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Review: Dometic CFX35W Portable Refrigerator Freezer

Posted on February 20, 2018 at 4:46 pm.

In This Article

Capabilities
Purpose
Controls
Performance
Value
More From Issue 24

Like air conditioning and a lack of back hair, refrigeration is one of those things separating man from beast. Cold storage slows food spoilage — without it, we'd be in a constant state or foraging or hunting to maintain food stocks. With it, though, we can stockpile days of fresh rations, and that lets us concentrate on other survival priorities.

Ice chests were, and are, a great cooling option if the means to make and store ice are available. But, sourcing or making ice from scratch isn't anywhere as convenient as running a highly efficient refrigerator/freezer from a solar-fed battery. Before hitting the end of days, we decided to get familiar with a portable fridge/freezer made by Dometic.

Dometic is a global company that traces its roots back to a couple of young Swedish scientists who invented what would become the modern refrigerator back in the 1920s. Electrolux acquired the rights to the technology in the 1920s, grew its appliance business and by the '60s, gave birth to Dometic, a division of the company focusing on portable and leisure appliances. In 2001, Electrolux spun off the Dometic division as we see it today, standing on its own as one of the largest producers of portable appliances in the world. Dometic fridges are found in RVs, semitruck cabs, and boats, among other places where milk, eggs, and medications (such as the insulin mentioned earlier in this issue) need to be refrigerated.

The CFX35W is on the smaller end of Dometic's eight compact portable fridge/freezers. It provides a little more than a square foot of cold storage; acting as either a refrigerator or freezer at the push of a few buttons. The box's compressor sips power with remarkable efficiency.

Capabilities

The CFX35W fridge/freezer provides 1.1 cubic feet of storage. That's enough for more than a week of meals and condiments if you pack carefully, and the included two-compartment wire basket helps keep things organized. The unit is capable of cooling contents down to -7F.

Before you can cool your bacon, you have to supply power to the box. It runs on both AC and DC power and features a priority circuit that automatically switches to AC power when connected to both. On the DC side, the unit senses the power draw and battery level and cuts off the juice at one of three user-selectable levels to prevent over-discharging.

All this cooling power is good for nothing if the box falls apart or craps out, so Dometic uses stainless steel hinge hardware, reinforces the housing corners for durability, and seals the control and display, giving it the best chance for long-term survival whether the box spends its days serving as a primary fridge in an austere kitchen, banging around in the back of a truck or chilling veterinary medication in a barn.

Purpose

Portable fridges are great for RVing and overlanding, but they come into their own during extended power outages and other scenarios that go past a week. As simple and rugged as they are, ice-fed coolers have a place in short and medium-term survival situations, but at a certain point passive coolers become impractical. And that's without considering how little fun it is to open up an ice chest full of food, finding limp cardboard packaging floating amidst soggy provisions in a mini Arctic sea.

An ideal, long-term refrigeration solution is running a highly efficient, portable fridge/freezer with a solar-rechargeable battery system. With a properly sized battery and panel, the CFX35W will run indefinitely. Near as we can tell using basic metering equipment, the unit pulls DC power in one of three modes: cooling, station-keeping, and idle. At peak draw, it pulls 60 to 70 watts when cooling. While maintaining its temperature, it pulls 40 to 50 watts for a few minutes at a time, and it pulls about 1 watt at other times, powering the brains, display, and interior LED.

Controls

As we've hinted, the CFX35W is smarter than your average fridge/freezer. Like your home fridge, it's thermostat controlled and is user adjustable from ambient to -7 degrees F. The CFX35W has a single cooling zone that acts as either a fridge or freezer based on the selected temperature setting. While the main bin is actively cooled, the smaller insulated bin above the compressor acts as a crisper, or a fridge area when the main compartment provides a deep freeze.

The front panel offers a readout displaying the unit's internal temperature. A colored LED lets you know when the unit is powered up, when the compressor is running, and if there's a fault. Hit the “SET” button to adjust a handful of options including the temperature setting, display brightness, Celsius or Fahrenheit display, the battery monitor level, and to turn the onboard Wi-Fi on or off. The Wi-Fi is somewhat convenient when setting up the fridge, but it's a pain to use otherwise. The fridge won't join an existing Wi-Fi network, so you have to manually join the fridge's network whenever you want to adjust a setting.

The Wi-Fi option makes it possible to remotely monitor and adjust all of the unit's settings using iOS and Android devices. Viewing and changing the box's setting with a smartphone is easier than scrolling through the push-button menus on the CFX's top deck, but the fridge's Wi-Fi is a dead-end network. To take advantage of this functionality, you have to leave behind whatever data service you're on and manually join the fridge's network. Not a problem when you're out in the boonies, but if you've got a Wi-Fi network in your bug-out base, this option isn't ideal. A Bluetooth connection would make more sense, since it won't kidnap your mobile device from its cellular network connection.

There's a USB port on the front of the fridge to charge a phone or USB power pack, which is useful in any location remote or austere enough to warrant the use of a little fridge like this. Next to the USB port there's an emergency switch. When in emergency mode, the thermostat and controls are bypassed, and the compressor runs continuously. It's a fail-safe option that'll keep the unit going in dumb mode if the electronics suffer a malfunction; you'll have to monitor the temp, though.

Other features include sturdy folding handles (which is important since the unit weighs more than 40 pounds), an interior LED, a removable wire basket with divider, and a drain port. Dometic offers optional accessories, including an insulated cover to increase the unit's efficiency and a slider for vehicle installs as optional accessories.

Performance

We ran the CFX35W over the summer almost exclusively from a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 battery and a Boulder 100 solar panel. We ran it in a stationary, solar configuration using DC power for weeks behind the house.

