Review: Snugpak Stratosphere bivvy

I typically prefer off-ground camping in hammocks or on cots, but there is  a time and place for a low-profile, low laying tent, and sometimes even the ubiquitous dome tent is too much. Whether it be due to weather (high winds are not attractive to hammock users), location ( no trees or structures to sling between) or for a more clandestine profile, sometimes a bivvy is the way to go. I've used improvised bivvies before, with a tarp, poncho or just a poncho liner, but I saw this and wanted to add it to my collection, so as a birthday treat to myself I bought it as part of the Platatac End of Financial year sales.

This is the Snugpak® Stratosphere and it is the picture of functional, elegant simplicity. That's saying a lot, right off the bat, but it really impressed me. It is, essentially a waterproof over-bag for a sleeping bag, with a supported canopy to provide space around your head and shoulders.

The whole package is enclosed in a roll-and clip-top dry-bag type stuff-sack, with two additional webbing straps and buckles to cinch it in tight, it packs down to a mere 31cm x 14cm  (12" x 6") and all told weighs only 1.13kg  (2.49lbs).

The bundle contains two drawstring bags, one for the 7 aluminium alloy Y-stakes, and one for the two collapsible 8.5mm aluminium poles. as well as the uni-body bivvy itself. 

The bivvy upper is constructed of a 50D 190T 100% nylon ripstop cordura with (5000mm HH) waterproof polyurethane coating. All seams being fully waterproofed and taped, the upper meets the bathtub style  210T 100% Cordura nylon with (8000mm HH) waterproof polyurethane coating. This combination makes for a very dry sleep, even in very exposed locations.

Two sleeves at the head-end take the curved poles to pop out the hood section, seating in eyelets in tabs in the base to stretch out the head and shoulders area nicely. A flap at the back edge can be staked out to to pull it extra taut and increase the internal cavity even further.

Pegging the bivvy out at each toe end corner, shoulder and head end flaps, as well as the back flap makes for a very secure and stable structure. It sits very low to the ground, offering a very slight weather silhouette. 

When fully staked out the bivvy has a footprint of 220cm (87") length x shoulder width of 70cm (28") x feet-end width of 60cm (24") x and is 48cm (19") tall at the hood.

The bivvy has  a 3/4 length zipper, which extends all the way up and over the lip of the hood to seal the whole unit off from weather or bugs. As well as the storm flapped zipper, it also has 5 hook and loop strips for rapid egress in case of emergency or contact. You obviously compromise the water-proofing of the bivvy by not zipping it up but it's a trade-off you can choose to make. 

The hood canopy is stand alone stable and provides a shady nook to rest ones eyes in without the need to zip up at all. The fabric of the bivvy is soft and not very crinkly, making it comfortable to lay in without a lot of distracting noise. The back side of the hood features a No-See-Um Mesh Mosquito Net window, under the flap, which provides sheltered venting to reduce breath condensation from building up. In good weather the flap can be rolled up and stowed with toggle loops. 

The front of the hood can be zipped up all the way to the left corner for complete enclosure or left open to the elements. If left zipped up there is a hidden feature, a backwards zippable mesh face window, for added ventilation or visibility without creeping intruders. It rolls up out of the way when not in use. 

face window opened

rear window open, flap rolled up

Inside the hood there is a surprising amount of room, plenty enough to sit up on your elbows to read or even wrestle yourself in and out of sleeping bag or change clothes. The roof of the hood has a mesh pocket built into it, plenty big enough to slip a tablet, phone glasses or even a small light. 

Getting in and out of the bivvy is easy, once you get past the hood lip zipper, which can be a little awkward to get around the corner. It is super quick to put up, pegging the feet out, feeding the poles and pegging out the back takes just minutes. The end result is a sleep system that is elegant, robust and reliable. 

After a couple of trial set-ups, Tactical-Baby said they wanted to try it out overnight, so with just a yoga mat ,a sleeping bag and a couple of fleece blankies. Despite an overnight of 15C (60F) and spotty raining throughout the night (enough to leave pools on the upper surface they were remarkably comfortable and slept well past dawn. 

