Home Front: My Precious!

Photo yoinked from my Aunts Facebook page of the view she had

I have family in Colorado Springs who were threatened by the recent fires there and being way over this side of the planet, there was bugger all I could physically do to help, except offer some advice based on my experiences in the Black Saturday Fires. They didn't really have a lot of preparation time, and the fires were fairly unusual, where as here we have a "Bushfire Season"  so all I could do was give them some strategy to escape and avoid, and what to pack when they did.  My Aunt and her husband are no fools, neither is my Uncle, and I had no intention of teaching any of them to suck eggs, but this is kind of my schtick.

 
I recommended my Aunt pack 72 hours of clothes, food and supplies for her pets (if she was taking them), water, as well as extra fuel, her important documents, maps and phone chargers. Being what they were, fires are something you can "go back home, after" even if there isn't much left of home. Once everything is burnt, it won't burn a second time, which sets these events apart from floods or other natural disasters, which leave an area wrecked AND dangerous for a while after the event. Once they were clear of the fire-danger, life would have gone on nicely, and society carries on. You can buy nappies, pet food, and more clothes. Hotels are still open, Credit Cards and online banking still works.

 It reminded me though, of the need to know where all my own precious things were, in the event of a "bug-out, your home is about to go away" emergency. I know I have some difficult to re-obtain documentation: my passports (yes, 2), my weapons collectors permits, divorce papers, financial settlement papers, birth certificates for myself and my daughters. Fortunately, these are in a file that can pretty easily be grabbed and stuffed. It then occurred to me, as it did when preparing to evacuate from the Black Saturday Fires (and to some extent, from my home in Dubai in the lead up to Desert Storm) "What precious things would I hate to loose if all of this was destroyed?". This was not a "society ending" or "head for the hills" evacuation and survival decision, more a "this house may be gone tomorrow, take what you love" one. The list was something like this: my family heirloom American Civil War sword from Gettysburg, our external HDD farm, which holds a lot of our combined music and many of my photos, and my crocheted Godzilla, who's been with me since I was a toddler. Everything else could burn, and be replaced, or is already part of my EDC and/or bug-out loadout.

What about you?

Review: Platatac/Gerber branded cap

Ok, here's a quick one, to keep you interested, and keep me in practice.

This is a promotional item that came with a deal when I purchased my Gerber Strap Cutter and I must say, it's pretty cool. Ok, so it's just a cap, there isn't all that much to it. Yet, there are a couple of things still to say. As well as being well made and solidly put together, with a nice fit on my hairy head, and a good bill-geometry, the front of the cap features a hook-and-look loop field which has Gerber branded embroidery directly sewn through it into the body of the cap. Great for morale patches, or in fact, attaching laser-tag sensors for when I go Stargate lasertag LRPing. Along the sides of the cap, in subdued colours are the Playtpus Outdoors  and Platatac logos and an Australian (and/or New Zealand) flag on the back. All beautifully embroidered. The cap itself is a darker green than their usual khaki, but still a nice shade, I thought.

So, why does a hat matter? Several reasons spring to mind. Head covers reduce your exposure, to the elements, be they sun, snow or rain, and also to unfriendly eyes. Shiny foreheads, bright flowing locks, distinctive faces and the like can give your away at times where not being seen is an advantage, get in the way or just let the sun rain or dust get in your face when you need to be "eyes-on".

I always pack a hat, it's a little thought of element of your EDC, serves a variety of functions and rarely draws unwanted attention.

Review: LazerBrite magnetic tail cap

I was fortunate to win a Single-Mode LazerBrite recently, the MultiLux version of which I reviewed a while back, but shipping my booty over from the US wasn't especially economical, by itself that is. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to add to my collection of kit and exciting modularity, I threw one of their Micro-Magnet tail caps into my order. I already have the tail cap loops, for attaching lanyards to the LazerBrites, and reviewed one of their "Tactical Pouches" which included an iris tube accessory.


Each of the lights comes with one of the glow-dome caps, so adding a Micro-Magnet cap just added a level of versatility to my load-out. So, what makes up the Micro-Magnet tailcap?

A 17mm (10/16") diameter neodymium alloy magnet is glued into the base of a screw threaded tail-cap, which mates withe the base-plate of the LaserBrite head. The magnet is reported to have a holding power equivalent to 5 lbs when attached to 1/4" plate steel, but with all magnets, actual results may vary. I took mine and fitted it to just the head-and-dome and let it dangle off the steel frame of my desk, which is did happily, and firmly, and as a more stringent test, I placed a full LazerBrite horizontally, then seeing how rigidly it held, daisy-chained a second tube to the end, forming a light-baton. This also held up really well. I have used this to stick to the side of my car, as well as doors and wall-fittings whilst working in awkward spots, and figure it could also provide a means of dangling a light from inside a tent with the addition of a washer or the like.

