Review: Gerber Strap Cutter

I was fortunate enough to spot a real treat recently. In the circles I run in there are many opportunities in which having a rope cutter would be a good idea. Crafters, yes, that's it, crafters. Many talented sets of hands, who occasionally need a hand cutting some cord or the like. Sure, yes. Anyways, having a means of safely cutting materials away from a person, product or package can be a very useful addition to my repertoire, especially in an emergency situation.

Medical sheers are one method, but as you may have noticed, I like rugged and solid, and if there is an opportunity to remove a moving part, I'm all for it.  Even in Foliage Green ....

That's where this tool comes in. This is the Gerber Strap Cutter, which is billed as a rescue tool and reported to cut through seat-belts and webbing like a hot knife through butter.  I've had the good fortune to never yet -need- to do this, but I do open a lot of packages, and cut a lot of cord. I bought my sister the larger Benchmade 8 Hook for her birthday a couple of years ago, so have seen several different designs.

What drew me to this was the plastic coating on the handle-side, which marries to the scabbard very neatly, the window breaker at the butt-end of the tool and the deep crenelations along the spine which give a very good positive grip even when wet, mucky or perhaps dangling upside-down. The scabbard comes with a PALS/MOLLE compatible clip, which can be removed to fit the included MALICE clip by Tactical Tailor for alternate attachment options to webbing. The cutting edge is very keen, and looks to have great geometry. The rounded hook is wide enough to accept a variety of items to cut, but is narrower than my little finger, which is a good safety feature if you are worried about working close to skin, but will limit the maximum width of cord that can be cut. The finger loops give plenty of room for two fingers, and will fit gloved hands well, if that is needed.

Not wanting to go on about a tool so readily testable without offering some proof, so here goes: Packing cable-tie, 550 paracord, "industrial" cable-tie, 1" webbing, IT grade cable tie, nylon packing strap, boot leather. The industrial cable tie gave me the most trouble, mostly because I was cutting it free-standing, rather than looped onto anything.

This is a gorgeous tool. I look forwards to using it to cut my way through all kinds of things, and hopefully not need to cut my way to freedom with it.

Review: Platatac Microfleece Half Zip Jacket

Winter is coming! which is the kind of natural disaster I am always fond of being ready for. I've lived in both the Middle East and West Africa, and much preferred that to my time in Calgary or England, especially the winters. I am not ford of being cold, so any opportunity to rug up is a good one.I happened to be trolling the Specials on the Platatac webpage
when I saw that there were microfleece jackets on sale. I'm a big fan of this kind of material, not only because it is light, and soft, but also quick drying and warm.

I also have fairly mutant-long arms, so generally end up with cold wrists and hands as they poke out the end of shirts and jackets that would otherwise fit my body. this means that it's rare for me to find something that fits me all over. I took a risk with the Microfleece Half Zip Jacket and have been really pleased with the results.

Made from 100 weight Highland fleece, the jacket is rather surprisingly thin to feel, but are really warm and cut the wind. The collar is high and I generally wear it up  to protect from wind chill but it can also be rolled down like a skivvy to trap heat escaping from the neckline. Each bicep has a big patch of hook-and-loop for attaching  patches, here I am sporting two from Triple Aught Design.


The extra long body of the jacket (admittedly this was the XXL) means that I am shielded from the deathly fingers of chill on my kidneys as I am adventuring. An especially awesome feature are the thumb-loops that sit unobtrusively just inside the wrist seam, and allow the wearer to hook their thumbs through to ensure the sleeves don't ride up, and keeping the hands and wrists snug and warm. I was so pleased that these fit my otherwise mutant-long 196cm arm-span. Great for cold mornings trudging, keeping your wrists warm at full-draw with your re-curve bow or going full mall-ninja tactical on someone. It keeps my paws warm. I like it. I bought a second one, in the "full-zip" in black, because, well, Winter IS Coming.


It pleases my Scandi heritage to no end that this top has evolved from the famous Norwegian army shirt or ‘Norge’. That's two kinds of win, to my mind.

Wish-Lust: QuikClot kits

I wanted to talk briefly about the plight of the overseas prepper when it comes to first aid and trauma kits. There are a lot of products out there which are spot on the money when it comes to either EDC kits or more specifically, trauma kits for those who are anticipating being around grievous bodily harm. The problem comes that We see all kinds of cool kits available which contain haemostaticly treated bandages, that is to say, bandages that are impregnated with clotting agents, such as those produced by Z-Medica in their QuikClot products. The problem being is that these products, like the industry leading QuikClot z-folded bandages, are restricted exports from the US.


This means that the extremely desirable trauma kits put out by ITS Tactical or the comparable trauma kits put out by AMP-3  are unavailable to those of us who would want to have them on-hand for our own preparedness planning. There was a recent report posted by ITS-Tactical outlining how a kit if this nature was put into place by a first-responder chance passer-by and it nails home the kind of reason that I would want to have one of these kits myself.  I'm sure there are reasons not to export these items, be they copyright, international security or customs in nature, but it is very disappointing when I can see these great products out there, potentially life-saving, or at the very least, injury mitigating products, that are out of my reach, "just because".


