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Buyer’s Guide: Dehydrated Sweet Snack Foods

By
Patrick McCarthy
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Freeze-dried food isn’t just for astronauts these days. There are a variety of commercially-available dehydrated survival food choices, ranging from grab-and-go snack pouches to huge buckets for long-term disaster prep. Flavors are equally varied, with a smorgasbord for every palate. We selected six of the leading dehydrated food producers on the market, and requested two entrée flavors from each. The full reviews of these 12 entrées can be found in the upcoming Issue 19 of our print magazine. This issue goes on sale 3/31/17, and will be available on newsstands, as part of a home-delivery subscription, or in a variety of digital formats — click here for more info on RECOIL OFFGRID magazine.

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Three of our staff writers reviewed these twelve savory entrees in Issue 19.

Sweet Treats

During our interactions with these six dehydrated food companies, we started thinking: a hot meal is good on its own, but following the meal with a tasty dessert can make the experience even better. That may just be the voice of my repressed inner fat kid talking, but he has a point. So, we also requested one sweet treat from each of the six companies.

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Each of these six items can be eaten after meals as a dessert, in between meals as a quick energy boost, or in some cases as a standalone meal. The common thread between these dishes is an emphasis on sweet flavor, as opposed to the savory entrées in our magazine’s guide. You won’t find these reviews anywhere else — they’re exclusive to OFFGRIDweb.com.

While three members of our staff tested the entrées, I tried out these sweet snack items on my own. Read on for my impressions of each, and to see which flavors appeased my sweet tooth.

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Note: Don’t let the seemingly high cost per ounce immediately deter you from some of these items. Dairy products, fruits, and vegetables have high water content, and freeze-drying removes virtually all of this water, resulting in a very lightweight yet surprisingly filling product. In these cases, calorie content is more relevant to value than weight.

AlpineAire Toffee Break

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 6 ounces / 3
Calories Per Serving: 340
Approximate Shelf Life: 2 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Ready to eat / None
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $5.95 / $0.99
URL: AlpineAire.com

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Notes: Toffee Break is a trail-mix-style snack, with peanuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, butter toffee, dark chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter. The sample pictured here is from an early production run, so it’s a plain foil bag with a basic label rather than the colorful packaging that will be offered in retail stores. However, the listed ingredients are identical to the retail version, and the contents should taste exactly the same.

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Review: Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. If you disagree, I don’t think we can be friends. Seriously though, this Toffee Break mix is one of my new favorite things. Four types of nuts are blended with butter toffee, caramel, peanut butter, and dark chocolate. It’s crunchy, rich, and provides a nice balance of salty and sweet. The only downside is just how rich it is — one 6-ounce package contains a whopping 1,020 calories, 84 percent of your daily fat, 90 percent of your daily saturated fat, and 63 grams of sugar. Sixty. Three. Grams. That’s nearly as much sugar as two full 12-ounce cans of Coke. Considering how delicious this stuff is, it would be relatively easy to down this entire pouch in a sitting if you’re hungry. So, as long as you can show restraint and consume small quantities (or run a half marathon afterwards), Toffee Break is an excellent choice for calorie-dense energy-rich snacking. I’m craving more of it already.

Backpacker’s Pantry Mango Sticky Rice

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 6 ounces / 2
Calories Per Serving: 340
Approximate Shelf Life: 7 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Add boiling water to package / 15-20 minutes
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $6.50 / $1.08
URL: BackpackersPantry.com

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Notes: A sweet Thai-inspired recipe with white rice, mango, coconut milk, and black sesame seeds. Backpacker’s Pantry says it “makes a fantastic breakfast or dessert”, and also notes that it’s vegan (if that’s something you care about).

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Review: Compared to the cavity- and grin-inducing sweetness of the Toffee Break mix I just sampled, this rice dish is much more nuanced. It’s certainly sweet, but not in an overpowering way — considering the reasonable 20 grams of sugar in the entire package, I expected as much. The vibrant yellow rice and black sesame seeds look appetizing, and create a mild flavor with a slight tang of mango. Speaking of the mango, small chunks are present among the grains of rice, but they’re a bit soft in a melt-in-your-mouth sort of way. Not bad, but a little more freshness and acidity would’ve really made this a home run. As it stands, this could work as a standalone meal or a sweet snack after your entree. I’d say it’d actually be a great complement for the Kung Pao Chicken found in our magazine article.