We loaded it with meats, cheeses, milk, eggs, bacon, and all the other stuff you'd expect to find in a fridge. With the unit set to a lazy 36 degrees F, our logging thermometer showed us the unit fluctuated 1 degree above and below the selected temp over the course of a two-week test. We switched over to freezer mode toward the end of our test and cranked the temp down to -5 degrees F with a few pounds of ground beef in the chest. No surprises. The sleeves of cow meat came out as they went in, cryogenically preserved and suitable for use as batons.

In 85-degree temperatures, the fridge/battery/solar panel system seemed capable of running indefinitely. With the fridge and battery plugged into the solar panel, the fully charged Yeti battery fed the fridge while charging cell phones and a few LED lanterns without dropping into the red for the duration of the test. Without the solar panel, the fridge ran the battery alone down in about five days. Keep in mind, you'll have to start with a full battery on a sunny day, otherwise, the solar panel will eventually fall behind the charge/use cycle.

Also, and importantly, the CFX35W is meant for use in cars and trucks with lead-acid batteries. Running it from the Yeti's Li-ion NMC battery gave it some fits. We had to game the CFX's protection circuit to get the initial cooling temp. We ran from the less efficient AC side of the Yeti to get the temp down without tripping the CFX's DC current monitor's threshold, then switched to DC for station keeping. Once it reaches its target cooling temp, the fridge runs fine from Li-ion cells.

One other compatibility issue popped up between the CFX and the Yeti. The Yeti has a little ring around the center pole of its auto socket that was too narrow for the contact on the CFX to reach. We put a small magnet in there to fill the gap. Problem solved.

Cooling speed was impressive. The unit went from 70 degrees F to its target setting of 36 degrees F in 40 minutes, though it only took 19 minutes to get to 40 degrees F. It took about an hour to dive from 70 to 0 degrees F. To test its insulation, we cut the power and timed the internal temperature rise. As efficient as it is in cooling, it'd benefit from added insulation, as it warmed from 0 degrees F back to 70 degrees F ambient in 35 minutes.

It's not terribly loud when the compressor's on. It's about as loud as a humidifier indoors and sonically invisible outdoors. Depending on your situation, running a quiet fridge from a silent power source might be a desirable alternative to dinosaur juice-powered generator.

Value

When it comes to value, if you're pitting the fridge against something as durable, efficient, and pricey as a Yeti cooler, the CFX35W compares favorably since it holds more food (ice takes up a lot of space), runs for days on a battery, and for weeks (at least) on a solar system. When the reliance on ice is removed from the equation, the cost of the fridge versus any decent ice chest is justified in an extended-use scenario. There are times when running a whole house generator isn't feasible or advisable, too, and a super quiet setup like a small fridge running on a battery goes a long way in preventing visits from unwelcome guests.

When the SHTF, an icebox isn't a viable option, long-term, and compared to other portable fridges such as those from ARB, the Dometic brand offers similar features and performance at a lower price. Bottom line, if you're in the market for a portable fridge/freezer, the CFX35W is a good value.

MAKE & MODEL:	Dometic CFX35W
MAXIMUM COOLING:	-7 degrees F
WEIGHT:	42 pounds 11 ounces
EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS (inches):	16.2 by 27.2 by 15.7
INTERNAL VOLUME:	1.14 cubic feet
POWER SOURCE:	120V AC and 12/24 DC
SAFETY SYSTEMS:	Battery protection and fail-safe operation
MSRP:	$830
URL:	www.dometic.com/en-us/us

PROS:

Excellent power efficiency; runs from a portable battery for days.
Convenient; no ice management
Capable of refrigeration and freezing
Quickly reaches target temps and holds them accurately
Quiet

CONS:

Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth for smartphone control
Picky about DC input
Could use more insulation
Fat DC plug needs to be customized to fit some sockets

More From Issue 24

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

Short Film: Beyond Trails in the Atacama Desert

Posted on February 20, 2018 at 9:35 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

As we go about our lives in the cities and suburbs, it's easy to forget that vast and inhospitable places still exist on Earth. But even today, many remain, and the Atacama Desert is certainly near the top of that list.

This 41,000-square-mile barren landscape is located in Chile, just west of the Andes mountain range. It's the driest nonpolar desert on earth, receiving a minuscule 0.6 inches of precipitation per year on average.

Since some parts of the region are so arid that no plant or animal life can survive, it has even been used by scientists to simulate the conditions of Mars. Aside from a few coastal towns and tiny mining settlements, human population in the Atacama is extremely low.

Needless to say, this is an incredibly difficult environment to traverse, but mountain bike athlete Lorraine Blancher and her companion and cameraman Robin Munshaw set out to do just that. Blancher and Munshaw explored the unmapped wild trails on a multi-day bikepacking trip. In partnership with Osprey, the pair documented their trip to create a 13-minute short film titled Beyond Trails: Atacama.

An intense snowstorm at the outset of the trip caused some delays, but the pair eventually made it into Chile, entered the desert, and left their truck behind to bike out into the wilderness. Blancher said of this experience, “Every new trail you travel on or off the beaten path brings uncertainty. Riding bikes in a place like this forces you to pay attention to the terrain, listen closely to suggestions on how to move through it.”

Check out the short film below, or visit Osprey.com for more information on this journey and the gear involved.

Video: How to Poop in the Woods

Posted on February 19, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Many survival skills are exciting to learn about, and fun to show off to your friends when you go camping or backpacking. It's always good to know where to find wild edibles, how to gather natural tinder materials, and which knot to use to secure gear. But there are some aspects of survival that are less glamorous — some may even be downright unpleasant to consider, such as eating roadkill or performing an emergency tooth extraction. A true survivalist must pursue well-rounded preparedness, and not just focus on the skills that seem “cool”.

