Review: CountyComm Dropline carabiner spool

A shipment of goodies arrived that some friends and I all got together for, and I picked up a few cool things. This is something I'd had my eye on for a while, and wanted to add to my EDC pile. I have carried lengths of cord both on my person, and in my bag for a long time now, there is something very comforting about having a bunch of paracord on hand.

The problem however, is how to stow it, and have it ready. Previously I have bundled up my lengths in hojojuitsu style, in neither hayanawa or “fast rope”, or torinawa ("capture-rope") type bundles. These are self-contained and feeding bundles, but are only practical for kind of short lengths, 8m being the typical length I use, but for longer, more utilitarian lengths, some other method is needed. Paracord often comes in 100' lengths and even that is a lot of cord to hump around.

However, my fellow blogger, and knot-maker of high repute, Stormdrane worked with CountyComm to come up with this, a highly functional spool, on a carabiner, in the form of their Drop-Line RLD. This is purported to hold 50' of paracord, or 100' of of 3/32 Tether cord (which is a thinner, "dummy-cord", not unlike the Australian "hootchie cord" for doing tie-downs of gear and as guy-ropes.)

The spool consists of a Omega-Pacific Standard Locking D carabiner which incidentally has a 31kN rating along its major axis, (and is the same brand as the Rappel Rings, I reviewed a while back) and the internal Delrin® wheel which is a rigid, low-friction polymer which in this case has a split down one side to fit it to the carabiner, and two notches, one on the inside, to attach the internal end of the cord, and one on the outer rim to lock down the loose end.

You can see I started off with the best of intentions in looping my 50' of cord, feeding smoothly and tightly from side to side until I reached the rim of the spool, with about 6' or cord left to go. I could have trimmed this off, but i wanted to see just how much I could fit whilst still being able to open and fit the carabiner. In the end, with a messy attempt at the zig-zag spooling, I managed to get all 50' onto the spool, AND was just able to open the gate wide enough to feed it onto PALS/MOLLE webbing, as seen here, nestled between my Half Med Kit and the FUP I use as a bottle holder on my pack.

I've wanted to get one of these for a while, mostly because of their simple utility, and elegant solution to a common problem, and now that I have one, I want more... Perhaps I can give that zig-zag another go ...

Review: Blackhawk! Engineered-Fit Shirt

Here's another great item made by Blackhawk, that the folks at LEGear sent my way. This innocuous looking shirt is in fact part of Blackhawk's "WarriorWear" Line, of engineered base-layers. I've reviewed other Blackhawk! gear before, in their knee-pad range, and I have some pants from them lined up to look at as well. You may recall that I have reviewed this kind of shirt once before, and I was pleased to be able to look at someone else's take on the design and application of technology.

Here we go: The WarriorWear Engineered-Fit shirt comes in V-neck or crew-neck, I chose crew, as I like having full closure, keeping all my cat-bell like jinglies tucked in. The shirt is actually made of three distinct regions, in two different fabrics. The torso and biceps are made of a very fine Jersey knit in 92% Nylon, 8% Spandex and the underarm strips, running mid-pectoral to mid-shoulder blade are of a 95% polyester, 5% Lycra mesh. This gives you considerable breathing through sweaty armpits, as well as being stretchy for unrestricted movement.

The seams are all extremely flat, almost inappreciably so, and better yet, are placed off the shoulders entirely, giving no pinch points for packs, harnesses or plate carriers loads to press and rub on. Being a long, tall and skinny critter, I don't have a lot of padding that I can shrug off that kind of thing with, so having the seams off my load-bearing areas was a welcome relief. The material is actually brushed on the inside, to give even better contact to the skin,as this is a wicking shirt, and designed to be held tight to the body, both to draw away moisture, but also to prevent agaisnt-the-skin friction from your load. It is also anti-microbially treated, to help prevent stinky goon syndrome.

I can attest to this, having worn it all day under my it at Manifest overnight, then all day at a kendo instructors course. Kendo is a very physical activity, under both heavy gi and armour. The material kept me dry, chaffing free, comfortable all day, and didn't smell! It's going in my running kit at work

It's important to note, that sizing is really important with these types of shirts. You need a skin-tight fit to gain the most from them. The Blackhawk range of Engineered-Fit body-sculpted shirts (in that they aren't just flat panels of fabric, but are "body-shaped") have specific measurements associated for their sizing. To move from their "Standard Fit" and full "Compression Fit" (for those who want that), all you need to do is move one "size" down. I got myself a "Large" but could have probably done better with a "Medium", as the length was more than adequate to cover my long torso, as you can see here as I demonstrate a "traditional Provencal French salute". You can see there has been no ride-up, helped in part by the soft, next-to-body, jacquard elastic waistband, and the intrinsic stretch of the materials used.

I really liked the smooth, matte-finish surface the shirt has. I've now worn it solo, and under a variety of other tops, slept in it, trained in it and have been dry, comfortable and protected from some regular wear and tear. Definitely worth getting into!

Review: Strike Industries - Tactical Sling Catch

Image swiped from Strike Industries

Here is s great little accessory I picked up recently, that I wanted to share with you all. I saw this reviewed by the great guys at Jerking The Trigger and Soldier Systems and whilst this puts me pretty far behind the pack, I don't mind, because basically, I'm a hobbyist, and my "what if" postulating is a bit distant from what most of their readers face. However, this is, as I said, a great little accessory.

Here's the situation, you have your item of choice on a sling, over your shoulder and across your body. The strap may have padding, it may be nice, soft nylon tubing, or may be a strap of heavy canvas. Either way, you are lugging important and precious kit on a strap that is using your neck as a fulcrum. No matter how soft, wide or padded, once you get moving, it sways, bumps and begins to chafe, saw, pinch or dig into your neck.

That becomes a lingering distraction, uncomfortable, and consistent. You've got a pack on, a chest rig, or some kind of vest, because that's what you're loaded up with. That just adds to the problem. What to do?

This is where the Tactical Sling Catch by Strike Industries comes in. What they have produced is a piece of reinforced PX polymer, which forms a hook to keep your sling up off your neck, and bear its load.
The catch is light and just flexible enough to be resilient enough, but stiff enough to carry the weight of your slung item of choice, be it a 35mm Cannon or the most specifically, the lead-spitting kind. The catch has three main components, the primary of which is the outward facing sling catch, which is broad, deep and tall enough to accommodate a variety of slings securely, without being a snag-risk for the environment as you move about. Two loop wells allow the twin 6" hook and loop strips to be fed through to attach it (More on this later).

The "outward" edge of the base plate has on its underside a harness retaining hook, two wedge shaped projections which catch the edge of whatever you mount the sling catch to, and help keep it from sliding inwards towards your neck. I found this secondary retention really assisted when I put a load on my 215 Gear sling. I had worried that the whole sling catch accessory would just rotate around on my shoulder piece, but with that retainer, it held fast. Under the base plate were six little spikes, which further added to the stability of the catch.

The primary means of attachment however is the two strips of hook-and loop supplied. One hook, one loop field, each 6" long. This gives enough room to wrap through the two loop-wells, around the shoulder piece, and back onto each other to give a very secure, adjustable connection. You can see here that I ran those strips through the PALS/MOLLE loops that were on the top of my rig's shoulder strap and from there, cinched it up tight under the shoulder strap. Lateral and horizontal movement halted!

The PX plastic is low-friction, and well molded, with rounded edges and wide angles wherever there will be sliding action. I found that I could move my sling around freely, remove it smoothly, and bring my item of choice up to bear quickly without even noticing it was there. When jogging about, ducking, weaving with the sling slack, it stayed "mounted" and didn't slip free, so that when I then when "hands free" the catch did its job smoothly. Similarly, when I had tension on the sling, bringing to bear, the sling catch was doubly useful, as it did indeed keep the sling off the side of my neck, and kept me from yanking my head, or chafing my neck.

I'm really impressed with this catch. I can recommend it to anyone who wears a sling for any length of time. My big-lens camera weilding soul-sealer friends might be just as interested as my "running about in cammo" friends. I can see these being useful to the hiker, tourists, camping, or anyone who has to sling something for extended periods of time. I'm thinking of getting a couple more, to affix to my bags and other rigs. Well worth it.

Review: Platatac MAC Front opening panel

I made some additions to my collection of rigs recently, and wanted to give you a heads up. As you're probably aware, if you are a regular reader, I am all in favour of modular, adjustable and multi-function gear, because I'm of the mind set that when disaster strikes, you will need to adapt to the situation, rather than simply stick with a static plan and outlook. Things will NOT go according to plan, and having a means to quickly adjust is of vital importance. So when I look to add to my collection of things, I look to what I already have, and how I can make sensible additions, rather than just "another cool gadget, gizmo or piece of kit to lug around". Or at least, I try to. I think with this item, I was spot on the money, however.

This is the Platatac MAC Front Opening Panel which I picked up as a very attractive and highly recommended bundle with the MAC BackPack I strongly recommend if you are looking for a good deal, to check it out. I'll be looking at the MAC BackPack soon, but for now, lets look at this Front Opening Panel.



So, how does the Front Opening Panel attach? There are Fastex style shoulder buckles which mirror the shoulders of the MAC Front Panel and mate with the Back Panel buckles, feeding through the D-Loops, and elastic webbing, if that is the way you want to go. The side buckles also mate to the back panel, in the same way, although these buckles are not used with the MAC Front Panel, if the plate carrying Modular Cummerbund is worn, The "back" side buckles fold away into the Back Panel. You can see it above mated to the the MAC BackPack here.


The MAC Front Opening Panel is designed to work with the MAC back panel, which is the back piece of my previously reviewed and much loved Medium Armour Carrier. The idea being that in situations where a "low level carriage option" is required, the front armour carrying panel can be swapped out for the lighter and breathable front piece.

That "swap-out" component is of considerable interest to me, because whilst wearing my MAC front panel, with its inserted Ikea-cutting-board strike plate substitute is all good and well, (mock all you like, I don't have access to ballistic plates, and thankfully don't have a clear and present need for one, but that cutting board will stop or slow and cut or thrust I've put at it, and spreads out blunt force considerably) sometimes a rigid, closed front panel is cumbersome and not fit for purpose.

The Front Opening Panel features a top row of 5 PALS/MOLLE channels, and three rows of 6 channels below this, as well as a heavily stitched reinforcing webbing for the shoulder straps including two loop-fields for attaching the shoulder strap ends. The bottom of the Panel also features a couple of the adjustable hook-and loop and press-stud belt attachment loops which are a great addition and can really assist in securing the vest, both vertically and horizontally.

As well as integrating with the MAC Back (and MAC BackPack) modules the Front Opening Panel offers the option to one more accessory that I made use of recently. In the spirit of "time to get our of Dodge" disaster preparedness, I wanted to have a little experiment, and perhaps some fun whilst at it. I strapped Tactical Baby into her Baby Bjorn carrier, and then threw my Mac Front Opening Panel / Back Panel / Gunslinger Belt combination over the top.

Laden down with pouches filled with bottles, formula, nappies, wipes, snacks for Triceratops Girl (out of shot), I was able to effectively load up a days worth of family needs and other needful accessories, (yes, like my laser-tagger) and spend the day milling through the crowds at Manifest. Tactical Baby was rocking out her "Zombie Hunter" patch and I wore her, her needs, and carried Triceratops Girl on my off-arm, tagger at the ready (or slung) in the other.

To do this, I just strapped the Bjorn on, filled it with Tactical Baby goodness, threw the rig on and buckled it up> it needed a couple of placement adjustments, because both she and I needed to be comfortable, and I needed to be able to get at all my pouches, or they would have been redundant. All in all, it worked out really well. I now have a Tactical Baby compatible load-out. Need to get ear protection for her though, you know, to drown out the zombie moans and such...

So. The Platatac MAC Front Opening Panel: definitely a success. It offered me a lightweight, breathable low profile platform to both carry my accessories, but also to mate to my back pieces. That modularity will mean that I will be able to fit out this piece, and have it "ready to attach", to my other pieces, in moments, giving me more grab and go options, should disaster strike.

Review: Schrade Army 10 Knife

I had the good fortune to get my hands on another knife to add to my collection. I've been quite busy at my day-job shunting pixels and yelling at vendors about patient safety to do much writing, but it's remarkable how a piece of good steel in the hand makes one feel better. So, in this blade, I am trying to recover my mojo, as it were, and get back on the horse so to speak. Without further ado then, let me present the Schrade Army-10 Knife which was sent to me from the folks at LEGear.

This is a fighting knife, branded as being "US Army" by Schrade which is cool, and I can totally get behind that, it fits both my accent and heritage, being a (dual-Australian/) American citizen and my father having been A US Army veteran (Vietnam, 1969-70) so, as you might imagine, I have a soft spot for the Army. However it's branded, it's the mettle of the metal that I'm most interested in, however.

Lets go into that shall we?

This is a moderately sized, fixed drop-point blade which measures in at 26cm (10.4") of which 14cm (5.3") is the plain edged blade. It masses in at 280g (9.9oz). Comparing that against the KA-BAR Zombie Killer "Death" Dagger with it's 21cm blade, 35cm overall and 340g in mass you can see that it is a far more wieldy blade. especially if you plan on strapping it to your person.

The metal of the blade is a 1070 High Carbon Steel, which is a tough, hard steel, and is commonly associated with hard-use applications like machetes and the like that can and will take a lot of rough use and abuse such as battoning and chopping. The handle material is black Kraton which is a synthetic rubber, and is springy and soft to the touch. The handle is bolted to the full tang with 4 hex-bolts, and leaves the spine of the tang exposed. I read some comments in researching this knife that the Kraton seemed "flimsy" and "rubbery" but I think this must be from folks used to G10 scales and the like. I found it married to my grip really nicely. The lanyard hole was nicely placed too, recessed from the Kraton.

The back of the tang features 5 crenelations that sunk below the spine and the handle, leaving it flush with the back of the blade, making it snag free, but by virtue of the rubbery Kraton, a good positive grip can be achieved without needing to tense the hand unduly. I was always taught to hold a handle fairly, but without choking it, whether it was a knife, golf-club, sword or whatever. Finesse comes from controlled motion, and a clenched fist is a ridged one.

You can see here the sculpting that is present in the Kraton on the back of the grip, as well as the "US Army" logo and decal on the side of the blade. Which was pretty, and unobtrusive printed on top of the black Teflon coated surface of the blade.

Those sculpted regions in the back of the handles marry up to a reverse grip really well, and the cutout for the lanyard hole in the butt of the knife is still nicely exposed in this grip.

In a forwards grip, the finger notch sits nicely between index and middle fingers, with a raised guard to stop fingers sliding forwards, and again ,that set of crenelations to rest a thumb grip on.

The nylon sheath has some features worth mentioning too. The primary belt loop opens up with a broad hook-and-loop band, meaning you wouldn't need to undo a belt to put it at your waistband. A thigh loop set of lanyards and cord couple this to keep it from flapping on the bounce. A press-stud closing PALS/MOLLE band, and corresponding loops give a downwards-draw carry option. the metal loop at the bottom of the PALS band was a mystery to me though, another attachment point? I don't know. It moved independently to the PALS/MOLLE strip.


The front side of the sheath carries a secondary, Fastex style clip closing pouch, with is attached to the main sheath by both a long and broad hook-and-loop field, but also by the straps that wrap around the sheath to form the PALS/MOLLE loops on the back. Having this pouch being removable, gives the option of either stripping it off (at the expense of loosing a layer of additional stability when MOLLE-bound), but also allowing that secondary pouch to be flipped so it opens "upwards" in the event the blade is worn "downwards". That was quite a clever addition. The materials of the sheath are adequate, but not exceptional. There is only one main press-stud closure for the blade, meaning it is not "jump-ready", but as I'm unlikely to be "Airborne" tabbed any time soon, this isn't really a concern for me. The closure does have an odd extra hook and loop layer to it, presumably to adjust the tightness of the closure, but I cant for the life of me think why the trouble was taken, and a second loop wasn't added.

All in all, this is a really nice knife, and I am very glad to have gotten my hands on it. Not the bestial monsters that the KA-BAR Zombie Killer knives are, this is a mid-sized blade for serious working people who need to get a job done, but space is at a premium.

I think I will be adding this to one of my chest rigs and experimenting with how best I want to carry it, because I certainly do want to. Often.

Tentstile 2: Update!

You may recall a while back I posted a Wish-Lust item, the rather amazing suspended Tentsile tents and they have put out a press relief, and posted on their Facebook, about a crowd-sourced version of their tents, to make them a little more accessible to the average buyer. The following is from their press release:

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Introduction:
Due to the phenomenal level of interest generated by the Tentsile brand since April 2012, we have developed this design for all those who have expressed their support, interest and enthusiasm over the past few months.
Tentsile 2 offers the same unique suspended outdoor experience as the original range but, due to some key adaptations, can also be set up on the ground and be offered at a more attractive price point.
100 units of the Beta version of Tentsile 2 will be released as part of our crowd funding program. Recipients will asked to participate in a user feedback session which will inform the final design, ready for general release in Spring 2013.

Brief Description:
If set up in the air, the tent is entered through the door in the bottom fly sheet. During ground based use, the entrance is through the large front window, giving access to the tensioned fabric floor which provides an incredibly comfortable living and sleeping space.
In suspended position, the tent has a storage area beneath the beds and each hammock benefits from its own window, insect mesh and clip loops. The central pole also boasts an adjustable table with cup holders.

Materials:
All sheet materials are fire retardant, UV resistant and rot proof. 2 Ounce silicon coated nylon fly sheet.
6 Ounce PU coated texturised nylon Hammocks.
50mm Webbing strap frame.
30mm Aluminum central pole.
1 x Aluminum sleeve and hub piece. 350mm/


Weight Capacity:
The Tentsile Range 2, is manufactured to carry the weight of 3 adults and their gear.

Recommended maximum load capacity:
400 kg 800 lbs

Set-up Time:
As with most things, practice will reduce the time it takes to set up a Tentsile. In a new and untried location, Tentsile 2 set up will take about 20-30 mins. This is reduced to 5-10 mins if you have used the site before and know the locations of your high level attachment points.

Prices:
BETA Version - $1049
Retail Version - $1499













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The IndiGoGo campaign can be found here: so that you too can get involved and see if you can afford one of these awesome tents yourself.

Review: First Spear Oagre Tactical Vest

I was very fortunate to receive one of these
Operational Assault Ground Reconnaissance Exploitation (OAGRE) Tactical Vest made by First-Spear from the folks at LEGear. You may remember I reviewed a couple of things from their lines, the Maxpedition SITKA bag and iPhone holster, and they were kind enough to hook me up with this cool vest. Cool to review and cool to wear, but we'll get to that. The first thing I noted was the sheer amount or real-estate on it. Not being a plate-carrier, like my Platatac MAC, it doesn't have to conform to the function of fitting armour plates, and can wrap right around the body. This is First Spear's khaki, which is a tab more brown than the Platatac khaki.

The main front zipper which secures the vest, is supplemented by three ITW G-hook closures, in adjustable webbing, which not only give a rock-solid close to the vest, but also allow for it to be secured shut without being fully zippered up, a benefit in hot conditions.

As far as PALS/MOLLE real-estate goes, there are 5 rows of 8 channel loops at the bottom of each front panel, with an additional 5 channel row on top and a 4 channel row above that. A loop field for name and designation tapes sit adjacent to the top MOLLE loop, as well as an additional downward loop of webbing, (mirroring one on the bottom, which correspond to the attachment by more G-hooks for the First Spear Beat Up hard plate armour.) Remember that this is a vest, not a plate carrier, but having that option would be a welcomeP one, for those in need. Each of those loop-fields features an access buttonhole, to feed cables or tubes, as needed.

The shoulders have a high friction panel at each shoulder, giving a good place to rest the butt-stock of a rifle or simply the straps of a pack, and afforded a nice solid placement. Those panels didnt move or slip, even when the vest was "naked". The shoulder straps also featured tube and cable securing elastics. On the back lay 7 rows of 6 channel PALS/MOLLE webbing. A drag handle is secured with a narrow hook-and-loop piece, to reduce snag risks, and is sewn down the whole length of the vest. A second hook-and-loop patch gives another ID point.


The front and back panel are joined at the waist by a series of buckles and webbing, which in and of itself isn't too exciting, but they allow for a variety of sized and shaped wearers, and the excess webbing is kept tidy by a very cool method: A Tactical Toggle is integrated in the end of each webbing, and bundles it away by rolling and looping with the shock-cord end. Clever use of an ancient system.

Here are a couple of close ups of the metal G-clips and nylon Tactical Toggles. It's also worth mentioning the "downwards through-MOLLE" quick-release belt loops, featuring a hook-and-loop and press-stud closure, and Fastex style quick release, these give the wearer the option to fasten the vest to a belt, useful if you've ever found yourself dangling upside down. Having your kit sliding up around your ears does not make freeing yourself (or force-pulling your Lightsaber) any easier.

One thing absolutely worth mentioning is the use of closed cell foam pads, in the shoulders, at the waistline and lumbar region of the vest. Secured and kept in place with pockets, these pads act as a buffer between you and your kit. Especially useful if you are going to be laden down with a lot of steel to sling, the placement of the pads acts to cushion the bottom most rows of MOLLE, where pouches would intersect bony hips (mine especially). These pads are easily removable to replace or augment, and First Spear suggest they add to the positive boyancy of the vest. Certainly do no harm in that regard. The back panel also has a hook-and-loop strap for securing a hydration bladder, up to 3L in capacity.


Additional to  all the innovative closure systems, intergrated padding, ample PALS/MOLLE real estate and loop-fields, one thing I haven't yet touched on is the material itself. At just over 1kg (2.24lbs) and made from a heavy-duty mesh, the entire body of the vest (apart from the shooter-shoulders) is breathable, and wicking. This is a rig for the greenhouse and the sandbox, for sure. The construction of the whole vest is excellent, with closed seams and heavy stitching. This is a dependable and feature rich platform that would give the wearer many many options.. Options are always worth having, especially in a medium to low-profile vest such as this.