Back in September we introduced the Emberlit Stove. Since then I have been playing with it, testing it, and even carrying it around in my EDC. The conclusion, simply put, this is a great little stove.

As you may remember, there is a great story attached to this product. It’s a story of ingenuity and triumph. In these trying times it’s easy for some to throw up their hands and say, “Woe is me!” But, from a select few we see them rise to the occasion. The inventor, Mikhail, mixed two things he loves to find financial freedom for his family: the outdoors and tinkering.

From Friday Gear Report 9/30/11:

There is even a heart warming story attached to the stove. The Emberlit Stove may look like it was designed by one of the big camping companies, but it’s actually a small business owner who hopes, “To just make enough money so my wife does not have to work at Walmart anymore.” After speaking with the inventor/owner/operator Mikhail, I get the sense that this is someone who really has his heart in his company and his product.

When the Titanium version arrived it was in a heavy resealable plastic bag with simple instructions. While the packaging leaves something to be desired ascetically, the savings to the consumer are appreciated.

For a roughly 36% premium in price, you get a nearly 50% decrease in weight. The Titanium version of the stove weighs in at 5.45oz. versus the 11.25 oz. of the stainless steel. The Titanium Emberlit was light enough that I barely noticed its addition to my EDC bag over the last few months. For context, the iPhone 4s is 4.9oz. and the Blackberry Bold is 4.8oz. So, it’s about like throwing another smart phone in your bag.

Yes, weight does matter. Every ounce you add to carrying weight burns more precious calories whether in a backpacking or a survival scenario. By itself the weight difference may not seem like much, but as you start adding things up it becomes an issue. However, if the $20 difference is going to make an impact in your life go with the steel as 11.45oz is still not that much weight.

The construction is very well done and leads to a very sturdy product. But, the tolerances on the stove are tight. The fit doesn’t make it exceptionally hard to put together, but takes a little effort to get the stove together and broken down.

Aside from the fit, the only other issue I found was that hot embers do tend to fall out the dime size holes along the bottom of the sides. As long as you’re paying attention and the area has been thoroughly cleared of combustible material, this does not create a major issue. However, it is something to stay aware of.

The real question is, how long does it take to boil water? Two cups of water (16oz) took just over 5 minutes to get a rolling boil, with constant feeding, in 57 degree weather at sea level. Not amazing, but pretty darn good.

My final verdict is that the Emberlit Stove gets 4 out of 5 stars with the fit being the main detractor.

Also, seems the innovation bug is still biting Mikhail. Since the gear report he has made a few additions to the products he offers. There is now a pouch for the stoves and an adapter for placing smaller pots on the Emberlit Stove.

Promotional video from Emberlit Stoves:

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini may seem out of place on a site about survival, but that’s only if you do not take into account that people are often your best tool for survival or hindrance in survival. The topic of social dynamics is one far over looked by many survival writers that simultaneously spend volumes of text concerning themselves with people. Using the principles of persuasion ethically and effectively could mean the difference between help from someone or not. It could also mean the difference between being harmed by someone or not.

Much like deescalation techniques, the skill set of persuasion can be a powerful one in your survival tool box.

From the back of the book:

You’ll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader-and how to defend yourself against them. Perfect for people in all walks of life, the principles of Influence will move you toward profound personal change and act as a driving force for your success.

Influence first seemed like it was going to be a dry read. However, I was quickly surprised at just how untrue that assumption was. It’s filled with interesting stories told well in a narrative style that illustrate the six principles of persuasion.

Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.

Aside form being a pleasure to read, I found Influence to be fascinating. The historical examples brought the aspects of persuasion into clear focus and simultaneously made the book entertaining.

This is a book I highly recommend to anyone interested in being more effective at work, in your personal life, or bettering your survival odds.

I read Influence several years ago, and although I have not had a chance to read it yet-Cialdini’s new book Influence: Science and Practice is probably an exceptional follow-up work.

After a one-year hiatus from studying bushcraft I decided it was time to dive back in. While digging through a few articles on the subject I came across the name Mors Kochanski. It was not a foreign name to me, but I had never read any of his works or watched any of his videos. After reading a brief article on his Try Stick (article coming soon), I remembered his book Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival ($16.95 US) was sitting patiently on a list of books to read.

Mors Kochanski is one of the bushcraft greats; especially when it comes to surviving in the Boreal forest of Canada. By some, he is even considered the forefather of modern bushcraft, as we know it today. Through the years Mors published roughly 16 pamphlets on the individual topics of bushcraft and wilderness skills until he finally published Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival.

Bushcraft is written in a very Canadian tone; it’s polite yet direct in such a way you expect it to call you dense any minute. Overall the material is presented in an easy to understand and easy to digest way. The concepts and instructions are not complicated. Early on, Mors notes that while there may be ten techniques to accomplish a task, he only included the techniques he actually uses on a regular basis and finds practical.

This is not a use a snakeskin as a urine canteen kind of book. The techniques discussed are not exotic in anyway. They are old fashion wilderness survival skills. It was quite refreshing to read a book that did not go out of it’s way to dazzle the reader with a Macgyveresk scheme on how to survive when X happens (I do not exclude my own writings from that statement).

Two things that really stood out about the book is the inclusion of plentiful information about a bush knife and axe. Few wilderness books dedicate more than a page – at best – to the topic of a knife. This has always struck me as exceptionally strange given how important a tool the knife is in the bush. Axes are a topic also rarely covered in detail in wilderness survival books. Kochanski, on the other hand, goes on at great length.

Kochanski’s early life as a draftsman is evident in the multitude of technical drawing style illustrations. These drawings are stuffed with information. One of the few problems I found with the book was that a number of the drawings were too stuffed with information. In several cases I found the drawings to be a little confusing given the number of different techniques trying to be conveyed in a single image. Kochanski also failed to state a view reference in any of his drawings, which lead to a couple puzzled looks on my face as I tried to figure out some of the cross sections. Having spent a good number of years with either a T-square in hand or fingers banging away at AutoCAD, I found this to be an annoying over-site. There were none that I could not eventually figure out, but still irritating.