Poop in the woods latrine toilet camping bushcraft hygiene sanitation 3

It took us thousands of years to develop modern plumbing. Don't take that for granted.

One skill that falls into this necessary-but-unpleasant category is solid waste disposal. Sooner or later you're going to need to go #2, and just walking a ways from your campsite and going on the ground isn't ideal. First of all, that's not hygienic, especially once waste starts building up over time. The smell may also alert game animals to your presence, and attract flies or other pests. Secondly, it's not exactly comfortable — humans invented the toilet seat for a reason.

Fortunately, building a simple camp latrine isn't too difficult. With a little digging and chopping of wood, you can build a seated backwoods toilet that will be usable for long-term camping. In the following video, Dan of Coalcracker Bushcraft approaches the subject of how to poop in the woods:

It doesn't have a computerized bidet and you still need to supply your own toilet paper (or leaves), but it's a big step up from squatting behind a tree like an animal.

Review: Klymit Hammock, Air Pad, and 35˚ Sleeping Bag

Posted on February 18, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

The Case for Hammocks
The Klymit Hammock System
Klymit Traverse Double Hammock
Klymit Insulated Hammock V Air Pad
Klymit KSB 35˚ Down Sleeping Bag
Conclusions

Synthetic fabric, insulation, and a whole lot of stitching — these simple elements make up virtually all outdoor sleep systems. However, any experienced camper or backpacker will tell you that the way in which these elements are chosen and combined can make a tremendous difference.

There's a delicate balance between durability, weight, and protection from the elements that must be carefully considered before choosing any sleep system. Sometimes, this is contingent on your environment — an exposed bivvy bag isn't going to cut it on a frigid windswept tundra. Other times, it's contingent on your pack load, since you don't want to be the one carrying a luxurious 6-man tent up a steep mountainside. Trip duration is also an important factor — can your shelter adapt to a long-term survival situation, with changing seasons and varying weather conditions?

The Case for Hammocks

Although the majority of outdoor enthusiasts stick to tents, hammocks can be a versatile alternative with some substantial benefits. This is especially true if you're in a warmer region where wooded areas are plentiful. Hammocks are lightweight and compact, providing more pack capacity for other resources. They're also fast and easy to set up and tear down, without the annoyance of carefully-folded tent layers and rigid poles. This makes them a good option for ultralight backpacking loadouts or emergency bug-out bags.

Campers who prefer tents will usually argue that hammocks will inevitably leave you with a frozen backside due to wind chill, but that's not necessarily the case. You'll just need to prepare insulation for all sides of your body to fend off the cool night air. A sleeping bag provides one layer of warmth, but a secondary layer beneath your body makes a huge difference when you're sleeping in a hammock.

A complete hammock camping setup generally includes the following elements:

Hammock and straps — These provide a stable and elevated sleeping platform.
Sleeping bag or top quilt — This is your first layer of defense against the cold. However, your body weight will compress it, so you'll also need…
Underbody insulation — An underquilt, foam pad, or air pad to separate your backside from the cool air.
Optional: Rain fly or tarp — A weatherproof covering on a ridgeline above your hammock.

The Klymit Hammock System

Klymit is well-known for its inflatable air pads and sleeping bags, so we were pleasantly surprised to see the company branch out into the hammock market with its new Traverse Double Hammock. This means that, with the exception of the optional tarp, you can now get a complete hammock system from Klymit.

In order to test this system, we picked out three items from Klymit's web site, two of which were added to the company's lineup within the last six months. We've listed them below, along with their MSRP and packed weight.

Traverse Double Hammock – $90, 23.5 ounces (new for 2017)
Insulated Hammock V Air Pad – $170, 35 ounces
KSB 35˚ Down Sleeping Bag – $200, 30.4 ounces (new for 2017)

This combines to a total cost of $460 and a total weight of 5.5 pounds.

We loaded these items into our backpack and headed out into the mountains of southern California. Although it's only February, temperatures in the region are comparable to springtime in most other states — clear skies with temperatures in the high 30s at night and low 60s during the day. Considering the 35˚F comfort rating of the sleeping bag, this weather sounded just right for testing our setup.

Klymit Traverse Double Hammock

The first piece of our system was the new Traverse hammock, which arrives in a bright green stuff sack along with tree straps and carabiners. This sack measures roughly 5″ x 8″.

Loosening the drawstring on the stuff sack, we turned out its contents and began setup of the tree straps. Each strap unrolls to 11 feet long, and the hammock itself is a little over 9 feet long, so we found two sturdy trees that were about 20 feet apart. Any time you sleep under trees, it's wise to ensure there are no “widowmaker” branches or other pieces of dead wood which might fall onto you in the night.

The included straps were wrapped around each tree at head height, and pulled through the end loops. Each strap has 18 daisy chain points where the hammock can be connected via its included carabiners.

After turning the hammock out of the stuff sack, we hooked up the carabiners and made sure the height and tension felt comfortable. With adequate tension, you'll be able to lay relatively flat inside the hammock.

The Klymit Traverse is a “double” hammock, meaning it's large enough for two occupants. However, this additional space also allows a single occupant to lay diagonally, resulting in a flatter and more comfortable body position. We prefer double hammocks for this reason.

The Traverse also features a diagonal seamless hem, which supports weight naturally in our preferred sleeping position. The 70-denier ripstop nylon construction felt quite durable, and is rated for up to 400 pounds.

Klymit Insulated Hammock V Air Pad

The next part of our setup was the air pad. It is constructed of 20-denier polyester, and measures about 5″ x 10″ inside its red stuff sack.

