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Company Website: http://www.voodootactical.net

Specifications:

• Rolls up
• Padded Elbow "wings"
• Quick Release Buckles
• Carry Handle
• Pouches for Storage
• Additional buckles for attachment to pack.
• Made in: Unknown
• Street Price: $69.65

Supplier:

I purchased my sample from Cheaper Than Dirt although it appears that they no longer carry this mat. They are still available on VooDoo Tactical's website as well as Amazon.com.

Packaging:

The mat came in a simple plastic bag.

Initial Impressions:

This shooting mat is nothing fancy. It's what you would expect for import sewn nylon. Some stitching is out of place or poorly done. The Materials are acceptable for the task. The Ammo card is too small to hold .308 class cartridges properly. The zippers on the pouches are small and light duty. The Mat is well padded and rolls properly. The elbow wings are a great touch and covered with a non-skid material.

Operation:

I have been using this shooting mat for over a year now. It has not shown any severe wear. When the mat is not actually in use, it rides in the trunk of my squad car. I have gotten quite a few questions at the range about where to get one. This mat has made it's way through three schools and numerous field shooting sessions. I prefer to shoot prone when possible. I am not a fan of shooting from the bench. My home range has a covered concrete slab for a firing line. A day of shooting prone on this or the rock apron will quickly remove the skin from your elbows. This was my original motivation for buying the shooting mat. When shooting on a dirt or grass position a poncho or ground cloth is sufficient to keep the mud or dew off your body. This doesn't work quite as well on concrete.

The VooDoo mat was pretty well thought out with the exception of the MOLLE and the pouches. There is absolutely no reason to have PALS webbing on this mat. You could get away with just sewing the pouches to the mat or deleting them all together. The pouches are a neat idea, but anything you store in then will either have to be removed prior to rolling the mat or they will cause the roll to be much larger than it needs to be. The wings are wide enough to protect most shooters. The ammo card is not properly constructed and is barely capable for .223 class cartridges. Inserting .308 cartridges will bow the card out badly.

Unlike the old stand-by (the USGI isopore mat), the VooDoo mat uses segments of padding. This helps prevent the mat from curling up when you lay it out. The side effect of this is that the mat is less likely to be caught by the wind, although it will still end up sailing off in extremely high winds.

The mat comes with two extra buckles to attach the mat to your pack. At least that is their stated purpose. I ditched them an resorted to the bungee cord. The attachment buckles allowed the mat to swing a little bit more than I like.

Overall I am pleased with the performance of the VooDoo Shooter Mat. It does a good job of isolating your body from the ground and will keep the mud or dew off. Obviously it's not going to keep you dry if you lay down in a puddle.

(click images for larger views)

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