Kitanica jackets

The Kitanica Mark IV in Foliage

I have long been a fan of the show Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel. It is one that I always find both interesting and entertaining, and who can complain about all of the stuff that they blow up with high explosives? Anyways, I was watching an old episode yesterday and noticed the jacket that host Adam Savage was wearing. I thought it looked pretty nice, and unlike any I had seen before. Upon Googling it, I discovered that there has been a lot of virtual ink spilled over this jacket, and also found out that it is the Mark IV jacket made by a company called Kitanica.

Kitanica is actually based out of California (where the show is filmed), and Adam had obtained the jacket from the company's founder, Beej Cronin, some years back. The jacket, apparently, had been somewhat of a side-project for Cronin, who eventually went back to teaching. Well, it seems that after people saw the jacket on Mythbusters, there was so much demand for it that Cronin, along with his brother and cousin, started making the jackets again.

The Kitanica Mark I in Foliage

There are two models currently available, the Mark I and the Mark IV. The Mark I is a little more stripped-down, while the Mark IV is clearly the Cadillac of technical jackets. It is made of 1000 Denier Cordura (meaning that it is extremely durable), features a recoil pad, numerous pockets, rib pad, and a spine pad for to make it "easier to crawl under obstacles on your back." Asides from all of these features, it is simply one of the most badass jackets ever manufactured. Plus, it is made in American and has a lifetime warranty.

The Mark IV in ACU Camo

All of this, of course, comes with a hefty price tag as the Mark IV costs $600 while the Mark I comes in at a more economical $500. I don't actually participate in any activities that require anything this extreme, but if I could only have one "technical" jacket for the rest of my life, this is what I would want.

The Mark I in Black