VIDEO: GWOT Weapons And Gear That Were Failures

An interesting look at some of the weapons and gear that were rejected or useless by someone who actually had a hand on getting a couple of the items dropped from adoption or use:

• The Mark 23 Mod Zero pistol by HK (intended to be a primary CGQ weapon, it was too big for a handgun and its purpose was better fulfilled by the adoption of the M4A1);
• The SCAR Light in 5.56 (a weak lockup of the folding stock and a reciprocating charging handle system that permitted misfeads that would require the weapon being disassembled to clear, and offered no advantages over the M4--however the host notes that these problems have been fixed in the civilian version, and the SCAR Heavy in .308 was very popular);
• The XM25 Punisher 25mm grenade launcher (very little application in Afghanistan, with the host noting that the whole premise is now obsolete with the advent of small, explosive laden drones);
• The Spear-Bulk body armor system (poor quality, stupidly used vertical MOLLE);
• The Uniform Camouflage Pattern or UCP (actually made troops highly visible because the pattern didn't match any sort of terrain in which the troops operated);
• The improved outer tactical vest or IOTV (although it offered high level of protection, it was too heavy and bulky slowing down the troops). 

VIDEO: "Top 5 GWOT gun and gear fails: Barely used, not tested properly, or completely worthless."
Modern Tactical Shooting (28 min)

Chase Tactical: How To Set Up A Plate Carrier

If you are planning on setting up a plate carrier, or even if you have already done so, you still might want to check out this article from Chase Tactical: "How to Set Up a Plate Carrier: Step-by-Step Guide for Operators." I'm not an operator, but I still have plates in case of "bump in the night" issues or for SHTF. The cited article has tips on selecting a carrier, selecting and inserting plates, fitting the carrier to your body, configuring your load out that is attached to the carrier, setting up medical access, testing it "stress", and a list of common problems or issues. 

    An issue I mostly see in television and movies (but let's be honest and admit that many people copy TV and movies) is body armor incorrectly adjusted so the plates are riding too low. The article notes, on that point:

Put the carrier on and adjust the shoulder straps so the top of the front plate is just below the sternal notch (the V at the base of your throat). The plate should cover from just below the collarbone to approximately the navel. If the plate rides too high, it will restrict neck movement. If it rides too low, it will not cover the lungs and upper abdomen.

 And another good point concerning mounting your gear and supplies to the carrier:

Divide your carrier into zones based on access priority. High-priority items go where you can reach them fastest with your dominant or non-dominant hand. Secondary items go where they are accessible but do not interfere with primary draws. Weight should be distributed evenly, left to right, to avoid uneven fatigue and posture issues over long operations.     

The author goes on to describe the configuration for the front panel, cummerbund, back panel, and suggestions on distributing weight. 

    A lot more in the article, so be sure to check it out. 

Range Hot: Setting Up A Range Belt Or Battle Belt

From Range Hot: "How to Setup a Range Belt or Battle Belt." While we typically talk about what to attach to the belt, the article begins by examining the "foundation" belt:

    ANR Design’s preferred range belt is the Blue Alpha Gear Duty Molle Belt & Battle Belt Lite belt. These are great host battle belts. They do require a liner belt, which is a Velcro inner belt of 1.5″ that fits through all normal pants. The duty belt preferred width is at the 1.75″ size. They are super sturdy and load bearing range belts. Blue Alpha Gear has a bunch of cool accessories that allows modularity of your range belt. They have the padded Velcro liners to create a rubberized texture surface to put over a jacket, or over garments if you don’t have access to your liner belt.

    While on the subject of Velcro and building a stable foundation for your range belt setup, make sure that you invest in a roll of hook Velcro. Make sure to always apply stick-on hook Velcro to all of your hard plastic accessories when using a duty belt. Going through the Molle loops on the duty belts isn’t always the best practice. You’ll get a much more stable platform by going over the belt itself with a belt clip. To make sure that it clings on to the liner belt that is attached to your pants, use hook stick on Velcro on your hard plastic accessories so that they maintain a positive contact against your liner belt. 

     The article also discusses what to put on the belt, including medical supplies and an IFAC pouch, magazine carriers, some tools you might want on the range, why you might want a dump pouch on a range belt, and, of course, holsters:

 Most off-the-shelf KYDEX holsters for a range belt or a battle belt are what is considered a level 1 retention system. Level one retention is friction that holds the firearm in place inside the holster. Therefore, in a tactical application, you might want to consider a holster that has mechanical retention. Mechanical retention is defined by level two annotation. Once you get into level 3 holsters, you are talking about holsters that are typically NIJ certified and carried by police officers. Level 3 holsters are not utilized by Special Forces or military units.   

Related:

• "The Bump-in-the-Night Belt" 
• "Bump In The Night Sling"  
• "Do You Need an All-in-One Fighting Kit?"--Everyday Marksman. The author describes what he calls his "Minuteman Kit": a belt and Y-harness type system.
• VIDEO: "Minuteman Battle Belt Setup! What Do You Need? Do The Things!"--Asymmetrical Preparedness (19 min.)
• VIDEO: "How to setup a 'gunfighter' Belt / Battle Belt / Ferro Concepts Bison Belt"--Garand Thumb (24 min.).
  

The Realist: Zombie Apocalypse Movie Theater

 It's been a while, but I have a new guest post from The Realist. He writes:

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this article were purchased by myself. I did not receive free samples, evaluation models, or other compensation from any manufacturer or retailer. I have no formal relationship with any manufacturer or retailer mentioned in this article - I have only been an arms-length customer. All brand names and product names used in this review are the trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Nothing in this article is intended to be legal advice. If you have legal questions regarding some topic discussed in this article, contact a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction. Further, this article reflects my unique circumstances and subjective opinions with regard to performance and other characteristics of the products discussed. Your mileage may vary.

Post apocalyptic movie theater inside an abandoned

building. (Bing AI Image Creator https://www.bing.com/images/create/)

    "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Even under the most adverse conditions, people occasionally need a break, a mental escape, from the daily grind. Books and games certainly provide a break. But, humans also need social interaction with others outside their family or close group of friends. In the past, these social activities would have included dances or community theatrical performances. More recently, social activities can include "movie night" where viewing a movie is the central component of a larger social event.

    In any kind of apocalyptic scenario, people are also going to want some activity that restores some level of prior normalcy, even if only for a short period of time. I have seen several post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows where a scene or sub-plot in the story involved people coming together as a group to watch a movie.

    Before last Christmas, I started noticing lots of offerings on Amazon for inexpensive video projectors, with some being priced under fifty dollars. I ended up spending seventy dollars for one with reasonable lower-end specifications and a lot of good reviews. That projector performed very well considering what I paid for it. That projector purchase became the seed for the idea of a "zombie apocalypse movie theater" (ZAMT).

    The ZAMT could be part of a no-kidding post apocalyptic social activity, or it could be the focus of a less dramatic "illegal" gathering for friends during the next round of COVID lockdowns.

    I wanted my ZAMT to be semi-portable, something that could be set up just about anywhere - indoors or outdoors - and run off an independent portable power source.

    The ZAMT requires more than just a video projector. It also requires some kind of sound system because the tiny speakers built into the projector may not even be powerful enough for a small room. It requires some kind of projector screen, which can be a white painted wall, a white sheet or table cloth, or a purpose-built screen. It requires an independent power source - don't plan on the local utility company providing power to the nearest wall outlet during the zombie apocalypse. And, it requires a variety of accessories including a platform or tripod for the projector along with the various cables necessary to connect the various components together.

Video Projector

    There is no such thing as an ideal projector. Projector selection has to be based on many factors including your budget, power consumption, video input options, native resolution, and light output.

    Like many things, when shopping for a video projector, you generally get what you pay for. There is a lot of exaggeration when it comes to the specifications of various video projectors, so very careful reading of descriptions is necessary. An omission of a critical specification should be taken as an indication that the specification may not be very good - definitely a buyer-beware situation.

    Most video projector descriptions will say "supports 1080P" when in fact that native resolution may be much lower. All "supports 1080P" means is that the projector will accept a 1080P video source and down-convert it to whatever the native resolution of the projector happens to be. You want to pay attention to the native resolution specification.

    Similarly, projector brightness is overstated, with many manufacturers providing a lumen output value for the projector's light source - the projector "bulb" - and not a measure of the light output that ultimately hits the projector screen. Some manufacturers provide a more honest "ANSI lumen" number - a measure of the light that hits the screen - that is, not surprisingly, much less than the light source lumen number. Projector brightness will determine how big the projected image can be and still have acceptable brightness.

    Most consumer projectors use one of two methods of producing the image. The most common, and cheaper, is a transmissive color LCD in the light path - analogous to a slide in a slide projector or the film in a movie projector. The other more expensive method utilizes Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology. There are a variety of illumination technologies used in DLP projectors, with some being more energy efficient than others.

    Most projectors also include what is called "keystone correction", which can be used to correct the trapezoidal distortion caused by projecting off-axis onto the screen surface. The very low end projectors omit keystone correction. Most projectors at least have vertical keystone correction. The higher end projectors will have both horizontal and vertical keystone correction, with some projectors even having automatic keystone correction capabilities.

    Another projector specification to be aware of is the "throw ratio". Short throw or ultra short throw projectors must be placed closer than normal to the projector screen, and are really intended for home theater applications with a permanently installed wrinkle-free projector screen. A portable projector screen will seldom be completely wrinkle free.

    Also consider the video inputs the projector can accept. Many projectors accept a variety of video inputs including composite video, HDMI, VGA (from a computer), and wireless (WiFi and/or Bluetooth) streaming. Some projectors only have an HDMI input port. Most projectors also have a USB port to read a USB flash drive, and a slot for a micro-SD card.

    Most projectors have built-in speakers, some of which sound better than others. Some manufacturers put more effort into the audio amplifiers and speakers built into their projectors, incorporating powerful audio amplifiers and reasonably sized speakers, while other manufacturers seem to treat the built-in audio amplifiers and speakers as an afterthought. I made sure the projectors I purchased had an audio output jack, so I could send the audio to an external sound system.

    Another issue not really discussed with video projectors is that many do not have a sealed light engine to keep dust off the LCD. Most transmissive LCD projectors blow air across the LCD to keep it from burning up. Dust particles can stick to the LCD, resulting in black spots in the projected image. Some of these projectors have a small access door that can be opened to clean the dust off the LCD. A few transmissive LCD projectors advertise the fact that they have a sealed light engine. While dust particles may not be a major issue in a modern well-maintained home, dust getting on the LCD will likely be a problem in more austere environments.

    Below are three video projector examples. The crazy cheap projector was an impulse purchase just to see what I would get for $20. The $70 projector, as my first projector, was a "dipping my toe in the water" purchase just to gain experience with a video projector. The $340 DLP projector purchase reflects my effort to get a higher performance video projector.

    Crazy Cheap Projector (various brands, model YG300): This projector was purchased from a Chinese e-commerce site for $20. YG300 projectors are sold under various brand names on Amazon for $35 to $50. Yes it works (actually, the first one I received didn't work, so it was replaced). While its specifications say it supports 1080P, it is really 240P (native resolution of 320 x 240 pixels). It uses a transmissive LCD. It has a claimed brightness of 400 lumens, but I measured only 16.6 ANSI lumen output. It consumes 21 watts. It lacks keystone correction, and produces a very dim visibly pixelated image. It only handles a 4:3 aspect ratio properly, with "wide screen" aspect ratios being badly squished horizontally. The sound from its built-in speaker is weak and distorted. I would not recommend this projector, not even as a "better than nothing" option.

    AuKing M8-F Projector: This projector, my first, was $70 from Amazon. Again it says it supports 1080P, but it is really 480P projector with a native resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. (For reference, DVDs are 480P (640 x 480).) It uses a transmissive LCD. It has an advertised light output of 7500 lumens, but I measured an output of 96 ANSI lumens. It consumes 50 watts. It has vertical keystone correction. In a darkened room, with the video projected on an 80-inch diagonal area, it is bright enough to enjoyably watch. The sound from its built-in speakers is adequate for a small room, so an external amplifier and speaker system would be beneficial.

AAXA P7+ Projector with accessories in a Harbor Freight

hard protective case.

    AAXA P7+ Projector: This projector was a $340 Amazon purchase. It is a DLP projector. It "supports" 4K resolution, but is a 1080P projector with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This projector has a claimed maximum "550 LED Lumens" (whatever that is). I measured 388 lumens in its brightest "boost" mode, 332 lumens in its normal mode, and 166 lumens in its "eco" mode. It consumes 34.5 watts in boost mode, 27.7 watts in normal mode, and 16.2 watts in eco mode. It has a built-in battery which is claimed to operate the projector for 2.5 hours in eco mode (I have not tested this). It has vertical keystone correction and handles different aspect ratios properly.

    The AAXA projector has built-in speakers and a fairly powerful amplifier, which is loud enough for a normal-sized residential room. I still plan on using it with an external amplifier and speakers.

    About the only downside to this AAXA projector is that it lacks an A/V input. But, composite video to HDMI converters are fairly inexpensive and work reasonably well.