Emergency Essentials Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 14 ounces / 16
Calories Per Serving: 160
Approximate Shelf Life: 25 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Ready to eat / None
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $33.99 / $2.43
URL: BePrepared.com

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Notes: This large can contains 16 individually-wrapped freeze-dried ice cream slices. Simple mint ice cream, speckled with chocolate chips. It looks like Emergency Essentials may be phasing out this flavor (at least temporarily), since it went on sale for 50 percent off MSRP shortly after we received our samples, and is now listed as “sold out”.

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Review: Most people know this as astronaut ice cream — it’s light and airy like a hard marshmallow, and melts in your mouth to produce a surprisingly accurate ice cream flavor. It’s sweet and somewhat creamy, although it lacks the refreshing cold element that’s a big part of the ice cream experience. As long as you’re not expecting brain freeze, it’s pretty great. I did note that this tends to make quite a mess as you eat, since most of the individual bricks of ice cream were already partially cracked or broken up in transit, and all packages contained chalky dust and fragments that seem to get everywhere. Biting into the ice cream also causes it to crumble. But if you’re eating outdoors and aren’t worried about attracting critters, that’s no big deal.

Good To-Go Blueberry Almond Granola

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 4.8 ounces / 1
Calories Per Serving: 580
Approximate Shelf Life: 1 year
Prep Method / Prep Time: Add cold or hot water to package, stir and eat / None
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $6.50 / $1.35
URL: GoodTo-Go.com

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Notes: In keeping with Good To-Go’s gluten-free and healthy take on backpacking food, this granola uses gluten-free whole grain oats. There’s also dried figs, dried blueberries, almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pecans, maple syrup, honey, and whole milk powder.

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Review: Here’s another one for those who aren’t looking to call the dentist immediately after eating. Although the ingredients say it’s acceptable to prepare it with cold water, I opted for hot water, and soon dug in to the warm, hearty granola. This is real stick-to-your-ribs food with 580 calories, a heavy dose of carbs, and 17 grams of protein. The oats, almonds, and various seeds give this granola body, and are balanced out by hints of cream and dried fruit. Additional sweetness comes from natural honey and maple syrup, but it’s relatively subtle. This would make a fantastic quick breakfast, especially considering it doesn’t require additional prep time. Boil water for your tea or coffee, add a splash to the pouch, and you’re all set for the morning. I wouldn’t consider this sweet enough to be eaten for dessert, but it’ll give you a welcome burst of energy in the early AM.

Mountain House Raspberry Crumble

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 5.15 ounces / 4
Calories Per Serving: 140
Approximate Shelf Life: 30 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Add boiling water to package / 5 minutes
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $8.99 / $1.75
URL: MountainHouse.com

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Notes: Raspberry sauce with chocolate cookie crumbs. Contains freeze-dried raspberries, nonfat milk powder, and crushed chocolate cookie powder. This dish is prepared with boiling water, but can be served hot or cold.

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Review: After combining hot water and the raspberry mix and waiting the allotted time, I was greeted with a syrupy sauce that resembles the filling of a pie or tart. On its own, it has a tangy acidity and strong sweetness, almost like a thin raspberry jam. The included cookie crumble pouch contains dark brown powder that’s obviously inspired by crushed Oreos, minus the cream filling. Sprinkling the crumble onto the raspberry mix creates a flavor similar to eating raspberry pie with Oreo cookie crust, although the filling texture is on the watery side. The crumble adds a nice element of crunch, but the overall dish is a little sweeter than I’d like. This says it serves four, but is probably closer to two servings in the real world.

Wise Company Sliced Peaches

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 1.6 ounces / 4
Calories Per Serving: 35
Approximate Shelf Life: 3 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Ready to eat / None
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $29.99 (6-pack) / $3.12
URL: WiseFoodStorage.com

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Notes: The ingredients in each pouch are as simple as it gets: peaches and a little added sugar. These pouches are sold exclusively in 6-packs, with each pouch containing 210 calories of fruit. The pouches pictured here use the standard Wise Company branding, but the packaging has recently changed to fall under Wise Company’s Simple Kitchen brand.