That said, there are cut-down, alternative kits that I could purchase. There are kits put out by both those vendors like the  ITS Tactical EDC Trauma Kit and the AMP-3 Comprehensive First Aid Kit but the point of these kits, or at least what makes them special, would be the inclusion of the haemostatic bandages. The ITS Tactical one DOES include them, so is out, as far as exporting to Australia is concerned.  I have first aid kits, I've reported on and reviewed them in the past  I even have a fairly well stocked Australian Defense Force range first-aid kit comparable to the AMP-3 Range kit but neither my first aid kit, nor the range-medic kit have the QuikClot bandages.  

My wearable options are, to build a better first aid kit in a pouch (like the Platatac MOAP), or to fork out for an "inert" kit from ITS-Tactical which is basically a training kit, with expired contents and a non-treated version of the Z-Medica z-folded bandages, and get an empty one of their cool trauma-kit pouches to stuff it all in, which is an expensive prop for roleplaying, or a similarly cut-down product by AMP-3 like their iFAK.







What I'd dearly love is to be able to find a similar product, with a reputation for success, eith in, or exportable to Australia.

Review: Maxpedition iPhone holster

On ANZAC day, after going to the parade with Triceratops Girl and Tactical baby, I visited my good friend at his place, and she showed me his new daypack, which I reviewed the other day, he was quick to point out that the pouch on the main chest strap was a separate piece. I was taken by that piece too, pulled it off to look at as well. Turns out it was the Maxpedition Phone 5" Holster in the "clip" configuration. I borrowed a spare phone, slipped it in and took some snaps.
 The construction is a taco of 1000d Cordura type fabric, again Teflon coated for grime resistance, and heavily bartacked throughout.


 Like all Maxpedition gear, the internal seams are fully taped and sealed. This might be overkill for a phone pouch, especially one that is only a partial cover, but it shows consistency of construction and attention to detail. Apart from the webbing loop and Fastex style clip closure, the pouch features a wide band of elastic to cinch the phone in place. These combined methods ensure a very firm hold on the phone, with no slip or sway noticeable.

The back of the pouch features three bands of webbing, which act as an attachment point for the heat treated heavy duty spring steel clip, which has a jet black powder coat, which will accommodate a belt loop up to 6.35cm (2.25") wide.


The clip can be replaced with MALICE clips or Maxpeditions own TacTie attachment strips to affix it to PALS/MOLLE webbing. this variety of attachment options appeals greatly to me. I also liked the way the pouch was able to take the phone seen here in a case, with both plenty of room, but also held it snug, still leaving the camera exposed. Whilst leaving the device somewhat exposed, would allow for timed photos or video to be taken whilst wearing the phone, an idea that greatly appeals to me. This is a cool little pouch, and I may well consider picking one up for myself.

Review: SAR Global Tool - Dead Ringer comb

On my recent fact-finding trip to New Zealand I was bemoaning the zealous Airport Security policy of taking away all my survival kit, and commenting on what one could, or could not take onboard a domestic or international flight. In the course of this, I got to talking with Spencer Alan Reiter of SAR Global Tool about a couple of his tools that I keep on my person, time to time, or all the time and in the course of our conversation, he reminded me about his titanium comb concepts. I was initially hesitant, as I'm more of a brush kind of guy rather than comb, but sharing a house with a teenager has reminded me that one is none and two is one.

I've had metal combs in the past, and when a brush isn't on hand to manage my mane, I have found that a plastic comb will generally snap rather than part my tangled locks, so often resort to the finger brush, which never works them all out. Grooming in the event of a disaster is an important moral building activity, I find that even in non-disaster crisis situations, I will subconsciously groom myself, or others, to relieve others. Very primate-brain activity, I think. I certainly also enjoyed a good combing when I had my own face-fur, that's for sure. So, onto the comb!

This is the Dead Ringer titanium comb, which is cut from a single piece of 6LA4V titanium, which has been given a non-glare finish, as well as groves for a positive grip. It also features a finger loop, which I found gave me both good retention and control when teasing out knot. The tips of the tines of the comb are beveled, but not sharp, and the tines themselves are stiff and sturdy. The spine of the comb has five notches cut into it, again, giving a sturdy grip on what is otherwise a very thin piece of metal. The bottom of the comb has a spur, which also adds a grip-point, room for a lanyard hole, as well as being sufficiently pointy to open taped boxes, without being sharp. The ring loop, and finger notches work just as well in a reverse grip.


Whilst neither the edges or the tines are sharp, SAR provide a kydex sheath for this comb, which features two eyelets at the bottom, and opens from the top and the side.

As with many household items, this piece of rugged kit could also be used as an improvised defensive tool as Mark Davies, a combat instructor demonstrates here . Fascinating to think that something as simple as a comb could be so effective in the absence of a traditional knife. Good thing the Dead Ringer is so rugged, and feature-packed. How convenient for me! Now I have a titanium tool to accompany the cute skully-faced NukoTool I gifted Omega recently.

I have had a little play, as I have access to ample supplies of double-thick cardboard boxes, and I am happy to report that the SAR Dead Ringer is the scourge of packing materials everywhere! Also, my mane is tangle free.


Here is Spencer himself giving a classy grooming demonstration on his face-weasel!

