Review: Light My Fire - Meal Kit

Being a very lucky critter, I was fortunate enough to get a swag of cool camping and outdoorsy time kit for Giftmas, and it's time I got around to giving credit where credit is due. My lovely partner and mother of Tactical Baby, who writes her own inspirational blog  went all out at one of our local adventure gear shops with both this blog, and my own tendencies in mind. One of those items is the Meal Kit by Light My Fire who are the the amazing people behind the Swedish Fire Steel So will little more ado, let me talk you through the Meal Kit.

Firstly, the strapping is elasticized on two of the three bands, giving a very close grip whilst still being easy to get into to gain access tot he Kit.
Likewise, it was simple to put back on when needed. The third leg of the strap is webbing, which includes reflective fibers like those found in a safety belt and a wire-gated swivel clip for mounting to a pack. This is a great idea for someone like myself who goes hiking, as having some extra passive signaling material hanging from your back gives you an extra Search and Rescue option, not to mention letting traffic know you're there. This might be an issue for people for whom light-discipline is an issue, but nothing some tape wouldn't fix, I expect. Inside the tightly sealing lid (which holds 450mL) is a collection of really nice secondary items:

A spork with a knife edge, very handy and remarkably good to eat with. A combined strainer and cutting board, which is an awesome addition. I usually end up trying to do my chopping on my plate, and strain with a fork. So much simpler with such a light and flat-packed addition! The spill-free cup holds 350mL with measuring lines at 100, 200 and 300mL. Its lid is a tight fit but the sippy lid leaves the container unsealed so its not ideal for storage on the go. A woven cord holds the lid of the sippy cup to its body, good news for those of us who loose pieces when washing in communal sinks. Nested within the cup is the fully sealing SnapBox which holds 170mL. All of these secondary items fit within the main bowl which itself holds 900mL. There is a hole in the rim of the main bowl, presumably for hanging it to dry.

I wondered how much use the kit would be as a pre-packed meal set, rather than just a full mess-kit and found that the elastic straps stretched enough such the the sippy cup (containing the SnapBox) could be carried outside the main bowl/plate combo.  This means it could be packed full of ingredients, ready to prepare later or eat immediately, which is a real bonus if you have the time to pack it before bugging out. 

 

The plastics are all microwave safe, dishwasher safe. and interestingly enough, the kit is reported to float. Good to know if you expect to face water hazards, or the dreaded shared camp-kitchen sink. This is a really cool set. I like its lines, and the proud Scandi that I am appreciates its efficient and neatly nested design. Again, I'm a very lucky critter, and I'm grateful I'm loved enough to be bought cool gear!

Home Front: Suplies!

To me, nothing says "preparedness" like a well stocked pantry. Whether it's a hoard of stinky roleplayers, a hoard of slinky poly-folk or a hoard of radioactive muties, you want to have plenty on hand to ensure you can pull through unscathed.  Not only staples, but also all the fixings to be able to do more than -survive-. Subsistence living is a morale killer and a well made meal can make all the difference to someones spirits, I've found. This is the same if you're on a tight budget financially, or if "The Big One" has come and you have to simply make do with what you can get, and resupply is a long way off.  Bulk stores, in well sealed containers are the way to go. The fact our pantry is tall and deep means we can shelve a lot, without too much hassle.

Planning for a house-full of people showing up at any time, can take a bit of doing. Its a good discipline to have, especially with the forethought that those skills encourage. As previously mentioned we do a bit of urban-homesteading (the yucky squash vine miraculously became a pumpkin vine, thankfully) and home preserving of produce but that just acts as a supplement. For our big fresh-food buys, we hit the markets, and for the even bigger storable staples, we hit somewhere BIG. Buying in bulk gives savings, and those savings not only give you more to buy more, but also to pad out the bulk with tasty morsels and luxury items, or "just in case" purchases that might otherwise not make it to your domestic grocery list.

