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Review: Men’s Toy Shop – Nashville, IN

By Matt on July 29, 2013 in EDC, Flashlights, Knives, Patch Collecting, Preparedness, Reviews, Survival, Tactical Gear

There is more than just fried biscuits and apple butter in Nashville, Indiana!

Nashville is kind of like Indiana’s version of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It is a small resort town that is thick with gift shops, local craftsmen, and artist galleries. It is the kind of place that husbands usually dread spending the weekend but endure for the sake of their wives. Thankfully, Men’s Toy Shop is waiting right there on Van Buren Street, the main drag through town, shining like a beacon of manliness and an oasis for weary, shopping battered men.

When you walk into the shop, you are immediately greeted with the rich smell of hundreds of premium cigars and the pipe tobacco varieties that they carry. I don’t know much about pipes and cigars but I do enjoy them occasionally. I would have paid more attention to the tobacco but I was too busy checking out several glass cases of knives, flashlights, and ammo.

If you read this blog, you will love the inventory at this shop. They carry knives from manufacturers like Pro-Tech, Benchmade, ESEE, Spyderco, TOPS, Zero Tolerance, Calico Forge, and more. They have folders, automatics, fixed blades, and even some butterfly knives. They also had Wise food storage products, premium self defense ammunition, Surefire flashlights and Mil-Spec Monkey patches. They even had Magpul PMAGS and Surefire 60 round magazines at prices that were competitive with online prices.

If all that isn’t enough, they had cool stuff like gun related t-shirts, trench knife letter openers, titanium money clips, cologne that didn’t smell fruity or have words like “sport” in their name, lighters, Col. Conk shaving gear, and more. I am just scratching the surface of what is in this shop. In fact, I have noticed several things in the pictures that I didn’t notice while I was there! This is the kind of shop that you can lose yourself in for an hour before you even realize it.

I found the idea of tobacco shop combined with a knife/gear shop almost irresistible. The folks behind the counter were as friendly and helpful as can be, the merchandise was awesome, and the prices were competitive. There are so many shops that carry junk knives in Nashville. It was truly refreshing to drop into Men’s Toy Shop and see a range of quality knives. I had an absolute blast and highly suggest that you stop into Men’s Toy Shop if you find yourself anywhere near Nashville, IN.

Check out the Men’s Toy Shop website and Facebook Page.

WeVolt Goes Solar

By Matt on July 23, 2013 in EDC, Preparedness, Survival

We have told you about Hardened Power Systems before. Their ruggedized battery backup systems are perfect for use with solar panels but until now, they didn’t actually offer any panels to go with them. They recently introduced a solar panel package for their WeVolt that looks like it would be a great solution for the hiker, camper, or prepper.

Check out the video below and then head over to Hardened Power Systems for more details.

There is No Excuse for Not Carrying a Tourniquet

By Matt on July 15, 2013 in EDC, Preparedness, Survival

If you aren’t carrying a tourniquet because they are too bulky or you think you can’t afford one… Read on.

The TK4 Tourniquet is simple, compact, and inexpensive. It consists of a long piece of elastic webbing with two metal hooks on each end. It doesn’t get much more simple than that. In terms of size, the TK4 is similar to the cell phone that you’re currently carrying. They can be purchased for less around $6 a piece and sometimes as little as $2.

The SWAT-T Is another inexpensive option that is just as compact and even more simple. It consists of a long wide rubber band that can be rolled for storage. This tourniquet is easy to apply and versatile enough to be used as an athletic wrap or pressure bandage in a pinch. These are available for less than $10 and can be rolled to about the size of a Surefire 6P.

Now you don’t have an excuse. Both of these options are inexpensive enough and compact enough that you can afford to buy several and stow them throughout your gear.

ITS Urban Kit

By Matt on July 15, 2013 in EDC, Preparedness, Survival

Get your MacGyver on with the ITS Urban Kit from ITS Tactical. This kit contains several items that, with some training and know-how, can help get you out of a bind.

