Brands We Trust Our Lives On

By chance I found the following video this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gdyJQbU6jA

I found it interesting. I think it would be worth discussing in this forum.

In no organized fashion, the following are what I would list:

• MAG-LITE, of course!
• Chinook Medical Gear: I bought a lot of first aid stuff over the years, including AMK, and the pre-assembled kits I like best is Chinook. The following is my main kit:
  https://www.chinookmed.com/01375/home-vehicle-plus-kit.html
  I have heavily modified this thing including replacing the stock gloves with Bear Claws:
  https://www.narescue.com/community-preparedness/bear-claw-glove-kit
• Duralast and GreatNeck tools.

Three is all I can think of at the moment. What would you list?

Disclaimer: I never had an affiliation with any of these brands.

Jeanette Isabelle

Frankly I would not list a brand. I make my decissions based on actual products. I am totally willing to switch brands.
However I often end up with products from certain brands.

• flashlights: new ones come from Fenix, Maglites are still in use
• motorcycle helmets: Schuberth, they fit me well and one of their lids saved me from serious head injuries (the lid suffered an impact mark and some abbrassion from sliding, I suffered no injury at all)
• motorcycle pants: Rukka, I suffered a light bruise on my knee with an impact that left a big dent in a fender and destroyed the head light (I found broken glass in my armour)
• foot wear: was Lowa, switched to Haix after Lowa introduced inferior designs (bad rivets)

• Smith & Wesson M&P pistols work very well for me.
• I’ve had very good fortune with Doug’s blades, as well as Bradford Knives, Benchmade, Microtech, and now Hogue. Spdyerco’s quality is excellent but I rarely carry one due to speed of deployment and (for mundane cutting tasks) speed of folding the blade away safely.
• I’m quite a Leatherman fanboy and always one of their multitools with me.
• Nitecore and Klarus are my two favorite brands of flashlights, both for performance and reliability. Mad respect for the Maglite fans out there, Maglite’s products are extremely rugged and (if LED) reliable.
• Heatsheets makes the most useful small shelter items (blankets) I’ve been able to find, way way better than the cheap Mylar survival blankets out there but with almost no additional bulk.
• As far as medical kits are concerned, I tend to make my own.
• Having trained quite a while for someone who’s never been a medical professional, I’ve come to the conclusion that the C-A-T is the only tourniquet I’ll carry, and I have one with me constantly.

I had a nitecore tube and nitecore tip fail after just a few months of use. It makes me doubt about my nitecore headlight...

I've done both: build a first aid kit from the ground up and "hot rod" an off the shelf kit. Of the two, I get better results out modifying a pre-assembled kit into anything I want.

Jeanette Isabelle

I would grade this video about a C- (charitable, as always) - longer than necessary for the info conveyed. More importantly, just typical "survivalist" blather (amusing to watch, but do not take all their stuff seriously).

I tend to be cautious about folks whose "experience" comes from survival classes and time on the range, versus actual marginal situations. I would rather have the opinions of a thru-hiker or a SAR volunteer, than that of a middle aged, out of shape good ol' boy.

I do agree with most of their choices. I have good experience with Exotac products (albeit expensive). Dead Bird does indeed make good stuff. Boots are very dependant on individual fit, and there are many brands to choose among. Same for backpacks, which were not discussed.

it would be worthwhile to explore the bargain items that people "might trust their lives to" (love the drama). Take knives - a $12 Mora is just as dependable and cuts just as well as blades 100 times as expensive. Dependable waterproof match cases can cost only mere pennies, as opposed to $30 Exotac cases (which are absolutely fine.

No discussion of essentials - what about signal mirrors, the requirements for heat and fire in adverse conditions, and impromptu shelter and sleep requirements?

But these guys are "survivalists," living in a world that is going to collapse soon, and in their fantasies, it will be every one for themselves with slaughter and mayhem everywhere - IMHO, not very realistic or likely.

That is the reason I started this thread:

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=291530#Post291530

We got people who have "Grizzly Adams" fantasies. What I take from the video is you can't leave the city and expect to be the Lone Ranger. You need community, wherever that community is. "I have your six and you'll watch my back."

Our gated community has a gun club. That gun club has a little more than a hundred members. I know who to turn to when we have a major disaster.

Jeanette Isabelle

Well, that depends on the disaster. Gun ownership and ability is irrelevant to many disasters, while undeniably useful in some. Capable medical expertise is probably a more generally useful skill.

Let me be clear. I have been a gun owner and user for all of my adolescent and adult life, currently in possession of several firearms and trained at various times by my father, the US Army, and federal law enforcement.

In my lifetime, there have been exactly two occasions where I was glad to have my 357 with me, though thankfully, I did not have to fire. On one occasion, I did indeed discharge a firearm, using a line gun to deploy a line across a flooded stream to rescue two ladies.

On the other hand, I have lost count of the occasions on which I have rendered significant first aid (not counting scratches and boo-boos) to total strangers, friends and colleagues, or close family members.

If you want to prepare for life's more stressful scenarios, firearms training is actually pretty far down the list, but not completely irrelevant. It is probably more important to know how to change a tire or check the oil on your vehicle.

We are social critters, and therein lies our strength. We typically band together and cooperate when faced with a problem - the recent Thai cave rescue comes to mind, along with many other more mundane examples.

I will begin a recent book on the Thai Cave Rescue as soon as Mrs. Hikermor is finished with it. It is a stunning example of community cooperation, overcoming obstacles of cultural and language differences, logistical problems, and mind boggling technical obstacles to achieve success.

Dealing with the typical fire and earthquake is pretty trivial, by comparison.