Home Front: Working Working

Hi readers,
Apologies for lack of content over this last little while. A big project of mine is going through another phase of approvals, so I have been busy fact-finding and writing documents.

More gear, tools and reviews soon, I hope!

Unless there is a global EMP, in which case you won't be reading them online...

Review: Under Armor shirts

I came away from Tough Mudder, with a congratulatory head-band, and a celebratory t-shirt, from their sponsors, Under Armor . As I staggered around after completing it, trying to find my team, I wandered past the merchandise tent and had a look at what they had going, and saw another design that caught my interest. As it turns out it was another Under Armor shirt as well, so I came away from the event with two. Since then I've worn both, a couple of times and have been very impressed, so thought I might share my findings with you all. First of all, I should mention the fit. The general philosophy beneath Under Armor seems to be that they make close fitting garments in order to keep maximum contact between the wearers skin and the garment. This makes sense when you consider the material used is pitched as having their "Signature Moisture Transport System" which wicks sweat away from the body, keeping you cooler and drier. I did a little searching to find out what material they actually use in the shirts.

The best guess  I could find was "63% Nylon, 23% Polyester, 14% Elastane" blend, which would account for the "ultra-durable 4-way stretch woven fabric" that is reported by the manufacturer. Both the stretch and wicking are dead on the money, and whilst I happen to choose a looser fit, mostly to give me torso a bit more "body", I have really appreciated the "give" that the elastic fabric has. It is very comfortable to wear, and certainly gives the impression of being hard wearing and functional. One of my two shirts is in their "Loose" fit, the other "Regular" rather than either "Fitted" or "Compression"but both shirts are from the "HeatGear" range, which are stated as suited to temperatures between 75-100oF (which is 23-38oC). As well as being wicking, the shirts are light, and breathable, which no doubt is part of the design of this range, but is also reported to be 30+ UPF (blocking 96.0 - 97.4 of UV light), impressive for such a light, and light-permeable fabric. Being both an anti-pick and anti-pill material, I expect these to be very hard wearing shirts.

UA's website purports "anti-odor technology" which prevents the growth of odor causing microbes, keeping your gear fresher for longer. I havent yet worn one of these shirts for long enough for that to have been something I can test, yet, but I think that I'll be wearing them a lot in future adventurous endeavors, both as a base-layer, a solo-layer and I also intend to wear them as named, under armour! My regular readers can expect to see me doing my best "Operator" impersonation in upcoming costume events, and I've worn these out clubbing, where I don't mind showing off perching, striding about or dancing my tail off. They certainly saw me clear camping over Easter; cooking, chopping and tenting...

One caveat to this is a message that UA themselves put out there: "WARNING! This product will melt when exposed to extreme heat or open flames, posing a risk of serious injury where melted product comes into contact with skin!"

So, not to wear fire-twirling, volcano spelunking or dragon slaying; CHECK.

100th Post: Questions and Answers

Hi there!
Thanks for reading, and hopefully, thanks for continuing along thus far.

I'd like a moment to re-welcome you to Apocalypse Equipped, which I've been writing since the beginning of December 2011.

This is a place for me to write about one of my passions: acquiring, using and carrying hardy and rugged gear that I feel will keep me prepared for disaster, if and when it strikes. It's a testbed, a review of my collection and a lifestyle both talking about, and thinking about preparedness.

It's 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.

I've been thrilled to get some great comments along the way, people either pointing out alternatives, calling me on lapses of logic or using this as a guide for their own choices. Brilliant! Likewise, I've been astonished by the amount of traffic I've gotten; I repost to Twitter, Google+ and Facebook (please feel free to add me on any, if you haven't already) and feel very grateful for the reposts that either my readers have given, or that my review-ies have given me. Thanks one and all!

So, now over to you, faithful readers ....

Is there something else you'd like to see me review? Gear, goodies, tech and toys? More of my semi-ranting "Home Front" posts? More "Wish-Lusts"? Or even another video-review? Is there something I'm missing?

I'm taking requests, lay it on me, and I'll see what I can manage.

So, thanks for the presence thus far, and I hope you'll continue reading!

Review: Sea To Summit - Ultra-Sil Duffle

Do you ever find yourself with suddenly more loot than you were expecting, and no way of stowing it? I have, on numerous occasions. Having a few strategically placed recyclable shopping bags is all good and well, and they are no doubt a boon on the environment over the standard plastic dolphin-choker supermarket baggie but they aren't what I would call rugged. Most are good for living in the boot of my car, or in the kitchen shelf, awaiting runs to the supermarket, and perhaps day-trips without much hauling, but I like to be ready for serious salvage and swag. I was fortunate enough to be provided with a very nifty solution this last Giftmas, which I will share with you here.
This is the Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil Duffle and it is very cool. Ultra-Sil is a lightweight silicone treated nylon by Cordura, and the bag weighs in at 80g, and yet opens up to a 40L capacity duffle bag. The trick to it is that the whole bag carries itself in a key-chain sized stuff-sack, and unfurls to give the user a 56cm x 28cm x 25cm bag, complete with sturdy twin-strap carry handles and a well fitted zipper closure. The stitching is all Bar tacked at the stress points, and never gives me any hint of stress with the loads I've placed on it thus far (mostly clothes). Being a silicone treated fabric, it is very water resistant, but its worth noting that the seams are not sealed, and it is not intended as a waterproof bag. It comes with a key-chain attachment flap, so you can fit it to your keys, or dangle it off whatever gear you are running.

That said, for what it is; a lightweight, carry-compact yet spacious sack, I am very impressed and grateful that it was gifted to me.

Review: United Cutlery Trophy Master - Sidekick Tanto

I haven't covered any of my knives for a while, and thought this one would be a good addition. This is the United Cutlery "Trophy Master" Sidekick skinning knife, in "tanto". I don't have a link back to the manufacturer, as it seems United went Bankrupt in 2006 which is sad, as I've picked up a lot of their products over the years, my Lord of the Rings wall-hangers for one. Anyways, sad news at that is, I can still give you a review of this blade, and they are available through a variety of on-line sources it seems. So. What can I tell you about this knife? Firstly, it's made from corrosion resistant 420 J2 steel, which is both hard-wearing and low maintenance, but also holds a reasonable edge. It features an integral finger ring, a curling tail and a crenelated aggressive thumb grip.The polypropylene sheath is fitted with a belt clip and retains the blade with a pop-out mechanism which mates with the finger-loop on the blade. This is a little blade, being only 15.5 cm (6 1/8") long overall, but considering its purpose, that may not be a concern for you.
The Sidekick fits my hand very nicely, I have long fingers and I thought that might be an issue for a "naked" blade without scales, but the design lent itself very well to my grip. The "fingers through, thumb on the spine" technique for holding this knife enables some precision and control under circumstances that might otherwise be challenging with a "make a fist" grip. Whilst being designed as a skinning-knife, this version's "tanto" point is somewhat at odds with that, however, it has suited my needs very nicely, as a slicing and penetrating blade.

 The overall cross-section is quite stocky, which does interfere with thin-slices, but offers a very sturdy and stiff cutting edge on the other hand. The false edge of the spine meets the tip very neatly, and allows for a very sharp point to be achieved. Similarly, the straight edge of both the "tanto" tip and the main edge of the knife make for easy sharpening, but i have found that the thickness of the blade overall does not lend itself to keeping a finely honed edge.

That said, this is a dependable blade, that doesn't slip from your fingers when they are covered in goo and gore, is small enough to be manageable in confined quarters and has a beautiful aesthetic to it. It's a solid little knife, and whilst it isn't my first "go-to" blade, it does sit on my bedside table, just in case.

Review: Nukotool TiGBi Skull keyring

I take my accessorizing very seriously, and like to think that I do so in my gift-giving too. Whilst reading my RSS feed, I came across a review by Matt of JTT and saw these little guys, and when I did, I was taken aback, and knew that they would make someone very happy (and potentially, someone else very unhappy). Being in a wonderful committed relationship with someone(s) who understand my predilections is a tremendous thing, especially when it comes to romantic gift-giving. That and a clear policy on threat-countering appropriate levels of force. That's where this cheery Jack Skellington looking fellow comes in. It really spoke to my Gothic background, and being machined from a slab of titanium didn't hurt either. This is the Nukotool TiGBi and it's pretty.

Canadian tool-smith Norman Lee produces these (and a variety of other prototype and production pieces in Ti and G10) in his garage workshop, and keeps a blog of his toolings. I was so taken by it, that I happened to lean over one eve and point it out to my partner Omega, who's eyes lit up and was giggling as maniacally as I was. I filed that response away, and placed an order. These keychain impact-tools are cut and tumble finished from titanium , and have the option of a heat-treatment bluing, but I opted for natural, as omega is more of a red, than blue, gal. The cuts around the outer surface of the disk, and finger-holes are smooth and feel very nice in the hand. The lanyard/split-ring/bead-chain hole is nicely placed to attach this tool to make a very effective key-fob. Being titanium the weight is very manageable. The teeth notches are a little jagged and slightly irregular, which adds to their charm, without affecting the sleek outer finish overly.All the cuts are angles "inwards" to give a plug-like effect that is visible, but not overly noticeable in-hand.


When this one arrived this week , I was overjoyed that it had made it though customs, and I could give it as a birthday present (almost) on time! As you can see, it fits the hand very nicely, and the eye/finger holes means you never need to worry about losing your grip on your keys in the event you are startled by an aggressive space-alien, Mad Max marauder or creepy sparkling vampire stalker. The idea you could "leave an impression" of that gleaming titanium smile with your surprise visitor, allowing you to strike them senseless with your keen Gothic aesthetic appreciation of both skulls and space-age materials, whilst not interfering with your nails, jewellery or knuckles appealed to me.

Be sure of the legality of such an item in your area before carrying and utilizing in moments of surprise!  Otherwise, what a lovely and cute skull-face keychain fob!

Review: Sardine Can survival kit

Here's a quick one today. Going through my over-stuffed Messenger bag, I realised that I had a few items in there that I hadn't reviewed yet. This is one of them. This is the Sardine Can Survival Kit that was a gift from a friend several years ago, and has lived in the outer pouch of my bag since. This light little can is just the kind of thing that I like having around, and knowing it's been there has given me a sense of confidence, even when I've never needed it. As you can see, it's put up with a lot of abuse, and has kept on keeping on. 

