Kit

5.11 Tactical Field Watch

I’m one of those guys that love watches. To me, it is not only a necessity, but it finishes off the “look” of whatever it is that you are wearing. As much as I’d love to have a nice smartwatch, I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on one yet. Why? Truthfully, I not only like the aesthetics of an analog or digital watch, but it really isn’t practical in my day-to-day life (except for the fact that it’d be useful while working out). To me, traditional timepieces just have more personality.

When choosing a watch for work, it not only has to have the “look”, but it has to be able to withstand whatever is thrown at it. That doesn’t mean that it has to have all the fancy bells and whistles either; because hey, I’m a firefighter, not a pilot. However, I expect it to keep time accurately no matter the abuse, and it has to remain relatively unscathed in respects to its finish. Let’s face it, who wants to spend their money on a watch because it looks good, only to have a scratched up POS a day, week or even a month later. Last but not least, I want the option to wear the watch for more than just work, because in the end, “all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.”

Chances are, that if you work in any field such as law enforcement, military, EMS, or fire, you’ve heard of 5.11 Tactical. They are a company that is known for quality, ruggedness, and durability. And (yes, I started a sentence with and), I can tell you from first-hand experience, that their customer service is pretty darn amazing as well.

The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch fits the description above for what I look for in an excellent watch. Over the past two months, the Field Watch has been worn almost daily, whether it has been on shift at the FD, coaching my kid’s baseball games, or heading out for the night with my beautiful wife. My experience with it has been completely positive, which can be very difficult to find when reviewing gear. I can tell you that it has seen some abuse over those two months; from traffic accidents with extrication to training, and worst of all, horsing around with my kids!

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The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch comes with a Nato style band, and my first time wearing one. To touch on that, all I can say is that if you have never worn one, do yourself a favor and get one; they are that comfortable. The watch itself has a good heft to it, giving it a durable feel. But what jumps out at you when looking at it, is the simplicity of it. The numbers and increments on the face are gray against a black background; easy to read, but not screaming to take over the look of the entire piece. There is a small orange window showcasing the current date. To me, having the date on a watch is a MUST. Every task that I perform during my day-to-day operations required time and date stamping and having this definitely helps.

The Field Watch has a uni-directional dive bezel with number markings at every 5 minute/second. On the inside of the bezel, just under the chip and scratch resistant mineral glass, are your markings for military/24 hour time. The hour, minute, and red second hand, all have a Phosphorus Luminescent paint on them that glows with the slightest charge. For you ladies and gentlemen out there that perform dive operations, the Field Watch is water resistant up to 100 meters or 330 feet.

One of my favorite points on this watch though is the finish. 5.11 Tactical knew that this watch would be used by many of us in the actual field. So just to the name it “Field Watch” wasn’t good enough. They finished this watch with Ionic Plating. For those of you not familiar with this process, a layer of titanium nitride and other strong materials are added to the base of the stainless steel and bonded together to create a lasting and durable finish. In fact, it is so durable that it is considered a permanent finish/coating.

As mentioned before, this is the first piece of wearable gear that I haven’t had any issues with of any sort. The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch is versatile; ready for day-to-day operations, but classy enough to wear on a night out on the town.

If you decide to give it a go, make sure to stop back and leave some feedback. Let us know what you think!

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Author – Tony Kuhn

The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures

The need for a lightweight, easily portable, but powerful weapon is one outdoors folk regularly have. Be it camping, hunting, or just a bit of adventuring anytime you step outside of civilization you should want a weapon that can bring you back. This Tristar folding shotgun fits the bill for me, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well made and how handy the weapon was. I purchased the weapon second hand after seeing it on a local ad. I could only find scant information on the shotgun, but the seller told me it was a prize to be won at the National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet and that is where he acquired it.

The shotgun is a single shot, folding weapon that is light, handy, and chambered in the powerful 12 gauge. The shotgun can chamber 3-inch shells and has a fixed choke. This shotgun is extremely lightweight, I don’t have an exact scale, but on a basic bathroom scale, the shotgun weighed right under 4 and a half pounds. That’s lighter than my 80 percent lower build AR pistol.