Another shortfall of the book is the lack of water procurement or purification techniques. There is some, but it’s extremely anemic. It was actually quit shocking to see it given such little print. The only other real short fall I found in the book was a reference to hares being rodents. It’s inconsequential, but hares and rabbits are Lagomorphs. Once years ago thought to be closely related, now considered not to be closely related.

The book is densely packed with information, tips, and techniques. At just over 300 pages, not a bit of text or white space is wasted with anything anecdotal or useless. It should be noted before reading Bushcraft that the book is written from the perspective of someone whose decades of experience all comes from the Canadian Boreal forest. That taken into account, Bushcraft is an excellent book anyone interested in the topic should read.

For some strange reason, the price of Bushcraft is currently sitting at $81.94 on Amazon. However, the listed cover price is $16.95; which is what it was a month ago when I purchased it. Other sites that carry the book still list it at the cover price. So, I assume it is just a pricing mistake.

 When The Survival Template first arrived on my desk, I was a little put off by what looked like nothing more than a pamphlet. How can a survival book of any worth be so slim? With little faith I began to read and was quickly astonished.

The second thing that struck me about The Survival Templatewas the lack of dramatic imagery on the cover. Instead, a serene photograph of a wooded landscape graces the cover. This in many ways sets the tone for the book.

Elegant in its simplicity, The Survival Template ($9.99 paper back, $2.99 digital) is a 51 page book (60 total) that gives you the 9 key concepts you need, whether surviving extreme circumstances or an average day. Published by CreateSpace in April of 2011 and authored by John A. Heatherly, it has tremendous heft for such a short book.

Don’t be fooled by the title. This book is just as relevant in daily life as it is in survival scenarios.

It’s practical and mindset driven, not 4 Survival Items from a Soda Can kind of stuff. Concept is an important distinction between The Survival Template and the sea of other survival books on the market. Where survival books typically focus on skills for dealing with individual situations or discussing “what if scenarios”, this book looks at the bigger picture and mindset to get you through any survival issue using time sensitive goals and mindsets. Survival books of any worth always mention the importance of mindset, but none spend more than a couple of pages on the subject.

The author does not go on at endless length for an unnecessary additional 200 pages of fluff. Author John Heatherly gets to the point and does not waste the reader’s time with self-flagellation or repeating things five times in as many different ways.

In the end, author Heatherly boils down success into goal setting. It’s a common tactic used by most survivors and highly successful individuals. However, in keeping with the simplicity The Survival Template starts off with, the method of goal setting is simple. Readers are encouraged to break things down into 10 year, 5 year, 2 year, 1 year, 6 month, 1 month, and 1 day chunks.

When I was finished with The Survival Template I was left feeling like I really wanted more. But, the truth was all that should be said was said. Instead of consuming additional information, it was time to sit back, ponder the concepts I had just consumed, and perhaps work some more on my goals.

Contagion is a new movie with a high powered cast about the spread of a viral pandemic. It shows the expanding viral epidemic from a number of perspectives and will make any prepper think.

A pandemic is something preppers should be thinking about. In the disaster matrix, it is probably the most devastating thing that is most likely to happen. In reality, we’ve actually had a couple of pandemics – H1N1 and SARS are both examples of viral diseases that spread across the whole globe and killed thousands. We’ve been lucky that the organizations charged with stopping these things did a very good job of catching them early, isolating them, and creating vaccines.

This movie reminded me a of a documentary I once watched on the Influenza epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the US in 1918. One thing from that movie that struck me was a comment about how the scientific community was very confident when it came to diseases. They knew bacteria were the cause of much disease. They could and did create vaccines before this epidemic and during it’s spread they kept making vaccines which kept them ahead of the outbreaks.

The problem was that influenza is caused by a virus which is a very different thing. They were battling with the wrong kind of cure.

In the end the thing that stopped the dying was quarantine. Or as they called it in Contagion, social distance. Which is the first thing a prepper can learn from the movie.

Social Isolation

It doesn’t matter what the actual disease is, if you aren’t around someone who has it, you aren’t going to get it. Period.

In Contagion they make the point that the virus is transmitted not just by getting coughed on, but by touching something that an infected person touched. You can’t even go places sick people have been.

Are you prepared for that?

There were two points I kept thinking of while watching the movie:

1. The plague went on for 144 days. Schools were closed, shopping malls were closed, nurses stopped going to work. Can you live on your own for 5 months? Do you have enough food and other supplies?

2. If you have to deal with a place where other possibly sick people have been, do you have protective gear? To use EMS terms, BSI (Body Substance Isolation), PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), “If it is wet and sticky and not yours don’t touch it.” Of course in the case of Contagion it doesn’t have to be wet or sticky to be deadly.

Basic PPE should include gloves, eye protection and N95 masks. You should have a lot of these in your long term prep stores and a few in your everyday carry gear.

In addition, you need virus killing cleaning stuff. One of the characters and his daughter live in a house where two people died of the plague. How much cleaning did he do? It isn’t shown the movie, but it had to be extensive.

There are plenty of antiviral cleaning solutions out there, and in the end a little bit of bleach in some water will do a lot toward killing viruses.

Social Breakdown

Preppers are generally more prepared for this. Most are prepared to defend their home from invaders. But there is more to social breakdown than looters and criminals. There is also the fact no food is being delivered to stores. UPS and FedEx aren’t delivering packages. The pharmacy is closed. You can’t call friends over because you just lost your wife and son to the disease and need comfort.

The other point is that you aren’t going to be able to get around the government. I always find it strange when people hear their area has been quarantined and decided to leave. They sit in a line of cars to get to a road block and then start arguing with the national guardsman who won’t let them through. Really? Do you think that is going to work? You’ll be lucky if you don’t get shot for trying.

Conclusion

Should preppers see Contagion? Yes, absolutely. It gives perspective on what is going on at high government levels – the CDC and WHO – as well as what it is like for regular people. It will make you think, and thinking is central to preparing.

Like so many others, putting together my first BOB became an obsession. I chewed through forum threads, books and articles, consuming people’s load-out lists. What I found was that they range from down and dirty to Armageddon ready.