Given its small packed-size and light weight I wouldn't hesitate in either recommending it or strapping it to my own pack if there was even the possibility of needing to overnight trail-side. With its low profile and unobtrusive olive drab I bet you could pitch it in trailside bracken and smell passing hiker without being seen.

Review: Gerber - spork set

I treated myself a while back to a fancy new set of eating tools. Now, I am all for food on a stick, or if needs be, wrapped into a burrito or schwarma, especially when it comes to outoors cooking and eating. Every extra piece of tablware or cutlery you use is one more piece you have to bring, wash and haul back. A stick is good but limiting and eventully marshmallows and sausages loose their luster. Whilst I am also very fond of one-pot/one pan cooking, there are times when a fork and spoon are the right tool for the job, beans, scrambled egg and porridge don't work well on a stick. 

Gerber had an offering that I was keen on. A combi-tool set combining the Gerber Devour set with a plain spoon and spatchula to make a set called the Compleat.

The Compleat is made up of four individual tools; a Deep basin spoon, a long tined spork a spatchula with a serated edge and a multi-tool. the fork, spoon and tool all nest into a slot in the base of the spatchula securely until needed.

The spork has longer tines than im used to on a spork which is a nice change, making it easy to stab food and not drop it and loose it. They aren't yet so long as to be loose stiffness.  

The spoon has a nice straight edged tup, allowing it to scrape the bottom of a bowl or mug to get the last skeriks of food. The dish was deep enough to eat soup with and shovel food into my mouth without bulging out too much when nested. 

Both spork and spoon have a pattern of  stamped into their anodized 7075 T6 Aluminium handles. The spatula component is made of a high temperature nylon with a silicone overmold along the leading edge and one side. One edge has a serrated edge to use as a knife. The  knife isn't great but it'll do and the spatula isn't going to win any awards but it'll flip a pancake and get your eggs over-easy if you're patient. The nifty thing about this tool is that combining the fork or spork with the spatula will create tongs on one way and an extended stirring tool combined longways. Excelent for stirring with your face out of the smoke and for picking sausages out of a pan, respectively. 

 

The spatula's notched ends are directional and prevent the tools from falling apart mid-use. Though the spatula has an arrow molded into it but I routinely try to put them together the wrong way. I think  will scratch arrows into the spoon and spork end surfaces to remind myself in future.

 

I found the metal utensils comfortable to use, did not transfer too much heat to my hand and were certainly sturdy enough to both cook and eat with. 

 

They're also capable of lifting cast iron pots' lids off with ease thanks to both their curved cross-section but also the grip-improving texture lending them strength through engineering. I think I'd prefer the spoon and spork to be titanium rather than aluminium but it works just fine. The spoon/spatula combination tongs work well for fine tasks as well more standard kitchen tong uses. They work just fine ,with the plastic of the spatula providing sufficient "spring" for use, though they lack the "clack-clack" safety test-feature.

 

 

The last component of this set is the utility tool that serves to lock the other tools together. This powder coated steel tool features the following components; bottle opener of obvious utility, a sharp plane-style Veggie peeler, a Serrated cord-cutter and package opener hook/ can-opener and the all important bottle opener. 

 

All-over is sits at 20cm (7.75") long ant weighs in at a mear 65g (2.3 oz) which will neither overload or over encumber any but the most hard-core ultra-light packers.  

 

 

The set comes with Gerber's Limited lifetime warranty, but given its sturdy construction, youd have to be pretty careless with it to need that. The spatchula componant might burn/melt if left too close to your fire for too long, but it worked fine for my cooking needs.

 

Find it here on Amazon:

Review: SLUGhaus - BULLET 02 Smallest EDC Flashlight

I have plenty of keychain tools including a couple of keychain lights, the Jill lite Constel lantern which is built around a CR-123 but rock solid and a lightweight Photon LED as last ditch backup. I have a couple of AA flashlights on my belt, including the Jill Lite Jenyx UV which is fun but sometimes even a little AA light is too much, like if you're trying to find the keyhole of your car without scratching paint, or finding whatever fell out of your pocket at the movies.

