Review: Platatac GBH-R hat

Since getting myself a tandem AquaYak, we've been getting out on the Bay a lot more, and I wanted to get myself some sun-protection for under my bump-helmet.

My dad had kept his US GI Boonie hat when he left Viet Nam, and I swiped it, but it seems as I've grown both up and out, and it's too tight to really be comfortable these days. I'm guessing his short-back-and-sides gave him a bit more room than my ponytail does, too.

I'd seen the Platatac GBH and GBH-R and thought it was time that I updated my cover. (1968 boonie on right, for scale and reference.)

I went in and after some back and forth to get the right fit, I settled on the GBH-R (which has a narrower brim).

This is a feature packed hat. Hats have features, you ask? Yes indeed. so, apart from the obvious; fit and cover, which the GBH-R provides with a circular stitched brim to add stiffness, it also features a sew-in cord chin-strap, with a traditional leather cord-lock (I remember teething on my dads). Inside, a mesh lining with hidden vents adds heat dissipation and wicking to keep hot heads cool.

I chose the pre-dirty looking ATACS-AU for mine, which is made of the windproof Nyco ripstop (the Multicam version is 100% Crye cotton ripstop). You can see it here up against my Multicam First Strike Snatch Bag  which shows off the subtle patterns of the ATACS-AU, this is my first piece of this particular camo scheme and it is "street capable", in that it doesn't particularly -look- like camouflage, in the way Multicam or Auscam DPCU does.

The GBH-R also features a hidden internal shock cord retention around the brim, with cord-k at the rear to adjust tightness. 

There are a very robust set of branch-loops around the side band, which are bartacked onto the hat, and these are both well spaces and generous enough to stuff a variety of items, be they local foliage, spares, or even lures.  I plan on rolling a coil of paracord around mine, following Stormdrane's fine examples. 

Lastly, the GBH-R features a 35mm x 35mm loop field on the crown for IFF patches and badges. I have a glow in the dark patch on mine currently, helping me find it in the dark of a tent overnight, or the bottom of a kit bag. 

I tend to wear mine "sides up" with the chin-strap acting as a retention loop. The hat has stretched to fit nicely, especially helped by some hot weather tree-cutting I did, getting good and sweaty, which also proved the quick cooling and drying properties of the Nyco ripstop. The other thing I like is that the whole hat is fabric, meaning it is both lightweight and crushable; when not being worn it can be mashed into a pocket, or into a pack, then pulled out, flipped open and it's ready to wear. 

Update: United Cutlery M48 Walking Axe

I have some bad news, rugged and prepared readers. I took my UC M48 Walking Axe camping with me last weekend, along with my M48 Ranger Hawk tomahawk  and my Fiskars log splitter.

We were cooking and heating by firewood for six adults and four under 10's. This meant a bunch of chopping and we were lucky enough that recent storms had necessitated the Rangers chainsaw a couple of trunks. The Fiskars splitter broke the logs up and we used the three axes to break them up into workable pieces and kindling.

The Walking Axe performed really well, light and fast, and soon out performed the Fiskars when it came to the lighter pieces.


When I got the Walking Axe home to do some maintenance I was dismayed to find that the main spar of the head had developed a serious crack. On one side the steel had even spalled.

It seems the chopping and splitting was too harsh for this design. It's possible that this particular piece had a flaw in its metal, but given the placement, it looked like design flaw to me.

I was really disappointed by this, mostly because of how well the axe had performed in both firewood chopping, but also branch-clearing.

There is still a fair amount of metal holding the head in place, so it is still functional, but how long till a spectacular failure occurs, I just don't know. I will not be staking my life on it, that's for sure.

Still, it did good work, and I was glad to have given it a thorough workout. It will still sit by the door in the umbrella stand / home defense artillery shell, ready to fend off fallen branches.

Review: MuzzleShots

I've been unwell recently, mostly I think, due to a bout of bad water I had when I went camping last weekend. If only I had unpacked and used my LifeStraw ... As a result I've been slow on the content here. Remember folks, bad water and associated disease account for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALY global burden of disease, and cause about 1.8 million human deaths annually. The World Health Organization estimates that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene.


