Review: compass

For many years growing up, I would respond to a call of "Get lost!" with the smart-ass reply "I've got a compass", which as you might imagine always made me friends. However, it was true, and a compass has been part of my collection of kit for as long as I can remember. I probably had a Swiss Army Knife first, but a compass was right up there. When I lived in Calgary, and did "Outdoor Ed" at Dalhousie Junior High I picked up this Silva base plate compass, which has been with me since. We did orienteering and map reading, navigation and the like. No one ever really pays attention to those things at school, but some of it stuck with me, and I soaked that class up eagerly. Being evacuated from Dubai at the lead up to Desert Storm, fairly unnecessarily, it was fairly daunting for a young teenager to face the prospect of navigating the badlands and desert of the Arabian Peninsula without an adequate means of navigation. I was taught to drive the 4wd in the desert, in order to get away in case of invading Iraqi hordes, and was probably one of the key events in my desire for preparedness.  The lensatic compass came years later, a Christmas present.

  First the base-plate compass. The hard clear plastic base features three rulers, in mm and two in common map scales, for ease of estimating distances as well as a "direction of travel" indicator arrow to take bearings off. The fluid filled needle chamber is patterned on its base with a series of guide-lines, to assist with aligning to grid-lines om a map when relating true-north to magnetic north when taking readings. The bezel is stiff enough to not slip, but moves smoothly. Neither the magnetic needle or the numbers are luminescent but they are clear and easily viewed in dim lighting.

Here is my lensatic compass, it is a knock-off of a US Army M-1950 model and for what it is, is a pretty good tool.  One of the features of this kind of compass a powerful tool is that they are powerful means of taking a bearing on a distant point. It accomplishes this by means of a sighting wire, and a sighting notch, much like the iron-sights of a gun. You align the wire in the notch on a far away point, and you get a very accurate line to that point. The lens in the sighting armature which allows the user not only to see the measurements from the internal protractor without moving the sighting arms from the bearing, but also enable a much finer markings to be read, again increasing the accuracy of the reading.  Tips on how to do this can be found on the Lensatic Compass Guide or from old army manuals such as here easily enough.

Being a fairly cheap knock off, my lensatic compass lacks the a tritium dial or markings, but the four points of the compass are luminescent. The making lines and the bezel are functional enough, and there are 120 "notches" on the bezel, giving a 3 degree "click" for each turn. A second lens over the long line allows for close inspection of the bearing.

The one problem I have found after quite a few years of owning it is that the fluid in the chamber has leaked, and a large collection of bubbles have entered the chamber, and press down on the plastic disk of the protractor. This causes the needle to be pushed off line, with a real risk of erroneous readings. I'm going to try to repair this, but I'd say that this is the risk you take using cheap knock-off pieces of measurement equipment. Good to practice with, or dangle off my gear when I am doing Stargate lasertag LRP, but not something I would stake my life on in a survival situation. 

Get quality compasses. They needn't be expensive military grade pieces, as my Silva shows, but they need to work dependably.

Home front: tool building tools

When I made my 100th post, I posed the question: what would you like to see me review or discuss? Omega's dad, Des, replied with "something about the tools you need to make more tools". I am happy to admit, this isn't something I had previously given much thought to. The situation is this: in the event of a collapse of consumer infrastructure, (i.e. shops not being stocked, factories not running, distribution cut off) how do you go about acquiring tools needed to rebuild, when disaster strikes? What do you do when you need to fix something, and you don't have "the right tool"? You have to make one! Enter the realm of the smith.

I'm a hobbiest tinkerer, I have a small collection of power tools, like a saber saw, circular saw, drills, sander, grinder, a Dremel and the like, but in a disaster, electrical power isn't something you can count on. I also have a variety of mis-matched hand tools; saws, files, hammers, pliers and drivers. Could I fashion a new tool from my collection of tools? perhaps. I've often "made-do" with what I've got on hand, sometimes effectively, but usually such measures are only temporary and rarely last a few uses. However, in order to really -make- something, there is one key element I am missing. Fire.

This is a picture of a workshop in Kenya, which is like one of several I saw when traveling there (I didn't take this pic, credit to The Atlantic) but it's a great example. I've seen similar workshops in Gabon, Thailand, Egypt, Greece. The key is that with very few "modern" tools, and what is essentially "junk", many things can be made, repaired and re-purposed. In the event of a disaster that perhaps doesn't "knock us back to the stone age" but instead "knocks us back to 3rd-world conditions", this is the kind of setup that you could expect to need, and see cropping up wherever someone with the smithing skills and equipment can set up.

I came across an interesting link, to a post-apocalyptic blacksmith and if you can get past the dogma, he has some really insightful things to say about boot-strapping yourself back into the advanced-tool-use game. I know some people with better equipped tool-shed than I, and a couple of sword and armour smiths, I know where a historic railway workshop is. If I needed to have something built, those are where I would turn. In the mean time, it would be a case of rolling the Deathmobile through the barricaded doors of your local massive hardware warehouse.

Review: Lazy Patch Duvet Suit

Winter is Coming. I am really not fond of the cold. I have lived in Denver in the US, Surrey in the UK and Calgary in Canada, so I am no stranger to "proper" winters, with snow, sleet, black ice and exploding water pipe misery. That's one of the reasons I am so pleased to be living in Melbourne, all in all, we have very mild winters here. The temperature rarely drops below freezing. The weather is however, very changable and the butt of many jokes....