Contained within its waterproof and airtight seal is a variety of items useful in a single container which also happens to light enough to float! I haven't broken mine open to check the contents, obviously that's a one-time only exercise, but here is a list of what is included: non-aspirin pain reliever, adhesive bandage, alcohol prep pad, antibiotic ointment, book of matches, compass, chewing gum, sugar, salt, energy nugget, duct tape, fire starter cube, first aid instructions, fish hook & line, note paper, pencil, razor blade, safety pin, reflective signal surface, tea bag, waterproof bag, whistle, and wire clip.

This is a nice little kit and it has remained as part of my EDC thus far without any incident. In fact, I am pretty sure I traveled to New Zealand with it in my bag, without incident. I know I have removed it before, so as not to be hassled by Airport Security as counter intuitive as leaving your survival kit at home when taking an overseas and over-mountain flight ... but that's the crazy world we live in.

Review: Jackeroo Shirt

My recent foray into Tough Mudder gave me a reason to break out my safari shirt: Our Team, the Funk-A-Mentals had a 70's theme, and my best offering to this was this khaki safari-shirt, by Jackeroo, the same people who brought you the Hooded Vest I reviewed previouslyy. This was also a Giftmas present, same year, same batch. Made from a fast-drying nylon outer and polyester liner as the vest, and hardy stitching throughout, this is a durable shirt, that just happens to look like it fell out of Jurassic Park. I don't mind that at all, and happily wore it to work on a number of occasions.

One of the great features was the pectoral pockets which fasten with hook-and-loop and have an internal pocket on the left side as well. This was sufficiently well closed to withstand the Tough Mudder mud, water and crawling around, and not loose my spare Contour GPS battery. It also features a extendable fold-up collar, for those times when getting a sunburnt neck doesn't appeal. Another interesting and well placed feature is the mesh lining around the shoulders, and vents under the arms. I found that in an urban setting, the material actually made me a bit sweaty, whilst out and about in the wind this wasn't nearly as much of a problem. Somewhere along the line the shirt picked up a weird blue stippled stain over one shoulder, which reduced its work-wear potential, and I popped a button adventuring. These things made it an ideal piece of clothing to put through Tough Mudder. I can tell you, that is a pretty harsh test for clothing's durability.

I saw a lot of discarded gloves, shirts, socks and trail-packs. I wasn't planning to discard anything, though at several points as I was caked in an inch of mud over my entire body I did feel like shedding layers just to drop that mass. However, the material of this shirt sloughed off the mud fairly easily, didn't get snagged or hooked up on any of the obstacles, be it the Berlin Walls, trench crawls or cargo nets, and once I got to running, dried speedily and broke the heavy headwind nicely. The sleeves were cut such that I could do all the crawling, climbing and scrambling I needed to without hindrance.

As you can see, it got fairly cruddy, but after a couple of washes, it was as good as new. Or at least, as good as "before Tough Mudder". If K-Mart still stocks these, I'd be strongly considering picking a couple more up, in long-sleeve, to add to my adventure-wear.

Review: EDC

 

 So, this is what lives in my Crumpler messenger bag, which I carry with me everywhere I go. I've had some discussion with my partner Omega, that perhaps I carry either too much stuff, duplicates, or items that could be replaced with lighter kit. I really value both her support and helpful opinions. She was dead on, my bag is weighty. 

So, here is a recap of what I carry;

Crumpler Thirsty Al pouch  filled with paracord, on the outside strap.

Platatac FUP pouch carrying my 1L SIGG bottle

inside the bag I carry:

Wire saw 

Gerber bear Grylls "Basic" Survival kit 

First-Aid kit 

Sea-to-Summit Alpha cutlery set 

Lazerbrite in red and white 

DMT sharpening-stones 

credit-card tool 

Platatac CSI-folder 

Electrical tape

Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Sewing kit

Razor 

Cord

Cable Ties

Pad (great for injuries)

Spare glasses in case with HDD magnet

Waterproof pouch with q-tips

microfiber towel

specimen jar with hand-wash

collapsible cup

Compass

Swedish FireSteel

Poncho

Set of Allan keys

Tape measure

my lunch and an apple.

On top of that, I also pack my kendo gear, and a variety of other things, depending on the day, but this is my EDC.

Review: Contour GPS

So some of us may think that we have our priorities straight when it comes to disaster preparedness and response, we have our EDC squared away, bug-out-bags filled and stowed, pantries stacked and indexed but here's the thing. When people (and by people I mean the people I see doing this online, on the news and myself...) see something heavy going down, they often whip out a camera, take some snaps, maybe film some to go up on YouTube and then deal with the situation however they may. There are those who go out of their way to see exciting thing up close and personal, and when they do, sometimes having your hands free to deal with the situation is more important than getting it fully in frame with the right aperture settings.

For those people (myself now included) there are the helmet-cams! These little, robust cameras are designed to be strapped to ones person, their kit, or whatever, and give you an "I was there view " of the action they put themselves in the way of. Here is my review of the one I recently purchased and put through its paces. This is the Contour GPS. This little nugget of technology houses a 135o lens, and will capture video at 720p at 60 frames per second or 1080p at 30 frames per second. It will also take continuous stills and has some smarts to auto-adjust for lighting conditions. It features built in GPS and has a Bluetooth option. The Bluetooth option allows you to configure the cameras settings, and check the alignment with your iThingy acting as a viewfinder.