The shotgun has very few markings, and it’s branded Tri Star. The weapon says made by Artemis and a google search for Artemis shotguns gives me Khan shotguns, a Turkish firearm manufacturer. A bit of browsing at Khan’s single shots and I found some very similar models. These shotguns are known as the K100 and are made with sportsmen in mind. The shotguns feature ribbed barrels and wooden furniture, but they remain the same basic design, with the folding mechanism. The weight listed for these shotguns are right around 5 pounds, so under 4 and a half is pretty accurate for this bare bones model.

The shotgun is light but built like a tank. The barrel is quite thick, and the receiver is way thicker than necessary. The overall design is very simple, with an internal hammer and a 20-inch barrel. The safety is a simple push-button near the trigger guard. The finish is actually parkerized, which is impressive, and a desirable feature on a beat around shotgun. The sights consist of a small gold bead and a small little indent at the top of the receiver. The furniture is a very simple polymer material. The stock is actually hollow and can be used as a compartment for survival supplies, or it can hold 10 2 ¾ 12 gauge rounds. This also makes the shotgun capable of floating.

The shotgun, when folded, fits in my small Alice pack, a common companion on my outdoor excursions.

You pay for that lightweight when you start shooting the weapon. You get the full force of a twelve gauge round into your shoulder, and it is far from pleasant. Even with heavy steel loads you are going to feel some pain. Buckshot is pretty rough, and I fired slugs in two round strings, but that was enough to judge the slugs were quite accurate. A slip on recoil pad would be a welcome addition to the weapon. The basic gold bead works fine and the shotgun patterns well. The trigger is somewhat stiff but very short.

The folding shotgun patterns and accuracy

I’d talk about reliability, but it’s a single barrel shotgun, it’d be more impressive if it wasn’t reliable. The weapon has an extractor that pushes the shell out positively and makes it easy to grip and rip from the chamber. It reliably shot and extracted birdshot by Federal, 00 Buckshot by Federal, Remington, and Fiocchi, No 1 Buckshot by Remington, and slugs by Remington and Winchester.

A Brief History of NATO Watch Bands

In designing the Vaer watch, we tried our best to focus on the features and functionalities beloved by wristwatch enthusiasts. While some of our design features, such as the metal case ring and back-loaded case design, are invisible to the untrained eye, there are other features that clearly define the product’s identity.

One such feature is the interchangeable nylon bands. Colorful, comfortable, and waterproof – they’re a perfect match for our minimal, ocean-going timepiece.

A Functional Favorite

The nylon pass-through strap (often referred to as a NATO) is a unifying symbol for watch lovers around the world. Whether you’re collecting Seikos or Submariners chances are you own a few nylon straps. Not only do they provide a cool contrast to a steel or leather strap, they’re incredibly functional. If you own an expensive dive watch (and actually use it in the ocean) the last thing you want is to lose it because of a faulty spring-bar. Even the strongest steel bracelet is only as reliable as the removable spring-bars it’s attached to – if one breaks, your watch is going straight to the ocean floor.

The nylon pass-through strap solves this problem.

Since the band itself forms a full-loop around your wrist, it’s secured independently by each springbar. If one bar fails, the other one will still be there to keep the watch on your wrist.

Military Origins

The origins of this fail-safe design can be traced back over 40 years to the early 1970s when it was issued as an optional accessory by the British Ministry of Defence. Labelled simply as the “Strap, Wrist Watch” it quickly became known as the G10, which was the name of the order form soldiers needed to fill out to get it. It is very commonly referred to as a “NATO Strap”, as a shortened version of “NATO Stocking Number”.

The design of these early military straps is nearly identical to our version. Both are nylon, 20mm in width, and feature a second shorter piece of nylon attached to the buckle. The only key difference is the while the British originals used brass-buckles and keepers our hardware is made of brushed 316L stainless steel. Interestingly, the military straps were also highly customized. While originally issued only in grey, it wasn’t long before British regiments started customizing the straps to match their regimental colors.

Rise to Popularity

While it took a few more decades for the NATO design to catch on outside military circles, today these the bands can be found on an incredibly wide variety of watches. Many renowned watchmakers such as Bremont and Tudor now sell Nylon bands as an optional accessory with their watches – charging as much $100 USD for a single Nylon strap.