Which is why I thoroughly endorse  fermentation and distillation of alcohols for drinking and disinfection purposes! Contrary to popular uni-student-household myth, shot glasses are not indestructible,  so I asked myself, what was the most rugged way to drink my fortified beverages, and carry with me on my gear?

The grey, anodized aluminum MuzzleShot shot glass styled after the M16 A2 flash hider was the perfect addition to my collection of both shot glasses, AND tacti-cool kit. They are rugged, with smooth lines.

They even fit in my Platatac 40mm grenade pouches which gives me an extra tacticool-option for deploying them.

With a 44ml (1.5oz) capacity, these are bigger than the standard drink measure in Australia, but for recreational use, I don't think anyone will mind too much (drink responsibly). Flameproof
and slamproof we're talking serious drinking hardware here.

The anodizing is food-grade, but it is not recommended that these be run through a dishwasher.  I really like them, especially their design, texture and heft. This is a "glass" that will be with you a very long time!

If you need something bigger for your beverage, there is always the BattleMug ....

Click the picture to go to ThinkGeek's store

Wish Lust reminder: Ergonomic Shovel

Hey all, just a heads up, if you were thinking about pledging for one of Stephen's modular ergonomic shovels with the cool adjustable mini-gun grip, you've got only 12 hours to place a pledge on his Kickstarter.

Go here for more details. Stephen tells me that the Shovel will be 100% USA made, for all you Berry Compliance people out there.

Wish Lust: Bosse Tools - Ergonomic Shovel

I like me a good shovel, and I've had a few in the past (and have killed several) and when Stephen Walden of Bosse Tools got in touch with me to see if I were interested in his design which he is pitching on Kickstarter I was intrigued.

His design features a couple of interesting elements, which lend themselves to a disaster recovery and preparation mindset (As well as the everyday urban homesteader). 

Just looking at it you see the very obvious addition of a ringed handle in the middle of the shaft.  This plastic molded and fitted ring features a geared and locking system for rotating and adjusting the hand-hold, to maximize the ergonomics, customization and efficiency of your grip and use of the shovel, as Stephen puts it "you can do your job in one single motion - dig, scoop, and pitch - all in one".


The second aspect of the shovel which caught my eye was the u-shaped foothold, which lets you drive a boot down on the center line of the tool, rather than off to either side (as with a regular shovel). I've dented my shins often enough digging in my little veggie patch when digging to really have an interest in that feature, if nothing else. Admittedly, I cleared the turf for that patch with my e-tool , and I'd be weighing up its design andmaterials for melee combat much as I might for the Crovel on my Wish-Lust list but its a very innovative design, and if you are in the market for some fancy digging tools, I think this would be definitely worth a look. Get in quick, as the Kickstarter is ending soon.

Sneak Peak: terminatorised Nuko Tool ACDT

No fate but what Norman makes. 

Review: Hydrogen-3 Workshops - Tritium bead

I know I am late to the playground when it comes to the cutting edge of self-illuminating lights, but I finally laid my paws on some tritium radioluminescence,  in the form of this gorgeous bead from Hydrogen-3 workshops.

For those of you who don't know, tritium (H3) is the ever so slightly radioactive heavy-brother of regular hydrogen, which sheds electrons as it slowly decays, which in turn excite a phosphor coating on the inside of the glass phial is is trapped in, and, tada, a constant (if dim) glow. With a half-life of 12.5 years, this isn't a "forever" light, but it also doesn't irradiate the carrier either ...

Hydrogen-3 Workshops offer a variety of cool ways to carry their range of tritium phials, (which they have with phosphors glowing in Green, Blue, Ice Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, Orange, Yellow, White), and the bead I chose was a six-sided AISI 304 stainless steel, handcrafted from a metal bar stock and milled to accept six 6 x 1.5 mm tritium phials.

The phials themselves are glued into the bead with the rather cool UV-cured Norland 61 Optical Adhesive and are recessed below the lip of the bead, for added protection.