An omnidirectional mic allows the sounds of the action to be recorded too, and its gain is also adjustable to cut out high-speed wind noise. The body of the camera is a well machined aluminium tube, which houses all the electronics, the GPS antenna and the Bluetooth card slot. The lens is centrally located and is built into a 180o rotatable swivel, to allow you to mount the camera and adjust the angle of its capture. Twin built in laser-sights allows you to level the picture as there is no view-finder, or any display options internally. The removable battery is USB rechargeable, and the micro-SD slot takes up to a 32Gb card. There is a toggle switch to move between pre-set setting options.

The case is marketed as water-resistant but it is NOT sealed, the end cap is plastic, which slides and locks into place but it by no means watertight, or even dust-proof. That's not to say it doesn't fare any worse than other camera battery-covers, but not what i'd hoped for in an otherwise rugged camera. So, i also bought the waterproof case. which is rated for dives up to 60m deep. It latches down at the front, and has a magnetic induction slide-switch to operate the camera (only works to turn it ON, with mine though however ... very disappointing bug). The back-cap is the Achilles-heel of this device.



Both the waterproof case and the main camera share a rail-attachment system, that allows for a number of kinds of mounts to be fitted. The camera comes with an adjustable goggle-strap mount, and two adhesive "flat-surface" mounts. that slide and lock into place along either side of the camera. I've mounted this to the side of my kendo men helmet, to the shoulder of my Platatac Bravo hydration pack and so far have managed to only get a few "straight" shots. Learning is part of the fun. What ISN'T fun, is the difficulty I've had getting the camera to actually film when I want it to. There are four sets of indicator LED's on the main body; a battery indicator, a memory indicator, a "status" indicator and one for "recording". Between these, and the press-button power button, and "slide-to-record" switch, you'd think someone tech-savy would have a breeze getting it going. Not so much. The combination of "press-and-hold" and "secret extra un-labled button" make for a clumsy system that requires getting used to before you capture that big exciting event. Like several hours of laser-tag, (which I missed the exciting parts of) or some good kendo footage (also didn't record when i thought it was...)

I did however get several hours worth of Tough Mudder footage, which although askew by about 30o due to how I mounted the camera, and required a battery change "in the field" to get a total of 5 hours of the 5 1/2 hours I was doing the challenge, and am really impressed with how both the camera and waterproof case held up.

So, clumsy user-controls, and non-water proof body aside, this is a fun toy, and I plan to film a lot of things with it.

Review: Platatac Bravo Hydration

With the upcoming Tough Mudder Australia event this weekend, I wanted to show you one piece of kit that I've been using, both for preparation for this, but also on my Stargate Lasertag LRP events, as well as a good solid piece of outdoor and adventure kit. This is the Platatac Bravo Hydration System, which is coupled with a Source WXP 3L Bladder. This was an item that I managed to put on my wish-list, and was lucky enough to receive. I've always been fond of keeping fluids on me, mostly with my combination of my SIGG bottle, which I've reported on, and carry in a FUP pouch everywhere I go. However, sometimes it's more practical to sling all of that onto a backpack, rather than hanging off a belt, especially if you're going to be away from reliable water for a while, or know you'll be doing some hot hard work. That's where a bladder reservoir comes in so handy, especially if they are well made, and carried. That's where the Bravo comes in.


As with all the Platatac range, it's made from the 1000d Cordura, and features a 4 channel, 6 row battery of PALS/MOLLE attachment points on the back, as well as 3 nylon D-clips on the sides of each ventral edge. These are great for either attaching the pack to another piece of gear, like a pack or plate-carrier, or to sling shock-cord through to attach items to the Bravo itself, like a poncho, or the like. The Bravo also comes equipped with a reinforced drag-handle, with hook-and-loop for nameplates or the like and also a hanging loop, which I've found very useful. As you can see from the side-profile, the pack itself expands quite a lot, and there is in fact room for an entire second hydration bladder, should you so desire, (remembering that 1L water = 1kg!) but it also means that there is room within the pack for other things (be sure not to pack anything pokey though!). You could also use the D-clips to use shock cord to compress the pack, keeping the load snug and secure, and adding some water-pressure, but I haven't had any concerns with this.


 The "front" of the pack looks like front side of most backpacks, with a couple of exceptions. As well as the usual Fastex clips and webbing loops, a couple of D-Clips and a sternum-strap for stability (which also includes a signalling whistle in the clip, nice one Platatac!). The backing of the Bravo is a moisture wicking-mesh, and features a drainage grommet. The zipper for access to the insides of the pack is on the "inside" and can be seen as the big curved arc at the top of the pack here. There are ports for the hydration tube at either shoulder, and large squares of hook-and-loop towards the top the shoulder-strap gives you more control over the placement and movement of the tube. The wide mouthed screw opening of the bladder fits snugly into the dorsal side of the pack, and is totally removable.

The Source bladder that came with the Bravo is all kinds of awesome as well, featuring their TASTE-FREE™/BACTERIA-FREE™/CARE-FREE™ Grunge-Guard™ System which basically equates to a easy to clean, easy to maintain, and nice to use bladder and drinking tube (which is in itself covered in a woven tube, for protection, UV resistance and insulation). The mouthpiece is angled 90o which means it is easier to use, with less cod needed to get it into your mouth, and features a really good drinking valve. Both the mouthpiece and tube detach from the bladder for ease of cleaning, with spill-free valves built in, and the bladder itself has both a wide mouthed screw opening and a fold-and-slide closure too. I had some misfortune with my first bladder, after not reading the care-manual, I rinsed it out with hot-hot water, which somewhat melted and warped the bag. DON'T DO THIS!

I'm really pleased with the Bravo, and the Source bladder Platatac paired it with. Its been out adventuring with me a couple of times, and will be getting a serious workout this Saturday at Tough Mudder. Wish me, and my gear, good luck!


[EDIT]

I survived the Tough Mudder, as did my Bravo! I really appreciated having a source (har har) of hydration along the way, and it also gave me a good platform to run my Contour GPS off (although running makes the footage a bit jiggy).

The pack stayed snug to me as I ran, crawled, slid, swam, climbed and trudged my way through the course, was barely noticeable as far as wear and rubbing is concerned and the tube system was really convenient. The mud-cap worked really well, and hardly any muck got on the mouthpiece, even when I was caked with almost an inch of it to my whole front. I saw a lot of discarded hydration systems, mostly cheep looking ones, Camelback being the only name I recognized, but there was no way I was going to discard mine! One thing I noticed, the wide-mouth screw-cap leaked a bit. Should it have an o-ring in it? Maybe Platatac can let me know if I've lost mine, or just didn't screw iit down tight enough.

Review: North Face pants

Welcome back, readers. I've been a bit slack recently whilst working hard, traveling and generally trying to be a more rounded person. Well, I've had enough of that and its time to get back to Apocalypse Blogging! I like to pack lightly, if I can, at least in regards to what I'll be wearing. SO I often look for clothes that will serve me over several different seasons in one day. Melbourne is like that, and I like being able to move from warm to chill, indoor to outdoor, with ease and still fit in wherever I go. I've been wearing cargo-pants for years now, and cargo-kilts to boot, but last Giftmas, my lovely partner got me a set of these, which are smart looking and add a touch of slacks to my otherwise khaki wardrobe. Here they are on me, the North Face Burke pants in "NEW TAUPE" after a week-long trip to New Zealand for work, and wrangling Triceratops Girl and Tactical Baby on my return. The best parts of these pants are their ease of wearing, and how they handle a variety of use and still coming up looking snappy. I keep my pants up here with my 215Gear Riggers Belt which made it though airport security without having to come off even once, WINNING! The only drawback is the belt loops being a little narrow, I had to detach the male end of the Cobra buckle to feed it through.


So, what can I tell you about the pants? They are made of a 92% Nylon, 8% Elastine blend, which is supple, abrasion-resistant with very good stretching, whilst not feeling like wearing baggy lycra. A cool thing about the fabric is that is has been treated with a Durable water repellent (DWR) finish which I found was able to not only shed the light drizzle and fog I encountered in Wellington, but dried really swiftly when it did become damp. It also stays fairly clean, even after several crammed-into-economy-seat airplane meals and a weeks wear, and baby-dribblings. There are several pockets, which I always find very handy. One great feature of these, are the zippers that are fitted, which are reverse-coil zipped for smooth opening and were cleverly placed so that the zipper head tcked under a hood, out of the way, and snag free. The two front pockets, two at the back and one at the leg feature that zipper closure, and there is a second front of leg, unzippered pocket as well.

I really like being able to stow my needfuls, and have them on-hand when I need them, or just to free up my hands for a moment whilst I breach containment, make up a baby bottle, or crawl under a desk to find loose cabling. I wanted to show you the insides of these pants too. The waist band is Brushed tricot, and is both smooth, soft and grippy, an unusual combination, sure, but helped to keep my shirts tucked in, as well as feeling pretty good on the skin when going topless. You can also see the stitching, which was solid all the way though, and also isn't rough on the skin after prolonged wear. The waist size worked well for me, and was true-to-measure, I tend to get a size or so too wide, and belt up, in order to get legs long enough. The fit around the legs was great, and the range of motion, and their "ride" was really good too. The fabric clung to me knees a bit when clambering over obstacles, but the stretch of the fabric stopped this from slowing me down much. The material is also very light, and surprisingly good at stopping the high winds I encountered in Wellington, crease resistant and roll up nicely to convert these pants into erstwhile shorts when the need arises. They also stayed wrinkle free, which was a super bonus. So, in summary, I can heartily recommend these pans for those who want the functionality of outdoorsy clothes, pockets and durability, but don't wish to look all "tacti-cool" at the office, lab or airport-security line.

Home Front: Airports

Location Location Location: Airports

Having been in a few recently, I have given some time to thinking about airports and how they may be utilized in the event of disaster. I've been in a lot of airports around the world, and spent many hours sitting and wandering around them. I've always paid attention to the areas that passengers can go, emergency exits, emergency services and even the shops that line the through fairs. The design of airports is presumably a well documented topic, but one I am unschooled in. I'll instead discuss only my observations and suppositions, rather than points of confirmed data.