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Review: Much like the ice cream I ate earlier, freeze-drying these peaches has reduced weight to virtually nothing. Unlike the ice cream, these are less crumbly and more crunchy, like a lighter version of the dehydrated banana chips you can find at most grocery stores. Flavor is sweet like candy, and immediately put a smile on my face. My mouth felt a bit dry after eating a few, and I also noticed that remnants were sticking between my teeth like glue, but I still thoroughly enjoyed these. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of complex ingredients for a tasty snack. If you had been subsisting on beans and rice during an emergency, these would provide an incredible burst of flavor and texture.

Bonus: Mountain House Cheesecake Bites

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Package Size / Servings Per Package: 1.94 ounces / 1
Calories Per Serving: 240
Approximate Shelf Life: 2 years
Prep Method / Prep Time: Ready to eat / None
MSRP / Cost Per Ounce: $3.99 / $2.06
URL: MountainHouse.com

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Notes: Shelf-stable freeze-dried cubes of New-York-style cheesecake coated in graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Hints of butter, lemon, and vanilla are also present. Sold in single-serving packages.

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Review: We didn’t request these, but Mountain House kindly threw in a package with the rest of our order, so I’ll include my impressions here. These are an easy snack to eat — just tear open the pack, pour a few cubes onto your palm, and chow down. The texture of the cheesecake bites is firm yet crisp on the first bite, but it leaves a slight chalky sensation in the mouth. Flavor is very good, with a strong presence of cream cheese and brown sugar. The graham cracker dust is a tasty element, but it doesn’t provide much texture in powdered form. There was also an excess of graham cracker dust compared to the amount of cheesecake bites in the pouch. Portability is high considering the small package and light weight. I’d eat these again.

For our reviews of the twelve dehydrated entrées mentioned at the beginning of this article, pick up a copy of RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 19, on newsstands 3/31/17. Bon appétit!

Mora Robust “Indestructible” Knife Test

By
Patrick McCarthy
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If you spend a few minutes on the internet searching for survival knives, the name Mora is guaranteed to come up. This Swedish company has been making simple and tough fixed-blade knives since 1891, and still holds a reputation for bulletproof durability. Many bushcraft enthusiasts swear by their Moras, and they’re a great choice for those with limited budgets — quite a few of the company’s knives are priced under $20.

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Dutch Bushcraft Knives tested a $15 Mora Robust to see how “robust” it really is.

However, we often hear questions or criticisms about one feature of Mora knives: the partial tang. With few exceptions, Mora knives include what’s called a partial or stick tang, meaning that the steel only extends partway through the handle. Full-tang knives are generally considered stronger and more durable, since the steel extends through the entirety of the handle in a single solid piece from tip to butt. Then again, this added steel also inevitably increases cost and weight.

So, how much abuse can a supposedly-inferior partial tang take? Will the handle crack or snap off under heavy use? YouTube channel Dutch Bushcraft Knives set out to determine this, and picked up a Mora Robust to put to the test. This carbon steel blade is said to be extra-thick and bonded to a shock-resistant handle — but how strong can it really be for $15? See for yourself:

First of all, don’t try the above at home. And definitely don’t try it without adequate eye protection, as these guys did in parts of the video.

Here's the edge after the DBK guys finished testing it. Ouch.
Here’s the edge after the DBK guys finished testing it. Ouch.

While no one in their right mind would use a sharp knife to chop through steel wire and baton bricks under normal circumstances, these extreme tests show that the Mora Robust is in fact pretty robust. Obviously the edge was annihilated and had to be re-ground afterwards, but that would be true for any blade under the circumstances — even a solid ax blade will chip when pounded against a hard object. We’d say the plucky little Mora held up pretty well, especially for a knife in this price range.

Video: Fire-Starting with a Firearm?

By
Patrick McCarthy
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Learning survival skills requires patience, basic tools, and a good teacher or source of guidance. But most of all, it requires practice. Without this fundamental element, you might try a “survival pro tip” you read somewhere, only to find that it’s not working well in your situation. Worse yet, you might find that it’s completely useless. Either way, you’ll waste valuable time and resources, and you might even end up endangering yourself in a real life-and-death scenario.