I chose two each of Red, Blue and Green, for a classic CRT effect. Spinning it, I get a nice off-white glow.

 Adding the bead to my keychain was as simple as slipping it over one of my nifty titanium split rings and onto my Gar-A-Biner to go along with all my other cool EDC keychain tools.

As far as how well it illuminates, I've been able to spot my keys in the dark of my room, the foot-well of my car at night, and at the bottom of my bag, when rummaging at the pool. I'd say the green was the clearest to spot, but the red was not too far behind.

This was a pretty small sized phail for each, so I didn't expect much, but I think they will prove valuable when it comes to finding my keys in the dark of a foreign bedroom, underground lair or ditch when dropped evading zombies.

Review: Hazard4 Labs: LaunchPad iPad sleeve

I've been keeping an eye on the upcoming products from Hazard4 Labs, who made the replacement to my old harness, the  RG harness that I keep the majority of my EDC in.  

They have finally released their Poncho (review coming soon!)
and I got one of these very cool cases thrown in for good measure, along with another item, which I have not yest started testing.

This is the LaunchPad iPad sleeve.

Made to fit the iPad 1 and iPad 2, with an internal capacity 28.5cm x 21 cm (11.1" x 8.2"), the sleeve is constructed from an Invista® 1000D Cordura, giving it a very rugged and scuff resistant exterior. The interior is lined with a faux-suede material which has been quilted over an internal padding material.

This gives a really nice body to the sleeve, and not only provided non-slip carriage for my iPad, but also proffered a not inconsiderable level of bump, drop and scratch protection to it. 

Two grometted (and screened) air-vents prevents that puffiness that padding can get from time to time.

 I'm not overly precious with my technology, as my collection of screen-guards and cases will attest. I've found that my iPad screen has taken several rough trips when I've over-packed my Bullock Echo daypack, with my iPad sitting loose in it's helmet carrier section. 

Exactly the kind of abuse the LaunchPad will protect it from.

The internal closure is from two patches of hook-and-loop, which features cleverly recessed hook-fields, really improving the sleek lines of the sleeve. The main closure is provided by a shock-cord loop, with a sewn-webbing pull tab, that is fed through an eyelet in the lid, and hooks around a plastic tri-glide buckle.
 
The back side of the sleeve brings its own set of goodies. Four rows of six channel PALS/MOLLE line the back, with the top three rows sporting loop-fields between them, for ID patches (or in this case my ITS Tactical membership tab). The idea being that you can attach accessory pouches to the sleeve (for chargers and cables, or whatnot) or mount the whole sleeve to something with PALS/MOLLE strips like the MOLLE Stix, Blackhawk S.T.R.K.E. speed clips or the like. I could see this on a pack, or the back of a plate carrier. 

At the bottom left of the back of the sleeve is the final feature, the steel "carbine type" triangular gear loop for attachment of a carabiner, keychain, or wristloop. I haven't yet hooked anything to it, still looking for the right combination, but it's a really thoughtful addition to an elegantly constructed and designed tablet storage sleeve. 

The sleeve isn't water or dust proof, but it does offer almost total coverage, and the Cordrura is water resistant, at least. Consider it a 3-season tent for your tech.

Review: ThinkGeek - Pocket Chainsaw

For my last birthday, I did my family a favor and purchased a bunch of my own presents. I'm notorious for having already picked items off my own wish-lust-lists.

Think Geek has been a good source for gadgets and gizmos to feed my need, and this year was no exception. The difficulty being getting items that can be shipped to Australia, as they have started restricting items based on, well, "pointiness" as far as I can tell. The UC M48 Ranger Hawk,KA-BAR Zombie Killer knives and even the Dead-On Annihilator Superhammer available through Think Geek are not for export to Australia. Sad-making!

However, one of the pieces of kit that IS still available, is this, thePocket Chainsaw.

I have covered my Wire Saw's previously, which are a gorgeous bit of kit to have stowed away in a Bug-Out-Bag or camping set, but there are times when you really need a bit more bite.

I've never been very comfortable with powered saws, (even when Picatinny-rail mounted...) because of the risk of kickback as seen in Dawn of the Dead and described to me by a variety of experienced wood-cutters (not all of whom had all their fingers). I can and have used chainsaws, I just prefer non-powered tools to do the job. Slower, I know, but unless I needed to do a lot, and often enough to become familiar and proficient again, I'll stick to hand-tools.

This pocket chainsaw fir my need perfectly! Made of high strength, heat-treated steel which has been coated for rust resistance and smoothness of cutting action, it comes with bent rings to hook through the lead ends of the chain, and corded plastic handles to ease the cutting action, and increase the draw and reach of the saw.

The 70cm (28") saw features 124 bidirectional teeth, capable of cutting in both the forwards and backwards draw, and the beauty of this piece is that when you are done wit hit, it rolls up into a coil that fits int its own carry-can, along with the welded loop-hooks, and the whole package weighs only 140g (5 oz)

It comes with two molded plastic handles with cord loops,  which I fixed to the loop-hooks with a larks-head hitch. The loops and handles added about another 50cm or so of reach, as well as keeping my knuckles clear of both saw and log.

We had some pretty damaging spring wind-storms here, and my partner Anastasia had a largish gum-tree branch fall on her shed, which seemed a perfect chance for me to finally get to use some of my newer acquisitions.

I chopped the smaller limbs with my
Ranger Hawk, as will as its big brother, the M48 Walking Axe which packed considerable wallop for such a small cutting head. Both bit faster and deeper than my usual go-to Fiskars Log Splitter. However, when it came to cutting through logs, after I had trimmed the branches off, it was time for the saw to do its thing.

click the picture to go to ThinkGeek store!

I didn't stop to measure the diameter of these limbs, but they were at least 20cm. Bigger than my skinny little thighs, for sure.


The saw bit in fast and made quick work of the first third of the log, but I found that a comfortable, narrow shoulder grip tended to cause the chain to bind up, leading to me needing to take a very wide stance to effect my cuts.

Once I cleared the hard core of the branch, I was a matter of raising the ends, so that gravity would force the log open, to reduce that binding. This was because I was cutting "up" standing over the log. Pulling "down" and cutting a suspended branch would have been much easier, but dangerous.

When I was done, the loop-hooks simply disengaged, I unhitched the handles and stowed the coiled saw and loop-hooks in the pocket tin. The handles had to be stowed separately. This was an excellent, easy to use and practical addition to my car-kit, ready to pull out and cut up road blocking obstacles without the need for fuel, and storage space.

 

Here's just a quick picture of the M48 Walking axe, hanging off the largest of the limbs I cut with it, in-situ. The para-cord wrap on my M48 Ranger Hawk completely unraveled whilst chopping, which was very unsatisfactory. I will eventually re-tie it myself.

The folding pocket chainsaw worked tremendously well, silently, and quickly. 

Review: Peruvian Fleece Cap

So, I've made no bones about my disdain for winter, and am always on the look out for more cold-banishing gear to add to my collection. This winter I added some long Nomex gloves to couple with my Harry 1.2 softshell jacket. However, I wanted something to keep my head snug and toasty. When in Canada I often wore a tuque and when living in England I had a hunting cap with ear-flaps so when, I saw these come up on eBay, I got a set for myself, and one for Omega too (who is still acclimatizing to Melbourne from Brisbane, 5 years on)

This is apparently a "Peruvian Wool Fleece Cap" patterned after the traditional Chullo. Im pretty certain it isn't wool, so lets just say that it is fleece. The cap is topped by six triangular sections, much like most fabric hats, but is edged with an asymmetrical band that includes the "ear-flaps". A cord-locked drawstring is sewn in to assist with retention, and to keep the flaps tucked up to your chin in especially chilly conditions.

I tend to roll the ear flaps up and cinch the drawstring in a little, because I like to hear my surroundings more clearly,

However, when up at the snow, or in just a bitter wind, I am only too happy to protect me delicate flesh and roll them down. 

