is almost full back size and has a twin on the front face. The lid has a zipped, flat mesh pocket.

 

Full access

While the previous model – SilverFox – was already quite an innovative pack, the new ZipperFox  “super-duper” features are even more innovative. The hip belt works well and distributes the load  for comfort. The pack itself is fabulous. There are so many possibilities to open this pack, that the user will always get to the right equipment is their pack. The interior pockets are great for small items – no more searching for those at the bottom. Let us hope that the accessory pouches will not get in the way of the opening system.

The full-open mode is a side result of openable sides. This is the biggest advantage of this pack. Finally when packing, the user can lay the backpack flat, fill the small pouches and then comfortably arrange the contents of the main compartment. This gives a lot of control over the location of the equipment and allows for instant verification of the packed items. When finished, only two sliders have to be moved to close the pack. If more space is needed extra pouches and larger items can be webbed to the outside.

Unbuckling all compression straps allows for spreading the pack flat. Small items can be safely stored in the side pouches.

One of the best features – chosen side face can be opened without disturbing the rest.

Inside of the left panel is covered with mesh pocket and small MOLLE panel. Its sleeve configuration protects longer items and maintains easy access to them.

Verdict

The quality of the pack is very good. ZipperFox is made of Crodura 500 while all buckles are ITW and Duraflex. All zip-fasteners work perfectly (these were produced in Poland to Wisport specifications). There is no way to lock the sliders but until now there were no problems with these opening on their own. The mesh is of very high quality and bar-tacked seams to ensure longevity

The ZipperFox is extremely convenient to use, carries the weight comfortably and is cheaper than similar packs. If only the main zip-fastener worked as advertised over a long period of time, this product would be one of the best by Wisport.

This article was originally published on MILMAG 01/2018

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