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Fire isn’t easy to generate from scratch. You’ll want to prepare multiple methods of producing it reliably.

Even some of the best sources of survival information can make mistakes or omit valuable information, and if you failed to practice the techniques on your own, you won’t know until it’s too late. Take, for example, the SAS Survival Guide by John “Lofty” Wiseman. It’s an excellent source of information, and packed with helpful tips and suggestions for urban and wilderness survival. It was also our Top Pick out of the 8 pocket survival books we reviewed in Issue 15 of our print magazine. However, one fire-starting technique found within the book can be misleading.

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Here’s a quote about fire-starting directly from the SAS Survival Guide, on page 179: “Powder from ammunition: break open a round and pour gunpowder on tinder and use flint. Or leave half the powder in the cartridge case and stuff piece of cloth in. Chamber the round and fire into the ground. The smouldering cloth will be ejected. Place on tinder to ignite.”

The first part about starting fire with a bullet is reasonable enough, and it can work under the right conditions. Then again, if you already have flint and steel or a ferro rod, do you really need to disassemble a valuable round that could be used for hunting or self-defense? At that point, harvesting the gunpowder would probably take longer than finding some dry tinder, assuming your location isn’t devoid of resources. The second part of this excerpt discusses fire-starting directly with a firearm, and may be much more difficult than it sounds.

YouTuber Survival Russia attempts to replicate the SAS Survival Manual fire-starting method.

Is it really as easy as disassembling a cartridge, shoving in some cloth, and blasting it into the ground to produce an ember? The diagram in the SAS Survival Manual appears to show a cross-section of a shotgun shell stuffed with cloth and gunpowder, so the host of YouTube channel Survival Russia decided to experiment with this method. Check out his results:

As you can see, it’s not so easy, and it’s almost guaranteed to consume more than one round of ammunition. Remove the bullet with pliers, pour out half the gunpowder, scavenge a wad of dry cloth, shove into the bullet, chamber the round, fire, and pray it works. If it doesn’t, rinse and repeat until you’ve got fire or you’re out of ammo. Sounds like a recipe for frustration.

Les Stroud of Survivorman also attempted this technique with a hunting rifle during one episode:

Even for such an experienced survivalist, it took five failed attempts to make this technique work. That’s an 80% failure rate in the hands of a pro. So, while the fire-starting with a firearm technique appears to be possible, it’s undoubtedly VERY difficult.

Regardless, the moral of the story is that you wouldn’t want to attempt this for the first time in an emergency. Practice a variety of survival skills. Learn which ones work for you, and which ones aren’t even worth a shot.

New: First Tactical Krait Folding Knife

By
Patrick McCarthy
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Mike Vellekamp has worked in the knife industry for more than 22 years, acting as a designer for Blade-Tech, 5.11 Tactical, and Fox Knives USA. His latest partnership is with First Tactical, and the result is a slick-looking folder called the Krait.

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The First Tactical Krait features a 3.51-inch spear-point blade formed from D2 steel. D2 is a high-carbon tool steel with excellent edge retention and added chromium for corrosion-resistance. First Tactical says it’s the strongest steel available on any of their current knives. Like all First Tactical folders, it also includes the distinct Thumb Bridge, which provides leverage for pushing open the blade and making precise cuts.

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The D2 blade is sculpted into a complex curve, convex at the front and concave along the belly. It’s paired with a liner lock mechanism and G10 handle scales, which are available in either black, coyote tan, or OD green.

There’s also a turned pocket clip for deep carry, and it can be reversed for left-handed use. The knife weighs 4.57 ounces, has an open length of 8.25 inches, and a closed length of 4.74 inches.

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The new First Tactical Krait knife is available now at an MSRP of $60. For more information, go to FirstTactical.com or follow First Tactical on Facebook.

“Sojourn” Post-Apocalyptic Short Film by Kitanica

By
Patrick McCarthy
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a literary masterpiece. I don’t say that because of its Pulitzer Prize, or because I share the same last name as it’s author (no relation, unfortunately). I say that because it’s one of the most visceral gut-wrenching descriptions of post-apocalyptic survival I’ve ever read.

