The arc of development, for skillsets and equipment, eventually reaches a point where, instead of adding more features, the process starts trimming down to the minimum necessary elements to complete the task. The phrase, “everything you need, nothing you don't” has travelled through more than one special operations unit, and it differs from the...

The concept of body armor, has for years generated ideas of two different types of people. On the one hand, you have the knight-in-shining-armor-to-tactical-operator historical timeline, where the person and the equipment are almost synonymous. Take, for example, the idea of the Samurai, where both the gear, and the persona come to mind. On...

Whether it’s a power outage, a natural or man-made disaster, or something as common as a roadside breakdown, emergency lights and power will often play a critical role in any recovery effort. Even the most basic tasks become vastly more difficult when you can’t see what you’re doing. For emergency lighting, a battery-operated flashlight or...

Why do things go bump in the night? Why do werewolves change at the full moon? Why are vampires allergic to sunlight? The short answer is it’s easier to do evil deeds after nightfall. By the time the sun is completely down, most people are tired, relaxed, full-bellied from dinner, and getting ready for...

It's strange to describe a plate carrier as athletic. For the most part, designs trend towards the tactical, like the Crye Precision JPC, or the load-bearing, like their APC system. In another direction, minimalist plate carriers sought to go light and sleek in order to fit under clothing unnoticed. Modularity demanded so much of...

When we asked survivalist Les Stroud (see Issue 21) what his most important everyday-carry (EDC) item was, we were shocked to learn it wasn’t something sexy like a folding knife, but rather it was cash and credit cards. His reasoning is that you’re more likely to use what’s in your wallet or money clip...