GW:  After having met Vickie on numerous occasions at outdoor media events, I can say categorically that the industry is losing one upbeat representative and strong supporter.  She has been a loyal corporate sponsor of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, and no doubt, we’ll miss her generous contributions to the organization.  I’ll remember her kindly as I peer through my Alpen spotting scope in the years to come.  Wishing you nothing but the best in the future, Vickie.

“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” — Earnie Harwell

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – Alpen Outdoor Corporation (Alpen Optics) will be ceasing all operations and closing its doors effective Feb. 28, 2018.

Many factors, including family health issues, a difficult business climate, competitive dynamics and factory production challenges have led owners Tim and Vickie Gardner to this tough decision.

“I want to express my love and gratitude to all the awesome friends I’ve made over the last 22 years,” Vickie Gardner, VP of STUFF and Marketing for Alpen Optics, said. “Just thinking of everyone gives me a big warm feeling, puts a gigantic smile on my face and leaves me with a bittersweet heart. I want to thank each and every one of you for your loyal support and love over the years. I guess Winnie the Pooh said it best, ‘How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.'”

Established in 1996, Alpen Optics has provided best quality optics, including binoculars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes and accessories at affordable prices to hunters, birders, wildlife watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts. Over the years, Alpen Optics has been presented a number of awards celebrating the optics top-of-the-line quality, durability, impressive design and affordability. Thanks to these qualities, Alpen has developed a loyal customers base that is truly valued and appreciated and will be deeply missed by both Tim and Vickie.

“It is now time to start a new chapter in our lives, and we sincerely thank you for your past support and friendship,” Vickie said. “Happy trails to you until we meet again. Love and blessings from Tim and Vickie.”

About Alpen Optics
Alpen Optics has won seven Outdoor Life Great Buy Awards (more than any other optics company), one Outdoor Life Editor’s Choice Award and one Field & StreamBest of the Best Award.

Appleton, WI ? Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP), a leading manufacturer of law enforcement products, is now shipping more than a half-dozen new additions to its line of high-performance tactical lighting solutions. The products were first unveiled to enthusiastic industry and media response at the SHOT Show, and are now in stock and making their way into ASP’s distribution channels. ASP Vice President of Marketing, Michael Hess, says that the company has been in major growth mode in the flashlight category over the past couple of years, and that will accelerate in 2018. “We have been gratified to have more and more law enforcement agencies adopting our flashlights,” says Hess, “and one of the benefits of that is being able to incorporate a tremendous amount of field testing and feedback into our new models.” Read more

EAGLEVILLE, PA  – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting, launched the Streamlight® Jr. F-STOPTM, an ultra-compact 2AA alkaline penlight that allows users to smoothly transition between spot and flood beams to meet both close-up and area lighting needs.

The Streamlight Jr. F-STOP’s adjustable focus allows users to transition the beam from a piercing spot light to a smooth flood pattern by simply sliding the flashlight’s bezel. Read more

New Sightmark Signal Digital Night Vision Monoculars are helping people see flawlessly at both day and night. With two different models, the 320RT 4.5×30 (SM18024) and 340RT 4.5×30 (SM18025), seeing in pure darkness (up to 380 yards away!) has never been easier.

Replacing the popular Ranger Digital Monocular series, the Signal lineup hits shelves packed with enhanced features. A new and improved high-sensitivity 640×480 CMOS sensor and high-resolution 640×480 LCD display ensure night time and low light performance. Both models feature available built-in video recording with sound, allowing users to take images and videos to show their friends or upload to the internet. The Signal can even stream directly to your smart phone or tablet for remote view via the Stream Vision app. Read more

ANN ARBOR, MI  – EOTECH, an L3 Technologies company, announced today the expansion of its VuduTM precision rifle scope line with the new 5-25 x 50 mm rifle scope. Debuting at SHOT Show 2018, the first focal plane 5-25x includes an XCTM high-density glass, one-piece aluminum body and eyepiece, as well as EZ ChekTM zero stop turrets found in the first-generation Vudu scopes. Additionally, this 34 mm rifle scope features a smooth, locking elevation turret and capped windage turret to prevent inadvertent changes in zero along with a parallax adjustment out to 1,100 yards to properly align the focal plane to the target.

