Fred Rowlands

Fred Rowlands Fred “Garfield” Rowlands is a 21+ year Navy veteran who spent his career in strange and diverse places like Diego Garcia, Wintering Over in Antarctica, the Southern Border, and Burbank CA. Has spent over 30 years working in Military Physical Security, Law Enforcement, and Private Security, and has “more luck than a cat has lives” supposedly. He now resides in NW Florida with his wife and a French Bulldog named Kane.

5.11 V.XI Sigurd Shirt — A Year of Real‑World Use, and Why It Works for More Than Just Operators

Here at SOFREP we get a good amount of gear for testing and review. By and large, most is pretty good. If gear is well-made, built to serve a purpose, and functional, someone is going to use and enjoy it, and I often pass along good gear to people who will use it more than […]

5.11 V.XI XTU MC Pants — Versatility You Can Work, Play, and Live In

Many years back, I was introduced to 5.11 apparel. It was good, rugged, and well-suited for my profession at the time, Law Enforcement. Today’s 5.11 apparel is light-years beyond what I wore then. Today, 5.11 has dedicated people gathering real insight into what professionals in the field need. Thanks to those people, the 5.11 V.XI […]

Craft Panther Holster: A No‑Drama Solution for Everyday Carry

Since moving to NW Florida, I’ve been a fan of off-body carry when it comes to my EDC. It offers many advantages, most of which are connected in some way to the wonderful humidity and weather we have here. In the last year, I’ve also added a new aspect of life, motorcycle riding, which brings […]

Caracal CMP9 & CMP9K: Modern 9mm Platforms With Global Momentum

Some time back I wrote an article about the Caracal Enhanced F, a 9mm pistol that was turning heads with its strength and reliability. Now I want to look at what Caracal is doing today, the CMP9 & CMP9K: Hard-use platforms built for real work. Some guns show up looking tactical. The CMP9 and CMP9K […]

CRKT PROVOKE: A Mechanical Karambit With Attitude

Some knives show up to work. Some show up to get attention. The CRKT PROVOKE does both. It’s a karambit built around Joe Caswell’s Kinematic system—a design that looks like it was engineered by someone who got tired of folders pretending to be innovative. This thing doesn’t flip, swing, or glide. It lunges. The PROVOKE […]

Viking 28L Century Large Leather Motorcycle Trunk Bag: Real Capacity, Real Travel

“I want to travel with the motorcycle,” she said. I heard: You need to buy a trailer to pull behind the motorcycle. Anyone who’s ever tried to pack for two on a touring bike knows the real enemy isn’t the road—it’s the single trunk bag your passenger swears she can fit her entire life into. […]

SOG Survivor’s Edge Fixed Knife — Field-Tested Review

When you’re deep in the backcountry or elbow‑deep in a survival task, you don’t need a fantasy blade — you need a tool that does the basics exceptionally well. The SOG Survivor’s Edge Fixed is exactly that: a compact, purpose-built survival knife that favors control, slicing efficiency, and practical utility over flash. First Impressions The […]

Pic of The Day, Viking Tool and Handlebar Bag

Every rider hits that moment. You are a few miles into a day ride or a multi-day run, and realize the stuff you actually need is never where you need it. While riding recently, I met a couple having a minor issue with their bike, but no tools. Lucky for them, I have a Handlebar […]

Mission-Ready Twice Over: Inside the ExoM Up-Armoured Exoskeleton

At SOF Week 2025, amidst the hum of innovation and the clatter of next-gen gear demos, one system stood out for its quiet, titanium-backed revolution: the ExoM Up-Armoured Exoskeleton from Mehler Systems. Co-developed with Mawashi Science & Technology and France’s elite GIGN unit, the ExoM isn’t just a concept—it’s a mission-proven solution that’s reshaping how […]

Friday Coffee Break: Dalgona Coffee, Field-Ready

I’ve moved to a new team at work and I’ve learned a couple things about them. First there are a lot of Navy people on this team, and secondly, they love their coffee. The conversation drifted yesterday afternoon to something I never heard of, Dalgona Coffee. Supposedly if you were anywhere near social media in […]