To reduce heat loss, the Hammock V pad has an added layer of Klymalite insulation between the top (red) and bottom (gray) surfaces. This version of the pad is 7.7 ounces heavier and $30 more expensive than the non-insulated Hammock V, but adds one more barrier to keep your backside warm all night long.

Two flush-mounted valves on the air pad are clearly marked “inflate” and “deflate”. After unrolling our new air pad and blowing 20 deep breaths into the inflation valve, the pad was ready to place inside the hammock.

The Hammock V pad features four Side Rail Wings, which are designed to contour to a hammock as the occupant lies down. This creates a barrier to shield the sides of the body against cross-breezes, further reducing heat loss during the night. These wings also expand the sides of the hammock, giving it a roomier feel.

With the hammock and pad in place, we turned to the last piece of our three-part system.

Klymit KSB 35˚ Down Sleeping Bag

Sleeping bag temperature ratings can be confusing, since some manufacturers advertise a rating that's the absolute lowest safe temperature for the bag. In other words, you'll survive the night, but you won't be comfortable. Thankfully, the temperature in Klymit's sleeping bag names correlates with each bag's EN Comfort Rating. This is a third-party standard that defines the temperature at which a user should be able to sleep comfortably, rather than the temperature at which he or she will simply survive (known as the EN Lower Limit).

The KSB 35 has an EN Comfort Rating of 32˚F, and an EN Lower Limit of 21˚F. So, the white duck down insulation in this bag can keep you alive in sub-freezing temperatures, but will be most comfortable in temperatures above the mid-30s.

We unpacked the bag from its 13″ x 7″ stuff sack, and unzipped the full-length zipper before laying it out atop the Hammock V pad.

Climbing into our hammock, we rolled onto the open sleeping bag and zipped it up to chest height. This would be quite comfortable for summer nights.

For cooler weather, the KSB 35 features a secure hook-and-loop closure point, and a draft collar that wraps around your shoulders to retain heat. Fully zipped-up with the hood in place, the bag felt nice and toasty, but the roomy chest area still yields enough space for the occupant to move around inside the bag.

This sleeping bag is constructed from 20-denier ripstop nylon with a DWR coating that will repel dew and other light moisture. If there's any possibility of rain, you'll want to set up a ridgeline and tarp to protect your hammock from getting soaked. We always carry a small Snugpak Stasha tarp, lightweight stakes, and a 30-foot bundle of 550 paracord for this purpose. These items add less than a pound to our pack.

Conclusions

During our time in the hammock, nighttime temperatures dipped into the mid-30˚F range with little to no wind. We slept in the clothes seen in these photos, plus wool socks and a beanie.

Although we felt slightly chilly during the dead of night, we weren't uncomfortable. If temperatures had dropped another 5-10 degrees or wind had picked up, we probably would've been uncomfortable. So, the 35-degree rating for this setup seems accurate. If you prefer to stay extra warm at night, adding a thin fleece sleeping bag liner or a soft shell jacket might be a good idea — or you could just upgrade to one of Klymit's 20-degree bags. You could also add an underquilt around the exterior of the hammock.

As for the Insulated Hammock V air pad, we were impressed by its performance. Despite feeling slightly chilly on top through the sleeping bag, we didn't end up with a cold backside. The pad's side wings also kept our shoulders warm and blocked drafts. Our only gripe is that it's a bit difficult to squeeze all the air pockets out of these flaps as the pad is deflated, but that's a relatively minor issue.

The Traverse Double Hammock did a great job supporting this author's tall 6'5″ frame. With a little adjustment of the carabiner placement on the straps, it was easy to minimize sag, especially while laying diagonally along the seamless hem.

As a complete sleep system, these three items from Klymit performed admirably. Although tents will always have a strong following, this system might just win you over to the hammocking side. It's light, easy to set up, and surprisingly comfortable in cool weather. For more information on this hammock, air pad, and sleeping bag, go to Klymit.com.

Long-Term Review: Boker Subcom F Knife

Posted on February 16, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Most products look good and function properly fresh out of the box, but the same can't be said about gear that has seen years or decades of hard use. Over time, flaws become apparent and the weak are weeded out from the strong. So, when someone tells us they've been using a single tool for decades and still has good things to say about it, we take note. That tends to be the sort of gear you can trust in a survival situation or pass down to your kids someday.

Here's what a brand-new Subcom looks like, for comparison purposes.

In an article for Breach-Bang-Clear, contributor Alexander Crown shared his experience with the small Boker Plus Subcom F folding knife. Crown has been carrying this blade for more than a decade, and it appears to have held up nicely, apart from the sort of scuffs and scratches you'd expect after that amount of time. Check out what he has to say about the knife below.

Editor's Note: The following article was originally published by our friends at Breach Bang Clear. It appears here in its entirety with their permission. For more from the Mad Duo and crew, go to BreachBangClear.com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

This isn’t about a brand new blade. No, this article is about a knife I’ve had for well over ten years. The Boker Plus Subcom F is a micro framelock pocketknife that’s sized for easy everyday carry.

The Boker Plus Subcom line has expanded since I bought mine and now includes numerous blade types. The blades are constructed from AUS-8, a type of steel known for taking and holding an edge. This material is also generally known to cut down sharpening time. The blades are available in standard clip point with or without serrations, a rescue hook (the Rescom model), and even a hawkbill style.

The grip of the knife is made of Zytel, a high-strength nylon resistant to abrasions and impacts. Molded into the grip is a pleasant, not-too-aggressive texturing. The grips are also available in a variety of colors to match your outfit or mood, I suppose.

