Drenched - The Military Surplus Overnight Adventure II

My friends it is time to kick back, relax and enjoy the Military Surplus Overnight Adventure II. Happy Holidays.

Rothco Large Transport Pack - Preview

Today we are taking a look at the Rothco Large Transport Pack.

MSRP $81.99

Colors : Olive Drab, black, coyote, foliage green, red

You may also be able to find these with different camo patterns.  I saw them on amazon but didn’t see them on Rothco’s web site.

http://www.rothco.com/product-details/rothco-large-transport-pack

Rothco’s Large Transport Pack is MOLLE and hydration bladder compatible and features one large main compartment with interior mesh zippered pocket adjustable/removable waist belt, adjustable padded shoulder straps with d-rings , padded back with breathable mesh backing , top carry handle and top & side adjustable web straps with quick release buckles. The tactical pack also features a coated lining and pockets for water repellency.

Look at the webbing :

Dimensions:
19" x 15" x 8"
Brand:
Rothco
Material Specs:
600 Denier Polyester
Product Origin:
CHN
Components:
Heavy Duty Zippers, Top & Side Adjustable Web Straps, Top Carry Handle, Multiple Compartments, Pockets & Pouches, M.O.L.L.E. & Hydration Compatible
water resistant

Drenched - The Military Surplus Overnight Adventure II - INTRO

This is the INTRO for Drenched, The Military Surplus Overnight Adventure II.  The actual Adventure will be coming soon.

FILBE Assault Pack VS FILBE Corpsman Assault Pack

You asked for it and now you'll get it.  Today on The Outdoor Gear Review we are comparing the FILBE Assault Pack to the FILBE Corpsman Assault Pack.  They are similar but ultimately very different systems and we are looking at the distinctions now.

Platypus SoftBottle 0.5L - Review

Today we are reviewing the Platypus SoftBottle 0.5L.

http://www.amazon.com/Platypus-Soft-Bottle-Closure-1-Liter/dp/B008W0I9UI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1414765196&sr=8-4&keywords=platypus

16oz or half a liter.

$7.95 on amazon.

Multiple Colors; Blue, Grape, Gray, Red, Mountain, Tree,

Capacity 17 fl. oz / 0.5 liters

Weight 0.8 oz / 22 g

The good thing about these bags is that they can be froze without fear of being broken.  Just fill it 1/2 to 3/4 full and put in the freezer without the cap.

Pro-Tip : Be careful not to lose the cap!  You can buy replacements but since they aren’t attached, it’s possible lose it. I’ve read that a soda bottle cap is a good replacement but I can’t confirm that.

The bottle is great-- compact, sturdy, and reliable

Perfect for easy carry in a chest rig such as the Hill People Gear Kit Bag or the Ribz pack.

It’s a nice way to carry hydration with you without becoming bulky or weighing you down.

No issues with leaking around the cap or leaking from the bag either.

Vargo Titanium Triad XE T-207 Review

Vargo Titanium Triad XE T-207 

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http://www.amazon.com/Vargo-Titanium-Triad-XE-T-207/dp/B001G5VSRC

$29.47

• Compact design and retractable top and bottom legs make it easy to pack
• Fits any size pot
• duel fuel : solid or denatured alcohol 
• Very fuel efficient
• Boils two (16oz) cups of water in approximately 6 minutes
• Weight: 1.5 oz
• 
  

Specifications 

Weight              Size                     Burn Time

1.5 ounces        3.9"D x 1.2"H        15 minutes (alcohol)

(42 grams)        (99 x 30 mm)   

multiple fuel capacity

all season use

legs

TRIAD XE MULTI-FUEL STOVE

model # T-207

#1. It holds limited amounts of fuel. 

#2. Difficult to fuel up. 

#3. Priming is finicky. 

#4. Doesn't stay lit. 

#5. Due to the prongs which hold your pot/cup, it will not hold a rounded bottle cup such as this GSI stainless steel cup.  It just flops around.  Also if you use a canteen cup, it will be unstable.

Obviously from my complaints you can tell I'm a big fan of the Trangia system. For about the same price you can get the Trangia Mini, which gives you an ENTIRE COOKING SYSTEM (burner, stand, windscreen, pot, pan, clamp), not just the burner and stand. And on top of that, Trangia gives you greater reliability, heat control (you can actually cook, not just boil), fuel storage (burner cap screws on, save unused fuel), greater fuel capacity, easier refueling, and fuss-free operation. OR BETTER YET, build your own alcohol stove for the cost of a few cans of beer/soda.

The Rucas is also a terrific alcohol stove in which you may want to consider.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION : I would suggest passing on this stove.  Yes it’s light weight but it has some fairly serious issues that have the potential to cost you time and money.  Time to prime, cool, refill, repeat.  Money : More fuel to get it primed than with other stoves.