This is a cool addition to my kit, and gives me additional attachment methods for my lights, which whilst not quite up to being a giant Throwie, could easily be used as a marker to track, trace or illuminate an unfriendly neighborhood killdozer

Review: HyTest Metatarsal Guard Boot

It's been a while since I've covered some purely hard-core survival gear, rather than militaristic or camping gear, so I have dug out my zombie-kickin' boots. I found these at a St Vincent's Second hand shop, by chance, and was immediately smitten. These hefty boots are made by the HyTest boot company, a division of Wolverine World Wide who specialise in safety footwear, for industry and trade. Their range covers mining, electrical, foundry and all manner of hard tasks for hard people. I had never seen them until coming across them in that thrift shop, but I'm dead impressed.

What makes them so special? well, they have a well shaped steel cap toe, which meets a variety of safety standards, which is pretty cool.   I've not been a frequent wearer of steel-caps, except the occasion I had to join a paleontology dig one summer, which gave me a taste for smashing chunks off the planet with sledgehammers (I avoided the jack-hammers).


A good steel-cap boot will save your toes from pillow sized rocks falling on them, but they wont protect the rest of your foot. Pity, because thats how your toes attach to your leg. That is where boots like these come in. On top pf the steel-cap, lies a hard polycarbonate metatarsal plate, extending all the way up to the top of the ankle. Bolted to the toe and looped through the top laces, this neoprene backed plate armours the top of your foot from all manner of crushing and penetrating risks.

I frequently employ these when I do a lot of wood chopping (having bounced an axe off my boots more than once) and also when I do any serious smashing. They also feature a very aggressive tread which is reported to be oil, water, abrasion, chemical and slip resistant. The outers themselves are waterproof, with sealed seams, and are electrical hazard protected. Perfect for live-wire house-clearing situations or zapping giant rat-Satan monster in flooded London.

These boons come at a cost though, each boot weighs 1150g (2 1/2 lbs) so you probably wont want to go swimming with them, and running a marathon wouldn't be fun. That said, they are very well padded, and comfortable to wear day-in and day-out. I am quite happy to swap them for my other day-to-day boots on occasion, when I feel the need for a change, and clean enough to take to work.

These are bad-assed boots, good for bug-stomping, door-kicking and smashing "anything that has more than two legs"

Review: Hill People Gear - Runner Bag

So, once in a while, I manage to make one of my "wish-lusts" come true. Such was the case with the Hill People Gear Runner pack.


I got in touch with Evan Hill, of Hill People Gear, because after my Wish-Lust review, I saw that they had a single photo of a bag in khaki, my preferred colour, where as the rest of their range seemed to be "coyote", "foliage", "Ranger Green" and MultiCam. Evan let me know that the khaki one was a prototype, and that apparently khaki gets a bum-rap at the moment, but that he would cut me a deal. A deal I jumped at, and a couple of weeks later.... my very own Runner Pack arrived in the mail!


I've been wanting to give it a thorough try-out, but have been struck with a nasty respiratory infection of late, and combined with my previously damaged ankle, has not given me much incentive to go running. What to do? I took it to Comic Con Oz, of course!

Without wanting to re-hash the content of my previous post about what its made of (500d Cordura) or how its all put together (well) I thought I'd just run you through my load-out, and how it handled.


Firstly, it was really comfortable to wear! I swapped out of my EDC holster harness some bare essentials: my wallet, my iPhone, my keys, and threw in a couple of extras, like my birthday Tactical Pen and my favourite personal grooming tool Because one never knows, Stan Lee might have wanted to look good for our signing and photo-op!


This left a little room for Tactical Baby snacks, and maps, tickets for the event, whilst not bulking up too much on my chest. I was curious to see if there was that feeling of compression that chest-rigs can give when laden, but I found no such dramas. 


With some quick on the spot adjustments I was able to go from riding high and tight, to dropping it to mid-thorax which gave really different access and feel to wearing the rig. OK for walking, but running I'd still wear it up high. One thing to note, I felt quite conspicuous wearing it. It really does look like a chest-rig of some kind. If I were adventuring, hiking, or running, I'd not have given it a second thought, but I couldn't help but feel slightly "half-dressed" in the cos-play crowd. Later that afternoon, I wore it slung sideways (pouch under my left arm), which looked a lot less "chest-rig" and a lot more "man-bag". Again, no real issue, and it felt great, but something to be aware of in polite company perhaps.

As I've said though, it wears like a dream. The mesh-back is soft, and breathes wonderfully. The padded back of the pouch was both soft and breathable as well. The zipper-pulls worked perfectly, although I think I need to practice the "quick-draw" of the back compartment, if I want to be able to get my comb out in a hurry... The front pockets held my wallet and phone snug and easily accessible, yet securely. The back compartment -almost- fits my iPad. I think i could probably jam it in there and man-handle the zippers closed, but not without risking popping stitches. A pity, but I doubt that Evan was thinking of how to carry his iPad around when he designed the pouch, he strikes me as more a M1911 kind of guy ... The shock-cord retention strap is brilliant, really held the bottom of the pack stable, without constricting my chest at all. A real bonus.

