Showing posts with label vehicle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vehicle. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Review: MyMedic - MyFAK

Accidents happen. Burns, cuts, bumps and breaks can come to anyone at any time.  Having a first-aid kit to hand is a vital element to anyones preparedness loadout or lifestyle. Whether you're hiking in the bush, cutting firewood, camping, on a road trip, driving nails in the backyard or hitting pipe in the sandbox you'll want to be able to plug holes and tend to boo-boos to get on with the task at hand. I keep a generic first aid kit in the bottom of my day-bag, and have a small IFAK on my hiking belt, but there are some jobs they just aren't up to and frankly, being stuffed in the bottom of a pack does not make for rapid treatment in a critical situation.

This is where something like the purpose built MyFAK from My Medic comes into its own. Jam-packed with a very comprehensive collection of needful and useful items for treating a variety of ailments and accidental injuries. It does so all encompassed in a tactically minded form-factor. 

 With contents suitable for airway, bleeding, burn, hydration, outdoor safety, sprains and fractures and specialty surgical incident as well as topical treatment, the MyFAK  has packs that caters to both Basic and Advanced First Aid needs. (Available in two different configurations to suit your ability and need).

"By ordering MyMedic First Aid Kits you warrant that you have the required training and authorization to use the medical supplies contained within. MyMedic assumes no liability for their misuse."
  

The 1000D cordura pouch measures 6.5" wide, 7.5" tall and 5" deep, its no slouch. The advanced kit weighs 1275g, the same size basic weighs a mear 975g. The front of the pouch is rigged with 6" of loop field, in 3 2" strips, with a secondary layer of 1" strips straddling these to provide 4 channels of MOLLE attachment, for those of us who like pouches on our pouches or for stowing additional accessories likepens, lights, cyalume sticks or pry-bars. A 1" wide nylon strap runs all the way around the pouch, with a fastex buckle to keep it fully secured to the backing and fully closed> This is especially important as the backing, which features not only two press-stud closure MOLLE straps but the entire back is hook and loop for tear-away capability. a 1" nylon grab handle allows for positive grip and when unbuckled the MyFAK can be torn off your pack, or load bearing gear for ease of access or to pass on to someone who needs it.

The rip-away design makes for ease of access for what is otherwise quite a bulky pouch. being able to get at it without it being strapped to yourself or a pack would greatly improve your ability to get the components you need in a timely and efficient fashion. Crucial in a medical crisis. The fastex clip is no hindrance to access and does a great job in securing the pouch, but it has two easy-grip rubber toggles with medic crosses to pull the oversized zippers open. A lightly hook-and-looped nylon tab acts as a pull tab to assist in pulling the pouch open and holding it spread. Folding down to the front loop fields to stow out of the way when not in use.

The pouches hook field backing also means once removed it can be stuck to other loop-field surfaces at your leisure.
Opening the pouch up reveals its Tri-Fold Design

MyMedic created this pouch to give you quick access to your First Aid Supplies. This tri-fold design makes it easy to see what you need, when you need it.

Working from the innermost layer forwards the front the back panel has three Elastic webbing loops to contain items, a mylar space blanket, a hank of paracord, a cyalume stick and a RATS tourniquet. Behind that are two pockets with bandages, including quick-Clot and a chest seal. The back most pocket has a hook and loop  closure tab to keep it closed until needed.
The middle panel has more elastic webbing securing more bandages, irrigation saline and suture kits. An additional pocket behind the elastic webbing holds a compressed compression bandage.

I'm really impressed with the amount of material squeezed into this kit, both by clever arrangement of pockets but also arrangement of items. I was tempted to reorganise the kit but quickly recognised I wasn't going to get it any better packed or sorted.



The third section of the internals is the zippered mesh lind pocket panel. It is filled with small items; medications, electrolyte sachets, swabs, lotions and gloves. The section is itself a tear-away as well allowing you to pass it over or just get at it without disturbing the rest of your pristine supplies.

Whilst the rest of the kit is full of bandages, burn kits, and hole closers, the medication pouch holds pain killers, anti-inflammatories, anti nausea and anti-dirorrerals and electrolytes. The mesh panel allows the plastic pouch wrapped medications to be rummaged through. Good if you find yourself off-Oregon trail and not fancying dying of dysentery.  The flip side of the medication pouch provides a smooth field for laying out items: bandages, sutures, tweezers and such as you work on your patient, or just as a cover to prevent debris falling in your kit.

