Review: Pathopak ration pack

I've been lax these last few days, having had a bunch of family happening going on, a weekend of activities with Triceratops Girl, my Aunt from Colorado came across the Pacific to visit and have just been run off my feet. However, here we are. I wanted to show you one of the specific survival preparedness items that I have developed. I have used one of the DGP Pathopak's that I previously reviewed and stuffed it full of of food and drink that will be long lasting, sustaining and comforting. Combining with a cooking and/or mess-set and some cool cutlery puts food in the table (or patch of blasted earth) which is very important for health and morale.

The 2L Pathopak has room for a regular sized can on top of a squat, "man-sized" meal-in-a-can can and whilst a tight fit, still seals shut. I rigged one of the numerous conference lanyards to be a sling and carry handle. This one is just a hand-stiched prototype, and not quite up to bartack stitching but have been able to test its load bearing ability pretty well running about carrying it by its handle. The content is quite variable, this iteration holds a tall can of fruit, and a tortellini bolognese meal-in-a-can.  Supplementing this is a packet of ready-to-eat rice. two powdered orange drinks and three sachets of powdered chai latte mix.

The contents of this tub are in no way meant to represent a full and nutritionally balanced diet, but there is sufficient food in there for several meals, with both hot and cold drink options. The canned food can be eaten cold, as can the rice, and the beverages can likewise be drunk cold, but most would be improved by cooking. Obviously, a good supply of potable water is essential in a survival situation, but having this kind of kit prepared, in such a way that I can throw a few into the car as needed, along with the rest of my kit, is a real boon. I figure I could load 10 or so up and have them ready to grab and go easily enough. They stack, and could be made up like an MRE to have a variety of menus. Good for camping, I think that will be my primary use for them, which gives me a opportunity to test the mix of contents, and see what needs changing, swapping or adding.

 

Pictures and movies: demos

I had a reader ask for pictures of my gear in-use. Till now I've mostly done static shots on a desk. What things from my collection would you like to see being worn, wielded or wave?

I'll take some footage ASAP ....

Review: 215 Gear Sling

Here is another piece of rugged kit that I have gotten very attached to over the last little while. For the Stargate Lasertag LRP that I do, I had the option of slinging my tagger with laptop bag straps and cable ties, or get something deigned to do the job. This is the 215Gear Ultimate Single Point Sling . This is a heavy duty, made of MilSpec materials, from the inch-wide tube-webbing, and the heavy adjuster buckle (which also has a lanyard hole fitted to act as a draw-pull), down to the heavily shock-corded ends which lead to another of the very impressive Cobra-buckles I covered in the Riggers-Belt I reviewed previously.

The other end of the Cobra-buckle is another piece of webbing, with a loop of paracord, which is offered as a means of attachment to your platform of choice.  The combination of webbing and paracord is billed as assisting in eliminating metal-on-metal noise. What I like about this is that it is possible to detach your slung load, which is always a boon when the chance to sit, rest or pass it on to someone else comes along, but with the cord loop, it is possible to rapidly swap the buckle to a -different- load withiut the need for any tools or adjustment. If it has a lanyard loop, it can be slung with 215Gears sling.

I think this is a pretty cool piece of kit for anyone who is out and about in adventure-land and needs to have something at-hand, which at the same time they can go hands-free with in a moments notice, and back again, with the springiness of shock-cord to get it where you need it at a moments notice, and the durability and survivability of the heavy nylon webbing to give you rock-solid support.

Great addition to my gear, all around.

[edit] I was asked to do a vid-review, so you could see this in action, so, here goes....

Review: OtterBox Utility Latch

Here is a piece of kit that came to my attention following a comment by one of my readers after my review of my iPhone case . Up till then, my iPad has been naked tech, no case, cover or guard. It still lives in my CSI folder which in turn lives in my messenger bag but doesn't do anything for it when I'm -using- it. So here is what I have added to give me some more security and functionality. This is the OtterBox Utility Series Latch . The basic idea is that four elastic loops attached to a nylon webbing backing hoop over the four corners of the device. A loop of nylon tape gives an attachment point for the included S-clip.


That however is just the beginning, that nylon backing is a platform for a variety of very clever accessories. The webbing itself features a wide handstrap with removable padding that can either be gripped or slip over you knife-hand style. Because the central webbing is square, and the elastic loops are all equal, the device can be held portrait or landscape, as best suits your needs. Each corner of the webbing hosts a plastic tag with an eyelet, through which I have fed a length of shock-cord, purely as an extra place to secure any documents I get handed in meetings I don't take my CSI folder to.
Those tags are designed to take the accessory baggie that comes with the Latch, which is itself billed as a "angled stand" and performs this task well, with twin S-clips to again give portrait or landscape proppage, but I found it to be awkward to carry around with this in place, and have relegated it to my messenger bag, for when I need it. The included accessories are pretty cool in and of themselves. A rain-cover made of elastic hemmed waterproofed rip-stop. I'm not sure how useful this will be in a big wet, but for times when I am without a bag to store my device in, or when I know I will be in and out of a drizzle, or something.

The narrow shoulder strap will let me go hands free in a slinging fashion, should I desire, or offer me a platform to write on if i balance one edge of my device on my belt buckle. Seeing as I can type one handed on my iPad, and use the big S-clip to secure it to my holster-harness or riggers-belt I haven't had much use for this either. The wide elastic belt, however, I am very much looking forwards to using. It affixes through the main-body webbing, where the yellow nylon can be seen in the top picture, and becomes either a thigh-strap (for pilots, drivers, or boring meeting Angry Birds players) OR it can be fitted to the back of a car seat head-rest, for running back-seat movies and games for little people amusement. A very cool feature, with a lot of potential. The buckle end is sturdy, and the hook-and-loop fixture is long enough to fit a variety of legs I think.

Whilst I cant say this is a ruggedising or especially protective piece of kit, and I have had a couple of occasions where the elastic loops have slipped, and lost full grip on my device, which was a bit scary, I like how well it fits my grip, allowing me a much more natural tap-tap-tapping stance, without having to white-knuckle as I wander about reading my ITS Tactical App or browsing for more toys. A relaxed body responds to change much faster than a rigid one. One thing it does do to protect my device, is that the elastic loops act as spaces for me screen, padding and buffering its contact with whatever I put it down on. No more gran of sand scratches!.

Review: Multitools

I did a quick poll at work to see who had a multitool, and if so, what they carried. Bearing in mind I'm now working of of the ICT department of a specialist hospital, here is what we came up with. Out of 14 people, we have 5 multitools in total. I in fact carry two, but we'll get to that. In my straw poll, we determined that there were two of the lightweight Leatherman Kicks one of the Leatherman PST Original tools and my two, a broken Bucktool 360 and a 5th Gen Gerber Multitool (which I have had all kinds of trouble finding a reference for).

I'm going to do a flying review of each of these, to give an idea of the range of features I have to work with around here in case of zombie apocalypse whilst I'm at work (or if the power goes out).



The Leatherman Wave has a very lightweight feel to it, as I mentioned above, and features only a single drop-point blade, wide and narrow flat-head screwdrivers, a can opener, a lanyard loop and a half-wide Phillips head driver. Needle nose pliers with a wire cutter make up the pointy end. A nice feature is the polycarbonate grip liner, which softens the edges of the notoriously bitey Leatherman fold-out handle. The half-wide Phillips head allows the attachment of the Removable Bit Driver accessory) which is cool, if you have one. Inch and cm rulers along the handles are great. However, I didn't think there was enough "tool" to this one and I was dubious of its hardiness.





Next up was the Leatherman PST Original. The PST includes the same drop-point blade, wide and narrow flat-head screwdrivers, a can opener, as the Wave, but also features a small flathead (small enough for fixing glasses) and a rounder Phillips head driver on a nice long haft. It also features a hefty double sided file, which is an awesome addition to any multitool in my opinion. No Lanyard loop means you can't dummy-cord it, but I'm sure you, good reader, wouldn't need that as often as I do ... Again, needle nose pliers with a wire cutter make up the pointy end. Leatherman's "fold out" style exposes the users hand to the backs of tools, and the edge of the frame whilst using the pliers. I guess I have soft hands, as I don't like this.