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The book tells the story of a father and his young son as they deal with the mental and physical hardships of staying alive in the ash-covered wasteland that was once America. The characters are never named beyond “man” and “boy”, and the cataclysmic event that wiped out society is never fully explained. All that remains is the dark, cold road and a glimmer of fading hope for something better.

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Kitanica recently released a short film known as Sojourn, and watching it immediately reminded us of The Road. It, too, covers the fictional journey of a man and a boy across a barren landscape fraught with danger. There’s no lengthy dialogue or complex storyline, just some artistic camera work and an atmospheric soundtrack. The Road sets a high bar for this sort of story, but Sojourn struck us as a pretty cool cinematic nod to this classic book. It also does a great job of showcasing Kitanica’s apparel in a creative way.

The description of this video sums up the message concisely: “A reminder of the razor thin line of life as we know it. Being unprepared is being prepared to fail.”

Infographic: Great Depression Era Tactics for Saving Money

By
Patrick McCarthy
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As survival-minded individuals, we have much to learn from the Great Depression. The individuals who managed to persevere through this period of extreme economic hardship did so by adapting and overcoming adversity. As the unemployment rate skyrocketed and household income fell, many families faced homelessness, struggling to put food on the table or shoes on their children’s feet. This led to numerous fundamental changes in behavior. Getting by with what you had was of the utmost importance, hence the often-repeated phrase: use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

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Poverty in the depression often meant living in dirt-floored shacks. Photo: Dorothea Lange / U.S. Library of Congress

My own grandfather lived through the Depression as a young boy, and it had a dramatic impact on him. Throughout my childhood, he would save anything which could be reused or repurposed. Some might consider this “pack rat” behavior, but to him, it was just the right thing to do. He kept a stack of rubber bands around the shifter of his car, categorized and stored every rusty nut and bolt in the garage, and even wrapped up and saved chewing gum to chew again later. When we went to restaurants, he’d clean the scraps off every plate at the table, including the edible garnish — incorporating raw kale into his diet before it was trendy.

These lessons are still relevant today, and will only become more important in a large-scale disaster scenario. The following infographic shows nine Great-Depression-era behaviors, and suggests some takeaway lessons associated with each. If you put these skills into practice during times of prosperity, they’ll be second nature by the time a crisis arrives. (Click here for a full-size version of this infographic.)

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More in Fiscal Security, Survival, and Preparation

Sara Liberte: Building the Battle Van

By
Patrick McCarthy
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According to Chris Farley’s character in a series of old Saturday Night Live sketches, nobody wants to end up living in a van down by the river. In reality, van-dwelling doesn’t have to be a miserable experience — with the right mindset, a spacious vehicle, and a bit of preparation, this nomadic lifestyle can actually be a lot of fun. Case in point: traveling photographer and videographer Sara Liberte (pronounced Liberty — yes, that’s her real last name).

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A photo of Sara at the range, taken by Marjorie M. White.

Sara has spent the last few years on the road, traveling throughout the United States in her previous vehicle, which she dubbed the Dodge Mahal. That old Dodge van served her well, but the time has come to put it out to pasture and upgrade to something newer. So, Sara bought a 2017 GMC Savana cargo van, and she plans to gradually upgrade it into a proper all-terrain home on wheels. For now, the project is being referred to as the Battle Van.

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The Battle Van build will be documented by Sara through periodic updates on her YouTube channel. We’ll be following the build here on OFFGRIDweb, so stay tuned for more as the build progresses. Our friends over at RECOIL and Breach-Bang-Clear will also be helping out. Currently, Sara has the following companies on board to provide parts:

Sara’s plans also include off-road capable wheels and tires, LED lighting, and possibly even a 4×4 conversion for easier access to remote photoshoot locations. Should the van get stuck, there will be survival gear such as a backup generator, water purifier, and long-range communications equipment. We’re excited to see how it plays out, and watch the transformation of this plain GMC into a unique bug-out van and home on wheels.

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For more information on Sara Liberte, visit SaraLiberte.com, follow her on Facebook, or check out this article on Breach-Bang-Clear.