I wont go into what you should or shouldn't put into your grocery basket, but keep in mind the "use-by" dates, combinations of foods that can be mixed and matched to produce variety from limited resources and reducing not only wastage, but with careful selection, not stocking up on things that no one will like or eat. We often buy whole 24can slabs of canned goods, beans, corn, lentils, tomato pulp, because they keep, are modular and can be added to most meals in some way. The kids also eat them, a real bonus, in ANY situation.
So after securing your giant load of shopping, bulk TP and nappies in hand, what do you DO with it all. How much can you haul at any one go? I have a 5door RAV4 cruiser, which happens to have roof-racks and a tow-ball, but with some good Coyote-magic fueled 3D Tetris skills pretty well honed through years of moving house and international travel we can usually fill up the cargo section without encroaching on the back seat, where we have two child seats and one long-suffering teenager.  Once home, we decant into the pantry, two fridges, a chest freezer and into these recognizable and ubiquitous modular storage systems that can be yanked and stacked in the back of the RAV4 at a moments notice. Stock rotation is important, not only for freshness, but to check what is being consumed, what is being rejected, and what has been forgotten.  Bulk water containers, dry-goods, flour and the like all have important parts to play, as do household items like cleaning products and first aid supplies.

It all comes down to: know what you have, know what you need, know where it is, how to store it and know how to move it if the need arises.

Review: Platatac SR25 Utility Double Mag Pouch

I'm a big fan of pouches, especially modular, multifunction pouches. It's always good to have the option to reach in and grab what you want, know that it will be where you put it, and that you can get to -some- of your gear without having to rummage through -all- of your gear. I've previously reviewed Platatac's FUP Pouch which is a tremendous pouch, but different needs can be met better by different products. So let me waste no more time, and introduce you to the SR25 Utility Double Mag pouch. This is designed primarily to carry two popular 7.62mm magazines, as utilised by the SR-25 sniper rifle, from which the name is derived.

(As a side-note, I'm not much of a gun-nut, and almost all my knowledge is theoretical, fan-boy based, but the SR25/M110 would be one of my choices from the Matrix Stockroom , that's how I roll.) Apart from that factoid, here's what you can expect from this pouch. Made from the same 1000D Cordura the other pouches in their range, but this one is listed in as being made double-thickness, which no doubt will give this high-intensity usage survivability well beyond my requirements, at least. In keeping with the FUP, the SR25 has both a hook-and-loop and double press-stud closure.

I really like having the option of either of these methods. I prefer press-studs, but hook-and-loop is a fast and ready means to secure variably sized load-outs. As well as the dual method closures, the pouch comes with an elastic compression strap, principally for when only 1 magazine is used, but really, any time the pouch is half-filled, it keeps it snug and stops your needfuls rattling about. Another great feature are the two strips of MOLLE attachment points on the lid of the flap. I keep my SAR Eclipse Signal tags on one of mine. A great accessory point right there. A pull tab on the lid-flap makes for easy access and also as a lanyard attachment point for dummy-cords. The pouch attaches with twin-strips of the PALS/MOLLE system featured in all of the Platatac range. I love it, gives a sturdy, trouble free connection, in one piece. A drainage eyelet ensures it doesn't become a swimming pool.

Here it is lined up against the FUP, just to give it some perspective. I use mine as utility pouches whilst at Stargate LRP events, with one holding my compass and monocular, the other holding nitrile gloves, surgical mask and some administrative documents. I like the low-profile fit and the ease of which it provides access to my stowed gear. I have no doubt that if I were slinging steel, These pouches would serve their intended purpose admirably, they certainly suit my needs when pew-pew-pewing with laser-tag or NERF as they fit the NERF clip system clips too...

Review: Fiskars Log Splitter

When disaster strikes, sometimes it's the basic things that are the most important. Freedom to move is one of those. I frequently travel up into the Dandenong Ranges so visit, collect and return my 3yo daughter, Triceratops Girl. The way is heavily forested, mountainous and prone to storms and heavy rainfall, as well as bushfires. I've had to clear fallen trees from my path on more than one occasion, which is one of the reasons I keep my favorite camping axe in the back of the car. I picked this piece up at a hardware store a number of years ago, after seeing the advertisements where a tractor is pictured sitting on the handle, lent over a log.

Between seeing that, and hefting it in the shop, I was all but sold. If it's something I can trust the Finns with, it's chopping wood. And Vodka. Which may have led to the parking of the tractor on the axe in the first place. The proof, they say, is in the pudding and here is what I can tell you. The hollow haft is made of a lightweight and extremely hard wearing fiberglass material called "FiberComp". This puts almost all the weight in the head, where you want it. It's flexible enough to take the shock of some serious and extensive chopping and splitting, and still sturdy enough to DO all that work. The hook in the handle ensures a positive grip and the haft is well textured for both a good swinging action and also keeping a solid positive grip. as well as having a lanyard hole for added safety.