The snug fit lends itself to sitting under a hood, such as in my Harry 1.2 jacket, or even under a helmet, such as my Ops-Core knockoff bump helmet.

Thankfully there have been few days this season where I've felt like I've needed this cap, but I am vey glad to have it, packed and ready, for when I did. A great camping and wilderness survival addition. 

I'm thinking of doing Halloween as Angry Finland...

Side note, my mother had kept my ear-flap cap, I passed it on to Tactical Baby ... RLTW!

Review: Platatac - Leg Rig

I was looking over my collection of gear and realised there were a couple of items that have quietly gone un-reported, little pieces that seemed to take a back seat over their flashier cousins, and I wanted to give them some web-space too


I've shown this piece, in use, a couple of times, in my "No, Really" post, and coupled with its usual attachment, the Young Guns belt. However, it deserves it's own review. This is the 3/4 Leg Rig by Platatac.


I've covered a drop-leg holster in the past, and I have to be honest, they bring out the Han Solo in me ...

This was an early model of their now more mature Leg Rig but it serves me just fine. The three main features of the rig are: a  3 channel by 3 row PALS/MOLLE field, which is built on top of a 1000d Cordura with a stiff plastic reinforced backing platform.

Twin straps wrap around the thigh, and are half elasticized and half webbing backed with hook and loop. This gives you two different ways that you can adjust the fit, as well as it having sufficient flex to accommodate the changing dimensions of the thigh whilst running, climbing or scrambling. Anyone who has worn a non-elastic cuff whilst doing any of that kind of thing will tell you, its no fun. Two bands divides the load, and gives you a better fit to the shape of the thigh.

The "inside" of the rig shows us the way the mounting strap attaches, with a hook backed strap and a loop-faced side on the inside, to avoid abrasion. This gives you a really wide latitude for adjustment up and down, to ensure the best fit for your rig.

This was really good for me, as I have really long skinny legs, getting a thigh rig to sit right can be a real pain for me.  The thigh straps are free-sliding, and run through the middle of the rig, meaning you can customize the buckles and which thigh you wear it on to suit your need.

On top of the mounting strap, connected to a slider ring, is the belt clip. With both a hook and look backing, and two press studs, the belt clip not only bites down hard, and is adjustable for different bet sizes, it can also be woven into the middle of a riggers belt such as the 215Gear Ultimate for an extra secure and non-slip fit.

You can add any PALS/MOLLE capable item to the rig, I usually wear mine with my Drop Gas Mask bag as a dump-pouch, but could just as easily fit it with any 1, 2 or 3 channel PALS/MOLLE kit I wanted. The newer Platatac leg rigs are 4x4, giving the wearer a little more real-estate to mount on, but i have skinny thighs, and plenty of pockets already. I've been considering getting another, in the "more subdued" black to wear out and about, I've had similar rigs in past, but my colour pallet has lightened over the years...

Review: Spyderco Byrd - Harp tool

A very touching gift was given to me recently, for an anniversary, and because my tastes are well known, it was something i wanted to blog about!

This is the Spyderco-Byrd "Harp Tool" so named because of its resemblance to the musical instrument in its layout.

The tool consists of a C shaped bar of steel, filled with eight separate tools, held in place by a pin under tension from the ring itself. The tools in the array are  held in place by having a ridge and slot on alternate faces, such that the tension "snaps" them in place.

Available tools are: a flat-head and Phillips-head screwdriver, a  punch/awl, a gimlet (I had to look that one up, but it is a small hand drill) , a wood-saw, corkscrew (always a favorite and plain essential if operating in the European AO), a light-use file and a small/"large"-head hammer that doubles as a bottle cap opener.

Lacking a knife, this is definitely a secondary tool-kit addition, but you can never have too many tools stashed away. The tools are all functional enough to get little jobs done, but are obviously not up to a lot of hard labour, especially given the ridge-and-slot locking design. I'm not sure what I would use the hammer for that I wouldn't just use a rock for, but For Want of  a Nail...


