Otis Technology EarShield Ranger RE 23, by Thomas Christianson

During the summer of 2025, I was enjoying a picnic in a park with my wife, “Kari” and my youngest daughter “Rivka.” Part way through the meal, Rivka commented, “Wow, the cicadas certainly are deafening. My immediate response was: “What cicadas?” In the days of my youth, we had access to earmuff style hearing protection. The problem was that they were dumb muffs. They prevented the wearer from hearing both what he wanted to hear and what he did not want to hear. Therefore, I didn’t wear hearing protection whenever there might be something that I wanted to hear. I …


Granberg 16 Inch Clip-N-Trim, by Thomas Christianson

Some SurvivalBlog readers may be familiar with “Grandmother’s Song” by Steve Martin. I heard that song for the very first time back in 1979. It was part of Martin’s album “Let’s Get Small”, played from a vinyl LP on a stereo belonging to one of my college roommates. One of the lines of the song is, “Live in a swamp and be three dimensional.” I never dreamed that one day I would be living that line. But now, almost 50 years later, I find myself living in a home surrounded by wetland. One facet of wetland life is the need …


WOOX Leggenda Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Reminiscent of the stocks of the classic firearms of the past, the exquisitely-grained American walnut grips of the WOOX Leggenda folding knife confer an aura of timeless beauty that modern synthetic scales cannot match. About the only material that I can think of that might be even more attractive than walnut in this application would be elk antler. The hefty 3.5 inch long and 0.13 inch thick blade of D2 steel conveys a sense of gravitas. At 6 ounces, the knife might have just a bit more gravitas than is ideal for field use, but for shorter treks at lower …


Mingo Firewood Marker, by Thomas Christianson

The Mingo Ultimate Firewood Marker enables someone who is processing firewood to buck logs into rounds of remarkably uniform length. It does this by placing a spot of inverting marking spray at precise intervals onto a log that is being prepared for bucking. This precision is especially helpful for those who heat with smaller wood stoves. The fireboxes of smaller stoves have less margin for error than the fireboxes of larger stoves. A piece of cordwood even one inch too long can make it impossible to shut the door on the firebox of a smaller stove. Variations of the Marker …


MTM Case-Gard “The Bull” Rifle Rest, by Thomas Christianson

“The Bull” Rifle Rest by MTM Case-Gard provides a light, stable, sturdy, and inexpensive base for zeroing firearms and testing ammo. It is easy to assemble and easy to adjust to fit a wide variety of firearms. Over the course of six months of testing, I used the Bull with break-barrel air rifles, semi-automatic rimfire rifles, bolt-action centerfire rifles, semi-automatic centerfire rifles, muzzleloading rifles, and lever-action centerfire rifles. It adjusted well to provide a stable and sturdy rest for every firearm with which I used it. I have used other rests that have had difficulty accommodating rifles that use 30-round …


JaseAid Trauma Kit, by Thomas Christianson

Author’s Introductory Note: I am not a medical professional. This article does not constitute medical advice. It merely represents the observations and opinions of an average layperson. Please consult a medical professional about the best training, equipment, and supplies that you should obtain in order to be better prepared for possible emergencies. SurvivalBlog readers who are also medical professionals are strongly encouraged to contribute articles within their areas of expertise to SurvivalBlog. You may provide the vital public service of rescuing SurvivalBlog readers from the simplistic ideas of people like me). Many first-aid kits are really boo-boo kits. They are …


AFH U.S. M1 Bayonet, by Thomas Christianson

The U.S. M1 bayonet is designed to fit the M1 Garand rifle which was the standard issue American infantry rifle during World War II and the Korean conflict. The M1 bayonet has a 10-inch spear-point blade that is 1 inch wide and has a tang that is around 0.25 inches thick. The blade is made of 1080 carbon steel. The grip panels are made out of black Durez or a similar plastic. The bayonet measures 14.25 inches overall. The 10-inch blade is long enough to make the bayonet somewhat awkward for everyday tasks like opening cans, prying open crates, or …


