Review: Platatac Nomad Daypack

I've been searching for a replacement for my venerable Crumpler Messenger Bag for some time now. Partly due to it's having taken a considerably soiling over the years, partly due to ergonomics and partly because I've been told I carry too much stuff. So I put the word out that I was looking for a daypack, basically, something I could carry my daily load to and from work. That basically means including my "emergency" EDC load, my lunch, my iPad and my note-folder. My good friend recently showed me his Maxpedition STIKA which is a great pack, but I also put my question to the guys at Platatac, and this is what they had for me: 
This is the Platatac Nomad their answer to my question. Firstly I was surprised that they stocked such a generic and every-man looking pack, but that in fact is part of the point of the Nomad. This is the pack you pack when you -don't- want to look like you are ready for anything. Almost every element of this pack screams "I'm just a backpack" but it is oh so much more. However, that's not to say that there is anything less than I have come to expect from a Platatac product. The shoulder straps are well padded and highly adjustable, both top and bottom. They come with a sternum strap that recesses into pockets  fitted in the outer of the straps when not in use. An adjustable waist strap also stows away in the bottom of the pack when not needed. The entire shoulder strap system is also detachable, and can be stored behind the top flap, under a zipperable compartment. A webbing handle on the side of the pack gives a brief-case like carry option, or the main handle at the top, which is padded and fills the hand nicely. A narrow band of hook-and-loop is unobtrusive but gives me some room for some fun.

The front of the pack offers three pocket options. The grey panel is an elastic pouch, good for water bottles and the like. Next up is a deep zippered pocket, fitted with a keychain retaining hook, and is sizable enough for me to put a book in, even if George R.R. Martin wrote it.The second zipperable pocket is the felt-lined glasses / goggles pocket. This is a great idea, and although I have left my spare specs in a case, I really appreciate the thought that was given to that kind of feature.

This leads us to the two large segments of this pack. I'll start with the "secondary" one. Under the felted glasses pocket, which hangs free, freeing up valuable real-estate on the inner side of the segment, are two mesh pockets. The upper of the two is zippered and the majority of my EDC lives in there. The second mesh pouch is larger,  elasticized, and carries my over-stuffed and soon-to-be-replaced First Aid Kit. This is as good a point as any to mention the construction of this pack. Again it features a 1000d Cordura outer, which is treated to repel rain, and features all taped and sealed inner seems, keeping your gear snug and dry. Both the large compartments feature lips over the zipper, to further shield the contents from water invasion.






The "inside" of the secondary compartment features several pen-pockets (one of which keeps my eating irons) and also a larger pocket for maps, a PDA, or what-have-you. A retention strap crosses the 55cm x 40cm compartment, allowing you to compress and secure bulky jackets and the like. I've used mine to secure my keiko-gi and hakama for kendo as well as spare clothes when I have spent the night away from home. A really clever feature. One thing I've found though, is that if I leave this compartment partially unzipped, the weight of the contents of the mesh pouches can drag the front of the pack open. Something to consider when it comes to packing and humping it places. Again, all of the features are no different to those I'd expect of any other well made backpack.

The main compartment is where the magic happens, however. The entire back panel is made up of PALS/MOLLE webbing, with 7 rows of 8 channels, there is a lot of real-estate for attaching internal pouches. I've installed one of my FUP pouches, for my bottle, and piggie-backed my paracord filled Crumpler Thirsty-Al pouch to that. Below that is my microfiber towel. This whole compartment can be expanded by unzipping an expansion panel giving you a lot more capacity (from 45L to 50L total) , but even then, there is more to this pack. True to their design aims of this pouch, which is to say, covert transport, this pack is designed to accommodate the HK-G36C and Short Barreled M4 Carbine variants, and can still accommodate larger barreled options with its hideaway extender sleeve. This sleeve zips shut on the bottom of the pack, and props the bottom out beaver-tail style to extend the length of the pack from 55 cm to quite the lengthy 75cm. The two attachment straps are included.

 Now, far be it from me to try to demonstrate this capacity in anything other than silly NERF style, as I did whilst demonstrating my 215Gear Sling, so here again is my Nerf Stampede which fits the bill nicely at 74cm long. Combined with the included straps,  I was able to stow my foam-spitter, unloaded, with no troubles whatsoever. Good to know before the next Humans vs Zombies Melbourne event comes along, but it also happens to fit my favourite piece of gardening equipment as well.


I'm very pleased with this pack, it's certainly a considerable upgrade on both utility and presentation on my old messenger bag, I think my only concern is that it is still quite large, and I will be tempted to load more into it, just because I can. Wearing a two-strap bag has already proven itself to help my back, regardless of the weight I haul, so that's a win right there.

Review: SAR Eclipse Signal System/Knife

 So, a while back I did a review on my very cool SAR Eclipse Signal System dog-tag which I have greatly enjoyed having in my kit. It features a 3M SOLAS ring for signalling at nighttime, a mirrored steel dog-tag to use as a heliograph for day-time signaling. The backing is a bent steel clip that allows you to clip the tool to your pocket, PALS/MOLLE, a shirt, or whatever.
I've really enjoyed having this tool, and took it with me on my recent trip to New Zealand, having had to leave most of my EDC behind but this stayed with me. But then there was this!


Talking with Spencer, he reminded me that he also makes a SESS with an extra feature: a 6LA4V titanium tag which comes equipped with a tungsten carbide reinforced cutting edge. This is the SAR SESS/with knife. I really like having an extra blade one me, preferably more than on, and I have long been known in my circle of friends to be the go-to guy when somebody needs a knife. With this in my collection, I have one more to add to the pool. The blade fits neatly between the mirrored heliograph and the clip tag at the back. A word of warning, the titanium blade is very keen on both the tip and leading edge, and no wasted space has been included in this tool. Be careful which slide you open it all up from, as this is a tool that means business! There is a well placed finger notch below the leading edge so you can guide the blade effectively.

Spencer, demoing the clips

That's how you do it, folks!

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!