Buying ballistic plate armor can be more than just a little bit daunting. It seems like there are new manufacturers daily and the plates come in a massive variety of shapes, protection levels, and prices. AT Armor, who are experts in plate armor, have recently posted a short and fairly straightforward guide to selecting armor. If you are in the market, this would be a good place to start.
Archive | Preparedness
Fire Steel 101
Fire steels/Ferro Rods can be an invaluable addition to your kit… if you know how to use them. It isn’t always as simple as just showering something with sparks and hoping for the best.
Mikhail Merkurieff, inventor of the Emberlit Stove, recently released a series of videos that show the best practices for igniting a wide variety of items with a fire steel. The video series is full of useful information and techniques for getting the most out of this versatile fire starting tool.
The video below is a playlist of all of the tips and tricks that have been released so far. You can also get your own Ferro Rod at Emberlit.com.
Chase Tactical IFAK
Chase Tactical has collaborated with North American Rescue to create an IFAK to Chase Tactical’s specifications. The pre-torn, vacuum packed, waterproof package contains the following items:
- 1 – 7.25″ Trauma Shears
- 1 – C-A-T Tourniquet
- 1 – 28F Nasopharyngeal Airway
- 2 – Bear Claw™ Nitrile Gloves Large (pair)
- 1 – 1″ Durapore Surgical Tape
- 1 – Hyfin Vent Chest Seal, Twin Pack
- 1 – Z-Fold Combat Gauze
- 1 – 4″ Emergency Trauma Dressing, ETD
The Chase Tactical IFAK is available directly from Chase Tactical.
EmberLit FireAnt Stainless Steel
The FireAnt is a lighter weight, more compact, and fuller featured version of EmberLit’s original stoves. It was previously only available in titanium which is excellent but understandably pricey. Now EmberLit has released a stainless steel version of the FireAnt that costs considerably less than the Ti version and still weighs just 6.5 ounces.
Check out the FireAnt Stainless Steel at EmberLit.
Hawkepaks ITOA Mod. E/E
The Hawkepaks ITOA is one of the great bargains of the tactical gear world. It is simple, useful, bomb-proof, made in the USA, and very affordable. While the ITOA was originally intended for use as an active shooter response bag for patrol officers, it also makes a great home defense response bag, truck gun companion, and even a modern “possibles bag” when paired with a .22LR carbine.
I have been using one for years as a place to stage gear for home defense like spare magazines, first aid items, a Sharpie and paper, and more. It is far faster to don than a chest rig and easier to access than a backpack. A bag like this is especially useful when you like on acreage and your bumps in the night may take you away from your home.
The design of the ITOA is simple. It has a top zip main pouch with some interior organization features (a series of elastic loops and two slip pockets). The exterior of the bag has two single AR-15 magazine pouches with adjustable flap covers. The back of the bag has a Velcro closed belt loop that can be quickly fastened onto a belt to keep the bag from swinging on the provided shoulder strap.
The original ITOA is excellent but Edge/Equipped was able to work with Hawkepaks to offer an exclusive variation with some additional functionality in the form of the ITOA Mod. E/E. It features an interior loop Velcro field for use with hook backed accessories like holsters, first aid kits, mag pouches, and more. This gives the home defense user the option of staging their handgun in the bag. We also added heavy duty elastic loops to the exterior so that items like tourniquets, chemlights, pens, and more could be secured where they are immediately accessible.
This bag is made from 1000D nylon right here in the USA by Hawkepaks and costs less than most cheap imported brands. Edge/Equipped sells the original ITOA for $27.95 and the ITOA Mod. E/E for $33.95. They also carry the larger HTAS if you need more space for your gear. Use code JTT to save 5% at Edge/Equipped.
