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.
my EDC was featured in the last picture ... check out my pocket-dump!
>>>ISO NSA EDC pics, Hosting Now<<< -MadDuo4You (Everywhere) pic [x]
If you can decipher the acronyms in the subject, you’re ahead of the game (and you prob'ly Craigslist). Read on to find out how to win $511 credit toward 5.11 Tactical gear.
Mad Duo Merrill's EDC. #madduo #511EDC
We’re hosting a 5.11 giveaway… you just have to send nudes post your EDC. Sharing is caring, and we’re giving it all around. We mean that in a no-homo way. Unless, you know, you're into that, in which case carry on with pride and motivation. Even though we said NSA, we don’t mean it. We’ll pick one lucky winner for the 5.11 credit…it’s NSA for everyone else.
Rules:
You must use the hashtags #madduo #511EDC when posting your EDC pic
You can post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr, the more places you post- the greater your chances are to win. If you post to our Facebook page, you've still got to use the hashtags.
Make sure wherever you post, the picture is set to public
Winner will be selected 10/26
Mad Duo David's EDC. #madduo #511EDC
Civilian as F#@k Craig's EDC. #madduo #511EDC
What is EDC? If you're seriously asking that (which is certainly possible) then bring it in, take a knee and allow us to explain. Not too long ago IG blew up with a gearcentric new trend that combines people's natural narcissism with the reach of social media and a burning love for braggadocio. Huge numbers of tactitools and tactards posted vast numbers of pictures in which they claim to carry three pistols, five knives (fixed and folders), two rifles (sometimes an SBR), 11 spare mags, a bottle opener shaped like an animal, a beard comb, brass knuckles, flashlight, some sort of metrotactical key fob and a tactical pen. Typically the only thing missing is an IFAK, a Cerakoted dildo and a pair of custom ben wah balls in AOR2.
If you have seen any of those, then you are probably familiar with the term "Every Day Carry."
Grunts: braggadocio.
So we're clear, we think a bunch of those people are full of shit. Unless you’re a traveling, temple indexing pseudo-Asian magician, we don’t believe anyone carries all that shit every day. EDC is (or should be) legitimate every day carry; it is what you carry with you no matter what.
All the lumens, all the grains, and all the magic. Petty's EDC.
There is of course and another "EDC." That one is Electric Daisy Carnival. Go on and Google image that, you can thank us later… here’s a preview of what to expect from that kind of EDC:
Check out what some more of our minions carry:
Post your #madduo #511EDC pic before 10/25 at 11:59pm EST to enter for your chance to win a $511 credit towards 5.11 Tactical. Good luck! Mad Duo, Breach-Bang& CLEAR!
Here's an interesting piece from Propper, with some pretty specific uses. This padded, zipperable case is marketed as a pistol carriage case, and here's what I thought of it. Constructed of durable Cordura material on the outside, and with a quality zipper set along two and a half of the three sides, the case is both well put together and well presented. A leather foot fits along the base of the zipper, to ensure it remains secure and adds to the overall finish of the piece. This is the Propper Pistol Rug.
Propper offer this in 8", 11" and 13" sizes, the two I have are the . Probably the best feature of the case, is the all-encompassing soft closed-cell foam that fills the middle of each panel. This foam runs right up to the very edge case, and is faced with a soft fabric lining. This will keep your gold-inlay and pearl handles safe and scratch free, but for me the best part is that that soft foam keeps whatever you have stored in the case pinned in place, and yet doesn't silhouette against the outer faces. You don't get any indication of what is inside it once its zipped up.I have a base-guitar case that I carry swords around in from time to time, like some sort of Aussie nordic metal mariachi, and apparently you can do the same thing with firearms too.
Living in Melbourne, Australia, its rather difficult for a regular citizen to own a handgun; not impossible, but there are a lot of red tape to get and then maintain the appropriate licenses. I've not gone down that path, but I do have a reasonably good mock-up training tool at my disposal. This solid aluminum cast of a Walther P99 gives a decent look-and-feel. You can see that you can also carry a reasonably big knife like my Super Colubris in one of these too, to the same effect. Both are contained nicely by the bag and can take a fair amount of abuse before the tools contained slip around and reach an edge, away from the padding.