Onto the Gerber: This was a hand-me-down gift from a very dear friend with whom I was staying after I had an unfortunate turn of events. Amongst other things I had broken my multitool (see below) and he was kind enough to pass on his spare. I love the Gerber design. Instead of the "fold out" of the previous two, the needle nose pliers and wire cutter pointy end is accessed by a click and release "flick-out" style. This leaves the users hand protected from the internal tools whilst using the pliers or cutters. It also opens with a bad-ass "schnickt!" when flicked hard. Yes, it's sad that that impresses me, but it does. it also locks the pliers into their active position. Tool compliment is similar to the PST, with a drop-point blade, wide and narrow flat-head screwdrivers, a can opener, and a small Phillips head driver and a double sided file. It also features a hefty lanyard loop, which I have a split ring fitted to (and is generally carabinered to a long cobra-weave paracord cord. The can-opener features a small flathead at its tip, which puts it back on par with the PST. It also however, features a serrated sheepsfoot blade, which I greatly appreciate. perfect for slipping under straps and webbing and cutting without the worry of stabbing the contents. I like having this option. Yes, I seem to have chipped the tip of the drop-point. It may have something to do with why the tool is now dummy-corded. Again, see below.

Lastly is my old and abused Bucktool. This tool features a unique double-swivel opening method, which does a few things. It allows the user to pick which side of the internal tools they want to access, (a feature the Gerber lacks) but leaves the contoured hand-holds outwards when any of the tools are extended. This leaves the user with a problem however, if you twist your wrist in the same direction as the hinges swivel, the tool tries to fold itself up. Annoying when struggling with a bolt, I can assure you. All the internal tools are lockable, with a press-button release. The sides of the handles have icons indicating which tools feature, which include; on one side three different flatheads of differing width and a drop-point blade which includes a third of the blade being serrated. The other side are two half-wide Phillips heads and a can opener, and another of those serrated sheepsfoot blades I'm fond of. The needle nose pliers and wire cutters at the pointy end show however, what years of abuse can do to your tool. At some point I can not even recall, one side of my pliers snapped off. I simply opened them up one day and one side was missing. Luckily for me, my awesome friend had a spare on hand, and I relegated the broken-winged Buck to my CSI folder (or did when I added that to my collection).

Multitools. They are awesome, have many features, unique drawbacks and advantages. Know your tool, know your needs. Most of all, don't use your expensive multitool as a hammer or a pry-bar if they aren't designed to! That way leads to embarrassing looking broken tools.

Review: Petzl Shunt

Following on from my post yesterday on the Ascension rope ascending device which I use to go up ropes whilst strapped into my climbing harness or for hauling things as part of a pulley system along with the gear in my in-car bug-out-bag I thought I would tell you a little bit about another piece of cool climbing tech that I acquired to give me some safety and utility whist getting into tall places, out of deep holes and spanning chasms. So, here we go: this is the Petzl Shunt rope clamp. Another piece of excellent engineering from these people, it's frame is made from machined aluminium, and the internal smooth, sprung cam is likewise aluminium.This means the whole piece only comes in at 188g, for those conscious of how much gear they are hauling. The Shunt is designed to be either a one or two rope device, but Petzl make no bones about the safety precautions around this. it will take a 10-11mm single rope, or 8-11mm double rope.The ropes must be the same diameter, and either be a loop of the same rope, or a single strand. Hooking onto two different ropes is highly discouraged in their safety guide. They also recommend that a figure-8 ring is applied above the Shunt by  double carabiner-ended quickdraw webbing, giving you a two-stage system.

 So, here's how it works. Rope is fed into the device by pulling the sprung "tongue" out of the body, and into its almininium shell such that the tongue will be facing "in" towards the wearer. The "tongue" can then be released and will snap closed. A carabiner is then fitted through the large hole, and attached directly to your harness in most instances. When a load is applied to the carabiner, the rounded cams bite down onto the rope, pinching it and providing a hands-free stoppage on the rope. I use 11mm static rope, as I generally use it as a fixed line and not as a free-climbing top-roping safety line type deal. Petzl tell us that the Shunt will hold a static load of 3Kn (which apparently equates to 305kg(force)) on a single rope and 7.5kn (760kg(force)) on a double strand of 11mm rope before slipping.

In dynamic situations, it fares worse, with a 60-70cm slippage at 3-3.5kN on a single 11mm rope and a potentially unstopped slip at 1-8kN under testing conditions of a 2m, Fall Factor 1 drop for a me-sized 80kg accroding to Petzl. Sobering, but remember, this is a locking ascension device, rather than a dedicated fall-arrester, it is designed to slide up a rope, then hold you before the next slide up. That said, in the event of a slip and drop, it will take the weight , pulling the cam tight against the rope and doing its job to the best of its ability, as long as you just LET GO and let it, Likewise, it will NOT work if the "tongue" is impeded by your body, a wall, or anything else, it must be free to pull down to work. This has a cool feature in reverse, though, in that it will allow you to descend in a controlled fashion by squeezing the body of the Shunt towards you, releasing some of the tension of your load on the "tongue" and the rope will slip through. Letting go again will halt your descent. Again, combined with a figure-8 this allows secure, controlled movement on a rope. I also use mine in combination with my Ascension rope ascending device. (Shh, don't tell Petzl)

There is a small hole in the back of the "tongue" that I have attached a dummy-cord through, because, let me tell you, the springs in this are snappy, and I have had the misfortune of it "sproinging" out of my hands as I was getting ready to fit it to a rope. Fortunately for me this happened whilst I was testing the unit and familiarising myself with its use, rather than dangling from the sky somewhere. Better for me, better for whoever might be below me. Again, this is a really useful piece of kit, not without limitations, as the manufacturer very diligently points out in their manuals (PSA: read them, pay attention and familiarise yourself with all climbing kit before putting yourself or those around you at risk). I've had a lot of fun with this, without yet dropping out of a high-hide like Ian Malcolm.

Review: Petzl Ascension

I thought I would return to some of my adventurous kit, rather than the more military style gear for a little while. I've always been a scrambler, and a climber. Getting into high places and up tall things has been lifelong past-time. When I started to get into wall-climbing, and saw the cool kit available, I started expanding my collection of tools to get me up and down safely. I've already covered my climbing harness One such tool I've added to my armory is the Petzl Ascension which is a spectacular piece of engineering.The frame is made of a hard-anodised aluminium, which are colour coded for left and right handed use (the off-hand version looks exactly the same, but flipped.

It features a chrome-plated steel cam with bitey teeth with a nylon catch and a rubber over-molded plastic grip. It will take anywhere from an single 8mm rope all the way up to a 13mm, and the design of the cam includes a vent to self-clean muddy or icy ropes. For those who have never seen or used one of these, the idea is simple. with the rope fed into the bitey-cam's jaw, the sping-loaded cam is pressed against the rope, but due to the angles used, doesn't bite down when the rope is pull (or pushed) from top to bottom. It bites down when weight is applied bottom to top.



What this means is that when you are going "up" the rope, it moves freely, but doesn't move backwards. A safe method for ascension! Better still, the clever folks at Petzl have included a variety of attachment methods, to make this a very versatile tool. A small hole in the base facilitates a lanyard or foot-sling, (which -massively- improves the efficiency of my ascents, I've found). The main hole at the bottom connects to your harness in regular ascents, but between this, and the double set at the top, this piece can act as part of a self-belaying system or a hauling system, in conjunction with other similar tools.

This is not the kind of tool everyone will need or want, and does take some adjustment to not only use efficiently and safely but I've found that for hauling gear, or scooting myself up a fixed line, I couldn't ask for a cooler piece of kit. Its mountain-rugged, and hardy enough to take a 4-6kN fall, depending on the thickness of the rope you are using, and be sure to follow the Safety guide instructions as it has some limitations, especially with regards proper attachment and positioning. A very good piece of kit to have for multipurpose climbing utility!