While one needs reliable equipment, cooperation, communication, and social skills are much more important that the light mounted on your firearm.

There is this finnish diving instructor, Mikko Paasi, that took part in the rescue operation.
When he was some sixteen or so old there was a tragical incident. He had taken a handgun from his home to show to his friends. While they traveled in the city bus the gun went off in his hands and hit one of his friends in the head, friend died.I do not know what punishment he got for the accident but I want to believe that by taking part in the rescuing of thai boys he is now free from the old sin, so to speak.

https://lovinmalta.com/news/news-human-i...-boys-from-cave

Here in Germany gun clubs are a good place for social networking. You meet people with different interests, positions and skills. You get to talk to them while waiting for a free lane or after shooting. Competing on different levels will let that circle grow.

Listen to your elders! Hikermor nailed it!

By being in a gun club, you get to network with people of a different caliber, pun intended. Most have practical skills that go beyond firearms such as, as you pointed out, first aid.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm not a slave to brands but there a few companies that have earned my trust over the course of long years. A few of them are as follows:

Elzetta & Malkoff- Both of these companies make utterly bombproof lights. Heavy duty construction, solid switches and potted electronics are standard for them. They aren't the brightest on the market in absolute terms but they're incredibly well built.

HK- There is no firearm maker I have more confidence in than Heckler & Koch. Their guns are stolid, almost old-fashioned, but the end user will not be the Beta tester. Their stuff is overbuilt and extremely reliable.

Panasonic CR123a batteries- For critical applications I will consider no other battery. They're slightly more expensive but IMO the best CR123a battery available.

Spyderco- I've got a lot of knives and my collection is comprised of blades from dozens of makers. But I will always have a Spyderco in my pocket as the primary EDC. Their HT is reliably spot-on, the geometry is perfect (to me) and their designs are great for what I use a knife for. They also have the widest array of "super steels" of any maker I can name.

Aimpoint- My primary HD/zombie rifle will always be set up with an Aimpoint. I'll use lesser optics for plinking firearms but nothing that I have found is as trustworthy as an Aimpoint.

Federal HST- For handgun ammo I haven't found anything as good as HST. It's supremely accurate in every caliber and in every sidearm I've tried it in and very consistent. The nickel plated brass resists corrosion. About the only time I'll use anything else is if I'm toting a 9mm in areas with big bears; in that case I'll switch to 147gr hard cast Buffalo Bore and bear spray.

Suunto- I'm not an expert at LandNav nor compasses in general but in my experience Suunto compasses are well made and reliable.

ESBIT- I've tried other brands of Hexamine but nothing is as reliable as the original ESBIt.

ESEE- I really love ESEE fixed blade knives, especially their Izula & Izula 2. Great little blades that are big enough to do camp tasks but small enough not to be cumbersome.

Naniwa Water Stones- I'll use lots of stones to sharpen other folk's knives but always Naniwa Chocera stones to do my own!

Wiggy's- IIRC I have seven Wiggy's bags, a pair of booties, a pair of Pac Boots, a pair of Kodiak mittens and a ground pad. As long as I live or Wiggy's exists I will likely never buy a bag made by anyone else.

There are probably others I'm forgetting but those are some of the main ones.

When i venture forth, I am actually "trusting my life on" a variety of items, some of which are very cheap and some of which are very costly. I will look or bargains in some areas, but in others, performance is supreme and cost is secondary.

The three critical items are boots (appropriate foot gear) bag (as in sleeping) and backpack - the three B's, if you will.

Some very cheap shoes work for some situations, but for demanding, vertical, rough terrain, you will spend serious money for workable boots. Research carefully and pay whatever it takes. Good fitting is absolutely critical.

I am generally doing a fair amount of hiking or backpacking, so a light, warm bag is critical. The two I currently use come from Marmot and REI, but there are many comparable brands, including some cottage industry stuff that gets good comments. If weight is not a concern, you can save a lot of money.

Backpacks are the third critical category. Again, careful fit is hugely important and there are many specialized features that may influence your decision. I like a bag with reasonable capacity - about 60 liters (4000+/-cu in).

Beyond this, you have a lot of options, although demanding environments will dictate some specialized equipment. You can cook over an open campfire or spend up to $300 on a stove. There are very costly (and very good) tents, but you can do a lot with a basic tarp if you know what you are doing.

One exception is technical climbing gear. Don't cut corners here. The hardware store rope will not work; you want a UIAA certified line, along with similarly vetted carabiners, helmets, and harnesses This stuff ain't cheap, but someday you will be hanging from your gear and it will be a long way to the bottom - that is why you get good stuff.

A word about military surplus. These items range from superb to total garbage, but the oldest still usable gear I have is a 1951 Army Mountain cook set - two nested two quart pots with a skillet/lid. Very lightweight and still functional after all these years. Not everything has to be glitsy and expensive...spend whatever it takes on critical, survival critical items, and save money on less significant stuff.

hikermor, that’s gold. Thank you.

Very true, Hikermor! Backpacks are an important item for sure. I'm a fan of Mystery Ranch but I can't claim much expertise on packs. I use an old Dana Designs Terraframe; it's from before Dana started Mystery Ranch and is an external frame. I've got a couple of smaller, more modern Mystery Ranch packs but the old Terraframe just keeps on truckin'.

External frames are no longer fashionable, but they are still unexcelled for bulky, awkward loads. I used a Kelty external frame for years until it was eventually stolen - one of the best packs I have ever carried.

Today, there are many good brands available like Mystery Ranch - I like Mountainsmith and REI. Osprey has a good reputation, along with many others. It is good that there are many good quality back packs available - really fundamental outdoor gear.