Review: 5.11 Tactical Kilts

I love it when I get my wish-lusts fulfilled,  but I am so glad when its not just me, but the hordes of fans who get theirs too ... From what was originally a "April's Fools" joke, back in 2011,  with a VERY limited run (less than 100, if accounts are to be believed), the uproar from fans led CEO of 5.11 Tactical, Mr Tom Davin to take the cries to heart, and a full production run was initiated.

These are the 5.11 Tacical TDU Kilts  in Tan, OD, Black and Multicam and managed to secure in a pre-order, from 5.11 Tactical Australia.

I've really enjoyed adding more kilts to my collection over the last few years, along with my collection of UtiliKilts and my formal tartan kilt, as well as others, they are an important part of my identity.

The question is just how apt are they for a survival situation? It all comes down to the "form and function" ratio.  I'll go into that in a bit, first, here's what makes up the 5.11 TDU kilt.

 Firstly, they are made to mirror the TDU pants as closely as possible, with pocket placement, (including the cargo pockets) for "consistency of training". I have several sets of 5.11 pants, the Stryke and the TacLite Pro pants and I can say that I like the consistency, even between different designs and cuts. 

The TDU kilt is made of the same 65% Polyester, 35% Teflon treated ripstop cotton as the TacLite Pro pants, with four snap-closures on each side of the front panel. Double and triple stitching throughout ensures rugged and reliable wear.

Brass D-loops for sporran attachment are awesome, and I have worn my CAOS Admin pouch as one, for full Tacti-cool Effect.

Always a welcome addition to a kilt, the front slant pockets featured reinforced edges to protect against knife, pen or light clip abrasion.

The front belt loop includes additional badge holder loops, the loops themselves are wide enough to accommodate up to a 1 3/4" belt. Ive had no trouble with any of my belts; but tend to go with either the made-to-match 5.11 TDU belts, my shiny PM Leather hobble belts, or the always dependable 215 Gear Ultimate Rigger belt.

The side cargo pockets are also press-snapped on, and removable, and swappable, with hook-and-loop closures. Inside each pocket, are either two or three internal pockets, to fit two 30 round AR magazines or three pistol magazines, the pockets can be switched from one side to the other to fit your need.  A gap has been left in the lid-flap to accommodate feeling items through, in this case, I have used my Benchmade SOCP CQB dagger-trainer to demonstrate .


An internal press-snap gives an additional modesty protector, as well and ensuing you get more cover for your activities. There has been a long military history of the kilt, formally ending during WW2, and the recent revival in "tactical-wear" is only a reflection of that, however, I have worn mine in some pretty arduous conditions, and can attest that they offer considerable freedom of movement, are not all that cold in inclement weather, and cooling in hot weather.

I have climbed, run, crawled and jumped in mine, as well as wearing them to work on a regular basis. Much like my collection of "cargo pants" these offer me a means to carry my EDC, some rugged daily-wear and have some individuality to boot. Thanks Mr Davin!

Review: Platatac GBH-R hat

Since getting myself a tandem AquaYak, we've been getting out on the Bay a lot more, and I wanted to get myself some sun-protection for under my bump-helmet.

My dad had kept his US GI Boonie hat when he left Viet Nam, and I swiped it, but it seems as I've grown both up and out, and it's too tight to really be comfortable these days. I'm guessing his short-back-and-sides gave him a bit more room than my ponytail does, too.

I'd seen the Platatac GBH and GBH-R and thought it was time that I updated my cover. (1968 boonie on right, for scale and reference.)

I went in and after some back and forth to get the right fit, I settled on the GBH-R (which has a narrower brim).

This is a feature packed hat. Hats have features, you ask? Yes indeed. so, apart from the obvious; fit and cover, which the GBH-R provides with a circular stitched brim to add stiffness, it also features a sew-in cord chin-strap, with a traditional leather cord-lock (I remember teething on my dads). Inside, a mesh lining with hidden vents adds heat dissipation and wicking to keep hot heads cool.

I chose the pre-dirty looking ATACS-AU for mine, which is made of the windproof Nyco ripstop (the Multicam version is 100% Crye cotton ripstop). You can see it here up against my Multicam First Strike Snatch Bag  which shows off the subtle patterns of the ATACS-AU, this is my first piece of this particular camo scheme and it is "street capable", in that it doesn't particularly -look- like camouflage, in the way Multicam or Auscam DPCU does.

The GBH-R also features a hidden internal shock cord retention around the brim, with cord-k at the rear to adjust tightness. 

There are a very robust set of branch-loops around the side band, which are bartacked onto the hat, and these are both well spaces and generous enough to stuff a variety of items, be they local foliage, spares, or even lures.  I plan on rolling a coil of paracord around mine, following Stormdrane's fine examples. 

Lastly, the GBH-R features a 35mm x 35mm loop field on the crown for IFF patches and badges. I have a glow in the dark patch on mine currently, helping me find it in the dark of a tent overnight, or the bottom of a kit bag. 