Enter the Bullet02 from SLUGhaus. Launched on Kickstarter as their Version 2, the sucessor to the succesful first version, designed to be waterproof, more minimal in design, more secure, smaller and brighter. And most importantly its damn near indestructible. (For a certain value of indestructible.)

This litle bullet-form light features a quick 180 degree rotation that with a spring lock  for secure on/off operation. It will not unlatch even under the most vigorous conditions you might put your keys sensibly through.

Bullet02 can be submerged underwater for a total of 5 minutes without any water breaching it's seals. It will illuminate in any weather and in any situation, helping you solve any darkness problem.

Measuring in at an incredibly small 10mm x 26mm and weighing in at only 5 grams, thanks to its premium aerospace grade aluminum alloy (T6061) construction Bullet02 is the perfect sized flashlight for modern day wear. Powered by three tiny little LR41 Button Cell batteries to produce 20 lumens of light, keep it with you at all times, anywhere you go. 

20 lumens isn't a lot when you stack it against some of the big tactical lights but its plenty enough to navigate in a dark house or lighting up whats right on front of you. 

Laying side by side with this drilled out .45 Auto the form factor is clear

One of the main features SLUGhaus wanted to redesign was their previous "Twist Operation". They have improved this by creating a new mechanism altogether. This time, improving the threading by making it finer and having the threading extend all the way up through the inner casing. In addition, adding a gold plated spring inside for optimal conductivity and pressure, for keeping Bullet 02 snug and sturdy at all times. I've found the

 

What is an LED you ask? LED’s are the most efficient kind of light bulbs out on the market today. One small bulb can last you anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 hours. Of course you'll still have to replace the batteries periodically. However, they decided to use a premium 5mm bulb for BULLET 02 that can last up to 150,000 hours in lifespan. It casts a nice crisp blue white light, with a good direct cast as well as a reasonable spread for room-illuminating cast.

I've found that having my primary Bullet02 light (as I got several in my pledge) on my car-keys, attached to my titanium carbineer for extra go-fast. and it has become  a very useful, always at-hand (not in the bottom of a pocket) light, capable of acting as a "here I am" signaling light as well as its previously stated tasked jobs of keyhole finding and dropped treasure relocation. The form-factor is great the elegant bullet shape is nice on the hand, the twist-on-off action is smooth and easy to work.

Your flashlight says "Maglight replica"mine says ".40 S&W"

I haven't attempted to test for battery life, but i'd expect it to run good couple of days before running flat and whilst I wouldn't use them as a marker whilst caving, you could certainly mark out your tent or privy whilst camping to good effect with one. Given the size and the sturdiness of the triangle clip, you could even use them for collar-attachments for pets, or as personnel markers on kids when out at an after-dark event, on a necklace or attached to clothing. I like to do this on both Tactical Baby and Triceratops Girl and whilst its no substitute for attentive and responsible parenting, it allows a certain amount of freedom and adventure for adventurous and sensible kids.

Review: SpifyLab - Sparky

FIRE FIRE FIRE. I do so like fire starters and other goodies, and I was intrigued when an electric firestarter came past my way. This was the next in the line from SpiffyLab, who were the minds behind the Tactical Sharpie Marker I covered a while back. This is certainly a design from the same lineage, and the two tools could certainly sit side by side and look like a set.

The Sparky by SpiffyLab is an electric firestarter, designed to ignite steel wool, and nothing else. The principle has been known for some time, with a small battery, anything from a AAA up to a D cell, or a 9V, and fine grade steel-wool, you can ignite the steel wool by running the charge through it, and the resistance to power ratio heats the wire up.

The Sparky uses two (2) AAA batteries to ignite steel wool. The 'Sparky' produces about 3.0-3.5 volts which is more than enough voltage to ignite steel wool or even a foil gum wrapper. It is designed with a twist cap, clip, knurled grips, and O-Rings to resist dirt and moisture in several spots. It is built with a tough, lightweight aluminium body, and a copper conductor tip.
It features a solid copper conductor tip, for optimal conductivity as next to silver, copper, is the most conductive metal. The aluminium body Sparky weighs in at just under 90g (3.1oz), with battery and the overall length is about 16cm (6.5") long and is 1.6cm (0.625") in diameter.

