Sirchie Tac Commander™ Tactical Gear

Fully Adjustable Riot Suit

CLIENT: Sirchie

INDUSTRY: Commercial

SERVICES: Design, Engineering, Prototyping, Soft Goods

Sirchie TacCommander™ Riot Gear is a user-centered solution for today’s first responders. By listening to stakeholders, we delivered a fully adjustable sizing solution to fit virtually all officers of various sizes with one suit. With unmatched customization, TacCommander™ Riot Gear accommodates existing accessory gear, increases maneuverability, and offers adjustable protection to meet the level of threat of any situation.

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The Challenge

In a situation of threat or unrest, law enforcement must be ready to serve and protect at a moment’s notice, virtually anywhere. More than ever, officers are being called into violent environments to create order, but studies show they are under equipped and lack proper gear. Sirchie saw the need to create a new suit to better protect those who protect us. In pursuing the development of a new riot gear, Sirchie and Priority Designs sought to provide solutions for various stakeholders:

Officers

Existing riot gear allows for limited mobility for officers, functioning like a turtle shell of protection, but difficult to maneuver.
Officers wear the gear for extended periods of time causing fatigue and discomfort from the heat and weight of their suit.
Based on the situation, officers bring additional gear, or add layers of protection with the suit. Existing riot gear is largely static and does not account for varying situations.

Purchaser

Many law enforcement units have frequently changing personnel. It is costly and near impossible for quartermasters to maintain riot gear in a range of sizes that can adequately fit any and all body types.

Sirchie Manufacturing

Sirchie sought to expand their portfolio by manufacturing a new product that would open the opportunity for greater revenue in the category. With a new product, Sirchie wanted a high-performance, best-in-class offering.

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“There was a clear understanding from the team of fit, function and a knowledge for protective gear. And to be honest, we really liked the people. They very, very quickly understood what we were trying to do.“

John Roby

President & CEO at Sirchie

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Sketch Exploration

After an initial kickoff meeting and brainstorm, Priority Designs interviewed police chiefs and correction officers to understand and identify key aspects that needed to be offered in a suit. Sirchie and Priority Designs reviewed competitive gear, then created a “wish list”, along with various required specifications.

Initial sketching primarily focused on aesthetic exploration of form and coverage. Designs also looked at color application and how alternate colors other than black could be applied. The first round of concept development explored what the system could be, and how to break away from the “turtle suit” that inhibited officers in the field.

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After combining about 6 or 7 initial concepts, a direction was chosen for further refinement and feature development. Refined renderings took an early look at overlapping pads, and how the system could be modular. By repositioning pads, size could be adjusted to fit the user.

One of the more notable pain points discovered through research was the fatigue caused by holding the shield for hours at a time. Officers would have to stand guard for long periods of time and needed to look ready and alert. By adjusting the geometry on the thigh plate, a notch was added as a shield rest. With a place to rest the shield, officers could stand guard with a presence of alertness and readiness without causing fatigue from the weight of the shield.

Officers also needed to incorporate their holster into the system. It was difficult to wear existing duty belts over the riot suit. With the addition of a removable hip pad, officers could opt to use their own holster within the suit. Further sketching helped bring together aesthetic direction with new gear functionality.

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“It never felt like Priority Designs was a contractor. It was seamless. It felt like we had a whole team of people from both companies working toward a goal – to produce the best product that we could. You could feel the excitement, and it was like I was working with my own employees. And that’s very refreshing.”

John Roby

President & CEO at Sirchie

Prototype Development

With features and functionality defined, the first prototype was a proof-of-concept. This prototype tested the sizing, padding layout and adjustability. Initial CAD was used to create rapid prototyped parts, which were combined with foam, and other soft goods materials.

With the proof-of-concept prototype, we worked out part and padding placement, assembly and construction details. This provided the opportunity to test the overall layout and function of the system.

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System Refinement

With a functional system defined to meet sizing goals as well as hitting comfort and performance, we moved into prototype refinement. We dialed in padding configuration and aesthetics with knowledge borrowed from 20+ years of development in performance sporting goods. Focusing on high impact areas such as shoulders, arms and shins, padding was configured for maximum protection in the most desired areas. With plates positioned and pad thickness established, surface areas were broken up for improved flexibility and mobility.

Within the chest pad, front and back ballistic plates can be added for extra protection, or removed when not needed. This removed the need to wear a ballistic carrier underneath. The pockets which holds the plates incorporate a 45 degree laser cut MOLLE system. Providing an additional area for officers to add existing gear, the MOLLE system became a patented feature within the system.

Our in-house casting lab took CAD developed for the hard goods to create machined molds, which were then used to cast multiple parts for the prototype suit. Other parts were vacuum formed in our prototyping lab for arm and shin guard plates.

Functional Prototype

In the development of a second, refined prototype, the team was able to review the fully integrated system. This prototype combined vacuum formed parts, molded parts, and used soft goods materials sourced with fabrics from our recommended manufacturing partner. The functional prototype combined aesthetic decisions, sizing adjustability, additional features, and provided a realistic view of the final product.

The functional prototype was used for sales presentations, marketing photography, documentation, product communication, and patent documentation.

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Factory Communication

In the development of a second, refined prototype, the team was able to review the fully integrated system. This prototype combined vacuum formed parts, molded parts, and used soft goods materials sourced with fabrics from our recommended manufacturing partner. The functional prototype combined aesthetic decisions, sizing adjustability, additional features, and provided a realistic view of the final product.

The functional prototype was used for sales presentations, marketing photography, documentation, product communication, and patent documentation.

As Priority Designs prepared to handoff the riot gear to our manufacturing partner, each part had to be documented with patterns, materials, and hardware utilized. Priority Designs arranged the introduction of a qualified manufacturing partner, and facilitated the communication for production to begin. The factory received a complete bill of materials and the team from Priority Designs worked onsite to review and provide direction with the factory’s first samples.

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Due to tight timing, our manufacturing partner needed plates and molded foam pads for factory use before the tooling could be completed. Priority Designs jumped in and created 2 full sets of plates and molded pads to cut off 6-8 weeks of development time.

“There’s just so many details. I think that’s a testimony to Priority Designs listening, and doing the research. The team did an excellent job of asking the right questions, and achieving the specifications across the board.”

John Roby

President & CEO at Sirchie

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Impact

The resulting product is a fully adjustable riot suit that is entirely patented. As the only company with IP protected riot gear, Sirchie has established a position as a product category leader, even with the first riot gear product in their portfolio. Upon the launch in September 2017, Sirchie’s new riot gear sold out very quickly and continues to be a steady seller even in its early stages.

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With the soft goods expertise from our team members, we incorporated additional features and functionality with little cost impact at production. Engineered geometry altered the form without impacting material cost. The shield rest allows officers to relieve fatigue caused from carrying the heavy shield, while still remaining alert and attentive. Sirchie’s is able to offer better gear, at a comparable price while increasing their own margins.

Additional features including removable ballistic plates, a front 45 degree MOLLE for easy access, and removable hip pad to attach holsters add to the uniqueness of the system compared to others on the market. Initial insights from officers helped shape the product into one that meets and exceeds expectations to make an officer’s job more efficient in dangerous situations.

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“With the overall breadth of experience that Priority Designs has to offer, it gives someone like me an opportunity to gain access to it. They’ve already learned what to do, or what not to do, and that’s an invaluable resource. We’ve been thrilled with the relationship and look forward to the next project being kicked off.”