gear review

The Rush24 2.0 From 5.11 Tactical

The 5.11 Rush series have been around for almost 15 years now. This year we see the first update in the form of the Rush 2.0 series. We got our greedy mitts on the Rush24 2.0 and have been putting it through its paces.

What’s New With The Rush24 2.0

First, they added a concealed carry pouch. It’s hidden ingeniously but quick to access. It sits as a pocket between the front pocket and main pouch. It’s sealed with hook and loop, so it’s effortless to open and access.

Second, the inside of the main pouch now features a laptop pouch that allows you to fit a 15-inch laptop in it. This was added due to user demand. The EDC world has largely adopted military and tactical packs, so small things are changing to better accommodate every user. Plus, the tactical world is changing, the implementation of technology is being infused into our warfighters.

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The Rush24 2.0 comes in a multitude of colors, including tactical favorites like Multicam, but also black, brown, and various greens. The bag has a wide variety of pockets and pouches to allow the organization of everything from sleeping gear to pens and paper. Let’s look at the features that stood out to me.

Organization

You learn quickly how important pack organization is when it starts to rain on your field op. Your sprint to cover your gear, but you packed your tarp at the very bottom of the pack. Organization is critical. It doesn’t matter if it’s an EDC pack, a hiking kit, a bug-out bag, or whatever. You want it organized.

The Rush24 2.0 exists as a pocket packing machine. There are pockets everywhere. The side pockets allow for the easy stashing of important gear. From phone chargers to IFAKs, you can store it all for relatively easy access. Organizing your gear in the dozens of pockets is easy and accessing them even easier.

Pockets in the top, front, and side give you plenty of room to stash emergency essentials that you might need right away. I pack an IFAK and rain poncho in the quick access compartments.

Capacity

Thirty-seven liters of your junk can be shoved into the Rush24 2.0. This much space gives me enough room to pack for days at a time. I can pack at least 48 hours of supplies in this bag. If I stretch it a bit and eat thin, then the bag can last 72 hours. I can pack a sleeping bag, extra clothes, a few MREs, lots and lots of water, as well as a good flashlight, an IFAK, and so much more.

I’ve put the pack to the test in my adventure rucks and packed it with a 45-pound load to simulate the Wildland FireFighter pack test. It fit in without making the bag bulbous and tough to close. The extra pockets and dedicated hydration pack makes a huge difference in your capacity.

I’ve loaded the bag for EDC purposes from the office to the gym, and it served as a bag for both. I filled it up with weight to help shoot a gun like an improvised Caldwell Lead Sled. The Rush24 2.0 is a powerhouse of a pack with plenty of capacity for crossing the border into Iraq or going to that 3 PM college class.

Fit and Comfort

Remember when I loaded this bad boy with 45 pounds? Well, I also took it on a three-mile hike. That three-mile hike was completed in under 45 minutes to comply with the Wildland firefighter fitness test. That’s mighty fast for a hump, and it admittedly gave me a good perspective on the pack’s comfort.

Without an external frame, 45 pounds seems to be about the top weight I’d want to carry in this pack. The good news is 5.11 designed the Rush24 2.0 to carry a hefty load for a ‘backpack.’ A healthy amount of reinforced padding on the back. Padding provides an excellent degree of comfort, and the pads allow air to pass between you and your pack.

The shoulder straps are thickly padded and extremely wide. These wide pads provide a high level of comfort to the pack and help support the weight without the straps digging in. The Rush24 2.0 provides a high degree of comfort even when loaded down with heavyweight.

Inherent Quality

Is it made well? Well, it’s made from high-strength 1000D nylon that’s also water repellant. It’s tear-proof, and 5.11 sews everything on with what appears to be a double stitch. The zippers are all YKK high-quality, smooth-moving sealing devices. Duraflex makes the buckles, so you’re well covered here too.