Improvised projector screen. (Source

https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportmacgyver/comments/c97f5e/no_projector_screen_no_problem_use_my_cow/)

Projector Screen

    You need a flat white or off-white surface to project against. Most of the inexpensive portable screens you see sold on Amazon utilize a translucent stretchy fabric, so much of the light passes through the screen and is not reflected back toward the audience. Translucent screens might be a benefit if you want to do a rear projection setup (some projectors will allow you to flip the image to facilitate rear projection).

    I have yet to come up with what I consider a suitable projector screen solution for the ZAMT. I have experimented with a couple different cloth solutions (bleached canvas, thick white tablecloth), purchased several commercial screen material samples for testing, and tested different types of white paint. I have also looked at various portable projector screen offerings on Amazon, but the moderately priced screens are all fairly fragile, and may not be sufficiently durable to survive repeated setup and take down.

    I did purchase a pop-up projector screen that looks like it should be fairly durable, but is only 80-inches diagonal (16:9 aspect ratio) - really too small for the ZAMT - just so I have something should the zombie apocalypse come sooner rather than later. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R97CQDX)

Modified Nintendo Gameboy Advance with four feature-length

movie cartridges. Not shown is the special cable that plugs into the GBA to

provide composite video output.

Media Player

    The media player is your video source. This can be a DVD or Blu-ray disc player, a DVR of some sort, a computer, or some some other video player. I have used a Blu-ray player and a modified Nintendo Game Boy Advance (GBA) that outputs composite video as my video sources. I have also played movies from a USB flash drive plugged into the projector.

    The Blu-ray player I am using is a basic model. It attaches to the projector with an HDMI cable, and consumes only two or three watts when operating.

    I modified a Nintendo GBA (model AGB-001) using a commercial kit that allows the game console to output composite video. Most people install this kit so they can play their favorite GBA games on a TV. What many people do not know is that for a couple years in the early 2000s, Nintendo released a series of 35 cartridges containing full-motion animated content. Most were children's cartoons, but three cartridges were feature length animated movies, and one cartridge was a double-feature containing two of the feature-length movies. While the video quality is poor due to compression artifacts and low frame rates, the movies are still enjoyable to watch. (The GBA has a 240 x 160 pixel 2.9-inch diagonal color display. Those cartridges were never intended to be shown on a larger screen.) The GBA runs on two AA cells.

Sound system composed of two bookshelf speakers, class-D

amplifier and its power supply, and audio cables.

Audio System

    As mentioned above, the built-in speakers in many projectors are fairly weak, necessitating an external sound system of some sort. Initially, I hooked up some computer speakers, which provided plenty of volume for the room where I was testing the projector. Computer speakers would be adequate for a family room or living room, but not for a larger room or outdoors.

    I looked at various sound system options, including "sound bars" and PA speaker systems. After a lot of research, I settled on a moderately priced 50-watt-per-channel class-D stereo amplifier and a pair of bookshelf speakers. Class-D audio amplifiers are very efficient compared to other amplifier types. Class-D amplifiers are also inexpensive and very compact. With the volume on the amplifier turned up to a painfully loud level, the amplifier was drawing 33 watts.

    To get the most out of the sound system, the speakers need to be off the floor or ground. When sitting on the floor or ground, much of the sound will be absorbed by the floor or ground, or audience members sitting near the speakers. Many PA speaker systems come with stands to get the speakers off the ground. There are speaker stands designed to support bookshelf speakers, but it occurred to me that I could just as easily use a couple wood stools I already own.

Independent Power Source

    You will notice that I have been providing power consumption numbers for each component of the ZAMT. Since I plan to use an independent power source, establishing a power budget is necessary.

    I plan to run the ZAMT using a "power station" (a portable package integrating batteries and inverters, such as a Jackery) that can be recharged using a portable solar panel. A generator would be overkill and noisy. Plus, a generator would use gasoline that could be used for other purposes.

Tripod or Platform

    While you can just set the projector on a table, having other options for supporting the projector adds setup flexibility to the ZAMT. Many projectors have a 1/4"-20 threaded insert in the bottom of the projector so they can be mounted on a camera tripod. There are also tripod projector stands that appear to be a traditional tripod with a flat plate on top that the projector can sit on. A TV tray might also be practical, but the TV trays I have encountered were always wobbly and flimsy.

    Whatever method is used to support the projector, it needs to be stable enough to not be toppled by the three cables typically attached to the projector: a power cord, an HDMI or composite video cable, and an audio cable to an external audio system.

Other Equipment Considerations

    Don't forget robust containers to carry and protect your equipment. The cardboard boxes most projectors come in will not provide long term protection. I have purchased carrying cases for my projectors (except the $20 projector), with the AAXA DLP projector being stored in a Harbor Freight hard protective case (a Pelican case clone). The sound system can be adequately protected and transported in an old milk crate.

    As mentioned above, if the projector does not have an A/V input, get a composite-to-HDMI converter. These converters are inexpensive, starting at around ten dollars on Amazon. They typically run on five volts, which can usually be obtained from the USB port on the projector.

    There are also HDMI adapters for cell phones and tablets, if you want to use one of those devices as one of your media players. For example, Apple sells a lightning to HDMI adapter for the iPhone (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD826AM/A/lightning-digital-av-adapter). I don't have experience with Andorid devices, but I see that similar adapters are available from many sources.

    Also factor in redundancy. Get extra audio cables and/or the means to make and repair your own cables. Get spare A/C power supplies for those components that cannot operate off 12 Volts DC. Most of the projectors and media players come with a remote control, and while basic functions can be accessed without a remote control, many features are only accessible when using the remote control. So, get a spare remote control if practical. And, don't forget spare batteries for those remote controls.

    For redundant components, make sure you test them. It would be better to discover you have a new faulty cable now, than discover that the cable is faulty when it cannot be conveniently replaced.

Copyright Issues

    Most consumer motion picture media (Blu-ray discs, DVDs, video cassettes, and even GBA video cartridges) are usually licensed only for home use. Using consumer motion picture media for any kind of public performance violates that license, and is a copyright violation. Home use is limited to "a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances." (17 U.S.C. § 101 (2020)) Anything more, such as showing the motion picture at a church social event or a neighborhood party, is considered a public performance of that motion picture.

    A motion picture public performance can be lawful if a public performance license is first obtained from the copyright owner or its designated agent. (See the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (www.mplc.org) for more details on obtaining a license.)

    There are some movies that are in the public domain, and as such could be shown in a "public performance" without obtaining a license. However, the analysis as to which movies are in the public domain is a complex topic outside the scope of this discussion. For example, the 1975 post-apocalyptic movie "A Boy and His Dog", the heartwarming story of the unbreakable bond between a young man and his canine friend, is claimed by several reputable sources to be in the public domain. But, my own research suggests otherwise. In contrast, the 1968 cult classic "Night of the Living Dead" is in the public domain due to the inadvertent omission of a copyright notice in the movie as required at that time by copyright law.

    As a practical matter, in a without-rule-of-law (WROL) zombie apocalypse environment, there may be nobody remaining to grant motion picture public performance licenses.

Security

    In a zombie apocalypse WROL environment, if you can't defend your equipment from others, is it really yours?

    When lawlessness prevails, measures must be taken to protect yourself, your equipment, and your audience. For that matter, in the current environment you may need to consider protective measures in some locales. Protective measures are situation specific and outside the scope of this discussion. Do not neglect planning for protective measures.

Conclusion

    Even before a zombie apocalypse, there are many circumstances where a semi-portable movie theater that can operate "off grid" would be desirable. Those circumstances are limited only by your imagination.

    The ZAMT started off as a thought experiment. I subsequently assembled the various components and verified that they could work together as described. If my use case had been a home theater, a personal backyard/camping theater, or a portable theater business, I would have made different equipment choices.

    The equipment described above is just a snapshot of my current equipment configuration. I expect that equipment mix to continue to evolve.

-------------

Resources:

    This YouTuber provides good reviews of video projectors. He uses uses test equipment to objectively measure performance characteristics of the projectors being reviewed. His focus is the home theater, but he also reviews portable video projectors.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-51DG-VULPpwjbD2A9U0ekk4g6D1Hhnb

    This article explains why projector lumen output matters, and provides recommended lumen output ranges for various environments. I personally think their recommendations, based on my own observations with my equipment being used in a dark room, are a little high. But, their recommendations provide a starting point in analyzing needs.
https://www.projectorscreen.com/blog/How-Many-Lumens-Do-I-Need-For-A-Projector

Review of the Olight Freyr Flashlight

Continuing my reviews of Olight flashlights I've purchased over the last year and a half or so, the next up is the light that I generally take with me on evening walks. This one is the Freyr tactical light. The light normally sells for $139.95, but at the time of this writing, Olight has a flash sale price of $111.96, which is probably pretty close to what I paid for mine. The light comes in what appears to be an orange color, or in black (which is what I bought). 

    This is a pretty large flashlight for modern LED flashlights, measuring just a tad over 5-1/4 inches long. The housing for the lamp and reflector is also quite broad for modern flashlights, being 1-1/2 inches in diameter. But, although it comes with a pocket clip (which I haven't used), it really isn't designed or intended as a pocket light. Rather, it is a flash light for outdoor use, whether for law enforcement, hunting, hiking, or anyone else that needs a powerful flashlight for outdoor use. 

    So, let's go over the specs. The maximum output of the flash light is a white light of 1,750 lumens with an advertised throw of 360 meters. As I've mentioned in relation to other lights, I found a tree that according to my laser range finder is just over 300 yards away. At night, I was able to easily illuminate that tree with this light on the bright setting, although the beam was not as tight as on my Odin weapon light. But I can tell you from experience that it lights up the neighborhood at the max setting the few times I've used it while walking. It is incredibly bright!

    Of course, being incredibly bright, you can't run it at that brightness for very long because of heat concerns. Although the aluminum body has sort of swirl shaped radiating fins around the base of the housing/bell for the lamp, it will only stay at the brightest setting for a couple of minutes, after which it will drop to 850 lumens for 150 minutes, and thence to 300 lumens for 28 minutes--or so Olight advertises. I haven't run it in the high mode for more than 10 or 15 seconds at a time because I haven't wanted to anger any neighbors. Did I say that it is bright?

    There are two lower white light settings you can select.: a more sedate 300 lumens at which the light can operate for 9.5 hours from a full battery charge according to Olight; and a moonlight setting of 5 lumens on which setting the light can run for 15 days from a full charge. The latter may be of particular interest to someone backpacking or hunting. 

    In addition, the light can be switched to different colors: red (30 lumens, 22 hour run time), green (60 lumens, 14 hour run time), or blue (25 lumen, 12 hour run time). Obviously, the different colors are good for signalling. Red is often used as a means of preserving night vision. And blue is often used to aid in following a blood trail. Finally, there is a strobe setting for the white light. 

    As far as other statistics and features, the light has a sensor on the front that will drop the lumen output from the high setting to a lower setting if you move it too close to an object. The light has an IPX8 water resistance rating, and can supposedly survive a drop from 1.5 meters. So, it is going to be a tough flashlight. 

    It comes with a holster/case that has a magnetically latching cover. The holster has a strap on the back that is MOLLE compatible or can be used as a belt loop. I've attached the holster to a carrier vest with MOLLE loops. There is also a D-ring for hanging the holster off something. Like many other of Olight's products, it uses an induction charging cord that attaches by magnets to the base of the flashlight. 

    And, one feature I found I really liked, is that it comes with a silicone cone that can be fitted over the bell housing and used for directing traffic, signaling, etc. The cone fits into the holster, and then the light can be slipped into the cone, tail first, allowing you to carry both in a compact package. Although the cone is intended for signaling, I've used the cone with the white light to get a "lamp" effect.

    Operation of the light is via two switches: a tail cap switch and a smaller side switch. If the tail cap switch is depressed half-way, it goes to the medium 300 lumen white light; all of the way, and it activates the max white light setting. Like other Olight products, if you quickly depress and release the switch, it will remain on; if you hold the switch momentarily, the light goes off as soon as you release the switch.

    The side switch is used for the other light functions. Pushing and releasing the switch will turn the light on to the last setting used. You can hold the switch down to change between red, blue, green, and moonlight settings. 

    I purchased the light for a couple of reasons. First was to use as a handheld tactical light in or around the home. The light, at least in the high setting, is too bright to use in the house, but is great for investigating noises in the yard. 

    The second reason was for outdoor activities. In fact, the inclusion of the blue light setting was a big selling point if I was hunting and wound up having to track a shot deer after dark. And, as I mentioned above, I like the fact that the light could potentially be used for over a week of constant use without charging. 

    And even though I didn't buy it for this reason, it has been excellent for use when walking at night. It comes with a signal cone attachment, as I mentioned earlier, and I like using the cone in combination with the red light when crossing streets at night because it is so highly visible. 

    So, in short, it is a tough light with a lot of features that should appeal to the outdoors enthusiast, law enforcement officer or security guard, or any other situation calling for signaling options and, if necessary, a high power light. 

Review of the Olight Obulb

The Obulb comes with the light, instructions, a metal disk with adhesive backing and charging cable (Source)

So yesterday I discussed a couple reviews of Olight's Odin weapon light. As a weapon light, I haven't actually used mine too much. If there is a zombie apocalypse, that might change, but for now, of the various Olight products I've purchased, the one that I use the most is the Obulb. Which is ironic because the reason I got it was because it was something like $5 or $6 more when I was purchasing a flashlight on a flash sale, so I thought, "why not?" and added it.

    Before we go any further, let's discuss the Obulb and its features. At the time of this writing, it is selling for $19.95 at the Olight store, not including shipping or taxes (if applicable). It is literally shaped like a barely squashed sphere of 2.13 inches diameter, according to the web site, with the bottom sliced off to provide a flat base for sitting the bulb and attaching the induction recharging cable. This uses Olight's standard recharging cable that uses magnets to attach to the light being recharged. Because of this, there are a couple small magnets on the underside of the Obulb.

    To turn the Obulb on or off, you simple push on the center of the bottom of the bulb (you will feel a slight dimple). The Obulb has four light settings which you can switch between by pushing and holding the on/off "button" on the bottom of the Obulb. The settings are:

1. A 55 lumen warm light setting (the high setting);
2. A 3.5 lumen warm light setting (the low setting);
3. A 7 lumen flashing red light; and,
4. A 7 lumen steady red light.

The one that I use most often is the low (3.5 lumen) setting. I would describe it as being about as bright as a decent quality candle, albeit without the flickering. 

    The Olight is supposed to be handle a 1.5 meter drop and has an IPX7 water resistance rating. 

    I didn't actually believe that I would have much use for the Obulb except maybe as a small lantern for camping. After all, I have other flashlights that are brighter and direct a beam. The Obulb is a lantern, and its brightest setting is only 55 lumen. But the time I'm most likely to use a flashlight is if I wake at night to use the toilet or get a drink, or waking before my wife and getting showered and dressed. In those cases, I don't really want to turn on the house lights and wake people up. And that is where the low setting on the Obulb comes in handy as it has enough light to see what you are doing as you move around, but not so bright that it is going to wake my wife, the kids, or the dog. Even at the higher 55 lumen setting, it certainly is not going to be like flashing a multi-hundred lumen flashlight around.

    On top of this, the magnetic base comes in handy because I can attach it to anything made of steel, whether the bottom of a stainless steel shelf in my bathroom, the door of the refrigerator, the fender of a car, underside of a car hood, etc. And if you want to use in a closet or someplace that doesn't have a light, you can attach the metal disk to a wall or ceiling with its adhesive, and then attach the Obulb to that disk when you use that location.

    I don't remember exactly when I bought it, but I've had it at least 6 months and had no problems. The Obulb has a maximum 56 hours of runtime on the lowest setting, which I believe because I only just recharged it a second time this past Sunday; and that is without ever having let it run dead.

    In sum, it is a useful light--far handier than you might think.    

A Couple Reviews of the Olight Odin Weapon Light

In the summer of last year, Olight released their Odin weapon light with a maximum 2,000 lumen output. I bought one at the time as part of a flash sale, getting a really good deal on it (40% off), but never got around to reviewing it. However, I recently came across a couple reviews: a video from Andrew at AR15.com and an article from C. Travis at Guns America Digest.

    First, the video:

VIDEO: "The Most Brutal, Most HONEST Olight Review You Will Ever See! Olight Odin Test" (11 min.)

    Andrew torture tests the light by mounting it way forward so that it got hit from the gas escaping from the flash hider, and then dropping it repeatedly on a concrete block until the mount broke (the light kept on working). He then discusses a few things that he liked and didn't like.

    One of the features he really liked was the method of recharging this light. Basically, it has a combination rear activation button and magnetic charging port using an induction type of charging. The magnets pull the charging cord and port together; but the magnets can also be used to attach the flashlight to a steel surface. The Odin is probably too big for that, but it works for other lights, including the Olight Bulb. 

    The cord plugs into any standard USB charger. There are lights on the cord that are red when charging, and change to green when fully charged. I like this feature as well, and Olight uses it on most of their rechargeable lights now. It is especially nice because there is no female charging connection on the light, so dirt or water can't get into the light that way.

    On the other hand, Andrew disliked the mount for the light. Basically, the mount is designed to fit on a bit of Picatinny rail. The mount then has a slot on the top and to one side that can be used for locking the light into place. What Andrew didn't appreciate, I guess, is that if you only have rail space at the 12, 3 and 9 o'clock positions, the side slot means that you can mount the light at an 11 or 1 o'clock position, or you can use the slot on the top of the mount to put it at the 12, 3 or 9 positions. I put the mount on the 12 o'clock rail, used the side slot, which put my light off to the side at the 1 o'clock position.

    Andrew also didn't like the fact that the mount was not quick detach from the rifle, but the flashlight could be quickly released from the mount and used in the hand. He thought it should have allowed the light to be easily switched from one rifle to another. I, on the other hand, liked the idea. Sometimes you want to use a flashlight without pointing your rifle at everything.

    Finally, Andrew didn't like the locking collar that locked the remote switch to the back of the light, thinking it was enough to just have the magnet hold it in place; and if it did get caught up, having the magnet pull loose was preferable to damaging the cord or the switch. However, in an earlier iteration of the light that lacked the locking collar, Olight had a lot of customers complaining that the magnet was insufficient to hold the cord in place, so they put the locking collar on it. You don't have to use the locking collar; and where I've placed my light on the opposite side of the gun from my support hand, I would rather have the locking collar because, otherwise, if the cord pulled loose, I would not be able to reach over and activate the switch with my hand. Andrew had mounted the light on the same side as his support hand, so he could easily manipulate the end-cap switch with his thumb.

    The article at Guns America Digest is "Olight Odin: The 2,000 Lumen Weapon Light – Review" by C. Travis. This is a great review with lots of photographs illustrating not only the features of the light and its size, but also showing how far it can cast a beam, and comparing it against other lights. 

    The main takeaway is that although at a significantly lower price point from some of its competitors, it is a well made light (it has an IPX8 waterproof rating), very bright, and can easily throw a beam on its high settings to 300 yards. When I first received the light, I used a laser range finder to find the distance to a tree down from us. After it was dark, I shined the light toward the tree and was easily able to illuminate it. 

    Anyway, good light in my opinion for the prepper wanting a good quality light without spending as much as for a Streamlight or Surefire, plus with some great features not present in those brands. I like the ability to recharge the light to minimize the number of batteries I have to carry or store, and I can charge it off a battery pack such as is used to charge cell phones or other small electronic devices. And that battery pack can, in turn, be charged using a small solar panel outfit intended for hikers and campers.

Review: RST Rear Sight Tool

Each square is one inch.

    The RST Rear Sight Tool is an assembly that can be used to adjust dove-tailed sights on semi-auto handguns, or even to remove or install such sights. I purchased the RST off of Amazon for $105 or $110, if I remember correctly. It currently is $99.99. The set I purchased came with their "universal" adapter that works well with slab sided slides such as on the Glock or 1911. I believe that you can purchase whole sets with other adapters, but if not, replacement adapter sets run for $8 per set on Amazon. 

