Review: Arc'teryx climbing harness

I've been a rock-climber, off and on, for almost 20 years, in the indoor-wall sense, but have been a boulderer and a scrambler for my whole life. If there is a tree I want to be up it. If there is a cliff-face, I want to go down it. If there is a second story patio, well, you can fill in the rest ... Whilst I was at uni, with my first real job giving me a taste of financial independence, I saw a piece of kit that has been with me since then, and has literally been a life-saver. This is my climbing harness, by Arc'teryx.
Like a lot of my gear, it seems that this particular model has been superseded but don't let that daunt you, it doesn't bother me.

Lets have a look at what goes into a climbing harness. There are three main components; a reinforced padded waist-belt, leg loops and a connecting loop. The waist-belt is sometimes called a "swami-belt" and in this case, features a wide padded belt, which is surrounded by a webbing band, stitched heavily, and buckles to one side of the middle. Like a Riggers Belt, it has a wide loop sewn into it, through which the connecting loop is found. A series of plasicised loops around the back and sides act as attachment points for accessories. The leg-loops have retention tapes that attached to the beck of the belt and in this case, another heavy webbing loop is found at the back.

The leg-loops are similar to the waist-belt, in that they are padded and reinforced, and feature a tear-drop shape, rather than a full circle, as in climbing when your body's weight is supported by these three belts, cutting off blood supply, or restricting movement is a real hazard. The leg-loops run up, through the connecting loop and form a continuous belt supporting both your legs. I think I may have outgrown this particular harness, as whilst it still does up securely, the padding no longer quite meets in the middle as it did when I was a gaunt student and I have filled out into my more mature body. I'm still confident in its ability to do what I need it to, but I think if i get back into regular climbing, I'll need to find myself a new harness.

I will however be looking at the new Arc'teryx range to furnish myself with, as this is a belt I have put to the test, and bounced back to tell the tale. At the very least, it will remain in my preparedness kit, along with rope, carabiners and a figure 8 descender, for times when I need to get up there, get down there, or stay right where I am. Few things give me as much sense of security as well made climbing gear when my life is on the line. Literally.

Home Front: Conditioning

There is a lot to be said for having a pile of kit and tactical gear, stored supplies and a kick-ass armour plated deathmobile, but having the physical and mental wherewithal to make it through a disaster is a different proposition. What can be done for this beforehand? Well, let's think about that.

Mental preparedness is more about being aware of the situation you are in, the situations you are likely to be in, and the situations that whilst unlikely, are possible. Once you have these three things present, if not clear, in your mind, it should be possible to do something about how you will weather them physically, as well as mentally.

Let's consider some of these ideas. If we just limit ourselves to weather, so as to avoid some twisty political discussions, we can model some of these situations.

So,
Likely: heavy storms, hail, heat, snow
Infrequent: hurricane, blizzards, forest fires,
Extremely unlikely: tsunami, volcano, earthquake, catastrophic storms or fires

Obviously, this is a pretty simplistic list, and the chances of these things affecting you are different depending where you live. I live in Melbourne Australia and as such am pretty earthquake safe (although we have had Some news making 4.0 tremors a few years ago). Likewise, if it snows here it also makes national news. We did however have massive catastrophic fires a few years back. So, you need to adjust your thinking to cover your surrounds, and places you go to visit, and the means you use to get there. I'm sure the recent running-aground and capsizing of a cruise ship off Italy hasn't escaped anyone's notice.

What do you do to prepare yourself for these occurrences? How do you condition yourself to face them? Well, for the likely events, things that you face seasonally, it can be as simple as packing and dressing appropriately, with "layering" in the fine old tradition of "put another layer on/take a layer off and stop complaining". At the same time, I also pack a poncho in my messenger-bag but one could just as conveniently carry an umbrella such as the one I previously put on my Wish-Lust list. A hat, scarf of bandana tucked away, or some gloves can make all the difference between a pleasant day and a miserable one. I tend to wear pants that I can roll up into shorts, and vest (partly to cover up my holster-harness, but also because they are good for modulating my core-body temperature).

