Gear Review: Coleman Camp Axe

Coleman Camp Axe

 (Pic from upcoming post)

This one of the many "budget" (camping, survival, prepper, etc.) tools that I own.

Where to buy: Wal-mart, almost any sporting goods store.

Typical Price: Less than $10

Pros:  This is a very solid axe for the money.  I can beat the crap out of this thing and it just keeps on hacking with me.  It has a decent weight to it which is a plus in this case.  Normally, I would follow the "lighter is better" rule.  At only 13 inches long, you don't have a very good amount of leverage.  The heft of this axe plays into it's favor hear, at nearly two pounds of weight (1.9lbs) it makes up for the loss in force you can create through leverage.

Cons:  There is a weird "nut" on this axe where the head meets the hilt.  To me, it appears to be a weak point in the overall design.  I'm assuming the head is made separately from the hilt and then it is bolted together.  I haven't been able to find any information on the construction of this axe.  Hopefully it won't prove to be a weak point, but I guess time will tell.  Regardless of the fact that I listed the weight earlier as a pro, it is still a very heavy axe for how small it is.  Finally, the edge on this sucks.  You are going to have to sharpen this right out of the package.

I used it a couple days ago to help collect some fire wood and it was easily up to the task.  It still really needs to be sharpened, but the task of fire wood collection did not appear to distress the axe at all.  I can't find any information on the Rockwell Hardness of this axe either, however, most reviews I have read talk about it losing it's edge quickly, so keep that in mind.

Overall, not a bad choice for a budget axe to help you when you get out there, get D.E.E.P., F.A.S.T. and who knows, it might even help you do the most important thing, SURVIVE.

Army's New Camo

A day or two ago I asked whether I should switch to Multicam or start buying everything in A-Tacs.  You see, I'm not just someone who prepares for disasters and emergencies, I'm also a soldier.

Inevitably (like all soldiers) I buy pieces of my kit that the army doesn't issue.  No, this is not because the Army isn't taking care of us or anything like that.  It is because the Army is an enormous organization, each soldier's needs and tactical requirements may differ.  Additionally, depending on your chain of command, a lot of soldiers will modify their kit with things that work better for them.  So I don't want to spend a fortune on one type of camo, only to have to purchase a different kind for work.  Unfortunately, looks like I'll probably have to take that course of action anyway.

All of that to say, I'm going to continue buying everything in Multicam.  I truly believe it is the best option that is out there and the likely option that the Army will go with.  (Especially considering the amount of money that has already been spent to equip soldiers in OEF with this pattern.)  However, they are currently testing several types of camo right now.  Text extracted from PEO Soldier follows.

As always, get D.E.E.P., F.A.S.T. and survive.

PEO SOLDIER - On 31 October 2011, the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army approved the selection of multiple camouflage patterns to continue field trials and more extensive computer analysis during FY12 for the Army’s Phase IV Camouflage effort.
The U.S. Army selected five vendors to proceed forward to develop a family of camouflage patterns that will be effective across a myriad of environments. The effort, commonly known as Phase IV and managed by PEO Soldier, enters the second phase of selection with the award of these contracts by narrowing the field to five selectees. These selectees were chosen following a rigorous technical evaluation backed by solid scientific analyses and incorporating critical Soldier input from the field.
Four industry partners and one Government team will produce fabric for prototype uniforms and Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) camouflage uniforms for field trials and other evaluations in FY2012:
1.      ADS, Inc. (teamed with Hyperstealth, Inc.) – Virginia Beach, Virginia
2.      Brookwood Companies, Inc- New York, NY
3.      Crye Precision, LLC – Brooklyn, NY
4.      Kryptek, Inc. – Fairbanks, AK
5.      Government pattern developed at U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Natick, MA
Each offeror submitted a family of camouflage patterns (desert, woodland, and transitional) along with a single coordinated pattern for the Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE).
The second step will entail scientific analysis including field trials and will take approximately nine months. This will be followed by a cost benefit analysis to determine if the Army will adopt a new camouflage pattern.
The Army proactively works alongside our sister Services in several developmental projects, with Phase IV being one of them. We share the results of our camouflage research with the other Services, and would place no restrictions on other Services wearing uniforms in the newly developed patterns.

The most comprehensive write up I have seen to date is at the bottom of this page.

Coming Soon

Sorry I have been away for the past few days.  I have been working on a variety of little projects.  Just wanted to let you know what will be coming soon.  In no particular order....

Gear Upgrade: BDU Pant Knee Upgrade

Gear Upgrade: ACU Style Drop-leg / Dump-pouch pant upgrade

Gear Review: Basic Wal-Mart Machete

Gear Review: Camp Axe (Generic)

Gear Review: Fiskars Camp Axe 

Gear Upgrade: Fiskars Camp Axe Survival Kit

Gear Review: Flint and Knife Survival Bracelet

Gear Review: Leatherman Skeletool

Gear Review: Danner Mountain Boots

Gear Review: OTB Boots

I may throw in some additional posts about survival skills and other training.  I don't want to drown everyone in gear reviews.  Enjoy your Friday night...I'll be back at it tomorrow.

