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!

Review: Dead On - Annihilator superhammer

A very happy surprise was another birthday present I received from a good friend who knows my proclivities, something I in fact tried to find for myself but had alas been unable to find for myself. So, last week I was handed A Dead On - Annihilator Superhammer as fearsome a smasher as I could hope for in such a package.

This is a 35cm (14"), 800g (28oz) piece of forged steel. Tools adorn it top and bottom. The split head is made up of a solid and 1" square striking face, which features a Dead On® bottle opener at its chin. Good for those post-wrecking but pre-zombie smashing bottle of Nuka Cola (because you don't want to open bottles that are going to go in your mouth to have infected brain matter contaminated chunks stuck to the lip ...). The flip side of the striking face is Nail Puller/Tile Ripper which is a strong chisel edged tool-face, curved slightly to assist in slipping under and levering up what ever you are prying up.

Between the striking face and the "Nail Puller" the "Board Straightener" sits ready to grip and twist. The two sets of teeth are just over 4cm (1 5/8") and just under 3cm (1 1/8") in width, respectively, which is reported to fit standard board sizes (I don't actually know what this means). Below the chisel edged Nail Puller/Tile Ripper lies the frightfully formed Demolition Axe, which curves down almost to the edge of the rubberised grip. This is not a shaving-sharp axe, rather that the steel of the haft is formed to a triangular ridge to an angle of around 45 degrees to the full width of the haft. This leaves a very hardy working edge, and is intended for drywall, thin wooden structures, shingles and conduit. The middle of the curve is notched with what appears to be a wire-stripper, but could also be used as a nail-puller as well. Here you can see the Annihilator in it's current home, which is wedged in the middle of the Bullock Echo daypack and the Bravo hydration Pack combo which I reviewed recently. It fits in the mid-channel of double-wide PALS/MOLLE quite nicely, and nestles nicely behind the main drag-handle, without protruding out the bottom.At just over an inch in width, it is too wide to slot into PALS/MOLLE on it own.

The tail of the tool features several other interesting combination tools. The tip is a rugged ridged point, which could be used for penetration, or scoring as needed. Within the tip is the "Multi Purpose Wrench/Nail Puller", which as suggested includes a hex-bolt socket, and a wide feeding nail puller. The manufacturers suggest using the wrench for releasing concrete forms and other general uses and the tip for smashing, cracking and chipping away at tile, brick or other things deemed "to go away".

So, I felt it was a good idea to put the Annihilator up against the mighty Stanley Fatmax Fubar to give a good comparison. Let me first say I haven't yet done any real smashing with the Annihilator, just waved it around and banged a few posts and bricks. However, at 800g vs 1300g it already comes up significantly leaner. You can see in the side-by-side pictures that it is thinner and narrower. If a slighter tool is what you are after, this is it.

I noticed a slight bend to the left in my Annihilator, I cant tell if this is a design feature or a flaw, but it was certainly of little concern. The Annihilator lacks the curved pry-bar end of the Fubar, but it has the curved Nail Puller/Tile Ripper at the back of the head,  and has a number of other features built in that the Fubar lacks.

I plan to leave my Fubar in my in-car bug-out-bag, but will be sorely tempted to keep the Annihilator in my every-day bag. I am also strongly considering commissioning a kydex holster for it, so I can lash it to my other PALS/MOLLE kit. This is an awesome piece of kit. Who's up for a "lets smash things" video-blog?

Find one on Amazon here:

Home Front: Grocery Run

So, taking a pause from the usual tactical/hardcore kit, and looking more to the preparedness side of disaster preparedness, rather than response. I've discussed stocking up on supplies before, at least to the extent that we do it here, which is to say keeping the pantry stocked well enough to weather the slings and arrows of misfortune, at least for long enough to regroup and make other plans.

A little while ago I stumbled across an online shopping site called Grocery Run which offers a variety of discounted products, with different deals every day. They tend to do CostCo-like bundles of products, in two's or three's, and allow multiple orders of items too (although usually capped). A flat shipping rate will see an order straight to your door.

The items listed are always canned, or dry goods, no fresh produce is offered, but that's just fine for the kinds of things that we want to use this service for.

Staples, household items and the like, a brilliant way to stock up on items, far cheaper than to go to a major supermarket chain, delivered to your door. We've placed a couple or orders now, and have been very satisfied with the quality and condition of the goods we're received.

I was worried they would be all at "end of life" or "dented and broken" to come at the prices offered, but thus far none of what we've gotten have been in any way store-quality. I can only assume they are over-runs.We saw almost exactly the same stock on the shelves at the NQR shop we went to last week.

Sometimes being able to stock up is more a matter of being able to afford to do so, and the cheaper you can find your produce, the better prepared you can be.

Probably the best part about this particular method of shopping for us is that they take PayPal, which means we could convert our online credit for actual food!

Sneak Preview: upcoming reviews

I was a very lucky birthday Coyote and scored the full suite of KA-BAR Zombie Killer fixed blades, which I will be reviewing as soon as I've given them a good solid trial.

Early thoughts: hefty!