A place for me to review the various rugged, nifty and needful kit that I've accumulated, for every-day preparedness in the event of accident, disaster or world-shifting end-times Apocalypse, be it zombies, triffids or Mayan divide-by-zero errors.
Everyone loves a pair of good socks. Your feet will thank you and it can really make a difference to your effectiveness. Regular socks, be they woolen, cotton or more exotic materials like bamboo or the like are a big step up from nylon or acrylic blend, especially when it comes to smell. However, science has advanced and offers some other alternatives.
These socks are made from some very unique materials; This fabrics are infused with not one, but three antimicrobial metals: Silver, Copper and Zinc! Multiple metals can kill more types of odour and disease causing microbes. The the antibacterials effects will be much better than single. Silver is known as a great antibacterial meta, featuring in everythign from bandages to homeopathic potions, copper can kill bacteria too and it is also a key component of many enzymes, Zinc can reduce bacterial loads and thus odour too! This three metal infused technique takes existing techniques and layers them for increased coverage and effects. Based on a specially treated cotton, with a proprietary blend of mineral
substances, enhance the performance of the metal elements,
and are never washed away.
I wear boots. all day, every day. That's a pretty rough task for any sock. I hike, train and work in my boots. In winter time I like to leave my socks on because I'm very tall and my feet stick out of the covers. even with daily sock changes and foot washing, that takes a toll. I was sent some of these socks and tried them out. I wore the same pair for a week. I chose the ankle socks because I was purely interested in the foot effects. They were great!
With these functional fabrics, you can take off your shoes without any hesitation over worrying about their smell. A weeks worth of almost constant wear,including a 4 hour hike and a few hours of Viking training. My feet felt great and smelled pretty good too. The socks are breathable and even when my feet got hot and sweaty, a quick pull out and wave around both cooled them and dried then off. Think that comes down to the metal infusion of the fabric but also the design and cut of the sock certainly comes into it. More than just a modern miracle textile, these specially designed the socks at the toe and heel area, perfectly match the human foot shape, make that part super breathable and durable!
With their metal infused fabric these socks are designed to transfer heat more efficiently, and be more durable! Odorless, Comfortable, Antibacterials, super durable，Breathable. I gave them a pretty solid thrashing and they bounced back well. They work well as advertised, are comfortable and resilient day after day.
The Glovax team, just finished a campaign about a set of rugged cool work-gloves. Which are well worth checking out as well.
One of the places I look to for my kit is LEGear, an online store for Law Enforcement, Military and Outdoor products in Australia and New Zealand, who refer to themselves as a “One Source – Total Solution Provider” for government needs. In June they opened a third brick-and-mortar store, this time in my home town.
In both a soft-launch and grand opening, the good folks from LEGear, opened their doors and hosted a BBQ, as well as spending time answering questions about their stock.
So, all you Melbournites interested in the full range of 5.11 Tactical gear, from boots to bags, belts and clothes, as well as Fenix lights, and Benchmade blades go check it out!
I love armour. I love scrambling and climbing. I love not bashing my body to pieces or exhausting myself.
So when I saw these awesome pieces on SoldierSystems I knew I had to see if I could get some too. Stephen Guiney of ExoSkel was kind enough to get back in touch with me and as it happened was traveling on my side of the planet, and hooked me up with a pair. I've worn a variety of shin-guards in the past, through both my LRP days, roller-blading and when I've been doing a variety of adventurous things I'd rather not crack a shin whilst doing. I've worn several different kinds of knee-pads in the past, but these are something entirely different.
These are the Exoskel X1's (X2 being the production model on sale now).
Constructed from an advanced polymer, with closed cell foam backing and heavy duty stirrup strap, buckles and webbing and Fastex-type calf straps, these are some very rugged and rigid shin pads, which come in at only 500g (1.1lbs) apiece. They come with Self Extinguishing Fire Resistance, which is UL94 VO rating.
The most striking aspect of the guards is of course the five rows of teeth that make up the face of the guards. These are sculpted directly into the face of the guard, each with a downwards facing slope and butted tip, these are designed to grab and hold any surface that you happen to be scrambling over.
Where in regular climbing situations the usual rule is "3 points of contact; feet and hands only" in practice, and in stressful situations this goes right out the window. When going through a window, up a ravine, over a wreck or refuse, knees, shins and elbows all come into play. That is when something like the Exoskel's come into their own.
