Easy Camp Huntsville 500 Tent

I have not received compensation in any way for the video or this blog post. I put this up because I could not find a non company post or video about this model of tent. I want to provide useful information for those considering buying one.

Another addition to Camp Down the Rabbit Hole is the Easy Camp Huntsville 500 5 Person Tunnel Tent. It’s a 10′ x 15 1/2′ tunnel tent. The tent comes in three pieces, the outer part of the tent, considered the rainfly, the floor and the interior enclosed room. The rainfly is made from 190T 100% coated polyester with taped seams, the enclosed room from 100% uncoated polyester, the floor is 100% polyethylene.

There are five windows, two doors and vents. The main door has two zippers with Velcro tabs to attach the bottom to the rainfly and a double zipper screen panel. Both parts can be rolled up to the top of the entry and be held in place with toggles and loops. There are two grommets on each corner of the door so that it can be held open with poles to act as a shade over the screened area. On either side are small mesh screen vents that are held open with foam and fabric arms. The side door also has a two zipper closing system where the bathtub floor can fold out flat. There is no mesh screen. The back or rear of the tent has a screened window that zips closed from the outside.

Main entry, ventilation sleeves, vinyl window

Four of the windows are vinyl with no screen or way to open them. Fabric covers for privacy can be opened or closed by separating them from the Velcro tabs. The interior room insert is meant to create a separate room in the back section of the tent. It is held in place with toggles attached to rings with elastic. While it can offer privacy and an alternate to the open floor plan I don’t like it much. It is not snug fitting to the sides of the rainfly. When put in place there is about 6″ of space on the sides, top and back. That is a lot of space lost. Sometime in the future I may disassemble it so that only the door side attaches to the tent. Then it would be useful.

Main entry open, view to back of tent, ventilation vents

There are several reasons I choose this tent. My main reason was to set it up as our heated or air conditioned in camp aid station. There is enough space for two cots or stretchers on saw horses, medical supplies and equipment. The side door floor folds out flat so that if hard plastic or plywood flooring was added a gurney could be wheeled in instead of carried. And, it makes it easier to hand carry without having to step over the fabric threshold of the main door. The vinyl windows don’t open making it easier to heat and cool without modifying them.

View of interior room insert

Toggle attachments

Room divider

I have changed a some things and added a few. Two 8″ ventilation hose sleeves were added to facilitate use of a heater or air conditioner. Velcro was sewn across the bottom of the rear window closure to reduce air exchange. I sewed the floor onto the rainfly walls to keep the insects and unwanted wildlife out. Velcro was also placed at the bottom of the side door. The retaining straps that ran across the floor to hold the sides in place were removed so that the floor could expand and pull tight. They had been placed there to prevent the sides from splaying before the floor was sewn in. The tent seals up good.

View of side door with floor folded down

Set up is easy enough that one person can do it in about 30 to 35 minutes. There are 14 stakes for the tent and 14 for the guy lines. I’ve had the most success setting it up by my self by laying the tent out so the footprint is mostly in place, staking the back corners down, then staking the front entrance center guy line. Once those are in place the three fiberglass color coded poles are pushed though the sleeve then the ends are put over the metal pins connected to the tent body. Moving from back to front the tent will begin to stand up and stay in place.

Front entrance, taper is visible

Next the tent body stakes are placed. To keep the tent in line stake and connect one side then move to the other. Note the front entrance corners are tapered from the place where the poles connect making it a little difficult to line up without them shifted to one side or another. I leave the front for last. It seems easier to line the front up with the sides. Although this tent is not heavy duty it will work well for the occasional use. I’m satisfied how the modifications turned out and the tent itself. Questions and comment are always welcome. Check out the video below. -13

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Bass Pro Eclipse 6 Person Cabin Tent

I have not received compensation in any way for the video or this blog post. I put this up because I could not find any post or video about this model of cabin tent. Plus I want to provide useful information for those considering buying one.