How do you plan for the infrequent events? Being aware, and knowledgeable plays an immense part. We have Bushfire Preparedness system in Victoria (which were sorely tested over Black Saturday, but still an excellent resource). Conditioning your self to expect them, and being able to act appropriately is something that only you can do, but is a key element to your ability to "adapt, innovate and overcome" to any situation you may be faced with. This is the philosophy I take whenever I leave the house, and when I close up for the night. Does that make me a survivalist nut? I don't think so, and frankly, I don't care. The difference between having a couple of bottles of water, sunscreen, a blanket and some lights in the car and not, is the difference between a ruined, painful and miserable outing and an adventure!

The biggest and scariest events, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, catastrophic fires and storms are all things that whilst you can plan for, and prepare for, are also the kinds of events that break plans. So your options are to condition yourself so they don't break YOU. What do I do? I do things that are hard. Maybe not hard for you, but hard for me. I sustained an injury last year which precluded me from my regular kendo training for a number of months, but with physio I'm back at it. I train at least once a week at that. I have gotten back into rollerblading as a part of that physio too,

Both these were much more mental obstacles than physical ones, but it was a matter of regaining the courage to face not only my declined fitness, the prospect of pain and degraded proficiency. Getting through that was a matter of will. Perhaps even more do was signing up for the Tough Mudder endurance obstacle course which is coming up and will be a real challenge, both physically and mentally. I'm doing it with a bunch of folks from work, the Funk-a-Mentals, and we're getting into training in earnest. Here's a log of one of our runs, which whilst perhaps not very impressive, is more continuous running than I've ever done before, being more a scrambler than a runner.

Tan at EveryTrail


What I am doing, is running in the kinds of clothes I wear everyday. Cargo shirts, boots and a t-shirt. One of he guys asked why I was running in boots. I told him that that's what I wore all day every day, and that if it was good enough for the Army (and all the Forces) it was good enough for me too.

So, whether you are ready or an invasion or heading into volcano territory. Being both physically ready to cope, and mentally toughened to face what comes, it's up to you and you alone.

Review: DMT Sharpening Stones

I've always been fond of sharpening things. For as long as I can remember I have used steels, stones, files and on occasion strops to sharpen and hone kitchen knives, swords, axes, saws. Anything with a blade, really. And some things without, like hard-drive platters (which don't hold a good edge, btw ). Some 15 years ago, a friend of mine at the time introduced me to the DMT range of stones and I have never looked back.  What makes these special is that they feature a metal based, precision made flat surface which is embedded with a continuous layer of micronized monocrystalline diamonds bonded to the sharpening face, in what they call a "polka-dot" pattern. The polka-dots give the ground off metal somewhere to go, so it doesn't build up and change the height of the grinding surface.

 The sharpeners come in a variety of grits, for different levels of use, which are colour-coded for easy identification. The ones I have are BLUE (Coarse to quickly sharpen a neglected edge: 325 mesh, 45 micron) and a combination dual-sided one which is RED/GREEN Fine (to put a keen edge on a maintained tool: 600 mesh, 25 micron) on one side and Extra fine (to sharpen to a razor edge:1200 mesh, 9 micron.) Each different grade thus has its own use and can be used in order, to either restore a dulled and dinged blade, all the way up to sushi sharp slicing either dry, or with water. No oil needed.

They even make a tapered tool for sharpening serrated blades, which I've also used to work chipped glass down to a safe rounded edge.  Cleaning is just a matter of washing under water, I use some dishwashing detergent from time to time to clear the filings from the surface. I've never found any dishing, and the performance has never diminished in my opinion.

All three of these tools have proven their use to me (and a number of friends household blades when I have visited and been "that awkward guy in the kitchen at parties"). These sharpeners live in my messenger bag and are always hungry for dull blades!

A sharp knife is a safe knife, I've always been told, and with these guys, I can share the love. 

Review: Patches, Patches, Patches

Patches, Patches? we don't need no stinking patches! or so you might recall if you're as fond of misquoting movies as I am. That said, there's a lot to be said for patches. Growing up in Houston, I was the luckiest 4yo around when all my clothes had Apollo, Gemini, Mercury and Space Shuttle patches sewn to them. A long hiatus came till I was involved in Warhammer 40,000 and other Sci-Fi and acquired a few to put down the spine of my great-coat. Getting into the Stargate LRP, and other military based roleplay, I had opportunity to start collecting some more, and recalled my great love of them. Here's a sample of those I've collected recently. First up, the Patch Set #1 from Action Figure Therapy. I can't begin to say how funny these guys are. They're majestic, man! I've posted previously about wearing these on my CSI Folder and MEOP pouch

Next up are this set from the hard-bodied climbers and trackers of Triple Aught Design I've done a little climbing and trail blazing, and really appreciate their ethos. They also have an awesome sense of style. The big Praetorian shield with its climbing axe and gladius was a must-have, and as a big Conan-fanboy I needed the "A symbol. Perhaps on a shield.Two snakes, coming together.Facing each other..." patch. Figured it would well suit Stargate as well. I have a big affinity for our canine friends, especially the tenacious coyote, so paw prints and Dog&X-bones glowing rubber Ranger Eyes were also needful. The Spartan molon labe, "come, take them" crest is both fannish and inspirational. The plain disk is just the 6.5cm AFT patch backing, for scale.


Next up are a couple of Stargate SGC patches which are another fannish addition, and make the costuming for the Lasertag LRP that I do that little bit more authentic feeling. As I've seen these, at conventions and at comic and merchandise stores, I've snapped them up, so now I have a garrison and subdued version to hump around in the bush with. Interestingly, the "bright" version is backed with an iron-on plastic backing (which I will be fixing to more hook-and-loop hooks shortly) so I can chop-and-change to suit the costuming needs.


I needed some proper military issue type badges for my outfit, and after some shopping around, I found that the folks over at US Patriot Tactical had a great system for putting together what you need. Nametapes, rank and service branch, skill tabs and a lot of units as well. I wrote the character I run with in Stargate LRP up as a MSG, formerly of the 10th Mountain. I'm also bucking for a promotion, in-game ... I lived in Denver as a very small boy, have family and friends there now (completely independently, it's just nice up there) but was also home to Camp Hale a training center for the 10th in WW2. .
 Between my climbing, and living in Denver and Clagary, Canada after evacuation from the Persian Gulf in 1991, I have an affinity with that kind of thing. Anyways. US Patriot Tactical were a good source for the patches I needed, although they keep their stocks to current-cam standards, and I'm running US Woodland in-keeping with the Stargate show.  I also picked up some corresponding subdued-met rank pips, to go the whole hog. With the way shipping to Australia goes, it's always better for me to buy a whole bunch of things, especially of they are little, or shipping costs out-strip the cost of the items.
That's what you get living on a large, isolated and tectonically and biologically stable landmass.

The last items I'll cover here today are the nametapes I have, which are in my Stargate LRP character's name, rather than mine (although I do have my father's Viet-Nam era BDU blouse with -his- name and unit patches on it). Nametapes are awesome, and for anyone who tends to go backpacking, hiking or travel with packs on planes, I heartily recommend getting some made up and putting on your gear for easy ID in lines, piles and at the luggage carrousel.

It would be totally remiss of me to leave out my beloved Zombie Hunter patch from MilSpecMonkey. Tactical Baby and I wear this on her baby-carrier but it has had pride of place on my CSI folder, and on my arm at costume events like the Melbourne Zombie Shuffle  I love The Monkey's work, and look to add a few more to my collection, shipping being the biggest hurdle, so I have to wait till there are a -bunch- of things I want to get, and include some patches along with it.

Patches are great. Identification, unity and morale can all be boosted with a well placed and recognized symbol. Not to mention a great way to patch the holes on the knees of Tactical Baby's pants when she starts running about ....

Review: Platatac Drop Gas Mask Bag

A while back I lucked out and snagged a special deal at my favourite supplier, and got a swag of pouches in one bundle which was an excellent chance for me to get a range of different accessories in one fell swoop. These included the 60 Round Mk II Pouch, a MOLLE Radio Pouch, the FUP and a MEOP Medic Pouch, both of which I have previously reviewed. It included a twin-mag Steyr pouch in Tan, rather than my preferred khaki. The good people at Platatac swapped it out for a replacement, because that's the kind of ace thing they do. The combo-deal also pictured a pistol holster, which didn't make it to me, but, as I don't have much use for one, and the deal was already so good, I counted my blessings. They always do right by me and I didn't see a need to make a fuss. I'm sure if I had, they would have sorted it right out. However! Last item in the combo was something a little different. Here is the Platatac Drop Gas Mask Bag which adds a certain bad-assery all of its own.

At my place of work, I have managed some OH&S concerns, and have been a Warden. As a result, I have had need to become familiar with the 3M 6000 series full-face gasmask, and the Formaldehyde/organic vapour cartridges that go with it. It's never a good thing when you have to break these out, but its good to have them, and know they work. I'm strongly considering a set for home, for the "making" I do. We do a fair bit of cutting and grinding ... Look at all that waffle, for not actually any discussion of what I'm reviewing! Gives you an idea of how seriously I take PPE. So, without further ado, here we go. This a a very lightweight bag, differing from the other stiff Cordura 1000D of the other pouches I've covered before, but is still one of the Cordura Tactical Nylons although I am unsure what it's denier rating is


The stitching is of the same high quality, as are the fittings. The main pouch is closed with a heavy Fastex buckle and webbing, giving quick access whilst a secure closure. The side pocket is hook-and-loop closed, and will fit an extra filter. Always a good option. The main pouch is spacious and is designed to fit the Avon S10 (ADF issue mask) which leaves ample room for my needs, as up till now I've used it as a dump-pouch, a purpose it fulfills admirably. A drainage grommet in the bottom stops it from becoming a bucket in the event of a dunking.  I did a quick check and the 3M full face-masks do fit in the pouch, but only of the cartridges are detached. Both cartridges will fit in the side pocket, easily. and there is room in the pouch for a couple more, due to the shape of the pack and the pouch. I'd call that a win.. It also fits one of my "dead-people jars" perfectly. Always good to know, for sample collection, supply storage or any other heavy-duty sealable carriage I need.
The back view shows the PALS/MOLLE strips, which gives a very solid five-loop attachment if required. Other attachment options are a hook-and-loop sandwich strip along the top edge, for attachment to the bottom of a rig such as the MAC This is a really cool feature, but not one that I currently employ. The last attachment option is a buckle for feeding webbing through, whether as belt carriage or to fit it to a drop-leg rig. I actually wear it on the bottom of the back of my MAC rig . I've done a lot of rock climbing over the years, so I am used to wearing a pouch low off the small of my back, and with my longer-than-human arms, I don't have any trouble reaching back to either grab things out of it, or dropping things into the pouch. Like a big chalk-bag for a gas-mask. Even though the material is lighter than the rest of the Platatac line, I have no doubt of its durability or ability to carry what I need to with it. Its a matter of picking the right tool for the right job.

If I ever feel the need for respiratory protection, I'll be putting what I get, into one of these, that's for sure. It's the right design and suits the purpose exactly. Until then, I have a great, lightweight tail-bag  for my LRP needs.

Review: Sea to Summit - Alpha cutlery set

Having to "rough it" shouldn't mean having to tear at semi-raw food with your bare hands (satisfying as it can be). I was lucky enough to be the recipient of some new eating tools for Giftmas this year. Here's what I received: These are the Alpha Set cutlery from Sea to Summit and a more gorgeous set of metal to stick in my mouth I have not seem for a long while. The set includes a stand alone fork, spoon and serrated knife, connected through holes in the ends by the supplied carabiner. I've been caught out with my packed lunch, or in fact picnic having not thought to pack cutlery, or in fact the staff-room fork-goblins having visited again.