Other brands have taken the opposite approach, producing flimsy colored straps, that imitate the style of NATO, but lack the quality and design specifications to make the product useful for anything more than a fashion accessory.

The Perfect Band

We didn’t invent our band design. Nor are we the only ones selling the style.

However, for the price, our version is one of the very best of its kind on the market.

We selected a very dense Nylon weave that is sturdy, while still being supple enough to be comfortable when worn around the wrist. The band features 13 laser cut holes, spaced 5mm apart and spanning a range between 155mm and 215mm. The end of the band is rounded to a circle, and burnished by heat to not split or fray. Attached to the Nylon band, are four pieces of brushed stainless steel hardware – one buckle and three rectangular loops. The hardware is secured by 1mm machine-stitched nylon threading, made to match the color of the band, and stress tested to withstand up to 350 pounds of direct tension.

All together these numerous design features combine into a pretty damn solid strap. Adding in the ocean functionality, easy interchangeability, and opportunity for customization – I think its pretty clear why we believe it’s a perfect match for our watch.

The Seventy2 Survival Pack: Real World Experience

All you have to do is watch the news for a few minutes to be reminded that disaster and chaos can happen anywhere and at anytime. Most experts say that the first 72 hours after the event are the most critical, where food, water and shelter will be in high demand and short supply. The team at The Uncharted Supply Company took this to heart when they designed their Seventy2 Survival System Backpack. This 48-liter pack holds all a person needs to survive the 72 hours.

The fact I’m writing this just 24 hours after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked my home here in Alaska, I put the Seventy2 pack to use immediately let me know very quickly that this pack is no joke when it comes to a 72-hour essentials pack. We always get to test the gear we get but it’s not usually during what would become a federally declared natural disaster.

What the Pack is and What it Isn’t

Defining emergency packs can be a tricky business, and a lot of that comes with expectation management. So we thought the best thing would be to start out with trying to define what this pack is intended for and what it is not intended for. This pack is not a pack that you would use for 72 hours in a combat zone or a World War Z style pandemic. It’s not meant to be a molle filled ramboesque pack for sentry duty or defense contractors. This pack is almost ideally suited to be kept in your office or in your car as a part of a get home bag.

The team at Uncharted Supply Company really looked into building this pack and wanted to make sure it was full of gear that would work and for the most part they really got it right. Let’s take a closer look at what they did right and what I think they can put a little more work into.

Good Points:

The 48-liter shell is waterproof and blends well into urban settings.
Seams glued and won’t leak anytime in the near future
Supply insert containing eight pouches worth of gear works very well
Instructions and tips are color coded and broke into four easy to comprehend areas: Shelter, Medical, Food, and Other Useful Info
Everything fits easily into well-labeled pouches
Gear that actually works in the real world. The gloves, hat, water filtration by Sawyer and weather radio are all excellent quality
Simple Design

Points for Improvement:

Straps on 48L shell good use some beefing up
Entrenching tool isn’t up to moderate use. This is the only piece of the kit that I thought should be replaced.

Detailed List of Contents of The Uncharted Supply Company Seventy 2:

Electronics:

Weather Radio
LED Flashlight

Air & Vision:

Safety Goggles
RZ M5 Filtration Mask

Food & Water:

Datrex Rations
Sawyer Water Filter with 2 Liter Pouch
44 oz Nalgene Water Bottle

Illumination:

LED Flashlight
Waterproof Matches
Glowsticks
Magnesium Fire Starter

First Aid:

First Aid Kit
Splint
Sunscreen
Anti bacterial Wipes

Tools:

Multitool
Duct Tape
Paracord -100 Ft
Entrenching Tool
Fixed Blade Knife

Warmth:

Lined Latex Gloves (Hi Viz Yellow)
Knit Hat
Hand Warmers
Mylar Space Blanket
Mylar Survival Tent

Real World Performance 30 November 2018

8:29 AM Alaska Time I found myself being thrown around my garage and my house by a solid 7.2 magnitude earthquake with a series of 5.0-5.9 aftershocks in the first hour I was awake. One of the first things I grabbed after my latern and a rifle was this pack. I dropped it on the kitchen table and told my wife to crack it open and see what was in it. That was my baptism of fire with The Uncharted Supply Company and their products. So how did it work?

