ESD x Onward Research Sling Collaboration
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to head over to Onward Research and check out our new collaboration sling in Splittertarn Type B. While the only thing different about this sling than our normal ESD Slings is the pattern, this collaboration was not a simple copy/paste job. We at ESD and Onward Research would like to take you on the journey of how we created a complete custom from the ground-up pattern and sling made in the USA with Mil-Spec webbing and following Berry-compliance in Splittertarn Type B.
Splittertarn was introduced in 1932, as an upgrade to its previous disruptive, zig-zag pattern of hard-edged wood colors of its predecessor “Buntfarbenanstrich 1918”. The “splinters’’ on top of the pattern called raindrops, were applied in places to improve the camouflage effect mimicking grass. The pattern was originally used on tents but soon found its way to ponchos and smocks throughout the German Army. Many similar pattern designs inspired by splittertarn were made after the war by Warsaw Pact countries, some are still in use today by various European countries.
Starting things off, the team at Onward Research reached out to us to bring out a limited edition run of slings in a particular colorway that has not been used really since the 1940s. The team at OWR loves the Splittertarn and specifically the Type B variation for two main reasons.
- The pattern does an excellent job of blending into Temperate Deciduous Forests which span the entirety of Europe and large portions of the United States and Asia.
- The pattern looks dope fam, no cap
After receiving an original fabric sample, some photos, and a way forward the ESD team set off on color-matching the fabric sample to create the custom webbing needed for the sling. After countless hours playing “Is the dress blue or gold?” our team had finally matched all colors and come up with a version the Onward Research team loved. The next step in the process is getting the materials made.
From there ESD worked with manufacturers to get the colors and pattern on the webbing just right. What the team soon found was that the printing on the webbing changed the colors slightly affecting the overall product. So after a few back and forths trying to solve the coloration and how the pattern looked on webbing our team was ready to press the slings into production. We ordered 10,000 yards of the webbing, and of all the webbing ordered, roughly 10% was usable.
We hope you guys enjoy the sling and this deep dive as much as we loved making it for you, If you want to purchase the sling make sure you head on over to https://onwardresearch.com/onward-research-x-esd-sling/ Stay tuned to our website for some more collaborations that we know you guys will love.
