Keshaw Ken Onion

Kershaw's Ken Onion knife is probably my favorite knife.  It fits well in my hand and has a great assisted opening feature that doesn't depend on your ability to hook it on the inside of your pocket, like the CQC-10.  The Emerson CQC-10 is a great knife, don't get me wrong, but the Kershaw just takes it to the next level.

The other thing that I like is that it's not a chisel grind, like the Emerson.  For me, that means it's easier to sharpen.  It's easy to keep razor sharp and is a tough knife.  I've used it a lot around the house and out in the field and it's never failed to impress.  It slices and dices through cardboard and rope like going through warm butter.

The outside is equipped with Trac-Tec grip-tape inserts which makes it easy to hold on to.

The blade is beefy without being too big.  It's a good size for everyday carry without being obtrusive in your pocket.

Check out the video on the assisted opening feature.

You won't go wrong with this knife.

Kifaru woobie

I don’t normally buy stuff that the DoD has already issued to me, but before my last trip to the middle east, I purchased the KifaruWoobie.  It’s an upgraded poncho liner that is supposed to be warmer and tougher than the issued poncho liner.  It’s also a little longer, which ensures maximum coverage, at least for someone of my height (5’ 8”).

If you’ve ever traveled with the military overseas, or CONUS for that matter, you know you can’t always count on sleeping in a bed at night, so if you want a decent night’s sleep, you better carry what you need with you.  For me, that means a blanket, and maybe a pillow if I have room.  And it better be small enough to pack with you wherever you go.

The Kirafu Woobie fit just fine in my Tactical Rush 24, along with other necessary items.  Depending what you’re carrying, you may not want to pack it in the integrated stuff sack for packing in a normal sized backpack, but it compresses pretty well.

The integrated stuff sack is also a nice feature not found on the issue poncho liner.  It doesn’t compress the woobie super small, but definitely makes it manageable.

Just for total transparency, I didn’t use the woobie in any situations outside where it was my only source of warmth.  I’ve used it in a tent when the temps got in the upper 40’s, on planes, as a blanket on a bed and sitting around on the couch.  I have enough faith in it that I’d have no problem taking it out in the woods if the temps weren’t going below 40.  It’s a good insulator without feeling like a thick blanket.

Kifaru uses what they call “RhinoSkin” on the outside and so far it’s done a great job surviving all the travelling I’ve done with it, as well as the occasional encounter with the dog (claws not teeth).  I haven’t had a chance to test the water resistance of the woobie, but Kifaru’s website touts it as water resistant. 

The only bad thing is that the RhinoSkin is very “slippery”.  On several occasions, I’ve woken up several times to find it had slid off the bed or cot.  That’s pretty easy to fix by tucking in one of the edges into the mattress or underneath your body.  It’s probably not an issue if you’re sleeping on the ground.

Overall I’m very happy with the woobie.  It’s an expensive poncho liner ($154 for 3.6 oz liner, $210 for the 6 oz liner), but I found it worth it.  There’s not many things worse that a poor night’s sleep because you’re cold.

SOG Multitool

I was lucky enough to get the SOG Multitool (S66N-CP) for Father's Day earlier this year and have been putting it through it's paces.  It has not disappointed.

The first thing I noticed was how massive it was compared to other multitools like my Gerber.  It's not like twice the size or anything, but noticeably bigger.  I actually like that because it seems to fit in my hand better.  Those of you with small hands might want to try one out in person before purchasing.

It comes with a nylon sheath that has a belt clip, but would be nice if it had some kind of hardware for mounting to Molle also, or instead of.  It feels like the beltclip could come off any second, although it hasn't happened to me yet.

The tools in the SOG are pretty run of the mill, but one I haven't seen much is the strap cutter.  Another nice feature is the ability to lock both the knife blade and saw blade in the deployed or non-deployed state.  You can also deploy both blades with one hand, similar to assisted opening knives.

And of course there are the power assist jaws of the pliers.  I haven't compared the strength of the pliers vs. any other multitool pliers, but when I needed them, they worked well.

This is a tough sucker and I haven't used it necessarily according to how it was meant to be used (some light hammering maybe), but it's stood up to the abuse I've given.

Very happy with this tool and plan to keep it with me on all future outdoor adventures.

Streamlight NF-2

You can never have too many flashlights, so I was pretty excited to see the excellent selection of lights at the troop store at Ft. Lewis Washington. Normally I just browse these stores because they're just too expensive, but I saw this Streamlight NF-2 for 50% off and had to get it.


It's a great little light, and these "tactical" lights do a fantastic job of putting out light, despite their size. I've got a couple different lights about this size, and they all use CR123A batteries. The Streamlight puts out a better, stronger beam of light than the Surefire G2, but has a shorter battery life.

Here's a quick look at the specs:
# High-intensity xenon gas-filled bi-pin bulb delivers up to 7,900 peak beam candlepower(78 lumens)
# Adjustable spot-to-flood focus
# 1.3 hours of continuous run time
# Spare bulb contained within flashlight
# Head: 1.25;" Body: .9" x Length 4.8;" Ring: 1.38"
# 4.5 oz. with batteries
# Two 3 volt CR123A lithium batteries with a storage life of up to 10 years (included)
# TactCap™ click switch for quick, easy momentary operation
# Momentary push button tailcap, which rotates for locked "on"
# Polymer grip ring adjusts to any hand size
# Removable spring steel pocket clip and adjustable wrist lanyard

Right now it's in my car, but I have taken it running on some dark mornings and it worked very well. I kind of regret not getting another one for the price. Streamlight lists this as a discontinued product but you can still get them on the internet at various places. If you have a chance to get one of these, I would recommend it.

TAD GEAR Pathfinder jacket

I picked up a Tad Gear Pathfinder jacket after doing a lot of looking around both online and in stores.  Everything I saw was either too light or too heavy.  I wanted something for the strange season after winter and before summer.  I guess it's called spring but this year in the midwest, the weather has been all over the place. 

The Pathfinder jacket seems to fit the bill perfectly.  It's a hardshell fleece that acts as a pretty decent windbreaker and is also suitable for light rain.  I wore it this morning (beginning of May) when the temps outside were in the upper 30's, over a short sleeve shirt and was very comfortable.  When the wind picked up a lot, I felt it a little, but it wasn't bad.

I chose the Pathfinder because it's got no hood and is still a pretty lightweight jacket.  The sleeves have thumbholes and the pockets feature a pass through for headphones.  Inside the zipper are loops for cord management.

Once again, I'm really happy with Tad Gear's quality and attention to detail.  It's not the cheapest gear, but so far all of their stuff has held up very well.  I would definitely recommend the Pathfinder jacket if you're in the market for something that will keep you dry and warm during the unpredictable midwest springtime.

5.11 Tactical Rush 24

My TAD Gear pack has served me well over the past 10 years or so but I wanted something with a little more space and organization.  The 5.11 Tactical Rush 24 fits the bill perfectly.

The Rush 24 has about 200 more cubic inches of space and many more pockets for organization, while keeping the hydration pouch.  It of course has the ability to attach molle accessories as well as a couple velcro areas for nametapes and morale patches.

Overall, it's a great bag.  It suits my needs, is tough and handles everything well.  The only thing I miss is the straps on top of and below the bag.  They were very convenient on the Tad Gear bag, but something I've learned to live without.  The extra space in the Rush 24 almost makes up for it.

Stay tuned for more updates as I take this into the field and see how it really performs and holds up.

Out here.

Update 8/30/18

Well the Rush 24 survived a deployment, numerous work and hiking trips, and a 3 day trip to Vegas.  I packed light for Vegas and was able to get all of my clothes, shoes and toiletries in the bag.
The many different pockets really help organization, and the color doesn't yell out "tactical" as much as some other bags.

So far, no rips, tears or even errant strings.  This is a definite upgrade to the TAD Gear bag and am very happy I made the switch.

G Shock GW-6900

The Casio G Shock GW-6900 was purchased to replace a Timex Expedition that bit the dust.  It didn't stop working completely, but the buttons were not always working and it had served me well for about 6-7 years.  Plus I wanted a new watch.

I looked for another Timex, but found the G Shock line while on Amazon.  I started looking around and decided G Shock was the way to go.  They're durable watches and got good reviews. 

I initially bought a G Shock with an analog and digital interface, but the watch hands covered the digital face too much.  Not the best design.

I eventually wound up getting the 6900 you see below and am very happy with it.  As you can see it's pretty beefy without being too big.  I though the digital readout might be too small, but it's perfect, even with my old eyes.  The backlight works well too. 

The functions are easy to figure out and once you go through the setup, they're easy to remember.  Other cool features include solar charging, atomic time keeping (assuming you're in a location where there's a transmitter), dual time zones and several alarms.

On the subject of alarms, several reviews noted that it's a little on the quiet side.  I have not found this to be an issue.  It wakes me up everyday.

Another nice feature is that the buttons are not directly connected to the watch's electronic board.  In other words, it's engineered so that it won't easily wear out.

It's a comfortable watch and I barely notice its on during the day.  Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase and highly recommend this to anyone that doesn't need any crazy features, like compass, thermometer or whatever.  Time will tell (pun intended) if this holds up, but it's been great for the last four months.

Update September 18, 2018

I've had this watch for about 9 months and still love it.  Zero maintenance on it and it still works great.  The best thing is that I still find it comfortable, even if I wear it 12 or more hours a day, 7 days a week.  It's done well in the summer heat, occasional rainstorm and shower too.  Highly recommended.