One of the items I ended up focusing on the most was the bag itself. I agonized over my decision for what seemed like months (I think it actually was) as I looked at ruck sacks and backpacks. When my search came to an end, I had decided on the Maxpedition Vulture-II 3-Day Backpack ($130) - great for bugging out and storming the castle.

Maxpedition’s Vulture-II is constructed of 1000-Denier water and abrasion resistant light-weight ballistic nylon with a Teflon coating to keep it clean, and high-strength YKK Zippers to keep it closed. Internal seams have been taped and finished to aid in water resistance. Double stitching, bartacking, and box-and-X stitching add strength to stress points.

The Vulture-II is a well thought out bag, with a compartment for carrying a 100 ounce water bladder, three additional sections for your gear, and straps to keep the bag affixed firmly to your body. This includes a hip strap for taking some of the weight off your shoulders. When they’re not being used, the hip strap ends can be tucked back into the bag, getting them out of your way. Layout of compartments and pockets makes organizing and getting to gear quick and easy. The Vulture-11 has four compartments:

• Hydration compartment.
• Large main compartment (19”x15”x7.5”) with a mesh zipped pocket inside.
• Medium sized compartment (15”x12”x2.75”) with open-topped internal organizer and a hook for keys.
• Slip pocket (15”x12”x0.25″) off the front of the medium sized pocket good for documents and small items.

Highly abrasion resistant and non-slip nylon keeps the bottom of the Vulture-II from developing holes in it. In addition, the bottom has strap points for more attachments.

Webbing I could do without, but there is plenty of it on the bag to attach additional survival gear and bags without being over-done.

In general, BOBs are loaded out for 72 hours of survival. The size of the bag a person chooses for their BOB has three basic considerations: how much can the bag hold, what comfort level is expected, and how much can the individual carry. The issue I often find is that bags are either too small or way too big for a 72 hour kit.

The Vulture-II is larger than the typical JanSport one might find at a sporting goods store, yet smaller than most Alice Packs, putting it firmly in the Goldilocks zone of bags. At 2810 cubic inches (46 liters) it may seem like you could carry a lot of gear, but once you stuff it with three days’ worth of clothing, you are left with the perfect amount of room for the essentials and a few extras. It seemed like the perfect balance of size.

Down Side

The Vulture-II is about as tacticalicious as it gets. Nothing screams I am a LEO, private contractor, tactical enthusiast, or survivalist like Maxpedition gear. If being Grey is a concern, this bag is probably not right for you. On the flip side, the shame is that no one has made (in my opinion) a bag that is tactical ready on the inside while remaining Grey on the outside. Even the bags claiming to be Grey, still look tactical.

This poses an interesting question though. When it comes to BOBs and EDC bags, do you like tactical looking bags, or would you prefer a bag that was stylish on the outside but built like a tank, with a tactical-inspired inside?

Patriots is a novel by Former U.S. Army intelligence officer and lifelong survivalist James Wesley Rawles. The story has existed in various forms and delivery methods since roughly 1995. It is probably one of the top five most discussed books within the Survivalist Community today. It’s by far the most hotly debated book on the basis of quality, authenticity, and validity.

Patriots is so prevalent within the Prepper and Survivalist Community that I don’t think many will be able to go without reading it. Having heard mixed reviews, it sat on my list of books to read for some time. I passed it up and passed it up, until one day I finally gave in and read it.

Many have described it as one of the best in the genre. Others feel readers would be better served by using the pages as toilet paper. Opinions vary widely and tend to get rather extreme on both ends of the spectrum. My opinion of the book falls just short of, but still firmly on the “toilet paper” end.

A Little History of Patriots

The first iteration of Patriots appeared in the mid-nineties (1995 – 1997) in digital form, under the title The Gray Nineties. The second version of the book, entitled Triple Ought, existed in 1997 through 1998 and was 27 chapters long. The third version, still in digital form, was named TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It). It was published in 1999 and was expanded to 33 chapters. The fourth release, Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse, was reduced to 32 chapters and was in print through 2005. The fifth revision of the book, Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse (Expanded Edition), was back up to 33 chapters and was in print from 2006 through 2009. The sixth and current edition is Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse, and is also 33 chapters in length.

Patriots has been made into a screenplay, “Pulling Through”, and Rawles seems to be working diligently to get it to the big screen. He also seems quite convinced that “Pulling Through” just needs to be seen by someone with vision, and has posted it for freedownload so that a wide audience can view it.

What I Liked About Patriots by James Wesley Rawles

The book takes the most believable and highest probability path describing the undoing of the United States of America – socioeconomic meltdown caused by an economic catastrophe. Things being what they are at this exact moment in our history makes Patriots a book that is easy to connect with.

There is a considerable wealth of survival-related items called out in the book, along with interesting ideas here and there for hardening a structure.

What I Disliked About Patriots by James Wesley Rawles

As I read Patriots, I could not stop envisioning that the Taekwondo Instructor from Napoleon Dynamite had written it. That could have simply been from the use of the phrase “Van Damage” (an 80’s Jean Claude Van Damme reference, for those too young to know).

As a how-to book, Patriots focuses primarily on the tactical aspects of survival. Had it contained as much detail in the more practical preparations of the main characters, it would have balanced out and gotten closer to the idea of “a how-to as a novel” that many feel this book is.

Story, plot, and character development are all sacrificed at the expense of volumes of text describing in obsessive detail; weapons selection, gear selection, inventories, tactics, and fortifications. The result leaves the reader feeling as though they had just choked down a technical manual clumsily wrapped in a novel’s skin.

The plot is constantly put on hold to go into painful detail, sometimes for pages, about each and every item. This is especially true when it comes to guns. In most cases a character can’t be mentioned without also detailing what kind of tactical products they have on their person and their selection of weapons. If it is not a core character, the weapons and gear are then typically mocked. Had there actually been explanations as to the aspects of weapons and tools that made them so wonderful (or not), a lesson might have been learned.