I would only recommend this stove if you are always backpacking alone and wouldn’t heat more than 16 oz or water.  If you know that is you, this could be the stove for you.  

For myself even though I do most of my backpacking alone, this isn’t the ultralight stove for me.  It has too many faults for my liking.

I do thank Vargo for sending us this stove.  We had a viewer ask about it and they offered to send us one.  Hopefully the issues that I have shared will inspire an updated version in the future.

USMC FILBE - Corpsman Assault Pack NSN Numbers

It has been requested on multiple occasions that I go over the NSN numbers for the Corpsman Assault Pack and attachments.  For those interested, enjoy.

Pack: 8465-01-612-4152
Modular Medical Pouch: 8465-01-612-4164
Elastic Panel: 8465-01-612-4183
Small Reversible Pouch: 8465-01-612-4177
Medium Reversible Pouch: 8465-01-612-4181
Large Pouch: 8465-01-612-4174
Medium Pouch: 8465-01-612-4173
Double Pocket Panel: 8465-01-612-4187
Stacked Pocket Panel: 8465-01-612-4199

Merit Shok Mini Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Review

Today we take a look at the Merit Shok Mini Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L271V8K

$31.99 on Amazon

Three Colors :

Blue and white
Green
Red and white

The feel and the quality of the product is great and I’m impressed with it.

On the weekends I walk with my friends and my kids and we often listen to documentaries and different pod casts.  Often times the speakers on our phones isn’t loud enough for all of us to make out what is being said and this solves the problem.

• Rugged and Compact design with ultra portability, an optimal mini speaker for both outdoor and indoor
• Solid zinc alloy surrounded amplifier, enhanced bass, pumping out 360-degree clear and powerful sound
• Outstanding connection range of up to 100 feet with latest CSR Bluetooth V.4.0(fully backward compatible)
• Rechargeable polymer battery enjoys up to 10 hours of uninterrupted wireless play on a single charge
• Package includes: Merit™ Portable Bluetooth Speaker, Bike Holder, Carabiner, Rain Bonnet, Micros-USB Charging Cable, Aux Cable, Lanyard and User Manual

What immediately got my attention is this one is in a holder that is designed to clamp to handlebars. It's detachable from that, and ships with a D ring and a blue lanyard, so this is clearly designed for people on the go.

Included with the speaker is a USB to Micro USB charging cable, a rain bonnet, bike mount, neck lanyard, and carabiner clip. The bike mount easily attaches to many but not all handlebars. If you have a thicker carbon fiber handlebar, this will probably not fit.

A cool feature is that this can play music from a Micro SD card. And if you group your music into different folders, you can switch between folders. This is a much nicer method to playing music because it gives you more control over what music will be played if you're using the memory card. This is also great if you don't have a bluetooth device around to connect to. Now you can always have muisc as long as you've got some loaded onto the memory card.

This is NOT waterproof or even water resistant. The directions expressly state to keep it away from water. It comes with a small pouch to put it in if it rains--but that's just an extra item I have to remember to bring with me.

Impressions : 

 I've had this for almost a month now use it everyday. Works great!

Very loud with impressive bass considering the size.

Audio quality is excellent.

Reception hasn’t been an issue.  Works within a 15ft radius.

Pairs with iOS and Android very easily.  Simple locate it under your bluetooth settings, connect to it and go.

While this can be used as a sort of external speaker and mic for phone calls, I haven’t tested this feature.  

Merit claims ten hours of battery life and this is accurate.

One the device you can pause and play your tracks and you can skip or go back.

To turn the volume up or down, simple press and hold the up or down button.

To skip a track or to go back, hit the button once in the desired direction.

The feel and the quality of the product is great and I’m impressed with it.

On the weekend I walk with my friends and my kids and we often listen to documentaries and different pod casts.  Often times the speakers on our phones isn’t loud enough for all of us to make out what is being said and this solves the problem.

Just clip it on or shove it in your bag and enjoy.  You can either control it from you phone or from the speaker.

After the Camp - Falling Leaves Overnight Adventure

This is After the Camp - Falling Leaves Overnight Adventure.
Let's go over the gear and discuss the trip.
….

The Trip : This trip was everything that I needed psychologically and spiritually.  It was beautiful.  It was an adventure and I was able to say good bye to Susan’s mom in my own way.  Since she passed I haven’t been able to do that; I’ve had to be strong for my wife and for my kids so this gave me the chance to shed a tear and press on.

The Gear : - You will notice that with this trip I used a lot of custom made gear and this allowed me to go lighter weight and assisted with a higher degree of comfort.
Yes custom made items are expensive but when you love to get outdoors most people want to get the best gear that they can.

ZPack Arc Blast Pack (16.5oz) - I am super impressed with this pack.  Extremely comfortable especially considering that it was made to order.  That’s the nice thing about getting a handmade, personalized pack made because you can get it to fit your body PERFECTLY!  Plenty of room and basically it’s a large rucksack.  There are no pockets and I like that.  Much rather have all of my gear in a centralized location than have it spread throughout a pack in a bunch of pockets.    That way I always know where my gear is at.

hyper lite mountain gear flat tarp.  8’6 x8.6 cube fiber tarp (9.5oz with guy lines)
Set up was storm mode.  With storm mode, you have a simple setup that can withstand even the harshest environments.  It works just as well in the woods as it does on top of a mountain that lacks trees.  You can easily use a trekking pole for the front and go from there.  With the front door, angle it away from the wind and if winds are blowing from all directions, cover the front with a jacket, some some rocks, whatever you have.

mountain laurel designs bug bivy (6oz) - This piece of gear offers protection from the bugs in a very light weight package.  It has strings which you can string out so that it doesn’t lay on your sleeping bag and your face or if you’re just bivying it on a mountain, you don’t have to.

humangear Uno: .53 oz. (15g) spork - Great little spoon spork.  Very strong and they are  right around the $10 mark.  They are longer than many competitors sporks and stronger too.

Katabatic Gear Alsek 22F 900fill power down - 5’6 in length - (19.7oz) - At 19.7oz this is one of the lightest 22 degree bags on the market.  The quality is absolutely top notch and the warmth is amazing.  This is another custom made item so it’s made for my size.  The length on my bag is 5’6 and I’m 5’4.  This allows me to pull it up to where I want it and with it being a quilt I can also adjust just how tightly I want to have it around me which is great for those warmer nights.
This quilt comes with strings which allow you to run them underneath of your sleeping pad so that when you move, the sleeping pad doesn’t go with it.  SUPER NICE feature!  It’s easy to say that’s not a big deal but anyone who has spent some time out and about with a sleeping bag will tell you, tossing and turning in your sleep only to wake with your bag all twisted sucks.

Vanquest Husky organizer continues to impress me.  Very versatile organizer.
I had everything in it to get a fire going, first aid kit, battery bank for my phone, water purification and so on.

swiss m71 stove - having this stove really saved me a lot of work since it’s an alcohol based fuel.  I forgot my lighter on this trip so all that I needed to do was strike a spark with a ferro rod and I was good to go.

The M71 is a great stove, fairly light and reliable. If you’re going to use one, make sure to have a windscreen!  The easiest and cheapest way to get a windscreen is to make one from tin foil.  It’s also very light light weight.

If I didn’t have a stove for this trip I would have had to result to collecting the driest of materials.

We did find the saw dust while hiking and that made getting getting out fire for the evening going very easy.  Saw dust is nothing but very fine bits and pieces of wood.

This really goes to show you that you have to pay attention while you’re out backpacking.  Look at the land, analyze everything.  When I’m out hiking I’m often day dreaming about how I could utilize everything that I’m passing by.

Toaks titanium pot 750ml

Clothing : mountain hardwear convertible pants
Woolx Merino wool Shirt
keen merino wool socks

ThruNite Neutron 2C V2 - Preview

Today we discuss the ThruNite Neutron 2C V2 Flashlight.

$39.95

Links:

Neutron 2C V2:
Official Store: http://www.thrunite.com/neutron-2c-v2/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MO0IT84/
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00MO0IT84/
Amazon Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00MO0IT84/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MO0IT84/
Amazon France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00MO0IT84/
Amazon Italy: http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00MO0IT84/

Cool white and neutral white versions available.

Neutron2C v2
Features and Specifications:

 The 2C v2 could be used in 1x CR123A/16340/18350 as well as 2x CR123A/16340/18350 or 1x18650 form with the extension tube.

The ThruNite 2C uses only a side switch for ON/OFF and mode changing operation.

  Runs on: 1x18650(2600MAH)
  Output mode/Runtime*:
  Peak Beam Intensity: 11230cd
  Max beam distance: 212m
  Dimensions:
  Weight: 70g (excluding battery)
Turbo : 1040 lumens / 90 minutes
High: 650 lumens / 95 minutes
Mid: 220 lumens / 5 hrs
Low: 11 lumens / 3days
Moonlight:0.1 lumens/ 90 days
Length: 118 mm
Diameter: 25.4 mm
Packaged included:
1 x Neutron2C v2 Flashlight with extension tube
1 x User manual
1 x Holster
2x Spare O-ring

Winner Announcement - ThruNite Ti3 Flashlight - Giveaway

It's time to pick the winner of the ThruNite Ti3 Flashlight!
Who is it going to be?  Watch and find out.
Thank you to everyone who entered.