“At under 11.5 inches, one of the biggest advantages of the 5-25x is that it allows the shooter to attach clip-on thermal or night vision sights and maintain the ability to make adjustments to these devices without leaving the scope,” said Mark Miller, Product Manager for EOTECH. “Longer scopes with high magnification push those devices out too far on the rail where quick adjustments can’t be made.”

The 5-25x is one of the shortest scopes currently on the market in this magnification category and will begin shipping in July 2018. It will be available with milliradian adjustments and two reticle options that include a Mil-dot and the Horus® H59TM. MSRP begins at $2,099. Read more

EAGLEVILLE, PA – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting, introduced the Streamlight® 18650 USB lithium ion Battery with an integrated micro USB charging port. The battery transforms multi-fuel, high-performance lighting tools into rechargeable systems, providing an alternative to disposable CR123A batteries. Read more

EAGLEVILLE, PA  – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting, introduced the Dualie Waypoint®, a high performance spot and area light that allows for individual or simultaneous use of a forward-facing spot beam for distance and a bottom-facing flood light. The alkaline battery-powered light, which delivers up to 750 lumens, combines the best of two popular Streamlight products – the Dualie® dual-function LED flashlight and the Waypoint® pistol-grip searchlight. Read more

Dallas, TX – Regardless of how much practice one puts in at the range or the type of firearm, bow or crossbow one carries into the field, no other single variable plays a greater role in hunting success than knowing the actual distance to the downrange target. At best, just a few yards of misjudged distance can result in a miss, and, at worst, a wounded animal.

For this reason, a quality laser rangefinder is one of the most important conservation tools a hunter can carry into the field.

Halo’s NEW XL600 Laser Rangefinder is packed with high-end performance features at a price that puts it well within range of any hunter. Read more

ProTac® HPL USB Features 1,000 Lumens; Uses Three Battery Types

EAGLEVILLE, PA  – Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, introduced the ProTac® HPL (High Performance, High Lumen) USB, delivering an incredibly bright 1,000 lumens and an intense, down-range beam. The new model, which uses a Streamlight lithium ion rechargeable battery, includes a built-in USB charge port, permitting it to be charged from a laptop or most USB wall chargers.

The next generation of ProTac® design, the ProTac HPL USB is capable of flooding an entire room, vehicle, or area with sweeping bright light, while also delivering a far-reaching “hotspot” beam. The light includes a sliding sleeve that reveals a USB charge port as well as a charging light indicator. For added convenience, the flashlight operates from multiple battery sources, including a rechargeable 18650 lithium ion battery or two CR123A lithium cell batteries. Read more

(MANSFIELD, TEXAS) – Continuing an unwavering commitment to quality night vision technology, Pulsar introduces the latest innovative scope in the Digisight series; the Digisight Ultra N355 (PL76370Q). Ideal for night or daytime predator, hog and varmint hunting, this digital night vision riflescope is a major improvement over previous Digisight models, which already revolutionized the night vision industry when they were introduced, and adds many welcomed features that are becoming standard for Pulsar optics. The N355 combines a high-resolution 752×582 CCD sensor and 640×480 AMOLED display to produce a nighttime detection range of 545 yards.

Perfect for shooting at all hours of the day, the Digisight Ultra N355 boasts Pulsar’s popular proprietary Picture-in-Picture digital zoom function, allowing a zoomed wide field-of-view image at the same time. In addition, the Digisight Ultra N355 offers continuous and 2x/4x stepped digital zoom, 3 rifle profiles with 15 total zero saves, 13 variable electronic reticles, one-shot zeroing with freeze function, modular IR illuminator, stadiametric rangefinder, color modes and more. Read more