Most Visible Color to Wear in Water
A water rescue is one of my nightmares…maybe a plane crashes, a cruise ship is damaged, or there’s a flood. I just don’t think about that sort of thing very much, unless I happen to be flying over the ocean to Hawaii! Admittedly, that has only happened twice (there and
Review: Bindle Bottle
Just about everyone has one (or several!) or has at least seen the stainless steel, double-walled vacuum-insulated water bottle. There is no shortage of them on the market nowadays. But despite the numerous companies making them, there is very little variety in the function of the bottle. You almost always
How to Navigate Without a Map, Compass or GPS
I’m not the greatest navigator. I learned a long time ago that I have a poor sense of direction. Put it this way…I can become turned around in a culdesac! I CAN read a map, but knowing north from south when walking or navigating is something I’m pretty miserable at.
Gerber Releases New Line of Fishing Tools
It may be winter, but it’s never too early to think about getting your boat in the water or pulling on your waders for a day of fishing. And for those anglers who need something to lessen the hassle of managing lines, retrieving hooks and processing fish, Gerber has heeded
Top Gifts of Gear for the Holidays 2017
As you long-time readers know, I’m the guy with the gear who actually uses it through my role as a Search and Rescue member. Throughout the year I do video reviews of gear I’ve purchased or been given to test, so watch for those here on this site. Here’s a
Make Your Own Char Cloth
Some fire starter systems rely on char cloth. I wrote about the fire piston that I bought a while ago as one of some backup fire starter systems to have on hand. I like the fire piston, but it requires some type of tiny piece of tinder and char cloth
Video Review: TacPack Subscription Box Review
Subscription boxes are all the rage for people who have a bit of extra cash, crave some new gear, but don’t want the hassle of figuring out what they should buy. Box companies have become pseudo-Santas with monthly or quarterly deliveries with a mystery box of (hopefully) quality and usable
Video Review: CRKT Rune First Impressions
CRKT and Ryan Johnson at RMJ tactical have produced yet another awesome tomahawk. The Rune is new for 2017 and with its short size and sharpened spike is designed to be a tactical breaching tool. But all blades have wilderness functionality to them, so I wanted to see if this
This CRKT-Ruger Pencil Could be Mightier than the Sword
A good writing utensil is a small but important piece of gear for a search and rescuer. SAR people are constantly taking notes for coordinates, subject descriptions, team lists, gear inventories, map doodles, and anything else we can fit in our notebooks. Such utensils must be durable, for as soon
Gear Review: The Pocket Shot Circular Slingshot
Summer is here and that means many of us are camping out, cooking on the grill, and playing games while the hot dogs are over the fire. Chances are there’s a kid at a campsite somewhere trying to hit a something with a slingshot. I’ve had The Pocket Shot in
