Review: Ranger Eyes

I've been fascinated by glow in the dark products since I was a little coyote pup, and have had no end of fun with them. From ceiling stars to a Swiss Army Knife, I'm a sucker for that pale green glow. I've passed this joy on to Triceratops Girl, who got a SARGlobalTool Moon Glow disk for Giftmas, to go with her dinosaurs. Then comes the Ranger Eyes / Cats Eyes patches concept. Traditionally I've read, Ranger Eyes have been used to help identify friend from foe during night missions, before the prevalence of IR NVG and reflective tape and certainly in lower-tech and power consumption conditions, (and where legally difficult to obtain) there these patches make it easier to follow members of your group under the cover of darkness.

I thought I might quickly showcase some of my collection of ranger eye patches, which I exposed to the Australian summer sun for about 2 minutes (rather than the recommended ten) to take these quick shots in the equipment closet at work. At the top left and right, my Giftmas present ITS skull logo patches. These were a lot thinner, and made of a white rather than green glowing polymer. The didn't quite have the intensity of the other patches, but that's a good thing some times. in the center, the HorNest logo patch which was larger, and by far the brightest. In the bottom corners, the TAD logo and DogPatch Ranger Eyes. I lost one Dog Patch x-bones patch somewhere along the lines, but I really like these little guys.

I currently have the HorNest patch on my 215Gear Ultimate Riggers Belt, the ITS patches sitting on the ZuluNylonGear CAOS Admin pouch which in turn rides atop my BullockEcho daypack, giving me another piece of "see me walking" visual aid from behind. The two TAD patches ride on my 25th Anniversary Platatac Cap and again, give me some "out and about" visual options.

I've found these patches really good when I have stayed over at friends and needed to find my gear (or my pants) in the dark, late at night, or early in the morning .....