The guards (teeth, buckle, stirrups) hold in excess of 450 kg (1000lbs) when vertically loaded, which is equivalent to a drop of 150kg (330lbs) from 50cm (19"). The good folks at Exoskel went as far as to explain these figures as the following: "The measured strength of the dynamically loaded Exoskel products tested was higher than the maximum dynamic load estimated for an assumed in-field loading scenario with a 330 lb (150 kg) user and a 19 in (50 cm) drop onto a hard object."
A 50cm drop is a long way to expect any wearable piece of retention gear to take when that laden. My 215Gear Retention Lanyard is 17" long and stretches to 26" meaning you are limited to a maximum of a 26" drop, and that is a dedicated safety line. These are not designed for that kind of thing.This is a climbing aid, not a safety tool.
In fact, Exoskel stress their product is to be used for stabilization assistance and lower limb protection only. It is not a climbing safety device or harness.
That said, I was quite happy with dangling myself off a packing crate with a shin on each rung, no problems. I have tried them on a variety of surfaces and materials now, and have been really pleased with both the bite and stability of those teeth. Where normally I've felt the need to kneel up onto a surface, committing that much of a lunge to my ascent, being able to go "half-way" with a shin gave me a lot more scope to choose how I ascend, and potentially limit my exposure in doing so.
I took this shot to show the tooth-marks the Exoskel's put into the hardwood packing crate I posed these pictures on. You can clearly see the three splintered spots where I moved up and down, and also the two divots in the corner where I dangled.
Very impressive, I must say.
Some of the excellent additional features they come with, such as the emergency stirrup replacement and calf-strap holes, which enable the user to use up to 12mm (½") rope / cord to tie the guards back on in the case of breakage. There are also guide-holes divoted into the perimeter of the guard to enable drilling and sewing of the guard directly to pants.
The channeled foam lining not only helped with the breathability issues often found with form-fitting guards, but the design, and thickness as well as the exterior shell itself added considerable impact protection. I'm no kick-boxer, nor did I take a sledge-hammer to my legs, but I kicked a few trees, and clubbed myself a few times to gauge the kinds of impacts I might expect to take and resist, and didn't come close to bothering myself. I'm pretty sure I'd have lost footing before the guard broke. You can even wear them over existing knee-guards, depending on the fits.
As a Close Quarter Battle tool, or restrain device, I can only imagine how unpleasant it would be to be on the receiving end of a kick with one of these, or to be knelt on, but I have little doubt as to their effectiveness as a compliance tool, if needed.
They were quick to fit and remove, whilst being comfortable and stable for day-to-day wear, and low profile enough that I didn't find myself snagging on anything. This is a really great innovation and I'll be adding them to my adventuring kit, for sure!
I was really happy to receive the GoST PaleoBarefoots BAMANOS gloves with Paws grip-spots, and I was really looking to try the ANTERRA versions that Jörg sent along with them. As you might have read previously, where I've talked about how I really loved the ANTERRA and PRONATIV shoes, but noted that as per the PaleoBarefoots recommendations and warnings, they don't react well to polished and artificial surfaces. The steel links just slide, with nothing to find purchase on.
Adding the Paws grip-spots immediately ended this issue, providing immediate regular shoe traction with surprisingly little loss of tactile response.
They added some pressure points on the foot that had not been present in the "bare-sole" version, but this was not unpleasant by a long shot. The area taken up by the Paws is slightly larger on the links than on the ground contact, and only very slightly permeate into the shoe, essentially imperceptibly. This means that you still have all the flexibility, and articulation of the originals with none of the slip-sliding.
I also found that the extra buffer the Paws provided gave me a little relief from the heat of the Australian summer, when standing still on hot surfaces. It was also interesting to note that the placement of these spots matched very well to the shape and contours of my feet. It's obvious after wearing them that a lot of care and thought had been out into the shape and placement of the grip-spots, and it was more apparent than in the BAMANOS, because of how they traced the contact points of the sole.
This version certainly improves upon an already eye-catching and effective barefoot shoe system, with very little change to the basic function and draw cards of the originals.
After many kilometers of running and both beachside and urban walking in them throughout the summer, I can confidently say that these are the best yet, and the adjustment period was minutes at most.
Given that the silicone rubber is melded into the rings directly, I would expect that the Paws will last for many years, wearing down and degrading slowly as I slog through rough terrain and gritty city streets, and will eventually need to be resurfaced.
However, even then, the stainless steel of the primary shoes will go on working as indefinitely as any of the classic versions. No structural integrity was lost in the adding of the grip-spots, that's for sure.
I very much look forwards to completing my next Tough Mudder in these and with the BAMANOS gloves.
The combination of the steel and silicone gripping surfaces significantly improve the disaster situation practicality and all-round wearing of this unique kind of footwear.
The folks at GoST haven't been resting on their laurels, all this time, and have come up with an exciting development, to help counter the one shortfall of their shoes. Slipping on polished surfaces. Their solution? PAWS. Little silicone pads merged with the soles of the shoes mimicking the paw-pads of cats and dogs. I can't wait to try them.
Second item in the package was a set of the BAMANOS gloves; fingerless gloves made of the same foot-saving material, for those of us who grab, clamber and scramble. They also feature the PAWS upgrade.
I've been running "barefoot" for quite some time now, as part of my ongoing fitness regime. I received a set of the GoSt Paleo Barefoots PRONATIV shoes early in the year to review, and have never looked back. In my discussions with Jörg of GoSt Barefoots, he suggested that for the colder months, wearing the liners they have would make the cold more bearable. They run on ice and snow in Germany, so I thought "what the hell, why not?". He also suggested I could try out their new liner, the Paleos®-Lining-Socks, and recommended that I try some Paleo's with regular socks as well. To do that, however, he suggested I try a size up in the Barefoots, and that he would send me the ANTERRA's in a size larger than my PRONATIV's.
The PRONATIV is on the left foot here, the ANTERRA on the right.
Made of the same "4 in 1" welded 0.55 mm gauge "1.4404" stainless steel with a 4mm external diameter chain and an internal diameter of 2.9 mm as the PRONATIV's, the ANTERRA's have a slightly different lacing and tongue pattern.
These use three metal brackets to act as tensioners, linked directly to the mesh, with the shock cord running through them and bunching to give a secure fit. They also feature a higher tongue, with extra mesh running up the forefoot.
The larger size is still very wearable, and more comfortable over a more heavily padded foot, it did tend to fold over itself as I ran though, leading to an added "lumpiness" to my cross-country runs. When I wore the socks, this was far less an issue.
I was training for my third Tough Mudder, which I had previously run in boots. The Paleos didn't let me down and I completed the course in my best time, with fewest falls and certainly my best recovery time.
These were the hardest to get right, but also the most minimal of the foot-savers. Almost Olympic in their design, this modern take on the Phaecasium certinly have their place, but were not for me.
I didn't really like the fit of the Basic Sock, but the certainly did protect my forefoot and ankle from any chafing and some grime that accumulates from urban and suburban wear of the Barefoots.
This is my feet (and Tactical Baby's) following a day of running about, climbing boulders and wandering in the city, without any of the socks. Left foot is the PRONATIV, right foot is the ANTERRA. You can see the different patterns of city-grime that have appeared; the baggier-fit of the larger sized ANTERRA's left my right foot a touch cleaner, but with a more uniform ring around the ankle.
This neatly indicated the coverage provided by the two different styles. I think because of the fit, I prefer the PRONATIV's, but the ANTERRA styling is a bit more fancy, with the metal buckles giving a more intricate look.
However, for the purposes of barefoot running, either are adequate, for sure. That I ran the Tough Mudder in mine, without becoming mired, or worse, losing my shoe, as I saw many of my fellow Mudders (even team-mates) doing, is testament to this. The protective ability of the links are amazing, and in over 130km of off-path running, I've only been stuck by a single thorn, and not deeply either.
I was pleased to hear fromJörg Peitzkerof GoST Paleo Barefoots following my Wish-Lust review, and after being in touch for quite some time, and doing some editing, discussion and interplay on their forums (go check it out...).
I was fortunate enough to have a pair sent to me all the way from Germany to Australia. (This was a Herculean undertaking in it's own right).
Now, it is important to get this right out there first up. Measure, measure, measure!
There is no give to steel! If you don;t measure it right, they will not fit, and will and can not "wear in and stretch to fit" Luckily, I did just this.