The head is where the action is. Firstly, the head is molded into the haft, and in all the years I have had it it's never given the slightest hint of budging. The entire head is coated with a non-stick substance called PTFE (Teflon is DuPont's name for it...)which according to Fiskars reduces the friction of blade strike and withdrawal by 25%. Most important to my way of thought however is the blade geometry, which is really special. The convex cross-section acts not only to enure a deep bite, but also provides a wide bevel to force logs open, Star Destroyer style! The convex shape helps keep it from being wedged into its cut. The steel has been drop forged, doubled hardened. What this means for you and I is that it holds a very keen edge and is easy to maintain. There are a couple of dings, from loaning it to lesser humans, who chopped wood onto gravel. I've worked most of the damage out with my diamond files.  So dumb I couldn't even get angry. Just took it away from them, and let them forage for firewood from then on.


I've taken this with me on every camping trip since having it, and over Easter last year, chopped enough red-gum to cook for 10 people for 6 days with it. I bent the ring I was wearing, gave myself a little blister and needed -one- resharpening. A very fine effort. The locking case not only holds the very sharp edge safely, but I have also used it to affix the axe to my hip, either lashing it to my belt, or by feeding my gorgeous little camping-knife in its sheath through the handle like a big button. As you can see, from the wear on the handle and head, I've gotten a lot of use from this axe, and plan to get a lot more.

It's one of the first items that comes to mind when someone mentions disaster preparedness, because its reliable, light, effective and extremely hardy. Fallen trees, barricades, firewood, encroaching Triffid hoards, this axe and I will go a long way to making ready!

Review: EDC holster harness

I have a lot of "things" on my person. My EDC makes most of my friends balk. Simply the amount of keys I seem to have accumulated would put many high-school janitors to shame, it seems. Included here are the previously reviewed EDC keychain tools, my mighty but petite Surefire flashlight, and my formidable and functional Folding K.I.S.S. but also seen here are a few other items worth noting. Two "little" pens (I used to have a Fisher Space Pen but its sleek little body slipped a pocket and was lost, years ago). A hank of fast-rope that was originally venetian-blind cord, a tiny box of Crumpler matches, a lonely looking ear-plug (woops) and my foxy Poken RFID based business card. Also on my -second- keychain, as well as a nautical grade Stainless steel carabiner, are my airport-safe nail-clippers, my VPN token and a USB stick I opened and embedded with paraffin to water and shock-proof. My wallet (with an accessory carabiner and dummy-cord) and a few hair-ties top off what would fill up my pockets on a daily basis, not including the iPhone I used to snap this pic.Where do I -put- all of this gear?

Here: A custom made holster-of-pockets that I had made by the very fine people of RemoteEquipment Repairs."Specialist Outdoor Adventure Gear Repairs"

I walked into their upstairs shop on day many years ago (perhaps as long ago as 10, because I had a dumb phone and a Palm V) and emptied my pockets, and the el-cheepo holster-of-pockets I had scored at a market somewhere and said "I need to fit all of this, under my arms, no hook-and-loop, big buckles and zippers, it needs to be rugged, black and adjustable." They delivered for a modest fee, a piece of kit that I now consider myself all but naked when not wearing. It features two internal pockets under the buckles, and a spacious zipperable pocket sufficient for passports, phones and the like. My sunglasses dangle in their case, which also contains my earbuds.

The nylon shows the wear of all-day-every-day use, but this has seen me right in every situation I have put it through. When I go to airports (after removing all the pointies) I unsling this, toss it through the X-ray, and wander on through. I've even decorated the front straps with badges and buttons, Jeans for Genes day, a poppy for Armistice Day, a Kodama sprite, a "boo-yah" button, and some words of wisdom from AFT's Jungle Recon and Army Ranger.

This holster has been a real boon to me, and lets me keep all my needfuls hands-free but on hand. When it finally goes to broken-gear heaven, I will give it a Viking funeral, but not before securing an even more rugged, modular and adjustable replacement.

Review: AUSCAM Raven Pack accessory bags.

Following on from my previous review of the outstanding 1993 design AUSCAM Raven Pack I wanted to give the accessory packs their own bandwidth.

Both types of pack are fitted with 50mm webbing clips, and are designed to be mounted to other packs, which i feel limits their over all usefulness. That said, having modular packs you can strip off and dump, or share around or even demount to stock or rummage through is a great idea.I'll break this little review into discussing each mini-pack separately, but should at least cover their shared features together. As well as having 50mm clips, on canvas webbing, both packs are made of waterproofed nylon, like the Raven main pack itself, and are fully decked out in the traditional "hearts and bunnies" AUSCAM. Narrower straps are of the same nylon tape that is ubiquitous to buckle fasteners everywhere.

The larger of the two types (of which there are two included with a full Raven kit-out) features 50mm clips at the top of the pack, as well as a carry handle about midway. The top-end clipping gives it a no-sag attachment and ensures that contents are less likely to spill when opened. The main closure is achieved with a substantial zipper, which is nicely situated under a lip to reduce water entry from rain and the like. Documentation included with the pack indicates that this side-bag has a capacity of 12L which makes it a substantial boost to your carrying capacity. There is no internal structure within the bag, but it has two sets of webbing loops dangling from the bottom which could be used for lashing. Interesting features include a 1 inch square flap of hook-and-loop which could be a cord or hydration tube retainer. Happy to have its true nature indicated, if anyone knows!

The second pack is the loaf-shaped bum-bag, which features a long and deep, but narrow 5L of storage, with three sets of 50mm webbing clips at the midline, and three Fastex buckles securing it closed. It seems a fairly exposed may to store things, so I can only presume it was meant for large hardy items, the included manual indicates that it was suitable for storing some kind of comms gear. I think it would be rain or cold-weather gear, if I were hiking with it. One Other thought I had was that this bag at least, could be affixed to a belt and worn like a huge MilSpec bum-bag, but again, its rather open closure system would limit the gear I stowed in it. Hammock, novel and hydration system for a palm tree lounge anyone?

So, with these two types of accessory pack described, how do they sit and fit on the main Raven pack? When I received it, the 3-clip 5L loaf-pack was affixed low down on the back on the Raven, where the webbing matches exactly the clip configuration on the little pack. The twin day-packs had more options for where to clip them, being 2-clips, but I think keeping the center of mass low is always a good idea in a pack,

All told, this looks be a a great system for lugging loads of gear. No frills, sturdy construction and all Australian MilSpec fittings. Rugged gear for rugged country.

Review: Paracord

Whats that you say? A review of paracord? That's like a review of "water", or "shoes". Or is it? There's a lot to be said for something so ubiquitous. As I've said before, I like having cord on hand and there is nothing better than having cord that you can depend on. So, here are some of the reasons paracord is so useful. Originally used for the suspension line in WW2 parachutes, the cord has come to find a place of pride in any well equipped kit. Also known as "550 cord" because it is nominally rated to have a breaking load of 550lbs (or about 250kg) That's a phenomenal load for a 4mm cord! There are 6 classes of paracord according to US MilSpec and its generally the Class III that is referred to when "paracord" is mentioned.

The cord is made of an outer densely woven sheath of nylon which covers 7 to 9 inner yarns, each themselves made of 2 or 3 threads, also nylon. This makes the whole cord both smooth and somewhat elastic. Being woven nylon, when cut the ends fray if not melted or crimped.  I have a little blowtorch and knife dedicated for cutting and sealing mine. The inner yarns can be removed to leave the sheath for use or vise versa, using the inner yarns, or "guts" as commonly known. Being nylon, the cord is resistant to mold or mildew, doesn't take up water readily and is long wearing. I have some as a bracelet closure on a crocodile hide band, which I've worn 24/7, wet, dry, hot or cold for several years now. It comes in a rainbow of colours; from black, coyote, OD through to "safety orange", my preferred choice for taking to the clubs. Great under UV!

Paracord is a really useful piece of gear to have on you, and there are a number of ways to keep a bunch of it on hand. One simple way is to feed a hank of it through some spare loops of MOLLE, if you happen to have that kind of attachment on hand. I always keep a hank or two in mine, along with  that other mainstay of "keeping things tied up", zip-ties.

It can also be woven into a variety of patterns, such as the chain sinnet on my grappling hook cord or the Portuguese Sinnet or Cobra Weave on my belt-lanyard,  and I really have to put in a word for Stormdrane here, who's amazingly clear blog and Instructables not only inspired me to look more into making my own gear, but making it elegant as well such as the "survival bracelet" I also wear. Lashing poles, tying down tarps, securing luggage, padding contact points. There are so many options. I've previously shown two different ways to add a paracord wrap to the handle of a knife or other tool but here is another. It's on one of my machete-type fantasy swords, which I re-handled this twisted wrap. Its a twin set, and by alternating the sides, it lays flat together, and puts the twisted ridge of the handle against my curled fingers.

Whether you are putting up an emergency shelter or throwing a lead line over a high branch to drop a log on an invisible alien hunter who can see your claymore mines, paracord is a must have in your supplies!