I purchased two of the Bass Pro Eclipse 6 person cabin tents for a couple of reasons. One, Camp Down the Rabbit Hole could offer quarters for housing one or two individuals for our alliance of like minds for camping. Two, to be prepared with temporary quarters in the event our home was damaged in a natural disaster or we had evacuated for any reason.

The tent is constructed with 190T polyester with a 600mm PU coating. It has a bathtub style floor made with 120gm polyethylene. There are two triangle mosquito net ventilation panels in the roof. Four mosquito net windows with zip up privacy shades including the door. The door has a double zipper and is roomy enough to walk through wearing your load bearing equipment. There is also a port on the door side for electric power.

Window with privacy panel down for demonstration. Panel is usually neatly rolled up.

The footprint is 9′ x 10′. The propaganda states that the floor plan is big enough to house to queen size beds and 6 persons. When I’m in the tent it seems to me that it is more suitable for one or two adults, one maybe two camp chairs, a roll top camp table, some personal gear and a portable heater or air conditioner. Not much else. This would depend on how everything was organized.

Fabric plenums.

Vinyl window panel in place.

I made a few modifications to make it more usable. Two fabric plenums were added for interior or exterior air conditioning or heating. Vinyl panels were added using Velcro to quickly and easily attach or remove them. The window coverings allow the privacy panels to be lowered providing a way to see outside and keep the heated or air conditioned air inside. The triangle roof panels were also covered with the clear vinyl so they would seal up the tent yet allow light to pass though.

Pole elbows

Roof crossmember tie off point

The tent is set up using four metal and two fiberglass shock corded poles. The fiberglass poles are used on the roof to give it strong arch support. While the metal poles support the fiberglass roof poles and sides of the tent at each corner with a plastic elbow. Each corner elbow is marked with a 140° mark. This is where the metal poles go. The other end is too small for them and where the fiberglass poles attach. The fiberglass poles cross at the top and are tied in at the center. When putting the poles in place there is a metal pin attached at the corners that goes into the end of the pole.

Corner pole pin

The rainfly has a quick release buckle at each corner that adjust the tension of the fly. There is also a pole that attaches to the rainfly over the door to maintain it’s shape and to offer an awning like structure. The floor outline requires 6 stakes, the rainfly needs 7. The rainfly must be used for stability. It has all the attachment points and guy lines. It takes about 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted time for one person to set the tent up. Also of note is that the only place there is seam tape is the rainfly. None of the seams on the tent body are seam taped. I’ve only experienced mild rain and cannot tell how it performs in a heavy storm.

This video has mostly the same information and footage of the set up. If you have experience with this tent or have questions post them here. -13

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Emergency & Disaster Preparedness – Bedside Commode / Toilet

Bedside commodes, a cost effective, multi-use way to collect human waste. I’ve tried many different portable commodes from the ones that contain fresh water for flushing to the 5 gallon buckets with a toilet seat adapter. I didn’t like any of them.

The water filled commodes require one to find a place to dump the liquid waste and resupply with fresh water plus the blue chemicals required. The 5 gallon bucket type seat is too small and are prone to tipping over while in use. Neither of them seem to account for men using them. In order for the number two the reach the container the number one will be pressed onto and touching the collection bowl. Not a good sanitary situation. Simply, gross and nasty.

Those experiences led me to the bedside commodes typically used for medical purposes. To start off, although the space is limited I don’t end up touching the bowl with my private parts. A big plus for me. The commodes have different features that make them very useful.

Bedside commode over in house toilet

The commode is designed to use bedside for those who are convalescing in the home so they don’t have to travel far for relief. The legs are height adjustable to make it easier to move onto it from a bed or place it over a bathroom toilet so that one can benefit from the arm rest. Some arm rest are movable so that it will make it easier to move from a bed or wheelchair.

Covered bucket bowl with lid and liner.

They all have a covered bowl that uses disposable bags to collect waste and a splash shield. The splash shield is used when the commode is placed over a toilet to funnel the waste into the bowl below. This same configuration can also be used in combination with a lined 5 gallon bucket or in-ground hole or trench latrine.

