Bug Band Products

Bug band products are a safe, effective alternative to deet repellents that are on most shelves. Deet is a pesticide that is not good for your skin or the environment and can be harmful to plastics, rubber and paint. In fact when I was working for the Sheriff's Office I had a brand new jacket ruined because a deet repellent got on it. I've also heard of sunglasses, watches and other plastic and rubber items being ruined by it. When I was in the Marines we were always told to put the deet repellent on out clothing and not directly on our skin because it is a skin irritant and it clogs up your pores so you overheat. It is also recommended to remove the deet product when it is not longer needed, which most people forget to do or don't know this is supposed to be done.

Bug band products use an oil derived from geraniums, known as geraniol which has no known toxicity to animals or wildlife. The geraniol give off an vaporous odor that repels insects and is a good area repellent.

Bug band sells several products with their geraniol repellent in them. One is their wrist band, hence the name Bug band. This is a band that comes in several different colors and is adjustable for any wrist size. It uses geraniols evaporation process to give an area reallent type effect. These can be worn on the wrist or attached to the belt, pack, etc, etc. It works for up to 120 hours when not in it's case and is water resistant. It has a breakaway feature too if it gets caught on anything. I've found that these wrist bands do work. They don't work as well as the spray or wipes, but they do work. I believe if you were to wear two of these...one high on the body and one lower that it may help repel bugs better, but again, these do work and I love using these because they're convenient and don't require you to apply anything to your skin.

Another item are bugband towelettes. These come in a large box, large or small dispenser tubs, or small packages of 2. They have the insect repellent on them and they're super convenient for applying it to the body. I'd say that the 2 pack is just right for one person wearing shorts to cover the arms, legs, head, face and neck area. When I have my dog with me I take the wipe when I'm done with it and tie it to her collar to help keep the bugs away from her as well.

The last bug band product I was able to test was the pump spray. This comes in a more "civilian" style pump spray or a military styled spray bottle. This is your typical sump spray bottle that is used to apply the geraniol repellent to the skin. It will require you to rub the repellent into your skin after spraying it on though. I have had this bottle kicking around in my pack on several occasions and haven't had any leaks yet.

These products worked great for me. Again, the least effective product was the wrist band, but overall, all of these products were impressive. They also have a pleasant smell to them. Bug band has several other products like bead bags for area use, and spreadable geraniol for use in yards, playgrounds and pet bedding.

If you need to get rid of pesky bugs...Bug Band has something for you. They're effective, safe, and don't smell horrible!!

Update: One thing I've also found as an advantage with these products is that with products like "Off" I'm allergic to them and get sneezing like crazy... with these sprays and creams There isn't that allergic reaction!

Grimloc Locking D-ring

The Grimloc Locking D-ring was originally designed for the DoD by ITW Nexus. One of the original uses was to attach hydration systems (camelbaks) directly to their body armor/load bearing vest. The Grimloc was designed using Ghillie-Tex IR reduction plastic which resists rusting and corrosion. These locking D-rings are not to be used for rappelling, but for equipment attachment only. They attach to your LBV/pack/etc by threading behind the MOLLE/PALS webbing.

They are made of GhillieTEX, a polymer that is resistant to IR detection. Because they are plastic they are less likely to become a secondary projectile if broken. The area where the spring is for the push button (on the top in this picture) has purge ports to get rid of water and sand. The top of the push button (plunger) is textured for better grip with wet or gloved hands.

The Grimloc will break away at around 8o pounds of pressure as a safety feature so if the used gets caught on something his body weight will break him free.

I've found these to be very handy for many uses. They are light weight, but tough and can be used in any environment. I have yet to find anything negative about them, other than the fact that I keep finding places to put them and have to order more. Don't use cheap carabiners that you find in the checkout isle of Wally World when for almost the same price you can get something of great quality.

Buy here: Maxpedition - $9.99/4

Colors: Black, Coyote, Foliage

Pictured below are the 3 colors and one I camouflaged using Krylon and Rustolium paint.

Tac Link

This updated version of the gear carabiner is brought to us by ITW Nexus. Because the Tac Link is not designed for rappelling or bearing the weight of a human the company doesn't refer to it as a carabiner . It does however hold up to 300 pounds, unlike the Grimloc that is designed to break loose under approximately 80 pounds of pressure for safety.

Sizing is a little larger than the typical gear carabiners that most people use. This will allow for a decent amount of gear to be placed on the Tac Link and allows it to attach to things the smaller ones wouldn't.