Review: 5.11 Tactical Defender Flex Jeans & Pants

By
Patrick McCarthy
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You’ve likely heard the old saying that clothes make the man. While that’s clearly an oversimplification, it’s certainly true that your clothing speaks volumes, and it’s often one of the first things strangers will notice about you. Imagine waltzing into a biker-filled dive bar wearing a tuxedo and a gold Rolex, or trying to get a table at the Ritz Carlton in Paris while wearing an oil-stained Budweiser T-shirt, cut-off shorts, and flip-flops. In either case, you’re virtually guaranteed to become the center of attention, whether you want to or not.

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The point we’re making is not about the importance of looking hip so others notice how fashion-conscious you are. It’s about the importance of remaining aware of how others perceive you based on your clothing. This is one of the core principles of the “gray man” philosophy. If your clothing appears similar to that worn by those around you, and your actions aren’t conspicuous, passersby won’t give you a second glance. In everyday life, this can be convenient, but in an emergency scenario, it can dramatically increase your chances of remaining unnoticed and safe.

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However, there’s a need for compromise here. Military and tactical apparel often offers many advantages over run-of-the-mill garments — extra storage pockets for your EDC gear, concealed-carry enhancements, breathable and moisture-wicking fabrics, extreme durability, high-tech lightweight insulation, and so on. The question becomes, how can I retain the capabilities I need without broadcasting my preparedness to the world? When too much emphasis is put on blending in, you may limit yourself to inferior gear; when too little emphasis is placed on this discretion, you may end up painting a target on your own back.

Blue Jeans & Blending In

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Blue jeans are about as universal as clothing gets. With a nice pair of shoes and a blazer, jeans can appear upscale and sophisticated. With some old sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt, they’ll give off a casual blue-collar vibe. They won’t look out of place on a remote hiking trail, a construction site, or a bustling city street. You might say they’re the ultimate gray man apparel.

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Unfortunately, there are some downsides to traditional jeans. The denim fabric is essentially just densely-woven cotton, and that’s not a recipe for a flexible material. It doesn’t have much stretch or give, so it can feel restrictive during strenuous physical activity. Also, most jeans have five pockets — two on the front, two in back, and a small change pocket on the right side. The last pocket is usually so shallow that it’s not useful for carrying much more than a lighter or tube of lip balm.

5.11 Defender-Flex Jeans & Pants

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5.11 Tactical recently announced the release of a new line of pants known as Defender-Flex. This line includes Dark Wash Indigo (pictured) and regular Indigo denim blue jeans, as well as twill fabric pants in a variety of colors. The Defender-Flex jeans and pants will be available in slim-fit or straight-fit, and there will also be a women’s version.

All variants will retail for $70, but at the time of writing this article, these items are not yet listed for sale on 5.11’s web site. The company says the Defender-Flex line will be available to the public starting in Spring 2017. We’re told the colors seen here will be the first styles available, while other pant colors and women’s versions will be coming later.

Up to this point, everything sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, but there’s more to these jeans than meets the eye — and that’s exactly the goal.

Admittedly, these aren’t the first “tactical jeans” to ever hit the market; a few other companies have produced their own variants in the past. However, the 5.11 Defender-Flex line resembles ordinary jeans more than some we’ve seen, and it’s also available at a substantially lower price point than others. As for design, comfort, and real-world functionality, read on for more details and our testing impressions.

Flexible Fabric

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The biggest technical difference between the Defender-Flex series and your dad’s old Levi’s or Wranglers is the fabric. The Defender-Flex jeans are composed of Lycra T400 Tough Max, a cotton/polyester-blend fabric. The manufacturer claims Tough Max fabric is twice as strong as regular 100% cotton denim. It’s also said to have higher tear and tensile strength than cotton, as well as high abrasion resistance. The label lists the composition as 76% cotton and 24% polyester.

Defender-Flex pants use a slightly different fabric than the jeans, resulting in a smoother finish and slightly more stretch. The label on the pants lists composition as 66% cotton, 31% polyester, and 3% elastane (also called Spandex or Lycra). Aside from this fabric and different color options, the jeans and pants are identical.

