My friends at ReactGear brought the SWSF 2014 Hog Hunt to my attention. It sounds like an amazing event complete with training in shooting, hunting, butchering, and more. It also happens to benefit some great causes: Silent Warrior Scholarship Fund and the Green Beret Foundation.
You can find more information at SWSF.
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That’s right. This is a iOS accessory review on a “tactical” blog. I assure you that this is here for good reason. Today’s smart phones and tablets are ridiculously useful on the shooting range but they are often not built to withstand the rigors of outdoor use. A quality case is a must. 
I have been in the habit of taking my iPad Mini to the range with me so I can create packing lists, document review items, use ballistic software, and take notes right there on the spot. It has become indispensable for this blogger. I have had a few cases in the last year, all of which were fairly expensive and claimed to offer protection against the elements. All of them were too bulky, not water-resistant enough to be useful, and the worst of them actually started to crumble after less than 30 days of use. I was pretty much ready to be rid cases all together. I basically tried the LifeProof frē as a last resort.
I have now had the LifeProof frē longer than all the other cases combined. It has seen rain, mud, dust, the inside of range bags, the inside of ammo cans, daily time in my EDC bag, car dash boards, and even some use by toddlers. It still looks new. I have no complaints about the protection that it offers. It has proven itself to be head and shoulders above the other cases that I tried in terms of durability.
What I find most amazing about the frē is that it is able to offer a tremendous level of protection (water resistant to 6 feet, dust proof, drop resistant to 4 feet) without adding much bulk. An iPad Mini still feels like an iPad Mini when it is wearing the frē. The case weighs very little (4.64 ounces) and actually feels kind of flimsy until you lock both halves of the case together. Once it is put together, it has a reassuringly solid feel and is actually difficult to take apart.
The back of the frē actually has a hard, clear plastic panel that has a sound chamber (for lack of a better term) built in. It actually seems to slightly improve the sound of the Mini’s speakers or at least does a good job of redirecting more of the sound to you.
The headphone and Lightning ports are both covered. The headphone port is covered with a rubber plug that, mercifully, is anchored to the frē so I don’t lose it. The Lightning port is covered with a small hinged cover that has a soft membrane on it that seals against the case when closed. It works well enough to keep rain out and I was able to submerge it in a sink full of water (with iPad removed). The speaker ports are also covered with a water resistant membrane.
The frē comes with a shoulder strap that seems to be reasonably well made and is easy to attach but I never use it. A wrist lanyard would be more useful for me. It also has attachment points for various accessories like a smart cover which I purchased. The smart cover isn’t great but it protects the screen from scuffing and makes a decent stand for when I am typing. The cover that I purchased seems like it should be about 1/8” longer so it would close properly and it doesn’t stay closed like other smart covers. The frē is great but if you don’t need the stand functionality of the smart cover, I would just skip it.
I found that the frē actually improves how the iPad Mini feels in my hands. It adds some additional thickness and over-molded rubber grip makes me feel less like I am going to drop the thing all the time.
There are always trade-offs with a case like this. The integral screen protector is very clear and the screen still looks pretty good but it glares a bit. The buttons are all accessible but the top button is a pain to hold in for longer than a split second which makes powering down or resetting a little more difficult. These things just come with the territory on this style of case and are worthwhile trade-offs in return for the protection that is offered.
The frē has turned my iPad Mini into the range companion that I always hoped it could be. It shrugs off rain and dust and it protects from impacts, all without adding a ton of extra bulk. Tablets and smart phones are becoming increasingly useful tools on the range but you need a case that is up the task if you really want to get the most out of them. LifeProof’s cases have proven that they are at least up to whatever I can throw at them.
Check out the LifeProof frē for the iPad Mini and other devices.
The world can never have enough skeletonized, carbon steel neck knives. That combination of toughness, ease of sharpening, ease of carry, and affordability makes these knives very versatile. The latest such knife is the Kangaroo Mouse KM 1 Neck Knife from Chestnut Ridge Knife Shop.
The KM1 is made by Ontario Knife Co. for CRKS. It is made from 1/8″ thick 1095 steel and features a 3 1/4″ long blade with a 7″ overall length. Its drop point blade features a short saber grind with a long swedge grind. The KM1 comes with a kydex sheath in your choice of colors and various attachment systems.
Check out the Kangaroo Mouse KM 1 Neck Knife at Chestnut Ridge Knife Shop.
You may remember Minuteman Watches from when I previously mentioned them here. Since they were mentioned, they have made great strides toward their goals of making great watches and supporting veterans. Thomas Carey, head honcho at The CGA Company and Minuteman Watches, recently sent over an update.
Currently many of the needed parts for the watches are here in house. We are now awaiting shipment of our watch cases. We are going to start mating up the dials, hands, and movements on the 2nd week of December. This will allow us to get more watches completed than we would otherwise be able to complete in December had we waited for the cases to arrive.
To date we have pre-sold about 150 watches which is much better than we had hoped. We will start shipping completed watches in December and hope to have all of the pre-orders filled by the end of January 2014.
Originally we had planned to have our watches built by Lum-Tec in Ohio. For several reasons along the way this has changed. At this time we are going to have the watches built by some top notch watchmakers that have their own shops. The watchmakers we have selected actually conduct certification testing for the AWCI. The work will be performed in multiple shops at multiple locations. So this is very much a cottage industry you could say.
We will be testing each of our MM01, MM03, and MM04 to a water resistance of 300 meters. This despite the fact our current Minuteman watch models are rated for 200 meters. Dry tests, wet tests, and humidity tests will be conducted on each watch. We are testing to the sort of standards Rolex for example requires on their dive watch models. We do want to point out our watches are not dive watches. Rather they are what we call tactical watches, or what some call “Tool Type” watches.
As part of our on-going effort here at Minuteman we plan to increase our American content by sourcing more and more components from here in the U.S. At this point the 1st thing that will change is that starting the 1st part of next year our PVD coatings will be done here in the U.S. by one of the best companies in the world. Next on our list is to find a source for dials here in the U.S. We have also learned others in our business are working on producing watch cases in the U.S. Due to the higher cost of producing watches here in the U.S. We may opt to offer a higher end model in the future in order to offer Minuteman watches with U.S. sourced watch case.
For each watch we sell 25% of the profit will be going to charities that help veterans who need a helping hand. In fact the reason we created the brand is to raise funds for veterans. If any of your readers know of a source for watch components made here in the U.S. We would greatly appreciate it if they would be so kind as to contact us.
Finally we currently plan to halt our pre-sale pricing and switch to our regular retail pricing Jan 1 2014. For those who are wondering where the money we raise will go here is the break down.
- 25% to charities that support veterans.
- 25% to pay for our employee’s.
- 50% will go back into the brand for future growth.
We hope to be able to eventually build watches in house, and print our dials in house. With changes in technology and our growth we may be able to produce watch cases in house at some point.
We would like to thank all of the people out there who have supported our effort for believing in our brand and its effort.
Check out Minuteman Watches.
Down Range Gear is trying to kick-start a killer deal on some great gear. They have put together a package that includes a CDH-Tac Finland Lowride Panel and a Regulation Tactical Reflex Mag Pouch Mk2. Both items would normally cost $75 shipped but if Down Range Gear can gather pledges for 35 of the combos, they will sell for $50 shipped!
The CDH-Tac Finland Lowride Panel is a solid, well thought out piece of kit. It is a belt adapter for MOLLE pouches that is easy to mount and provides some drop for clearing armor carriers.
The Regulation Tactical Reflex Mag Pouch has been on JTT before. This pouch is extremely innovative pouch. It provides constant tension on the magazines and presents a magazine in the optimal position for a reload whether it is holding one magazine or two. It also allows for easy retention of partially spent magazines.
The combo is available in black or coyote brown. Visit Down Range Gear and follow the instructions at the link to get in on this deal.