    The RST ships in a rather plain cardboard box with the parts shown above and an instruction manual. The parts are: (1) two tightening screws (the manual says that there is a short and a long one, but mine came with two of the same length); (2) a drift screw; (3) a guiding clip (plus an extra) which locks the push head onto the drift screw; (4) three push heads with different angles for different types of sights; (5) a plate; (6) a plate with a bolt for the drift screw; (7) an aluminum spacer block with magnet; and (8) two adapters that fit over the plate (5) and spacer block (7) to better hold the pistol slide and prevent marring. 

This photograph show the spacer block attached to plate with nut, the drift screw screwed into place, and the adapters put in place. The push head installs by being pushed over the nipple at the end of the drift screw, and then the guiding clip slides down through grooves in the push head to lock into place. Make sure that the guiding clip is fully pushed into place. The large hole on the guiding clip is to accommodate the upper tightening screw.

Push head and guide clip in place.

The fully assembled RST Rear Sight Tool.

Here is the RST in place and ready to push the rear sight on a Glock pistol.

    I've used the RST to adjust sights on the Glock handgun pictured above (yes, I had to move the sight over that far to get it zero'd correctly). I used it to replace and adjust the sight on another Glock handgun, and loaned it to a friend who used it to replace the rear sight on a used Glock that he had purchased. The "universal" adapters used above work perfectly for the Glock, and it makes removing and installing a rear sight very easy. More importantly, because you don't have to remove the slide from the handgun to use it--for instance, just locking the slide to the rear--it is very useful for adjusting sights while at the range. 

Replacement adapter set--this one is is the XD adapter set for use with Springfield Armory XD and Beretta m9/92 series. I bought them to use with the front sight on a Sig P220 handgun. Other adapters offered are the VP9 set (for H&K VP9, VP40, P30, P200 and HK45, and Sig Sauer Sp2022 and SP2340) and the XDM (for use with the Springfield Armory XD-M, XD-M Elite, XD-E, and Hellcat Series).

    But replacing the sights (front and rear) on a law enforcement trade-in Sig P220 proved more difficult. Essentially, I broke two of the guide clips and bent the nipple on the push screw trying to remove the rear sight (without success, I might add). Fortunately, I had also picked up a "repair kit" for $25 that had extras of the screws, clips, and push heads. 

    But I can't really blame the RST, though. I also bent a brass punch and broke a small diameter steel punch trying to remove the rear sight on the SIG before successfully using a thick steel punch and heavy ball peen hammer. I also had to remove the front sight in the same manner. My impression is that SIG must have used some glue in addition to the friction fit. 

    On the other hand, the RST did an admirable job in installing the new front and rear sights on the SIG. One extra thing I needed, because of the shape of the SIG slide, was to purchase the XD adapter set. It worked perfectly for the front sight, but required some stopping and readjustment for the rear sight. 

    So, is the tool worth its price? It's not perfect, but I believe it was worth it. All of the sights I was installing were tritium night sights, so using the RST made sure that I wasn't damaging the tritium vials. I also really appreciate how easy it is to use at the range to make small adjustments to the sights. 

Article: "Survival Fishing: How to Catch Fish When SHTF" by Coty Perry (Updated)

 I once read that if you wanted to know how to hunt big game post-SHTF, just read through the hunting regulations and do what it says is illegal. I guess the same must apply to fishing. Coty Perry, in his article "Survival Fishing: How to Catch Fish When SHTF" at Your Bass Guy Anglers warns his readers that "[b]efore we continue, know that some of the techniques I’m going to share are illegal in the United States. I’m sharing them so that in a true survival situation, you’ll know what to do." 

    I have to admit that I haven't put a whole lot of thought into survival fishing because I don't fish and, therefore, don't have the equipment. (I've a couple cheap rods and poles from when my kids were Cub Scouts and I was trying to help them, but that isn't real equipment). I've poured over many outdoor survival books since I was a wee lad, so I know the rudiments of making an improvised fish hook and how to make simple fish traps, but I also know that there is a lot of work and skill that goes into fishing that I don't have. (I have a friend, on the other hand, that the couple times he was fishing literally was able to throw in his lure and regularly pull a fish out every minute or two while I couldn't even get a nibble). Fortunately, Perry's article seems aimed at people like me. 

    For instance, he begins by telling the reader:

    When catching fish in survival mode, you need to think a little differently about fishing. Sure, you can fish with a rod and reel, but for the long-term, you’ll want something that doesn’t require so much of your time. Called passive fishing, it involves you setting the stage and coming back to reap the harvest. We’ll discuss these different methods in a moment.

    In long-term survival, you also want more than a reliable fishing spot. You want a place where you can collect fish and keep them alive until you want them. Lastly, when you’re in a survival situation, you need to maximize your chance of catching fish. That means implementing more than one strategy and continually monitoring them for success.

The two basic methods that he starts with are setting multiple lines from poles (improvised or not) and a trot line (dropping lines from a rope or cord suspended across a stream). He goes on to discuss some other non-sport fishing methods of catching fish, including using a gorge hook or net fishing, hand fishing, spear fishing, knocking them out with a club, fish traps, fish weirs, and "stunning" fish using a poison.

    Perry then turns to trying to advice on where to fish, different factors that impact how and when fish feed, and how to approach a fishing hole without spooking the fish. For instance, about some of the factors that influence fishing, he writes:

    Fish feed most before dawn and within the first hour of daylight, making it the prime time to have a line in the water. The second most productive time of day to fish is right after dusk when they again feed heavy.

    In the spring, fish are easiest to catch, especially if you live somewhere that has a cold winter. In these areas, the fish are hungry and active due to the warmer water. Many are also laying their eggs near shore in the spring, so opt to drop your line in covered, shallow water.

    In summer, fish often prefer the deeper waters where it’s cooler. Move away from the shore and try to hit the deep holes or still water in the shade. In the fall, the water temperature starts to drop, spurring fish to increase their food intake.

    This means they may be more interested in your bait. During winter, fish stay in deeper waters, away from the ice on the surface. Be sure to have a deep enough line that the fish can find your hook.

    Barometric pressure also impacts fish and many go into a feeding frenzy before a storm. When the storm includes a cold front, the amount a fish eats can slow down until after the cold snap passes. On this same note, a bit of wind can increase your odds when you’re fishing for survival.

    Strong winds make waves that interfere with the fish’s ability to see out of the water. Windy weather also stirs up sediment, making the water cloudy and the fish less likely to spook.

Experienced fishermen are probably reading this and saying, "well, duh," but for someone like me that is not a fisherman, it is all good to know, and not something I've seen in survival manuals. 

    Anyway, Perry concludes his article by going over what gear to have on hand for a survival situation, putting together a SHTF fishing kit (both for home and a bug-out bag), where to look for bait, and cleaning and cooking fish. 

    Read it and print it up for your survival notebook.

[Updated to reflect a change in the website of the cited article]

Hill People Gear Kit Bags--First Impressions

Last month I published a post concerning "Carrying a Handgun While Hunting or Hiking" that discussed various means of carrying a handgun in the back country. My focus for the most practical method led me to chest holsters, of which there are several varieties. I eventually settled on the Kenai Chest Holster from Gunfighters Inc. , and purchased a harness and holster set for an S&W N-frame .44 Magnum.

    Well, I got some comments and emails from readers suggesting Kit Bags from Hill People Gear. In fact, one reader reached out to his connections with the company asking them to provide a kit bag for my testing and evaluation. So, within a short time after I published my "Carrying a Handgun..." article, I received an email from Evan Hill of Hill People Gear asking which bag I would like to try. After some deliberation, I settled on a Recon Kit Bag in Coyote brown. But in my communications with Evan, I mentioned that I intended using it with the N-frame .44 Mag, and he told me that the Recon Kit Bag would be a tad too small and that they recommended the Original Kit Bag because it was a little roomier. Fortunately, he had just retired one of these, and so sent me his old one. About a week later I was looking at spanking new Recon Kit Bag and an obviously used but still in very serviceable condition Original Kit Bag in gray.

     Now I will say that in my prior research I had come upon lots of people recommending the Hill People Gear products, but one of the reasons that I passed over them was because I (erroneously) believed that you had to purchase a separate holster to use with them. This was incorrect. Although there are two thin velcro strips in the gun pocket, this is merely to accommodate what some users want. Similarly, there is a loop in the gun pocket to which you can attach a Fricke Zacchaeus Holster or MIC Holster (these are both minimalist holsters to cover the trigger and trigger guard of Glock handgun, with a cord placed to pull off the holster when the gun is drawn). But you do not need a separate holster. I want to emphasize this because not only was it not clear to me, but it also means that a Hill People Gear bag is from about 50% to 80% the cost of a Kenai system, depending on the specific model.

    Hill People Gear has a video that explains how to use the bag:

"Drawing From a Kit Bag | In Detail"--Hill People Gear (5 min.)

First Thoughts

    When I first opened the box, I was immediately struck with three thoughts concerning the Kit Bags. First, was the versatility because I wasn't limited to just the one firearm for which I had a Kenai holster: as long as they fit in the gun compartment, I could carry different firearms depending on what I thought best for my needs. Second was that it would better protect a firearm from dirt and grit and the elements than the open holster of the Kenai. Third was that the Kit Bags offered concealment for a firearm by itself.

Recon Bag -- Features

     The Recon Kit Bag is a "medium" offering. It has the same width and height of the larger bags, but only has two main pockets: the gun pocket and a front cargo pocket for carrying additional gear. You can find a list of the features of the Recon Bag here, but I am going to mostly rely on photographs. Please note that the background grid uses one-inch squares.

Recon Kit Bag -- front view

     This is the Recon Kit Bag I tested. This is in Coyote Brown. You can see the MOLLE attachments and I will say that that they are very well stitched on. In fact, the stitching is excellent on everything. My thought with wanting MOLLE attachments was that if I wanted I could attach an extra pouch or two to the front, a knife and sheath, and so on, but with those off, I would have a nice compact piece of gear.

    As you can also see, the zipper is heavy duty and zips up very tight to help keep out water. The tabs are large and make it easy to unzip and zip up the pocket.

Recon Kit Bag -- Back View

     The back view shows how the harness hooks up to the bag. It is a four point harness that has a clip on the right hand side to allow you to put the bag on and take it off. You can see the loops on the bottom of the bag which allow it to be attached to other bags or equipment. You can see on the right how far the zippers come down for the gun pocket: it is the same on the left side. It uses the same heavy duty zipper and pulls as the front pocket.

Recon Bag -- Harness

    This is the view of the actual harness. As you can see, it is a mesh that is very breathable. On the left hand side, you can see one of the elastic keeper for the harness straps so you can roll up any extra length you have and keep it from tangling. Below is another photograph showing the details of the zipper on the gun pocket.

Recon Kit Bag -- Detail of the zipper for the gun pocket

Recon Kit Bag -- Gun Pocket

     The photograph above shows the bag with the gun pocket completely unzipped. The manufacturer claims that no additional holster is necessary when the kit is being worn. I believe it. With the kit on the table, and a cocked (but unloaded) Glock on the gun pocket, I tried to depress the trigger through the fabric between the gun pocket and the front pocket. I was able to do so, but it wasn't easy. In any event, if you want to add a holster, there is a strip of velcro down the middle of the back wall of the pocket allowing you to attach a holster. There is also a loop you can see at the bottom to which you can attach a Fricke Zacchaeus Holster or MIC Holster, which are minimalist kydex holsters that just fit over the trigger guard.

Recon Kit Bag -- Front Pocket

     Finally, here is a photograph showing the inside of the front pocket. As you can see, there are a couple pouches on the back wall of the pocket, allowing you to further organize your gear.

The Original Kit Bag -- Features

Original Kit Bag in gray (what the company terms "Manatee"). 

    Most of the features of the Original Kit Bag are the same as the Recon Kit Bag. The main differences are that it does not have the the external MOLLE attachments of the Recon Bag and it has a middle pocket making it overall roomier. Moreover, the internal pocket has a back wall cut for PALS attachments and uses a fabric to which you can stick Velcro.

Original Kit Bag -- Middle Pocket

What Firearms Fit?

     Of course, if you are interested in one of these bags for carrying a handgun, one of your questions will likely be whether your firearm fits. Hill People Gear has a forum which notes various handguns that people have found fit their products, and I recommend looking through that to see if your specific firearm will fit.

     The Hill People Gear bags that I received for testing were obviously large enough for most any everyday carry gun, but what about the larger firearms that you might want in the back country? My first test, then, was to see what firearms would fit each of the bags.

     Since my initial interest was to carry a .44 Magnum S&W "Mountain Gun"--a 4" barrel N-frame--I tried that in each of the Kit Bags. As Evan Hill had warned, the handgun was just a tad too big to fit in the Recon Kit Bag, but the slighter deeper compartment on the Original Kit Bag was just enough to squeeze it in and zip up the sides.