One very clever piece of design is that the metal d-ring located at the closed-zipper end of the bag, as well as acting as a lanyard loop if needed, can also act as a locking point, for you to slip a little padlock through to offer you some additional security. Sure, it won't stop a dedicated evil-do'er or zealous airport boarder-security professional, but it will certainly keep little-hands and drunken idiots off the dangerous tools. It will also limit the chances of an accidental exposure of your particular piece. Especially important if you want to transport your tools without flashing the neighborhood. It isn't armoured, it isn't waterproof, it isn't high-speed. It's just a padded bag, but we well thought out one.
When filled and zipped, the bag will slip nicely and inconspicuously into the bottom of a pack, again without silhouetting or drawing unnecessary attention to itself. With no other external features other than the logo, it's stealth without LOOKING like it's stealth, which is perfect for the casual carrier. Security through obscurity.
[Late note:] I managed to swing a play with one of these simulation/training Glock's this week and the Pistol Rug seemed to work perfectly. I managed to stop myself from wandering off with the pew pew toy and thus will live to play another day.
I grew up in a staunchly "no-gun toys" house, with exceptions made for my 1977 Han Solo and Stormtrooper blasters (which I still have). I did manage to trade my way into owning a .177 break-barrel air pistol
whilst living in Dubai, UAE, in 1989, and left behind in Calgary,
Canada in 1991. My dad gave me his Vietnam era Army pistol instruction,
and I plinked away at paper targets, bottles, cicadas and the like. I
did some quick draws, turn-and-shoots and the like, and generally made
like a teenage Billy The Kid.
Other than that, I've only had a limited experience with live firearms and some with laser trainers. This is why I go out to the people with the experience to ask the questions. Obviously, I only have the replies from those who wanted to and did reply, so it's a subsection of my readers, but I think these folks have some interesting views and offer some insight to why people carry, what they carry, and how they carry. So, here are the answers to my questions from four pistol owners, all from the U.S.A., with LEO and Mil experience in some capacity in all four respondents. Lets hear it from their perspectives:
How much pistol is too much pistol?
Ed N: A pistol
is all about what you intend to do with it. If you are carrying it
concealed you want something comfortable that you can wear all day. I
don't like to go any smaller in caliber than a 9mm. If you go too big,
you won't carry it and it becomes useless.
what is your current go-to pistol?
Ed N: In the woods I carry a Glock 20sf 10mm. Day to day, I carry a Ruger Lc9 9mm. For plinking, I prefer a Glock 34 9mm.
I did have a question. When out in the woods, what might you expect to need a pistol for? Hunting? Defense? And if so, what and from what?
Ed N:I am much more worried about the two legged problems than I am 4 legged.
I am not a hunter and would go well out of my way to harm an animal
unless it is an immediate defense situation or survival was in question. I carry the largest caliber pistol with the largest capacity I could find because in the end, I just want to be prepared for anything. When
I went camping, I used to carry a 44 magnum. Honestly, they are just a
little too loud and reloading can be a problem in a pinch. The Glock 20
in 10mm seemed like the best compromise. I say all of this having never
had to shoot at anyone or anything in the woods in all of my years
carrying. I keep my pistol concealed and don't
broadcast it and have never had a problem. However, I carry it for the
same reason I carry a firestarter I have never had to use outside of
practice. I would rather have the option there when I need it, than
wishing I had it. And there is a pretty dramatic trade off. A couple pounds is a lot when you are hiking in the woods. Having a large pistol
concealed on your person, (because having it in my pack would defeat
the purpose of being prepared), is tiring. But in the end I would not do
it any other way.
Hunato (CONUS):Sig Sauer P238
Richard (Virginia, USA): EDC a Glock 19. Also carry a Glock 26 during the summer
months when the 19, as small as it is, is to much with holster for the
humidity.
Rob (Pennsylvania, USA): My go to pistol is a 1911. I have a full custom on order, and I should have it soon. Right now, my 1911 is a Sig Nitron.
what caliber and cartridge, and was this a deciding feature?
Ed N: 9mm
is my go to caliber. With modern ammo it is the equal to 357sig and 40
with almost no ballistic differences. 9mm allows more rounds and a lot
of options. You can pick up fmj (full metal jacket) rounds for cheap
practice and jhp (jacketed hollow points) for self defense.
