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!

Failed rescue attempt at Moon River Falls

By the time we heard him calling for help it was too late, but we went anyway. We had made the decision to try to head up to Moon River Falls for Canada Day like we had for the last two years. Lake Muskoka feeds the river and the flow is controlled in Bala by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Hydro. Three years ago, it was calm enough to swim underneath the main falls. This year however was a completely different story (shown below). The water proceeds towards a wide cascading waterfall that was easily crossed on foot. After the cascading falls, the river opens up and is calm enough to swim around and paddle around before it feeds to another choke point. When we showed up this year, we could hear the waterfall before we could see it as we paddled upstream from Moon Basin Marina. I expected it to be rough, but when I saw the falls from about 200 metres, the violence of the water took away any ambition I had to go anywhere near it.

Ontario Geardo is on Facebook!

Hey guys, I finally got my account set up the way that I want, with a web address that isn't 762 characters long. My focus is still going to be this blog, but since it seems that everyone under the sun is on Facebook, I figure it’s a good way for you to get a heads up on blog updates instead of checking from time to time. As well, I will post deals on gear that I stumble upon, events that I find interesting, as well as pictures from adventures that aren’t quite long enough to be blog posts.

So if you’re interested in following the last blogger in the world to get a Facebook page, please visit facebook.com/ontariogeardo

Perroz Designs Reflective DFQ Patch

With the recent news of the requirements of headlamps and reflective PT belts or strobes for GORUCK events, I figure it’d be good to pass along the info that a few of you have requested in regards to the reflective DFQ (Don't Fucking Quit) patch that I wore during class 981 in Toronto. The patch is made with high quality cordura with the option of pretty much every camo pattern available from Multicam to Kryptek Madrake. DFQ is laser cut, and has a reflective backing.