It’s always good to have alternate methods of starting a fire and be able to utilize them efficiently. Different environments require different means of starting a fire and not all are guaranteed to work. Lighters may fail, matches could get wet – so always plan to have a backup plan in place. The Bushcraft Essentials Fire Piston uses compression to heat air to such a high degree that it will ignite tinder, creating an ember. The ember can be used to ignite a highly refined tinder bundle or char cloth to start the fire.

This is my first time starting a fire using flint and carbon steel. I’ll be the first to tell you that it takes a little practice to get a fire going using this method. You need a good piece of flint and a great striker. The Emberlit Strike-A-Light makes a very effective striker and comes in several cool designs – mine was in the shape of a horse. They can be used as a pendants or zipper pulls as well. It’s always important to learn how to start a fire in a more primitive way because you never know when your primary means of starting a fire may fail

I’ve reviewed several different types of water filters that come with the filter built into the container itself. While the stand alone filters like Sawyer and LifeStraw are cool products, there’s something to be said for having a nice container to transport the filtered water easily without a bunch of hassle. It’s also never a bad idea to experiment with other filtration products to see which does the best job for the money.

This is by far the largest bag I’ve reviewed and it has a great price point for an entry to mid level tactical bag. The Paratus 3 Day Operator Tactical Pack by 3VGear.com sports nearly 3000 cubic inches! It’s a monster and carries everything but the kitchen sink. This rascal is heavy duty, double stitched in just about every place imaginable and made of durable 600d nylon. It’s modular design gives it versatility to make the bag highly customizable.

The Tarahumara Pack by Hill People Gear is small, compact and versatile that makes a great EDC (every day carry) bag. The bag was originally intended to be used for hydration but evolved into a multi-purpose pack. The first thing I noticed was “Made in the USA”. I’m all for supporting gear made here at home, because quite simply it’s the best. It’s made with 500d Cordura fabric and comes in Foliage, Ranger Green and Coyote. The pack that I’m reviewing is Foliage Gray.

Being that I’m always hiking and looking ways to expand my backpack capacity, I thought this was the perfect solution to an overloaded pack. I’ve been on long hikes where my shoulders and back kill me which makes it nearly unenjoyable. Hikes give me a good test run on how things would feel if I needed to bug out if the SHTF. Needless to say, there are some adjustments that need to be made. This simple addition makes a huge difference in weight distribution as well as convenience.

If you’re looking for a solid campfire stove that’s lightweight and durable you should check out this cool product from 180 Tack. The 180 Stove is a compact backpacking stove that provides a dimension of 6″ x 7″ for cooking or boiling water. There are no hinges, screws or special tools to assemble the stove. The 180 Stoves comes in 6 pieces that interlock and can be put together in less than a minute and weights around 10 ounces.

It’s always cool to review a new product that I’ve never seen before. I was surfing the web and ran across this nifty device called The Pocket Shot. Essentially it’s a slingshot alternative that uses a rubber latex pouch attached to a circular casing to launch the ammo into the target. You just drop one of the steel balls into the pouch, pull back and let’r rip. The manufacturer boasts its ability to shoot projectiles at 2-3 times the rate of a regular slingshot and up to 350 feet per second.

Thanks to Alexis at UVPaqlite.com for sending over her product for me to review. The UV Paqlite is really unlike any product I’ve ever reviewed, but wow it is cool – especially if you’re into alternative ways to light your campsite or have some small illumination around the house at night. At first I thought this would be a “one and done” glow in the dark product, but I was totally wrong.

Bandanas are one of the most versatile items you could have in your bugout bag in terms of the number of uses they have. They really could save your life in a number of ways. I’ve most recently jumped aboard the bandana train not specifically for survival uses, but when running or hiking they are nice in keep the sweat out of my face as well as covering my skin in the hot sun, however they are a great addition to your list of survival items. A couple of years ago I bought a few bandanas off the web knowing for certain they wouldn’t be large enough.