A set of these stashed in my bag would render any such disappearance moot. I really like the smooth lines and delightful feel of them in the hand. Made from hard-anodized ultra-light & very strong 7075-T6 aircraft aluminium alloy, they weigh only 37g and have a smooth, satin finish. Holes perforated through the handles add to their stiffness whilst reducing their mass, and this is further expanded but a fuller that runs through the middle of each utensil. The most exciting part however is that the ends of each utensil features a different size hex wrench (3 mm, 4 mm & 5 mm). Multifunction eating tools? Yes please! Being aluminium, I wouldn't be putting these to hard, frequent use but simply them being there, and thus, in my EDC, means I have another set of tools at my disposal should the need arise. Which it does, with recurring frequency. I like that the utensils take a break from the knife-spork utensil as seen in the Light My Fire meal-kit, which whilst serves a great function in minimalist design, can make for messy lunchtimes. The knife is serrated with a series of comb-like notches cut into it, and I'm curious as to how good a cutting edge this will give the aluminium blade.

 A full set of grown-up sized cutlery adds a certain amount of comfort in a desperate situation. Anyone caught with a broken plastic KFC fork and spoon from the bottom of the glove-box will know what I'm talking about. That said, I will not be giving up my titanium "battle-spoon" spork by SnowPeak which has been a feature of my CSI folder for some time now, and whilst I have been able to eat most everything with it (up to and including steak), so I look forwards to being able to do so using both hands at once with my new set, and I'll be interested to see how they compare. Dual wielding spoons, anyone?

Possum, dandelion and turnip stew again as you shelter in the ruins of what used to be a mall? Best have something decent to eat it with, and these are light, tough and portable enough to keep on you no matter what happens in your life!

Review: Bates Delta 8 boots

I've worn boots almost every day since I was at uni and out of school-uniforms, in 1994. If I'm not in boots, I'm barefoot, unless I have a real need to wear shoes (like driving, at which time I'll throw on some sandals. However, day in, day out, boots. I've had my share of GP's and steel-caps, giant goth boots and sheepskins. However, I tend to wear them to death. To my shame I infrequently polish them, but I do try to at least maintain them, doing waterproofing and the like. Here is my current set, and I think, my favorite yet. These are the Bates Delta 8 Gore-Tex Sidezip Boots and I'd like to tell you a thing or two about them.

Firstly, for a 6" boot, I find they are light at 1.6kg (3.7lbs) and well balanced. They are leather, "ballistic nylon" and Gore-Tex construction in the "uppers" which is both breathable and tough, and the soles are made from Vibram® Mutant rubber. Zipper closures on the instep make for speedy fitting, but I must admit, unless I'm going to a meeting,or know I'm about to so some serious trecking, I leave them unzipped to breathe and give me some more freedom whilst I'm sitting or strolling. The soles are hard wearing and grippy, whilst not being an aggressive cleat you can see that they have collected some crud from feedings the chookens this morning. The uppers are cemented onto the soles, rather than stitched, but have given me no sign of decaying as yet.I replaced the shoestrings with paracord, because you never know when you might need some. The leather upper continues up asa fold behind the zipper to keep the entirety of the height of the boot waterproof.

The interesting part of these boots however is the removable insole. I have dodgy Achilles tendons, and require a bit of bracing, which these offer in a unique way. The whole sturdy fitted insole comes with two gel-padded regions, one on the ball, and another at the heel. The ball-pad is nothing special, other than being bonded directly into the insole, so it sits in the right place, all the time, without slipping and sliding like some after-market pads I've had in the past. The heel end is where things get interesting. This is the iCS® technology adjustable heel .

What it does is allows the wearer to customise the firmness of the heel padding, by rotating the blue gel disk, the crenelations of which vary around its circumference according to the labels, letting you adjust the fit, both for firmness, and also for lateral movement. I love this. I've been able to adjust my boots to suit where my physio has been at, and maintain a level of protection for my ankles that other boots have failed at in the past. These are pitched as Police boots, and I would think that they are well suited.

I think I've finally found my brand for boots, so much so that I bought a second set of Bates boots. Hardy, great fitting, good protection for my feets and not clunky. Look out summer storms and abandoned fortification locked-doors everywhere. I have me some good kickers on!