Hunato: .380 various PDR (price forces choice)
Richard: 9mm hollow point. 9mm has enough strong power and the size allows for a
bigger magazine capacity. An additional deciding factor was that my
wife is more comfortable with the recoil than a .40 or .45.
Rob: The caliber I prefer is the .45, It was not the deciding factor in my choice, I just like the .45 caliber.
what is your motivation to own a firearm?
Ed N: Self defense and it is just fun to shoot. I have been shooting for 25+ years and it is a Hell of a lot of fun.
Hunato: I am a free man in a Republic. I have children under my roof and two legged wolves (literally) come down my street time to time.
Richard: Raised around firearms in a law enforcement and military household, so
firearms safety began as soon as I could walk. After my service, my
father gave me a sidearm, and I have carried ever since. It is always
better to be prepared and [not] need it, than need it and not have it.
Rob: I grew up on a farm and was always around firearms. When I got into law enforcement as a career, naturally, the pistol training came with it.
what was your motivation to carry a firearm?
Ed N:I
started off in an action oriented career before giving it up and going
for money instead. I have been shooting and been around guns most of my
life.
Hunato: Travel and home defense. I also enjoy the sport of shooting.
Richard: (as with reason to own)
Rob: Even without my career choice, this world is getting dangerous. I would carry a pistol regardless.
do you open-carry, concealed-carry or store-secure?
Ed N: I
conceal carry 99% of the time. I have friends that are very open-carry
oriented, but I can do without the hassle of a soccer mom feeling
threatened by a pistol on my hip and calling the cops. In my opinion, it is best to keep it completely concealed and hidden away from private eyes.
Hunato: On some rural land I own, open carry. Out and about conceal carry
(license) at home ALWAYS store secure. My oldest child was 8 before he
realized we even have firearms
Richard: I am fortunate to live firearm friendly state (Virginia) and carry
concealed ever day. During the weekend, I may carry openly while running
errands, and when I do that carry a Glock 17.
Rob: Conceal carry.
what features of your pistol made it appealing for your use?
Ed N: Overall size, grip comfort, ammo capacity, and accuracy with the pistol.
Hunato: Can be carried condition One with high reliability, thumb
safety (1911-ish design) my wife and I carry identical weapons,
interchangeable.
Richard: I have stuck with the Glock family as they are inherently simple and
safe to operate. In addition, if my wife is carrying the 26, and I am
incapacitated, she can reload using the spare magazines for my 19 or 17
as I always carry at least two additional.
Rob: My Sig is the standard Sig pistol.
However, my custom 1911 was ordered with Heine ledge sites, a light
rail, and a magazine well. These, to me anyway, are needed for a true
combat style pistol.
what training have you had?
Ed N: I
have had and later taught gun safety and target shooting. I actually
spent more time learning tactical shooting with a shotgun than a pistol. While a pistol is the best self defense weapon, overall it does not compare to a long-gun.
Hunato: Scouting Merit Badges, Law Enforcement Explorer Academy, Concealed Carry Permit Class, Active shooter class
Richard: My farther is a firearms instructor with the state, and have also
trained during military service, although not as extensively as I do
with my dad. With him, quick draws, fire from concealment, weak hand
operations, threat identification, and more
Rob: Like I said, I grew up around guns and
used them my whole life, for not only hunting, but target shooting as
well. I learned the safety issues surrounding guns at an early age.
After high school, and during college, I joined the military, where my training continued and became more advanced. Finally, my law enforcement experience has continued my training over the years.
what regular training do you perform?
Ed N: I
shoot on a semi-regular basis. Currently I hit the range about once
every month. I tapered off a bit a couple years ago when ammo prices
went through the roof.
Hunato: Monthly Range Day, weekly Dry Fire practice (including draws with Blue Gun). I
used to think the NRA was "over the Top". Now, after NY, PA, CT, MD,
CO, PA, IL, CA, DC, and the English, Oz, NZ, and Canadian removal of
self defense rights, I am a member.
Richard: As accuracy requires constant up keep, my wife and I go to
the range at least monthly, more so if our schedule allows. In addition
to that, we will randomly load a dummy round to simulate a failure and
build muscle memory.
I hope this answers your questions,
and to add additional information, both my wife and I are ccw licensed
in multiple states. We carry to ensure we do not become victims, and
offset if that is also not putting ourselves into a situation where that
could occur. Neither of us have ever had to resort to our firearm as a
civilian, and hope never to need to. But I believe that I would rather
carry for another 50 years, before seeing harm come to a loved one, and
not have the tools to save them.
