Granted, I don’t get out much, but I didn’t know that Polaris had a line of coolers until I saw them at this show.
Available in 30 and 60 quart sizes, these coolers are designed to fit in Polaris vehicles. Additionally, they are Certified Bear proof and incorporate rubber T-handle latches.
Yeti has introduced three new kitchen-grade steel bottles.
Offered in 18, 36 and 64 oz models, the cap handles are large enough to get multiple fingers in for carriage. Additionally, they’ve introduced a double gasket system that keeps the liquid for days. This isn’t a backpacker’s bottle. It’s designed for working folks who normally destroy gear. Look for these mid-Spring.
The softsided Hopper is now available in a 40 quart version. A perfect pair for use with it, is the Yeti ice. It’s shatter proof, packs efficiently, is colder and lasts longer than traditional ice. Plus, it’s reusable.
Just at the close of 2015, I was “voluntold” to try out Soylent, the meal replacement beverage. That’s a pretty common occurrence around SSD. Anything that is faddish or sketch; I’m the Guinea pig. Soylent is a powder that is mixed in water, which is formulated to be nutritionally complete; a single bag provides 2000 calories for a full day’s use. It also shares a name with the subject of that classic 1970s dystopian flic. While its referred to as a “wonder food” the taste was anything but wonderful.
My first taste was like eating liquidized paper, as in, it tasted like printer paper smells, with a creamy consistency. As I kept trying it, I kind of… ‘got used to it’, but there was never a point where I found it completely palatable. For me, the taste shifted from “liquidized paper” to “liquid bread” as I kept drinking it, which was better, but also still pretty disconcerting. I realize there are people who have transitioned completely to Soylent for their day-to-day nutrition, but for me, it’s a last resort option.
The clip below summarizes my feelings about Soylent completely:
– Tactical Fanboy
Source Tactical Gear has produced a video which functions as an overview of the Virtus Soldier System. As a reminder, the Virtus Soldier System is the Soldier Protection initiative selected by the British Armed Forces. It consists of 89 issued components, manufactured in 20 facilities in 9 countries by 6 manufacturers.
Greenbelly is a ready-to-eat nutritional bar which provides 1/3 of the daily recommended nutrition. It’s been described as “Soylent meets Clifbar”. Each individual package contains two bars totaling 650 calories, which are 100% natural and gluten free, and provide the six core nutrients: calories, carbs, protein, sodium, fats, and fiber. Greenbelly bars come in three flavors: Cranberry/Almond, Dark Chocolate/Banana, and Peanut/Apricot.
For this week’s Friday Focus, we’re taking a look at FirstSpear’s offering of Hydrapak’s 1L and 3L hydration bladders. Hydrapak ‘drink on the move’ hydration systems are made of thermoplastic polyurethane, offering durability and flexibility to the system. The patented slider opening allows for quick filling with a secure seal. The Hydrapak hydration bladders are also reversible for easy cleaning and drying.
Hydrapak bladders were selected by FirstSpear to serve as a high-quality hydration system to use with FirstSpear’s current line of hydration pouches and other load carriage products.
www.first-spear.com – Hydrapak 1L Bladder
www.first-spear.com – Hydrapak 3L Bladder
If you’re a fan of carrying an actual canteen, it only makes sense that you should be able to actually apply heat to it.
Heavy Cover Inc’s Titanium canteen is a US GI-style model. Ic comes with a nesting Titanium cup with lid. this combination should more than cover your hydration and cooking needs particularly in the back country where water may need to be melted from snow/ice or boiled.
The Titanium canteen carries 1.1 Liter (37 ounces) of fluid while the Titanium canteen cup accommodates 700mm (23.7 ounces).
Titanium is a great material for this purpose. Although it relatively expensive it as strong as steel at just over half the weight. Additionally, it won’t melt in a fire or puncture in your pack and is BPA Free as well as nontoxic. Finally, Titanium is noncorrosive and its nonstick surface is easy to clean up.
The Versa Fresh Pak from Darley Defense is a man portable water treatment system that will produce potable water from any fresh water source. The Pelican case variant weighs 50lbs and the backpack version is 40lbs.
It can be powered via 12v dc, solar powered or via the internal battery for emergency operations up to 4 hours. The pump has 6′ suction lift and will produce approx 1 gpm. The process is a strainer at the pump, sediment pre-filter, ultra filtration membrane and then Granular Activated Carbon post filter. This removes 99.99% of pathogens.
www.darley.com/pump-guide/product-water-purification/versa-fresh-pak