When unfolded the overall length is 4.625”, and the knife measures .29” at its widest. The knife locks via a frame lock and the blade features an ambidextrous thumb stud for quick deployment. The blade is .08” thick with a cutting edge of 1.75”. Lastly, the pocket clip is configurable for tip up or down carry.

I can’t say I’ve carried this knife every day for the past ten years, but I do use it often, particularly when I don’t want a large pocket clip showing (for example, while wearing a suit). I’ve found one of the best places to carry this little Boker is inside the waistline of my pants with the clip behind my belt.

I affixed a 550 cord quickdraw piece to the knife many, many years ago, before it was cool. This helps with deployment of the knife from the waistline and in no way is a tacticool fashion statement.

I wouldn’t want to get into a knife fight with this little guy, but it’s proven very useful over the years for cutting mundane boxes, mail, string, etc. I’ve lost this knife on more than one occasion and am always very happy to find it again. For a knife that’s sub-three ounces, costs less than $40, and practically lets you forget you’re carrying it, the Boker Subcom F is worth its weight.

Review of Prepper Guns by Bryce M. Towsley

Posted on February 15, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Written by Offgrid Staff

The Premise: For decades, the go-to book for prepper or survivalist type firearms was Mel Tappan's Survival Guns. This classic book was written in 1979 and still makes for interesting reading, even if it's a bit dated. Veteran hunting and shooting author Bryce M. Towsley seeks to bring those same concepts into the modern era with Prepper Guns.

The foreword is written by Nancy Tappan, Mel Tappan's widow. This important link between the two books could not get more definitive than that.

The 411: The focus is more on fighting firearms as opposed to those used for foraging and hunting, which isn't necessarily what you'd want should you become stranded, shipwrecked, or lost in the mountains. Nor is it what an off-the-grid family or individual would need with regards to pest/varmint control, hunting, or self-defense versus dangerous animals. The firearms described within are intended for a straight-up foreign invasion or societal collapse type of scenario.

The Verdict: Towsley communicates in an easy-to-read, matter-of-fact tone reminiscent of some of the survivalist how-to books and magazines from the late 1970s and early 1980s. He is definitely a right-wing type of guy and seems to have more “liberal friends” who cannot get their acts together than I have loose rounds of .45 ACP rolling around in the back of my truck.

There's good information within, but the real staples of prepping such as .22 long rifle are glossed over and barely get mentioned, while a chapter on .410 handguns is included. For the price of one of those niche handguns, a prepper could purchase a few quality rimfires that would suit a multitude of purposes above and beyond what a Taurus Judge, S&W Governor, or a Bond Arms Derringer could bring to the table.

The chapters read more like a series of magazine articles or blogs written independently from each other. There's nothing wrong with that, as the author's written work in other media spans three decades and the insight from all of his experience is invaluable.

With “prepper” often being used interchangeably with “survivalist” these days, we can see why he came up with the title; this is written as a fulfillment of Tappan's book in more modern times. Thus the title makes sense in that regard.

Yet, we believe that today's prepper is a different breed than the survivalist of yesteryear, not only in the demographics, but on the types of threats each group viewed as the potential for catastrophe.

Overall, Prepper Guns makes for a decent book for people new to prepping or even self-defense in a disaster or period of civil unrest. It provides a great deal of useful information with regard to defensive firearms. Towsley is an engaging writer with lots of information to share from his long background as a hunter and shooter. Those of us who still collect physical copies of firearms, prepping, survivalist, hunting, and military books will probably want to keep a copy on hand to add to our library.

However, if you're an intermediate to advanced user of firearms, you'll probably walk away with very little new information from this book. That could have been changed with the inclusion of a few more ballistic tables for comparison, and less anecdotes from the neighbors. We also would've appreciated a chapter or two about maintenance, repair, and what tools and spare parts to keep on hand in order to maintain an arsenal after the sort of collapse that the author warns about. As this book is geared more toward the novice, it would have been simpler and more approachable to focus on the ballistic, financial, and practical aspects of the calibers described.

Novel & Author:	Prepper Guns: Firearms, Ammo, Tools, and Techniques You Will Need to Survive the Coming Collapse by Bryce M. Towsley
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Pages:	272
MSRP:	$30
URL:	skyhorsepublishing.com
Rating:	Thrive Survive Die

More From Issue 24

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Check out our other publications on the web: Recoil | Gun Digest | Blade | RecoilTV | RECOILtv (YouTube)

Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

Zeer Pot: An Evaporative Cooler to Keep Food Fresh

Posted on February 15, 2018 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Survival in ancient times wasn't easy. Even today, food spoilage is an issue, but back then it was absolutely critical to make the most of any food that was hunted, gathered, or grown. If a family's food spoiled, they might end up starving until the next harvest or hunt.

This dilemma led to the development of basic food preservation methods. Meat was salted or smoked, vegetables were pickled or fermented, and fruits were dried or turned into jam. However, in order to preserve produce in its fresh state, refrigeration was needed. Electricity was obviously not an option, so ancient societies turned to evaporative cooling, the same principle that allows sweat to cool our bodies. As dry air passes around a wet object, the evaporation of that moisture creates a cooling effect.

As far back as 2500 B.C., Egyptians recorded the use of a device called a zeer pot. This primitive evaporative cooler is constructed of the following components:

Large porous clay pot
Smaller clay pot (may be glazed to prevent moisture from seeping in)
Sand
A cloth to cover the pots
Water

The small pot is placed inside the large pot, sand is used to fill the space between the two, and water is used to soak the sand and cover cloth. As water seeps through the porous outer pot, warm, dry air causes it to evaporate continuously, drawing heat out of the sand and innermost pot. This can be used to keep vegetables, fruit, or drinking water cool in arid regions. The zeer pot is still used to this day in third-world countries where access to electricity is limited.

The following video from YouTuber CrypticCricket shows the effectiveness of a zeer pot cooler, even in the high humidity of Florida. Hotter and drier climates with strong breezes will increase the pot's evaporative cooling effectiveness.

The Myths of Dealing With Frostbite

Posted on February 14, 2018 at 5:07 pm.

Written by Offgrid Staff

In This Article

Alternative Treatment
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Disclaimer
This article is meant to be a quick overview and not a detailed guide on how to deal with frostbite in an emergency situation. Professional medical treatment should always be sought first before attempting any of these methods.

Subfreezing temperatures and biting winds are a recipe for disaster, particularly when you find yourself ill-prepared and suffering from the onset of frostbite. When you're stuck outdoors, there's a lot riding on your choice of emergency treatments. But will you make the right choice?

The Myth: Since friction generates heat, and it's instinctive to rub an injury, it only seems logical that we should rub frostbitten skin to thaw it out. People also have a habit of using hot or scalding water to defrost frostbitten/frozen tissue and thawing tissues, which are still under the threat of refreezing. Unfortunately, each of these ideas can lead to painful and permanent consequences.

The Reality: When the mercury drops below 32 degrees F and exposed skin starts to freeze, there are a number of mistreatments that'll exacerbate winter injury. Here we'll dispel some of the myths associated with proper frostbite treatment.

Frostbite occurs when ice forms in your skin and the underlying tissues. Superficial frostbite frequently happens to exposed skin (typically the face), but it can also affect the ears, hands, and feet (particularly fingers and toes). This lightly frozen tissue may appear waxy and pale, feeling stiff on the surface, but the underlying tissue still feels soft. Pain or numbness will likely accompany the aforementioned symptoms.

If the frostbite is severe, freezing can strike deeper tissue across a wider area. This extreme form will cause skin to appear pale and firm, and underlying tissue to feel solid. Tissues with deep frostbite will generally feel numb and joint movement will be restricted. Severe frostbite could result the loss of appendages due to infection and necrosis (tissue death).

The proper treatment of frostbite is gentle, gradual rewarming of the skin and tissues. This can be done both in the field and in the hospital, but should only be attempted if there's no danger of refreezing.

For any frostbite treatment, first seek shelter from the cold. Then prepare for the intense pain by taking Ibuprofen, unless you're allergic to this medication. For superficial frostbite, place a warm body part against the frostbitten tissue. This could mean placing your frosty foot against your friend's warm belly or tucking your own fingers under your bare armpit. Rewarm the tissue until it is soft and the color has returned.

Deep frostbite requires gradual rewarming of the tissue using warm water at stable temperatures. Use a thermometer to make sure the water isn't over 105 degrees F. And if a thermometer isn't available, use an uninjured body part to gauge the temp. Using a suitable container, slowly immerse the frosty extremity. Add more warm water as needed to maintain the water temperature in the container. If possible, pre-treat with pain meds before you begin rewarming (consult your doctor before taking higher-than-normal doses of any meds). Advil and Motrin are other alternatives that can be used to reduce pain. And resist your temptation to rub or massage frostbitten areas — this will only result in more tissue damage.

Once thawed, do your best to protect yourself or your frostbitten patient from refreezing, and monitor for hypothermia and shock. Continue your care with Ibuprofen every eight hours until you or the person suffering frostbite can receive proper medical care. Eat foods high in calories and protein to fuel the body and restore your overall temperature. Finally, avoid smoking and alcohol after this kind of injury.

Alternative Treatment

Avoidance: Prevention is the best strategy. Cover your exposed skin with garments capable of blocking wind. Temperatures that are barely below freezing can still lead to frostbite when strong winds are involved (or if you have been exposed to the cold for a long period). The threat grows as temperatures drop near 0 degrees F with any wind. Frostbite can occur on exposed skin in mere minutes when the temperature is below 0 degrees F and the winds are over 20 mph.

Know the Location: Frostbite typically first affects the extremities that have minimal blood flow. Just remember this rhyme, “fingers, toes, ears, and nose.” This can help you remember to check these areas frequently for blood flow and warmth during your outdoor travels. Check capillary refill by squeezing fingers and toes, then watching how quickly the blood returns after letting go.

Time Will Tell: If you were stranded in a remote area and experienced severe frostbite, it only takes a few days for skin to blister and begin turning black. A week or two after the injury, frostbite shifts to necrosis, which will likely lead to massive infection. Deep frostbite is an unbelievably painful condition with a high rate of infection. Even after weeks or months of medical care, the frostbitten tissue can still be at risk. As the ice crystals form in healthy cells, the jagged points pierce and stab the cell — killing it and even neighboring cells. These areas are laden with dead tissue that often turns black and requires surgical removal. Daily care is necessary for weeks after a moderate to severe frostbite occurrence. Skin grafts and amputations can still occur even a month after the initial injury. Always seek professional medical care as soon as possible if you've experienced frostbite.

More From Issue 24

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.

RECOILweb: PHLster Flex Appendix Carry System

Posted on February 14, 2018 at 2:00 pm.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

It's important to carefully choose the gear you carry on a daily basis, but it's also important to consider how you carry it. Clipping items like your folding knife and flashlight to the hem of your pocket provides quick access, but also takes up valuable pocket space and isn't exactly discreet. Add in a few larger EDC items, like a tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, fixed blade knife, and/or multi-tool, and your front pockets will quickly end up stuffed full. And nobody wants to walk around town looking like knock-off version of Adam West's Batman with a utility belt full of exposed gadgets.

