Fall 2020-Reflection and Resupply

Join me over the next few weeks as I explore upgrades and new directions for my daily commuters and commutes. 

Product Review: the Magpul MOLLE Speedthreader

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

This product is one of those items you didn't know you needed until now, and once you've seen it in action you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Anyone who has tried to thread stiff MOLLE straps (technically called PALS, for Pouch Attachment Ladder System, but everyone refers to it as MOLLE anyway) through tight webbing knows how uncomfortable, time-consuming, and awkward it can be. Fortunately for all of us, our friends at Magpul have created a device which threads between the webbing and then pulls the strap after it, reducing the overall time to under a minute. 

It sounds confusing, but it's not. I'll let this video demonstrate it for you.

https://amzn.to/2DQ7rYv

That video was posted in 2007. I cannot believe I have gone thirteen years without knowing about this, but it's true. 

The Magpul MOLLE Speedthreader costs $8.59 from Amazon with Prime shipping, and is worth every penny. It is 18" long, made from a single piece of flexible plastic, and weighs .06 ounces. One end is a blunt point for threading through webbing, with holes in it so that you can attach a length of paracord to it. Doing this makes a loop for your hand and gives you much greater grip, and greater leverage, when pulling a strap through tight webbing.

The other end is a split gripper for grasping the fastener snap to ensure it is completely pulled through the webbing. The threader has a clearly marked "This side towards pouch" molded into the material so that you can ensure the snap is oriented correctly after you pull it through.

To use the threader:

1. Align your MOLLE accessory with the webbing to which you want it mounted. 
2. Starting from the top, thread the needle end through the webbing. 
3. When the needle has come out the other end, insert the snap fastener of the strap between the sides of the split gripper. 
4. Get a firm grasp on the needle end (this is where the length of cord comes in handy), and pull it through. 
5. Remove the snap from the gripper and fasten it to your accessory. 

My Rating: Five Stars

If you work with stiff MOLLE on a regular basis, or you do a lot of threading/unthreading where efficiency matters, or if you have weak or arthritic fingers, I cannot recommend this tool highly enough. Get it from Amazon today.

Dear FTC: I bought this with my own money. Go away. 

Canned Heat

While helping a friend with some camping gear, I was asked to explain the difference between the various “canned” gasses used in camp lanterns and stoves. This friend didn't want to deal with a liquid fuel like diesel fuel, kerosene, or gasoline (which is my first choice) and was looking at the butane and propane options on the market. 

Pressurized cans of fuel gas are fairly easy to find and store well in a cool, dry location for decades, so they make a good choice for emergency supplies. I've used several types of propane canisters for heating over the years and have seen the butane models, so I did some digging and here are the results.

Propane

Often called LP gas, sometimes defined as Liquid Propane and other times Low Pressure or Liquefied Petroleum gas, propane has been in use for a little over a hundred years and is commonly found just about anywhere in the world. A popular cooking fuel, it is cheap and easy to transport in steel cylinders that vary in size from less than a pound to several hundred gallons. You'll find a Propane cylinder attached to every gas grill in almost every garage in the US, so it is very common.

Propane has a chemical structure of C3H8, with a boiling point of -42° F. It produces around 2.22 MJ/mol (don't sweat the units, just make sure to use the same ones when comparing) of heat when it burns. Explosive limits are between 2.3 and 9.5% in air. Above or below that range, the mixture is either too lean or too rich to ignite.

Butane

Commonly used as a cooking fuel in Asia and in disposable lighters around the world, Butane is another liquefied gas that is easy to store. There are several brands of camping stoves and lighters that use Butane cylinders for fuel and the cylinders are fairly easy to find.

Butane has a chemical structure of C4H10 and a boiling point of 30° F. It has the capacity to produce about 2.88 MJ/mol of heat. Explosive limits are 1.8 to 8.4% in air.

Compare and Contrast

Both Propane and Butane are naturally odorless, colorless gasses that will have a chemical added to make it easy to detect leaks. Methyl Mercaptan is the most common odorant, and it's the same chemical that they add to natural gas to identify leaks. I'd bet that everyone has smelled either a propane or natural gas stove before the flame is lit, as it's a very distinct odor. Both are also a gas at normal room temperature and pressure, and are easily compressed into a liquid and stored under pressure.

Comparing the two, they produce about the same amount of heat and have similar (narrow) explosive limits, so either one will work well as a fuel source for back-up heat or light. The major deciding factor is the temperature that you will be expecting to use it at. 

• Propane will continue to “boil” inside the cylinder and, in my experience, produce usable amounts of gas down to about -5° F. Below that, you have to warm the cylinder to get it to work. 
• Butane shuts down at about 40° F, as anyone who has tried to use a disposable lighter in the winter will attest. 

If you live where the temperature drops below freezing, Propane is the better option for large containers. Butane in small containers like a lighter can be kept close to your body to keep it warm, but as soon as you remove it and start to use it in cold weather it will shut down.

Butane cylinders for a camp stove are selling for about $2.00/8 oz ($4.00/pound) can right now, and Propane in small canisters is selling for around $8.00/16 oz. By buying an adapter and a larger, refillable Propane tank you can cut the price drastically, but your local supplier prices are not something I can check; around here a 17 pound refillable canister costs about $35.00 empty and takes another $2.00/ pound to fill.

My Recommendation

My choice is Propane, due to the climate I live in and the ease of storing large quantities of it. I have a grill-sized cylinder that I had filled over 20 years ago which is still full (it came out of a camper when it got scrapped).

However, if you're looking for something to put into a pack or GHB and you live in a more temperate climate, then either one will work.

Prudent Prepping: The Shorts of It

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

Well isn't this interesting! I finally have both brands of wool underwear, and there's been enough time to properly evaluate them!

Wool-ed I Do It Again?
Short answer? Yes, and I will probably buy more fairly soon. Just to do a really quick recap, I mentioned Minus 33 boxers in this post and then followed up with a post on the last-minute substitution of the Wooly brand here. This is what I found:

What Is Similar

• Both brands have virtually the same make-up in their fabric and the waistbands are also the same flat, almost no-seam elastic.
• When holding or wearing both brands, the 'feel' is also difficult for me to tell apart. 
• Both are smooth, almost silky and my DriFit shirts are about the same 'silkiness'. 

Having now worn both brands for almost a week each, I really like how nice I feel at the end of my day. The weather has not been as hot, but my work has made up for that lack by expecting more production. The waistband was something I wasn't sure about since my regular boxers are covered on the inside, and these are like jockey brief waistbands, but I have found no problem with how it feels, probably due to it being flat. I don't really know why the waistband feels good, it just works.

What is Different
As I've shown above,  there is surprisingly very little difference in the feel or material. What is different is the cut or style of each brand:

• The Wooly brand is shaped much more like my regular boxers: somewhat straight legs and about the same length.
• The Minus 33 are shaped wider in the leg and maybe not quite as long. I was having a hard time trying to describe what the shape is when a former military friend said, "Oh, those sound like PT shorts!" After looking at what has also been described as 'silkies' and 'Ranger Panties', that's about what they resemble: wide of leg and loose. 

However they're described, I'm keeping both of them.

Recap And Takeaway

• If you can get past the high price for either brand, I recommend both of these. I will be wearing nothing else in the hot weather. (Nothing else? Oh myyyy! -- Erin)
• Nothing else was purchased this week, since these boxers ruined my Fun Money budget for the next several weeks.

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Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Ballistic Armor: Miscellaneous

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

This is the final post in my series on Ballistic Armor, and it's a catch-all of topics which didn't really fit anywhere else.

Side Plates
As the name suggests, side plates are ballistic plates which cover the gap between your front and rear plates. They are typically 6x6" or 6x8" and protect your vital organs from your armpit to the bottom of your ribcage.

Do you need them? I don't feel qualified to answer that.
One veteran has told me that side plates are the kinds of things that people in foxholes need, and that as long as I shoot squared-up, the benefits of side plates are marginal at best and that a ballistic helmet is more important.