GEAR REVIEW: Attack of the Pants, BDU vs. 5.11 Taclite

BDU Woodland Ripstop

Where to buy: Army Surplus stores, 1,000s of online shops, Goodwill, Misc. Secondhand shops

Typical Price: At goodwill/secondhand shops $5-25; New online $20-40

Pros: The best thing about BDU pants is that they are cheap and in a large variety of styles that match existing “kit” items you may own such as bags, pouches, holsters, etc. 

They are extremely versatile and (so long as you purchase the Rip-Stop version) they are fairly resistant to tears and are easy to stitch or patch.  With a standard military sewing kit, you can patch any smaller tears that you may incur during your adventures.

There aren’t any built in “pockets” in the knees for Kydex or foam knee-pads, but this can easily be modified.   This is one of the many projects I am currently working on and as soon as it is complete, I will write a post on that and then link it back here. à BDU Pant Knee Upgrade

The pants don’t have any zippers on them so you never have to worry about busting a zipper.  In a truly tactical environment you will definitely want to have some spare buttons so that you can replace any buttons that pop off. 

Cons: These things are crazy hot in the summer.  They do not breath exceptionally well in damp air.  However, in the winter a cold dry wind will cut through these pants like a fish net, so don’t expect to be able to purchase these as standalone winter pants.  You will still need some kind of PolyPro or Long Johns.

It’s great that these things are cheap, but unfortunately, you get what you pay for.  I am a huge fan of Multicam and I would like to test a pair of those shortly.  For now, here is a teaser picture to show the difference between Woodland BDUs and Multicam.  (I can’t knock DCUs, I love them, but if you aren’t in a desert environment they are almost pointless.)

BDU vs. Multicam

Can you find the guy in Multicam?

How about now?

5.11 Taclite Pro Pants

Where to buy: USCAV, most army supply stores such as Quantico, Ranger Joes, etc.

Typical Price: $40-60

Pros: This is an awesome pair of pants with every single pro that the BDUs carry with them.  Additionally, these have many more pockets than the BDUs, giving you extra space to spread the load you are carrying around in your pants.  (No Pun intended)  My favorite feature is a tie between the slanted pockets in the rear and the dedicated knife pocket up front.  These are just an extremely versatile pair of pants.  The last pro (also a con for a slightly different reason) is that these are single color pants that are very streamlined.  They can be worn around a daily wear pants without appearing to overtly tactical, especially when paired with a very plain polo shirt.

I could write a very long post about all of the positives about these pants.  BLUF, these pants are worth every penny, to me.

Cons: Price, solid print (easier to detect). 

CONS for cargo pants, period: The location of the cargo pocket is right where your drop-leg holster lies.  So if you carry a drop leg holster you don’t have very many options around this.  My personal preference to correct this is remove the pocket on an ACU style pant and use the extra material to re-enforce the opposing pocket to create a dump-pouch on the non-support knee.  (I wear my holster on the right side and drop to my right knee when kneeling and firing, this makes my left leg the “dump-pouch leg.) I will write a post on this shortly and include the link here. à ACU Style Drop-leg / Dump-pouch pant Upgrade.

ACU/MUTICAM Style Pant Overview

Coming Soon:

GEAR REVIEW: Tru-Spec 24/7 Rip-stop Cargo

GEAR UPGRADE: BDU Pant Knee Upgrade

GEAR UPGRADE: ACU Style Drop-leg / Dump-pouch pant upgrade

Breaking News - Zombie Outbreak 2012

I would like to predicate all of this post by saying that I don't believe in fear-mongering.  Quite the opposite.  I believe in informed rational decisions, executed in a method to safely and effectively preparing yourself and your loved ones for any disaster or emergency, for which you should be prepared.

To steal an amazing quote...

If you want you can always change excellence to preparedness.

Now back to what we were originally talking about, ZOMBIES!!!!  Do I believe zombies are real or that they could ever exist.  In a word, no.  However, there is a different definition of "Zombie" that I abide by, it's in the Prepper Acronym and Dictionary page.

All that being said, Zombie preparation is a fun way to get people motivated about preparing for something that really isn't that fun.  No one wants to think about their home being destroyed in a fire, social collapse, economic failure, utilities failure, natural disasters, nuclear war, etc.   Sad fact is, that throughout your life you are likely to experience some form of emergency that you will not be prepared to react too.  Obviously, natural disasters are the most likely source of any emergency that you will face.  The CDC has a great page dedicated to Natural Disasters. Of course there are thousands of other resources that you can use online, and hopefully you can learn something that may eventually save your life from my posts as well.

So how do we prepare for Zombies?  

First we prepare our Zombie Defense Kit:

 

Photo Source

Instructional fold-up poster on how to survive a zombie attack. (These stages are not exactly like mine, but serve as a good pocket manual.)

Photo Source

Second, we must identify them.......

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and why they are even coming after us:

Third, we identify how to kill them (or how not too):

Finally, we just try to have fun in the weird and terrible situation we find ourselves in...

and a graph to show this fact.

Also, for posterity's sake, I have attached the entire web comic that the CDC created last year during Zombie Awareness Month.  Guess which month that is.....that's right, it's May.  May is Zombie Preparedness month.  So get out there, get D.E.E.P, get there F.A.S.T. and survive.

Without further ado, the CDC Preparedness 101 Zombie Pandemic Comic: