Kyle Lamb has served his country valiantly and now he lives a life that many find fascinating. Now, with the Viking Chronicles, you can follow Kyle as he trains, hunts, hangs out with interesting people, and generally does a lot of cool stuff…
Garmin fenix
I own several Garmin GPS units and they are all great but the one I like best is my wrist-worn Foretrex 401. The Foretrex line is pretty compact but they are still much larger than a typical wrist watch and the only way it could be better is if it was just a bit smaller. Well, it appears that Garmin agrees because they have announced the new wrist-worn fenix GPS.
The fenix (the lack of capitalization in the name is driving me nuts) is just as fully spec’d as the Foretrex 401, in fact, it is actually a bit more feature rich. It boasts lighter weight, a basemap, more onboard storage, a larger tracklog, more routes, more waypoints, a better compass, and other features over the Foretrex 401. It has more functionality packed into a smaller body.
On paper, the fenix looks pretty amazing. Check it out at Garmin.com.
IWC MOUNT-N-SLOTs for the Vltor KeyMod System
Vltor set the world on fire yesterday with the announcement of their very clever KeyMod system. They released the specs of this attachment system so that others in the industry could begin to develop accessories to support it. Notably, Noveske has been the earliest adoptor for use on their NSR.
This sort of attachment system is right up Impact Weapon Component’s alley so it should come as no surprise that they have announced the future availability of some of their most popular MOUNT-N-SLOT accessories for the KeyMod system. They have begun work on the Haley Strategic DROPWING & RADIAL UNIVERSAL Light Mounts and expect to have them to market in about 8 weeks at the same prices as the current versions. Remember to use the coupon code “triggerjerk” at checkout to receive 5% discount at IWC.
Current version is shown. KeyMod compatible versions will vary.
SpecOpShop Boonie Hat
SpecOpShop is showing off their new boonie. The hat features sewn on hollow 550 cord so that foliage can be added for camouflage. It also has vents along the top and hook material on the top, front, and back.
It will be available in all of the same colorways as the SpecOpsShop SOU. Check out the SpecOpShop Boonie on SpecOpShop.com.
This picture shows the latest cord configuration from SpecOpShop’s Facebook page.
NavELite Magnetic Compass
The sad truth about the vast majority of the wrist-worn and button compasses on the market right now is that they are junk. They are typically low quality and lack the features needed to be anything but a last ditch backup. That is why I was so excited when I came across the upcoming NavELite which seems to have the potential to be a standout wrist-worn compass.
The NavELite looks a lot like a watch at first glance. It even features backlighting like many digital watches. The bezel is large and looks easy to read. It has redundant low light systems (NV friendly EL backlighting and luminous paint). The liquid filled compass module rotates so you can set an azimuth. The needle dampens quickly and rides on a jewel bearing. I am glad to see a needle because many small compasses use a platter which renders them nearly useless if even a small bubble forms. These features read more like the spec sheet for a serious hiking compass.
The NavELite is not yet on the market but, on paper, it looks like a tremendous compass and they are accepting pre-orders. Check out NavELite.com.