Outdoor Research Endeavor Shells
Growing up in Ontario I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged me to enjoy the winter outside. If was going to be cold for a third of the year I might as well look forward to it right? I learned how to skate, and learned how to ski in grade school. When I got to high school, I’d like to think that I was a fairly accomplished skier for my age. Unfortunately there weren’t many people that I hung out with that were interested in skiing so I picked up snowboarding at the same time as I was taking a 14 week first aid course to join the Canadian Ski Patrol System.
First Impressions: Perroz Designs Hearing Protection Headband Cover
A few months ago, I was
lucky enough to get some swag from Perroz Designs to test out. One of
the products I got was the Hearing Protection Headband Cover in
Multicam. I wrapped the 500D around my Peltor 6S earpro and it was not
surprisingly a perfect fit. One thing that I noticed immediately is that
unlike the photos on Perroz’s website, my version had two 1” Velcro
squares on either side. Great place to put reflective or IR patches!
PCU Submersion Test
A few years ago, I read somewhere that while wearing the Protective
Combat Uniform (PCU), you could jump in a lake and walk yourself dry in
an hour. Challenge accepted. Last Sunday in Toronto it was -5°C, average
humidity of 60%, and wind between 28 and 44kph . We put PCU to the test
by doing a full submersion test in Lake Ontario. Twice. For those of
you not familiar with PCU, I wrote a short history of the system a while back. As well at the bottom of this article is a video overview of the clothing system by Mark Twight.
I need a bigger pack
It hit me like a ton of bricks as I walked across the slippery rocks on the shore of Lake Huron last December, "I need a bigger pack". Three of us had made the trek from Toronto to Manitoulin Island, and had to deal with many parts of the highway being closed due to ice. By the time we got our packs on, we had about an hour of sunlight left. Within that time we had to find a suitable place to set up our camp on crown land and that was proving to be difficult. The forest was too thick to walk through quickly, and the route we took on the shore over slimy rocks was only slightly more palatable.
Tough Mudder Toronto Fall 2013 - After Action
Tough Mudder was an interesting experience on a number of levels. Everyone that I asked, told me that it was going to be a breeze. I toyed with the idea of rucking the entire thing with six bricks, but having dislocated my shoulder a few times whilst stubbornly attempting to surf in California a month before the event, I was hesitant. Running it without my Camelbak HAWG was not an option though. I carried with me 1L of water; a few energy gels, gummies and Cliff Bars; a change of clothes in an OR dry bag, and a first aid kit.
The Mogadishu Mile 5km
In late September I was browsing some of the articles on ITS Tactical. One of the posts in particular caught my eye, the Mogadishu Mile. Of course I was familiar with the reference after reading Mark Bowden's book and seeing the film Black Hawk Down. What really surprised me was that this year was the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu. I remember vividly a photograph in the Toronto Star portraying a dead and bloated American soldier being dragged through the streets. I was horrified to say the least. That was a lot for a pre-teen to handle. What I didn't know at the time was that there were Rangers only six years older than me that had fought in that battle.
Arc'teryx Axios 35 - Review
About a year ago I contacted Arc'teryx in hopes of finding a pack that would be rugged enough to survive the GoRuck Challenge. With the recommendations of the Axios 35 and the Nozone 35 I had some good alternatives to the GR1 that GoRuck sells. Why wouldn't I just use the GoRuck branded rucks? I didn't like the idea of not having a waist belt, load-lifter straps or sternum strap. Sure it would be tough as nails, but I figured I'd want to be as comfortable and as efficient as I could, so distributing the load to my waist was definitely appealing.
Shopping at Triple Aught Design
If there was only one store I could go to whilst I was in San Francisco it had to be Triple Aught Design. I have been following their work for some time now and was eager to see what the store was all about. To tell you the truth, I don't know what to expect. The surrounding stores were hip fashion shops so I figure in its own right TAD fit right in, albeit to a different demographic. I was two steps into the store before the guy behind the cash pointed at my shirt and said, "GORUCK! I actually have that up on my screen right now!" I immediately felt at home.
Lessons learned from the downtown Toronto flood
On July 8th, 2013 about 126 millimetres of rain fell on downtown Toronto in two hours. I have been in a few downpours in my lifetime and didn't think too much of it as I was biking from my office in Liberty Village to Harbourfront Centre pick up my daughter from day camp. Luckily it was about 25°C because I had forgotten my Torrentshell jacket at home. I did however have my level 6 Goretex pants and boot covers with me.
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