There are brands that talk about operational capability. Others practice it. Ragnar Raids belongs to the latter group. Their equipment is developed for a specific environment: the armed professional. Military, law enforcement, or private sector.

When the action is real and not a game, the quality of the materials and the application of design stop being a marketing argument and become a necessity. Their catalog is designed for work. And there are jobs that do not grant second chances. In that context, failure is not an option.

We thought it would be better if you yourselves told us who you are. Would you like to do the introductions?

Is this because you don’t want to work? Ragnar was born to give a face to a project we had already been carrying out for many years: developing clothing and gear for the military industry. Behind the brand, in addition to the family that makes up the very team that designs and actively uses the equipment, there is a large number of professionals making all this possible. We are fortunate to belong to a business group with hundreds of employees who support our madness.

How would you define Ragnar?

I like the expression “dirty and real.” We once talked about how in other brands’ imagery people appear spotless on Instagram or in their catalogs, almost with their clothes ironed. Totally respectable as a brand image, but any armed professional knows that if you train regularly you get covered in dirt and dust, and the gear wears out with use.

We like to show things in a more natural way. Besides, we don’t know how to iron.

What does Ragnar encompass as a brand?

We focus on developing three major lines for the armed professional sector, whether military, law enforcement, or private sector:

STREET

Streetwear, but always with a tactical cut. Every garment has something special for those who understand.

SCOUT

Combat or law enforcement uniforms, gloves, balaclavas, etc.

VALHALLA SYSTEM

Plate carriers, load-bearing equipment and all their pouches. It is characterized by being one of the most modular ecosystems on the market and, in many cases, compatible with other brands.

In addition to this, we develop specific garments for units (mainly SOF) based on their needs and on an exclusive basis.

Our philosophy is clear: this is what we have; if it doesn’t fit you, we adapt it.

Obviously, this is for a very specific profile and with a budget in line with the requests.

We know that recently you were moving around Iraq and it caught our attention that you were using your Floki, which is your chest rig line, in a supposedly “hotter” area.

More than for an operational reason (which also), we were using, as you say, the Floki in different configurations for several reasons. The short answer is comfort. It’s true that you sacrifice ballistic protection (and we greeted the Daesh guys a couple of times), but you move very comfortably in a vehicle and at 45º under the sun with a chest rig, let’s not fool ourselves.

On the other hand, all the equipment produced by Ragnar is tested, proven and modified in areas where it is truly intended to be used. Our first Harald was tested, for example, in Bakhmut; the Floki in Mosul; the Ragnarok in Israel… it depends.

Obviously, as a brand we are in constant improvement and self-criticism of our own products, because environments and needs change. And you have to be ambitious in that drive for constant improvement.

What differentiates a professional brand from one that focuses on entry-level products, which I understand do not allocate as many resources to material quality?

It’s an ambiguous question, that of a professional brand. An armed professional can equip himself with gear that is not the best option to perform his job. This is quite a common debate among troops in southern European armies.

We, like other brands that develop quality gear, end up using practically the same suppliers, almost all of them imported from North America: Multicam®, Tegris® by Milliken, Cobra® by AustriAlpin, Cordura…

And we apply the required treatments for MIL-spec garments: flame retardant, low IR signature, antibacterial fabrics, etc.

We also work with fabrics such as Cordura base layers, which allow heat and sweat to dissipate without the garment becoming soaked. These materials are used by all top-tier brands because they are basic requirements in military and law enforcement tenders. The differentiating point lies in how they are applied and in the design.

Brands in other quality ranges simply do not invest in product development or material quality.

Are you referring to the gear used in airsoft?

Well… no, haha. I was referring more subtly to supplying, for example, the Spanish Army. I sincerely believe that many airsoft users have better gear than the issued equipment of some units, unfortunately.

But times are changing. Needs too, in the face of a growing threat of real conflict. We continue the fight so that little by little the basic gear of the troops improves exponentially and is not applied only to elite units.

Speaking of elite units: looking at your Instagram, what can you tell us about the Naval Special Warfare Force?

