Bits and pieces

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Survival Knives: How to Choose and Use the Right Blade. James Morgan Ayres

Some survival guides explain the basics of how to make primitive tools. But do you know how to actually successful hunt with spear, throwing stick, bola, or primitive bow? Making tools that you do not know how to hunt with will not get you to meat. If you’re hunting with primitive weapons, especially crude survival weapons you’ve made in the field under actual survival conditions, you must adapt your strategy to the weapons available or go hungry. Author James M. Ayres grew up in the Midwest hunting squirrels, rabbits, and other small game with bows, spears, atlatls, and bolas he made myself. He has hunted with bow, spear, net, and other primitive weapons with the Lacandon in Yucatán, the Igorots in the Philippines, the K’iche’ in Guatemala, the Sasak in Indonesia, and others. In Survival Knives, he shares his knowledge so you, too, can survive using such tools and weapons. It’s not enough to have a knife and know how to make basic hunting weapons. That’s craftsmanship — not survival. Nor is it enough simply to have a knife when trapped in an emergency situation, like a collapsed building. You need to know how to conserve your knife and use it properly to escape so that it will not break and you are not injured. Learn how to use survival knives, and how to use the tools and weapons you can make with the knife — not only in wilderness, but also in urban areas, foreign countries, and disaster zones such as earthquakes, floods, fires, and civil insurrections.

Venus in the Virgo constellation

Venus (bottom left on the shot) in the Virgo constellation

Monday, December 3, 2018

Compact 8x21 Monocular

For sightseeing, hunting, bird watching, surveillance, amphitheaters, and coaching

Magnification: 8x
Objective lens diameter: 21mm
Exit pupil diameter: 2.7mm
Field angle: 7 degrees
Size: 8x2.1 cm
For: sports, camping, hunting or dropshipping

Available in stores

Sharpness, distortion are at a level sufficient for such a price.
Took for a child's toy.

Компактный монокуляр 8x21

Saturday, November 24, 2018

The Best Gray Man Backpack for Survival and Prepping

A good gray man backpack is a huge upgrade for a variety of survival kits.
The “gray man concept”, simply put, is the ability to blend into a crowd and not draw attention to yourself. Many tactical backpacks do the opposite of this, which can work against you in a wide range of situations: from survival to every day encounters.
The best gray man backpack is versatile and functional enough to withstand all sorts of punishment, yet it still blends in.

The Best Gray Man Backpack

5.11 COVRT18 Tactical Backpack
The backpack that provided the best functionality, versatility, durability, and value.

EDC Gray Man Backpack

Vertx EDC Ready Pack
Blend in every day.
Trusted by operators. Ridiculously durable. Low visual profile.

Gray Man Messenger Bag

Blackhawk Covert Messenger Bag
One strap, many uses.
Use for your BOB, GHB, EDC, INCH, or even as your CCP range bag.

Budget Gray Man Backpack

Venture Pal Hiking Backpack
Cheap but functional.
Extremely light with a smaller backpacking profile. Inexpensive and unassuming.

What is a Gray Man Backpack?

Hiding in plain sight
Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Middle of the pack

The concept of being a gray man is simple: blend in and do not draw attention to yourself. We’ll get into more gray man detail in a section below, and share some resources to point you to where you can learn more about it.
Unfortunately, for many military members, first responders, preppers and survivalists: tactical gear does not achieve this goal. There are plenty of signs that can instantly give away your job, affiliation, and intentions. A few of those include:

Your gait, or how you move
Your posture
How you are dressed
Your appearance and hygiene
What you are carrying

Just a few details of a bag that could torpedo your attempt to blend in:

MOLLE – Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment straps and gear is a sure-fire giveaway that you are carrying useful equipment for survival.
ALICE Clips – Less noticeable than MOLLE, but a telltale sign of someone with military gear.
Paracord – Yeah, we know it is useful: but do not hang it off your bag. It screams ‘military’ and adds a motion component to your bag. Take off the paracord bracelet while you are at it.
Attached Gear – Rapid access gear is awesome in deployment zones. If you are trying to blend in, that folding shovel and firearm maybe should be concealed either within the bag or on your person.
Military Colors – MARPAT, ACU, or really any camouflage will, ironically, not do you any favors blending in. Even olive drab green is heavily associated with the military. Bright colors are also good to avoid, but as the name may suggest: gray is always a solid choice.
Size and Profile – A bag shaped like an AR will draw attention. A stuffed 60L backpacking bag will draw attention. A middle-of-the-road size with a standard profile is best here.

How to Use a Gray Man Backpack

A gray man backpack is versatile, and you should pick one similarly to how you pick out a backpacking backpack. Size is always a consideration, since you must balance comfort and capacity. Backpacks are typically measured in cubic inches or liters, which make them pretty easy to compare against each other.
Here you can see how the backpack capacity compares to the average male’s profile: