Review: Storm Rider YAK PFD

I'm really excited about getting my first kayak this weekend (more on that later) and that reminded me that I had not yet covered the Personal Flotation Devices that I tried out when I did a trial of the Aquayak - Snapper PRO. When you're out on the water, a flotation vest is just as crucial part of your loadout as a bump-helmet or your shark-stabbing, line-cutting knife (ok, perhaps that is a stretch).

It's PPE of the most basic kind.

In this case, I was lent a StormRider YAK PFD by the good folks at AquaYak and I wanted to show you what made it an essential part of my time out on the Snapper PRO.

These very solidly constructed vests consists of three components; the two front panels and a back panel. It features open sides with adjustable webbing to ensure a good fit, whilst giving you freedom of movement for paddling and water-borne activity.

The back panel also featured a drying hook, with a built-in nylon D-ring
The webbing attaching the front panels to the back are fixed at the shoulder and at two points on the flanks. Between these three points, the harness is highly adjustable, even down to to my light frame.

It might seem strange that the front of the vest is -not- adjustable, its three Fastex clasps hold the front panels but this in fact provides an important safety aspect. By massing the buoyant material at the front, when in the water, this holds your head up and out, ensuring the best  position for breathing. 

The brightly coloured exterior of the vest allows for easy search and rescue in the event you are lost due to capsizing, or bad weather, but you'll note that the insides are black, an unintentional asset if being less visable is desirable. Both front panels comes fitted with several zipperable pockets. The use of mesh and the water-shedding nylon in the pockets, as with the rest of the construction gave not only a number of ways to store important gear, but also to do so in a quick drying and draining fashion.


I found this very useful, as I dunked myself several times whilst in the kayak.


I was really impressed to note that the zippers were all of noncorroding plastic.

An inner retention lanyard provides an even more secure option for survival, signalling or orientation gear.

I stored my iPhone in its SLXtreme waterproof case, my car keys and the like whilst testing, all held snugly and safely.

I also noted that there was a more subdued OD and coyote-brown version of the vest, which I think will be my personal selection.

I've worn PFD's before, as well as SCUBA Buoyancy Control Device, and I really liked the simplicity, and design of this one.

You put it on, strap it to fit, and can all but forget about it when out and about on the water. In an emergency situation, you want to have the best equipment on hand to protect yourself and others from the environmental hazards you will be facing. A well made, worn and maintained PFD is a must for any kind of action on the water you might be facing.

Review: 5.11 Tactical - Stryke pants

When I visited the SSAA SHOT Expo, I paid a visit to the 5-11 Tactical stand, and met with their Australian and American reps, including the very knowledgeable founding father, Bil, who took me through the pants they were kind enough to gift to me, the 5.11 Stryke Pants.

Here in the OD green, with one of the 5-11 TDU belts I am fond of as well, I strike a pose with the ultimate urban test ... does the cargo pocket fit my iPad? Yes, yes it does.



From the get go, let me tell you that the material used in the Styke pants is really, really comfortable.

The secret to this, as well as the purpose developed propriety blend of poly/cotton ripstop, is that it  incorporates mechanically stretchy yarns, meaning the stretch and recovery of the fabric is achieved without the use of spandex, but rather by the way the threads are woven. 

It is a lighweight, breathable, and even with the ripstop checkering, extremely comfortable to wear. Soft and yet no hint of flimsiness. Treated with a silicone based water and stain guard, they help up pretty well from my work, parenting and prepping splatter for their first week of wear.

The cut of the pants was very generous, especially important if like me, you "go Commando" and find that tighter cuts pinch at the most inopportune times. These were a lot more comfortable than the 511Tactical Taclite Pro pants I have reviewed in past, great improvements! Even the waist band is well designed, but I'll get to that in more detail soon. 
 
On to the all important pockets!

You can see the main hands pocket, with their reinforced hockey-stick design (Bill tells me that was a specific request from Firefighters, to have somewhere to clip their radios. AN accessory pocket on the top of the thigh, the ubiquitous side-of-thigh cargo pocket, and just peaking from the side, the rear seat pockets.

What can you fit in them all? here, let me show you ...



I like my gear, and i like having it on-hand. However, being able to FIND it can be a real pain, unless some thought goes into pocket design, which in this case, it really has.

Similar to the Platatac Urban Dax, the cargo pockets sport internal compartment which are wide and deep enough to fit my bulky Snow Lizard SLXtreme iphone case as well as a Lazerbrite with little trouble. I can only suggest that the compartments would fit a 5.56 NATO magazine.

The hook-and-loop patches give a nice closure to the pocket, without being too invasive, and the styling of the pocket itself, with two baffles for expansion, we still quite discrete, an important aspect when wanting to blend in whilst still loading up.

Lets have a closer look at the front pockets.


As well as the twin, deep accessory pockets on the fronts of the thighs (seen here with the large HexBright FLEX filling it) but beside this, the main pockets have some interesting aspects that it worth covering in more depth.  As well as being nicely deep, and lined, but the best features are the hockey-stick shaped low profile pockets. 

This near-horizontal edge is perfect for clipping pens, folding knives (like the CRKT K.I.S.S. seen here) or as Bill told me, the pocket radio's that the firefighters who commissioned the pant design in the first place asked for. 

The belt clip of the knife (or pen, or radio) sits on a reinforced patch of material, still in the pocket, out of the way but easily accessible. For items with longer clips, the people at 5.11 had the forethought to put an opening in the top of the cargo pocket, but you could also feed cables up through it I suspect.

Two other interesting (and very thoughtful) features can be seen here as well. On the left-side belt loop, an opening can be seen, which is the space the self-adjusting tunnel waistband feed into. Similar to that seen in the Taclite-Pro pants, this allows the pants to stretch when you bend at the hips, without biting, or sagging, once you are upright again.

The second, innovative addition, is on the right belt loop, which features a vertical loop in addition to the regular horizontal one. Perfect for clipping ID or a badge, and in my case, a spot to clip my multi-tool retention lanyard.

 Then there are the knees. 

As well as pretty standard double-cover knees, to help with wear and tear, and we all know what that is like, 5.11 have kept this in mind when putting in the seams for these. Low-profile and discreet as well as discrete, the addition of a second layer adds little bulk, but the real trick to these in on the inside!

On the inside edge of the knee seam a small pocket opens up to allow the insertion of a kneepad. I put my Blackhawk! kneepad up here to show you what it looks like. The pocket is certainly big enough, but takes some delicate handling to fit the bigger pads in.

All together these are some really excellent pants, I was thrilled to receive them, and their comfort was a really impressive collection of features. 
 

My only disappointment was the back pockets, being a standard hook-and-loop straight topped pocket, unlike the signature 5.11 slash and retention strapped back pockets of the TacLite Pro's.

 That said, there was even an extra unlisted feature that Bill pointed out to me (always great to have the people behind the product there to show them off) In the bottom hem, eyelets have been sewn in place in case the wearer wanted to blouse them! Little things that show they go the extra distance with design.

I also love the way 5.11 got their name ...

“5.11” is a rock climbing difficulty level as listed in the Yosemite Decimal System. With skill levels ranging from 5.0 (easy) to 5.10 (difficult), 5.11 is even more grueling. 5.11 is officially defined as, “After thorough inspection, you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it.” 

Review: Blackhawk - Removable side plate carriers

If you've been a long time reader, you'll know a few things about me: I'm in Australia, I'm not MIL or LEO, but I have a keen interest in modular, rough and tough gear that I can make use of, and am more than happy to take existing purpose-made kit and modify its usage to fit my own particular need and resources.

I'm fond of armour, having been a practitioner of kendo for 16 years, and LARP type silliness, as well as a variety of adventurous pastimes that might involve a reasonable amount of blunt force other trauma. I've covered both helmets and plate carriers before (like the Platatac MAC, Strike Industries SPC and others). I've also cover lots of pouches, big and small, so when a chance to acquire some modular plate carrier pouches came up, I jumped on it.

More armour, more places, more pouches? yes please.

This is the Blackhawk Removable Side Plate Carrier It comes in pairs, and is designed to fit the Blackhawk 6” X 8” Level IV plate which is a formidable piece of armour that is outside my scope or means, but goes hand in hand with this piece.

So, what is it, and why is it so cool?

Constructed from 500D Cordura, this light but tough pouch is sewn on three sides, with a hook-and-loop mouth at the top, featuring two webbing loops at the lip, to give you purchase to open it smoothly.

On the face and back, PALS/MOLLE webbing runs in a 4x4 grid on one side, and a 3x4 grid on the other, such that the webbing on one side complements the other, rather than mirroring it.

This give you two different fits, depending on how you want to attach it to whatever you are mounting it to.

The concept of these is to give the wearer a pocket to carry a plate, on a vest or rig that otherwise doesn't have that option, wither a Front/Back configuration or a cummerbund that's just "all PALS/MOLLE and no plate pocket". The MAC cummerbund I have does have those pockets included, which as I've covered before, I have filled with polyethylene cutting boards both for space filling bulk, rigidity and also or the blunt-force trauma and stabbing and cutting protection it offers.

Sure its not ballistic protection,  but to be honest, the chances of me needing that level of protection are very slim given my situation, AND its not legal for me to acquire here anyway.

I took one of those boards out and fitted it into one of the carriers, and closed it up. Instant extra armour panel, brilliant. I fitted it first to the cummerbund, and this was where the complementarity webbing came in handy. I could choose to have it ride a little high, or a little low, just by flipping it.

Modular, light and configurable. Nice.

The "removable" part comes to bear as a result of the attachment method. The panels each came supplied with three of the Blackhawk 7 width Speed-Clips which slip in and out of the pouch to the substrate and then clip in to the top and bottom layer.

One thing I noted was that the PALS/MOLLE channels were standard 1" i n the middle two channels, but 1.5" or so at the edges, which when combined, gives you a -5- channel reach, as needed. Again, good for configuring your rig to best fit need and comfort.

Another aspect of this is that you can layer these panels over the top of regular plate carriers, and put an extra layer of armour between you and harms way, in modular fashion, without loosing PALS/MOLLE real-estate.

Here you can see I've put the pouch on the front of my MAC. No reason though that you couldn't put this on a pack, a thigh-rig or anywhere else with 3 rows of MOLLE webbing.

One of the "alternate" uses I thought of was as a admin pocket, for paperwork or other flat items, perhaps a Kindle sized tablet (it doesn't fit my iPad 1), as a thin dump-pouch, or even as a boot to catch a large slung item, like my axe or even perhaps, my Deuce.

All in all, this a pretty neat accessory, even when its primary purpose isn't applicable, having a rugged, seal-able and modular pocket is ALWAYS a good addition to your load-out.

Review: Condor Combat - Nomex gloves

I've been trolling eBay to find new exciting things to add to my collection, and one such bargain arose in the form of these Condor Combat Nomex & Leather gloves. I tend to destroy or lose gloves, so having another set on hand (huyk huyk) is a very good idea, as Winter is Coming here in Melbourne.

I've covered some rugged gloves in the past, but those are pretty much dedicated work gloves. I have long thin hands, and when it come to outdoors gloves, getting a good fit is difficult sometimes. The span of my hand tends to tear out the thumb/forefinger seam, so having a well put together glove that fits is also something I'm always looking for.

Constructed from the fire-resistant NOMEX fabric with premium goat leather highlights and reinforcement sections, one of the really interesting features is the dual-layer construction. The long sleeve of the inner layer rides up to about the mid forearm, meaning that it will tuck under a jacket, or over a shirt, giving a full "no-exposed-skin" cover. Is is great n the cold and wet, but essential when exposed to fire: be it flash, sustained or whatever. The outer hand-sized layer is stitched tot he inner, and features fully leather lined palms, and a elastic hook-and-loop closing wrist cuff. The knuckles, finger tips and trigger-finger digit knuckle are also leather reinforced.

I used them whilst chopping and hauling a load of firewood, and then later on when tending the bonfire and spitroast I did over the weekend. Not only did the long sleeve give me abrasion protection, and keep both my hands and wrists burn-free, the leather highlights also include a large padded section on the heel of the palm. This perfectly matches with padding needed when using a repetitive percussive tool.....