The Tac Link is made of GhillieTEX material. GhillieTEX is a light weight polymer material that has a reduced infrared (IR) signature over other materials. The GhillieTEX won't scratch up your gear like metal carabiners and will not produce noise like metal carabiners will. Also, the Tac Link won't become as hot as metal during hot temperatures. The only metal on the Tac Link is the corrosion resistant stainless steel spring.

Some other unique design features of the Tac Link:

• Textured outer spine for better grip with wet or gloved hands.
• Large opening that doesn't have the typical notch on the upper portion of the opening like carabiners have. The lack of this latch helps to prevent gear from snagging when removed from the Link. I really like this feature and wonder why no one thought of it before. I always have problems removing items with one hand because they get caught on this little notch.

I've been using the Tac Link for a while now and it's held up well. In fact it looks brand new and has held some heavy weight when using it to hold my pack. The only weakness I've found is the gate portion... when it's open it'll bend side to side a bit. I haven't forced this to the point of breaking because I'm sure you could break it this way, but I wanted to note that it will bend side to side, but I haven't had it break during normal use. I bring this point up to point out that yes it bends a little when open, but during normal and even hard use, I can't see it breaking.

Overall, I really like this replacement for the carabiner for carrying gear. If you're using a climbing or cheaper metal trinket carabiner for your load carrying needs you should definitely consider the Tac Link as a replacement.

This Tac Link is built by ITW Nexus (known for quality products) and is distributed by other companies. I suggest MilSpecMonkey. You can find it here for $4.

Colors: Black, Foliage, Coyote, Orange.

Proforce Softie Elite 1 Sleeping Bag

Proforce Equipment is the military branch of Snugpak, which is a civilian provider of high quality camping clothing and gear. A company originating in the UK, Proforce uses high quality materials in their gear which is state of the art in not only quality but performance. I have been very impressed by their gear.

One product that I have been using is the Softie Elite 1 sleeping bag. This sleeping bag is designed for warmer climates and use. It has a comfort rating of 44°F/7°C and a low rating of 35°F/2°C (these ratings are assuming the use of a sleeping mat and being inside a tent or under some other kind of shelter). I've used this bag into the high 40s low 50s so far and can say that it definitely works.

Not only are the Softie Elite bags warm, but they're very packable. This bag packs down into it's stuff sack and fits in the palm of my hand. It easily fits in a side pocket of a good pack and takes up only a fraction of the room of a normal sleeping bag.

Snugpak uses several different materials in this bag to gain such good insulation with such little weight and space. One of these insulating materials is Softie Premier insulation. Softie premier is a polyester filling that is kind of like down filling, only with a fraction of the weight and space. Some of the fibers in this filling are crimped, some curled, and some left as they are to give a random effect similar to down insulation. This fill also maintains it's insulating properties even when wet.

Another material in this bag is what's called reflectatherm. Reflectatherm is a highly breathable, metallisized fabric designed to reflect heat and retain warmth. It adds an additional 15% of heat to the bag.

The inner and outer material on the bag is called Paratex light. This is a windproof, lightweight, water repellent nylon fabric which is breathable and moisture wicking. This is a very soft material that is also a ripstop type material.

The way sleeping bags keep you warm is by using your body heat to heat up the air inside the sleeping bag. This bag has several good features to regulate the heat inside your bag. Here are some of the other features of the Softie Elite 1:

1. Stuffs down into it's included stuff sack, takes up little room and light weight.
2. Mummy shape helps to retain heat.
   
3. Has a baffle system which expands to help regulate heat inside the bag. When it's warmer out you expand the baffle so that there is more room in the bag. By doing this you stay a little cooler because your body is heating up a larger space, therefor keeping your body cooler. This also expands the bag to give you more room if needed. When not expanded the baffle helps keep drafts from coming through the zipper.
   
4. The bottom of the bag can be folded up for shorter individuals (like me) to maintain better warmth. By folding the bottom of the bag up and attaching it using the 2 attachment points it makes the inner space of the bag smaller, therefor allowing your body to be able to heat up the inside of the bag better. If you have unused space in the bag (ie: extra area in the bottom of the bag) it's harder to keep the air inside the bag warm via body heat. On the opposite side, in warmer climates you can leave the bottom unfolded to keep the air inside the bag cooler.
5. An adjustable "hood" is included on this bag to maintain your body heat by covering your head. A good majority of heat escapes from your head, so by snugging this don on your head it'll help to retain body heat.
6. Available for left handers or right handers, putting the zipper on the proper side. Something you don't see a lot of.
   