The kit contains:

(1) FRS (Folding Razor Saw)
(1) Diamond Wire Blade
(1) Handcuff Shim
(1) Quick Stick
(2) Universal Handcuff Keys
(1) Ceramic Razor Blade
(6) Feet of 135 lb. Test Kevlar Cordage
(6) Feet of Stainless-Steel Coated Leader Wire
(1) Button Compass – Grade AA

All of those contents are packaged into a slick little container that make it easy to tuck just about anywhere.

Check out the ITS Urban Kit at ITS Tactical.

Review: TAREINCO RETI-Pouch

By Matt on July 1, 2013 in EDC, Preparedness, Reviews, Survival, Tactical Gear

TAREINCO is one of those companies that is a lot of fun to watch. Mark Basa, the man behind TAREINCO’s curtain, is becoming well known for outside of the box gear designs that are chock full of function and originality. One of his latest designs is the RETI-Pouch – a low-profile, belt-mounted pouch with quick release functionality.

Overview

The RETI-Pouch is designed to be a small, low-profile, belt-mounted pouch that can be used to carry just about anything, but is sized to carry a basic blowout kit. The body of the pouch measures 5.5” by 6.5” and is constructed from 1000D nylon with a high visibility orange pack cloth liner. The exterior features a 4”x2” loop material panel for affixing patches, ID, or medical pouch identifiers. The pouch is closed with a horizontal zipper near the top.

The quick release system consists of a belt loop formed from 2 heavy duty pieces of hook and loop material. There is a red grab handle attached to the top piece that can be pulled to release the RETI-Pouch from your belt. The system is also designed so that the hook tab can be used to secure the pouch in Velcro lined bags.

Observations from Use

TAREINCO designed the RETI-Pouch to sit flat when empty. This is to ensure that it has a low-profile even when it packed with gear. It looks cramped but you will be surprised what you can fit inside.

The RETI-Pouch can be used for carrying anything that will fit but it really shines as a compact blow out kit. It is the perfect size for a pair of nitrile gloves, hemostatic agent, a 4” trauma bandage, a nasal airway, and a tourniquet. I like to use a compact tourniquet like the SWAT-T or TK-4. You may even be able to fit some extra compressed gauze in addition. Even with all that gear, the pouch conceals fairly well under an un-tucked shirt.

The quick release works perfectly and it is easy to use even when you can’t see the pouch. You basically just move your hand along the belt line until you hit the pouch, at which pouch the release is easy to find. A firm tug is all that is needed to release it from the belt so it can be moved into your workspace or handed off to someone else who may need the contents. It fits belts all the way up to 2” in width.

The zipper positioning allows the top of the RETI-Pouch to sort of hinge out of the way. It gives you unobstructed access across the entire width of the pouch.

The construction is top notch. The quick release belt flaps would take a lot stress when pulled from the belt so they are reinforced accordingly. You will wear out the Velcro long before you manage to pull off one of the flaps.

If you can’t carry the RETI-Pouch on your belt, it can be secured in any Velcro lined pack or bag by reversing the belt flaps. It works very well and you can still use the grab handle to quickly pull the RETI-Pouch free from your bag.

I figured out that I can loop some shock cord or a heavy duty rubber band though the belt loop to carry a tourniquet on top of the pouch. This keeps the TQ well concealed under a shirt but still accessible. It does block access to the quick release grab handle a bit but I can work around it. It would be nice if there were provisions for this built into the RETI-Pouch. I can’t help but think that some sort of built in way to carry a Benchmade Rescue Hook or trauma shears on the exterior of the pouch would be a worthwhile addition though they might adversely affect the low-profile design of the pouch.

The RETI-Pouch is more than just a low-vis med kit. It also makes a killer E&E or survival pouch. Load it up with compact gear like a Bogota Entry Set, fire starting gear, water purification tablets, etc. and you have a discreet pouch that can easily be retained, even if you have to drop other gear. I like to safety pin my Bogota Entry Tools deep inside the pouch, just through the liner so that the pin isn’t visible from the outside, the tools are less visible to cursory inspection, and they won’t fall out when the pouch is shaken out.

Wrap Up

The RETI-Pouch is another versatile and functional pouch design from TAREINCO. It has become invaluable to me as a low-profile first aid pouch that moves seamlessly from my belt to my EDC bag.

Check out the RETI-Pouch from TAREINCO.

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