So, bearing that in mind, here are some things that I've observed. Large metropolitan airports are large, high maintenance entities. They have many service dependent features, not the least is the human element. Airports y their very nature are hubs of transport and have a heavy throughput of traveling people, as well as those picking up and dropping off. They also have a fairly significant service population; shop attendants, booking and checkin staff, customs and immigration staff, luggage staff, aircraft maintenance crews, air traffic control, cleaners, local police, emergency response crews and administration staff. Being what they are, airports also have rather unique requirements. Large expanses of flat, clear land for runways. Areas free from flooding, stable ground, with security fences sufficient to stop wildlife and deter trespassers are all aspects of airport requirements.

Much like hospitals, airports would require a certain amount of redundancy in their systems; radar and signaling being two major ones, and the electricity to run them. The movie Die Hard2 gives us a look at what kind of situation an airport without comm, radar and power could find itself in whilst trying to operate "as usual". Just in this last trip severe weather shut down one major airport and another regional one, although that was more due to high winds and poor visibility, although I did hear that the regional airport was losing power intermittently. In the event of widespread disaster, flights in or out of airports may be disrupted simply by the conditions on the ground, because whilst there are many technologies available to assist in landing under adverse conditions it may come to pass that landing or taking off may be too dangerous for the aircraft, pilots or passengers. Much like racetracks, runways need to be left clear of obstructions and have an unbroken surface.

Apart from the practicalities of the landing and taking off of aircraft, the terminal buildings themselves, and all adjoining and associated buildings, like "the tower", hangars, fuel depots and the like are all highly secured facilities due to the sensitive nature of air travel safety and security. Again, security fences, locked doors and an active security force ensure that the public don't have access to these areas.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, here goes. Airports are hubs of traffic, they may well constitute "a way out" or at the very least "the way home" in the event of a disaster. It seems likely that many people will try to get to them in order to do that, and anyone who has seen what people are like when a single flight is cancelled can imagine what an airport full of cancelled flights must look like. Multiply that by people who don't have bookings, are desperate and think how the very regulated air travel system would cope. Not well I expect. Airports are designed to facilitate the movement of people, but in an orderly and systematic fashion.

Would they be a good place to go in the event of a disaster? I don't think so, unless it's to escape widespread fires or other natural disasters where wide, flat, empty land is valuable. Maybe later on, after the initial wave of panic and chaos. As I've said, they have lots of resources, redundant infrastructure and are designed with security in mind.

Home Front: Foreign cities

I'm very well traveled, I grew up being a lifestyle expatriate, having lived in 8 different cities across the world before I was 18, and visited many more on holidays. These days I travel mostly for work, and on occasion find myself in cities not-my-own.

For some people this might actually be a daunting task, for me it was how I grew up. Strange cities bring several challenges to first timers and seasoned travelers alike. I tend to go everywhere on foot when I am staying in the CBD Street signage and road rules is different from city to city, and can be jarring when you are trying to navigate, but with a decent street map that almost every hotel offers. One way to help get your bearings is to pinpoint tall well signed buildings and use them as landmarks. Something with 4 story high logos are usually works well.

Something that new cities present a traveler with is not knowing which neighborhoods are good, which ones are bad, where is fun and where is either trouble or boring. Simply having good situational awareness (something that is good to develop no matter where you are) and being able to present a confident demeanor has always gone a long way for me, and I've never had any trouble. Being bright and cheerful, polite and having an accent always helps too. It's in fact something that I have played up at times. I don't have a proper Aussie accent, by a long shot. Too many years in North America, an American parent and "the media" have graced me with what I call a "Generican" accent, even with 6 years of English schools, in the UK and the UAE, and living in Australia for the last 20 years. I can, however, "put it on" or at least say a few things to put me more in the "Aussie" bracket. In the event that that doesn't cut it and someone twigs that I'm "Gererican", and might want to cause trouble based on some poor foreign policy decisions in the last 30 years, my fall back plan is "I lived in Canada, eh!" cheating, perhaps, but true. Being a dual citizen has many advantages, but not being a target has more.

Knowing a bit about where you are going is key however. The geography, seasonal weather, local events and current affairs, and customs are all things that can be researched before arriving, and can for the most part be planned for. Knowing what you'll need to wear, both for weather and to fit in, or at least not ruffle any feathers is an easy challenge to meet. It's March, and cool and wet here in Wellington where I am right now. It was hot and damp when I left Melbourne. I've packed layers and it's working just fine for me. Wellington isn't prone to earthquake, but no one thought Christchurch was going to be hit as hard as it was last year either. It's not a high risk, but one I made sure I was aware of, so as not to be caught unawares.

If in doubt, I use some wilderness observation skills to make sure I have a good time. Go where the locals go, do what the locals do, eat were the locals eat. Getting a local guide can help a lot, but they're best when you know them already, even if it's a friend of a friend. Getting in touch with your network when going away, seeing who knows who and what there is there to see, do, eat, or on the otherside, what to avoid.

I love the chance to visit foreign cities, to see the sites and add those experiences to my repertoire.