loadout room

PACE Lid Constellation Kit: A compact urban survival kit

I did a previous article on the new GORUCK Constellation Urban Survival and Navigation course. The owner of PACE Lid is also heavily involved with GORUCK and decided to come up with a kit that could be used for the course utilizing his PACE Lid product.

From the PACE Lid website:

GORUCK Constellation is an Urban survival and navigation course. In the course, you will use items in a kit to carry out various evolutions. The Constellation kit and PACElid were the models for the courses, so it makes sense to offer the exact kit inside a lid ready to go for your Constellation or SHTF preparation.

Black PACElid outfitted with the following items:

Adventurer Button Compass (NATO/U.S. Military Issue)

All Weather Survival Matches (NATO/U.S. Military Issue)

Derma Safe Razor Knife (U.S. Military Approved)

Sewing Kit w/6 Safety Pins (Assembled in USA)

MP1 Water Purification Tablets (U.S. Military Issue)

Adventurer Survival Whistle (SOLAS/NATO Approved)

Mini Survival Fishing Kit (Assembled in USA)

Type 1A Utility Cord (U.S. Military Approved)

Brass Snare Wire (Trapping and Equipment Repair)

Emergency Signal Mirror (Daytime Emergency Signaling)

Compact Flint Fire Starter w/Striker

Adventurer Tinder Quik Fire Tabs

Adventurer Fresnel Lens Fire Starter

Water Bag

Compact First Aid Kit
–Sting Relief (2 packets)
–Butterfly Bandages (2)
–Band Aids (6)
–Moleskin (3″ x 4″)
–Triple Antibiotic Ointment (2)
–Zip Lock Bag

Hand Sanitizer

Silica Gel Desiccant (Moisture Absorbent)

*Photo courtesy of PACE Lid

Nordic Pocket Saw: The bigger they are, The harder they fall

As an avid outdoorsman, it’s very rare that I find myself unprepared when I venture out into the wilderness. I always make sure to take the essentials, be it a medical kit, proper clothing, or fire starting materials. After using the Nordic Pocket Saw, I came to recognize one area in which I’ve been unprepared. By using a cheap, low-quality pocket saw, I was severely hampering my ability to create shelter.

The Nordic Pocket Saw, in my own opinion, is worthy of praise for several reasons. First, it’s designed by the Swedes. I’m almost certain that over half of that country is made up of dense forest surrounded by some of the world’s harshest arctic conditions. Second, the chains are phenomenal compared to any competition that I’ve personally used. I have owned no less than five different pocket saws, all of which have failed, one of them catastrophically DURING use. When it comes to pocket saws, I have quite a bit of experience and I know what works and what doesn’t. If I had to choose only one for an extended venture into no man’s land, I’d choose the Nordic Pocket Saw.

One thing worth noting is the quality of the chains on the Nordic Pocket Saw. Any tool that you use is going to require maintenance, no matter what. The problem with the cheap competitors is that the low-quality material makes it extremely difficult to maintain. I’ve had a couple pocket saws whose teeth broke off during sharpening. I can’t stress enough how dangerous this would be if you were relying on them to help you build a shelter or source firewood. The cheap steel simply broke off on the competition, but I’ve barely reached the point that I need to sharpen the teeth on the Nordic Pocket Saw.

When you do get around to sharpening, however, you must use a 4mm round file. This is the perfect size to maintain the sharpness, which will allow you to keep a consistent speed in the wood, making it more efficient. Another small part of the maintenance is to use a lubricating oil on the hinges to keep them from seizing up or rusting. Again, the material in the Nordic Pocket Saw is high-quality, which means you can sacrifice a little bit of maintenance time for more important things like food or rest if you had to.

With my saw, I was able to tackle some fairly large trees with very little trouble at all. In fact, the only reason I really broke a sweat was that I haven’t kept a normal running routine! This saw can take a lot of abuse since it’s made of heat treated high carbon steel. The handles are made of Cordura nylon fabric and are attached to the chain with a triangular steel connector that is very sturdy. There are two teeth to every chain, both of them in opposite directions so you can make cuts going back and forth.

In my first go with the Nordic Pocket Saw, I downed a 4-inch diameter tree in about 20 seconds going at a slow pace. Speeding it up, I was able to drop an 11-inch diameter mammoth in about a minute and a half. The blaze orange handles and carrying case are a great addition to the quality of this product. If I were to drop the saw, I’d never have to worry about losing it in a pile of leaves, while the carrying case does a great job at securing it to my belt. All in all, the Nordic Pocket Saw provides an amazing value at an affordable price.

Author – Rodney Pointer is a former Army Infantryman. After graduating from Airborne School, he was ruthlessly assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana to live out his days as a dirty leg. He served with the 2nd BN, 30th Infantry of the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Following his deployment to Afghanistan, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Intelligence Operations. He currently works as a nuclear security contractor.

How to determine how long you have before the sun sets

Many skills when it comes to the outdoors are perishable. If you don’t practice those skills or use them regularly, you’ll lose your edge and that could cost your life depending on the situation. One of those simple skills is knowing how much daylight you have left before the sun sets. Nowadays we have technology to assist us with this. My Garmin Fenix 5 watch displays on the dial what time the sun sets each day. Pretty easy to just look down at my watch to see how much time I have left. But what if the battery dies midday?

Fortunately, there is an easy way to determine remaining daylight left with just your hands. This is a skill I picked up in the military and I still practice it from time to time and comparing that with my Garmin watch. Below is an easy to understand picture of how to measure remaining daylight with your hands. Check it out!

Why is this important?

Well if you’re out for just a simple day hike this could come in handy so that you can ensure you have enough time to get back to your vehicle, so you’re not navigating back in the dark. That could present a whole other set of issues. If you’re not prepared for an unexpected night out, then you better know how much time you have before it gets dark.

If you’re backpacking or camping then knowing this will allow you to make sure you have ample time to prep for the evening. This could be tasks such as setting up tents and hammocks or gathering supplies to get your fire going and keep it going into the night. Waiting until dusk to start these tasks will only compound the difficulty and increase your stress level. The time spent outdoors is meant to be enjoyable.

*Featured photo courtesy of Pixabay

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!

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!

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.