Plus, when it gets filthy dirty, I just hose it down, dry it out and get back at it. For the price, it’s tough to make a better backpack. I’m sure you could, but selling it for under 150 bucks is next to impossible. Give it a peak and let us know what you think below.

Legend All-Weather Compression Socks

Socks are something I never thought about when addressing tactical gear. Not until my first deployment and I realized how valuable good socks are. I got my hands on the Legend All-Weather Compression socks and have put some miles on them. Proper socks are so damn important.

I deployed with the bargain bin socks the PX sold and didn’t think twice. An Any Marine Package showed up from a lovely group of generous individuals and packed away were expensive hiking socks. I can’t remember the brand, but they had an REI price tag on them and were made for hiking. After my first patrol equipped with good socks, I realized just how damn important good socks are.

The Legend All-Weather Compression socks are boot-length socks that go all the way up. They are made from a combination of merino wool, spandex, and nylon. The combination offers flexibility, comfort, and proven performance.

The Legend All-Weather Compression Socks In Action

That thought has been reinforced by the Legend All-Weather Compression socks. I strapped these bad boys almost a month and a half ago and since then have put more than 100 miles between both pairs. My goal was to put 50 miles per pair, and after that, I stopped counting the miles. Since then, I’ve worn them extensively in normal sock rotation, and whenever I need to hike, I grab them.

The Cold and Wet

I hit the ground running in a variety of environments. All-Weather is a mighty big claim, so I put that name to the test. I put miles on these bad boys in the cold rainy foothills of South Carolina. At a firearm’s media event, I climbed through various environmental conditions. I crawled up muddy hills of clay in cold and wet conditions.

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Yet, my feet never felt cold or uncomfortable. They were just right for the 30 to 50-degree temperatures I was facing. The Legend All-Weather Compression socks even got a good dose of being wet due to some uncomfortable puddle jumping. Yet, they dried quickly and didn’t leave me wet for long.

Keep in mind the moisture was minimal, and it was resigned to the toe of my sock. A full submersion would not dry very quickly.

Turn Up the Heat

Florida sucks y’all. If it wasn’t for the lack of state income taxes, I’d leave these swampy states. It’s almost always hot, and even in March and April, the heat is righteous. I rucked in hot and humid conditions.

My longest hump was five miles at high noon in Florida. I’m a big fella, and I sweat a good bit. That includes my feet, and normally I get nice gross, sweaty socks. The problem here is that wet socks rub, and they create blisters.

However, the Legend All-Weather Compression socks are moisture-wicking. My feet never felt wet and sweaty even after mile 5. The moisture-wicking really made a difference.

The Comfort Factor

The Legend All-Weather Compression socks are super comfortable. On these longer hikes, I noticed my feet didn’t go numb. That’s an issue I tend to have with normal socks when I add weight and ruck for time. The graduated compression hosiery promotes better blood flow and gives you the ability to ruck faster and farther.

The cushion on the sole and around the legs keeps blisters away and keeps the boots from rubbing your legs raw. Better yet, the sock never rolled downwards or sagged. The Spandex is in play here, and I’m grateful for it.

Overall I’m impressed by the Legend All-Weather Compression socks. I’ll probably take them out of my normal rotation and save them for hiking and field use. I’d hate to wear them out too fast. I plan to purchase a few pairs extra and toss them in the bug-out bag as well. Legend knocked it out of the park and if you are the type to hike, hump, ruck, conduct foot patrols, fight fires on mountains, then you owe it to yourself to get good socks for your feet.

KA-BAR LDK – Slash, Stab, and Escape

The KA-BAR LDK, or Last Ditch Knife, is a sneaky stabber designed to be carried discreetly and employed when you are all out of other options. This micro slasher is roughly the same length as a credit card and no taller than one either. The blade is ultra-short, but the handle design makes the most out of it. The LDK was designed by a veteran police officer and martial artist who wanted an option for low profile carry.