...
Preview of the Ti3 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtpVGOXdu3M

Want to buy a Ti3 flashlight : http://www.thrunite.com/thrunite-ti3/

...
Other Links :
Amazon USA : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LUO028U/=1-1
Amazon Canada : http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00LUO028U/
Amazon Germany : http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00LUO028U/
Amazon UK : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LUO028U/
Amazon Italy : http://www.amazon.it/dp/B00LUO028U/

...

$19.95

Q & A With T.O.G.R. - Part 5 : Answers

This is part 5 of the Question and Answer series.  Part 6 will come soon so get your questions ready.

Thanks for watching.

Viewers Choice - Military Surplus II Overnight Adventure

Viewers Choice - Military Surplus II Overnight Adventure

....

NOTE: I completely forget to add the ILBE to the list so I have created an additional voting option.  If you want the ILBE pack, please don't select any of the other packs in the list above it.
Thanks.

.

My friends it's time to vote on the gear that we will use for the Military Surplus II Overnight Adventure.

For this upcoming trip we are going to use Military Surplus Gear and you all have the chance to vote on what we shall use.

From the pack to the shelter.  

It’s up to you.

Here are the options:

………

PACK:

………

FILBE Rucksack

MOLLE II Rucksack

Swiss Military LARGE Rubberized RuckSack

Alice Pack -Large

FILBE corpsman assault pack

………………..

Shelter Options:

………………..

Improved Combat Shelter

USMC Military Field Tarp with Gore-Tex Bivy 

Catoma Improved Bednet System with tarp

USMC Improve 3 Season Bivy

………………….

Camelbak Max Gear Bottle Pouch - Preview

Today we are taking a look at the CamelBak Max Gear Bottle Pouch.

…

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QWNJ8A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$20.00

Four colors : Black, coyote, Foliage Green, ACU Digital
Manufactured with 1000D Cordura and tactical-grade nylon webbing.
Zipper closure for quick access and pull tab for better fit.
Insulated to keep your water cool.

Fits CamelBak Delta-5 Tactical Vest and most tactical vests and packs.

CamelBak's Bottle Pouch will specifically carry either a 0.75 L (25 oz) or 1.0 L (33 oz) CamelBak Bottle while securely fastened to any MOLLE attachment system.

It also has 5 inch MOLLE webbing across the front for attaching other pouches

Holds a 32 oz Nalgene brand bottle with a GSI cup

Here is basically a insulated pouch that allows you to use a Nalgene bottle like a canteen.

SmartWool NTS Micro 150 Pattern Beanie Hat

Today my friends we are taking a look at the SmartWool NTS Micro 150 Pattern Beanie.

- Merino Wool (For Men and Women)


These do retail for $22 and that's a typical price to see them at on most sites but with a limited time exception.

http://www.smartwool.com/accessories/nts-micro-150-pattern-beanie.html

To save some money, check out Sierra Trading Post and remember to go looking for a coupon.  Save some additional money on a great beanie.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/smartwool-nts-micro-150-pattern-beanie-hat-merino-wool-for-men-and-women~p~7758u/?colorFamily=01

$9.95 on Sierra Trading post but if you can find a coupon you can get it for $6.47.

I would give you the coupon that I used but they expire so quickly that it wouldn’t be of much use.

Look around because you can always get 35% off and often enough you can get 45% off of your order.

So with that being said, this is the
SmartWool NTS Micro 150 Pattern Beanie Hat - Merino Wool (For Men and Women)

Useful as a base layer in the cold, the single layer beanie fairs better with fall weather, as UPF 25 protects your head from the sun and a light breeze.

Merino wool wicks away moisture and breathes to regulate temperature for outstanding comfort in a variety of conditions
Available in 5 Colors : Blue, White, Red, Yellow and Gray

There is a Blue one and a white one on sierra trading post’s site but they are available elsewhere in yellow, gray and red colors.

SmartWool's NTS Micro 150 Pattern beanie hat is made of microweight merino wool to provide ultralight, temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking and breathable comfort all season long. Low-bulk construction makes it perfect for wearing under a helmet.
Itch-free merino wool naturally regulates temperature, wicks moisture and doesn't retain odor

Microweight, low-bulk fabric works as a base layer under helmets and bigger hats
Made in Vietnam
Fabric: 100% merino wool
Weight: 0.8 oz.
Care: Machine wash/dry
Unisex Design

So far I absolutely love this beanie and have worn in temps down to around 30 degrees f and in high winds.  Did a great job of keeping my head and ears warm and protected.  I have worn it in light rain as well as snow and the natural properties of wool keep my head warm as well.

I love the fact that this beanie is so thin and light.  Often times when it’s getting cold out there is a struggle to find the right head covering for the job.  Either it’s too much or not enough and for temps down into the 20’s this one is perfect especially if I’m moving around.  If you are cold natured and not moving much, you may want something warmer at those temps.  Keep that in mind.