The only gripe I had at all was the edges of the very clever double sided Quick Clip the stabiliser shock-cord was mounted to the pack with (pictured here) were quite sharp, and jabbed me all day. A quick lick of a lighter to heat the thermo-plastic and a thumb pressed to the edges rounded off these offending edges to protect my delicate flower-like body. The Fastex clips, large and small were perfectly placed for ease of use and wear.

This is a really versatile pack, and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it when I get ready for next years Tough Mudder, or when I go adventuring, either on its current harness, or taking advantage of the forward-thinking modularity that Hill People Gear built in, and mounting it via those GrimLock clips, as there are loops top and bottom of the pack to accomodate those.

I'm really pleased with this addition to my collection, and look forwards to going running or rollerblading with my man-bag, now in khaki!

Review: EcoFuture - Organic Hand Cleanser

I've been in touch with a firm that produces a range of cleaning products, to both industrial and household, as well as food-grade standards, EcoFuture. I originally contacted them after hearing about a call for testers of products, as a part of my day-job. Hopefully I'll cover some of their other products at some stage, but here is one that I've had in my bag for a little while, and wanted to discuss, their Alcohol Free Organic Hand Cleanser

Being a molecular microbiologist by training, and a hospital microbiologist for a number of years for a living, before moving away from the messy and stinky labs, I have some pretty strong beliefs on cleaning and hygiene. I've been a very big supporter of the 70% ethanol and/or chlorohexadine to do my bug-blasting, (although regular old scrubbing with soap is tried and true). However, with the coming of first Triceratops Girl, then a year ago, Tactical Baby,  I realised that I could possibly go for something gentler on their delicate flesh than lab-standard skin and surface cleaners.

This is where EcoFuture's world-first, certified organic, alcohol free, vitamin based, hand cleanser comes in. Medically researched and laboratory proven* to be bactericidal (>99.999 reduction of organisms in between 15 seconds and 9 minutes) to a range of common pathogens, (such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria
monocytogenes, Enterocuccus faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptocuccus pyogenes and  Staphylococcus aureus) at a 0.5% concentration. The interesting thing about this is that it is assertion that the active ingredients are organically derived (I make the distinction between "organically farmed products" and "naturally produced organic compounds" in this if not all cases. The product notes indicate citrus-derived complex bioflavonoids, Vitamin K-12, Ubiquinol and it appears the principle antibacterial would be rosmarinic acid.

So, how well does it work? Well, I have been spraying my hands, and Tactical Baby's bum with it during nappy changes. She looks startled by the pump-spray, but does not mind the feeling, has suffered no rashes, soreness or discomfort from the spray, and we seem to have avoided any of the bacterial gastro woes that new-parents often fall victim to. Being alcohol free, it is gentle on the skin, a bonus for sore-baby-bums, hands, faces and the like. It's also not a fire-risk, for those of us that occasionally have a tendency to spray things  around open flames.

 The product is currently available in a 60ml pump spray (150 applications), which I have previously stashed in our Crumpler Hillman Hunter nappie bag, my Bullock Echo daypack or just left on Tactical Baby's staging area (read: nappy change table). Thus far, all looks good, and handy to have for the aftermath of those "aghhhh, no! baby-fistfull of poopy nappie!" moments, or other delicate unclean times you may encounter, where "stiff wire brush and Detol" isn't an option...


*they sent me both an MSDS and an analytical testing lab's reports

Review: Zazz LED tent pegs

Following up from a recent care-package from my friends at Zazz, I have a second piece of out-doorsy gadgetry to review for you. Zazz often have some pretty funky items, several of which I have reviewed in past, so when they asked if I'd like to see what they had coming up, I was only too happy to see. These tent pegs are an example of the kind of gadget they offer: What you have is a set of four polycarbonate tent pegs, with a X cross section for strength. Each peg comes with an intergral hook, as well as a lanyard hole, to give you several different tie-off options, as well as a somewhat reinforced hammering face, to drive the pegs into the ground. The most interesting feature of of the pegs however are the adjustable LED lights at the top end of each peg.





The LED is activated by twisting the top of the light, and produces a striking bright cone of illumination for its size. Two button batteries provide the power, but I don't have an data on how long each light would last. I suspect you would bet several sets of "dusk till bedtime" out of them. The lights are fitted with a snug swivel, such that they can be angled to project light in 90 degrees. The LED case is not waterproof, so you'll want to be aware of the risk of rainwater ingress.

When upright the LED illuminates the plastic body of the peg, casting a warm orange glow. The package seems to suggest that orange light "frustrates mosquitoes" which seems to be part of urban folklore.






Whether or not it repels mosquitoes, having a ground level LED spotlight lighting a path in front of my tent, angled back in to my vestibule so I can put my boots on or get at my supplies, or warmly marking my campsite seems like a good idea for the kinds of recreational camping that I do currently. I will welcome illuminated tent pegs on my next social camping trip for two reason: it will help me find my tent whilst staggering back from the firepit and they will dissuade other revelers from stumbling into my guy-ropes as they themselves are staggering back from the firepit.

Trailblazing without the blaze!