However, others have told me that engagements on the two-way range have a distressing habit of being from directions you don't expect, and that it all comes down to whether or not you're willing to take the risk and, of course, if you can afford it.

If you do decide to purchase side plates, here is what I have to say:

1. Ensure that your plate carrier is cummerbund-compatible;
2. Get the best plates you can afford;
3. Do not forget to get trauma pads for them to reduce injury from impact and backface deformation;
4. Practice moving and shooting with your armor, as full armor rigs require significant practice before you achieve proficiency with them. 

Your Abdomen
You may have noticed that ballistic plates do not cover your abdomen, leaving your vulnerable to being gut-shot. This is the unfortunate result of the "pick two" dilemma I talked about in Levels of Protection: any armor which will completely protect your front will be significantly heavier, significantly bulkier, and significantly more expensive than what we have now.

Furthermore, ballistic armor is designed to protect you from immediately fatal injuries to vital organs, and being shot in the intestines is not immediately life-ending. Yes, it is painful and yes, left untreated you will bleed out, but it is not fatal in the way that a gunshot to the heart or lungs is; unless civilization has completely collapsed, you should survive long enough to make it to a hospital to treat you for your injuries.

I know of only one company which makes a commercially available abdominal plate, and that is AR500 Armor. I am reluctant to recommend them because their abdominal plate is steel (and I covered the issues with spalling here) and because the company has a poor reputation (information on which can be found here), and so all I'm going to say about it "I rather like their plate carriers" and "If you really want a steel abdominal plate, you can get one from them."

The US Military has access to Interceptor armor, which not only covers the entire front torso but also the neck and groin, and has armored sleeves for the arms and legs. However, I do not know if it is commercially available. Furthermore, it's only rated to stop a 9×19mm 124-grain FMJ bullet at 1,400 ft/s, so it's not even level IIIa protection.

If all this makes you feel funny, then take some comfort in the fact that I don't like it either. If anything, I'm worried about my face being unarmored. Speaking of which...

Ballistic Visors
If you have $300 lying around, you can purchase a level IIIa face shield. In fact, you have two choices:

Your first choice looks like a hockey mask, and it doesn't protect your eyes nor does it look like there's any way to put a trauma pad in it. Still, it beats being shot in the face, and it works with a helmet. (for $50 more you could purchase one that doesn't work with a helmet... but why would you want to?)






Your second choice is a clear face shield which mounts to a helmet. It only protects up to 9mm so it doesn't offer full IIIa protection, but it does protect your eyes. I also don't know how much the curvature distorts your vision. Being offset from your face it won't need a trauma pad, but I imagine that even a glancing shot will reduce visibility.

Again, welcome to the world of ballistic armor, where everything is a compromise.

Beware the Fatal "V"
I cannot find the link for this now, so you'll just have to trust me on this. Back in the 90s, when cities like Los Angeles started to heat up with gang warfare and police officers were issued kevlar vests, there was a spike in fatalities where officers wearing vests were nevertheless shot in the upper chest, just below the throat, and died.

As it turned out, this spike in fatalities was due to a combination of factors:

1. The officers in question were wearing their armor lower on their body, with the upper edge sitting below their collarbones. This is more comfortable to wear long term, and therefore understandable when pulling 8-12 hour shifts. 
2. Department policy at that time was to wear dark uniforms with a white t-shirt underneath. This created a high-contrast "V" target for criminals. 
3. Therefore, this provided a handy, visible target for shooting at an area which was unfortunately unprotected by the kevlar. 

Therefore, do two things to avoid the Fatal "V":

1. Wear your armor as high on your chest as possible. 
2. Do not create contrast between your armor and your un-armored bits. 

This video will show you how to properly position your plate carrier. There are more in-depth videos out there, but this is short and sweet.



In Conclusion...
I have taken great pains to ensure that this series is as complete and as accurate as possible, but there is always the possibility that I have missed something important or gotten something wrong. If that happens, please do not hesitate to contact me; it is more important to me to that I give correct information than it is for me to always look correct.

For those who wish to refer back to previous articles, they are here:

1. Legality
2. Levels of Protection
3. Helmets
4. Materials
5. Terminology
6. Plate Carriers
7. Miscellaneous

Thank you for reading. 