The LDK Carried

The idea was that the LDK could be carried almost anywhere, including states and countries with restrictive rules on guns. The LDK was designed with foreign travel in mind. Some countries can be quite dangerous for travelers, and the ability to carry a genius completely out of the question. The LDK’s small size and design make it easy to hide in various ways. The included sheath is a polymer design with seven lashing points to allow for various attachment methods.

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The KA-BAR LDK can be worn on the belt, on your tactical gear, or tucked into your waistband with an IWB loop, around your neck, on your boot, in your pocket, or just dang near anywhere else. The LDK was designed to be roughly the same size as a credit card, so it even squeezes into wallet credit card slots with ease. The little knife weighs roughly 2.4 ounces, and that’s superbly lightweight and nearly invisible when concealed.

Punch, Stab, Slash

The KA-BAR LDK isn’t your traditional fighting knife or traditional EDC knife. It’s not made to be deployed to cut the rope, open boxes, or do the variety of admin tasks that your normal pocket knife is supposed to handle. It can, but that’s a waste.

KA-BAR’s LDK is a fighting knife, but as mentioned, not a traditional design. The handle has a sharp curve inward, and the handle is quite short. However, retention isn’t an issue when held correctly. You hold the knife in a fist-like grip with the blade coming in between your thumb and trigger finger. In that position, the handle’s length hardly matters. The LDK adds a decisive sting to your punches.

The blade was designed to replicate a scalpel, and as you know, scalpels slice through human flesh quite efficiently. The blade stabs well, and you can slash outwards, creating major damage. This is a fighting knife that isn’t necessarily designed to fight the same way a KA-BAR is. Instead, you can strike, slash, stab, and put distance between you and your threat. The fact it’s used as a punch dagger means no fancy techniques are needed. It’s a caveman’s weapon.

In my mind, the best way to use this system would be to attack, slash, gain distance, and escape. The KA-BAR LDK gives you the ability to take the fight out of an attacker and escape when safely. If you find yourself in foreign lands, this might be the safest option. Sure, you can stick around and win the fight, but at what cost? Getting your ass kicked by the guy’s buddies? Or just by people who see a foreigner attacking a local with a knife? You might be in the right, but good luck explaining that to someone who doesn’t speak your language.

Pocket Stinger

The KA-BAR LDK might be a tiny blade, but it sure as hell punches up, or I guess, slashes up. The LDK is not contained in its weight class by any means. It’s a fearsome tool designed to be easily hidden and quickly deployed. The LDK allows you to slash, stab, and escape when you can’t shoot it out. Check it out here.

A plate carrier for the big boys: AR500’s Testudo Gen 2 is a good pick for large frames

Plate carriers are among the most fiercely debated pieces of kit on the market today and it’s easy to see why. With so many options and prices that can range from thirty bucks to three hundred, just about everybody has an opinion on what you need for your purposes. Like most things, it’s been my experience that neither the cheapest nor the most expensive options on the market are right for most users, and what really matters is finding the kit that works best for you, rather than the one that’ll score you the most cool-guy points in the Tacticool subreddits.

AR500 offers a number of different kinds of plate carriers meant to meet various needs and budgets. I opted to review the Testudo Gen 2 because it can support both standard 10″ by 12″ ballistic plates as well as the larger 11″ by 14″ plates reserved for those of us that shop at Big and Tall outlets. I’m not as skinny as I was on active duty, so the Testudo also offers the added benefit of not making me look like a gorilla in a tank top.

I ran this carrier with plates provided to me by ShotStop that are among the lightest on the market, which when combined with the 3d webbing AR500 uses on most of the interior of this plate carrier, made running and gunning in the Georgia woods survivable even in June when the humidity is just north of what you’ll find in the Amazon rain forest. The combination of light weight and breathability made my range session not only tolerable, but as pleasant as Georgia summers can get.

At $160, this probably isn’t the right plate carrier for preppers that like to stockpile their gear but rarely run and gun in their kit. If, however, you’re a bigger dude that wears your plate carrier for work, the 3D webbing and good quality stitching make this an excellent choice. That same 3D webbing, however, can be pretty abrasive if you’re wearing a thin undershirt. I’d imagine that gets better over time, but at least so far, I’ve stuck to thick tee shirts and had no trouble.

