Hi again guys!

First of all, I want to thank all of you who helped me with my Aquatab issue, if it’s legal or not to sell in the USA. You guys know your poop and were a TREMENDOUS HELP. Not to mention you save me a lot of [research] time and possibly some legal confrontations too.

So what I intend to do is to play it safe by changing it to a “mini water container kit” and NOT a “water purification kit” and the Aquatabs come along with it FREE. And that the Aquatabs are not FDA nor EPA approved, they are manufactured outside the USA and to use it only in emergency life or death survival situations “at your own risk.”

Second, I sent an email to Chris asking if I can mention [here] about my new & improved Special Ops Survival Necklace and my other SOS Kits. Which he said that I could or I wouldn’t have just mention it.

Several years ago I forward Doug some samples of my old SOS Necklace and some of you here found out about it before he had time to conduct some tests on it and do a review too. Many of you thought it was a good idea in thinking outside the box and few of you didn’t like it at all and deeply criticized it.

Well, I’m a good listener and took in all your [negative] input and made some changes to it by deleting some items and adding a few more. And so now I would like your input again on what you think of my new & improved SOS Necklace. Check it out by logging onto www.therangerdigest.com and then click on my survival necklace “banner.”

Now com’on guys, be nice, this ain’t suppose to be a long term “Robinson Caruso” pioneer survival kit, only a short term survival kit.

I already know what some of you are going to say that I need to add a small container with some fishing line, hooks and some snare wire too. I’m already ahead of you on that and plan to add it to my SOS kits, just waiting on some suppliers to get back to me. Which I will then place these items inside the same type of container that my water container kit comes in.

Anyway, go ahead and take your best shot at it and let me know what you think of it and what you think it still needs or to be deleted. Like I state on my website, if you don’t wanna wear it as a necklace, then just carry the items inside a small container. Which by the way, I am also working on selling it as both, a survival necklace and key chain and letting the buyer assemble it the way he wants it. Be easier than to sell it as two separate kits.

Changing subjects…. You guys wanna laugh? You’re gonna get a kick outta this, I gotta get in the habit of avoiding using “Ranger Rick” and instead use “Army Ranger Rick.” Because this past summer I was contacted by a Washington, DC law firm who was representing the US Forestry Service. And they told me they have a federal trademark on the name “Ranger Rick” and if I don’t stop using it then they will take me to court.

According to the letter, the USFS has a magazine called “Ranger Rick” and the cartoon in it, a raccoon, is HIS NAME. And according to them, everytime some kid types in “Ranger Rick,” instead of their website & info popping up, my website (www.therangerdigest.com) pops up first instead of theirs. They, the USFS has received numerous complaints about this and so they, either this law firm or the USFS went through my entire website and found every link and page where my nickname [Ranger Rick] appeared and told me I had to either remove it or change my name, OR ELSE.

And to be honest, I was not happy about it, but then after I thought about I found it to be quit funny. And so I contacted a military JAG officer because I’m retired (military) and I’m allowed free legal advice. And so they told me I could continue to use Ranger Rick provided I placed the word “Army” or the Army “Ranger Tab” in front of my name first.
And so that’s what I did and wrote back to that law firm and told them what the JAG officer told me and they approved of it and I have never heard from them again. And so I like to tell people that I was almost taken to court by a “damn cartoon.”

Well, I think I rattled on enough, it’s now 12 noon here in Italy and so it’s 6 am and 3 am back there wherever you guys live. And so I’ll end this by saying if you have any questions that need an immediate reply back, it’s best you email me at: [email]survivalnecklace@hotmail.[/email] Otherwide I will continue to log onto this forum from time-to-time schedule and time permitting.



Ok, now I gotta go, if any of you guys are ever in or around my part of the world and country (Italy), com’on in and stop by for several glasses of Italian wine. I’m retired (military) and live here on the largest lake in Northern Italy called Lake Garda in a town famous for it’s wine – Bardolino.

When I have time I’ll tell you guys how the Italians do survival here. Nothing against the Italians, my wife and kids are 100% Italians, it’s just that they want to do things here differently than we do back in the states.

Take care and I’ll be watching for your comments about my SOS kits.

Thanks Chris for allowing me to post this here, and thank you too Dough and the samples will be sent off to you shortly.

“Army Ranger Rick” Tscherne

Owner, www.therangerdigest.com

I like the fact that you listend to your customers.

Probably the best improvement is the knife instead of using the sharpend dog-tag. Replacing the four-finger fire starter with the ferro-rod and
adding a photon-type of flashlight are also good changes.

As I told you in a E-mail I sent you some time ago, I still don't like the condom as a water-container, but at least you now have instructions on the web-site.
Wrapping the ferro-rod with a gerber milk-bag isn't a option?

Hey, I'm still here online, you got me - what's a gerber milk-bag???

I never heard of it, can you send me a link/

I'll do it, since I am here right now. This is the first link that popped up when I did a google search. Neat bags, much better than a condom for water. You can find them (in the US anyway) just about anywhere they sell baby stuff...

Hmmm, I guess I've been living here in Italy too long. Or maybe it's because the last time the military "issued me" a baby was way back in 1978, and that's why I'm not up-to-date with this stuff.

I like it, go great in some tin or plastic survival container, but I don't know if it will fit inside my little red container. To wrap it around the signal mirror or mag rod fire starter might make it a bit uncomfortable to wear with the other stuff.

And if it was attached to the SOS key chain or 550 paracord survival kit, it might get punctured.

Hell, I'll give a try, let me see if I can find them down on the base.