For me, that is mostly wood chopping with an axe, hammering or sword-work doing scrub clearing. For others, perhaps slinging hot lead.

These are a really nice set of gloves. They seem warm, without being hot, they have good coverage, solid construction and fit really well. I look forwards to waring these for all my outdoors cooking, chopping and strolling.

Review: Zombie Outbreak - Grunt Plate Carrier

I was very pleased to see when I got my email newsletter from Global Gear that they were going to stock a fun new line, the Zombie Outbreak: Tactical Response Gear. I got in touch with them to see what they could tell me about the line, and they were kind enough to send me a few examples, which I'll be reviewing over the next few weeks.

Here is the first example, a Plate Carrier called the Zombie Outbreak Grunt in multicam.

I was really excited as I haven't looked at a quick-release/cutaway plate carrier before, and this one looked feature packed, which is something I always value.

This is a fun set, and I am really glad to have added it to my costuming collection, it will give me some great additional costuming for my MilSim and Stargate Lasertag LRP events.

Here are some of the things that I can tell you about the Zombie Outbreak Grunt plate carrier:
  

It comes with a front and back section, which includes flank flaps, in place of a cummerbund. Those flaps connect with hook-and-loop as well as having Fastex-style buckles (which are part of the Quick Release Cutaway system, and I'll get to that later). The shoulder connections are again hook-and-loop, with additional adjustable nylon webbing fastening to add to the security and load-bearing of the set.

The front and back are fully PALS/MOLLE webbing covered, but unfortunately the top four set of strips don't match up fully to the bottom four sets, either in rows, or the 1" gap between channels, making cross-linking of accessories a bit difficult, but not impossible.  You can see the drag handle at the top of the back, it is nicely reinforced and bar-tacked onto the shoulders of the back panel.

Some of the stitching was a little off, too, but again, you'd have to be looking pretty close for this to matter.

The first set of accessory pouches that come with the Grunt are a three- M16/M4 magazine style set of pouches, half-magazine sized sides, with elastic siding and a hook-and-loop closure on the lids. The backing features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips, to allow it to be connected immediately, without any accessories like the ITS Tactical MOLLE Stix.

The second accessory pouch included is an admin panel, which features two paperwork pockets, eyelets for threading dummy-cording, and a GPS/phone/flashlight pouch, with a hook-and-loop webbing strap. The admin panel also features a broad square loop field for affixing patches.  As with the first pouch, the backing features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips for attachment.

The third and final included accessory is a utility / flashbang pouch, which was originally mounted on the back panel, but I prefer to have my pouches around the front for ease of access. Elastic webbing pockets, on the back and front of the pouch give plenty of storage options, drainage grommets and webbing hinge-holders add to the functionality of this zipper closing pouch.

As with the first two pouches, this accessory features plastic reinforced PALS/MOLLE strips for attachment.

The inside of this pouch is also a little informative. You can see the pale green backing of the backside, which shows what appears to be the textured, heavy vinyl construction of both the pouches, and the entire plate carrier itself, rather than the woven 500-1000 denier nylon that companies like Cordura produce, and is the mainstay of tactical gear and apparel.

The plate carrier pouches inside the front and back panels were a nice touch. They included a sheet of closed-cell foam padding, as well as a sewn-in webbing strap to assist in removing the plate, and a hook-and-loop closing pouch style closure. You can see here that I've included my typical plate substitute polyethylene cutting board. You can also see the internal finishing, and again, the vinyl material the set is made of.

Here is the inside view of the front plate carrier pocket, obscured by the Quick-Release Cutaway cables (yes, in lurid Toxic Zombie Green, much like the scales of my KA-BAR Zombie Killer knives.) The strapping for the Cutaway system sort of closes off this access, which means to load it with plates, you'd need to activate this system first, then replace it.


Lets have a look at that Quick Release/Cutaway system now. For those of you who have worn body-armour of any description for a length of time, you will probably agree that getting it off in a hurry can be a real pain. More so when having to do it in an emergency. (boo hulu) Injury, accident and duress add to this, so having a system that does it swiftly is a real boon.

The system is that a pull on the webbing loop at the bottom of the front of the plate carrier pulls these plastic coated steel cables, releasing the cords thread through eyelets that hare holding the sides, and tops of the plate carrier together. Here you can see the wire nestled in its seating, and the cords looped around it.

Once the cable is pulled free, the buckles and webbing holding the plate carrier together can be bypassed, letting the user tear the hook-and-loop free, and clearing the way to treatment or escape.

Here is the same system at the shoulder, where the cords wrapped around the cable, and fed under webbing to keep them out of the way, when pulled free, allow the shoulder pieces to tear away.

This is a really ingenious system, and whilst it is a pain to put it all back together, I'd rather have those extra seconds of medical aid/egress or mobility in almost any situation, to have the time to spend putting it all back together when needed.




here's me giving it a test.....

So, to finish off, here are some pictures of me in it. As I've said, I was really pleased to receive these (and other items, to come) and they have certainly added new dimensions to my wardrobe and costuming options. It was great to get to see how a quick-release system works, and definitely has some nice features, but I was a little surprised by the construction, both in the materials and care put into finishing. However for a substantial fraction (along the lines of 1/3 - 1/4) of& the price of leading lines, this is a option that really looks the piece, without breaking the budget.

Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent costume piece, and would probably even suit paintball, airsoft and recreational hunters as well for those who are happy with form over function, but it isn't what I'd stake my life on. A real bargain for what it is, especially with all the included accessories, and it certainly "looks the part". I expect to see a bunch of these at IRL Shooter events coming up!

Review: Strike Industries - Simple Plate Carrier

This is a really interesting piece of multifunction kit. Strike Industries, in conjunction with J Tech Gear have come up with a multifunction plate carrier, that doubles as a carry case for a laptop. They did my Sling Catch, and Picatinny vertical sling mount
so I've been keeping an eye on their new developments, and was only too pleased to see this cool piece become available, and to receive one! 

This might seem like an unusual combination, but considering the kinds of products on the market now in the US to attempt to protect kids from the alarmingly frequent mass-shootings at schools, the idea of having every-day items with the potential for containing armour is not new. In Australia, we are lucky to have pretty low rates of weapon related violence, but, being prepared for disaster, even the personal and human initiated kind, is what this blog is about. This is the Simple Plate Carrier, and it is anything but merely "simple"...

I've talked about what I use as a plate-substitute before, when reviewing my Platatac MAC rig, and whilst not ballistic protection,  I have again included Polyethylene cutting boards, shaped to the right size.

These not only give me the rigidity and bulk of plates, but I figure that they would also afford me some stabbing, cutting and blunt force trauma protection. Perhaps not as cool looking as a set of Mad Max tire armour, but far more modular, lighter and functional. I have a 34cm x 24cm (13 1/2" x 9 1/2") board in the front internal pocket here, which closely mirrors the SI Plate that Strike industries offers

The back compartment houses both my 15" MacBook Pro, a spare battery, and my iPad.

The rugged cordura-type nylon material of the case is very well stitched, with reinforced seams and bartacking on all the attachment and stress points, without being heavy, stiff or bulky. The wide webbing of the strapping is fixed at the upper edge with vertical fastex type buckles, and at the bottom edge with horizontal buckles of the same type and more importantly, size. Lastly, and this was a big point of interest for me, the back of the carrier features a sewn in handle, laying flush with the back, to turn the whole thing into a modern buckler if needed ....


I found that the laptop charger didn't fit very neatly in the case (it formed a bulge where the plug sat) but because the front of the carrier has three rows of PALS/MOLLE, including two side-by-side and covered in loop-pile, for patches, ID tabs and the like, I was able to affix one of the black Platatac FUP pouches I have, and give myself some extra storage capacity, with out bulking the carrier up too much, or making it too obviously a piece of MIL-SPEC type kit. There is a second panel on the lid flap for a flag-size patch. Depending on how big and full your carrier gets, there may be a third loop-filed exposed, for even more patch-goodness, here's my AFT's Jungle Recon extolling the love of his job...


And here is how the shield handle works, from behind. The main strap is wide enough to give a good bunched grip, knuckles flat against the back of the pad. Because of my very long forearms, by elbow poked out a little of the back when I stand "en guard", so I gave an alternative hold a shot, with my hanad gripping one shoulder strap, arm looped through the hand-hold and the other strap over my elbow.

