Category: Field Gear

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 …


30 Year Review of My Automotive EDC, by A.J.

This review started because I needed a band aid the other day and rather than dribble through the house, I went to the first aid kit in the minivan.  I was surprised at the amount of empty space in the plastic case, but there were the necessary items to handle the cut. I used a benzo conium wipe (still wet) and a Band-Aid (still sticky) and then started quality checking the kit. I looked at the contents label and it was printed in 1996 and looking further, the remaining dose of Imodium in the kit had a use by date …


The Prepared Homeowner’s Workshop, by Richard T.

A lot of mundane people have workshops, and a lot of preparedness-minded people have workshops, but not all of those preppers have a workshop that is properly prepared for many of the scenarios that they are concerned about. Perhaps this is because they do not see the role a workshop plays in preparedness. What distinguishes the prepared workshop from others is that the owner has: Learned key skills Acquired apropos tools, and has, Stocked hardware on a “just in case” footing. This approach differs from the ordinary workshop that is inadequately prepared and hopefully will never going to be needed …


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 …


Savage Model 220A in 20 Gauge, by Thomas Christianson

My maternal grandfather owned two shotguns. One was a rusty old 12 gauge with a cracked buttstock and a broken butt plate. The other was a nice little Savage Model 220A in 20 gauge. When I was in my teens, I said to Grandpa, “I would like to try to repair that 12 gauge for you. If you like the work, you can give me the 20 gauge in payment.” That was a foolish offer on my part. Why would Grandpa want to give up a dandy 20 gauge just to get a battered old 12 gauge repaired. But for …


Making Repairs, by Big John

So you are living in a societal collapse and something breaks. Let’s say that your generator dies. You’ve gotta fix it. The following describes what have I learned about fixing things: I used to go through the repair process in my mind a few hundred times. I would pull the cover by loosening two screws, then unbolt the coil with a socket wrench. Then pull the coil and inspect for a broken winding. But first of all, I must borrow my friend’s socket set. I have learned over the years that the most efficient route is often to just tear …


Alternative Fuels and Lighting For When The SHTF, by Tractorguy

Something that we always stress to fellow preppers, is that “when the SHTF, what you have is all you will have,” stressing the importance of permanently sustainable and renewable things like wood heat, electricity from solar panels, etc. Once you have that covered, however, it is worthwhile to consider that some of the disaster scenarios we may have to cope with may be temporary – whether a weather event such as a snowstorm or tornado, or something medium-term like an EMP event affecting a smaller town where the residents are likely to pull together and survive. A limited-supply fuel may …


Ontario M3 Fighting Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The M3 Fighting Knife was designed with a single purpose: to kill the enemy. It was designed to penetrate deeply into an opponent during hand-to-hand combat, severing arteries and veins along the way, so that the opponent would quickly lose enough blood to cease to be a threat. The M3 and the KA-BAR were evaluated together for the US military in 1942 by civilians on the Smaller War Plants Corporation Board. It was adopted by that board based on civilian rather than military criteria. The chairman of that board was eager to select designs that could be quickly and economically …


Rejuvenating and Old PC with Linux Mint Xfce – Part 2, by Thomas Christianson

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) LinuxLite Attempt One Since I was more satisfied with the Linux apps that I was running under Chrome OS Flex than with the native Chrome apps, I decided to experiment with another Linux OS. I went to www.linuxliteos.com and attempted to downloaded LinuxLite 7.4 . That was easier said than done. That site was so choked with ads and deceptive links leading to other software that it was virtually impossible to find a link leading to the correct download. After more than 30 minutes of searching, I finally gave up and decided …


Rejuvenating and Old PC with Linux Mint Xfce – Part 1, by Thomas Christianson

Our Motto; “Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without”. Getting the most out of what you already own instead of buying something new is a good way of using your resources more effectively. Then your resources can be used instead for something that will bring you more long-term benefit. Extending the useful service life of an older computer is one way of utilizing your existing resources more effectively. JWR Adds: Given the huge number of online books, web archives, offline copies of Wikipedia, service manuals, military manual PDFs, e-Book Bibles and Bible commentaries, and other …


Your “Gray Man” Camouflage, by A.C.

Background I travel for work, often traveling all over the word into some not-so-friendly environments where I don’t want to be a target but I still need to remain capable. I’ve interviewed behaviorists about the science behind being memorable and I’ve also spoken with members of certain 3-letter-agencies about what they’ve learned about traveling in austere environments. This short essay is an aggregate of that information that is easily consumable and understandable. In the world of tactical preparation and survivalism, there is a pervasive image of the “operator”, that is; someone decked out in multicam patterns, sporting morale patches, and …


Woodhaven Fire Starters, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front The Woodhaven Fire Starters provide excellent material for igniting a useful blaze. Each disk is four inches in diameter, one inch thick, and weighs 4.2 ounces. They are composed of cedar sawdust bonded together with refined paraffin. One full disk burns for 20 to 30 minutes. It can also be broken into smaller pieces to start multiple fires. The fire starters are safe to use in fireplaces, firepits, wood stoves, and similar applications. The disks come in packages of 12, 50, or 100. At the time of this writing, those packages cost respectively $19.99, $65.00, …


Cold Steel Recon 1 XL Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

“That’s not a knife. This is a knife!” (Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee, in Crocodile Dundee, 1986). When I took the Cold Steel Recon 1 XL out of its box for the first time and deployed the blade, the attempted mugging scene from Crocodile Dundee immediately came to mind. The Recon 1 XL is bigger than the average everyday carry (EDC) knife: a lot bigger. It has a 5.5-inch blade that is 0.15 inches thick and 1.63 inches wide. It is 12.25 inches long when the blade is deployed. And it weighs 8 ounces. The knife is 6.75 inches long, …


Some Thoughts on Batteries and Flashlights, by Hoofer

We’ve read SurvivalBlog for several years, my wife first (she’s the farmer), and more recently, me… the last 4-5 years. (I’m the farmer’s husband, but, grew up on 250 acres, farming). I took particular note of the recommendation ‘not’ to use/buy appliances which use 18650 batteries (Li-ion rechargeable). We bought four of these 18650 batteries 2.5 years ago, and use them nearly every day. This particular variety is not in stock on Amazon – however, the replacements are well worth considering, if you’re actively using flashlights. Our old standard flashlights, were Mag-Lites, 3, 4, 6 D-cell versions, which we’d had …


Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System, by Thomas Christianson

Given enough time, most of us would like to stock our own survival-kit/bug-out-bag with our favorite, hand-picked equipment. But sometimes there is not enough time or enough hand-picked equipment to go around. We want to add a bag to an additional vehicle. We are just getting started and don’t yet know what equipment to pick. Or we want to help a family member on short notice. The Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System is designed to provide two people with the basic equipment and supplies to survive the first 72 hours after an accident, disaster, or disruption. I am …