With an overall length of 16.5 cm (6.5") and a closed length of 9.5cm (3.75") and weighing only 117g (4..6oz.) this is a light weight addition to a pack, picnic basket or glove box. That's where I will be stashing this little guy, perfect for a three hour tour.

Guest Submission: hardware conversions

One of my old friends and readers shot me a message a while back saying "I went to Bunnings (read: Home Depot, USAnians) and got a bunch of things to try out for the Apocalypse ..." and I thought it was high time that I gave them a bit of a write up. This is a decided departure from regular store-bought "tactical" gear, and look towards what "found items" might be converted into impromptu hand to hand weapons.

Such as this driveable post-socket spear which is lashed to a whittled post, and lashed on with leather strapping. With some rudimentary sharpening this makes a big two handed spear / axe / mace. These can be found holding up many street signs, fence posts and the like, and once pried from the ground make quite a formidable hand to hand weapon, or even giant ballista bolt head.

The second piece was a fence-post-topper, the kind of thing you see decorating fancy fences which my friend decided would make an excellent mace-head.

I've got to admit, whenever I pass a wrought iron fence, especially old, cracked or loose, I wonder how easy it would be to wrench a length free, and use as an ad-hoc melee weapon. This example is mounted to a long bolt, but could also be mounted directly to a post. I'm thinking the threading might lead to a weak point, especially under the heavy impacts a mace might expect, but hey, this is impromptu at its best. Use what you have, when you have nothing else, and Adapt, Improvise, Overcome. Thanks Karl!

Review: UVPaqlite

I had a comment left for me by a reader on my Facebook page (g'day LCpl Thralls!) following on from my Lazerbrites post I dropped by UVPaqLite to check out their glowsticks.

I'm a sucker for lights, as my regular viewers would know, and have an enormous affection for glow-in-the-dark products, having decorated many childhood bedrooms with constellations and have expanded that into my adult life with the SAR GlobalTool Moon-Glows. I was impressed by the range of rugged, practical items that UVPaqLite had on offer, and snapped up their mixed collection Scout Pack.

 I put my Moon-Glow down beside the collection for a comparison as well as a wrapped cyalume stick, for scale. I super-charged all of these with my Jil-Lite Jenyx UV torch

The scout pack consists of four different elements; the UVGlowStik, the 6" ToobLite, a UVO ring necklace and the flexible signature UVPaqLite sheet. 

The UVGlowStik, ToobLite and UVO are solid pieces, consisting of solidified clear epoxy, in which crystals of
glow-in-the-dark strontium aluminate are suspended. Being solid-state, these pieces can be cut or drilled and can also be taken to ANY depth. 

Unlike traditional GITD products, the large crystals are clearly visible but apparently this large granularity increases the brightness, duration and speed of charging, they certainly appeared to do so.

The 4"x1/2" UVGlowStik is not quite as bright overall as the 6" ToobLite, but is "ruggedised", lacking
the tube, plastic cap, and key chain ring of its larger cousin, but features a drilled lanyard hole.

Swiped from UVPaqLite webpage.

The UVO is 1.75" in diameter, and comes in both the traditional greenish GITD hue, but also in their "Ice Blue", but subtly adjusting the chemical composition of the crystals. Spinning the UCO on its lanyard produces a signalling method of contrasting of light and movement which would make it easier for rescue crews to see from the air.

The UVPaqLite flatpack is a vacuum sealed roll-able, stuff-able, pouch measuring 20cm x 15cm (8"x6") and weighing only 36g (1.3oz) and can be dangled or laid flat to provide a tents forth of illumination all night long.  Better yet they have an essentially infinite shelf life, unlimited recharge cycles. Perfect for a disaster, where resupply, or even infrastructure is doubtful.

I found that the whole set could be exposed to electric room lights for "getting ready for bed" durations, and still be visibly glowing in the pre-dawn gloom, when Tactical Baby comes calling. Daylight exposure for just a few minutes makes them light up visibly even in lit environments, thanks broken ozone layer! UVPaqLite suggest that they would still be visible as markers even after 4 days of cave-darkness. These are super cool, and I think I will be adding more to my collection as soon as budget allows, great gift ideas are forming ...