So, apart from being jam-packed with all kinds of goodies and needfuls, being well put together as far as design and layout, and having an excellent quick-release and access options go, this is an excellent First Aid kit.

I find it a bit bulky and heavy to put on my person, say on a battle-belt or on a plate carrier, except maybe on the back. Personally I feel it's suitable to go on a pack, or on a dedicated medic's harness. One thing I saw on their webpage and successfully tried myself was fitting  it to the headrest of my drivers-side car seat. Putting it in easy reach for shot-gun or back seat passengers should the need for road-side assistance come up.

Secured by its Molle straps, to the headrest prongs, it can be accessed by its quick release Fastex clip and pulled free by the webbing drag handle. If needed it could then be reattached in an upright position and unfolded to access its components in a secured place for out the door or back seat triage as needed. Perfect for on-the-move treatment. 

I have a Cert 1 in first aid which is basically: bites, breaks, bleeds and burns and I feel the contents and setup of this kit is more than adequate for my needs, and beyond what I'm trained for in its Advanced format, but not beyond my ability in extremis.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

camp ideas

So I've been wanting to get a bit more social with my prepping and thought it might be nice to arrange a camping skill-share, where we could get together, make camp, share some ideas and knowledge and practice some skills and test out gear. In thinking about this I got to thinking about skills and ideas for discussion topics.  My thoughts around it revolved around the bug-out decision and what could or would be needed in those situations. 
So here is my brainstorming list of ideas around topics to cover both philosophical topics surrounding TEOTWAWKI scenarios and situations where wilderness bug-outs might be beneficial, and also covering skills and techniques I feel might be worth sharing for a SHTF situation.

 The idea would be to put into practice some of the skills and preps people have gathered and learn new ways of doing things in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.
I don't claim to be super knowledgeable or skilled but I think it would be a valuable experience and a great way to socialize mindsets as well as test out gear. 

To bug in or bug out
- when (depending on the event, there may or may not be a warning, sheltering in -place may be advantageous) (traffic, unrest, martial law, fuel restrictions, road clearance, security)
- how (on foot, in a vehicle, daytime, night-time, overt or covert)
- trigger points (depends on the situation, essential services, social markers (rioting, mobs, looting)
- prep (depending on the situation there may be time to do last minute preps (storm proofing windows, shopping, water storage)
- Where:

Should the decision come to bug-out, one of the first thoughts I think worth discussing was that of site selection. Given the variety of threats that could trigger a bug-out, such choices would need to be suitable for the situation at hand.
As I see it, a site selection depends on four basic elements: 
- access (can you hike to it, does it have road access, do you need ladders, ropes or a boat to reach it?)
- resources (food,  water, firewood, materiale on site)
- physical security (distance, isolation, cliffs, dense forest, rivers, fences, buildings, walls)
- obscurity (is it a commonly known or popular location, does it get plentiful visitors in normal times)

Having settled on a bug-out location and making it there, you are faced with some choices around camp layout that will need to be considered, these apply to any camping situation.

- shelter
- wind
- local hazards (rivers, cliffs, marshes, wildlife)
- areas (sleeping / cooking / fire / toiletries / craft)
- distance to water 
Shelter building. Depending on your situation and expected duration of your stay you may need to take into consideration a variety of elements such seasonal weather and both convenience and comfort. Do you need to build  a log cabin to winter in or stilt house to monsoon in?
- natural
- salvage
- portable
Foraging: Bugging out is usually a limiting idea when it comes to resources. There will be only so many meals you can pack and take with you ,and after that you'll have to fend or yourself. 
- bush food
- salvage (neighboring residences / "abandoned" towns, risks of venturing out)
- hunting
- caching
- farming (crops  & livestock)
Fire craft: Cooking, water purifying, heat, light, craft and security. Fire brings all thee things and there are fewer things that say "survival" more than being able  to start and maintain a fire. But it can be dangerous, time and energy consumptive (fire wood is hard work to chop and haul)
-stoves
- bow drill
- fire steel/ flint / Ferrocerium
- smokeless buried
- fuel (harvesting and storing)
Water: essential for life, for crops, for hygiene and  sometimes remarkably difficult to come across.

