Survival Gear

Loadout Room Tips: Water Purification Tab Storage

One of the tips I picked up in the Marine Corps was how to carry 2 water purification tablets for an emergency. Typically we would just keep the small bottle or individual wrapped ones inside our first aid kits. During a training evolution at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, the instructors would occasionally share survival tips and tricks.

When I was in, we didn’t have access to any fancy water filtration systems like they do now. Our options were to boil the water or use purification tablets. Boiling usually wasn’t allowed for tactical reasons.

One of the instructors suggested we take two water purification tabs and duct tape them to the side of our USGI canteen. This way we always have a few tabs available as we are filling our canteens from a lake or stream. Plus if we had to dump our packs during an E&E (escape & evasion) scenario, we would always have a way to purify our water on the move.

In the above picture, I took two pre-packaged water purification tabs and duct taped them to the side of my canteen.

Panthera Silva Eyewear Hardcase survival kit

The advantage of a small kit like this is that I can throw it into any bag really and turn that said bag into a go-bag if you want to call it that. Due to the compact size of the Panthera Eyewear Hardcase, this makes an ideal sized kit to keep in the glovebox of my truck too. Get a few of them and have a kit in each vehicle as well as your bag. Being able to layer kits could potentially be a lifesaver one day. The time chooses you. Prepare now so that you’re ready to save yourself or someone else.

How much are your eyes worth? Probably enough that you spend some real money on proper eye protection. Your Gatorz aren’t cheap, but your eyes are worth it. With that in mind, we’ve designed the Panthera CC Hardcase to protect that valued set of eye protection. There is no need to risk scratched lenses or broken frames. The last thing you need before a mission kicks off is glasses you can barely see out of. The Hardcase is coated with a custom camo pattern that mimics the natural camo of big cats. We top it off by adorning it with the Crate Club logo, signifying your status as a member of the best gear club on the market.

Available on the Crate Club AirDrop store

Basic Navigational Tools: The Suunto M9 wrist compass

A compass matters. A good compass is not hard to come by, but often times they can be something of a pain to deal with. This is especially true during squad movements. As a backup navigator, I’m constantly checking my buddies heading to make sure he’s good to go and that we’re on course. Pulling out a compass can be time-consuming and can take me out of other crucial jobs like keeping an eye on our perimeter, etc. The Suunto Wrist Compass fills this niche very nicely and several others.

This isn’t the most accurate compass out there. Not because it’s not inherently accurate but rather due to the size. The degree markings are quite small. Due to this, one can only be so accurate with this device. I put my typical accuracy at around plus or minus 3 degrees with the Suunto wrist compass. But I don’t use this as my primary compass. Rather it’s used to ensure we are on the correct heading or to get general headings when navigating primarily by GPS and terrain association. The reason I end up using this compass so much is due to its weight and ease of use.

The compass itself weighs perhaps an ounce or less. It’s made of plastic, and while some have stated that it breaks easily, I’ve never seen one break in all the time I’ve been doing my job. Unlike most compasses, you don’t look straight down on it. Rather, you look through the window into the side of the compass. If you look straight down on it like a traditional compass the degrees will read backward. The compass is very sensitive to being level. Unlike other designs where you can get away with some amount of unevenness, the Suunto is incredibly susceptible to sticking when not level. I am extra cautious and typically double-check myself when using it.

Overall it’s not a replacement for a normal compass, however, I do find that I use it quite often. It’s typically “accurate enough” for GPS and general land navigation but I wouldn’t use it on an evaluation. Ultimately this is a cheap, easy to use and lightweight wrist compass that fills a simple role. Understand it’s limitations and see if it fits into your navigation style.

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Exotac Matchcap XL review: An almost-perfect match case

One of the most important pieces of a survival kit is your fire-starting gear. As with any essential piece of gear, it’s also important to have contingency options. For example, my fire-starting gear consists of a Bic lighter, ferro-rod, and UCO stormproof matches. If and when one of these options fail, I can rely on the other options I have available. Back when I purchased my nanoSTRIKER XL from Exotac, I also decided to pick up their Matchcap XL to use as a storage container for my UCO stormproof matches. The consensus is that this is the best match case available on the market, and I agree (to read another Loadout Room writer’s review of the Matchcap XL, check it out here).

The inside strike pad and knurl of the Matchcap XL

The outside strike pad of the Matchcap XL

I have a quick word to say about matches. I carry UCO stormproof matches even though I have to carry less of them since they’re bigger than others. These matches are nearly impossible to be put out by even the most extreme weather conditions. It’s easy to start a fire when it is dry and there is no wind, but in preparing for a survival situation, you also have to prepare for the worst possible outcome. If you aren’t familiar with UCO stormproof matches, check out this video to see for yourself how incredibly effective they are.

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You wouldn’t think too much could go into designing a case for matches, but it’s obvious at first glance that Exotac implemented everything you might need. The Matchcap XL purposely offers a little extra with stormproof matches (approximately 0.3”) to house small items like tinder or water purification tablets. The Matchcap XL is made out of aluminum which makes it a more durable storage container than its plastic counterparts. There are two strike pads on the match case, one on the outside and one securely placed inside the case. The knurl is aggressively checkered to ensure a more secure grip when opening the case or using the outer striking pad. There really isn’t anything else that can be done to improve Matchcap XL.

With that being said, there are a couple issues with the Matchcap XL. Contrary to Exotac’s claims on their website, the Matchcap XL is not waterproof and will leak water inside when submerged. Secondly, the Matchcap XL does float on its own but will sink if it has matches inside of it. This isn’t too big of an issue unless you manage to drop it in the middle of a lake, but it is a disadvantage to consider. Despite these issues, I still think this a great match case to have, even if it is a tad overpriced at $33.95 MSRP.

All photos courtesy of the author, Matt Jin

Light My Fire Black Pearl CampKit: Give your campfire skills an edge

Give your campfire skills an edge. With the new Black Pearl CampKit, there should be no reason at all for not being able to get a fire started. Light My Fire has created one of the best all-in-one kit available for getting a sustainable fire started, no matter the weather condition. We’re going into the cold weather season soon and having the ability to quickly and easily get a fire started could be the difference between life and death out in the woods.

Swedish FireKnife

Flexible and sturdy profile-grounded blade.
Sheath with clip.
High-friction rubber handle.
Includes an original Swedish FireSteel® firestarter.
Lights campfires, gas-stoves, gas-barbecues.
Works equally well when wet.
Predictable performance at all altitudes.
Produces a 2,980°C (5,400°F) spark.

Tinder-on-a-Rope

Easy to light even when wet.
All natural & environmentally-friendly.
Up to 80% resin content.
It is the resin (oil) that burns not the wood.
Burns with a hot flame compared to paper and paraffin.
No “dangerous goods” shipping restrictions.
150x22x22 mm, 50-70 g.

Spork original

Dishwasher safe.
Extremely durable.
Lightweight.
Safe for non stick cookware
Heat-resistant.

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Old school Marine Corps 782 gear and how it relates to modern day survival gear

I served in the Marine Corps back in the 1990s and was issued this exact gear for all training deployments and field exercises. We used the 782 gear loadout for desert warfare, jungle warfare and mountain warfare. We didn’t have different loadouts for different environments like they do now. We used the same gear and just made small tweaks to the contents. It required an adaptive mindset to figure out ways to make it work, no matter the environment we were operating in.

The following video covers this old school loadout and how the gear and contents relate to modern-day equivalents and the 10 C’s of survivability.

*Photo courtesy of Corporals Corner Youtube channel