Rob: I continue to receive training through my department, and I shoot when I can on my own.
So, thanks to all the folks who sent me in replies, and I hope I've represented you all well. It makes for an interesting read, and I am pleased to see responsible gun-ownership mentalities in place in all the replies. Be responsible, stay safe. I hope that none of you ever feed the need to use your pistols for anything other than because it's fun to shoot guns, or to put food on the table! For those who object to all of this (and are still reading) , or thick skinned gun owners don't mind a very Australian ribbing, here's Jim Jeffries talking about an Australian take on the very American gun-culture. And finally, to throw my own hat into the ring, if I had my choice of pistols to own, it would likely be the H&K SOCOM Mk23-Mod 0, being a "big gun that holds a lot of bullets", because I would want to put a lot of big rounds on target until it went away and accessories are what I'm all about ...
I had the opportunity to go and run through the Oz Apocalypse Zombie Experience over the weekend, and wanted to give you my thoughts on it.
There has been quite a bit of controversy around the event, primarily as it changed hands very late in the piece and there was quite a disparity between what the original promoters/organisers (IRL Shooter, who ran Patient 0 in 2013) and the Zombie
Apocalypse Survival Experience: LAZARUS event being put on by OzApocalypse and
Horror Corp Entertainment. This mostly stems from OzApocalypse "buying up" the Pozible Campaign that for whatever reason IRL Shooter found itself unable to present.
This was NOT the sequel that IRL Shooter had promised, this was an event put on by OzApocalypse that drew on that event, its fanbase, and premise. I think that in several aspects it was not as impressive as IRL Shooter's Patient 0 (it wasn't nearly as large or sprawling, and didn't have the embedded story).
However, it was also superior in several ways. The technology for one, I felt was significantly better.
The irM4's from iCombat sync wirelessly to the smart bandoleer
we all wore, which recorded shot data, accuracy, and more. The irM4's
were fitted with a 150 round SmartMag and additional magazine kits can
be purchased. If a player is eliminated, their gun shuts off for a period of time
preventing cheating!
The best thing about the new weapons were that they had CO2 powered
sound and recoil. you could feel every shot, hear every rapport.
I knew
if my teammates were firing, even over the din of the event space, and
that was a crucial improvement in the experience.
The bandoleers were tied to our irM4's wirelessly, and reported back to a central computer, and more importantly, they tied into the headbands worn by the Zombies, these were similar to the bandoleers we wore, and acted as emitters to make proximity to the zombies damaging. Get too close, and they "bite".
Shoot the sensors and they flash and go solid with a kill, and the actors dropped. All this data was fed back through to the behind-the scenes control and scored were generated, and passed against the membership cards we were given at registration, giving you reciprocal rights at other iCombat sites, and the ability to accrue rank in the network.
The OzApocalypse website made mention that there was the ability to customise your irM4, but this is a bit of a misnomer, in that there were a second set of weapons, the short barreled, and Picatinny rail mounted short barreled "Commando" irM4's in their armory, fitted with vertical grips, there wasn't really the facility during the Zombie Apocalypse event to do any customization other than adjusting the buttstock and in my case, fitting my own sling, the trusty 215Gear sling.
Other than this it replicates one of the most known assault rifles in the world, the M16/M4,
and is used by law enforcement and militaries all over the world.
It
has the same form, fit, and function as the real thing and brings the
word realism up to a whole new level. I really enjoyed the "Tap, Rack, Bang" functionality. Removable clips, internal sensors and fully functional parts, from mag-release to selector switches . The weapons and sensors made the event for me. No more reload button or hard to hear electronic sounds. You hear and feel every round, in a longer engagement, if you were kitted out with spare mags you could drop your mag and slam a new one home. They bypassed this by assigning everyone a cylume glowstick, and had a reloading station where we were restocked by a technician, but you can see how it could be easily enough facilitated in a more longterm event.
And that's all before we even get to set dressing, gameplay and the actors! I was really happy with what we faced when we passed through the containment doorways.
When OzApocalypse took the event over, they brought on Horror Corp Entertainment from the US, engineers who specialized in Haunted House and Zombie Apocalypse Experience "in real life" gaming environments. They have three decades of experience in
visual, sound, event and multimedia production, creating theatrically-based, interactive horror and
genre projects. The event at the Melbourne Showgrounds takes place in a
blackened-out, light-controlled battle zone, it doesn’t matter what
time of day it is, – players will step into an ominous world to fight
ravenous zombies. The Prop and Set Designers as well as Makeup Artists create a film set style environment that immerses players in the
Zombie Apocalypse survival experience.
Combinations of lighting, (and lack of lighting), selected use of smoke, as well as a really harrowing and oppressive sound-scape really put pressure on the player as they navigate a maze or debris and horrific scenes.
I had the good fortune to get to go backstage and saw the interconnected
passageways the actors could take to move from area to area, where they
would emerge and lay in wait for the passing players, in and around the
sets. The hospital area bugged me the most, as I work in them, and have done the graveyard shift...
The maze was a CQB nightmare, with blind corners, concealed alcoves and all manner of cover for the zombies to lurch from and come at us. Importantly though, for all its twists and turns, it was a "safe" environment, from an OH&S perspective and you could easily cope with the 6-8 person teams recommended. We ran it in a team of three, and were like a well oiled machine. I didn't have to worry about anyone actually getting hurt for real during even an intense simulated combat.
We weren't rushed along as we had been in the Patient 0 event, and even though the maze was relatively small, much more in line with a Haunted House event rather than the sprawling warehouse/factory sit utilised for Patient 0, and we went through the maze twice, as a part of the gameplay, I certainly didn't feel any less fearful of my life when zombies came at us from dark corners, or rattled on us from behind chainlink walls as we faced more direct threats.
Back in the registration area, the stark lighting, clean floors and all too living other players was a more jarring experience. I wanted back in to my comforting darkness, screaming and sirens. The one upside of the "real-world" was that I got to fool around with both the Glock training weapons. The Glocks had the same "real features" as the irM4's, removable clips, wireless targeting and scoring, and ammo-counts. Unfortunately due to limited battery capacity, and high accuracy, they weren't really suited to the spray-and-pray zombie hoard threats the game presented with.
A regrettable technical difficulty, but one the organisers preferred to keep it out of the game, but available for range use! I also got to use the notorious pain-belt! It was a really, really unpleasant experience and I heartily recommend it for all gamers. Again, it apparently was not suited to use in the zombie game, but us perfect for PvP shooting. I tried it on the low setting, which was startling and also all the way up at high, which was curse-making, but didn't hamper me as soon as it stopped. Incentive not to get shot, for sure.
So, all in all I was really pleased with the OzApocalypse Zombie Apocalypse event. I was a Pozible campaign ticket holder, and I feel it was pretty amazing that they would offer to honour the IRL Shooter LAZARUS ticket holders at all, which was super generous. It certainly is NOT a sequel to the Patient 0 game, and its really hard to compare the two events as apples and apples. I really enjoyed it, and really look forwards to going back for more.
The Zombie Apocalypse Experience is running for two more weekends, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays while weekdays and weeknights
give those who love games like Call of Duty the chance to combat team vs
team combat in the BATTLE APOCALYPSE arena, which is the same area as the Zombie Apocalypse event, but with the connecting areas opened up, some walls opened up, and more personal threats, with pain belts available on request, I believe. I'd really recommend you get along and enjoy it, in either its Zombie Apocalypse, Battle Apocalypse or even the kid-friendly FAMILY versions, before it finishes.
AND, thanks to the organisers, I can offer all my readers a whopping 35% discount with the code "COYOTE0415" (thats charlie-oscar-yankee-oscar-tango-echo-zero-four-one-five).
TICKETS: Lazarus www.flavorus.com/ozapocalypse
Battle Apocalypse www.flavorus.com/battleapocalypse
Group Bookings (minimum of eight players) email tickets@ozapocalypse.com
Facebook and Twitter OzApocalypse
Instagram ozapocalypse.com.au
I've mentioned before how good it is to be able to go to a supplier with a problem, and ask for solutions, without getting a hard sell. It's one of the reasons I am so fond of the Platatac guys, and why I point people in their direction when I get asked for equipping questions.
Here's a case in point.