- sand charcoal filter
- evaporation still/plant harvest
- streams, billabongs, springs, rain harvest

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
-My Country, Poem by Dorothea Mackeller

Food: Ok ,so, you've got your crates of MRE, your boxes of ramen and cans of beans, and lugged it a ll out to your bug-out location. Now you have to eat it. as a limited resource you want to ensure you waste as little as possible, maximise caloric content and avoid meal-fatigue. 
- - cooking/food/MRE's/rations
- - storage
- - hobo stew

Camp craft: There are all manner of skills to learn and things to make to improve camp living. Some are purely outdoors skills, others are wilderness survival and others just useful.
- travois building
-navigation
travois building
cleaning/ hygiene/ latrine
canoeing/fishing
first aid
sharpening tool/knife
signaling
gadgets
rope, knots, cordage, nets
Security: having arrived at your site, you'll want to establish a perimeter and put some kind of security in place, if the situation calls for it, based on the level of threats expected, you may need to deploy all manner of security to protect your location, your supplies and yourselves.  
traps / tripline alarms / noisemakers
- light/noise discipline
- snares, traps and static defense
- hiking/stealth
- tracking/stalking
  




 
The 5 c's of survival - combustion/cordage/ containers/ cover/cutting tool

Camp stuff aside, there's the whole "when is enough's enough", when to pack up and big out or board up and bug in. Some scenarios are better for bug-in vs bug out and would take some debating to determine what constitutes what kind of risks or benefits. 
Situations leading to a bug-out.
- social collapse: fabric of society in tatters, no law, no services, reliant on pre-established community goodwill if it exists. 
- economic collapse: mass unemployment and poverty, starvation and resource scarcity. law and order stretched thin, but government still operates in some capacity. Profiteering rampant. Currency irrelevant. 
- governmental collapse: formal government dissolved essential services operate on volunteer basis only. Free market economy continues but currency may be unstable .

- natural disaster: devastating and dangerous. depending on the nature of the event the damage may be narrow or widespread, limited or long term.
- - floods
- - dust bowl
- - fires (bushfire, urban wildfire, pipeline / refinery )
- - mega storms (hurricane, typhoon, tornado)
- - geological (earthquake, volcanic, impact events)
- disease  / plague

climate change: I don't need a 16 year old Swede to shame me into being concerned. Climate change could lead to a variety of cascading disasters.
- global warming
- - sea levels coastal shifts inland
- - droughts
- weather patterns
- - flooding
-- EL nino, La Nina
- - crop failures
- armada storms ( if one butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane, imagine a whole swarm or an armada of butterflies and the storm they might create (thanks Peter F Hamilton))
water supply
- Drought
- -domestic water restrictions
- -crop  failures
- - bee pollination collapse

solar flare / increase (Circuitry Man) the day star is an angry friend and can do us harm in more ways than sunburn and drought. A burp of the sun could drop us back to the steam age and we lack the infrastructure to support it.
- grid down infrastructure failure, comms out
- emp
- radiation
- heat

Yellowstone super-volcano
Pacific Rim ring of fire eruptions/quakes
- ash
- tsunami
- plate shift
- reactor meltdowns

polar flip: i'm not convinced this one is really an issue worth listing as a disaster, rather a significant inconvenience and nuisance. 
- navigation
- Van Allen belt holes

power / fuel ( no oil, coal):  Fuel crisis might dramatically cut transportation, distribution and essential services. prices may skyrocket to compensate or they may simply halt
- electrical power grid down
-- water and sewage pumping cut / digital economy / comms
-- transportation / food distribution

international terrorism
- local infrastructure disruption

domestic terrorism :social unrest and instability, cultural shifts and revolutionary. All are disruptive and might warrant  a"get out of Dodge"  to avoid being caught up in or being on the wrong end of.
- religious extremism
- jihad vs crusade
- hate crimes/race war

plague: global Pandemics, sweeping through countries , killing or incapacitating people could lead to infrastructure and societal collapse as well as the direct threat of infection.
- Spanish flu
- red flu ( the Last Ship)
- crop blight (Interstellar)
- livestock blight

war: woah, woah, woah, what is it good for? Not property values that's for sure. Time to Wolveriene's out!
- invasion
- thermonuclear fallout

Crazy Supernatural disaster: I'm not going to shirk from addressing the very dear threats to the movie-going preppers lists even if it's not a credible threat. Worth it for fireside discussion with  a few drinks at the very least.
- zombies
- aliens
- trifids
- kaiju

Would some kind of camping trip with workshops appeal? If you're in my geographical region and would like to hang out do drop me a line. We'll chop some wood and char some food, rig some traps and get our hands dirty.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Wish-Lust: MotoGriddle packable fireplace



Hot off the press, here is a Kickstarter project that was brought to my attention by its creator, Phillip Kauffman, who was the mind behind the ScrewGrabber Kickstarter, I covered a while ago. This time, in a totally different direction, he has a set of flat-packing trail fireplace, specifically designed to be mounted on a trailbike, or outside of a 4WD.

