22 December 2009
Just as 52 reviews are posted for the tactical side of the house, an equal number are posted for the recreational side of the house. Down time... time off... escape time... whatever you call it - time away from the stress and dangers of work (especially for some of you) is mandatory and must serve to refresh us. I don't see any surprise in the fact that a great many contemporary warriors enjoy outdoor activities when they're off-duty or on vacation. That belief (on my part) is expressed in the categories of our reviews. I know there are a lot of reading reviews, but even that can be relaxing and you can do it beside a campfire if you want to. Here's a look at those recreational products I thought were worth a second look in 2009. Each has an introductory paragraph, photo and link to the full review.
So I've been wearing hydration systems for work and play purposes for more than a decade now. I clearly remember carrying two aluminum 1-quart canteens in Basic Training (and MP school for that matter) and I now envy my children who get issued hydration systems that integrate into their web gear. The challenge I've always seen is, how do you dry the bladder and drinking tube after cleaning them? Because no matter how clean you think they are, if there's still moisture inside then there is the potential for something unwanted to grow while it's in storage. The solution? Enter the ZER0 GOO drying tool. Consisting simply of the fan unit and the power cord, the ZER0 GOO system seems like a simple solution that we should all be smacking ourselves in the forehead for as we say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The rest of the ZERO GOO review.
A few years ago I had the honor of reviewing a knife designed and manufactured to honor the first Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan. This week I have a similar honor as I review the Marc Lee Glory Knife - designed by Eddie Killian and manufactured by Benchmade to honor the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. It is serendipitous that Benchmade would decide to produce the knife honoring a Navy SEAL who was originally from Oregon (given that Benchmade is HQd there). Let’s take a look at the knife, Eddie’s motivations, and what changes were made between first prototype and production model. On August 2, 2006, Navy SEAL Marc Lee died in the line of duty in Iraq. Reportedly, he died after having stood, without cover, in the direct line of fire in front of fellow SEALs. It is right and fitting to honor a warrior with a dedicated warrior's tool. With the exception perhaps of rocks and clubs, the knife is a warrior's oldest tool. With that in mind I spoke with Eddie Killian of K5 Tactical about the knife and his involvement with its production. Eddie was approached for involvement by Chief Steven C. Bronson (USN Ret). Chief Bronson was the man who commissioned the Neil Roberts Warrior Knife to honor the first Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, so Eddie wasn't surprised that Bronson would be involved in this effort to honor Marc Lee. If you take a look at the pictures you can see that the knife is quite unique in appearance and I asked Eddie about that.
The rest of the Marc Lee Glory knife review.
Believe it or not, in America today, there are those who aren't a fan of President Obama. In fact, there are those who believe that his leadership, specifically where the economy is concerned, will soon be the downfall of this great nation. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the "nay-sayers" were actually proven correct? What will you do if hyper-inflation causes the price of everything to skyrocket out of affordability? Where and how will you live if government services collapse and the local grocery store is closed for months? In this fictional novel Patriots: A Novel of Survival In The Coming Crisis, author James Wesley, Rawles interlaces survival instruction with an action-adventure tale that will have you turning pages way into the night. James Wesley, Rawles is a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and lifelong survivalist. He is the editor for SurvivalBlog.com and travels to provide lectures on survival. With Patriots: A Novel of Survival In The Coming Collapse Rawles provides instruction in fictional format. When the American society collapses due to economic failure very few will make it entirely on their own. Patriots tells the story of a small group of friends who have planned and worked to be prepared for the collapse. Their outlook is decidedly conservative Christian, but there's no denying their excellence in preparing to face a future with none of the modern conveniences we've come to take for granted.
The rest of the Patriots review.
It's not uncommon today to see law enforcement professionals from the average patrol officer to the most highly skilled SWAT cop wearing eye protection. Said eye protection can take the form of the cheapest bulkiest (and ugliest) "goggles" you can find in any convenience store. Luckily for us, they can also take the form of high-speed stream-lined high-performance eyewear produced for our military. Thankfully, such eyewear has as much application in the field for recreational purposes as it does for military or law enforcement work. In this week's review we're going to take a look at the new photochromic Hellfly sunglasses from Revision Military Eyewear. These sunglasses are highly serviceable for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc - where we sometimes completely neglect our eye protection.
The rest of the Hellfly review.
A few months ago I was approached by a number of people specifically wanting advice on what they should do if they were out in public, legally carrying a firearm, and present when an "active shooter" event took place. Their actual actions and the morality / values that drove them were never in much debate. OF COURSE they were going to do all they could to protect their families and neutralize the shooter. The bigger challenge was how to identify themselves safely to responding law enforcement. Enter DSM Products Safety banners.
The rest of the DSM Banner review.
So, those are my highlights for 2009. I'm glad to have each item in my office (except that Marc Lee Glory Knife - gotta get one of those!). I encourage you to consider them further as we move into 2010.
Happy Trails!