When at Confest I did a bunch of wood chopping with my trusty Fiskars logsplitter and needing some way to carry it about, I slung it behind my Bravo hydration pack. Not very comfortable, but it worked. I wanted a better solution, and posed it to the guys at Platatac.
This is the Fix Freaking* Everything FFE holster. The idea was that the head of the Fiskars axe could sit in the throat of the holster, buckled down and snug under the dual press-stud and hook-and-loop safety of the fully adjustable retention straps. Alas, it was not to be, the geometry of the axe and holster just didn't match up.
However, I did get to play with a very cool holster, which they kindly loaned me to test out the theory.
Here's what I can tell you about it.
Constructed from the same 100d Cordura that almost all the Platatac range is built from, this multi-layered holster is stiffened throughout with extra stitching and layering. This gives it a very sturdy and form fitting shape, perfect for weapon retention.
The back side features two channels of 4 row PALS/MOLLE strapping, which gives a very solid attachment to a chest-piece, thigh rig or belt.
Opening up the outer layers, you observe the multiple sandwiching sides of hook-and-loop, giving you a wide range of customisation, both in models of handgun (like, in the extreme, my Plastation lightgun used here) and also accessories (lights, sights).
This is accomplished by having those overlapping layers of double sided hook-and-loop panels, allowing the fit to contour to the system carried. You can see here that the retention strap itself can also be adjusted, to conform to the back geometry of the pistol retained.
Unfolding further, you can see that the inside of the holster also features a webbing loop, to form a pocket to contain the muzzle end.
From this angle you can also see the snap end of the press-stud retainer. This is also adjustable, but is very tightly fitted between two very closely sewn layers of hook-and-loop, making it a tricky operation, but a very ridged hold when in place. This retainer is further stiffened with a rigid plastic core, for added security.
Opening the holster up flat exposes more clearly the single channel of three PALS/MOLLE loops, allowing the addition of a single pistol magazine or accessory pouch, to the leading edge of the holster.
So, an experiment that didn't work out, but a very useful one, and in the end, I -DID- come up with a solution to the "carry the axe about" problem, with the help of the guys.... to follow soon ....
* Actual wording my vary, but I adjusted for delicate USAnian readers.
Here is another fun piece from the Global Gear's Zombie Outbreak "Tactical Response Gear", which I've already covered some items from, the Hydro Bugout Pack and the Grunt Plate Carrier.
This time, it's another chest rig, the Dead Head Tactical Vest, in the same multicam looking pattern as the Grunt Plate Carrier, and in this case, is very similar tot he look of a couple of other vest's I've seen come up recently on Dvor: and OpsGear as well.
However, Global Gear is local, and I'm always keen to cover things that local businesses stock. No point having to wait 6 weeks shipping when the zombies come, is there?
What can I tell you about this vest?
Firstly, like the Grunt Plate Carrier, the pouches are made of a textured vinyl, finished with nylon webbing. This isn't as big an issue for me on this vest, as the backing is a nylon mesh material, to which the pouches, webbing and other panels are sewn.
The left side front panel of the belly of the vest is covered with loop-field, to which is attached a twin magazine pouch panel, with a retaining loop of webbing. This can be swapped out for the included "fast draw" pistol holster, which for some reason comes attached over the left shoulder. (More on that later). As well as the removable twin-pouches, the left side features a single fixed magazine sized pouch. Above these are a triplet of pistol magazine / flashlight/ utility pockets, and a small radio pocket at the left shoulder.
Over on the right side, over the fairly chunky mid-line zipper, are three more fixed magazine pouches, each with the elasticized sides, hook-and-loop fixed lids and drainage grommets that this line features. Above these lays a wide admin type pocket, that has a panel of four shotgun shell loops of elastic attached to the lid with hook-and-loop. these could be removed to put a nametape or ID to the chest. The right shoulder is fitted with a thinly padded patent-leather panel, as a shooters-rest.
The back of the vest features three sets of three reinforced bands of
nylon, like a kind of "super PALS/MOLLE" which is apparently for fixing
larger tools to. This is actually a pretty good idea, as I'd like some
way of attaching my Stanley FUBAR, my DeadOn Annihilator Superhammer my Fiskars log splitter or the ever needful Deuce by Zombie Tools to my rig, and these loops offer a means.
You
can also see the "quick-draw" pistol holster that is currently attached
to the back, left shoulder. Why you'd put a pistol holster here is a
bit beyond me, unless its there for a buddy to draw, but I made use of
it anyways, slotting my RangerHawk axe in it because I'm fond of keeping something handy for close encounters....
The pistol holster includes a small pouch for an extra magazine, or perhaps in this case, a sharpening stone. A hook-and-look lashing secures the holster through one of the d-rings present on top of each shoulder.
A couple of neat features are that inside each of the front panels is a zipperable pocket, for paperwork, or items you want to keep more secure. The main back panel also features a hydration pouch pocket, behind a hook-and-loop seal, although there are no attachment points to hang one.
The vest comes with a wide belt, adjustable by virtue of being hook-and-loop sandwiched between nylon webbing, with a big fastex style buckle. Each side of the belt features a removable single pistol magazine/flashlight pouch, and is mounted tot he vest by virtue of a set of press-stud and hook-and-loop loops.
You can see here the three size adjustment straps for the the torso, fairly standard, but a great add to be able to adjust to fit yourself comfortably. One
issue I had was that the chest piece seemed too tall, in that the front
and back sagged a little, although I may need to adjust the shoulder
pieces, but this only does so much.
I found that this vest was a higher quality construction than the Grunt plate Carrier, mostly by virtue of not being mostly all vinyl, other than the pouches, and it certainly would suit a costumer, recreational hunter, weekend adventurer or MilSim player very well.
A while back I attended a comic convention, Armageddon at which there were a number of stalls selling a variety of costume pieces, including a bunch of military looking kit. There was a considerable military cos-play contingent, so it was a good opportunity for me to see how other people wore their costume. Almost all of the costume pieces I saw were just that, poorly put-together costume pieces with bad stitching, un-taped seams, cheep light nylon and flimsy plastic hardware. I did find one piece that I wanted to add to my collection: This no-name drop leg holster. The material is a stiff quilted nylon, in woodland, my most populous kind of cam. It is a highly adjustable "universal" holster, and to keep the "I don't own any firearms" tradition going, I have it holding one of my Nerf Scout pistols.
As far as a piece of rig goes, its a pretty standard setup as far as I can tell. It follows the same pattern as my 1/2 Leg rig in that it has a vertical belt strap and two thigh straps. A magazine pouch sits just at the forward facing edge of the holster, with a hook-and-loop closure flap.
In this rig, all the key components are adjustable. The top of the belt strap ends in a broad 50mm hook and loop belt-loop, with a hoop of elastic webbing to give some shock absorption and give for the wearer. A wide Fastex type buckle about half way down gives a fast-on/fast-off option for those times where you need to shake a leg, so to speak, and a thigh-rig gets in the way. At the bottom of the belt-strap is another adjustable hook and loop closing webbing section, which is fixed to the main body of the holster by a plastic hardware loop, again adjustable by hook-and-loop.
Two thigh straps are sewn-in to the back of the holster directly, and following the same pattern as the belt-strap, and features an elastic webbing section, at the body of the holster, with a Fastex style clip. The webbing strap is adjustable with a plastic slide. I found, even with my fairly slim thighs, this was a tight fit. Someone with larger thighs would have considerable trouble wearing this particular model.
The holster section itself is also highly adjustable: Internally there are two strips of hook-and loop, one of which makes up one half of the closure system, the other is positioned such that the loose webbing strip (somewhat obscured by my fingers here) can be affixed to it to cradle the barrel of the holstered pistol. At the top of the holster you can see the webbing tabs with a press stud, for securing the carried pistol. Mine is faulty, and will not "snap" closed. Sign of the low-quality knock-off that this piece is. It also seemed a little "small" and may not accommodate a real pistol, or at least not one with a lighting system.
The holster closes with a three-piece hook-and-loop seam, in which a middle layer (the left side) loops around to the right, and is covered by the long strip of hook-and-loop held out in this picture. This gives a very secure and form-fitting carriage, and the holster is complete.
From this position you can also see that the security-snaps are also adjustable.
All in all, I was happy with this addition to my collection, for what it cost me and what I will be using it for, I will get my money's worth. I would not recommend it however for someone who was going to stake their life on their equipment however. It may well have been made off a good pattern and I like the functionality, the ability to widely adjust its layout and "fit", but this is a theatrical quality piece at best.
