UPDATE 12/29/2015: Pro-Tool Industries has discontinued the MAG-NA-FIRE. You can view their new STRYKE-ALL Emergency Fire Pack at their website.
The Pro-Tool Industries MAG-NA-FIRE Fire Starter makes me weak in the knees. If you like survival gadgets, you better sit down.
The MAG-NA-FIRE Fire Starter machined from a block of magnesium so it can be scraped with the included scraper and used like you would any other magnesium fire starter. However, it also has a built in pencil sharpener style tinder scraper and a bullet puller so you can use gun powder to start a fire in a pinch. You can also remove the blade from the tinder scraper to be used as a small survival blade and if you plug the holes on the bullet puller it works as a survival whistle.
Mil-Spec Monkey recently introduced their MSM MultiWrap. I have have used similar products for years and found them to be very useful as a head covering in both cold and warm weather.
MultiWraps, and other similar products, are basically just a tube made from thin, stretchable polyester fabric. You’ll find tons of different ways to wear them depending on the conditions your find yourself in. They wick moisture fairly well and insulate just a bit when it is cold. The material is thin enough and flexible enough that they fold into a very small space.
I paid a lot more for several of these from a different brand. It is hard to imagine a more versatile piece of gear for $5.50. Check out the MSM Logo MultiWrap.
Jason Brous of Brous Blades recently burst on the tactical custom knife scene in a big way thanks in large part to his Silent Soldier neck knife design. The Silent Soldier is a compact, self-defense fixed blade design that offers excellent retention in spite of its small grip. The demand for the Silent Soldier is massive so you will be happy to know that there is now a production version of the Silent Soldier from SOG Knives called the Snarl.
The Snarl retains much of functional design of the Silent Soldier. It has 2 large finger loops that facilitate a variety of different holds and make the knife easy to retain. The wharncliffe blade profile is good for both self-defense and utilitarian tasks. The Snarl is ground from .25″ thick 9CR18MoV steel. It has a 2.3″ blade and a 4.3″ overall length. It comes with a molded plastic sheath.
Many of you are familiar with the book Lights Out by David Crawford (Halffast). It is the story of regular people who are thrust into a fight to simply provide for themselves in the face of disaster. Civilization crumbles around the characters and they are left to pick up the pieces of their once comfortable lives. The book was downloaded more than 3 million times and was later printed independently. Now that book is being made into a film, or a series of films, called the Lights Out Saga and you can get involved.
In order to make a film that deals with themes like this, it was important that the film be made independently. This ensures that David Crawford’s vision can remain intact and undiluted. Several well known manufacturers from around the industry are already involved in making this film a reality including Mystery Ranch, 5.11 Tactical, AR15.com, the Noveske Shooting Team, and more.
What most people don’t realize is that in spite of our announcement (just yesterday) – we’ve been working on this project for 3 months! This week we’re actually gearing up for a movie shoot in Georgia this weekend, which we’ll use to create a theatrical trailer in the next few weeks. We’ll try to get some stills online this weekend, and look forward to seeing many of our fans on set.
We’re overwhelmed by the support from all of you on our IndieGoGo campaign. Our supporters at 5.11 Tactical, Noveske Shooting Team and others have similarly overwhelmed us with support, and we’re very excited to have all of their help this weekend. Keep it up, and think positive thoughts for dry weather on Saturday in particular! – Travis
Map and compass skills are somewhat perishable. If you don’t use them from time to time, you can start to lose them. Everyone needs a refresher course once in a while. Thankfully, the good folks at ESEE Knives/Randall’s Adventure Training were kind enough to put the presentation that they use to teach basic map and compass skills online for the benefit of humanity. If you are a seasoned pro or a just a beginner when it comes to land nav, it will be well worth your time to read through these slides.
