Tactical Pants Faceoff

Tactical pants, or as our friends in law enforcement and armed forces call them, pants. Whatever you call them, they are a massive step up from wearing jeans or track pants when it’s time to do some PT. As a civilian, my "tactical" uses for these kinds of pants are kind of limited, but where they really shine are for range days, camping, hiking or during GoRuck Challenges. These pants are not designed to help you with your yoga class or your upcoming half marathon. These pants were designed to get dragged through the mud, dunked into a lake, and low crawled through a ditch without ripping or unnecessarily sucking heat away from your body when wet.

Outdoor Research interviews with designer Nathan Jenkin

This year at SHOT Show we were very happy to speak with Nathan Jenkin from Outdoor Research. He is one of their product designers and he was kind enough to walk us through some of their shooter specific gear. The first is their Aerator Gloves, and the second is a prototype maritime ensemble designed in conjunction with SEAL Team 4.

Layering up for winter camping

I went up to some crown land over the weekend with some friends with the objective of building some quinzee snow shelters to stay in for a few nights. On one of our day hikes instead of traveling along the logging roads, we chose a point on the map and used our topo map and compasses to walk a straight line. It took us over some decent hills and was much more rewarding than taking the easy way. Below is a video that outlines the layering system I used for the weekend.

BeastMode For The Brave

Here is our submission for BeastMode For The Brave. Please check out their page to learn how to bring more awareness and support to veterans living with PTSD and disabilities. Please share this with your friends and do your own video!

Vertx and Victory First with Matt Jacques

We were very lucky to have the opportunity to meet with Matt Jacques from Victory First at SHOT Show 2015. He walked us through some of the EDC bags from Vertx as well as some of his background in SWAT. One thing I didn't know before SHOT Show was that the name Vertx is short for "covert" and the "x" is a nod to Arc'teryx. Learn something new every day!

Crown Land Camping During The Polar Vortex

Polar Vortex Crown Land Camping

As some of you might know, each year Matthias and I put ourselves to the test and push another month into the winter. In December 2013 we did 8 days on Manitoulin Island, albeit in relatively balmy weather with the temperatures never really dropping past -5°. Checking the weather forecast before our January trip in 2014, we learned that we were going to be looking at temperatures dropping at night to -32°C before the windchill.

Millbrook Tactical Inc.

Update 9/20/16
Millbrook has moved to a new location. Click here for updated info, photos and article.

Just outside of Ottawa in Stittsville lies a real gem. Frank Paquette founded Millbrook Tactical Inc. in 2008 after a 15 year career with CANSOF. The organization supports Military and Law Enforcement by providing specialized training and SOF based equipment. Luckily for guys like me, they also have a storefront that’s open to the public. A few weeks ago I set up an appointment and over the Christmas holiday I had a chance to stop by for a chat.

Camelbak HAWG Review

The first “tactical” backpack I ever got was the Camelbak HAWG. I was in the market for a daypack since I had worn through the cordura on my Eddie Bauer schoolbag after about 13 years of daily use. A few of my friends already  had the HAWG and sang it's praise. So when I heard through the grapevine there was a possibility that Camelback was going to discontinue the HAWG in DCU, there was no choice. Find it and buy it as soon as possible.

ORC PCU Level 6 Pants - Review

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I did a review on a product that I didn’t like, but I think I’m getting ahead of myself. When I was first introduced to PCU, the only piece I knew about was the ORC level 5 softshell. Besides some RAID modded BDU’s they were the first jackets that I had ever seen with velcro pockets on the biceps. After I wrapped my head around the idea of what a softshell was for, I picked one up and fell in love. I needed more. I called ORC and was surprised when the answered their phone, "O.R.C. Industries, how can I help you?”. Wait a second… I had been calling them Orc all this time, like the green dudes that were chasing around the hobbits. I brushed it off like I knew their name was pronounced like an acronym the entire time and let them know I wanted a pair of their level 6 pants.

Top 4 things I do to make sure I have a good night's sleep while camping

I’ve heard all the excuses for people not wanting to go camping. I can sympathize because when I was starting out I had many of the same complaints! I’ve seen those lists that float around Facebook from time to time that are titled 70 Ingenious Camping Hacks! They are fun, but sometimes they seem more like things that I’d be more likely to do during a backyard BBQ than a camping trip. So to combat the excuses and to give a few tips of my own, here is the first instalment of Practical Camping Tips!