Splash shield

There are many types of bowl liners available. I usually get the kit form that has the waste collection bag that contains the powder that causes the liquids to gel that once full can be placed into the included zip closed containment pouch. I also use the bulk packaged liners designed for the bedside commodes then add the gelatin powder for the liquids.

Splash shield, 5 gallon bucket combination

Currently we have 5 of these commodes. One for each tent so one doesn’t have to travel through cold or rain soaked late night calls of nature. Also one for each of our designated latrine tents. Mostly they’ve been used for camping. We have had one occasion to use them in the home when the main sewer drain line was broken by a tree root. It took less that 10 minutes to get them out of storage and put in place where we used them for three days until the pipe was repaired. Fortunately no one has had to use them for medical issues.

Commode in our pop-up latrine tent

They are available at any home medical supply store, Freecycle Network, or from Craigslist. They can be priced, depending on features, from little over $100.00 to free. Whatever the price paid they are well worth having on hand. On the topic of camp sanitation a good reference to have on hand is the military field manual FM MED 593 on field sanitation. It has lots of good information for setting up different camp latrines.

I made a short video that shows set ups and features of the different commodes we use. Let me know how you set up and what your experience has been with camp and emergency sanitation. -13

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Esstac 556 Kydex Magazine Insert

I receive no compensation for the video or blog post. I’m posting this because I want others to know more about the product. Preparedness is very important.

If you’re like most American patriots you have the desire to be ready to defend your naturally born rights, family and property. To do so requires owing and being proficient with capable firearms. Good firearms and training mean basic ammunition load-outs, a way to carry and retain them on your person.

Nylon ALICE LBE post Vietnam

When I first started using load bearing equipment(LBE) it was in the mid 1970’s using ALICE LBE. ALICE magazine pouches work great but they to create unwanted bulk when worn forward of the lateral midline of the body. Very much like we see now with the magazines being placed front and center on chest rigs.

ALICE magazine pouch converted to PALS attached to an Air Force Defensor Fortis Load Carrying System

I no longer use the ALICE LBE unless it’s been converted to the Pouch Attachment Ladder System(PALS). The ALICE magazine pouches are still on my LBE located in a more convenient place. Their primary place has been taken by military surplus triple side-by-side pouches.

Surplus triple side-by-side magazine pouch.

These pouches are fantastic for keeping a low profile but suck for shifting magazines or resupply. They don’t hold their shape to maintain an opening that would make is easy to place a magazine in them without looking and two hands. I had considered making some kydex inserts myself but don’t have a shop set up to make them to my quality standards. That fact left me searching for something commercially made.

Esstac 556 KYWI magazine insert.

There are several brands and makers out there, the prices vary considerably. For the price I decided to try the Esstac 556 KYWI. After several months of use I decided to purchase more. They have a shape that once placed into the magazine pouch will snugly hold onto popular 30 round magazines such as the Troy and Pmag brands and of course USGI mags. The insert has the hook part of hook & loop attached to be used with their brand of magazine pouches and a drain hole in the bottom.

The insert keeps the pouch open so that I can load the pouch without looking or having to use two hands. The edges of the kydex are not what I’d call finished. Meaning raw 90° edges. At first I thought this might catch the edges of the magazines but it has not. If it ever gives me a problem I’ll hand smooth them to a desirable angle. So far the unfinished edges seem to help hold the insert in place.

I’m satisfied enough with them to have all my triple pouches outfitted with them and a few spares. Keep in mind that there are different height sizes depending on what you need. Pay attention if you order some. They also have them for 7.62 and pistol magazines. I purchased mine from SKD Tactical however they can be purchased directly from Esstac.

Their use is demonstrated in the video. I included an upside down shake test like you see in other review videos. I however don’t plan on pulling off acrobatics in the field by doing somersaults or hanging upside down like a bat. It has been my experience that the magazines will not dislodge from the pouch when jogging from one position to another or fly out when rapidly going prone. Let me know if you’ve had a different experience with them or use something different. -13

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BMT Mooner J38-5 Moon Clip Loader

I receive no compensation for this post, this is my personal opinion and experience. I’m sharing this because I think it may help people be more satisfied with their moon clip equipped revolver.