Either way, I dont enjoy being cold. I'm usually happy to put layers on, with a t-shirt, a vest, a polar fleese jumper like the ones I have reviewed, and the like, but there are times where I just want to rug up, sit at my computer and watch hilarious people hurt themselves whilst family records it for YouTube. Thats where the Lazy Patch Duvet Suit comes in perfectly. They also get called Doona Suits, but thats a cultural thing I think :)

I  got mine a few years ago, a gift after spotting them online, these are in fact made by a Melbourne based comapny, which pleased me to no end. What they are is a set of pants and jacket, made of fluffy doona material, with a cotton inner and outer laer, stuffed with 100% polyester. The great thing is that they are made as an "all over" outfit, being extra long in both wrist and ankle length, which is especially good for a long limbed critter such as myself, regular pajamas usually leave me with bare chilly skin.The Lazy Patch suit jacket also is cut long to ensure you have good coverage and no sneaky drafts stealing away your precious body heat. The jacket features a large pectoral pocket, and two good-sized hand pockets as well as a very high collar, giving you doona all the way up to the cheeks for that all-over body warm feeling.

The zipper on the jacket is double ended, so you can regulate your airflow, for when things start to warm up. The pants have a drawstring closure, which normally would perturb me as I don't have much in the way of hips, but tying them up , combined with the squishy nature of the doona-pants, have never given me pause to worry about loosing them. They also feature a set of pockets, which is great. Lazy Patch have recently started shipping their suits with a clip on hood to reduce the loss of heat from the head (but please note the old "75% of your heat loss is through your head" myth was busted). My suit pre-dates this however, so I can only guess at their awesomeness. They also make booties of the same material to complete the all-over body cocoon of warmth. Now, obviously, my suit is in Woodland Cam, but they offer a variety of other colours, mens/womens/kids cuts and the like. These aren't weatherproof, being cotton based but for those times when you are going to be cold but dry, they are really exceptional for keeping you warm, not weighed down with layers and layers. Purpose built to keep you snug, indoors. That said, I've taken these camping frequently, great for those nights around the campfire and the early morning dashes to the calls of nature.

They have a new product, an all encompassing suit they call the Pouch Suit. This looks a bit more rugged,
outdoors capable. I'd love to give one a try. However, till then, I will be spending more evenings in my Duvet Suit, trying to remember not to wander to the shops in it, more for the cammo than anything else.

So, come the storms, snow-drifts, blackouts, I'll be ready. And warm.

Review: Australian Army Butt Pack

I've reviewed a lot of modern packs and pouches, almost all of which I use regularly, or plan to in the event of an emergency. Cordura, nylons and all the modern trimmings. However, there is a lot to be said for the packs that were cutting edge or at least fit for purpose in yesteryear. These are the pieces of kit you find in op-shops, and in discount-barrels at Army Surplus and Disposal stores. This is one such piece. The OD Canvas Butt Pack one of several I have, from a variety of sources but here is the one that I use more often. The name comes from the position you wear this on your belt, right at the back, at the small of your back. Silly name, good pouch.

The heavy "government issue" 20 oz canvas pouch comes with a fold-over lid-flap that features a name-tag pocket as well as a carry handle. The lid-flap is secured by two metal fittings through which thick canvas pull-straps feed to give a easily fastened and openable lid. A series of riveted eyelids line one side of the lid, I'm uncertain what this is for, but i threaded a length of paracord through them. You never know. It also serves as an attachment point for other kit.



The back of the pouch features two sewn-in Alice keeper clips, another pair of canvas pull straps, which act as compression straps matching with another set of metal fittings found at the front of the pouch. A set of eyelets can be found at the top of the pouch, on a pair of reinforced canvas toggles. I've used these to fit a shoulder-strap to turn the belt-pouch into a slingable one. Useful if you have several of them, want to pass the contents from one person to another or any other reason to not have it physically attached to yourself, but still hands free. Simple really. The wide canvas belt around the pouch looks like standard 50mm webbing, and has a couple of extra loops for Alice keeper clips, and two extra wide loops for slinging other kit, one on each side of the pouch.



The inside of the pouch is really quite spacious, and I can fit two of the "3L dead people jars" in a pinch, with a little extra room, with measurements of 23cm x 21cm x 15cm (9" x 8.5" x 6") or around 7.5 L (2gal) giving you an idea of the capacity. Nothing to be sneezed at. The inside of the pouch is lined with plastic, making a pretty waterproof container. There aren't any drainage grommets and it doesn't seal shut, but is certainly dunkable and rain resistant. I expect it could act as an improvised bucket as needed. This may not be what you want after falling into a lake though.



One interesting feature is the large turtle-neck sleeve of the plastisised lining, which allows the user to fold and cover over the top of the pouch, before closing and securing the lid, to offer some water resistance. It also acts as a secondary means of securing your load, even when the lid-flap isn't fastened. I previously used this as part of my Stargate lasertag LRP kit as a dump bag, which I replaced with the Platatac gas-mask bag but I still take a couple of these with me, with shoulder slings attached. I also gave one to my step-daughter to use as a bug-out-bag when she expressed an interest, following Season 1 of Walking Dead.

These are great pouches for what they are, tough, dependable, and if you can find one in good condition, that hasn't been trashed by it's previous owner, I expect they will see you through pretty much anything you care to throw yourself into.

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.