Patriots tells several small parallel stories, however the scene cuts are done in a very odd manner that has no consistency. The book is left seeming rather jerky. If Mr. Rawles had developed a rhythm to this, it would have added an interesting element to the story. The method of scene cuts also brings up expectations that all of the stories will converge at some point. Some do and some don’t, leaving readers wondering what the point was, other than to express a far flung view.

The book is of a very dramatic subject matter, yet there is no real dramatic tension that’s ever developed. There are hints of it here and there, but ultimately the resolutions come too quickly and too violently. Not that I take issue with violence, but some well thought out, non-violent resolutions would be a nice mix-up here and there.

By the time I was finished reading the book, I could barely remember anyone’s name. I am not kidding. I set the book down and found it hard to recall any names, the characters were so flat. The main characters of the book never get past being two-dimensional. There are no grey area characters. Either they are good, or bad. They are either a Harley Riding Biker that kills men, rapes women, smokes pot, drinks alcohol, sexually molests little boys, and tortures children, or they are a “God Fearing” “Good Christian” who prays every night after dinner, if not every few minutes and does not have premarital sex or use profanity. Jews are apparently ok though – whew!

Something you should know about Patriots. I asked a lot of people their opinion of the book to test a theory. The theory that held true 99% of the time was this:  If you do not subscribe to Christianity or are not a particularly religious person, the religious aspects of the book will be annoying, if not suffocating. If you do subscribe to Christianity and you are even remotely religious, you are not likely to see anything wrong with the book – except maybe poor writing and editing.

The religious furvor is so rampant and one-sided in Patriots that at some points it is oppressive and at others, laughable. It would be tolerable if the main characters’ moral compasses were not so off. For example, they stop all passers-by at gun point on the road outside of their property, and hold them against their will, question them at length and then only permit them to go about their business once the main characters are satisfied that they are not “criminals”. For an author who is so fond of the Constitution, this is a far departure from our inalienable rights. This defective moral compass would have actually added to the depth and believability of the characters, and perhaps even offered a lesson to be learned, had their short-comings not been played off as just and righteous.

As final notes, the dialogue reminds me of a bad 70’s sitcom: trite, predictable, flat, and childish. There were entire paragraphs I guessed correctly would come next, while reading. There were no surprises. Everything is painfully predictable. Also, the editing is atrocious. Patriots was originally released in 1995 and has been updated repeatedly. Given the number of inconsistencies, skewed timelines and glaring historical mistakes, the books seems as if no one ever bothered to edit the rewrites. 

Final Verdict

I wanted to like the book, I truly did. I kept waiting for things to get better, but it just kept getting worse. James W. Rawles’s Patriots is little more than a technical manual wrapped in poorly executed survival porn. I would not recommend the book.

PocketToolX’s Brewzer may not look like much, but it does a few jobs very well.

The Brewzer is unique in that it does not try to do everything – unlike so many gadgets these days. It offers to assist in accomplishing a short list of tasks that tend to be daily tasks: open bottles, open boxes, pry too, flat head screwdriver, box ripper, beer shotgun tool – for the frat boys out there.

This isn’t the cheap corner store bottle opener your used to. Brewzer is constructed from high-grade heat-treated stainless steel. Good luck breaking it.

The box ripper does a surprisingly good job or opening packages without being sharp enough to cut you from inside your pocket. It’s far better than having packing tape gumming up your knife or getting a piece of the tape wedged into a key to later render your lock inoperable.

Having a screwdriver readily available is a funny thing. You never realize how much you need one till you have one. The flat head screwdriver is a good mid-range size. It will handle the vast majority of slot head screws you come across in a day.

Being that I am 14 years past my college days, the ability to “shotgun” a beer is of little use to me. But, I imagine plenty of frat boys will find it useful.

PocketToolX has gone through what must have been a lot of head aches to have several of their mulit-tools approved by the TSA. Now you can screw on a plane with a thumbs up from the TSA!

Specs:

• Stainless Steel 0.140″ Thick
• Heat-treated to 58-60 HRC
• Overall Size: 2.45″ X 0.6″
• 16 grams (0.54 oz.)
• Bottle Opener
• Multi-purpose tip
• TSA-Compliant
• Available Finishes: Smooth Stonewash (Standard) or Smoke Conversion Coat

The final verdict, for $20 the PocketToolX’s Brewzer is simple, well constructed, and useful. The PocketToolX Brewzer is thumbs up.

ESEE Knives (formerly RAT Cutlery) offer some of the finest fixed blade survival knives in the $70 – $200 range. They are designed to be simple and a balance of quality and price.

What I have always found most impressive is their “NO Questions Asked Guarantee”. It says a lot about a company’s belief in their product. For that reason they have been my go to brand when I am in the market for another survival/camping knife.

Amongst the nine basic styles of knives ESEE Knives makes, they produce an excellent neck knife known as the ESEE Izula. If you are not sure what a neck knife is, it’s quiet simply a small knife you wear around you neck via a lanyard and sheath.

Izula is the common name in Peru, a favorite training ground of ESEE founders Mike Perrin and Jeff Randall, for the Bullet Ant. Known for being tough, aggressive, and particularly for its powerful sting that is said to be akin to being shot.

Aside from the warranty, the Izula Neck Knife stands out for its: 1095 steel, weight, and strength.

The 1095 steel means the knife holds a great edge even when abused. Yet, its soft enough to field sharpen easily. Out of the box the Izula is very sharp. With a few minutes on a good stone the knife can take on a razor-sharp edge and hold that edge exceptionally well.

At 2oz the Izula is very light. It adds very little to a pack and feels like nothing around your neck. The addition of the optional Micarta scales do add to that, but the knife still remains relatively lightweight.

What’s most impressive about the Izula is the sturdiness of such a small knife. This is par for the course with any of ESEE’s knives, but you just don’t expect it from a neck knife. The Izula definitely lives up to its namesake.

Technical Specs:

• Over All Length: 6.25″
• Blade Length (end of handle to tip): 2.88″
• Cutting Edge Length: 2 5/8″
• Over All Blade Length: 2 3/4″
• Maximum Thickness: .156″
• Weight: 2 Ounces (Knife Only)
• 1095 Steel – 57 Rc.
• Blade Width: 1.0″
• Grind: Flat
• Handles: None (Optional Scales Available)
• Sheathing: Injection Molded, Black
• Pommel: Hole To Accommodate Carabiner
• Spine: Thumb Grippers
• Finish: Textured Powder Coat
• Colors: Black, OD Green, Desert Tan, Tactical Pink
• Serial Number On Tang

Personally, I sorely dislike things around my neck. However, because of the minimal size and weight (2oz) the knife makes an excellent EDC fixed blade knife when thrown in a bag. For this, and the reasons listed above it has earned a place in my EDC bag for the last several years and has traveled with me through cities, forests, and tropical environments.

The ESEE Izula is a great little knife that good for tasks from every day to bushcraft.

Sheepdogs are the men and women that protect us for the worst among us. From their tales we can best learn what violent encounters look and feel like. We can also be assured when they share stories of the best among us – those ordinary civilians that step forward in times of need.

Hosts Aaron and Jonathan interview John Smith – Author of The Wolf and The Sheepdog. Join us as we examine the life, trials, and joys of a law enforcement officer.

Topics:

• Who is author John Smith.
• Why Police Officers were often troubled youths.
• Maintaining a healthy mind as a Sheepdog.
• Maintaining a healthy marriage as a Sheepdog.
• An officer’s most difficult part of the job.
• Why Sheepdogs brave the darkest aspects of humanity.
• What survivalist can learn from a Police Officer’s experiences.

Resources:

• Buy The Wolf and The Sheepdog
• The Wolf and The Sheepdog website
• Connect: Facebook

Headlamps are the most under appreciated of the flashlight world. People often think of them as “looking dorky”. However, try one once and you will be hooked forever.

There are three significant advantages headlamps have over handheld flashlights. First, wherever you look the light shines. Second, your hands are free for tasks. Third, if you lose your balance, your light is not going to go flying into the brush because you didn’t put your hand through the leash and opened your hands to catch yourself.

While headlamps do not completely negate the usefulness of handheld flashlights, headlamps do kick their butt when it comes to prolonged usage and the ability to use both hands.

There are a lot of brands and styles to choose from, but one of my personal favorites is the Black Diamond Equipment Storm Headlamp.

Features At A Glance:

• 1 Triple Power LED, 2 Single Power LED, and 2 Red Single Power LEDs offer multiple light options
• Red night vision mode has proximity and strobe settings and activates without cycling through white LED light mode
• Settings include full strength in proximity and distance modes, infinite dimming, strobe, red night vision, and lock mode
• Three-level power meter shows battery life of the 4 AAA batteries
• IPX 7 water resistance rating meaning it can withstand Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1 meter.
• 100 lumen max output, 200 hour max burn time (using dual Single Power LEDs)

Power consumption to usable light output is fantastic! Where my handheld flashlights gulp down CR123 batteries like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippo, the Storm Headlamp gently sips at it’s AAAs.

With three basic modes to choose from you get just enough light. The high spot light setting is good for seeing into the distance with focused light. The low broad beam setting casts enough light for walking and 95% of the tasks you will be doing in the dark without draining batteries unnecessarily. Last, but not least, the low broad Red setting can be used to preserve your own night vision.

The lock mode is a great feature that has been recently added to most of the Black Diamond line of headlamps. It locks down the power button to keep from those accidental battery drains. It’s a feature I wish all flashlights came with. There is nothing more annoying than reaching for a light that turns out to be dead because it got turned on accidentally in your bag.

At $48 bucks, the Black Diamond Equipment Storm Headlamp is very reasonable for what you get. It delivers exactly what you need in a durable, feature rich, long-lasting, easy to use headlamp.

Friday Gear Report: 6/24/11 brought you the Nokero N200; the second in a line of solar light bulb products from Nokero. Where the original Nokero N100 left me underwhelmed, the N200 picked up the slack.

The Nokero N200 features a three-position switch allowing the user to choose from: off, low output, and high output. On its low setting the N200 delivers up to 6 hours of light. The low setting provides a perfect amount of light for general activities that require a minimal amount of light. On its high setting the N200 puts out up to 2.5 hours of light. The high setting gives off a very descent level of light for tasks – or eyes – that need to see more detail.The second point at witch the N100 and N200 diverge is in the solar panel. The N200 utilizes a single large solar panel that can be easily positioned to capture and consume lots of light. This improved design allows the N200 to absorb more light at a faster rate. Given how slow solar panels are to begin with, the faster charge times were a huge improvement.

Construction of the N200 is very similar to the N100. The polycarbonate body can take a reasonable amount of abuse. Repeatedly dropping the N200 from a high of 8 – 10 feet did little to damage it excluding some cosmetic scuffs. The domed lens did pop off several times, but was very easy to screw back on without issue.

The N200 preformed as well as the N100 in extreme heat and cold. Sticking it in a deep freezer for three days produced no ill effects. Leaving it out in the 105 degree Texas heat for several days also did not diminish the N200 capabilities.

Points of Interest:

• Rainproof
• Ni-MH battery lasts 1.5 years, and is easily replaceable
• Simple to use
• Four wide-angle, light emitting diodes
• AA-sized recyclable battery
• Automatically switches off in bright light to save charge

Only one thing stood out to diminish the N200, the clip. This is the same clip that I found sub par on the N100. It’s flimsy and rusts. However, it can easily be removed and replaced by a lightweight carabiner found for a dollar at every outdoors and home improvement store.

For $5 more – $20 – Nokero has hit the mark with its release of the Nokero N200 Solar Light. It’s perfect for camping and extended power outages.

$100 and up tactical flashlights are cool, but carrying them around in a pocket can be a hassle. Not to mention they are a tad unnecessary for most people’s EDC needs. Six months ago I added a $6.45 Steamlight Nano to my keychain and have not been disappointed once since.

Measuring just 1.47 inches in length and weighing a minuscule 0.36 ounces, the Steamlight Nano packs 10 lumens in a sturdy little package. This, and the attached clip, makes it small enough to fit comfortably on a keychain, zipper pull of a backpack, or just about anywhere.

While 10 lumens may not sound like much, it’s plenty to light your way and find things in the dark. You really don’t need 100 lumens for 99% of the things you are trying to see in the dark – unless you want to also blind what you are looking for.

The Nano is made to take some abuse. Constructed of machined aircraft aluminum with an anodized finish, it takes a licking and keep on shining.

Single mode operation is simple. Just twist the head clockwise to activate the keychain flashlight and twist to turn off. It does some times turn on in your pocket, but four alkaline button cell batteries (included) give 8 hours  of run time.

The Steamlight Nano is a perfect EDC flashlight for people looking for light weight convenience in a small, inexpensive, yet durable package.

The Benchmade Triage 915 is a well designed knife for emergency responders and people looking for a good EDC Knife that is not Tacticool. However, it has its imperfections.

Tactical pocket folding knives are great for, well tactical applications. But, for the 99% of us who are probably never going to be in a force-on-force encounter involving knives, there seem to be few choices these days.

For many years I have carried and really enjoyed my Ken Onion Tactical Blur Tanto point folding knife, made by Kershaw. However, I am more likely to need a knife for opening boxes, cutting rope, or freeing myself from a seat belt after a car wreck than I am for fighting (let’s hope).

For my next EDC knife, I decided it needed to be something less aggressive-looking and more applicable to the activities I engage in everyday. It should also fit the more likely emergency issues I may encounter.

The sheepsfoot-style blade is perfect for slicing and cutting without concern of stabbing anything on the other end. They are popular among rescue workers, as this blade shape can easily be slipped under a seat belt and other restraints without fear of injuring the person they are trying to free. Among sailors, the blade shape is favored for similar reasons – on unsure footing you are less likely to stab yourself or your sails.

There are a couple of knife makers, each with variations, that make a sheepsfoot folder. The one that caught my eye as being the most well thought out was the Benchmade 915 Triage.

The 915 Triage features:

●   AXIS® locking mechanism
●   Modified sheepsfoot blade style with ambidextrous thumb-stud opener
●   N680 highly corrosion resistant blade steel (57-59HRC)
●   440C hook-shaped safety cutter (58-60HRC)
●   Textured G10 handles (available in black or safety orange) with 420J full stainless steel liners and a reversible tip-up deep pocket clip
●   Carbide glass breaker

Basic Specs:
●   Overall Length: 8.20″
●   Closed Length: 4.70″
●   Blade Length: 3.50″
●   Blade Thickness: 0.130″

When my new 915 Triage arrived I was a little disappointed. The design and function is awesome, but some things just weren’t right.

The first thing I noticed was that the odd pattern on the G-10 scales makes the knife look kind of cheap. Rather than going with a traditional cloth pattern, Benchmade used a strange bumpy raised pattern. It has no effect on grip, but it just makes a relatively higher end folder look cheap.

The second thing I noticed was how big the blade is. I did read the specs before buying and knew what I was in for, but the overall design seemed to make up for the excessive size. In my opinion, 3.5” is .5” in excess for an EDC folding knife. Over the weekend I showed the knife to Ron Davis, and he gave a head scratch at the sight of the blade’s length.

The third thing I noticed – most important – was that the blade was dull. When you pay more than $100 for a knife, you expect it to come with a proper angle and a damn good edge. The edge was so bad, Benchmade might as well have sent it out flat. It was sharpened like an Axe or other chopping tool with a very shallow angle. I was not alone in this experience. Every review I read before I bought the Triage complained about this. I had hoped Benchmade had corrected it, but apparently not. Benchmade should be truly embarrassed sending out a knife I can run my thumb over and not cut.

Fourth, the safety cutter does not lock back. When opened it sounds like it locks back with a click, but no such luck. Does it need to lock back? No. The bottom inside of the safety cutter has jibbing for your thumb. With your thumb firmly in place, the safety cutter is not likely to go anywhere. However, I still say charge me a little more and put a lock on it. It would make me feel better.

Lastly, the assisted open is weak. I am used to the speed safe on Kershaw knives. You barely touch the things and their blade is in the game. The Benchmade 915 Triage takes a little more effort.

What I did like about the 915 Triage, as I mentioned before, was the thought that went into the design of the knife.

On all the other knives I looked at that had a safety cutter, it was built into the handle and exposed. Putting an exposed sharp edge in my pocket just seems like a recipe for damaging something. The cutter on the 915 Triage folds neatly back into the handle like any other blade.

Several fixed blade knives on the market have glass breakers on the butt of the handle. This is the only fold I came across that had a dedicated glass breaker. I may only ever use this feature once in my life, but it will be that one time that I need it that will make it worthwhile.

The modified Sheepsfoot blade is a very interesting design. It has more of a belly than a proper Sheepsfoot, giving it more versatility in function.

After I changed the angle from a 30 to a 15 and put a polished edge on it, I find it to be great knife that will remain my EDC for some time to come. I will however remain wary of purchasing another Benchmade knife sight unseen.

The Stovetec Biomass Stove sat on my shelf for over a year. Having bought it on a whim, at a time when I was buying a lot of stuff on a whim, it took me a good long while to use it.

The intended purpose of the Stovetec Biomass Stove is to provide a cheap, cleaner burning alternative to traditional coal, wood, kerosene, and paraffin burning stoves in 3rd World, poverty-stricken nations. They also claim it helps to fight deforestation, climate change and global warming from greenhouse gasses.

Well, I finally put it to use, and what I like about the stove is how efficiently it works. The Stovetec Biomass Stove lit quickly and easily. Cooking on it was consistent and efficient. Unlike my Coleman PerfectFlow 2-Burner propane stove, a light to moderate wind did not affect the stove’s cooking ability and it did not suffer from random bursts of high to low flames.

For sheltering-in-place situations or even car camping, it allows the use of several types of dry fuel such as: wood, paper, or charcoal. These fuel types are plentiful, renewable, and readily available even in urban survival situations.

The Stovetec is not what I would call a backpacking or light travel stove. Weighing in at roughly 19lbs, it’s more than a bit to lug. For car camping or hunkering down though, it’s pretty good.