Thanks for tip/idea!

Good luck. They can be rolled/folded to 'bout the size of your normal extralargemuchogrande (aka medium) condom, but they aren't in a nice foil package. If the BX/PX whatever doesn't have them, they are so light that I suspect you could have a jillion of them shipped to you for 'bout a bucksixfifty...

Hey "Army" Ranger Rick, its been awhile since I have seen you in "print". I gotta say that I love the changes you have made to the necklace and keychains. Especially the added paracord braid. While I know most can braid their own paracord I also know a lot of folks that just "can't be bothered" and like it done for them.

The parachute case is pretty neat too. I am assuming (always a bad sign) that the whole thing opens when you pull the 'rip cord'. So it would be better to have it sitting upright when it is opened?

Nice to see you around again.

Seems to me that packing the reserve 'chute case would be a pain in the fanny. And with my luck I would be wandering though the boonies (or crowded store) and hook the ripcord on something, thereby dumping all of my goodies on the ground/floor. But it would be an eye opener and conversation piece...

I think its a great start too. I personally would second the gerber milk bags. Hell, I'm picking up some more this week...I can send you a few if you like. My brother was stationed at Vincenza a few years back, with the 173rd. Do you have an APO, or an Italian addy? Either way, PM me, let me know if you'd like a few. you can give em a run, see what you think .

Buon Giorno from Italy again!

Ok, I’ve just read some of your comments this morning and so allow me to reply back to some of them.

Someone wrote:

“The parachute case is pretty neat. I am assuming (always a bad sign) that the whole thing opens when you pull the 'rip cord'. So it would be better to have it sitting upright when it is opened?

My reply:

No, not necessarily. There are four flaps with a 5th one on the inside. If you sew the left, right and bottom flap together along the sides, like the way I did mine. You can pull the ripcord handle and have these flaps open up without worrying about the stuff inside falling on the ground.

I also did a little experiment with another para-reserve container by sewing in some Velcro to keep these three sides together. And so I like to use this one for my sleeping gear and I keep inside of it my military poncho liner that I converted into a lightweight sleeping bag, by sewing in a zipper along the sides of it. And I also keep in it a “blow up” pillow, lightweight cheap air mattress and a heavy duty space blanket too, along with a few survival items.

Oh yea, I have another one that I call my “Ranger Rick Emergency Wine Para-Reserve Container." And inside of this one I keep four (4) wine glasses attached to the loops where the parachute lines use to be attached, so when I open it they won’t fall on the ground and break. And also (of course) a bottle of wine with one end of some 550 para-cord tied near the wine bottle’s cork and the other end tied to one of the inside loops.

And so whenever I go to some party, event or to a buddy’s house, I like to wear it around my waist and “pop the ripcord” and out falls the bottle of wine without touching the ground and breaking. I get a lot of laughs out it, especially from Italian strangers or people who don’t know me. (Did you see what that weirdo American has, honey?)

A buddy of mine keeps a bottle of Italian Grappa (hard booze), a set of shot glasses and a bag of peanuts inside his para-reserve. Yea, these make some nice conversation pieces.

Someone wrote:

Seems to me that packing the reserve 'chute case would be a pain in the fanny. And with my luck I would be wandering though the boonies (or crowded store) and hook the ripcord on something, thereby dumping all of my goodies on the ground/floor. But it would be an eye opener and conversation piece...

My reply:

Yea, like I said, they make great conversation pieces. I get a lot of strange stares and weird looks when I use mine as a carrying bag. Sometimes people come up to me and ask “So ,where did you land?”

No, believe it or not, it's really pretty hard to pull out the ripcord handle. I really never knew how hard they were to pull out until I was on a parachute detail as a private in the Army back in 1973. Me and my buddies had to pop open over 300 x parachute reserves so the chutes inside could be inspected and then repacked by the parachute riggers.

We were all making comments and complaining about how hard these damn ripcords are to pull out and hoped to God we never had to pop one while parachuting because we don’t think we could do it. And the sergeant in charge of us said, “Don’t worry, when you start seeing your entire life flashing in front of you as the ground is coming up closer and closer you’ll find the strength, believe me you will.”

So getting back to your comment…no, don’t worry about catching the ripcord handle on anything and accidentally popping it open.



Someone wrote:

I think its a great start too. I personally would second the gerber milk bags. Hell, I'm picking up some more this week...I can send you a few if you like. My brother was stationed at Vincenza a few years back, with the 173rd. Do you have an APO, or an Italian addy?

My reply:

Hey thanks, appreciate the offer, I just need a couple of them stuffed inside an envelope, not a bunch, and you can mail it to:

Ranger Rick Tscherne
US Army Retiree Section
Unit 31401 Box 8075
APO, AE 09630

Thanks again for the offer. Yea, tell your brother the 173rd Abn Bde is still located in Vicenza, I live about 50 miles away from there and go there to do my shopping and pick up my mail about twice a month. The “Herd” will soon be deploying downrange again soon, 3rd time in five years. They are expanding the unit, they just got permission from the Italian Gov’t they can use a second base on the other side of Vicenza where there’s an old military airfield that’s not used anymore.

Anyway, nice chatting with you guys, thanks for your comments and allowing me to reply back.

Hey Chris, thanks for that email you sent me. you’re right, I won’t forget that one, that’s why I’m gonna keep it & use it.

And Doug, the samples are packed and they’ll be shipped off to you on Feb 26th when I go down to the base, let me know when you receive them.

Talk to you guys later,

Army Ranger Rick