Holster manufacturer PHLster came up with a smart solution that incorporates modular gear storage into an appendix inside-the-waistband (AIWB) setup. Many of us already carry a concealed handgun and extra magazine in this position, so it makes sense to tuck in a few other essentials as well.

This system is called the PHLster Flex, and it's basically a piece of pre-cut polymer material with holes, slots, and attachment hardware. It can accomodate belt loops or hooks on either side, plus a holster and any other gear you may need to carry. We could see this being especially helpful as a way to carry emergency medical gear like a TQ, Quik Clot, or an Epi-Pen while retaining pocket space for other daily-use items.

For more details on the PHLster Flex and its possible configurations, check out Dave Merril's article on RECOILweb.

Merino Wool Baselayers Buyer’s Guide

Posted on February 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Written by Rob Curtis

In This Article

WHAT'S A BASELAYER?
WOOL
FUNCTION
FABRIC
POWER WOOL
THE WHOLE SHEEP
Merino Wool Baselayers
More From Issue 24

For all our opposable thumbs, ability to reason, and interstellar ambition, we humans have a pretty narrow environmental survival zone. We do fine in warm, dry conditions — say, inside a temperature band that ranges from 50 degrees F to about 95 degrees F. But outside that environment, our bodies have trouble maintaining a core temperature.

The human body is a thermal engine that produces heat as it converts calories to energy. The by-product of the conversion keeps us warm when it's cold out, but as we use more energy, the body dumps excess heat in a bid to maintain its perfect internal temperature. The body's primary method of shedding excess heat relies on the principal of evaporative cooling; specifically, the body produces sweat on the skin's surface to speed cooling.

This process works fine when we're naked and sweat can evaporate. But when the skin is covered by insulation, two things can happen. First, sweat gets trapped against the skin, and, second, that moisture soaks the surrounding clothing. The result is evaporative cooling combining with conductive and convective cooling actions to produce a rapid cooling effect that, if unchecked, leads to hypothermia in cold climates.

So, the trick to staying warm has as much to do with managing sweat as it does with providing insulation. Maintaining a buffer of air next to the skin (called a microclimate in marketing circles) is the key to warmth, comfort, and, ultimately, survival.

WHAT'S A BASELAYER?

When we think of a baselayer, we think its job is to provide insulation. But its primary role is actually to counteract the effects of cooling by managing moisture. In a proper layering system, a sweater or other lofty midlayer provides the primary insulation, while the baselayer keeps the skin dry. It's a team effort.

Since physics tells us air pressure forces moisture in the direction of cool, dry air, we need to maintain a small buffer of air that's warmer than the outside air, but cooler than skin temperature, to keep moisture moving in the right direction.

WOOL

There are a bunch of fibers out there that provide loft and more than a few that can wick moisture away from the body. But none does both as well as wool. For all its itchiness, wool is a crazy combination of features that reads like a textile engineer's wish list. For example, it's both hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Weird.

Wool's major downside as a clothing fabric is its itchiness. The itch comes from the scaly surface of coarse fibers found on most sheep. But there's a genetic strain of sheep that produces a fine wool fiber that takes itch out of the equation. That family of sheep is known as the merino, and its bounty is nature's itch-free, super fiber: merino wool.

FUNCTION

Merino wool does well enough as a thermal insulator. Its ultrafine fibers are naturally crimped so that when they're spun into a yarn, at a microscopic level, they interlock in a zigzag orientation that creates lots of small air pockets. Those air pockets hold air that's warmed by heat radiating from the skin. This quality is also responsible for wool's ability to stretch.

Where merino excels is at the important task of moisture management. A wool fiber's outer surface allows moisture vapor to pass into the fiber's hydrophilic core where it's trapped until it's released into a cooler, drier environment. Each fiber can hold as much as 35 percent of its own weight in liquid in the fiber's cortex, or innermost core. Without oxygen in the cortex, there's no way for stinky bacteria to breed, so smells are held at bay.

Now for the science fiction; wool fibers are hydrophobic, too. They repel standing water and prevent, to a certain extent, the kind of wet-out that cotton is known for. Since the wool yarns can maintain a matrix without collapsing like wet cotton, they continue to trap and warm some air … as long as you're still putting out heat. This explains wool's warmth-when-wet ability. Along this line, we've also read some science journals that suggest whenever wool absorbs moisture into its cortex, the chemical reaction produces a tiny bit of heat. We can't disprove this idea, but we've never felt a perceptible boost in warmth when jumping into a frosty lake while wearing merino, either.

We already touched on odor control, but wool is also quiet and nonreflective. And, lastly, wool's capacity to hold moisture means it's flame resistant. It's not flameproof, but its self-extinguishing, no-melt, and no-drip qualities make it far better than synthetics in fire-prone environments.

FABRIC

The base fiber of a merino yarn is tiny sheep hairs, chemically treated, washed, and dried, then either spun into yarn alone or combined with other fibers to make an intimate blend. These merino yarns, either alone or alongside yarns of other fibers, are knit into a cloth. The thinner the fibers, the more supple and itch-free the yarn. Synthetic fibers are sometimes mixed in to add other properties to the finished product. For example, merino isn't the most durable fiber, so it's often blended with nylon to add strength to the fabric. Wool garments are also known to steadily shrink when washed over their lifetime, and they don't dry quickly. Merino blends are formulated to help with these issues, too.

POWER WOOL

A textile that's managed to capture merino's benefits while mitigating its shortcomings is Polartec Power Wool. “The idea behind power wool was to put the wool where it makes the most sense, next to skin,” says Karen Beattie, Senior Product Manager with Polartec, “and then mitigate the negatives using synthetics.”