Both seemed to feel pretty good, and with advantages and disadvantages according to the style of defense used.

When carrying the unit around, I tended to sling the the shoulder strap such that the entire carrier sat under my arm, rather than behind me.

This meant that I could bring the other strap up and over my opposing shoulder, to drop the carrier into the classic "front pack" configuration.

"Nice Target" you might say, about the patch, well, as Batman and the Punisher have said in their respective comics, "I cant armor my face" (although, these days this isn't as true. )


So here I am striking a pose, Simple Plate Carrier as a shield, with my trusty S&W Tactical Pen as my on-hand "please don't make my use this" incentive.

You can see that my elbow hangs out, but when taking a better "buckler and dagger stance" this would be less of an issue. with a combination of the polyethylene cutting board, the laptop and the material of the carrier itself, this was a substantial and solid barrier to put between my vitals and someone without my best interests at heart. All in a package I can happily carry about day to day.

One of the great things about this carrier's design is that the shoulder straps, being all of the same design, can be swapped from position to position. Instead of a "backpacks/frontpack" style carry, simply by changing the straps from top-to-bottom, to top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, giving you an "around the neck, around the waist" configuration.

All the straps feature a slide adjustment and an elasticised loop to secure loose ends.

This is the classical "Plate Carrier look" and it's a little more conspicuous, but certainly more secure. Wearing the carrier in "frontpack" style, when leaning forwards, it was occasionally tricky keeping the carrier in place, unless I had another pack on my back pinning the straps in place. Good for backpacking and travel in unusual and possibly insecure places, but not full-time.

For the best performance and security, over-the-neck is the way to go.

I've been looking for a means to carry a laptop about. My CSI folder is awesome, and it carries my iPad about in safety, either inside, or slipped beside it in my Bullock Echo daypack, but the Simple Plate Carrier offers the modularity of a inconspicuous armor carrier for a little urban insurance, as well as a means to carry a laptop, and an iPad around safely and securely.

I felt there wasn't much padding for the bottom edge and sides of the laptop compartment, but that was easily solved after-market with a sheet of closed cell-foam. I really liked the lines, and as always, the multifunctionality of the carrier really appealed to me.

Just be sure to remember that neither the iPad or MacBook's are bulletproof .... not to mention cutting boards .... be safe, be equipped and know the limitations of your gear...

Wish Lust: Gost PaleoBareFoot - Chainmail shoes

Hot on the heels of my Danner boots post (yes, I went there) I saw a post on Gizmodo about these very interesting free-running shoes.

These are shoes are made of chainmail links made of 0.55 mm gauge "1.4404" stainless steel  with a 4mm external diameter chain and an internal diameter of 2.9 mm. This is some pretty fine link... The kind that one might find in a butchers glove or hobbit chest.

What have the good people at Gost made?

Armoured running shoes, thats what.

According to the documentation, each ring is fused, and the entire process is automated. What would have been a seriously laborious manual task has seemingly been reduced considerably, allowing these to be made at an industrial level.

So, what might they be good for?

"Barefoot running" Or at least, mostly bare. The site talks about the tactile advantages of running, and walking barefoot, that the human foot fares much better when it can respond to the environment beneath each footfall, whilst still being protected from cuts and abrasions.

I've worn mail in the past, and there certainly is something to be said for its feel, AND its protective ability. Made in a very good range of sizes (and half-sizes) and with integral lacing, the PaleoBarefoots boots can also be fitted with a neoprene anklet, to reduce chafing on the top of the foot when running.

The makers of the Barefoot however are quick to point out that on slick modern  [edit, thanks Jorg! ]  polished surfaces like marble, wood, tiles, they do not give a good grip, but on concrete the Paleos have an excellent grip and recommending wearing them in outdoors environments. [/edit]

Water drains right out, mud squishes away. Sand, sharp rocks, thorns, bindies, broken glass and old rust nails.  All worries of the past to the fleet-footed paleo runner.

I'd wear them as part of layering, in a disaster situation. to avoid the same kinds of hazards, as well as Punji stick type man-made ones.