A couple of things to note about storage of your snugpak bag is that you don't want to store it in it's compression sack. Unpack it and store it unpacked, preferably hanging. This allows the fibers to expand between uses. Also, one thing I've always made the mistake of doing is rolling my bag to get it into the stuff sack. Again...a no no. By rolling the bag you can tear and separate the fibers of the insulation doing damage to the bag and possibly reducing it's effectiveness. A good thing to know!

I'm sure I skipped a feature or two, but this line of bags is absolutely awesome. Not only for the average hiker/camper, but for military this bag provides protection from the elements without taking up a lot of space in your pack where you can keep other essentials for combat. And the low weight is a definite plus when you're carrying your gear on your back.

I think snugpak is really on to something with their gear and I highly recommend their stuff. At a reasonable price you can't go wrong with quality like this.

Colors Available: OD green, desert tan, black, mustard yellow

Length: 86in.
Carry weight: 36 oz.

Available at U.S. Cavalry for $112.99 (at time of posting)
Brigade Quartermasters for $109.99

Outdoor Meal Kit

This is another great product by light-my-fire. The outdoor meal kit is the Swedish update to the mess kit. It's good for use while camping and hiking and also fits in just as well at home or the workplace. This kit provides plenty of unique features and uses. I have been using it for a while now for camping and taking food to work. I have used it in the microwave as well as the dishwasher and it shows no wear. Here are the features of this kit:

1. Dishwasher safe
2. Floats
3. Microwave safe
4. Main container retains all other pieces. Both the top and bottom of the main container can be used as a plate. Bottom of the container can be used as a bowl.
5. Bowl included that can be used as a spill proof cup. The top provides a waterproof seal and has a small hole in it to drink from. This bowl/cup also has measurements in it for 100, 200, and 300 ml, They are marked with a 1, 2 and 3. This cup also has a small handle that makes it easy to pick up.
   
6. Includes a strainer/cutting board. This is nice and thick and is a great addition to this kit.
7. Includes a smaller waterproof bowl/container which is good for keeping spices or anything else you want to keep moisture away from.
8. Included spork is very handy. One end is a spoon, the other end is a fork with serrated knife. The knife is actually very nice and works well. I have several of these sporks for camping and one I keep with my work gear for times when a spoon or fork is needed but not available. See my review for more details.
9. Harness available for attaching this to your pack and keeping the container closed.

I like this item and think that it's a really god item. The quality is outstanding. This kit has quite a bit that you can use all in one small package. There is even room inside for additional items. I keep my firefork and firesteel in the main compartment as well. A fairly simple kit, but with a lot of innovative and unique features!

MSRP: $19.95

Light-My-Fire FireSteel

Light-My-Fire is a Swedish company that has a lot of innovative products for the outdoors man or anyone who goes camping or is on the move. Their FireSteel is a really nice fire starting tool that was designed for the Swedish Department of Defense, but it's great fore starting camp fires, grills, etc etc. I have used mine most to start my MSR portable camp stove due to the fact that the gasoline can light very quick in a ball of flames and with this firesteel I can light it at a distance.

The firesteel comes in 3 different sizes (mini, scout, Army). The one I've been using is the Army model. Here are the specs on this version:

1. Up to 12,000 strikes
2. Works when wet and in the wind.
3. Produces a spark that's 5,500°F
4. Spark is bright enough to be used as an emergency signal.
5. Available in subdued colors.
6. Includes it's own striker which is attached via para cord. This striker works great. You get a spark every time.
7. Shipped and stored with a protective coating on the "flint" area. This is easily rubbed off with the striker or a blade.

This is a great piece of gear that you should have several of if you're in the outdoors a lot or a camper. I really like this model and I'll be buying a couple of the minis to test out and to use on my key chain. I like them that much!!

MSRP $17.99

Rite in the Rain

Rite in the rain is a company that you should know if you're in the military, law enforcement, or an outdoors man. Rite in the rain products are designed to get wet and maintain their usable properties. The water just rolls off the paper, even when completely submerged.

In past years I had used write in the rain notebooks while serving in the Marines. Being in the Marines the rite in the rain notebooks served me well as we were always in a hot or wet environment. I never had the notebooks fail or come apart. Even after being submerged for some time, the only noticeable difference in the paper was a little water seeping into the edges of the paper. This, however, didn't cause the paper to come apart.

In the years since leaving the Marines rite in the rain has even made the notebook paper better. The paper now is even more resistant to water and has a smoother surface. The older notebooks had a slight texture to them...the new notebook paper does not. They have also added tan paper along with their original green.

I recently received a couple products from write in the rain that I'll be reviewing here.