In addition to this modern fabric, 5.11 Tactical added extra-thick hems and stitching to further reinforce key wear areas, such as the button closure and edges of the front pockets. There are 8 belt loops, three on each side and a pair at the rear. These loops are slightly thinner and more pliable fabric than those found on Levi’s, but at 3/4-inch wide they’re about 30% wider than the Levi’s loops. Tough brass rivets emblazoned with “5.11” text and a brass button with the 5.11 logo serve as subtle finishing touches.

Seven Pockets

The other distinctive characteristic of the 5.11 Defender-Flex is its pockets. Each pair offers a total of 7 pockets. We’ll list them below along with the pocket dimensions, and how they compare to the pocket dimensions on a pair of Levi’s 505 jeans.

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  • Two front pockets — 5″ wide by 6.5″ deep — 0.5″ shallower than Levi’s
  • Right side coin pocket — 3.25″ wide by 4.75″ deep — 1.5″ deeper than Levi’s
  • Two back pockets — 4.5″ wide by 6″ deep — 1.5″ narrower than Levi’s
  • Two side mag pockets — 4″ wide by 5.25″ deep — N/A (not present on Levi’s)

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Above: The extra-deep “coin pocket” can fit a variety of surprisingly large items, such as a hefty Zero Tolerance folding knife (4.9 inches long when closed), a Leatherman Wingman multi-tool, a deck of playing cards, or an Altoids tin. Calling it just a coin pocket would be short-changing it, if you’ll forgive the pun.

The rear pocket size is pretty much what you’ll find on other pairs of jeans, but its proximity to the side mag pockets is convenient. You could use them for the recommended purpose of holding rifle magazines at the range, or drop in a USB battery pack to charge your smartphone on the move. Unlike other jeans, you won’t have to rely heavily on your front pockets for EDC items.

Above: Rather than carrying a separate blow-out kit, the mag pockets could easily fit a tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, and Israeli bandage for emergency medical care.

Now you’re up to speed on the technical specs, materials, and dimensions of the Defender-Flex jeans, but the most important part of our review is yet to come. How do they work in the real world?

Our Thoughts: Defender-Flex Review

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We received and tested three items from the new Defender-Flex series: a pair of straight-fit Dark Wash Indigo jeans, and two pairs of straight-fit Defender-Flex pants (Stone khaki and Burnt brown). As mentioned earlier, the jeans have a softer feel and slightly less stretch than the pants, due to higher cotton content. When exposed to moisture, the synthetic-heavy pants seem to dry out faster than the jeans, as you might expect. However, the differences between the pants and jeans are pretty much negligible.

Above: We used a 1.5-inch 5.11 Apex T-Rail belt with these jeans. Most belts up to 2 inches wide should fit.

As we wore these around town, at home, and in the office, we found them exceptionally comfortable. The small amount of give and flex in the fabric means you don’t feel the tension 100% cotton exhibits as you bend down or kneel. It’s a subtle difference, especially in the jeans, but it’s noticeable. They’re also nicely breathable and lightweight, which is helpful for those who live in warmer regions.

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Regarding the construction, we didn’t find any major flaws, but there are a few things we’d like to see improved:

  • Thick pocket seams are nice for durability, but they’re barely too thick to slide smoothly under the pocket clips on some of our EDC gear. (This may improve as the fabric breaks in.)
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  • While wide and securely stitched, the belt loop fabric doesn’t feel quite as thick and sturdy as we’d like.
  • The zipper is noticeably smaller than that found on a pair of Levi’s. This isn’t entirely confidence-inspiring, but it’s too early to say how well it’ll hold up in the long run.
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The clip on this Streamlight ProTac 2L snagged on the thicker front pocket seams, but slid easily into the coin pocket.

As for the pockets, we found ourselves wondering, why the heck aren’t all our jeans like this already? The setup is that good. When the mag pockets are empty, you can forget about them, but when you need extra storage space, they’re right there waiting for you. Even if you’re not using them for rifle mags, they come in handy constantly. Pickpockets might not think to look there, or want to reach into such a deep pocket, so you could conceal a slim wallet inside for travel purposes. Thicker items will produce a visible bulge, however.

