I replaced the thumbstuds on my Dauntless MK3 with two small zip ties. One zip tie acts as a thumbstud for conventional opening. The other catches on the pocket, functioning as a ghetto wave. I was skeptical of how well this would work, but surprisingly the zip tie seems to function just as well as the wave on my Emerson Mini Commander. I find that a folder with some sort of automatic opening is a more practical tool.
Last month, two of us from work went out looking for snow. There’s not much in the Sierras this year, but we found some at around 8,000 feet in the Desolation Wilderness. Enough to justify hauling our ‘shoes up there, and to provide a good testing ground for some newly purchased gear, as well as our own prototypes.
I’ve been carrying around an old OnGuard Bulldog Mini U-lock for at least five years. It has served well, but I recently replaced it with an ABUS GRANIT Plus 640. What appealed to me most about the 640 was the weight. Although my scale claims that the 6” ABUS at only 2 ounces lighter than the OnGuard (27 oz vs 29 oz), it feels significantly lighter. I can notice the difference between the two locks when attached to my pack, which is noteworthy for an item that I carry every day.
Other than weight it is hard to judge the relevant merits of the locks. Both are roughly the same dimensions, with about the same shackle diameter. OnGuard rates the Bulldog Mini at 63/100 on their security scale. ABUS puts the GRANIT Plus 640 at 12/15 on their scale. About the only other significant difference between the two that is immediately evident is that the 640 shackle double bolts two the body of the lock. (This, of course, is no help against someone with a hacksaw or blowtorch, which is probably a much more realistic threat than any attack related to the lock mechanism itself.)
Last week I purchased a Casio PRW3000-1A. The watch is part of Casio’s Pro Trek line, which replaced the old Pathfinder series. The watch combines solar power and atomic timekeeping with the features of an ABC (altitude, barometer, compass) watch – and does it in a fairly compact package.
The Pro Treks come with a resin band, like the G-Shock series. I prefer nylon bands for both style and function. Fortunately the band attaches to the watch via a hollow tube and two screws, making it easy to replace. Unlike the G-Shock watches, it does not require an adapter. Unfortunately, the lug width on the PRW3000 is only 16mm. I bought a 16mm Marathon band to try out and, while functionally it satisfies, I don’t think that such a skinny band compliments the look of the watch.
The solution was simple: cut off a piece of the 16mm Marathon band and sew it onto the 24mm Maratac Zulu band that I ran on my G-Shock. It was a quick hack, and gives me the best of both worlds: a good watch and a good band.
The tourniquet market is dominated by the SOFTT-W and CAT tourniquets, and for good reason. I prefer the SOFTT-W. There is always one in my bag. Some people can make the SOFTT-W or CAT work for everyday on-body carry, whether through ankle holsters or always wearing cargo pants. Neither tourniquet, however, is something that I can fit into my on-body EDC. To solve that problem, I have to look at what Jonathan Willis refers to as secondary tourniquets.
The SWAT-T is likely the most popular offering in the secondary tourniquet market. It tries to function as both a tourniquet and an emergency bandage, and ends up being mediocre in both roles. In its role as a tourniquet its largest failure is its difficultly to apply one-handed. If I can’t self-apply a tourniquet with one hand during training, the tourniquet is pretty much useless to me. I’ve heard some people claim the ability to apply the SWAT-T with a single hand (with the assistance of a wall to hold it in place), but I’ve never figured it out.
At first glance, the TK4 appears like it could be a promising solution. It is an elastic strap, roughly 36” long by 2” wide, with 2” metal hooks on either end. It folds to a compact size and easily fits in a pocket. Unfortunately the hooks are only 1” wide, which doesn’t work so well with the 2” wide strap. In my trials the strap would often pop out of the hook when attempting to start the wraps. I find it much more effective if used as an improvised tourniquet, with two overhand knots and a pen as a windlass, which is a terrible thing to say about any product that bills itself as a tourniquet.
The TK4-L is identical to the TK4, except one of the hooks is replaced by something akin to a gateless carabiner. This carabiner is shaped such that the elastic strap will actually fit inside of it and not pop out. The result is a product that is compact, not too difficult to apply, and effective.
The RATS is made from a heavy duty, bungee-type strap and a unique buckle which locks the strap in place. The strap is around 45” in length but only 0.5” wide. With any tourniquet, you want a wide strap to avoid causing tissue and nerve damage. The idea with the RATS is that you get the desired width by performing parallel wraps, distributing the pressure over an area closer to 2” in width. This requires some care to be taken when applying the tourniquet, and it makes it less useful on larger limbs. On my leg I only get 3 wraps with the RATS.
Of these 4 secondary tourniquets that I’ve experimented with, the RATS is the most durable and, with the exception of the issue of parallel wrapping, the easiest to self-apply. However, the TK4-L folds up better for pocket carry, and its 2” wide strap inspires more confidence. I feel better carrying it and have been doing so for the past month and a half. It sits in my left rear pocket, with the carabiner hooked over the top of the pocket so that it can be easily grabbed without any fishing around.
Choosing a secondary tourniquet is an exercise in trade-offs. Without a windlass, pressure is achieved through tight wraps only. They certainly cannot replace a primary tourniquet, but may supplement it in areas where size or weight present limiting constraints. Given the choice between carrying no tourniquet on my body or carrying one that works but is less than ideal, I’ll choose the latter. Coupled with an H&H Mini Compression Bandage and a package of z-folded QuickClot Combat Gauze, you can build a compact blow-out kit that is easy to distribute across your body.
More reminiscent of Count Zero than Pattern Recognition, The Peripheral is a return to Gibson’s cyberpunk of the previous century.
Tools for another long weekend.
Triple Aught Design is a small business. All of us wear multiple hats to make things go. Sometimes I end up wearing hats that may be considered odd in other businesses.
Today I got a call from our retail store manager. The key for the cash drawer at our Hayes Valley Outpost had been accidentally locked inside the drawer. As the guy generally responsible for security-related things, and the lockpicker in the office, the retail team thought I could help.
I’ve carried a set of Bogota picks in my wallet every day for a number of years. The popularity of the Bogota picks is well-deserved, but I found that this particular lock was too small for me to insert both the pick and the tension wrench. Fortunately I just picked up a pair of Kelly Alwood‘s ALS Mini Flats a couple weeks ago, and happened to have those in my pack. I don’t like the picks as much, but the tension wrench has a nice small tip that left me just enough room to insert the single hook Bogota pick. Between the ALS wrench and the Bogota pick I had the drawer opened shortly, and recovered the key.
Unfortunately I did not get to keep what was inside.
On the wall of the Outpost we have the well-known Heinlein quote, which is something of a driving force for what we do at Triple Aught Design, and struck me as appropriate today.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.