The concept is not dissimilar to other "fold-flat" grill systems, but this one is designed to be vehicle mounted, and as such, it is bigger, sturdier and rather than back-pack or pocket packable, to be accommodated by an existing mounting system. A rod runs through the middle, and clamps tight to give you a secure mount. The MotoGriddle is designed to use that same mounting system.

When folded flat, the MotoGriddle is designed to be mounted underneath the  Rotopax jerry can system. Check out Rotopax system here: Essentially it's a modular locking system that lets you fix a range of proprietary jerry-can's to the back of a motorbike, ATV or other outdoors adventure mobile.

The original Motogriddle was very practical but a flaw became apparent; size. It was too small for a big camping trip. So the team scaled it up to create the 4WD and Trail Griddles. As a result, the 4WD Griddle is their new favorite in the Motogriddle line.

The original MotoGriddle (Small) for motorcycle mounting comes in at  9" x 13.5" x 5/8" when flat-packed, and 9.25" x 12.5" x 13.5" when set up. It weighs 5kg (11 lbs) without the top-plate grill, and  5.8kg (13 lbs) with the grill.

The Large for 4WD or RV carriage, is offered in either "4WD" or "Trail" patterns, but these appear to be aesthetic differences only.


When packed flat they are 16" x 14.25" x 5/8" and when set-up: 16" x 14" x 12". Bigger means heavier, so it's no surprise that they weigh 8.6kg(19 lbs) without the grill, and 10kg(23 lbs) with it. Hardly back-pack ultralight gear, but it's not intended to be.

Cut from 0.07" (3/32") A36 mild steel, these are intended to be for campers looking to comply with camp fire regulations. and have a complete solution no matter were they go. I've built fires in sand-dunes where you might despair for a couple of rocks to prop things up on, but with nothing in sight. This would be perfect.

Construction appears to be as simple as inserting tab-A into slot-B a couple of times and you're ready to go!

Both the 4WD and Trail Griddles easily accept pre-cut sold firewood, making preparation for a camping trip simple. With the larger size you get a larger cook top, more heat, and more light. Built in folk holes for levering off the grill-top for adding more wood and skewer-notches add to the functionality and really present the thought that has gone into these products.

The practical uses to the Motogriddle, the 4WD, and the Trail Griddles seem endless. The makers have used the Motogriddle on motorcycle trips secured by the Rotopax mounting system. They have also used the 4WD Griddle in campgrounds that had fire pits solely so they could move the fire where they wanted it.

Its a good looking invention, and whilst not the first of its kind, the inclusion of the Rotopax mounting system and overall size make it a very appealing project for those of us who camp from vehicles.

Check the project out here:





Sunday, December 13, 2015

Wish Lust: off-road vehicles

I was heading home from work, and I went past this vehicle, parked in the parking lot entrance of an apartment block, and I was so impressed that I wanted to snap a few pictures and tell you what I thought about it. There has been so much done to the set-up that I couldn't even tell what the original rig under it was, but it has a fully enclosed tool and storage locker suite, with four lockable cupboards, two of which were vented, possibly to house pig-dogs or some such. Big off-road tires, with two spares on the back, as well as dual front and back dynema cable-winches, and a heavy-duty jack .
An awning canopy which looks like it might be a full tent version  was fitted to the roof, as well as a roof-rack full of camping and bedding gear like bed-rolls. Packs set to the back of the spare tires give even more storage, though probably not for anything too valuable. Might even be solar shower reservoirs. Extra LED lights, running-boards, a snorkel, a big cow-pusher and a heavy duty suspension upgrade finish off what looks to be a very impressive off-road and off-grid setup. It made me envious!
My own little Toyota Rav4 AWD is rather soccer-mom in comparison. Given that I don't do much off-roading, other than getting to and from some pretty family-friendly camping sites and the occasional trip to the snow, I don't really have much regular excuse for a more workhorse set up, other than in the interests of preparedness. Family utility won out when I got this vehicle. That said, I do keep a variety of useful and important kit stowed away in its Millennium Falcon like storage bays: 
First Aid kits, my in-the-car Bug-Out-Bag, a pretty comprehensive tool-bag, rain-gear, Hi-Vis gear, oil, fishing rods, jumper-leads, a hatchet, some really neat collapsible fishing poles and a tackle box, as well as my trusty Stetson all live stowed away ready for any emergency that comes up. I also have a Hercules Off-road Recovery kit,  which isn't pictured. I also have two removable roof-racks, which strap on to the top, through the door-frames, and give me instant top-side storage when I have even more to load. 
These originally came to let me haul my AquaYak tandem kayak, but have been invaluable camping and both salvage and shopping. Given the size of our family, I often ponder that I would have been better served with a people mover, but the Rav4 has served me well. The boot by itself is spacious and lets us haul a whole lot more than you might expect. It would be awesome to one day have a decent rough-riding, off-road, Mad Max worthy vehicle, and I know one of my friends recently got an ex-Army Land Rover Defender  which will make an excellent bush-basher, so I know its possible.



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Home Front: just pop to the supermarket

Here's the thing. We (and I presume most of you, my readers) live in the industrialised world. Hot and cold running water, 24/7 power, high speed(ish) internet. A industrialised food transportation system. We have supermarkets, corner stores, grocers and the like, a stones throw from our homes. Perhaps a short drive in your Urban Assault Vehicle.

We can just assume that the shelves will be stocked, the lights will be on, and we'll be able to pretty much do all our shopping in one spot.



The problem is, even in industrial and affluent society like mine, these services can be disrupted but simple things. Power outages of more than a few hours tends to make supermarkets cull their perishable stock (pay attention, urban scavengers, you might be able to pick up a truckload of just-begin-to-thaw frozen goods).

Imagine what fuel shortages, road closures, quarantines or other long time disruption to supply chains would do.

My local supermarket is a marvel of modern convenience, is only 650m from my house. Easy walking distance for a bottle of juice, or a bag of chips, and we even drive when we do a big shop. How would it fare in the event of a disaster? How long would it take to empty of supplies? How long would it hold up if locked down?

It gives me pause for thought,  perhaps it might for you too.

I certainly have a mental list of "what to grab in the first few days of an event" which I will write up and share shortly.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Review: Aquayak - Snapper Pro





I was driving past a series of shops recently, and stopped at a set of lights and looked over and there it was, my local Kayak shop. I felt it was time, given the water only five minutes down the road from me and the fact that I haven't really covered any sort of transport caught my mind. I have used kayaks before, mostly in lakes and rivers in Canada, in the Rockies.

I dropped them a line after looking over their website and I was delighted to be offered the chance to trial a couple of their models. The first is the Snapper-Pro, the fully kitted version of the Snapper.

This is a 2.7m (8'10") long ‘sit-on-top’ kayak with a range of features, including coming in a range of colours, all in their propriety 'alkatuff polyethylene' material, which holds a UV certification for maritime plastics. Pretty impressive. 

The hull is deeply molded and 0.8m (2'7") a the beam. It also only weighs 18kg empty (just under 40 lbs). I lugged it out of the shop, lashed it to my vehicle (more on this later), drove it home and looked it over before taking it out on the water.
I wanted to get a closer look at the hull cross section that had been hinted at on the website. It did indeed have a very interesting profile, and I was keen to see if this unique low-drag underwater shape that provided the speed and tracking through the water without the need of a complicated rudder that they advertised.

The last kayak I had used was a "sit-inside" type, you traditionally see, and required "eskimo-roll" survival training in the event of capsizing. On the AquaYak boats, you just climb back on like a surfboard.


Here is a cross-section of the hull, sitting as a display in the shop. The polyethylene hull is both spacious and well reinforced with supporting pillars scattered throughout. The pillars seen here actually form part of the self-draining system the boats share, as scupper holes that allow sloshed in water to drain back though the boat. The hull is around 6-8mm thick, and has most of the major features molded right in, with very few cuts or holes drilled into the body.


   


The kayak has a capacity of 120kg (265lbs) and as long as you keep in mind the operator (for me, that's 85kg, leaving 35kg of gear haulage) however, after handling it in the water, I wonder if that might be a very conservative rating. There are three storage ports built into the hull, fore, central and aft. The turn-lock sealed ports allow you to store a variety of gear in the hull, away from the worst of the elements, and keep your center of gravity low at the same time. 


 


For the fishers our there, the central port comes fitted wit ha removable, drop-in bait bucket, all the better for catching the fishes with!


 


As I mentioned earlier, I didn't have any trouble moving it around, even on my own. I keep a couple of karate-belts i have collected over the years in the boot, which make for excellent roof-rack ties. The smooth edges of the hull laid right on the roof of my car and I lashed it through the built in safety lines. Getting it up and down was a pretty simple exercise, the biggest trouble was doing so in the high gusting winds I had on my paddling day. I have roof-rack rails, which aided in lashing, and I could, if i needed, have put a specialized kayak carrier on, but it didn't really need it.


 


Here's where I went, a little sheltered bay on Port Phillip Bay. You can see that it wasn't a very clear or fine day, it was drizzling on and off, a strong wind was zipping in and there was a bit of chop. There was also a fair bit of a hill to portage the kayak over. All part of the test I wanted to give it.


 


 I got the Snapper-Pro off the top of the vehicle, put on my vest, and helmet,  grabbed the paddle and trotted down the hill to the beach.


 


   


Getting it down on the beach, I unfolded the padded seat, and latched it to the loops bolted to the hull with the brass clips provided. With two forward, and two behind this padding fitted in nicely to the deeply molded internal seat. Webbing straps form each of these four points  and allow you to customise the fit and feel of the seat. I opted for a slightly lent back approach, because i'm so tall. I sat in it on the sand to adjust, then got ready to push off.


 


 


 


 


 It wasn't overly cold, but with the wind, even the bit f spray I got would be chilly, so I dressed for the occasion in my Platatac Microfleece half-zip top and matching Microfleece Sniper pants under my North Face pants and Paleo Barefoots.


I knew I wouldn't stay dry,  but I wanted to stay light, and warm.

    Pushing off, I moved through the shallows, and was amazed at the very shallow draft the kayak had. in barely more than ankle deep, I was floating just off the sand, and with a gentle push of a paddle, I was afloat.
    Paddling out into the bay, it took me a few minutes to remember how to coordinate arms to hips, to ensure stability, and not to dig too deeply when on the shoreward side of waves. 

    All along  the rim of the Snapper-Pro is a safety line, a heavy cord, mounted securely to the  hull by a series of hard plastic loops. There are also two drag handles, fore and aft, to assist with hauling and climbing back in, should you go over. You can see here that my feet were right up to the front of the cockpit, as I have really long legs.
    It wasn't uncomfortable, but an extra few inches would have made a difference for me.
    One thing that I hadn't anticipated was the scupper holes letting water into the cockpit, and right into the seat of my pants. As I say, I had anticipated getting wet, so this wasn't a problem, but just be sure that you bear this in mind. For those with shorter legs than mine, there were a series of channels in the sides to act as in-situ footrests, which was a really cool idea.

    I found that I could access the center port with no difficulty, but the fore and aft ports were moslty out of reach.



    The kayak was very stable in the water, and responsive too. I haven't paddled for 15 years, and quickly found myself zipping over waves, from end to end of the little bay, against the current, against the wind, and across both. It was only when I over-paddled and over-balanced that I had any troubles controlling it. 

    You can see over my shoulder, the elastic cargo netting,  which I left empty for my trails, but would fit a decent sized pack, like my Platatac light field-pack or a child quite happily (obviously, you don't put the child under the straps). You can also see the aft drag handle. Both the inter-hull cargo compartment, and the external cargo compartments in the aft and between my knees, so there is plenty of space to haul cargo, or passengers. Bear in mind the weight limits, and get your bug-out -kit waterproofed!

    I had a couple of tumbles whist finding my water feet, and found that I could quickly (if not easily) haul myself back on board.


    Not only did the kayak handle well, and was easy to right, haul and lug, it was sturdy and stable. I feel I could have fished happily off it (using either of the two built in rod-holders in the aft) although I would need practice to get my cast coordinated so I didn't dunk myself.

    I had a real blast with this, and I think I will be trying to include more watercraft skills in the future in my planning.I also took a bunch of Contour Cam footage, and have included it below:




    http://contour.com/videos/watch/aquayak-snapper-pro-1


    http://contour.com/videos/watch/aquayak-snapper-pro-2


    http://contour.com/videos/watch/aquayak-snapper-pro-3-dunkings


    http://contour.com/videos/watch/aquayak-snapper-pro-4


    http://contour.com/videos/watch/aquayak-snapper-pro-5-hauling
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