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Archive for 2014

Powertraveler – Powermonkey Expedition

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

While attending DSEi back in September, UK-based PowerTraveller showed me the next big thing in expeditionary power generation. Ever since then I’ve been chomping at the bit tell you about it. It goes beyond anything commercially available and allows you to collect power by Hand, Wind, Solar, Water and Shorepower means. It’s already been recognized with an ISPO Gold Award which recognizes the best new products internationally.

As a guy who spent some time on both the G-76 and G-67 hand crank generators, I was pretty impressed. The Powermonkey Expedition features 32:1 gearing which allows you to use a hand crank to produce power and 10 minutes of cranking gives you 1% charge on the Powermonkey Expedition’s internal battery. Not sure if you’re cranking at the right speed? The device has a simple LED that goes green when you’re up to snuff.

Don’t want to crank and have stiff wind? Or, driving to a destination? Attach the Powermonkey Expedition to the top of your vehicle to create your own wind while you drive around. Just pull out the silicon windcups and attach them. Want more? Pull out a solar panel and attach that, even while you are using wind power generation.

Near a stream? Flip it on its side and harness the power of gravity to spin the cups with water.

This thing has a lot of base’s covered which is why I am so impressed with it.

(Click to view .pdf)

Granted, it weighs 1.8 kg or just over 4 lbs but the versatility is phenomenal. It relies on a Lithium Polymer battery that 10500mAh with 12v and 5v 800mAh output.

Look for release worldwide May, 2014 in both outdoor (Black/Silver) and tactical (coyote) versions.

www.powertraveller.com/expeditionvideo

Tags: powertraveller
Posted in Gadgets, Power | 5 Comments »

GI Joe Turns 50

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

During this month’s Toy Fair in New York City, GI Joe creator Hasbro will announce plans to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary that brought the term “Action Figure” into America’s lexicon. Although the brand wasn’t officially unveiled until March 1964, many consider February the true anniversary month.

GI Joes were my most treasured toys growing up and I know it wasn’t just me. During SHOT Show, a friend showed me a photo taken during his youth of his Joes. Although I had a lot of cool toys including Major Matt Mason, Sea Devils and a whole slew Marx war playsets, I’m a 1/6 scale Adventure Team Joe kind of a guy at heart (can you say “Kung Fu Grip?”). The smaller 3-3/4″ versions and comic book came out around the time I was moving on from toys, but I know a lot of guys grew up with them. Now that I’m grown, I’ve rediscovered the originals and really appreciate the memories.

How about we all take a knee and share our toy memories? Here’s one of mine.

Tags: GI Joe
Posted in Morale | 11 Comments »

Cammenga – Destinate Model D3-T Compass

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

(Click to view .pdf)

Cammenga’s Destinate Model D3-T Tritium Protractor Compass incorporates all the same parts and materials as the Model 3H Tritium Lensatic Compass, the official U.S. Military Compass. Built upon a transparent nylon baseplate and waterproof housing, the Model D3-T features 6 tritium micro lights to allow for navigation in low-light conditions without the use of an external light source; tritium micro lights remain luminous for over 12 years. The D3-T features a Copper Induction Damping System which slows the rotation of the magnet without the use of liquids. The D3-T also comes equipped with a map magnifying lens, dial graduations in both degrees and mils, and 3 map scales (1:25K, 1:63.36k, 1:50km) for navigation on a variety of maps. Made in the USA.

www.cammenga.com

Tags: Cammenga
Posted in Gadgets | 2 Comments »

Gentlemen, Valentine’s Day is Coming, Think Combat Flip Flops

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Combat Flip Flops? Valentine’s Day? Oh yeah…Aside from some sweet slippers for the lady in your life they’ve also introduced a couple of other new products. I know some of you guys are buying for the first time, or dread getting it wrong. A couple of these options from CFF are nice gifts that take the guess work out of your choice. For you ‘power users” who are old hats at buying something nice for mama, there are also Flip Flops in a full range of sizes.

Cover & Concealment Sarong No sizing required! Handmade in a women-owned factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Cover & Concealment sarong reveals glimpses of Afghan heritage blended with beautiful fabrics and vibrant colors. This versatile piece seamlessly transitions from scarf to beach wrap to après skirt to evening dress with ease and distinction. $70

Peacemaker Bangle & Wrap No sizing required! 270 million bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War. Thirty percent of them are still sitting there ready to explode, in fields, behind trees, next to schools. But local artisans are melting down some of the unexploded ordnance (UXO) to hand craft art like our Peacemaker Bangle and Peacemaker Coin Wrap. When you buy one you help fund the clearing of 3 square meters of UXO. You literally help save life and limb and you help create jobs. So, thanks. $50

Bombshell Dark or Lite Flip Flops Sexy and sleek, these femme fatale flip flops are perfect for the effortlessly chic women of the world. Designed with full leather footbeds, Afghan patterned straps, and flashy chrome grenade detailing, these flip flops exude confidence. Perfect for cruising to the beach or relaxing in town. $65

www.combatflipflops.com

Tags: Combat Flip Flops
Posted in For the Ladies, Morale | 2 Comments »

Combat & Survival Hits 300

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Congratulations to UK magazine Combat & Survival who is publishing issue number 300!

www.combatandsurvival.com/themagazine/combat-survival-magazine-march-2014

Tags: Combat & Survival
Posted in Media | Comments Off on Combat & Survival Hits 300

Revolvr – A Revolutionary New M-Commerce App In The Firearms Industry

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

Revolvr is a firearm accessory peer to peer exchange that was founded by the entrepreneurs behind Rainier Arms, Defense Marketing Group, and the newly announced PayMeBaby platform that drives the PistolPay payment service. Today, Revolvr officially unveiled the company and its first product, the free Revolvr Android app, which is based on creating a social buying experience for firearm enthusiasts. Revolvr is the first native m-commerce application that is open to the 2A friendly community that allows individuals to freely buy and sell firearm accessories.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars are exchanged each year in the secondary firearm market, we are looking to decrease the friction of this exchange using technologies of today paired with our new partners at PistolPay, to enable safe payments between firearm enthusiasts across the United States.” said John Hwang, founder & CEO of Revolvr. “We created Revolvr so that the firearm industry can “revolve” their used firearm accessories.”

