Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category
Interesting Blogs to Check Out
Saturday, August 30th, 2008Esbit Cookers
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
I don’t know how I would have made it through my tour in Germany without my trusty Esbit Cooker. Issued as part of the German Ration Pack (EPA), Esbit fuel was readily available all over Germany. The tablets burn for between 7 and 12 minutes depending on the size and should boil half a liter in about 7 minutes. What I really liked about them was lack of smell or smoke.
The cooker itself is a simple design. Its stamped galvanized steel with riveted folding legs that once folded flat, carried its own solid fuel bars. They come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The legs are adjustable by detents stamped into the legs. The larger the cooker, the more settings. For example, the small cooker’s legs can be set at 90 degrees, 45 degrees, or closed. You can see in the picture the indentations in the legs for the settings. I tossed mine years ago but the only place it ever showed the slightest sign of rust was at the rivets. I never thought I would be able to find another one, until now.
And now they have mugs!
Esbit products can be found here on the web but I purchased mine at Eddie Bauer.
Photos from Esbit GMbH.
Brunton BrewFire Dual Fuel Coffee Maker
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Brunton always seems to come up with the coolest gadgets.
The BrewFire is the first coffee maker to be fueled by either propane or butane fuel. This is fantastic for occasions when electricity isn’t available.
It brews 8 cups of coffee in 10-12 minutes and comes with a stainless steel carafe. It’s compact size (10″x14″x10″) makes it perfect for the deployment box. It won’t be available until February of 2009 but this is a great time to start saving up for the perfect Valentine’s Day present for the First Sergeant.
You can pre-order here.
MilSpecMonkey T-shirts
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
MilSpecMonkey has recently gone full time. And with this change they have begun to add new products beyond patches. One of our new favorites is the MSM T-shirt. The front features the MSM name and the back is emblazoned with everyone’s favorite monkey. Made from 100% Cotton, the shirt is avaible in a full range of sizes and colors. Check it out.
Sizes Small – XXL, in Greenish Brown with Black Ink, OD Green with Black Ink, and Light Tan with Brown Ink.
They are available here.
Off-Duty: LeoAdventures
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
When I was still served in the military I joined an interesting organization named LeoAdventures. They are a service organization designed to honor and serve those in Government, they are essentially a buying club but with a very exclusive membership. Membership is reserved for Government employees. They collect an annual membership fee of $19.99. This and LeoAdventures negotiating discounts for their members allows Public Servants to avoid receiving special gifts or gratuities which would violate ethics regulations.
Although I was familiar with the program I spoke with President Leslie Mellott at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. She is there every show looking for new vendors to add the the program. A wife of a long-serving Government employee, Leslie knows not only the risks her husband takes but also the sacrifices the entire family makes for their life of service. I really appreciate what she does.
One important point about this program is that it is for serving Public Safety and Military members. I feel that it is important to recognize these individuals whenever we can and I can remember how hard it was to raise a family and give them those extras on a military salary. The discounts provided through LeoAdventures membership do both. They honor our heroes and help them provide a better quality of life for themselves and their families. If you serve your community or nation I recommend you join. If you are like me and are a retiree or a supporter of our Nation’s finest then I urge to contact LeoAdventures and purchase a gift membership for someone you know.
The Brands LeoAdventures has agreements with:
Arc’teryx
Blue Seventy
Brooks Running
Carey & Company
Dell Computer
ExOfficio
Flyfishing Benefactors
GU
Highgear
Horny Toad
IBEX
ISIS for Women
Jetboil
Kelty
Larabar
MH Bertucci
Mountainsmith
MSR
Nuun Hydration
Otterbox
Platypus
Probar
Purefit
Rudy Project
Railriders
Ruffwear
SealLine
Sherpani alpina
SOG Specialty Knives
Suunto
Therm-A-Rest
Tracks
Working Advantage
Zamberlan
Zeal Optics
They can be reached at LeoAdventures.
Fisher Trekker Space Pen
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
I’ve been using Fisher Space pens for quite some time but one of its major shortcomings is that everyone who sees me using it wants one too. Obviously, this means I’ve “given” lots of them away over the years. At the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, I stopped by the Fisher booth to ask about the cool camo finish I had seen on some space pens. Unfortunately, they told me that the multi-layered finishes were difficult to deal with and the thickness kept the caps from being placed on the end when writing. However, there was some good news. They plan on a tan variant of the bullet pen soon. I related my tail of woe over constantly losing my pens and they showed me the Trekker. It has a ring for a lanyard so you can tie it down. I am currently on the lookout for a Trekker.
For more information contact Fisher Space Pens.
Brunton Firestorm Lighter
Thursday, August 21st, 2008Yes, the Editor owns one and No, he won’t share. Yes, it puts out one hell of a flame, but No, it won’t light above 14,000′. But what the hell, we’ve never been that high. Its ultralightweight and can withstand winds of up to 80 mph. It is guaranteed for one year and utilizes butane fuel.
If James bond ever needed a lighter, it would be the Firestorm. It’s sleek lines conceal its true identity, that of flamethrower. The flame generates in excess of 2000 deg F. Let’s face it, black is beautiful.
For more information check out Brunton’s website. But if you want to buy one (and you know you do) get it from the same place as the Editor; TAD Gear. Tad Gear is the Editor’s source of choice for tacti-cool accessories.
Surefire Saint Head Lamp
Monday, August 18th, 2008
The much anticipated Saint head lamp served as the crown jewel in Surefire’s booth at the Outdoor Retailer summer market. Early models were available at SHOT 08 but were only shown behind closed doors. OR will serve as the Saint’s coming out party.
Naturally, the Saint features all the attention to detail you would normally see in a Surefire product. First off, its an LED. Surefire promises 100 lumens for 6 hours. The low setting will run at 1 lumen for a whopping 144 hours.
The lens is a coated refractive optic engineered to work specifically with this LED. This means there are no rings and you get a uniform beam. The light source is also adjustable 90 degrees up or down and features a built in SOS beacon.
Of particular interest is the battery box. Not only can you use AAs but also CR123s depending on the orientation in the battery box.
The head harness was designed for long term use. Surefire representatives said that during testing they had worn the harness in excess of five hours with no discomfort. I found the harness comfortable when I tried it on. The lamp and battery harness are well balanced. The harness features Breathe-O-Prene (R) pads designed to allow sweat to escape instead of building up. They can also be removed for washing. I have included the following graphic from Surefire’s Saint brochure. It goes into great detail about the Saint’s construction.
The Saint is designed to be waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 1 meter of water.
Surefire plans to eventually release a full line of head lamps and the Saint will be the middle of the pack.
With the exception of the first photo all other photos are courtesy of Surefire.
