Fivejoy J2 Military Entrenching Shovel Reviewed
With all of the things that I would like to carry with me in a bug-out situation, a shovel probably would have been one of the last things that I would have considered. That is until I saw a few recent videos demonstrating their usefulness. But not just any shovel would do. I’ve looked at many folding shovels in the past, and while I’ve been impressed with their quality and durability, I felt they should be more versatile to justify the weight. Today, I’ll be looking at the J2 Military Entrenching Shovel from Fivejoy to see how well it would meet my needs…
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The Southwest Disk Discada Reviewed
As an avid outdoor chef wannabe, I am always on the lookout for gadgets and grills to broaden my horizon by expanding my culinary repertoire and skillset. Especially with Southwest and Asian cuisines. A few years ago, I heard about discada cooking. I watched dozens of videos before finally deciding to get one for myself. But after trying out a bunch of different options and much deliberation, my heart was set on an authentic hardened steel plow disk. I contacted David over at Southwest Disk and he sent one right over. Now I can let you in on the secret of incredible discada cooking…
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PowerSmith Rechargeable LED Worklamps Reviewed
I looked at a few different models before stumbling onto PowerSmith work lamps. The online reviews were good on average so I decided to reach out to them, and they kindly sent me a pair of their heavy-duty rechargeable LED work lamps to test out, and I’ve got some projects around the house that are perfect for taking these work lights for a spin. So let’s dig in and see how well they do the job at hand…
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Fleming’s Fabrications Bushcrafter Reviewed
Some time ago, Travis of Fleming’s Fabrications provided me with the opportunity to review one of his handmade Bushcrafter blades, and I have been using it ever since. Even though this review has been a long-time coming, it is one that I have been very excited to do. Simply put, life had just gotten in the way. The positive to that is that I’ve had plenty of time to really play around with it. So without further adieu, let’s dig in…
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The Doomsday Book of Medicine Reviewed
Knowledge and proficiency in first aid and survival medicine is crucial to any successful emergency preparedness plan. What do you do if the grid is down or you are so far off the grid, that getting to a hospital or finding medical assistance would be impossible? Well, Dr. Ralph La Guardia has authored The Doomsday Book of Medicine to help fill that void by providing some real ideas to answer those questions. Today, we’ll be evaluating this book to see how well it stacks up…
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SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions First Aid Kit Reviewe...
Like bug-out and go-bags, everyone should have first aid kits stashed all over the place… In your home, in your car, and even at your workplace. You never know when you might have or come across a medical emergency. Anyone can put together a decent kit on their own, but sometimes it is much easier to start off with a solid platform, and then tailor it to fit your own needs. SURVIVAL Emergency Solutions has a series of comprehensive first aid kits that just might be the perfect platform to build from. Today, we’ll be taking a detailed look at their Home/Workplace Solution to see how it stacks up…
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SOG Prophet Backpack Reviewed
Packs come in many different shapes and sizes, and each with a different purpose in mind. I recently had to take a flight, but I didn’t have any luggage, bags or packs that were large enough to carry what I needed, and small enough to use as a carry-on because I really didn’t want to deal with the nightmare of having to check any luggage. Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on a 33L SOG Prophet for the trip that would easily fit in an overhead compartment or under the seat. Read on to see how it went…
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The Survival Medicine Handbook Reviewed
An intrinsic part of any emergency preparedness plan is survival medicine which is so much more than treating minor wounds or stabilizing a patient with a severe physical trauma until they can get to a hospital. What if SHTF and there aren’t any hospitals available, or you are so far off-grid that getting to a hospital is impossible? The Survival Medicine Handbook, now in its third edition was written to help answer many of those questions. Join me as I dig into the book…
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Boker Plus Tech-Tool Carbon 7 Reviewed
Multi-purpose pocket knives have been common amongst those that carry knives every day for hundreds of years. With the utilitarian in mind, these multi-tool pocket knives come in a wide-variety of options. Boker, the German knifemaker has recently released a modernized version of their widely successful Camp Knife design called the Boker Plus Tech Tool series. Boker USA has kindly provided us with one of their Boker Plus Tech-Tool Carbon 7 knives to share with you…
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The WaterBOB Reviewed
Emergency water storage is one of the biggest challenges for most preppers. Especially those living in urban environments like apartments and condos. There just isn’t enough room for large water barrels, much less any type of rainwater catch system. Storage of gallon jugs or cases of water bottles is not very practical either. Today, we’ll be looking at the waterBOB as an innovative alternative for dealing with temporary water containment during short-term emergencies…
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Rapid Application Tourniquet (RATS) Reviewed
As a prepper, I’ve always felt it was a good idea to pack plenty of trauma supplies in my various preparedness kits. But it wasn’t until my EDC included a firearm that I realized I should have been carrying a well-rounded trauma kit as part of my EDC. Not just for firearm-related injuries, but also for other equally pressing medical emergencies. RATS Tourniquet has kindly sent me a couple to see how they might augment an IFAK…
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Steel Will Druid 240 Reviewed
This time around, I will be reviewing Steel Will’s Druid 240. While it was part of their 2015 lineup, this was the blade pattern that really caught my eye. Billed as a skinning knife, it has all of the characteristics of a rugged and versatile outdoor survival blade. So let’s take this thing for a spin…
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NANUK Professional Protective Cases Reviewed
Protective equipment cases can be found in a wide-variety of colors, shapes and sizes to accommodate everything from delicate electronics and medical gear to audio, video and photography equipment, and even used to safely transport firearms and ammunition in some of the harshest conditions. Today, I’ll be taking the Nanuk 960 for a spin to see what it is capable of…
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Justin Burke – The Knifemakers Series
For the fourth installment of Knifemakers From Around the World we had a wonderful Q&A session with an amazing traditional artisan and avid outdoorsman from the beautiful mountains in northeastern Tennessee. His name is Justin Burke. Some of you might be familiar with his work, but for those that aren’t, it is my pleasure to introduce Justin and his work to you…
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Jetboil Joule Cooking System Reviewed
When it comes to prepping for survival scenarios, I usually opt for gear that can be used over and over again relying on renewable resources whenever possible. For this reason, I typically choose biomass stoves over stoves that utilize gas, liquid or solid fuels. However, biomass stoves are certainly not the best option for every scenario. There are times when you just can’t beat a compressed gas stove. Today, I’ll be looking at the Joule Cooking System from Jetboil to see how well it fits into my preparedness plan. So let’s get on with it and see what this thing can do…
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Tilley Endurables LTM6 Airflo Hat Reviewed
There are many reasons why people wear hats… Especially in the outdoors. They can help to keep you warm when it is cold and cool when it’s hot, and most of all, protect your head from the sun. Hats come in all shapes and sizes, and vary greatly in terms of quality. Today, I’ll be looking at the LTM6 MultiCam Airflo Hat from Tilley Endurables. It is a higher-end head covering with a guarantee to match, so let’s see what it’s all about…
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Expedition Research Tac-Bar Reviewed
Emergency rations play a very important part of any well-rounded emergency preparedness plan. They are ready-to-eat high-calorie bars that come in many forms from those that loosely resemble bricks to tiny loafs of bread, and even dense fruit bars. Most importantly, they can be stored without much regard for temperature and can be eaten on the go without any preparation so they are perfect for many short-term survival situations. Today we’ll be digging in to the Tac-Bar, a tactical food ration from Expedition Research to see how they stack up…
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