Collapsible Camp Lantern

Summer is drawing to its end, which means that cooler weather is coming. Autumn is my favorite time to spend in the woods,; the cool mornings and bearable afternoons make hiking and hunting more enjoyable and sitting around evening campfires are actually comfortable.

I like to travel light, so I'm always looking for toys and tools that are smaller and perform more than one function. Wandering through Wal-Mart, I noticed an “expandable” solar powered LED light/charger. It was a brand I've never heard of (not unusual in Wal-Mart) and as I was looking at it I noticed an almost identical version further down the shelf with the store brand (Ozark Trail), so I grabbed one of each. Neither brand is on Amazon, but this is the same item with yet another brand on the packaging.

At about 3 inches square and 2 inches high, the lights are about the same size as two hockey pucks stacked up. Here are the specs I was able to find on the packaging, along with a few observations:

• The solar panel on top is about 2” square, so minimal output; my estimate is maybe 10mA.
• The folding carry handle on top is cheap and it will break off soon. Nice for hanging the lamp, though.
• The switch on the side has three functions: low, high, and flashing.
• Low power is about 30 Lumens and will run 5-6 hours on a full charge.
• High power is about 125 Lumens and lasts 3 hours.
• The flashing mode is standard these days. I find it annoying.
• There is a rubber panel protecting the USB in and out ports. It's rated IPX4, so it's good for heavy rain but not for immersion in water. In other words, weather-proof but not water-proof.
• There is a USB A port and a short cord supplied for use as a battery bank, as well as a micro-A USB port for charging with a phone/device charger.
• The internal battery is non-replaceable with about an 800mAh capacity. Pretty small for use as a battery bank, but it will top off a cell phone.
• The indicator lamp shows red when charging, green when fully charged.
• Charge times varied wildly by source. Plugged into a 1A car charger, it took 3 hours to fully recharge; my home charger is rated for 2.1A and it took less than an hour. I haven't tested the solar panel yet, but I'm expecting it to take at least 10 hours of daylight to fully charge.

After playing with the lamps for a few days, I noticed a few things:

• The lamps are a comfortable size in my hand. I have large hands and small lights are hard to grasp when I'm wearing gloves, so this is a good size for me. Small things also tend to get lost, so I look for the middle ground when choosing sizes.
• The battery, LED, and other electronics are all in the “head” of the unit; the “base” has a cute little lens to focus the light when the lamp is collapsed. Collapsed, it does make a decent flashlight, with a concentrated center spot and a diffuse outer ring of light. The plastic lens is slightly recessed in the base but will be prone to scratches. I may disassemble one of the lamps to test the lens as a fire starter later.
• Expanding the lamp is done by gently pulling the base away from the head, exposing a plastic bellows-shaped diffuser. Think about the bendy straws you played with as a kid, except 2” in diameter and about 4” long. You can bend it sideways to direct more of the light through the lens on the bottom to where you need it, but it isn't much light. Bending it did come in handy for blocking most of the light on one side, creating a darker area. This is good if you've got someone trying to sleep but you still want to read for a while.
• The switch is a simple push-button, but you have to cycle through all three modes to turn it off.

The surprising thing about these lights is the price. The display at Wal-Mart didn't have the price for the “Alpha” brand, so I was a bit shocked at checkout. Amazon has them for $9.00, and the Ozark Trail version was $10.00, but the exact same light in almost the exact same packaging with the “Alpha” brand was $20.00! This is not a $20 light. Save your money and get the store brand if you're paying cash, or go to Amazon and use it as an add-on item to get free shipping. 

Prudent Prepping: August Roundup

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

As is my usual excuse, I've got several things to discuss and either there isn't enough info to expand the topic up to a full post or I'm still gathering my thoughts, which lately will fit easily into a Dixie Cup. The small size.

What's First
I mentioned my temporary relocation for work, how amazingly hot the location and work is, and what I'm trying to do to survive and work comfortably in this post. Unfortunately (but not unexpected), the shorts I ordered are delayed even longer than shown. I will not receive the Minus33 shorts until Friday, if I'm lucky, so what I did was to go looking for another previously recommended brand: Woolly Clothing Men's Merino Wool Classic Boxer.

https://amzn.to/2EFHLhe

Now I haven't anything to compare these wool boxers to other than my cotton ones, and while it has not been as hot as last week, I really like the feel of these!

Some info from the Amazon ad:

• [ 100% 150 GSM 17.5 micron Australian merino wool ]
• [ ULTRALIGHT CLASSIC BOXER ] Flatlock seams, tagless interior, double tough high-wear zones, soft elastic jacquard. Full merino construction for extra stretch, odor resistance, moisture wicking, itch free, 4-season comfort.
• [ CASUAL FIT FOR COMFY DAILY WEAR ] These boxers will keep you comfy during work, play, leisure, travel, and workouts. Ultralight merino in a classic boxer cut, made for all climates and pursuits.
• [ PICTURED MODEL STATS ] 5'10'' // 155 lbs // 30'' waist. Wearing size small.
• [ MERINO PERFORMANCE FOUNDATION LIFESTYLE WEAR ] Woolly pairs the nature proven benefits of merino with classic everyday styles that work anywhere. Enjoy the no-odor, anti-microbial, fire resistant, moisture wicking, and long wearing comfort of merino in every aspect of your life.
• [ BACKED BY THE WOOLLY PROMISE ] We like to keep things simple. If you are ever dissatisfied with our gear, at any time, just give us a shout and we'll work to make it right.

The Initial Good
The feel of these is hard to describe, since I've worn cotton boxers for, well, a really long time! There is an almost silk-like feel to the fabric, but not slippery. When thoroughly sweaty, the Woolly Shorts didn't bunch up, get sticky or feel clammy if I sat down for lunch and cooled off some. They are also cheaper than the other brand.

The Initial 'Eh, But Waiting For More Info'
The sizing of the Woolly boxers leaves me a little bit undecided, since I fit right between the Medium and Large recommendation. I ordered the Large and while I like them, I'm unsure if I want to keep them. The cut is wider than my existing boxers and I'm not sure how the elastic in the waistband will last in the long term, since these start out bigger than what I have now. I will make a decision when (if) the originally ordered brand shows up.

About Those Amazon Orders...
I recently placed an order for some CLP, since the local gun store was out and the next closest retail gun store had a location burglarized and is closed. There was no delay shown for the CLP, and here is my 4oz. tube of Break-Free CLP-4 Cleaner Lubricant Preservative.

Yes, that's what the box says!

Yes, I got my 4oz tube all right, along with 11 that I really don't need! Even figuring the fact that I seem to lose oils and lubes before I use them up into the equation, I'm looking at well over a lifetime supply, maybe longer.

There are many different lubes out there, but I was looking for something that would thicken or get stiff very slowly, since several items I want to clean and then re-oil don't see a lot of use.

From the Amazon ad:

• Penetrates and spreads along metal surfaces into every pit and crevice to undercut contamination and lift residue away where it can be removed.
• Long-lasting lubricating film dramatically reduces adhesion of sand, grit or other abrasives which cause wear and failure.
• Corrosion inhibitors prevent the formation of rust while Break-Free's unique boundary film protects metal surfaces from moisture and other contaminants.
• Specially formulated synthetic oils won't lose viscosity, dry out or stiffen up in extreme environments - such as cold, heat, dust, dirt, humidity and even salt air - keeping equipment in ready condition for months at a time.
• It has been proven to preform in temperatures ranging from -65F to +475F and after saltwater immersion

If I follow the recommended amounts, I think this matches what I need.

Recap And Takeaway

• So far I'm really happy with the Woolly Boxers... other than the fit. I'm keeping them until I can compare my first order. Two pair of Woolly Boxers ordered from Amazon: $29.99 with Prime.
• Yes, CLP is what I need, but only one bottle. Yes, I am contacting Amazon about the mis-shipped product. Karma seems to have me on Speed Dial, so it is going back. One bottle (and only one!) of CLP 4 ordered from Amazon: $7.58 with Prime.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.