ITS Tactical has added to their expanding line of survival items with the introduction of lifeboat matches.
These strike anywhere matches feature a special wax coating which runs nearly halfway down each match and keeps the fire-starting chemicals dry. Once lit, nothing stops these matches, be it wind, rain or even snow. They’ll even re-ignite after being submerged in water or snow.
Available in packs of 15.
https://store.itstactical.com/its-waterproof-matches-15-pack
You asked for it, so we shared it again. Last time it was so popular the ATF tried to get us to sell them car bombs after we posted it.
Finally, a Car Bomb that you’ll be happy to see. We’re passing this along after hearing from a reader who gave us one of the best lines we’ve ever heard.
My Honda no longer smells like CIF and Dog Puke.
-BS
Army NCO, Dad, Dog Owner and longtime SSD reader
He went on to say, “This thing removed the sweaty ass scent of professional soldiering and parenthood that infests almost any dude’s car/truck/minivan.” After reading that, we decided to share the info on this wonder product with our readers.
The CLO2 Chlorine Dioxide generator pouch treats an area up to 1,000 cubic feet to eliminate the odors caused by mold, mildew, pets, food, smoke and more. Even better, it doesn’t try to mask odors, leaving you with a perfume smell. In fact, the manufacturer recommends its use to rid yourself of those odors.
While you shouldn’t use it while people or pets are in the car, it is people and pet safe and frequently used in public water systems, hospitals and food processing facilities to disinfect and sanitize. Sorry guys, not available in Canada or Europe.
www.starbrite.com/item/car-bomb-clo2-chlorine-dioxide-odor-eliminator
In the past, we told you about the discontinued Master-at-Arms Badge. On a similar note is the Stalking merit badge which was one of the original 57 merit badges issued by the Boy Scouts of America in 1911. It replaced the 1910 Stalker “Badge of Merit”. The term “Stalking” should be familiar to SSD readers, a technique that I also referred to as tracking. The badge was temporarily reissued as “Tracking” under the 2010 Historic Merit Badge Program. Unfortunately it, along with the handful of other 2010 badges were only temporary.
These are the Stalking merit badge requirements from 1938 until it was discontinued in 1952.
-Demonstrate by means of a stalking game or otherwise, ability to stalk skillfully in shelter and wind, etc., showing how to proceed noiselessly and “freeze” when occasion demands.
-Know and recognize the tracks of ten different kinds of animals or birds in his vicinity, three of which may be domestic.
-Submit satisfactory evidence that he has trailed two different kinds of wild animals or birds on ordinary ground far enough to determine the direction in which they were going, and their gait or speed. Give names of animals or birds trailed, their direction of travel, and describe gait and speed; or submit satisfactory evidence that he has trailed six different kinds of wild animal or birds in snow, sand, dust, or mud, far enough to determine the direction in which they were going, and their gait or speed. Give names of animals or birds, their direction of travel, and describe gait and speed.
-Submit satisfactory evidence that he has tracked a human being and deduced from the trail whether it was a man or woman, young or old, the gait or speed, and also give any other information deduced.
-Submit evidence the he has scored at least 30 points from the following groups: [Group (f) and 4 of the 5 groups (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) must be represented in the score of 30 and at least 7 points must be scored from (a), (b), or (c)].
-Make a clear recognizable photograph of:
(a) Live bird away from nest 4 points each
(b) Live woodchuck or smaller wild animal 3 points each
(c) Live wild animal larger than woodchuck 4 points each
(d) Live bird on nest 3 points each
(e) Tracks of live wild animal or bird 2 points each
(f) Make satisfactory plaster cast of wild animal or bird tracks with identification imprint on back of cast 2 points each
Kyle Defoor published a 10-part series on shooting in the cold. In particular, he concentrates on clothing system selection.
My experience operating in the cold started in the military both in training and real world. I’ve worked in -25 up to just below freezing for long stretches (days not hours) of time. When I came into the military there was not a lot of good gear to be had. This changed later with consulting from Mark Twight via Natick Labs. Today we have more quality choices from more manufacturers but there is also more confusion in some areas. Hopefully this series of articles will help out those who are looking to buy quality gear for training in the elements for extended duration.
While you’re reading remember that exposure time is a major factor. A lot of students I see miss this important fact when showing up to a class. This happens with our military contracts too. I’ve heard comments early on about how we (instructors) are overdressed or that they (student) “don’t get cold”, “I’m from the North”, “I’m used to it”, etc. Somewhere around the hour mark completely exposed with no break is where most people realize basing your needs for shooting and training in the cold on the jacket you go get the mail in or take the dog for a walk with was a huge mistake.
Lastly, physical conditioning plays a huge role in staying warm. This mostly concerns circulation and over very long stretches, metabolism. Bottom line is the better shape your in both cardio wise and strength wise the easier your body can adapt to an unusual environment. I’ll leave you with the words of the Norwegians who’ve been training and shooting in cold conditions a long time arguably as good as anyone- “there is no bad weather, only bad gear”.
This is part 1, but the others can be found at kyledefoor.tumblr.com.
The Attachment Shovel is a project by Urban Tactical currently up on Kickstarter. It is a utility shovel with a hi-carbon steel shovel blade, which features a side serrated edge. The handle system is constructed from aircraft aluminum with machined grips. These grips feature tools including a removable blade/bottle opener. The included rechargeable flashlight features 4 light modes, and features a brightness of 200 lumens.
Additionally, each shovel comes with one of these carrying cases.
The complete shovel features the following items:
-Flint
-String Saw
-USB Adapter / Charger
-2 in 1 Car / Wall Adapter
-Plastic Safety Whistle
-1800mAh Rechargeable Flashlight Battery
-Knife Attachment
-Ice Pick Attachment
-Phillips / Flat Head Screw Driver Bit
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2048570727/the-attachment-shovel-a-remarkable-multi-purpose-t
The Gearward firebox is a miniature fire starting kit designed to fit in a pocket or survival tin. It contains 20 pieces of Fire Cord waterproof tinder, a 2″ mischmetal firesteel, and an ultra-hard alumina ceramic striker, all in a container roughly the size of a Zippo. Its primary function is as a backup fire starter, in case a primary and/or secondary firestarter fails.
Above, you can see the FireBox (far left) compared in size to a Spark-lite, Zippo Emergency fire starter, magnesium bar, and Light My Fire fire steel. The video below shows the FireBox in action:
FireBox is Made in the USA out of US, Canadian, and German Components.
gearward.com/collections/frontpage/products/firebox
It’s great to see an Air Force SERE Specialist passing his fieldcraft knowledge on to Scouts.