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The coin pocket is also extremely useful. It swallows up flashlights, knives, tactical pens, and the like, leaving access to the pocket below unobstructed. If we could make a request, we’d ask for one more pocket — a tiny concealed pocket inside the waistband for emergency cash, a spare key, or other small essentials. But as it stands now, seven pockets is a whole lot better than four and a half.

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The Defender-Flex line bridges the gap between consumer-grade clothing and tactical apparel. Some may look at these as just pants with some extra pockets and stretch fabric, and think what’s the big deal?, but to us these are legitimately a big deal. They’re not just jeans, they’re jeans that could potentially make the other pairs you own obsolete.

These aren’t relegated to tactical training, range days, or outdoor excursions. You could wear them to the office or the mall, and nobody would bat an eye. Meanwhile, you’d be able to organize your EDC gear better, carry more in your pockets, and move with greater flexibility. Best of all, they only cost about $20 more than an ordinary pair of cotton jeans.

For more information on the 5.11 Tactical Defender-Flex jeans and pants when they become available, visit 511Tactical.com or follow 5.11 Tactical on Facebook.

Signaling for Rescue

By
Patrick McCarthy
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In a survival scenario, it’s important to do everything you can to remain self-reliant. Obviously that doesn’t mean that you should always venture out alone, or that you should disregard the needs of your family and friends — a survival support network is helpful and can make your life much easier during a disaster. Self-reliance means that you can still get by on your own if necessary.

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White smoke signals can be created by laying green living boughs across a strong fire.

However, there are some situations when pure self-reliance becomes impossible. If you topple off a ridge and break your back, get stranded at sea, or become so ill that you’re unable to walk, signaling for rescue may become your only hope for survival. Therefore, it’s important to consider the best methods to indicate your distress and call for rescue.

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At night, a road flare can be used to signal for help, and to ignite a separate signaling fire.

In the following video, British survivalist AlfieAesthetics covers three categories of man-made distress signals: noisemakers, daytime signaling devices, and nighttime signaling devices. Noisemakers include whistles, car horns, firearms, loudspeakers, or just about anything that can produce a repeating pattern or S.O.S. signal (…—…) in morse code.

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If you can get your hands on them, smoke grenades create an immediate and obvious distress signal.

Daytime and nighttime devices have some crossover; for example, flares and signal fires are effective around the clock. Other items are only effective at certain times — signal mirrors and smoke signals will be most effective in full sunlight, while glowsticks and flashlights will be most effective at night. Finally, Alfie discusses natural signals, such as arranging sticks or rocks in easily-identifiable patterns that would be visible by aircraft.

Check out the video, and consider which options would fit best into your bug-out bag or emergency kit:

OKC Carter 2quared Folding Knife

By
Patrick McCarthy
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Knife-making runs in Robert Carter’s blood. He’s the son of skilled knife-maker Joe Pardue, and the grandson of an absolute legend in the knife world, Mel Pardue. Carter has attained his own success while working with Ontario Knife Company to develop the Carter Prime. The Prime is one of OKC’s most popular designs, and it has now led to a second Ontario knife: the Carter 2quared.

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An early custom prototype of the Carter 2quared design. Source: @robertcarterknives / Instagram

OKC says the name 2quared is pronounced “squared” rather than “two-quared”, but however you choose to read it, it looks to be a pretty cool blade. Carter came up with this design as a custom model, and partnered with Ontario Knife Company to bring it into production on a larger scale.

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Another photo of the early custom design by Carter. Source: @robertcarterknives / Instagram

The production OKC Carter 2quared consists of a lightweight titanium handle, with a large forefinger groove, sturdy frame lock, and sculpted pocket clip. The drop-point flipper blade is constructed of natural D2 tool steel, rather than the blackwash finish seen on the custom version above (though we hope that finish will be available later from OKC). This D2 steel includes chromium for tough corrosion resistance, and is hardened to 59-60 HRC.

Here's a photo of the production version of the OKC Carter 2quared knife.
Here’s a photo of the final production version of the OKC Carter 2quared knife.

The knife’s overall length is 8.375 inches, while the blade is 3.55 inches. The OKC Carter 2quared is made in Taiwan. The company has not yet announced an official retail price, or listed the Carter 2quared on its web site, but keep an eye on the OKC Robert Carter Series page for more information in the future.

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