4-inch N-Frame lying on top of Original Kit Bag

    Over the next couple of weeks, I was able to test the fit of other handguns, some mine and some belonging to people I know. Since the bags would fit or nearly fit an N-frame revolver, my goal was not to test medium and small handguns that were substantially smaller in dimensions, but firearms that I thought would work but might be pushing the limits. So, this is what I tested and found that worked:

• 4-inch barrel Single Action Army revolver in .45 Colt: This firearm was just a bit too big to fit into either of the Kit Bags because of the heel of the pistol grip was just a bit too long. I suspect that if it had a Bisley style grip, which is more vertical, it may have fit; but I don't have one available to test and can't say for certain, though.
• Ruger Wrangler .22 LR revolver with a 4-inch barrel: This is essentially a .22 LR sized Single Action Army style handgun. This firearm fit in both bags.
• 4-inch barrel .357 Magnum service revolver: This firearm fit in both bags.
• Glock 34 (5.32-inch barrel): The Glock 34 uses the Model 17 frame, but has a longer slide and barrel. This firearm fit in both bags.
• Full size .45 ACP 1911 handgun (5-inch barrel): This firearm fit both bags.
• S&W Model 10 with a 5-inch barrel: This is an S&W K-frame revolver and fit into both bags, but it was also clear that if the barrel had been any longer, it would not have fit.
• Browning Buckmark with 6-inch barrel: I actually didn't expect this because of the barrel length, but this firearm fit both bags.
• As noted above, the 4-inch N-frame revolver fit (barely) into the Original Kit bag but not the Recon kit bag.

So the basic takeaway is that most defensive handguns, whether revolver or semi-auto, with 4-inch or shorter barrels should fit both bags fine. Revolvers with 6-inch barrels would probably not fit. The real difficulty is with large bore revolvers, where even 4-inch barrel lengths might be too big. My N-frame fit; a large-bore Ruger or Taurus might not.

Drawing From The Holster--A Comparison

Glock 34 sitting on Recon Kit Bag--this firearm fit inside the holster pocket without any problem

     Since this whole affair arose over whether the Kenai chest holster of the Hill Gear Kit Bag was the better holster, I decided to test the two looking at draw times. Drawing started with the weapon in the holster, no covering garments, and hands at my side. I used a shot timer to measure the time between the beep, when I would move to draw, to when the first shot was fired. I used the .44 Magnum N-frame revolver in both tests, drawing from Kenai and the Hill Gear Kit Bag, and did two sets of six. There is a bit of a learning curve with both holsters, and I should have practiced before hand, but I didn't and so these are "cold" numbers.

	Kenai Chest Holster		Hill People Gear Original Kit Bag
Shot Number	First Set (sec.)	Second Set (sec.)	First Set (sec.)	Second Set (sec.)
1	2.61	2.15	3.82	3.86
2	2.15	2.07	5.53	3.94
3	2.00	1.82	4.22	3.94
4	1.72	1.95	3.90	3.81
5	2.23	1.76	3.18	3.26
6	2.33	2.03	3.22	3.40
Average	2.17	1.96	3.98	3.70

    So, basically I was consistently getting around 2 seconds to draw and fire the revolver from the Kenai Holster, but nearly 4 seconds from the Hill Gear Kit Bag. A big part of the issue with the Kit Bag was having to pull open the gun pouch far enough that I could access the revolver. That, in turn, was highly dependent on whether I was able to hook my thumb through a gap left between the two zippers on the right-hand corner and pull it open or not. If the opening was too small, it could significantly slow down the process. This is one of the reasons for the large variability in times and for the longer times. If I had been more careful of the opening size, I suspect that my average time would have been smaller.

    But that is still over one-second longer than the Kenai holster. And I think it is the difference between drawing from an open Kydex holster and the concealed nature of the pouch in the Kit Bag.

   But I also noted that the zipper on a few of my shots tended to bind a bit around the bottom of the grip on the revolver. It was simply such a large gun that it was pushing against and slightly deforming the zipper, which I believe also slowed me down. So, to make the test a bit more fair, I decided to do another draw test, except this time using the Hill Gear Recon Kit Bag and my Remington R51. Those results were better, with the following times:

	Recon Kit Bag
Shot Number	First Set (sec.)	Second Set (sec.)
1	2.98	4.44
2	3.34	2.43
3	2.62	2.49
4	3.94	2.25
5	2.59	2.69
Average	3.09	2.86

Again, I had a couple fumbles that increased my average time. Ignoring those, my time was closer to 2.5 seconds, which is probably indicative of what I would get once I was use to the holster and firearm combination.

Carrying The Respective Holsters

     For something that is going into the backwoods or brush with you, how well it carries the firearm is important. Balancing of the weight is particularly important, because my back will quickly start hurting if the balance is off.

    When I tested the Kenai holster with the .44 Magnum, I wore it while I did some yard work: in particular, I was spraying a spider barrier with a pump dispenser that required me to repeatedly get up and down from kneeling positions and bend over. The balance was pretty good. The primary problem was concealing the weapon. Even wearing a light jacket, the grip of the handgun protruded quite noticeably. So, the Kenai Holster, at least with that size of handgun, was not a good choice for concealed carry.

    Concealed carry with the Original Kit Bag with the .44 Magnum was no problem. The bag conceals the weapon very well--better than many fanny pack holsters I've tried or seen.

    But what about balance? My test this time was, again, more house/yard maintenance work. This time, I was climbing a ladder to get on the roof of my house and using a leaf blower to blow fallen leaves off the roof (there are a couple sections in particular where them seem to pile up) and to blow them out of the gutters. Once I was again on the ground, I also then raked up the leaves and cleaned up other debris I had blown from the roof and gutters.

    I was very impressed with the Original Kit Bag through all of this. I think that the 4-point harness distributed and carried the weight better than the Kenai rig. This is not to say that the Kenai was bad, but to say that the Kit Bag was exceptionally good. And, as noted, concealment of even that large of a firearm was no problem.

Concluding Thoughts

     Considering the foregoing, I see the Hill People Gear kit bags and the Kenai holster (or other similar chest holsters) as fulfilling related, but slightly different roles.

      The Hill People Gear bags would, in my opinion, be the better option for the person wanting to carry a firearm for self-protection while engaging in outdoor activities such as mountain biking, hiking, camping, or as a backup to a hunting rifle; activities where the firearm is secondary to the activity. It conceals and protects the firearm, allows you to keep some survival gear or a first aid kit on your person, and distributes and balances the weight very well. Because it is not molded for a particular firearm, it gives you greater options for carry. Just going on a short hike where feral dogs are your biggest danger, you can slip in something smaller and lighter. Going on a camping trip where you might meet up with larger predators, including the 2-legged kind, slip in a full size handgun.

    For the person actually hunting--that is, intending to shoot the game--with a large caliber, long-barrel handgun, the Kenai holster would probably be the better choice. You can carry a larger, longer-barreled firearm (assuming Kenai makes a suitable holster), and it is a bit quicker to access (as long as you don't have it under a zipped coat). 

     I think you would be happy with either, but for most people, the Hill Gear Kit Bag will probably be a better, overall choice, because of the versatility and concealability.