You can get your own Testudo Gen 2 Plate Carrier from AR500 Armor here.

And you can get your own ShotStop Ballistic plates here.

Klik Belts: Don’t just get a belt, get a belt you can keep for life

When it comes to duty belts, concealed carry belts, or gun belts in general, there are a number of manufacturers out there with products I can recommend whole-heartedly. I mean, let’s be honest, the things that make for a good quality pistol belt aren’t elusive: the material of the belt needs to be stiff enough to support the weight of your gear without bowing outward, the buckle needs to be strong enough to support the weight of what you’re carrying, and hopefully you can get both of those things in one decent looking package. So, if you’re looking for a good choice in belts (whether you’re a recreational shooter or a cop that relies on your belt every day), you certainly have some options. But if you’re looking for the best choice, it helps to consider some other things, like customer service.

Klik Belts’ line of products certainly meet and exceed the baseline criteria required of a good quality belt. Their two-ply tactical belt offers very little give without becoming a nuisance and is just as at home as an EDC belt run through your belt loops as it is strapped over your hips as a quick release gun belt. And much to my surprise, even their single-ply belts (which Klik Belt don’t recommend for use with a holster) has served me extremely well with the Bravo Concealment IWB holster I’ve been wearing to review for the past month or so. It’s easy to see why: not only are Klik Belts made right here in America (Austin, Texas, to be exact) using the best materials they could get their hands on, but they also come equipped with Cobra Belt Buckles. These buckles are incredibly strong… how strong? One held up to 5 1/2 tons of pressure before letting go in one test… so yours ought to do fine even chalk full of gear and fighting back your gut after Taco Tuesday.

Klik Belts may make their belts on site, but they sourced these buckles from Austria for a reason. Here’s what they have to say about the Cobra Buckle:

Patented AustriAlpin COBRA® quick releases are, without equal, the safest, most finely crafted, and strongest load bearing buckles available anywhere. They are also the only stab-lock style fastener in the safety products market that will not open while under load. That makes them the best choice (we believe, the only choice) for ensuring the highest degree of safety for yourself or your customer. COBRA® quick releases are CNC machined, assembled, inspected, and packed (re: from alpha to omega) in our ISO quality assurance acredited facility. All COBRA® products are tested and certified by highly respected independent /3rd party test houses and exceed Mil Spec guidelines for dust / sand / salt water as well as all applicable CE, EN, CSA, ANSI, and NFPA standards for fall-protection and personal safety.

The belts and buckles are just as high quality as they’re touted, but what really sets these belts apart from other good quality belts is their lifetime warranty and the level of customer service you get when you order one. I spoke to Dona at Klik Belts who immediately set about making my new belts to order based on my (decidedly embarrassing) measurements. Even made to order, the belts arrived in no time and I immediately set about trying to ruin them so poor Donna would have to hunker back down at her sewing machine and send me some new ones. She was so nice when we spoke, I really didn’t think she’d mind… but after weeks of punishment, the best I could do was leave a bit of white gunk on the nylon portion of the belt (maybe a mix of bug spray and sunscreen). Beyond that, I just couldn’t manage to break, fray, or otherwise mess up these belts.

I haven’t given up yet though, and eventually, I’m sure I’ll manage to do some kind of damage that leaves my belts un-serviceable, and when I do, I won’t have to buy a new one. I can just send the buckle back in to Klik Belts with a crisp $20 bill and they’ll send it back to me good as new. They’ll even adjust the size if I’ve gotten fatter (or hopefully, thinner) by then.

I won’t pretend that there are no other good quality belt options on the market, but with prices starting under $65 for a double-ply tactical belt you can wear for the rest of your life, I honestly couldn’t recommend any option that isn’t from Klik Belt. You can get them in a variety of colors and despite the utility allotted by the Cobra Buckles, these belts look just as appropriate in a pair of khakis as they do on your jeans or hiking pants.