How it Works
Revolvr solves the much needed problem of person to person transactions in the firearms community. A new Revolvr user can download the application from the Google Play Store and sign up for the service and begin posting their new or used parts & accessories in the mobile application. “We wanted to create a mobile first experience with Revolvr which is why we didn’t start with a website commerce site” said Tony Bristol, founder & Chief Product Officer of Revolvr. “Eventually we will have a website, though we didn’t want it to drive our design or user experience in the mobile centric society we operate in today’s world.” Revolvr will bring together firearm enthusiasts from across the United States to exchange their valued items in a safe and secure way. Revolvr takes a small fee of each sale to cover credit card transaction fees as well as continued investment into the Revolvr app development.
Revolvr is integrated with the latest social tools like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter to share items easily with user’s social networks. Revolvr also leverages the PistolPay payment service which is the only 2A friendly peer-to-peer payment service in the market, combining the security PCI compliance with the safety of an escrow solution.

The Team
Revolvr was founded in August, 2013 by a team of firearm innovators and a mobile application pioneer: John Hwang and Paul Hwang of Rainier Arms and Tony Bristol, previously with Microsoft; and for the last 6 years, an executive and founder of multiple mobile startups.
“For several years our industry has been discriminated against by large ecommerce and payment solutions. Revolvr brings together the latest mobile technologies leveraging Tony’s experience in the technology and mobile startup ecosystem with Paul and my grassroots knowledge of the firearms industry, to deliver a product that truly serves our industry.” said John Hwang, Rainier Arms CEO and firearms marketing guru.

About Revolvr
Revolvr is a mobile firearm accessory marketplace built around the mobile social experience. Firearm enthusiasts are able to quickly post their accessories and buy new or used items right from their phones. Revolvr’s 2A friendly community brings firearm enthusiast together to share their individual collections, allowing open commerce for a community underserved by the newest technologies. Founded in August of 2013, Revolvr is headquartered in Auburn, WA. For more information, please visit www.revolvr.com. Revolvr’s free Android App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

This looks like a really cool app. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available for iOS, although according to the Revolvr website it’s coming soon.

Tags: Revolvr
Posted in Digitization, Industry | 6 Comments »

The Gun Box

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

The Gun Box is a soon-to-be-released firearm storage case. It is powered by an AC plug in with a back-up battery. The reason for the power supply is the method of opening the case: the base model utilizes RFID technology, and requires the use of an included RF band to open. A biometric variant will also be offered, with an onboard 360 biometric fingerprint scanner which can hold multiple fingerprints, in addition to the RFID system. The Premier model includes GPS tracking and 24/7 monitoring, tracking, and alert notifications, with a required monthly subscription fee, the first year of which is covered by initial purchase.

The Gun Box features an aircraft strength aluminum alloy shell and inside dimensions of 8.9″x6.5″x1.5″, and a weight of 4.7 lbs.

Additional features on all models include:

2 USB ports for charding devices or connecting accessories
Battery backup w/ shut off switch
Mounting holes for mounting in any orientation
Kensington lock port

Estimated delivery on all Gun Box models is February 21st, 2014.

Below is a tutorial video demonstrating how to open the Gun Box. Check out the Gun Box YouTube page for additional tutorial videos.

www.thegunbox.com

Tags: The Gun Box
Posted in weapons | 6 Comments »

OR – Barebones Outdoor – Connect Power System

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

One thing all of us have learned over the past few years is that we can face power outages due to natural disasters or other mishaps. Many have turned to solar, wind and fossil fuel generators. Others use these power generation systems for camping and other outdoor activities. I’ve run across numerous power collection and management systems but generally they fall short with distribution, particularly those systems available to the commercial market. When I saw the Barebones Connect Power System at Outdoor Retailer I knew this was something I’d want to share with my readers.

In fact, CPS was created out of necessity by the Utah-based crew at Barebones Outdoor who provide assistance during disaster relief operations. Originally intended for use with their Safari tent seen above, it can be use virtually anywhere. The basic CPS kit includes a single six-foot extension cable, an On/Off push-button switch box, a three-prong male AC adapter, and their ingenious outlet box that features double three-prong AC outlets and two USB female outlets for portable electronics. Any of the components can be ordered separately to expand the system for larger structures or your own specific power needs, and all CPS components are compatible with Barebones light fixtures and battery packs. It’s essentially a plug-n-play system and due to its scalable nature can be configured in a wide variety of ways.

The CPS is compatible with multiple power sources and features a three-prong grounded male plug adapter, allowing it to plug directly into any power source with AC input. If you are off the grid, the CPS is compatible with solar and fossil fuel generators. Goal Zero’s portable batteries and solar panels also work with the CPS, making continuous off-the-grid power possible.

www.barebonesliving.com/outdoor

Tags: Barebones Outdoor, OR
Posted in Lights, Outdoor Retailer, Power | 2 Comments »