The second key element to these amazing shoes is, they take some time to get used to. Both the feel and the wearing of the Paleo's takes a little getting used to, mostly due to the texture of the maile on the ground, but also the absolute absence of padding.
Fortunately, I have experience in bare feet, moccasins and camp-slippers, so adjusting was a quick process.
The shoes themselves are very comfortable, mine fit well, not too open, not too tight. The elastic cord closure that weaves through the top of the shoe had a tendency to pinch a little, but once adjusted (and acclimatised) it gave me no further issues. I may have lost a few hairs, but I was never aiming to be a Hobbit ...
So, I tried out my Paleos on a variety of settings, from seaweed and shell encrusted rocks, to hot sand, overgrown garden beds and in the Australian bush.
One thing I found was that they really did protect my feet from incidental stabbings. They also became pretty much forgotten once on, as long as I kept an awareness of the terrain changes in urban environments, (which is to say the polished floors of shopping malls, tiled floors and big stonework flooring in train stations) the world was my oyster.
I walked over broken glass, hot asphalt, mounds of shells and piles of branches. Not a single scratch. The fine links of the maile kept almost everything out, but obviously not everything. I found that the occasional spike of hay, or prickle made it through to give me a poke, but that was the extent of it. Sand and grit can make it's way into the shoes and if it's large enough,
it stays. A tad annoying, but a good fit should eliminate most of this.
As well as being very comfortable completely bare, much like a continual
massage, there are three sets of accessories that also come to assist
in your comfort when the conditions require it.
I took the Paleo's out running a few times in different conditions: along the beach, in parks, and in the bush, and occasionally I have felt the need to give myself some extra protection, and that's where these come in. Originally they shipped with the black neoprene socklette shown here, which act both to pad the top of the foot, and add a little warmth in cold conditions.
I'm wearing the Ankle-socks here which are a large, but felt really tight, but gave me the most protection. The wraparound ankle-sleeves were
more difficult to get fitted, but in fact were a lot more comfortable,
mostly because they adjusted to my foot and added padding where I needed
it.
One thing I can say is that they leave your feet filthy, especially in
an urban setting, where road-crud works its way everywhere, into my
skin, my toe nails, everywhere. This however, pales into obscurity when
you look at this. Those two round contusions are ring-maile wounds!
I was chopping firewood in my Paleos at ConFest and was hit with wood-shrapnel in my right big toe knuckle, and left toe side. This would have ruined my weekend if i'd been barefoot, and unpleasant if booted too. the rings may have caused this little wound, but saved me from serious bruising or mangling. All in a package that balls up and sits in a pocket when not needed.
I was so very impressed! I wear mine a lot, any time I get the chance. I get a lot of attention out on the street, at festivals, around the house and out shopping. I think they have significant wilderness applications, and survival options. These appear to be indestructible. Indestructible is a real asset in the event of a disaster, as is reliability. The Paleo shoes are comfortable, rugged, and fit any natural surface (barring polished artificial surfaces).
I ran the Tough Mudder again this year, January 19th, which was a lovely sunny, breezy day here in Melbourne.
The event was held at the Phillip Island Raceway again, which lays an hour and a three quarters drive from Melbourne, and backs onto the Bass Strait. I had only recently been given the all clear from the ankle troubles of late last year, and had not had a lot of preparation, baring three or four runs, of 2 - 5km, so I wasn't sure about how I would cope, not only with my ankles, or my general lack of CV fitness as a result of my injury, the prednisone treatment (25mg daily, dropping 5mg each week to wean away).
Regardless, I had booked in, and was raring to go. I had tried to drum up interest from the folks I ran with the previous year, but no takers (although it turns out, a couple did the event as it happens).
For those who don't know what the Tough Mudder is, it is a 20+km endurance challenge, with 25+ military inspired obstacles. The events run world-wide, in all conditions, and feature some signature obstacles, namely, lots, and lots of mud,electrical wire filled corridors, and pools swimming under barriers, ice filled pools and all manner of climbing, crawling, and of course, running. I hate running.
I also swapped out boots, having put my Altama's into retirement and for this event, I wore my Bates Delta-8's which really held up well, and cleaned up tremendously.
Here's one of me having scaled a 2m "Berlin Wall" and torn my number off in the process. Lesson learned, bring my own safety pins or lashing system. Their little pins were ineffective!
This is me and my running-mate, #7819 :) doing the SHINBASHI salute after coming over the Bale Bonds.
She and I knew each other socially, and upon hearing my interest in a running-mate, signed up, regardless of trepidation and obstacle-shyness. Far better a runner than I, we kept a good pace, she kept me going on the straights, and I helped her along on the climbing, jumping and swimming, crawling and squelching.
She started the race with a black headscarf to match her all-black running slicks. I was referring to us as "day-ops" and "night-ops". My gear was already mud-coloured, and my head higher up, so don't think that I was getting away unscathed ...
We did the course in just under 4 hours, I felt that it was actually a lot easier this year, even without all the extensive running I did prior to the previous events. This may be in no small part to mental preparation, and experience. There were no "I haven't done it before" nerves. I made it over every obstacle on my own steam, climbed every wall, made it across the slippery monkey-bars, made it up the Everest half-pipe on my first run. I was rally pleased with not only my pace, but the speed I overcame the obstacles in my path, but also how I was able to help me fellow Mudders.
Here I am, following the event, having stripped off the OAGRE, sporting my celebratory headband, and working up the guts to pull my boots off. Not a blister, or scratch, but a lot of grit and muddy water. It turned out that the time-lapse application I had hoped to run on my iPhone hadn't begun, but the SLXtreme and PRR combination had worked like a dream. The Picatinny rail I had mounted the Contour cam on needed to be at more of a down-angle, I took a lot of 3/4 sky footage, but see below for my links.
I dinged my shin whilst hurdling a log, and gave myself this exciting bruise on the back of my left thigh. Last year I had two of these, one on the back of each thigh. This year I pegged the moment when I got it ... scaling one of the 4m Berlin Walls, lesson learned? major muscle groups do not make good leavers!
A great event, a good challenge, and certainly a good conditioning and preparation experience.
Will I do it again? hells yes. As many, and as often as I can manage.
I have two big events coming up, which I am really looking forwards to. The first is the IRL-Shooter "Patient 0" live-action lasertag based zombie game. I was originally booked in to do it mid-December last year, but was admitted to hospital in the days before the event, so missed out. Now that I've fully recovered, and have managed to pull another team together, I'm set to go in again. A 1-2 hour full immersion anti-zombie game, filled with chills, spills and corporate intrigue, which sounds really fun. They equip you with everything you'd need (M4-M203 looking lasertagger/game-stats box, with no external sensors or cables). Helmets (with optional-extra Contour Cams to record your event) and tactical-vests and overalls.
Picture from The Age's 2012/11/18 story
They also allow players to do their own costuming (although they do not allow any phones, cameras, personal sights or flashlights, or personal weapons). I'll be going in a cut-down and de-tooled version of my "Apocacalypse Equipped: no, really" loadout. and will offer my team-mates a selection from my collection too. One member of each team is the designated radio-operator / team leader and is on constant communication with HQ (for better or worse)
The zombies are professional actors and the storyline of the event is fast paced and action packed, by all accounts. I'm really excited to be doing it.
This year I am going with just one friend of mine, rather than a team of guys from the IT departments of several places (friends of workmates).
Having done the course in 2012, and subsequently a similar (but 10km shorter course) of The Stampede I am looking forwards to the obstacles, especially if there will be any new ones, and some of the old ones (I especially like the climbing ones, and the slogging-through-mud ones), but not so much the running. I hate that.
The best part is that having come through my Löfgren syndrome and now it seems all my ankle-pains have vanished, I may be able to run without wincing at every step.
Picture from Tough Mudder website
This year i'll be going in essentially the same kit as I did The Stampede in, with the exception of my boots, as my Altamas dieD at the Stampede so I'll be running in my Bates Delta-8s boots this time. They will suffer, but my feet will thank me.
Its likely to be hot, or at least, very sunny, 26-18oC (78-64oF) is predicted but next week a top of 33oC (91oF) is predicted. We'll see how it goes in a fortnight ... Phillip Island is exposed to the Bass Strait winds which range between 40-15 kph (25-9mph) which may not sound a lot, until you are sodden, mud-covered and running up a hill into it ... All a part of the challenge. Hopefully I will do better this year than last year, even without as much running practice, because I will be prepared mentally, and better equipped...
If you're going, let me know. If you'll be a spectator, be on the look out for me and my "Zombie Control Officer" sign ...
