Eric Davis

Hydro Flask – The Tactical “Fonzie” Of Water Bottles

Perhaps the best description of this flask is its ability to get baked in my truck, I mean to the point that the exterior of the bottle is hot to the touch, but still keeps the liquid inside incredibly cool. Like it will kind of trip you out how cool it stays. This flask is the “Fonzie” of water bottles.

One of my favorite things to do as a Sniper Instructor was to get out to the stalking fields early, post my self up in some rocks or bushes and enjoy my morning coffee. In these situations, the ones where you wouldn’t expect to have a comfort moment, I’ve created some of my favorite memories.

I continue this pursuit of unlikely comfort to this day, so I really appreciate good thermoses and bomb-proof travel mugs and I’ve found one of my favorites so far. The Hydro Flask.

Here are the useful specs:

Double Wall Vacuum Insulated
Keeps Hot 12 Hours
Keeps Cold 24 Hours
BPA-Free
18/8 Stainless Steel
Lifetime Warranty

You can get the Hydro Flask in a variety of colors, but I like the Tactical Line colors:

Nite Ops Black
Foliage Green
Desert Tan
Coyote Brown

Check it: Hydro Flask

Oakley Crosshairs | High Definition Sunglasses

Surgical, precise, fluid, dynamic, tough and always ready describes the professional operator, executive, or adventurer. Limited only by the constraints of physics and his own humanity, the professional operator carefully chooses every piece of gear he carries. The responsibility for remaining both agile and quick leaves no room for any gear which only serves a single purpose or can only function in a certain environment. Everything carried must pull more than its own weight.

Two Trips to Africa Before This Occurred To Me

The principle is obvious but the personal exploitation of it is not. Deploying with the SEAL teams, I always had as much space as I wanted, but now, when I head out the door to places like Ethiopia and Sudan, I’m restricted to bringing only what I can easily carry. Traveling light is a requisite for sustainable adventure.

I had just returned from a flawless trip that pulled me through the hot deserts of Africa and then lobbed me onto the Southern coast of Italy. Each trip challenged me to be a different person, but the responsibility to heft my gear around reminded me that I was peerless.

In Sudan, my priority was personal security, shooting and exploration, whereas Italy required a lot of foot movement, photography and the attendance of multiple formal events. I’ve always understood the notion of being efficient while traveling, but it was this trip that brought it all together for me. Oddly enough, it was a pair of sunglasses that I got from Oakley’s SI division that really brought the principle home.

Why a pair of sunglasses? Because this particular pair is a rare breed – ballistic vintage aviators that both protect (ballistic standards) and look good in a suit (my standards). They just kept showing up for me.

I Didn’t Expect to be Shooting Assault Rifles in Sudan

As with any trip, the unexpected occurs. I had actually brought the Crosshairs on the trip with me because I was hoping to get some unique shots of them for a simple gear review. I hadn’t planned on wearing them that much.

It was on my third day in Sudan when I got an offer to go shooting. I immediately said “yes” and then instantly thought, “Man, I need to get some good “Eyes & Ears.” I wasn’t going to risk anything so far away from medical care.

I’ll admit that I’ve worn a ton of eye protection while shooting that was not close to ANSI standards. It wasn’t until I witnessed the testing process in the Oakley labs that I realized how dangerous some of these shades really are.

To be honest, I hadn’t even considered using the Crosshairs at the range because I thought of them as “dress glasses.” It wasn’t until I was heading out the door for the range that I remembered that they were ballistic.
As I reached for the Crosshairs, this time for their ballistic protection and not their looks, the importance of everything serving more than one purpose struck me. I had sunglasses to keep the bright sun out and look good, but now I also had a certified pair of ballistic lenses to keep me safe.

Later, I found myself, now in full PSD (personal security detachment) mode, in a very crowded local market with my two young children, and I thought, “Why would I ever walk out the door, range or no range, without protecting one of my greatest resources?”

Italian Suits and Italy’s Elite

So as my life goes I find myself in some amazing places with some amazing people. On the second stage of the trip, I landed on the Southern coast of Italy in a plush Villa on top of a cliff.

The conditions and threat level were much more mild, but the need to perform was still obligatory. It was time to keep up with the Italian elite.

Okay… so I know it’s still odd to talk about fashion on a Special Operations site, but times have changed. Embassy duty, intelligence work, corporate briefs and a bevy of other requirements have thrusted the modern day operator into the world of style and presentation.

It was at this point of the trip that I think I appreciated the glasses the most. You see, there are multiple shooting glasses to choose from when you’re heading to the range, and even more to select from when heading out on the town, but these are the only glasses to choose from when you might be doing both.

So I dug through my suitcase one last time to pull out my dress shoes, tie and new Italian suit. I remember feeling the sense of enjoyment that comes from both putting on a nice suit as well as realizing that you’ll be back home soon. Travel can be stressful, but staying light, efficient and feeling good about your kit makes all of the difference in the world. I got in my suit and grabbed my new everyday glasses on the way out the door, and that’s when I thought, “There’s just not enough space to bring anything that doesn’t work for everything.