300 posts! Tonight we dine in THE BUNKER!

Hi all, I just noticed that yesterday was my 300th post, and I wanted to drop a quite post in here whilst I am compiling to say thank you to all my readers, commentors, vendors who send me cool things, friends and family who let me test things on and with them, train with me and generally support me in my quest to be Apocalypse Equipped!

In the almost three years of doing this blog I have had the good fortune to make a bunch of great connections, friends and learn a whole lot.

If anyone out there wants to join me in my adventures, guestwriter-spot, try some of my gear and ideas out, drop me a line and we'll make something happen!

Events: Tough Mudder #3 September 14th

Last weekend I participated in my third Tough Mudder challenge. Previously I reported on what I wore on my first and then subsequently, for the Stampede and then earlier this year, my second Tough Mudder. I see the Tough Mudder challenges as more than just an Endurance Sport event, but as a training and testing opportunity for me. Training myself to overcome obstacles, and go the distance, but also in anticipating the hardships my team-mates will face, and either preventing or mitigating them.


The Tough Mudder Pledge is a good starting point for this:

• As A Tough Mudder, I Pledge That ....
• I Understand That Tough Mudder Is Not A Race But A Challenge.
• I Put Teamwork And Camaraderie Before My Course Time.
• I Do Not Whine, Kids Whine.
• I Help My Fellow Mudders Complete the Course.
• I Overcome All Fears.

My team mates did not feel up to running the length of the course, which is fine, I hate running, but I can, and I have been training to do so. However, the discipline of NOT running, of not leaving a team-mate behind for personal glory, was what it was all about.

Here's the course for this time: MelbourneSpring2013-CourseMap
There were all the old favourites, as well as some new ones.
 One set of Berlin Walls was replaced for forwards sloped walls, giving no purchase to climb over. There was a "Warrior Carry" where team mates had to carry each other for a distance. A couple of different "over and under" climbs and my favourite, the Cage Crawl, where you had to navigate a long caged-in, water filled trench.

I took my iPhone along, in its SLXtreme waterproof case which unfortunately suffered a non-spectacular failure, with one of the hinge-caps breaking off, causing it to leak. This took my phone offline for a couple of days (rice in a take-away-tub, by a heater recovered it) but I managed to track half of our progress with it here: 11.84 km run with @RunKeeper.

That was a bit sad, but that's the way these things go. I also trialed a couple of other pieces of kit: I fitted my Contour GPS to my shoulder via the Picatinny adapter and fixed it to an ITS Picatinny-MOLLE adapter which in turn I mounted to my trusty First Spear OAGR vest.

Knowing there would be dark tunnels, I fitted my Princeton Tech Switch MPLS light to my MOLLE on my chest, along with my ill-fated SLXtreme case, and a  glow stick from UVPaqLite. I also tried out my newly-acquired rejected prototype Platatac hydration carrier that I scored from eBay, filled with Gatorade. I'll cover that separately, but it served its purpose adequately. TAD Amphibian shorts and my x-strapped (this held them on, but rubbed me raw) Blackhawk kneepads rounded off my regular load.

I kitted out with my Z-E-R-T patch and call-sign tab, as well as another off-market Platatac prototype admin pouch, which I kept a laminated copy of the course map, and a spare cyalume stick in case my team-mates needed some encouragement in dark places, when all other lights go out.

Lastly I wore my GoST Paleo Barefoot PRONATIV's along with their Lining Socks, which, after a 2km walk from parking to the event, 18km of course, and another 2km back to the car, were amazing.

This time I decided to collect loot, and picked up two discarded hydration packs, one I gave to a team-mate, the other I slung, as well as several "technical shirts" and a bunch of gloves. We'll see if any are salvageable.

I had a really good event, it was lots of fun, cold, wet, dirty fun. I feel that again I have proven to myself that I can not only achieve this kind of goal myself, but can also aid others in doing so too. Orange Headband ahoy!