Elegant people with good judgment haha, what can I say. The FGNE represents the elite of the Spanish Armed Forces: warriors with the wild spirit that every Tier 1 unit must have, combined with unbreakable determination and top-level technical and tactical skills.

There are several friends you can follow, with open accounts, to learn a bit more about the FGNE:  @uoe_fgne , @sergiotriwolf,
@swimbuddytrident

By the way, for the readers: you don’t say “FUGNE”, unless you want to piss someone off and don’t value your health very highly. Either say Guerra Naval or spell the abbreviation correctly.

In recent years the conflict in Ukraine has put the focus on units such as the International Legion. What can you tell me about it?

You’ve done a good FBI job on our Instagram account, from what I can see.

Within the Ragnar family there are members of the International Legion who have fought and continue to fight. As a brand that develops equipment for combat, that’s where we have to be and support our own.

When Russia invades Ukraine in 2022, the Ukrainian government creates the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine with a very specific objective: to integrate foreign volunteers within its Armed Forces in a regulated manner and under official command. We are not talking about a paramilitary group or an irregular militia, but about a recognized, structured unit subject to the Ukrainian chain of command.

What could you tell us about the VALHALLA SYSTEM and what makes it different from other proposals on the market?

The Valhalla System is a set of fully modular load-bearing equipment pieces adaptable to operational needs, both internally with other pieces of the system itself and with equipment from other brands.

We use materials such as Multicam Mesh (the same used by Crye Precision in their Maritime Swimmer Cut) to provide, for example, our plate carriers with a maximum lightweight design, fast water drainage capability and a cut that favors mobility without losing ballistic protection in key areas.

To give an example: most brands present external magazine pouches, generally with a MOLLE system, and separately the internal pouches (those placed inside a “box” by means of velcro).

We combine everything. Our pouches are both: they can be mounted externally via MOLLE, via velcro or even combining both at the same time. And at the same time, that same pouch serves as a velcro insert inside an internal compartment.

The idea is not to offer closed products or imposed configurations, but to give the possibility that, like a puzzle, you assemble your load-bearing equipment exactly as you need it for your mission.

But being honest, in Europe there isn’t the same gear configuration culture as in the United States, so we also offer TIERs: configurations already designed and ready to use.

We see that in your developments you use a lot of Tegris®, the wrongly called “carbon fiber.” What makes this material so special?

Tegris® is an ultra-resistant and lightweight material that we use in load-bearing applications to provide structural rigidity with very low weight and great resistance to impacts and external temperatures. It withstands heat sources very well.

To understand it in a real application: imagine a belt made with other polymer-type materials or with Tegris® copies. Near a heat source they deform. And, for example, a belt that loses its shape ends up causing your holster to fall or tilt. That’s where the difference becomes noticeable.

Tegris® has become very popular in recent years in the professional sector and has also become more expensive. Last year the U.S. government practically took up the entire production of the material that we import from the United States for the development of equipment for its own army. Do you know what that means?

That if it’s cheap, it’s not Tegris.

We’ve seen that you train with blue rifles and pistols. What can you tell us about this type of equipment?

Blue is used to identify non-lethal training weapons or ammunition. We mainly train with simunition in 416 or Haenel platforms. It has pros, such as being able to implement it in your own rifle with your configuration, but also cons: it is extremely expensive (almost 1 € per shot), it generates many interruptions in exercises and, once you’ve done hundreds of FoF, it stops being funny to be marked for months.

Recently we have been provided with several Airsoft GBB models to train with, the Centurion V (which are SIG-style) and they represent a much cheaper alternative in ammunition, very similar in weight and functionality. Their ammunition marks the impact without being as powerful as simunition, something to be thankful for when you train regularly.

I think you just pulled a Tom Holland, because those models haven’t been announced…

Well… they’ve already sent them to us. Those aren’t going back  :).

And to close we leave you with a few final words… not before asking you for a King Harald TIER 2 plate carrier, MK2 gloves in coyote and a RÓK uniform in size L, Multicam. Not for us, it’s to support the community and sacrifice ourselves in testing for the common good.

(He gives us a smile… awkward silence that lasts an eternity, haha.)

Well played, guys. Well played.

Any final words? Let me think…