Power Wool combines merino wool with synthetics such that only wool is in contact with skin and a smooth polyester fabric faces out, providing more surface area than wool alone for moisture to evaporate. The synthetic inclusion makes Power Wool more durable than 100-percent merino, and means it doesn't shrink, dries faster, and layers better thanks to the smooth outer fabric.

Clothing makers use fabric weight to describe the amount of warmth a garment provides. This is somewhat useful when comparing garments of similar fabric construction, such as flat knit jerseys. But in general terms, fabrics under 100 grams per square meter feel like a light T-shirt, 100-200 GSM baselayers feel like heavyweight T-shirts, and 200 GSM fabrics feel like a light sweatshirt. Anything around 100 is appropriate for warm weather; 150 -180 is a midweight and ideal for mid to high output endeavors in cold climates. 200+ fabrics are best for sedentary activities in cold temps or high output activities in frigid weather.

THE WHOLE SHEEP

Once past the fabric level, the most important aspects of the baselayer are a close fit (the fabric has to be in constant contact with the skin to wick moisture), seam quality and location, durability, and the ability of the garment to stay in place. Oh, and dudes might like a pee slot. But every added seam means more expense and bulk. There's no free lunch.

We pulled a bunch of merino and merino blend baselayers together to learn what we can about the way fabric choices, garment constructions, and other features combine to keep us warm and dry.

Merino Wool Baselayers

Arc'teryx LEAF Cold WX T-Shirt & Boxer AR – Wool

Make & Model - Arc'teryx LEAF Cold WX T-Shirt & Boxer AR-Wool
Fabric - ABMT 180gsm nylon core spun merino wool, 81% wool / 12% nylon / 7% elastane
Weight - 5.8/3.0 ounces (medium)
Colors - Black, Crocodile
MSRP - $99/$64
URL - http://www.leaf.arcteryx.com
It seems odd to wear wool in temperate weather, but merino's moisture transport superpowers work just as well when it's warm.
Arc'teryx LEAF Model Cold WX Zip Neck & Bottom AR – Wool

Make & Model - Arc'teryx LEAF Cold WX Zip Neck & Bottom AR-Wool
Fabric - ABMT 180gsm nylon core spun merino wool, 81% wool / 12% nylon / 7% elastane
Weight - 7.4/5.7 ounces (medium)
Colors - Black, Crocodile
MSRP - $139/$109
URL - http://www.leaf.arcteryx.com
Arc'teryx's wool baselayer blend uses a lot of wool, adds some nylon for strength, and finishes with an elastic chaser to keep things tight.
Beyond Clothing A1 – Power Wool Pullover Top & Long John Bottom

Make & Model - Beyond Clothing A1-Power Wool Pullover Top & Long John Bottom
Fabric - Polartec Power Wool, 28% wool / 72% polyester
Weight - 8.8/7.8 ounces (medium)
Colors - Coyote
MSRP - $135/$75
URL - http://www.beyondclothing.com
Beyond's A1 Power Wool thermals are the warmest, and heaviest, of the thermals we tried.
Duckworth Vapor Hoody & Wool Brief

Make & Model - Duckworth Vapor Hoody & Wool Brief
Fabric - Duckworth Vapor Wool, 38% Helle Rambouillet merino wool, 50% polyester, and 12% modal
Weight - 7.0/3.1 ounces (medium)
Colors - Olive, Gray, Gray/Blue
MSRP - $110/$40
URL - http://www.duckworthco.com
Duckworth's Vapor Wool Fabric isn't a full-on cold weather solution. It's more like the best shoulder season Fabric we've ever worn.
First Lite Wilkin Half Zip Aerowool Top & Glenbrook 3/4 Length Aerowool Bottoms

Make & Model - First Lite Wilkin Half Zip Aerowool Top & Glenbrook 3/4 Length Aerowool Bottoms
Fabric - First Lite Aerowool (intimate blend of merino wool and Cocona 37.5 infused polyester fibers), 65% wool / 35% polyester
Weight - 7.6/4.7 ounces (medium)
Colors - Black, Conifer, Dry Earth, First Lite Cipher, First Lite Fusion
MSRP - $115/$90
URL - http://www.firstlite.com
Aerowool Fabric uses a merino wool base fiber with a Cocona 37.5 polyester kicker.
Mammut Klamath Half-Zip & Long Underwear Bottoms

Make & Model - Mammut Klamath Half-Zip & Long Underwear Bottoms
Fabric - Polartec Power Wool 145 Jersey, 31% wool / 69% polyester
Weight - 6.4/4.9 ounces (medium)
Colors - Gray, Navy
MSRP - $99/$79
URL - http://www.us.mammut.com
Compared to the other Polartec Power Wool product in our roundup, Mammut's Klamath baselayer Fabric is thinner with a lot more stretch and return.
Ortovox 185 Rock'N'Wool Long Sleeve & Short Pants

Make & Model - Ortovox 185 Rock'N'Wool Long Sleeve & Short Pants
Fabric - 100% virgin merino wool
Weight - 6.2/5.4 ounces (medium)
Colors - blue, green, gray, red
MSRP - $110/$100
URL - http://www.ortovox.com
They are the European masters of merino, but you've never heard of Ortovox because the company only brought their clothing line to the U.S. a couple years ago.
Rab Model Merino+ 160 LS Crew & Pants

Make & Model - Rab Merino+ 160 LS Crew & Pants
Fabric - 160 Merino+, 65% wool / 35% polyester
Weight - 6.4/5.9 ounces (medium)
Colors - Amazon, Ebony, Gray, Red
MSRP - $85/$110
URL - http://www.rab.equipment
Rab's 160 Merino+ Fabric is a blend of merino wool and Cocona 37.5 polyester.