If you don’t own a pair of Crosshairs yet you can buy them here: Crosshairs

Eric

Scout Paramotor | 1 Way to “Bug Out” of anywhere

As I progress on my series “prepared for adventure,” I’ve been searching high and low for the ultimate “Preparedness” equipment, training, tactics and strategies. I’ll be looking at the Scout motorized Paramotor as a means of infiltration and exfiltration.

I got the idea this weekend when I was 4X4 on the dunes of Pismo Beach. I glanced to the North, just before sunset, when I glimpsed a small powered paraglider landing on the beach right by the owners 5th wheel. Clearly, a handy capability if one should need to bug out of an urban area.

So far the videos I’ve found for them are pretty lame; but, this one will give you an idea of what I mean.

*Photo courtesy of flyhalo.com

The Harry Potter Pantry: Being ready at a moments notice

3 – 2 – 1 STOP! Now load everyone you’re responsible for into your vehicle and start driving. See you in a week!

Sounds like a militant drill carried out by those who actually thought they were preparing for a zombie apocalypse. However, once you fully understand that for which you are really preparing, the idea of being on “Ready Alert 10” will change your life for the better.

In our opening paper on preparedness “Stop Preparing For Emergencies” we determine that the practice of readiness is more about recreation than it is about preparation. Today we’re unpacking the first item from the truck: the Harry Potter Pantry. Yes, sounds a bit lame; but, before you start questioning whether I was a SEAL or a seamstress, let me explain. It’s all about being ready, not ready to survive a disaster, but ready to live life at a moments notice.

Consider this option. It’s Friday, your vehicle is perfectly packed to head outdoors: kids in their seats, spouse riding shotgun and Pandora playing your favorite station. Is there any way you wouldn’t be sleeping under the stars that night? Of course not, and that’s what we’re talking about. Being active is all about being ready.

1 – Structure: We’re using the Pelican 1550 Case. Waterproof, bear proof, crush proof, customizable, lockable and it looks cool. Face it. Things that look cool get used more.

Pelican specific inserts allow you to create compartments needed to keep your food and supplies neat and organized. This means no lists, no packing and no worrying. Just go!

2 – Inventoriable: (yes a new word) Because of the cases design and customization you can organize everything in a way that allows you to perform what I call a “Visual Inventory”.

This is a system of inventory I developed in Sniper school. Modern day Snipers use incredible amounts of digital photography equipment so we had to devise a way to quickly and reliably keep it inventoried and ready. If it works for a $12,000 dollar camera it can work for a bag of freeze-dried stroganoff.

It’s important that everything has its place and purpose. This is why I started calling it the “Harry Potter Pantry”. If you organize your food, utensils, batteries, cleaning and cooking supplies in a way that allows you to visualize anything that is missing, inventory becomes a snap and replenishment seems to happen without effort. If you empty the space, refill it when you get home. The best way to keep your food fresh is to use it, so get out there!

3 – Content: This is the food and equipment that is kept together for the purposes of nourishment, cleanliness and relaxation.

A word about simplicity and relaxation. Often I’ll go camping with friends who try to bring out the latest recipe for outdoor cinnamon buns or something else they found on Pinterest. Yes, I like cinnamon buns – who doesn’t? What I don’t like is the complexity such things bring to the situation. If you feel the need to mix it up invite this guy.

“Core” Must Haves:

Having “Core” content ensures that you survive and keeping supplemental content allows you to thrive.

Fuel – Jetboil – it’s just too fast and easy to boil water this way.

Food – Mountain House -they taste so much better than MRE’s, are lightweight, and only require water. No dishes!

Water – MSR dromedary bags – they were issued to us in the teams and not a one has leaked or failed me a single time in over 5 years.

Plastic Spoon – Okay I know there are some amazing titanium spoons out there; but after I lost the second one I remembered how long a plastic MRE spoon would last me on patrol – forever.

Sometimes it’s better to use stuff that you can just toss without worry. I found this true with spoons.

Wipes – I like Charmin over the antibacterial ones. Any “wipe” with antibacterial stuff in it can sure burn your… well, let’s just say it can burn sensitive areas.

So the above list is the “Simple” version and it’s important to start there. The moment you try to complicate this you’ll find that you lose the ability to easily maintain readiness.

But what about the weeny roast and smores? Of course, don’t be silly; but make those things optional. The stuff you grab on your way out if you think about it. After a while, they’ll work their way into the “Core” section. Just let it happen naturally. Don’t force the Marshmallow! I learned that one the hard way.

Supplemental:

S’more kit
Dog roasting sticks
Clif bars
Instant coffee
Fresh bag of your favorite nuts

That’s it – keep it simple.

Cave Testing the Blauer Tactical Pants

There’s only one way to know if a pair of tactical pants are worth owning. Put them on and then go beat the crap out of them. So when Blauer sent me a pair of their B.DU Tactical Pants that’s exactly what I did.