Using the Stovetec Stove in high winds proved problematic, but this is an issue for most stoves and methods of containing a fire. What I found was that the stove needed to be positioned rather carefully. If the opening where the wood was fed faced into the wind, sparks and embers flew out of the top of the stove, creating a potential fire hazard.

The doors on the model I have (one year old) slide into and out of place. While they worked, it just felt cheap. The brick block in the wood-feeding door was also loose and required some gyrations to get out. Recently Stovetec has updated the design, changing the doors from sliding to hinged. They have also affixed the brick to the door itself – no more fishing the brick out.

Stovetec marketing materials heavily promote the need for cheap stoves. However, the $129 price tag of a Stovetec stove is a far cry from the “cheap” mark. An article on the Ashden Awards website lists the manufacturing cost of the stove as $3.50 – $12 US. So, $129 is a pretty big margin from manufacturing cost. As a devout capitalist, I am all for people making money, but this seems excessive and mis-priced for the market, even when freight and packaging costs are considered.

The Stovetec design is pretty neat, and for a biomass burning stove, I liked it. The idea of an efficient stove that can take just about any organic debris and use it as a fuel source without creating clouds of nasty smoke is great. The price tag just kills it for me though.

If you are interested in learning more about these kinds of stoves, checkout the book Rocket Mass Heaters.

The Windmill Stormproof Butane lighter has proven itself through numerous camping trips, river rapids, general abuse, and a year in a BOB. I’d say it stood up very well.

Fire is one of the most basic of survival tools. Based on archaeological evidence, it is presumed that mankind has been controlling fire all the way back to the very early days of Homo Sapiens (approximately 230,000 years or more, depending on who you ask… Neanderthal).

Thankfully, you don’t have to rub two sticks together to light a lass’s cigarette anymore. The advent of the modern butane lighter is a far cry from the days of primitive fire making techniques.

My Windmill lighter has hung from a loop of Paracord through river rapids, tons of camping trips, and Project Appleseed shoots. In three years of service, it has never failed to light. The closure latch has never stuck or broken. Most impressively, it holds its charge beyond expectations.

Typically I keep mine in a pocket of my EDC bag, tucked away. Occasionally it comes out for the random task. Every time I extract it from my bag I expect to find it empty, but the charge is always good – minus drainage from actual use.

Under constant daily use, I can’t attest to the Windmill Stormproof lighter’s durability. However, based on what I have seen of mine, they hold up better than expectations.

If you are in the market for a Butane lighter, give the Windmill Stormproof Butane Lighter some serious consideration.

The Urban Homestead is hands-down a fantastic book that should be on every Urban Survivalist’s bookshelf or eBook reader.

Authored by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, The Urban Homestead is written in a light and conversational tone, with an “it’s easy” attitude that make readers feel like they are getting advice from an old friend. The relaxed language and “work makes work” mindset make the book a pleasure to read, and the information tasty and enjoyable.

I usually don’t like cheerleading for products, but seriously, this book is great if you are looking for something to help you get your feet wet on a wide range of homesteading topics as they apply to urbanites.

The book covers so many things that it’s hard to list them all. Here are just a few examples of what you can take away from this book:

• Grow food on a patio or balcony
• Preserve or ferment food
• Make Yogurt and Cheese
• Compost with worms
• Keep Chickens and other small livestock
• Divert your grey water to your garden
• Clean your house without toxins
• Guerrilla garden in public spaces

After reading this book cover to cover – there were only three things I found that readers may not like.

First, the book does not go into great depth on many topics. There are a number of How-To projects that give plenty of info, but if you are wanting every topic to cover every minute detail, its not there. In all fairness, it would be rather difficult to cover all the topics they did in depth, without writing an encyclopedia on Urban Homesteading. If you think of the book largely as a freshman course or primer on the subject of Urban Homesteading, you will find the book fulfilling and be thirsty for more. (as luck would have it the dynamic duo has just released another book titled Making It).

Second, there are some left-leaning aspects to the book (I expected more to be honest). That being said, it’s very minimal and I think even the most devoted righty would be hard pressed to take issue with the hints.

Lastly, the book could use better editing. I should not throw stones from my glass house of regularly butchering the English language, but other more type-a-retentive readers might find it annoying.

Authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen

Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen are creators of the blog Root Simple (formerly known as Homegrown Evolution), a green living and self-reliance resource for homesteaders, urban and otherwise. Per their site:

They live in the heart of Los Angeles, in a little bungalow set on a 1/12 acre lot where almost all of their land is devoted to growing edible or otherwise useful plants and trees.

After five plus years of use, my Coleman PerfectFlow 2-Burner Stove has held together through numerous camping trips, car trips, and Project Appleseed shoots – but it’s not without its short-comings.

The fuel is relatively cheap. At roughly $6 a can, and lasting 3 days per can cooking three meals a day, I have found the fuel costs and usage to be acceptable. There are numerous reviews online of people’s Coleman 2-Burner (non instant-start model) using propane inefficiently. This seems to be a hit or miss issue.

The stove features a heavy-duty nickel chrome grate that’s rust-resistant and easy to remove and clean. Although, it gives a good rattle as you drive.

Side wings – or the “built-in WindBlock System” as Coleman calls it -  on the stove look like they should keep the wind off your flames, but not so much. This is not to say that they are an epic fail, but they are short of adequately designed for the job. Even in moderate winds I have found the stove greatly affected by the wind. This leads to greater cook times and propane expenditure.

A strange issue my Coleman PerfectFlow 2-Burner Stove started experiencing around its second outing was that randomly the flames would go to full blast as if I had turned the knobs to full. I would shrug and adjust them. Then after a few minutes, the stove would return to its previous pressure, reducing the flame from almost nothing to extinguished. Not what one might consider a “Perfect Flow”.

Coleman promotes the stove as good for many activities including backpacking, but at 12 lbs and measuring 21″L X 12.8″W X 4.25″H, that’s a stretch. I would hardly say it fits what most backpackers would want to stuff in their rucks. For car camping, bugging out, and bugging in, the stove is a good size.

If you are looking at two burner propane camping stoves, my suggestion would be to pass this one up completely. At this time I do not have one to recommend. Although, some of the more recent Coleman PerfectFlow Stoves tend to get good reviews.

Have an experience with a camping stove you like? Leave it in the comments below.

The Maxpedition Last Resort Tactical Attache is a great EDC bag for folks who are not terribly concerned with being “grey”. Even though my “gear” has been paired way back, and I would prefer to be more subdued in my appearance, I still really like the Last Resort Tactical Attache and carry it daily.

Several years ago I hung up my Tumi Attache for something a lot more rugged. I felt I needed something that could carry all my survival gear and that I wouldn’t mind getting dirty.

The feature I love the most is the hidden gun pocket on the side of the bag. With the quick pull of a D-Ring a hidden compartment is exposed. It’s hidden well enough that when I first got the bag I had to watch a video to figure out where the pocket was. The interior of the pocket is partially lined with velcro, where a specially designed holster and magazine holster can be adhered. This makes excellent easy access storage of a firearm when you can’t carry on your person, concealed well enough – or for a backup piece.

The water bottle pocket on the front of the bag does a great job of holding a bottle firmly in place. The pocket features well thought out touches like a grommeted bottom so condensation build-up can drain out, and an elastic band to pull over the top of the bottle to make sure it goes nowhere.

Pockets, pockets, and more pockets. This tactical attache has four Velcro closures on the away- facing side of the bag. Each is perfect for organizing gear, gizmos, and other small objects. It is largely the busyness of the pockets that conceals the hidden gun pocket from casual observers, and often more serious scrutinizing looks.

The inside-facing side of the bag features a zipped compartment with its own set of pockets, cracks, and crevices to fill. There is even an open top pocket that fits my iPad perfectly, as well as some paperwork; and keeps them separated from the other less delicate contents of my bag.

The center interior of the bag features a decent size zipped compartment that can fit a laptop and an inch or two of paperwork, or the latest Tom Clancy novel. The center compartment comes with a removable center divider covered in hook and loop on both sides.

I make fun of a lot of Maxpedition bags, but while the Last Resort Tactical Attache is fairly tacticalishious (yes, I am making up words), it has never garnered much attention from TSA, various LEOs, or a team of masked FAL toting Mexican Federales in the woods – long story.

Downsides

Black is, well, always the new black. Khaki, ACU, and digital camo are harder to pull off in an everyday lifestyle that does not carry a high likelihood of a force on force encounter.

In my usual dress of a Polo and cargo shorts, the bag does not stand out terribly. However, this is not a bag I would sling over my shoulder while wearing a suit. 5.11 Tuxedo¹, it would fit nicely. With a suit or trendy clothing, forget it.

Final Opinion

The Maxpedition Last Resort Tactical Attache while being more tactical than the average urban survivalist would prefer is still a pretty awesome bag. Lots of storage space, rugged construction, and a hidden pouch make this a great EDC Bag.

[1] 5.11 Tuxedo: Head to toe 5.11 brand tactical clothing.

Many readers call Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits “the best rabbit book ever!”. But, why?

Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits is authored by Bob Bennett. Mr. Bennett first became acquainted with rabbits at age 12 when he earned a Boy Scout merit badge for raising them. He has authored six books on the subject of rabbits since 1975 and has had numerous articles published in magazines and newspapers.

Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits was first published in 1975 under the title: Raising Rabbits the Modern Way. Now in it’s 4th edition, this legendary rabbit guide includes:

• Guidelines for showing
• Updated breed guide photographs
• Tips and advice on marketing

Bennett’s writing possesses all the old fashioned charm, simplicity, and quaint humor of a grandfather. With each bit of information and wisdom, often comes a personal story that adds warmth and depth to the book, making it not just a dry technical How To.

The book is a treasure-trove of information conveyed in an easily followed and digestible format. Even his instructions for building a Welded Wire Mesh Rabbit Hutch are surprisingly simple.

Beginner and veteran rabbit enthusiasts both will benefit from this informative book. The rabbit guide covers: care, feeding, breeding, safe housing, best breeds for each purpose, terminating, dressing, selling, health benefits of eating rabbit, convincing children that they are eating chicken, breaking down the manure with worms, and more.

Reader Beware

Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits is useful to people wanting Rabbits as pets, but it does lean heavily towards those people looking at Rabbits for breeding, eating, and other commercial endeavours. The guide does not discuss such topics as: bonding with your rabbit, taking your rabbit for a long walk on the beach, singing to your rabbit, what toys rabbits like, reading poetry to your rabbit, or anything that would be considered more of a “pet” topic. Although, he could have introduced a Kobe Rabbit Beef section requiring much of that. That being said, even people strictly interested in rabbits as pets will gain a mountain of solid information about them.

There is another book written by Bob Bennett and published by Storey entitled Building Rabbit Housing. If you purchase Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits, Building Rabbit Housing is unnecessary.

Storey’s Guide is not terribly breed specific. Several breeds are discussed, however the minutia of individual rabbit breeds is left out. A book covering all the breeds, even the major ones, would be a whole book in and of itself, as there are more than 50 breeds of rabbits to choose from.

Two Down Sides

Call me daft – you would not be the first, but the chapter on breading could have used more depth in the way of examples. For a book on breeding and considering how well the rest of the book was written, I found this section lacking.

Not available on Kindle – yet. While many of the Storey’s Guide series of books (generally awesome selection) are available in eBook format, Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits is not. Personally, I have become spoiled by the fact that I can receive instant reading gratification. eBooks have also meant that I have been able to start giving away a lot of physical books I own. My den and office were starting to look like a very odd library. Most books I flat refuse to buy a physical version of anymore. This is one of the very few books that I have recently made an exception for.

Other books of interest for the Urban Homesteader in the Storey series:

• GuidetoRaisingChickens (let you know how it is soon)
• GuidetoRaisingDairyGoats
• RaisingPigs (Or as I like to call them, “Bacon Trees”)
• KeepingHoneyBees
• RaisingSheep (I am sure there is a Survivalist joke in there somewhere)
• RaisingMiniatureLivestock
• RaisingPoultry
• BasicCountrySkills