Fire-Fast Trekker Fire Starter, by Thomas Christianson

“As the twilight drew on, [the dog’s] eager yearning for the fire mastered it, and with a great lifting and shifting of forefeet, it whined softly, then flattened its ears down in anticipation of being chidden by the man. But the man remained silent. . . . [The dog] caught the scent of death.” (Jack London, “To Build a Fire”). Fire is important. It is so important that I recommend carrying at least three different tools for starting a fire while in the field. I recommend that one of these tools be a ferrocerium (ferro) rod. The Fire-Fast Trekker Fire …


CRKT Drifter Liner Lock Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

I had two major surprises as I reviewed the Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) Drifter Liner Lock Folding Knife: one positive and one negative. The positive surprise was the durability of the gray titanium nitride finish on the blade. It showed absolutely no signs of wear after more than a month of regular use. I was very impressed. The negative surprise was the country of origin. I ordered the knife because a knife-seller’s website indicated that it was “made in Taiwan”. When the knife arrived, the words “Made in China” were clearly printed on the box. The actual CRKT …


Signal Nomad HT-HD01 Network Bridge, by Thomas Christianson

The Signal Nomad HT-HD01 Network Bridge (aka “HaLow Dongle” or “Field Unit”) can be used to extend a wireless network by as much as a kilometer via the use of access point and end station transmitter/receiver units. These units — typically deployed in pairs — can be used in a remote location equipped with only Starlink or DSL Internet and no cellular coverage in order to extend a wireless signal beyond the range of traditional Wi-Fi. I am not highly skilled in the use of electronic communications devices. But even I was able to quickly and easily connect the Network …


Litt Industries LED Upgrade for Mini Maglite, by Thomas Christianson

The Litt Industries LED Upgrade significantly increases the battery life and brightness of an incandescent Mini Maglite 2 AAA flashlight. With the original xenon bulb, battery life for the flashlight was about 6 hours in my testing. With the LED upgrade, battery life was extended to more than 19 hours. The brightness was also increased from 12 lumens to 61 lumens. The upgrade is designed, developed, and manufactured in-house in Mesa, Arizona. At the time of this writing, the upgrade cost $13.99 at littindustries.com. By way of comparison, a brand new Mini Maglite LED 2 AAA flashlight cost $14.99 at …


Saiga 223, by Thomas Christianson

The Saiga 223 is a sporterized AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO. The advantage of an AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO is that it combines the rugged reliability of the AK platform with the wide availability and selection of ammunition in 5.56mm NATO. It was called the Saiga 223 rather than the Saiga 556 in order to try to help it slip past the 1994 “Assault Weapons” ban. Although it was chambered in 5.56 NATO, it was thought that an association with the civilian .223 Remington rather than military 5.56 NATO chambering would make it sound more …


Nosler Whitetail Country 140 Grain SBSP in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson

Nosler Whitetail Country 140 Grain SBSP in 6.5 Creedmoor is an accurate load designed for hunting deer-sized game. It has a ballistic coefficient of 0.495 which helps it to maintain energy at longer ranges. The solid base soft point (SBSP) bullet is designed to expand reliably while maintaining structural integrity at a wide range of velocities. The ammo is made in the United States. A 20-round box cost $34.81 at nosler.com at the time of this writing. That is a quite fair price for a load with such a premium bullet. If you hunt deer with a rifle chambered in …


DA Targets Knock Down Targets, by Thomas Christianson

DA Targets produces an innovative line of polymer, self-healing, reactive targets. They have silhouette targets. They have gong targets. And they have knock down targets, too. Like other reactive targets, knock down targets make an excellent training aid. The marksman doesn’t need to wait to inspect a target following a series of shots in order to find out how well he is shooting. Instead, the target reacts immediately, providing instant feedback about the effectiveness of each shot. This provides more accurate and powerful reinforcement of marksmanship skills. It is also a lot more fun. One of DA Targets’ most innovative …


Spartan Blades Talos Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Spartan Blades makes some really nice knives. Unfortunately, most of them are a little pricey for plebeians like me. But beginning in 2019, Spartan Blades was purchased by KA-BAR and expanded their product line to include the more affordable Field Grade models. Spartan Elite and Pro models are manufactured in the USA, but their Field Grade line is made in Taiwan. The intent is “to provide a dependable knife or tool for anyone regardless of budget.” The Talos Folding Knife is a good example of the Field Grade line. It has a 3.12 inch long, 0.12 inch thick, straight back …