When you order a belt from Klik Belts, you’re not just getting a belt — you’re getting a lifetime commitment from the company itself. It’s tough to beat that.

Oakley SI Flak 2.0 – Thin Blue Line edition: The right shades for an officer on duty or a great range day

When it comes to the eye protection for the range, I tend to be extraordinarily picky. No, it’s not just because I have a weird shaped head and only a precious few sunglasses designs can both look decent and stay affixed to my dome (but I’ll admit that’s part of it). It’s also because I have an unusual medical condition that robs me of portions of my vision for days, weeks, or even months at a time. It first surfaced a few years ago after a particularly rough night of sparring. I took a solid right cross and, I’ll admit, my bell was rung, but I thought I was fine otherwise… that is, until I woke up the next morning to find my right eye had all but stopped working.

A trip to the emergency room suggested that having my bell rung must have also detached the retina, but further diagnosis from specialists revealed that my buddy’s right cross and my newfound blindness were actually just a matter of coincidence. It was my retina itself that was swelling, likely due to a combination of blood pressure and a cortisol injection I had recently received in my spine… don’t you just love staying active as you get older?

Since then, the condition has returned at random intervals, usually during periods of high stress, and now, unfortunately, in both eyes. Most days, I can see just fine… but a few times a year, I end up with the center of my vision almost completely compromised. It’s hard to explain just how scary blindness feels for someone that has spent their life in a sighted world — especially for a guy like me, that makes my living by doing foolish things outside and then writing about it.

So, with the specter of blindness always looming overhead (even when my vision is working fine) I take things like eye protection very seriously. I’m grateful for every day I wake up and can see my daughter’s face, every trip to the woods where I’m able to capture good sight picture on my rifle, and every evening I spend mindlessly staring at the various screens in my rec-room.

Knowing how fundamentally different my life would be like without my vision means that I’m not willing to compromise when it comes to protecting what I’ve got. So, while there may be some fairly inexpensive forms of eye protection available on the market, I tend to stick strictly to companies I’ve come to trust through a combination of my own experiences and their historical track record. When those are the standards by which you judge, it’s tough to beat the product line offered by Oakley Standard Issue, or Oakley’s military, government, and law enforcement specific arm.

Over this past weekend, I had the chance to put their Flak 2.0 Thin Blue Line edition shades through their paces, and although they aren’t the same design I tend to gravitate toward, I found them to be extremely comfortable and utilitarian. Even in 90+ degree Georgia weather, soaked in humidity and wearing a plate carrier, these glasses didn’t budge from my face in the sweat deluge they were subjected to. Eye-pro doesn’t do you much good if it falls off your face, and I don’t have the time nor the patience to constantly push my glasses back up my nose while training. Oakley’s patented “Unobtanium” grips see to it that these shades stay where they belong.

These glasses are incredibly light while offering near complete coverage of your field of view, eliminating those annoying moments when the angle of your glasses allows the sun to creep in and blind you from the side. Fogging is minimal, even in the brutal conditions I subjected them to this weekend, and their XYC optics ensured the clarity of my vision (such as it is) through the lenses and downrange.

The O-Matter stress resistant frame adds to the piece of mind you get when you order a set of Flak 2.0s for duty use or intense training. These frames may be light, but they’re not going to break on you if you do manage to drop your glasses. These shades also sport the Thin Blue Line collection Oakley logo on the sides, making them a unique and fitting choice for police officers or anyone that likes to show their support for the men and women in blue that keep our street’s safe.

You don’t need to know how scary going blind can be to know that you don’t want to risk it. Whether you’re a cop in need of duty glasses or a shooter that appreciates the sacrifices made on our behalf by those in their blue uniforms, you can’t go wrong with Oakley SI, and these Flak 2.0s are further proof of that.

Orders yours from Oakley SI for around $160 here.