I tend to wear mine "sides up" with the chin-strap acting as a retention loop. The hat has stretched to fit nicely, especially helped by some hot weather tree-cutting I did, getting good and sweaty, which also proved the quick cooling and drying properties of the Nyco ripstop. The other thing I like is that the whole hat is fabric, meaning it is both lightweight and crushable; when not being worn it can be mashed into a pocket, or into a pack, then pulled out, flipped open and it's ready to wear. 

Update: United Cutlery M48 Walking Axe

I have some bad news, rugged and prepared readers. I took my UC M48 Walking Axe camping with me last weekend, along with my M48 Ranger Hawk tomahawk  and my Fiskars log splitter.

We were cooking and heating by firewood for six adults and four under 10's. This meant a bunch of chopping and we were lucky enough that recent storms had necessitated the Rangers chainsaw a couple of trunks. The Fiskars splitter broke the logs up and we used the three axes to break them up into workable pieces and kindling.

The Walking Axe performed really well, light and fast, and soon out performed the Fiskars when it came to the lighter pieces.


When I got the Walking Axe home to do some maintenance I was dismayed to find that the main spar of the head had developed a serious crack. On one side the steel had even spalled.

It seems the chopping and splitting was too harsh for this design. It's possible that this particular piece had a flaw in its metal, but given the placement, it looked like design flaw to me.

I was really disappointed by this, mostly because of how well the axe had performed in both firewood chopping, but also branch-clearing.

There is still a fair amount of metal holding the head in place, so it is still functional, but how long till a spectacular failure occurs, I just don't know. I will not be staking my life on it, that's for sure.

Still, it did good work, and I was glad to have given it a thorough workout. It will still sit by the door in the umbrella stand / home defense artillery shell, ready to fend off fallen branches.

Review: MuzzleShots

I've been unwell recently, mostly I think, due to a bout of bad water I had when I went camping last weekend. If only I had unpacked and used my LifeStraw ... As a result I've been slow on the content here. Remember folks, bad water and associated disease account for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALY global burden of disease, and cause about 1.8 million human deaths annually. The World Health Organization estimates that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene.


Which is why I thoroughly endorse  fermentation and distillation of alcohols for drinking and disinfection purposes! Contrary to popular uni-student-household myth, shot glasses are not indestructible,  so I asked myself, what was the most rugged way to drink my fortified beverages, and carry with me on my gear?

The grey, anodized aluminum MuzzleShot shot glass styled after the M16 A2 flash hider was the perfect addition to my collection of both shot glasses, AND tacti-cool kit. They are rugged, with smooth lines.

They even fit in my Platatac 40mm grenade pouches which gives me an extra tacticool-option for deploying them.

With a 44ml (1.5oz) capacity, these are bigger than the standard drink measure in Australia, but for recreational use, I don't think anyone will mind too much (drink responsibly). Flameproof
and slamproof we're talking serious drinking hardware here.

The anodizing is food-grade, but it is not recommended that these be run through a dishwasher.  I really like them, especially their design, texture and heft. This is a "glass" that will be with you a very long time!

If you need something bigger for your beverage, there is always the BattleMug ....

Click the picture to go to ThinkGeek's store

Wish Lust reminder: Ergonomic Shovel

Hey all, just a heads up, if you were thinking about pledging for one of Stephen's modular ergonomic shovels with the cool adjustable mini-gun grip, you've got only 12 hours to place a pledge on his Kickstarter.

Go here for more details. Stephen tells me that the Shovel will be 100% USA made, for all you Berry Compliance people out there.

Wish Lust: Bosse Tools - Ergonomic Shovel

I like me a good shovel, and I've had a few in the past (and have killed several) and when Stephen Walden of Bosse Tools got in touch with me to see if I were interested in his design which he is pitching on Kickstarter I was intrigued.

His design features a couple of interesting elements, which lend themselves to a disaster recovery and preparation mindset (As well as the everyday urban homesteader). 

Just looking at it you see the very obvious addition of a ringed handle in the middle of the shaft.  This plastic molded and fitted ring features a geared and locking system for rotating and adjusting the hand-hold, to maximize the ergonomics, customization and efficiency of your grip and use of the shovel, as Stephen puts it "you can do your job in one single motion - dig, scoop, and pitch - all in one".


The second aspect of the shovel which caught my eye was the u-shaped foothold, which lets you drive a boot down on the center line of the tool, rather than off to either side (as with a regular shovel). I've dented my shins often enough digging in my little veggie patch when digging to really have an interest in that feature, if nothing else. Admittedly, I cleared the turf for that patch with my e-tool , and I'd be weighing up its design andmaterials for melee combat much as I might for the Crovel on my Wish-Lust list but its a very innovative design, and if you are in the market for some fancy digging tools, I think this would be definitely worth a look. Get in quick, as the Kickstarter is ending soon.

Sneak Peak: terminatorised Nuko Tool ACDT

No fate but what Norman makes.