Cave Sliding Pants Testing

Of course, the pants meet all of the tactical requirements for this category. They’re complete with:

Breathable rip-stop fabric: Don’t sweat your ass off
Stretchable waist band: Go ahead and eat that second Mountain House
10 Pockets: Stuff your trash, blowout kit and all the spare cell phone batteries you want
L-Pocket: Carry a killer knife with you.
Silicone shirt gripper: Ya – it’s nice to have to keep the shirt tucked in

But all this doesn’t matter if they blow out when you take them to the field. I only had a few weeks to test them out so I thought I’d take them into some local caves and do so some crawling, climbing and sliding with them.

The verdict? No rips or tears!

They’re light weight

This might have something to do with having been at SEAL Team 3, a desert team in my day, but I like pants to be lighter weight. They help keep you cooler and they dry faster after swimming in them.

Well Thought Out – except one little thing (which I fixed)

It’s clearly been awhile since I’ve worn any tactical pants so at first, I wasn’t sure what the “L-Pocket” was, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it was designed and built to take my knife. No more wearing out pocket edges!

My only critique here, or anywhere, was that the clip of my knife went past the available space. I ended up using said knife to cut through the seam and was successful in making the extra space required.

I Made Sure I Sweat In Them

Okay, I get that might sound a bit nasty, but I’ve suffered too often in too many pants not take these things out for a spin. It was a pretty warm day out, and I don’t wear any underwear, so they got their fair share of… well, lets just call it use.

Again because of their light design they performed well. I sweat, they dried I sweat again and they dried again.

Zip it

These pants differed from most cargo type pants by using zippers instead of buttons or velcro. I actually prefer zippers over velcro because they don’t make all of that noise when you open them. You just need to make sure the zippers don’t get hung up with salty wet sand.

Overall

I like the pants. They’re simple, light weight, perform well and comfortable to pack and wear.

You can check out the pants or any other of their tactical gear at: Blauer.com

Stop Preparing For Emergencies, Prepare for Adventure

You no longer need to prepare for emergencies:

Flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, terrorist attack, industrial accident. Whatever. Sure anyone of those things could thrust us into a “Bug Out” situation, but nobody is really worried. Sure we could be forced into the streets with our families alongside thousands of scared people shedding their humanity to the beat of the news, but few of us actually prepare for such things and there are some good reasons why we don’t.

The most obvious reason we don’t really prepare is that we’re already busy just trying to survive life. The other and much deeper reason is that it’s not in our nature to pursue meager survival. We’re on top of the food chain, number 1 predator designed not to just survive. We’ve been exalted to thrive. So you no longer have to worry or prepare to run from disasters anymore; however, by the time we’re done with this purpose-driven series of articles, you may just want to run into one. Now let’s talk about the thing that will help us with the nasty business of being too busy.

A burning desire for adventure is all you need:

It’s in all of us. A burning desire for adventure and purpose. The tightening in our throat during a movie, the feeling of anxious tension after too many hours at the desk. That “thing” is our soul grabbing us by our guts and trying to pull us outside. For some, it feels like this fire went out, but it didn’t. The fact that you’re here in the Loadout Room proves that the pilot light is still burning. We see it flickering and we’re about to pour jet fuel on it.

So what does preparedness have to with our soul? Preparing for disaster is more about adventure and recreation than it is about storing buckets of water and wheat. How do you know if you’re ready to thrive in an emergency? Give yourself 10 minutes to “Loadout” and then take everyone you’re responsible for camping for a week. If you can do that consistently and comfortably you know you’re ready. You see if we’re just surviving we will not be able to help others.

What are the chances?

Fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane. Sure the chances of any one of these things happening are slim, but the chances of you going through life without anything happening are non-existent. This is about shooting, moving and communicating. Survival of the fittest. Your purpose as a leader. A modern day Operator’s skill set that must be practiced and maintained.

As Archilochus said:

We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training”

So yes… It’s literally your duty to get your “Stuff Together” and get outside.

Unpacking the truck:

As a former medic, I was obsessed with having everything organized, tested, easy to get to and with me always. As a result my personal truck is always purposefully packed and ready for an adventure or the end of the world. Paddleboarding, spearfishing, rock climbing, hunting, mountain biking, unmanned aerial surveillance (UAV) or just hanging by the fire making smores I’m ready.

During the course of this series, we will unpack the truck and talk about the gear I use and why I use it. I know with a group like this echo-evolution will take over and I’ll learn as much as I teach so by the time we’re done we’ll have an amazing design for readiness through recreation.

First up is the “Harry Potter Pantry” (it’ll make more sense in the next article) A mobile, waterproof container that has been repurposed for the immediate deployment and rapid replenishment of food, fuel and first-aid. You will notice I streamline and build process for everything so that it is easy to keep ready. Ready for an emergency sure; but that’s not what drives my obsession here. It’s not always obvious, but a major reason we don’t spend enough time being active is that we don’t have our stuff ready and with us. Tomorrow when I review this mobile pantry in depth I’ll say more about how to organize your kit with your life so that it practically kicks your ass out the door. Gear is beautiful, but you gotta get it dirty sometime!