First is the Rite in the Rain all weather tactical black clicker pen (NSN - 7520-01-498-1876). You can use any pencil on the rite in the rain paper and it'll work just fine, but it can be smeared and sometimes you just need a pen. This pen is a metal pen, but doesn't weigh a lot. You click the end to expose the ball point. These pens have special ink that is under pressure which allows the pen to write upside down, under water, in temps from -30°F to 250°F. This pen writes extremely smoothly and unlike others I have tried, doesn't gum up at the tip causing a big glob of ink on your first few letters. Refils are available for this pen as well. MSRP: $9.95

Another item I've been using on a regular basis while out in the field testing gear and taking notes is the 3 ring binder and cover kit. The notebook included here is a 3 ring binder and comes with several different forms used in the military and regular notebook paper can be bought for it as well. The binder is made of durable polydura material and rust proof metals. I dropped this several times from a hight it may get dropped from in normal use to see if the rings would let loose...they didn't. BUT, if they were to let loose, the whole thing is enclosed in a binder cover made of cordura. The cordura feels like possibly 600D cordura, but either way it's pretty durable. It includes pockets on the inside, front and back, and pen pockets on the inside front. this cover zips closed. The color I got was the tan, but it's closer to coyote, which has become very popular in the past couple years. MSRP: $47.95 (with included pen)

One item that I used while in Iraq was the bound tactical field book. Of course, the newer version had the newer paper, and a nicer cover (called field flex), which is still very durable, yet a little thinner to reduce weight and makes carrying it in a pocket much more comfortable. The size is 4 5/8" x 7 1/4" and it has 160 pages printed in a pattern that is very useful. The pattern is basically a light graph paper pattern. I like this as it allows several different applications. This item is extremely durable and if you need to keep a log or any other type of notes that you'll want to have for some time...this is the way to go. MSRP: $14.95

The last item, that is also an item I used to use in the Marine Corps is the tactical pocket notebook with included cover. The 3" x 5" notebook itself has 50 waterproof sheets with the same universal graph pattern as the bound notebook. The Cordura cover (again, very close to coyote in color) is durable and has 4 pen slots on the front. The cover zips closed. I have been using this on a daily basis for the last few months in hot humid environment. It has gotten drenched in heavy rains and all sweaty and hasn't shown any wear, either in the cordura cover or the notebook itself. MSRP: $22.95 (with included pen)

I am not really easy on my gear and I haven't been easy on these items either. My past experience tells me that these items are built to last....they won't let you down. Rite in the rain has a ton of different products, including copier paper, ink jet paper, planners, index cards, and they can even make you custom forms and notebooks. One cool item I got somewhere years ago were their stapled notebooks....a good economical way to go if you need to supply for several people. Check out their site...you're sure to find something you need now or in the future.

Light My Fire Spork

This is a cool little accessory that I picked up at Wal Mart for a few dollars and is an excellent piece of gear. It is made by Light-my-fire out of sweeden. It's a fork, spoon, and knife in one. I was surprised to see just how good the knife was as I expected to have to use a pocket knife to cut with, but it cuts great. This spork won't melt in boiling water, is Teflon friendly, dishwasher safe, and comes in several colors.

I have been using this spork for 2 years while camping and I keep it as a backup in my work bag in case I need it, and it's come in handy. For camping it's very easy to carry this instead of all 3 utensils and it's easy to clean up. There's not a whole lot to describe about this spork, but for the price I highly recommend picking up a few. There are now serving size versions as well. A total of 3 sizes are now available.

Light My Fire USA sells tons of innovative camping and adventure gear. Look them up and definitely consider their products!!

100mph Tape

100 mph tape is basically a tactically colored duct tape. Supposedly this was used in the apst as a make shift repair for bullet holes in fighter jets...obviously when fighter jets went low enough and slow enough to get shot my firearms that didn't take them out of the air. Unlike gaffers tape, 100mph tape is a little stronger, but will leave a sticky residue which is extremely difficult to remove. This tape can be found in many colors and widths.

Gaffer Tape

I love this stuff.. I keep 100mph tape around, but I primarily use this in place of the OD duct tape. Gaffer tape is tape used in the movie and entertainment industry. The reason is that it is strong but easily ripped, non-reflective, and doesn't leave a sticky residue when taken off.
The reason I started looking for a tape other than 100mph tape is that when we would mark "unit gear" with our names using 100mph the name would rub off because of the glossy surface of the tape. I knew that there was a tape out there that had more of a matte surface that was cloth tape. When I found gaffer tape I knew I'd be using this tape over 100mph tape for most applications. This tape is 12mil thick, good adhesion (60oz/in) and is water resistant. It's available in 1,2,3,4 inch widths and a variety of colors.