This post is for anyone with a revolver that uses moon clips. Loading and unloading moon clips by hand can be a big hassle. Sometimes simply loading or unloading can bend the clip making it useless. With the BMT Mooner J38-5 I can load or unload rounds in seconds with a single twist of the device. It is amazing how well the device works. I made a video of this model since I couldn’t find one online.

This model is for the Smith & Wesson 5 shot J-frames. There is another model available for the 5 shot J-frame as well, if you go to purchase one make sure you contact BMT to insure you get the right one. There are also many more models for various popular revolvers on the market. The cost for my J38-5 was around $100.00. I couldn’t be more satisfied with the device. -13

The link for the moon clip is http://www.bmtequipped.com/index.php

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The time I was bitten by Loralei the snake in the movie Striptease.

Photo by Lucas Ignacio on Pexels.com

It had been a week since Loralei the Burmese python’s eyes were cloudy. She had been donated to the zoo after filming the movie Striptease with Demi Moore. It was typical to not feed snakes about to shed their skin since they usually wouldn’t eat. Loralei now 11′ long weighing 50 pounds hadn’t been fed for a week when I cleaned her exhibit. When I went in she was up in the limbs of the section of a tree we had put in for her to stimulate natural activity.

Her eyes still cloudy she wouldn’t be fed this morning either. As soon as she shed she would be fed. I went about my day as usual. When it came time to close the zoo down for the day I went to enter Loralei’s exhibit to insure all was well. As I opened the door she was stretched along the length of the exhibit with her head next to the door I’d just opened.

I noticed she had shed her skin. Didn’t think much of it but would note it in the daily report so she would be fed the next morning. I casually bent over to grasp her head so I could move her out of the way to check the exhibit. In an instant my right hand was in her mouth, her body wrapping around my arm. I was shocked how fast it happened. Within seconds her entire body was off the floor attempting to keep wrapping around me as she kept constricting tighter.

She couldn’t get her long body around my arm so the rest of her was trying to loop around my head and neck. The situation was becoming dangerous. With my right hand and arm in her grasp and my left trying to push off the rest of her I couldn’t reach my two-way radio to call for help. I noticed the water container was still full so I knelt down and pushed her head into the water.

When I did she constricted my arm so tightly I thought she might break it. I quickly pulled her head out of the water. I looked around for another option. The only thing I could see possible was a limb from the tree inside the exhibit reaching over the doorway. I thought if I could get her tail up on that she might try to grasp it or I might be able to keep her away from my neck long enough to call for help.

I tried but her tail kept trying for my head and neck area. I moved in closer to the tree and pushed part of her up again then moved my head down under the tree pressing against the lower side of the limb. It worked. I was able to get the radio out of the pouch on my belt and call in a zookeeper-in-trouble code to security. Security rebroadcast the information to all the zookeepers. By then Loralei had moved her body down to my head again. I dropped the radio then kept pushing her away.

It was very quiet by then as all the visitors had left so the natural sounds of the zoo could be easily heard. After about a minute or so I could hear the sound of multiple keys hitting each other. That unmistakable sound when lock keys on a key ring strike each other. That’s odd I thought for a moment when I realize what it was. It was the sound of about a half dozen zookeepers running to come help me. What a wonderful sound that was.

Several zookeepers arrived then started to unravel Loralei off my arm. In all the excitement I hadn’t realized my hand wasn’t just in her mouth she had embedded dozens of teeth about a 1/4″ long into my hand as well and had no intention of letting go. The zookeepers would be at risk for bite if they tried to use their hands to peel her mouth away. The zookeeper with the most snake experience went to our food prep area and returned with some rubbing alcohol.

He took put some on his finger so it would drip off in drops. He held his finger over her nostrils and let one drop fall into them while another zookeeper held her behind the head. Almost as fast as she had attached herself to me she was letting go. She flexed her jaws attempting to remove the teeth she had been grasping me with. I could feel them tearing out of my fingers. It was gnarly. My goodness the sensation of those teeth pulling out of my flesh was hardcore.

Loralei detached I drove to the hospital for x-rays to insure there were no teeth left behind and was given some antibiotics as a precaution. Loralei never tried to eat me again after that. Policy was changed so that there had to be two zookeepers working together whenever we worked with large snakes. What an experience that was. -13

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Hurricane Dorian Ridiculous Local News Headlines

Every time we have a hurricane possibility the local news does this same old crap. They start off with regular weather reports when a potential hurricane is off the coast. Then it escalates into mythological madness. The local news headlines tell the story of storms that gain mythological status with sights aimed at us to lay siege and destruction to where we live. There are battles to be won by the fierce storm that menaces with lashings. It’s nuts! When they are supposed to be reporting facts they reduce themselves to tabloid titles and statements.

After all these years of this kind of thing I finally thought I’d take a screen shot of this practice then do a little cut and paste for everyone to enjoy. I couldn’t take it anymore this was the only retaliation I could think of. Hope others find the video I made as entertaining as it was to make it. -13

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Defensor Fortis LCS PALS Filler Panel

Defensor Fortis – Load Carrying System

Once again another DF-LCS (Defensor Fortis Load Carrying System) modification. This time it’s for the elastic that connects the rear section to the two front sections. After using the DF-LCS I was unhappy with the unused space created by the elastic connection and wanted a solution. I had a surplus fighting load carrier (FLC) on hand when it dawned on me to break it down into individual components and reuse the parts to fill the space.

Elastic connector between front and rear DF-LCS sections.

The PALS (pouch attachment ladder system) panels on the FLC would be perfect with little modification necessary. Once they were removed from the rest of the assembly it would be easy to cut the parts to size, sew on the recycled edge binding, then sew the free ends together. This would allow them to slip over the elastic connector then be laced to the front and rear section of PALS webbing with military spec paracord.

PALS filler panel over elastic connector, laced onto front and rear sections.

The idea works well for the ALICE M-16 pouches I converted to MOLLE. So far those have performed as expected when the ALICE magazine pouches are fully loaded with gear. I did have to tighten the lace up to eliminate the slight sagging issue.

Front view ALICE magazine pouch attached to PALS panel.

Rear view of ALICE magazine pouch and PALS panel on a DF-LCS.

I don’t have a lot of detail here because it’s in the video. The video moves from FLC disassembly, to layout, then sewing and finally how to make it work with the LCS. Video below. -13

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Defensor Fortis LCS Belt Keeper & Flashlight Holster PALS modifications.

Time for some gear updates. After switching from my old favorite ALICE LBE to MOLLE DF-LCS I experienced a couple of issues. When using the LCS it would inch it’s way over my pants belt and push down creating discomfort. I also noticed when in a sitting, crawling or in a prone position the rig would tend to climb toward my chest. After thinking of a solution the only one I could think of was to attach straps that would keep the LCS from moving away from my waistline.

Right segment of DF-LCS before adding belt keepers.

The idea came from my experience wearing a duty belt with belt keepers that were designed to hold the duty belt in line with my pants belt. With this in mind I measured the area I wanted to place the keepers, doubled the length then added a inch and a half. The extra length would give my fingers a place to work the snaps I intended to use. Once I had the dimensions for the strap I cut six lengths of poly webbing, folded them in half and sewed them so the two halves would work as one.

Right segment of LCS after belt keeper straps were added.

After sewing the keeper straps together they were sewn onto the three segments of the LCS. Next the holes were punched then the snaps were added. It was an easy project taking no more than 45-60 minutes to complete. After testing the idea seems to work well to prevent the LCS from moving around and causing me trouble. The LCS rig still has some movement/flexibility however it won’t move away from my waistline. I made a short video, the link is below.

I also modified what was labeled as a MOLLE flashlight holster to meet PALS specifications so I could attach it to my quick response belt. The holster had the vertical snap strap but did not have the ladder webbing. To fix this issue I removed the belt loop strap, opened the sewn seam to join the holster, added the new ladder section, then sewed the piece back together. Time spent was about a half hour. I made a how-I-did-it video the link its below. -13

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Austere Medicine: Mega Medic Bag – Kit Contents

Note: this post contains affiliate links, proceeds support this website.

I finally got around to finishing this bag and making a video! On June 3rd of 2016 I posted a product review video of the Mega Medic bag. At the time it was sitting empty, we had decided our medical supplies and equipment needed to be changed and updated based on how the use of the kits evolved over the previous 5-8 years. Most of the kits had been used out of a rescue truck for a project we were working on.

When I made the review video I gathered various medical items that fit into the different parts of the bag to demonstrate the possibilities of what could be kept there. The items shown weren’t a set up ready-to-go kit. I already had a list for the kit contents but didn’t have everything I wanted. Some of the items on hand had reached it’s useful life.

Recently after reading a video comment on the kit I had never seen before I checked to see what was needed to finish this kit. Triangle bandages. That was all. Trying to keep track of medical inventory without a computer may put me in a straight jacket. After replacing and restocking items the kit was finally ready. How is that for a swift kick in the pants?

B Compartment

The kit is an extension of the aid bag. This is considered our Trauma Kit and builds on splinting, bandaging, eye, dental, large wounds, burns. Can be resupply or used as is. It is based on several kits from past experience. It may be hard to imagine but nearly every item in this kit could be expended on one incident.

Some of the kits from the past using the same bag had more of the bandaging and splinting materials. Those kits had been based on, in part, by proximity to a military base and a direct flight path where helicopters and transport aircraft that could hold hundreds of soldiers could and sometimes did go down.

Then there is the, being the only one there and no one is coming. To the rural 20,000 person county, only 5 people qualified to operate two ambulances with the nearest mutual aid unit 30 minutes away, no air support. Standing there after a mass casualty incident looking around and seeing empty aid bags and bandaging supply wrappers among the carnage leaves a lasting impression.

Alpha compartment, why we use those pouches

During the same time we were updating our kits we were able to find several different type packing organizers on sale at Marshalls store. After using a few of them we went back to that store and many others within our local area and bought whatever stock they had in the store.

Those finds allowed us to keep items protected in ziploc bags and create mini kits without having a kit full of ziploc bag mess. Multiples of one type item or a kit made of several different components they’ll work well for many common items.

Double side bandaging pouch (Go Travel Packing Pouch no.3)

The bag above was one of the last pouches found. As it’s packed it works very well, 8 rolls Kerlix, 12 5×9 Surgipads, 20 4×4 sponges. I’ve looked for more and can’t find them. The pouch below is what was used before we found the pouch above. The dressings were packed the same way they are shown, the Kerlix was packed like the double side pouch, 8 rolls in a ziploc bag.

The smaller pouches have items like tape, self adhesive, triangle and elastic bandages. The bandage pouches are very handy for bandaging purposes or resupply. Glad we found them when we did.

Single side bandaging pouch (Travelon Packing Organizers Set-Small)

CD Case

I’ve been looking at ways to store the instant hot and cold compresses for years. When the portable CD cases became available I found out they worked well. If the internal storage sleeves are removed there is room for two instant compresses. All I had to do to get this type case to work was remove the sleeves from the rivets that were simple to pull out by hand.

At first I used a metal case but it added weight and was too stiff to fit in multiple spaces. When these softer type plastic cases became available I tried one. Discovered that I liked it better. It has more flexibility and can fit into tighter spaces than the metal case. For the type of compress and CD case chosen its simple to get them into the case. First, I arrange the liquid part of the compress in one half of the bag and the dry ingredients in the other then, fold in half.

Case open showing how compress is packed

Place both compresses in the case then close it. As shown below it works good. The compress is protected from punctures and abrasion and it’s easy to see the contents. I usually look for things like this at the outlet stores but ordered these off eBay for consistency.

Case packed with 2 compresses

This kit has one 18″ and two 36″ SAM splints that can be used in many different ways and can be custom cut with the trauma shears. Very handy to have on hand. They beat the old ice cream scoop, vinyl covered wood, blow-up doll, waxed cardboard splints any day.

FareTec CT-6

REEL Splint

The two photos above show the traction splints kept in or with the trauma kit. The FareTec and the REEL splints are surplus finds. If you’re looking to stock your kit check out eBay and the surplus stores. Make sure all the parts are there before you buy, get new if at all possible. Couldn’t give a price on either of these. eBay as I shockingly found out only keeps auction records for 3 years not a running tally like Amazon.

Dental / Eye Kit

In the photo above are the contents of the dental and eye kit. The denture case can be used for dentures, loose teeth or prosthetic eyes. There is a scleral cup for removing contacts and prosthetic eyes. A case for contact lens and a 10x magnified mirror.

Two eye shields and two food service 16 ounce deli cups for covering injured eyes. Those things can work well for keeping eyes protected. Some of the eye injuries I’ve seen makes me want these in stock at all times. Not shown are the sterile eye cups, the Sal-jet rinse 30ml saline vials or the Refresh Plus eye drops.

Most items in the kit have multiple uses. Dressing like the trauma and surgipad make good splint padding. The surgical CSR wraps in the kit to make clean working space can be used to protect wounds. A mylar blanket as an occlusive dressing. The list is endless.

Security Sealed Kit

Security seals are an important part of our medical system. The seals are tightly controlled and numbered. A strict system is in place, only a couple of people here are allowed to seal a kit. That way when one of the kits need to be used and the seal is intact we can be assured the contents will be there.

The seals used in the video are not the same seals used on our bags. They’re from old stock and are used for training. They work the same as fire extinguisher seals, twist or pull on the seal and it will break easily. If you get some, get numbered if possible it will help in case someone else has the same type/color seals.

A word of caution, be careful where they are placed on zippers they can break zipper parts easy.

Hardigg AL3018-0905

The Trauma Kit is kept in a cabinet or could be stored and transported in a heavy duty case with the REEL splint, a MOLLE 2 pack frame, various color pack covers, a quick litter in a dump pouch and a small tarp to place the contents onto. The case is stored with the gasket out, if left in place it compresses under the weight of the other cases and is not as effective over time.

Seems like that covers the items I felt I left out of the video. I don’t want to repeat the video here. I would rather people watch the video, then read the blog after to see what was left out. Clearly I don’t write scripts for these videos, just an item name, maybe a note. If there are any changes or updates in the future they’ll be posted. The new video is below. -13

Other video project featuring the Mega Medic bag are below.

Product review video.

Video of MOLLE 2 pack modifications.

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ALICE Magazine Pouch Turned MOLLE

From the Laboratory of Insane Schemes. ALICE military surplus has been my load bearing choice since the mid 1970’s. Not perfect for sure but it was a great place to carry my canteens and other items that would fit into ALICE 30 round magazine pouches. Cut off the grenade pouch and they fit together nicely on an issue pistol belt.

Moving into the 2000’s. After checking out some of the PALS / MOLLE surplus available I decided to change over. Although the webbing can be hot and heavy the PALS way of attaching pouches or attachment of any kind to LBE or packs is a good one that almost makes the attached item a part of what it’s attached to.

Moving forward left unused canteen and ALICE magazine pouches packed in boxes and me wishing I had a better way than the adapters made to use ALICE on MOLLE. The adapter still leaves the pouch flopping around like its on a pistol belt. Not a very good solution.

I had the idea recently after a resupply to take apart an ALICE magazine pouch and see if I could convert it over to a MOLLE pouch. If it would work it would fit perfectly on the space fillers on the DF-LCS rig elastic section I’d made from a zippered FLC purchased to salvage for parts.

Inside view of FLC adapter/filler and “new” MOLLE magazine pouch attached.

