36W Cree LED Flood Beam Lights Review

Gear Review: 36W Cree LED Flood Beam Lights
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The amazon pictures do not do this product justice. I was offered the chance to review these 36W Cree LED Flood Beam Lights.  In all actuality, I was not expecting much.  However, the quality of the lights impressed me.

These lights are very solid, and have a very flexible mounting system.

I had every intention of doing a full video of installing them in my off grid shipping container and powering them with a 45 watt solar panel I already have.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and I am stuck in the house this weekend.

As soon as I get a chance, I will install these lights in the shipping container and show how well they work.

I did receive this product at a reduced cost, but after using them, I am going to buy more.

Update:

I have used these in testing my solar set up in preparation for setting it up in my conex box at the land.  They are really nice.  I like how bright they are and how easy they are to set up.  Finally, these lights are not very expensive, and I am thinking about buying a couple more sets and making a light pole from a volleyball net post.

Portable Water Filter Bag Review

portable water filter bag
portable water filter bag

I got to review this collapsible 16.2 ounce water filter bag. The bag comes with a built in .1 micron water filter straw which is capable of cleaning and purifying the dirty water you scooped up.

What I like best about this kit is that you can screw the filter directly into any standard (28mm) plastic bottle.

It filters up to 300 gallons of contaminated water with a single unit.  At the recommended survival amount of one gallon per person per day, this is almost a year supply of fresh water in a cheap and portable bundle.

I really liked the idea.  The package was very light and compact, and the design was well thought out.  I left it with my dad to do more testing, as he is living full time out on the land.

This kit is a nice idea, and it is a good price.  It is not as robust as a more expensive set-up.  I would not use it for day to day use.  I would however use it for kits and to use to give away to friends or to barter.

For a low price water and fire is taken care of.  Add in a knife and you have the basis of a cheap kit.

Book Review: Guerrilla Gunsmithing

Guerrilla Gunsmithing

Guerrilla Gunsmithing
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There may come a time when government restrictions severely limit not only access to firearms but the tools and means to repair and maintain them, or you may someday find yourself in the boondocks with a busted weapon.

That’s where the guerrilla gunsmith comes in.

Ragnar Benson has had experience as a guerrilla gunsmith repairing “junk” guns in some tough places around the world, and here he shares some innovative ways to patch up, cobble together and otherwise make operational everything from antique rifles still found in remote war zones to modern firearms suffering from appalling abuse.

Drawing on lessons and stories from backwoods experts he’s worked with under desperate conditions in Africa, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan and beyond, Ragnar tells how to employ last-resort but effective techniques to remove hopelessly stuck rounds and other barrel obstructions, straighten bent barrels, replace lost parts, smooth out dented magazines, make repairs to some pretty hopeless stocks, scrounge up workable ammo and more.

These are last-ditch, do-it-yourself methods, but they may be all you’ll have to fall back on deep in the bush or with your back to the wall, when the only things between you and the enemy are a rifle and the know-how to make it work.

Just 2 Seconds

Book Review: Just 2 Seconds
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Just 2 Seconds covers the lessons of past assassination to prevent future ones.

Think of every assassination you’ve ever heard about. For most people, a few of these major ones come to mind: Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Anwar Sadat, John Lennon, Israel’s Prime Minister Rabin, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto.

From start to finish, all of these attacks combined took place in less than one minute. And the hundreds of attacks studied for this book, all of them combined, took place in less than a half-hour. Those thirty minutes, surely the most influential in world history, offer important insights that can help today’s protectors defeat tomorrow’s attackers.

This 650-Page Book Contains:

An original work of new insights arising from ten years of research;
The Five Essential Lessons for protectors;
The Compendium – 400 pages of summarized attacks, near attacks, and incidents against at-risk persons all over the world from 1960-2007, more than 1400 entries;
and the Appendices – More than 100 pages of additional material and resources.

Clear Backpack Review

Gear Review: Clear Backpack
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#Clearbackpack

Now that I went back to work as an instructor at a local prison I needed a clear backpack to carry all my issued tools through the secure checkpoint.  While most of you don’t have this problem, I understand that many schools are now requiring clear backpacks to prevent weapons and contraband from entering our schools.

I figure if this bag is strong enough for adult use riding on conveyer belts, going through x-ray machines, having officers dig through it, and my clumsy self carrying it, it has to be strong.

I find this backpack is of good quality, and pretty sturdy.  It is a little hard to fully open because it is stiff, but I like the stiffness because it gives strength.

The sellers of this bag gave me one to review, which is nice because I was looking for one to use.  However, my opinions are my own.

Update:

After carrying through a month of cadet training, I am still pleased with the clear bag.  It has no signs of wear and is still working well.  I still get frustrated with the stiffness of the bag.  But this probably contributes to the strength.  It is slightly tight fit for my laptop, so I went back to my laptop bag, my kid now as a clear backpack and it makes mornings easier as we can tell when he is trying to sneak a bunch of toys to school