The pack works very well for the right user group, a group I would say that has little to no experience with preparedness in general terms. The few shortcomings that I listed above would not stop me from recommending a person who is just looking for a grab and go survival bag. A person who wants a level of preparedness but is unwilling or incapable of wanting to put much time into the process.

This bag has a little bit of everything in it and the components, for the most part, are high quality and will satisfy most users needs. I would recommend replacing the entrenching tool and replacing it with a better model or perhaps leave it out and add another piece of gear. Not everyone will need to dig a defensive fighting position or a cat hole so the E-Tool isn’t a necessity for most users. A flashlight upgrade might also be something to consider, I prefer a little larger flashlight than what comes with the Seventy 2 kit.

The Seventy2 Survival Kit is currently on sale for $275.00 on The Unchartered Supply Company website. This price has recently been marked down from the regular retail price of $349.99. The company’s website also includes a listing to replacement components and other gear that the company offers allowing you to customize your own pack if you get the urge. Check out this video to get a better idea of what the Seventy 2 can do for your preparedness needs.

Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch | A combat proven mag pouch

In today’s market, there is a myriad of mag pouches to choose from. They range from low-profile to very secure. Its a rarity to have a piece of kit that can do both without compromising the other. In my opinion, the Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch is the way forward. They provide a solid grip on the magazine like no other I’ve used and trust me when I say ‘you put your magazines in these and they’re going nowhere.’

They are highly versatile and work on different mags – 5.45, 7.62, 5.56, no problem. While in my last area of operations (AO), I used AK-74s and AK-47 magazines with zero issues. The 7.62 are a bit tight, but they still work very well. While working, I have mainly used the 74s with 30 round mags and one 45 round mag. Even with the weight of the 45 round mag in these pouches, there’s been zero movements with any force I’ve thrown their way.

One downside is you can forget about a tactical/combat reload of placing the empty mag back into the Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch. During this situation, there is no way you will get a mag back in these pouches. I’ve tried and tried repeatedly, but maybe I’m just not as good as those tactical gods out there. Maybe there is an operator out there who can do this, but it’s not me. Spend the mag, dump it in a cargo pocket, reload, and crack on.

As stated previously, the main positive of the Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch is I’ve never seen a mag pouch hold like this before. Crawl, run, climb, handstands, do whatever you want – your mags will still be there when counts and that’s the most important thing. You would think it must be difficult to put a mag in this pouch, but they side right in with a push. Combat reloads are the only time when it will slow you down. When in need of a magazine you can get another quick as your reflexes will allow.

As for durability, these are tuff as nails and been on the go now for some time. I’ve punished these in some very unforgiving environments and not a single hole has formed in the material. As you can see in the photos, there is some fraying of the material, but they are still fully functional. Also, the Velcro at the bottom of the straps is starting to fade, but this is of little concern to me as they still hold their functionality and have loads of life left.

As you can tell, the Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch is one of my favorite products on the market right now and well worth purchasing if you need a super secure mag pouch. I will continue to use these mag pouches in the future and give any updates if they happen to fail.

Overall, this is a great product from a great provider. I score these 9/10. The only reason they don’t get a 10 is that I can’t manage to get a magazine back in the pouch during a tactical reload. This issue is not a personal concern to me, but I know guys out there that would like the option.

The Blue Force Gear Triple Mag Pouch MSRP is $49 and can be purchased here.

Darn Tough tactical boot socks vs. other brands

Socks, the topic nobody really focuses on until it’s too late. Rangers (and pretty much all other SOF or light Infantry types) spend a lot of time on their feet. The importance of a good quality set of socks cannot be understated. I’ve used socks from a variety of companies and have put them through hell over the years. Darn Tough still rains king and Rangers are still having them issued. I did a comparison of some boot socks I’ve used over the years and what I look for in a boot sock for heavy duty use.

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–Tim Morgan