Interestingly, the Sparky is safe to touch and is vented. Even when exposed, the conductor tip and body can be touched without any harm coming to the user, due to the low power of the batteries, and the nature of skin conductivity. Just replace the cap when not in use to reduce accidental discharge.

So you might be continuing to ask "How can Sparky ignite steel?"

By touching the positive and negative "terminals" on the Sparky (the copper conductive tip, and the threaded aluminium body) to steel wool sends a current through the wool, and it heats up the fine "wires" because of resistance. The heated temperature causes the iron to react with the oxygen (O2) in the air and creates iron oxide (FeO2).


This reaction releases heat, heating up the next bit of iron and so on, causing a cascading reaction through the steel wool. It runs visibly through
the bundle of steel wool like a fuse, and as it burns through, you have your chance to use it to ignite your kindling, as you would with other firestarting methods.

As the makers point out, the science of this is pretty cool, even if a bit gimmicky. I managed to get the Sparkey to work easily enough, but getting it to catch on tinder was a little trickier, due to the nesting way the steel wool burns, keeping the burning steel away from tinder. However, it did work, after some fiddling. I expect it would work to ignite iron filings too, and probably work well to set thermite off as well (I didn't have any one hand to test ...).

Needing a very specific fuel to initiate the ignition, this is a pretty niche product, but, if you happened to want a low physical-effort firestarter, and have the capacity to store appropriately fine steel wool, this is an effective tool, especially if you had a surplus of AAA batteries not useful for anything else.

First Impressions review: First Tactical - MDL

Here's a quick "first impressions" piece on one of two items that arrived in my pouch from the good folks at First Tactical. First Tactical is an exciting new business founded by Dan Costa, founder of 5.11 Tactical, to meet the needs of all kids of Public Safety professionals with new, innovative ideas and products in the tactical industry. But enough of the waffle, let's see the light.


Read more about the First Tactical - Medium Duty Light here, on Breach Bang & Clear

Review: ZU Bladeworx - Floro Fighting Systems Knife

As first seen on Breach Bang & Clear....

One of my good friends let me know, ll beaming smiles and swagger, that he had landed a beauty of a knife, in the ZU Bladeworx Floro Fighting Systems Knife, and was kind enough to lend it, and its accompanying trainer, for me to put together a review. Now, I'm a firm believer in having the right tool for the job, and also in having a fine, rugged and dependable blade to hand when the need arises. As it turns out, I had already been eyeing off one of the other ZU Bladeworx knives, so this was an excellent opportunity.

The Floro Fighting Systems is a system of edged weapon combat and defence that is reported to be not only simple to learn, but one of the most effective systems of self defence available today. I've not had the pleasure to attend any of their training, but the friend of mine who lent me the blade suggests they are fully legitimate.

Billed as efficient, direct and immediate, FFS is one of the very few styles that is still based on the blade, and is used by civilians and members of the military, and law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Reported to have over 30 years of experience, Floro has instructed internationally: US Special Forces, Korean Special Forces, various SWAT teams, and the New Zealand Police and nationally members of the Australian Federal Police and Military have individually sought private instruction. So, it seems the FFSK comes from a pretty grounded fighting system, so you'd expect their blade to back that up.

The blade itself is a karambit style knife, blended with a far straighter blade shape than those of the 5.11 Tactical Tarani CUB or the HHA-LFK01 far more like the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife.
The FFSK is 235mm (9.25") long, 100mm (4.5") of which is double edged, hollow ground blade. The blade comes to a very severe point. A deep fuller ground into the middle of the blade lends rigidity as well as dropping the weight.  Be very aware of the legal ramifications of your knife ownership and carry ramifications.

