Battle Systems LLC is out to prove that their tape can take whatever abuse you throw at it while it is attached to your gear. Other vinyl tapes turn to a gooey mess when they are exposed to heat, but Battle Systems’ Vinyl Tape, Coyote Brown shrugs off the heat of an AR-15 barrel after a mag dump with no visible loss of integrity. It stays stuck and doesn’t leave a mess when removed. Every Tactical Handyman needs some of this tape!
Get your own at BattleSystemsLLC.com or BeyondIssue.com.
Some belts just hold your pants up. Some belts can hold up your pants and your gun. Then you have the new D-Belt II Tactical Belt from Crosstac which does both of those things and more.
The D-Belt II Tactical Belt features a Cobra Buckle and military grade webbing construction. There is a “D-Cut” poly stiffener sandwiched in the belt to add rigidity without bowing at the back of the belt. The result is a belt that looks pretty standard but there is more than meets the eye with this belt.
It also features a hidden pocket that allows you to discreetly carry some emergency cash and a hidden storage area designed to carry an included Boker Credit Card Knife as a discreet last ditch self-defense option. These features are integrated in such a way that you don’t have to use them if you choose and they won’t get in your way if you don’t use them.
Check out the D-Belt II Tactical Belt on the Crosstac website.
I am a big fan of the Adventure Medical Kits (AMK) bivvy bags. They previously offered two different models that offered a very lightweight and compact way to carry an emergency shelter. Now they are offering a third bivvy option – the Escape Bivvy.
The previous AMK bivvy bags were great at keeping moisture out. Unfortunately, they also kept moisture in that bag where the user might start to become damp with perspiration or chilled. The new Escape Bivy boasts similar small size and light weight to the AMK Thermal Bivvy but it is also breathable. It keeps external moisture out and allows internal moisture to leave the bivvy. This should be a huge boost to the overall function of the bivvy.
Initial reports on the Emergency Bivvy are so good that many ultralight hikers are using them as a minimalist sleeping bag. It is not designed to stand up to that type of sustained use over time but it does shows this bivvy’s potential in less frequent emergency use.
Check out the new Emergency Bivvy on AMK’s website.
One of the most famous names in lighters, Zippo, is now selling a new Emergency Fire Kit. That seems pretty logical to me.
The new kit capitalizes on the familiar Zippo hinged metal box form factor. However, unlike the typical Zippo lighter, the Emergency Fire Kit is o-ring sealed to prevent moisture from getting into the contents of the kit. The kit uses water resistant waxed cotton tinder sticks (also available separately) to catch sparks from a typical Zippo flint wheel. The concept is similar to using wax or petroleum jelly coated cotton balls with a spark source like a ferro rod. The Zippo Emergency Fire Kit just gathers these components into an attractive kit form.
Check out the Zippo Emergency Fire Kit on Zippo.com.
Surefire just released their rechargeable SFR2 Batteries. In the past it seemed that they were ignoring rechargeable batteries in favor of their lithium primary batteries. As surprising as this is, it is certainly a welcomed announcement.
The SFR2 Batteries are lithium-phosphate chemistry which Surefire claims will retain 50% of their charging capacity even after 500 charge cycles. They only offer about 50% of the runtime that regular lithium CR123A primary batteries offer, but this should become easier to live with as lights continue to become more efficient.
You can purchase SFR2 batteries separately or as part of a kit that comes with a charger. The charger comes with AC and DC cords for wall and car charging. It also has a light that indicates the status of the charge.
Check out Surefire.com for more details.
