Category: Gear
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Flood Emergency Kit: Gear That Keeps Your Family Dry
Turn your general kit into a flood emergency kit with waterproof storage, waders, a water pump, purification tools and life jackets for every family member.
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Does It Hold a Charge? Does It Start? The Twice-a-Year Power Gear Check
The power goes out at 9 p.m. You grab the flashlight from the drawer, click it, and nothing happens. Then you head to the garage, pull the generator cord 6 times, and it coughs once and quits. That’s the night most families find out their backup gear was only backup on paper. Gear that sat…
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Rechargeable Hand Warmer Recall: Check Your Winter Gear Bag for Fire Risk
You toss a pair of hand warmers in the truck kit every fall. They charge on the counter and ride in your coat for months. This year, 3 brands of those warmers were pulled for a fire and burn risk. So the question isn’t whether to worry. It’s whether the pair in your bag is…
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Bug Out Plans Are Even More Important Than Gear
Most people who prepare for emergencies own some sort of bug-out bag. Maybe it lives in a closet, the trunk, or next to the front door. Mine would be no different in that respect and has certainly seen all three spots at some point in the past. But owning a bag doesn’t mean you have…
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Good ‘Ol Trusty Knife – An Essential Survival Tool
America is the land of the gun. Our heroes, from the iconic cowboy, to the Prohibition-era G-man, to the modern-day action hero are defined by their guns. However, while the gun is certainly a loud and boastful tool, it lacks the utility of the knife.
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Reolink 2nd Gen Battery Video Doorbell Review
Eons ago, Reolink sent us their Argus 2 Battery & Solar Powered Security Camera to test out – and that we did. It fit the bill extremely well for its intended purpose, so when we were in the market for a new video doorbell to replace our standard one, we decided to go out on……
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18 Survival Gear Ideas at Hobby Lobby
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes Some of the most useful survival items are sitting on shelves in places you’d never think to look. If you’re resourceful and you what you’re after, you can walk into an ordinary store and come out with a cart full of gear that’ll help you patch, repair, build, and organize…
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Metmo Fractal Vise Review: Engineered Perfection
Reviewing precision engineered eye candy is always a smidgen difficult for me. Those of you who have read my review of Metmo’s overbuilt mini screwdriver know that I am a sucker for precision machining and the Metmo Fractal Vise isn’t changing this anytime soon. I suspect, most of you reading this are the sort of……
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How to Power 12-volt Gear Without a Battery, Inverter, or Charge Controller
I’ve shared something similar years ago, but the video below is about using a Buck converter to directly transform solar panel power into 12-volts; it’s a follow-up on an earlier video of his, but the idea is simple: place the Buck converter inline between the panel and your appliance, and you’ve got power. Granted, he…
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Pocket Survival Gear is Overrated
I used to carry a lot. A Leatherman Wave, a pocket knife, my own version of an Altoids tin loaded with wilderness survival gear, a wallet stuffed with extras like bandages and folded duct tape, and more. I once carried wallet survival tools, assorted items on my keychain (which ended up causing problems with the…