First I had to figure out where the attachment straps would be placed near the top of the pouch and where to snap it on. At the top I chose the hinge point for the lid so it wouldn’t interfere with access. Snaps on the bottom. When the snaps are on the back of the pouch they tend to push it out due to the bulk of the snap. If snap popping becomes an issue they can always be changed to lift-the-DOT. We’ll see what happens in the future.

Finished pouch.

Location of snaps

The web straps were the same length. Doubled, folded in half and sewn together. Measuring the magazine pouches for the PALS webbing I discovered that the pouch width could vary as much as a 1/4″ between 4 pouches. I chose the widest width and cut all the pieces that size. There are no actual dimensions in here because the variation in pouch width, measuring devices and points of measurement may not be the same as mine. Duplicating it exactly may cause problems.

After lots of seam ripping and thread picking the pouch was in half and the ALICE webbing was removed. Laying out the PALS is as simple as can be 1″ x 1 1/2″. Since the pouch is so small I sewed a center line and the edges like I’ve seen on some issue pouches. Sew the straps to the hinge point. Keep it simple.

Although the snaps used and the Pres-n-Snap are designed to cut through the fabric without punching a hole, I did punch because the amount of pouches were small and I wanted more precise location of my snaps. I’ve had puckering and slight movement of the snap post under pressure from the hand press that the finished snap was visibly off mark times I haven’t punched a hole first. It’s also much easier on the body with a hand press if the hole has been punched.

With the holes punched and the webbing sewn on, the stud part of the snap was installed on the bottom of the pouches. I try to leave them until the end of the project or leave them off for as long as possible. In the past I’ve put them on early thinking I’m saving time but they were in the way of the sewing machine on many occasions or were scratched up.

Once the snap half was in place the pouches could be sewn back together again. The top and bottom received four stitch lines and the whole side of the pouch received two stitch lines. That complete, the other half of the snaps were installed on the web straps and that was it. Those are the steps I took to convert ALICE to MOLLE. Now I have some of my favorite pouches to use again. There’s a video below of the process. -13

Materials used: Mil Spec DOT snaps, poly webbing, sunbrella thread.

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Marine Expeditionary Boot: Danner Waterproofing Spray

In the blog/videos Marine Expeditionary Boot: First Impressions, Marine Expeditionary Boot: Why I choose the M.E.B. for everyday wear and Marine Expeditionary Boot: Notes of the First 7 Days the topic of waterproofing new boots was left out to make this blog/video. I’ve read some product reviews stating that the nap and color of the boot had changed after using the Danner waterproofing spray. Function over aesthetics every time lets find out what happens.

Wearing the Danner Marine Expeditionary Boot for a few days indoors and deciding to keep them the waterproofing spray was applied before I wore the boots outdoors. The online reviews made me think the worst. Drastic color change, ruined nap. I’d rather have ugly waterproof dry boots than pretty khaki color wet ones.

The water based Danner waterproofing spray was easy to apply and smelled a little like Armor-all. Due to the runny nature of the spray I found it worked better if the surface was horizontal. At first I was spraying the boot in vertical. As soon as my first spray hit the leather/nylon the liquid ran off of the surface. It seemed to be better to spray the area, then distribute it evenly by hand. Washing hands first or wearing gloves will prevent dirt transfer from skin.

Two, soaking coats were applied, drying in between each coat. When first applied, before it dried, the surface of the leather did not look good. It was blotchy, light and dark spots throughout. It looked bad. Like the discoloration was permanent. Thought for sure I ruined them. After drying for several hours the color seems to be unchanged. Like disappearing ink. Remember that stuff?

A quick test under running water resulted in water beading off both boots like car wax. Not sure how much confidence I have in water based waterproofing. It worked or seems to. I’m wondering how long it will hold up. The real test will be on the fringes of the Everglades and getting the trash can to the curb. Check out the short video below if you want to see what happened. -13

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Unit-13 FREMSLT

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Marine Expeditionary Boot: Danner Waterproofing Spray

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