The 10mm (0.4") thick blade is cut from a single billet of A2 steel which has been double tempered and cryo treated to a RC58 hardness. The blade itself has been ground down to be 6.5mm (0.25") thick and a couple of holes have been drilled in the handle both to reduce weight and to add lashing cords should they be desired. It weighs in at around 200g (7oz) which is (33% lighter than the other ZU knives, the Punisher and 14% lighter than the Ghost), so it's a lean, mean fighting machine, Cerakoted in sniper gray.

The large ring at the butt end of the knife, in keeping with traditional karambit design generally being for the index finger to fit through. This can be used not only to retain the knife, but also as an impact weapon, to add force to a punch or as a hammering attack.

I was told that the Floro fighting system has a lot of punching style strikes, which seems to fit nicely with the traditional butt-ring acting as a knuckle duster, and the forwards sweep of the blade presents the edges for slashing or stabbing strikes nicely.

The blade comes with a kydex sheath which includes a clipping belt loop, and offers a snug fit for the bade, and is adjustable for left or right hand draws, it is set up to wear horizontally.

This is the official knife of the Ray Floro Fighting Systems syllabus and ships frighteningly sharp, sharpened in-house by "Dirty Harry", with the blade being designed and built in Australia. Even though I am unfamiliar with this kind of knife style the blade is very nicely balanced in the hand, and certainly feels like something you don't want to mess with. I can't say I like the cant of the blade, personally, but I can certainly see the intent behind it.

One other thing that I was both surprised and concerned about was that the accompanying trainer is really quite sharp. The Benchmade SOCB CQB trainer was weighted exactly the way the live-edge blade was made, but was fully blunted for some pretty serious full-speed stabbing and slashing action. The ZU trainer only weighs 60g, made of anodised aluminium but is every bit as pointy as the live-edge blade. I wouldn't want to do any training with this any faster than I would with the live blade.  I'll leave that to Grand Masters and Jedi alike.

That all said, this is a fine knife and it certainly appears to be very purposefully designed, bearing the ZU Bladeworx "sterile" appearance and no-frills rugged design. If you're likely to be using a Filipino inspired style of knife combat, you might well be interested in this blade.

Review: SpiffyLab - Tactical Marker

I back a lot of Kickstarter projects, and sometimes they're just on a whim. I have plenty of tactical pens, I like the metal body construction, and the durability that comes with that, not to mention the ability to increase the tool-bearing nature of an every day item like the common pen, so when the chance to get a tactical pen that is built around a Sharpie permanent marker, I jumped at it.

The Tactical Marker upgrades the Sharpie refill from a simple writing implement into a rugged multi-function writing tool, making it a value-added item for camping, work or using as part of your EDC.

As well as the casing for the Sharpie Refill pen, the Tactical Marker includes 3 tool tips machined from  7075 alloy different to the more lightweight but durable 6061 alloy the barrel is made from. The cap and tip tools are made from super tough 7075 alloy (7075 is even used in the M16 series of rifles), which is useful, given the intended uses.

The smaller "Tapper" is fine great for little tasks such as dislodging items, or tack-driving and other small tasks. The "Hammer" is especially handy when you want to leave the house without dragging your tool box along. Neither are especially weighty, and won't effectively drive nails into timber, but for breaking small things, and dislodging items, defrosting a freezer or the like. If you need a proper hammer, get a proper hammer.

The “Spike" end works for punching leather, plastic and sheet metal or using as an awl, breaking hard ground, breaking and gripping ice, boating, prying, rope work and the like. Even being a hard-wearing alloy, the 7075 is still just aluminium however, and the end will bur and bend under hard use.  Again, if you intend to do hard punching work, get a hardened steel tool.

Without the cap, it measures about 145mm (5.75") in the standard configuration and about 165mm (6.5") with cap in the standard configuration. The "Spike" adds and is about 2.30" making the tool a fairly sizable 215mm (8.5") long. The “Hammer” end puts it at around 195mm (7.75") long. The TM weighs in at about  60g, for the "Tapper" 70g, for the "Spike" and 80g for the "Hammer". 80g isn't much for a hammer, but it's not bad for a tactical pen.
 
The Tactical Marker pen cap attaches with a screw cap requires two hands, but holds very tightly, with o-rings at both cap and tool ends, to ensure the ends stay snug, without putting undue strain on he threads. One problem I had with the tool is that the tool-ends and pen-cap ends are not interchangeable, and their threads are not compatible. It would have been nice if the cap and tool could have been combined into a smaller tool.

The Tactical Marker is also available in 'non-sparking’ Aluminum-Bronze, for use in high risk work environments, which is a nice thought, as well as a carbon-fiber barrel option, for extra fancy flair. I mostly got this tool to help with rope-work and rough and ready hole-punching in sacks and hags and the like when camping, but it's a well thought out tool for what it is. Good for hobby-use and workshop tasks when a light touch is needed. 

Review: Fenix HL35 headlamp

First seen on Breach Bang&Clear here ...

My pal Sean from G8 sent me a pre-release Fenix HL35 LED headlamp to review, which was awesome to have happen, and very timely for us here.
I've covered a number of Fenix lights previously, from the unusually designed TK51, to the mighty LD60 and the very handy E99Ti keychain light to the very practical domed CL20 camp lantern. The HL35 is the next iteration of the existing Fenix headlamp range, and whist some of the stats are still unpublished, here's what I can tell you.



It is an aluminium housed, high performance headlamp boasting three levels of light from the main LED (assuming similar stats to the HL25 a maximum of 4/50/280 lumens while in burst mode, and a 223ft beam distance). A second, red LED is built in as well, and the selection button on the side of the housing cylinder next to the power button. You cycle through the four modes once the light is on with this. 1) steady white light (cycle through power setting with power button), 2) steady red light, 3) slow flashing white light 4) fast flashing red light. The main light is cycled through its three settings by pressing the power button, once lit and both LED's are shut off by holding the power button down. Holding the Mode button down will cause the light to come up on its maximum setting, before allowing you to cycle through the modes. The lamp is fitted in a bezel and is rotatable 60 degrees in the front, with a nice sturdy ratchet action, and well crenelated ends to facilitate the turn.

Built to resist the elements, the HL35 is waterproof to 2m, impact resistant at 1m and incursion protected to an IPX-8 rating. The HL35 is powered by 2 AA batteries.

The HL35 measures 66mm (3.2") wide, 45mm (1.8") "deep", and weighs about 90g (3.2oz) so it's remarkably dense, but not too weighty. the around the head and over the crown elastic headbands. These are usually the part of headlamps that I like the least; that the lamp part either flops around or the band is awkward. The HL35 is very stable, with a thin closed cell foam pad holding it in place and adding some comforting padding and the elastic is adjustable both in circumference and over the top.




One thing about the lamp, the two buttons are a little differentiate, especially with gloves on. I was rummaging in a dark nasty place this week, and needed to not bring too much attention to myself (don't ask, but I have a strong stomach), and it was tricky to select the right option with the gloves I had on. Working out which button was the power, and would let me alternate the three light levels, and which was the mode button, and inadvertently set me to strobing, was a problem.  I feel that even with the mode button being stippled, and a bit larger, the fact that they are both side-by side makes that tricky, especially when gloved.

That said, it's the first headlamp I've had where I didn't cringe at having to put on and use, the light was crisp and well cast, and it was comfortable to wear. If you're in the market, it would be well worth a look in.

Review: VSSL Outdoor Utility cache

First seen on Breach Bang & Clear

I had missed the release of this particular product when it ran through its Kickstarter campaign, mostly for financial reasons, but my dear friend and Kickstarter aficionado Gareth Hodges had one and wanted to pass it on, so I snapped it up at a generous discount (thanks man!), so I have had one in my hot little hands, and pack for a while now.


This is the "utility" model of the VSSL which is to say, one of five models they offer, and this one is filled with s variety of useful and needful survival items.
The main body of the canister is a machined aluminium tube, with end caps that screw in to give a gasketed airtight seal. Each VSSL unit is 23cm (9") long by 5cm (2") diameter made from seamless extruded mil-spec anodized aluminium, and this model weighs 510g (18 oz). 

The unit is very sturdy, the two end caps are knurled, and the body has engraved details on it, as well as some knurling as well, giving a solid grip to open either end.


The real utility of the unit however is in its contents. As well as the two end caps, one of which has a dual mode (static high/low and SOS) LED ‘flood’ beam lantern light, illuminates a large area ( which runs on 3x N type or Energizer E90 batteries), and the tail cap holds a 4 hour burning pure Canadian beeswax candle and has an oil filled compass on its surface.

The seven little aluminium pill-boxes each with a small collection of survival needfulls, some in pairs, others singly. 


The contents are thus:

Razor blade

6 Aquatabs® water purification tablets

Wire saw (high tensile, 60lb working strength with handle straps)

Aluminium beadless emergency whistle

Waterproof matches

Tinder Quik® fire starters

Fishing Gear

Signalling Mirror

Marine grade rope (250lb breaking strength)

Reflective trail markers

P38 military GI Type can opener

First aid supplies 

VSSL priorities of survival and instructions

There's a good spread of items, and here they are itemized:The pill-boxes aren't hermetically sealed, but they don't really need to be, as they all live in the VSSL tube. The contents aren't meant to be for long term sustainment, rather to help out in the event of a short term emergency, or even to fill a gap in your EDC when out adventuring. It's solid construction and precision machining makes it a very well put together survival cache. 

The weight is a bit of a concern considering the overall size and scope of the contents, however, they are well packaged, so would be safe and ready to use when you need it, whether it's been sitting in your pack, in the back of your car or buried in your safe-drop spot. 

VSSL also produce several other versions of the flask: a Fist-Aid canister (full of boo-boo repair items), a Shelter canister (with a tarp, line and the like), an empty canister (build your own), a Flask (300mL of capacity and two collapsing shot cups) and their Zombie Spike version (for brain stabby goodness). 

Review: BokerPlus - Automat Kalashnikov 11 knife

This is one of the few folders I have in my collection, and it was one that I got on a whim, and sort of never put into high rotation. However, it has some features and aspects I thought I'd share, AND it is the one that I am stocking my Bug-Out-Jar kits with.

I have two other folders in my collection, my EDC CRKT K.I.S.S. , my other Boker, the 343 Scalpel folder or my trusty old Shelham clasp knife . None of these are as chunky as the BokerPlus AK 11. 

The sturdy handle features textured solid billet aluminium scales over the liner lock frame. Normally I don't go in for flashy looking scales, but I overlooked these this time because of the functionality of the thumb flipper and the strap cutter.

It is a liner-lock style folder, with both the liner, and the lock being stainless steel. The blade itself  is a black coated, 440C stainless steel tanto tip. The integrated seatbelt cutter in the hilt is built into the folder side, rather than the spine side, so can't be accidentally deployed unless the main blade is already out.

The steel frame also ends in a lanyard hole and glass breaker pommel even more functionality. With an overall length of 20cm (8"), with 8cm (3.3") being the blade and 12cm (4.7")being handle, and with it's all-metal construction, weighing in at 185g (6.5oz) the knife is a very solid tool in the hand.

The thumb-flipper on the spine becomes a nice finger guard when deployed, and the crenelations on both the spine of the blade and scales gives a positive grip, even on its all-metal frame. The bullet shaped inset on the back of the blade gives you a secondary flipping point, if the back thumb-flipper isn't your thing.

The action of of the locking mechanism, which is locked in place but the liner, also has a tension bar inside the scale. This, in conjunction with the thumb-flipper, gives you an assisted deployment of the blade. Check local regulations where you live restrict that kind of thing. Know your local laws. 

The release is really snappy, and will open the blade all the way in a moment. Great for single handed use, or in an emergency when fine-motor skills are at a premium.

I tried out the blade and the strap cutter on some 1" webbing. The blade worked really well, but the hook-cutter needed some getting used to as it is a single straight edge rather than a hook like on the Gerber Crisis Hook. 

This is a solid, and well put together blade, and I think its well suited to sitting as a backup blade, which is why I wanted to have it in the Bug-Out-Jars.