I have to say that getting the mail, the old fashion snail-mail at The Prepper Journal is always interesting. Needless to say I receive some interesting things and thought I would share some of the more recent ones.
A ZipLine That Rides YOU
The ZipStick device from ZipLine Medical showed up recently in the mail. I am glad to admit that I have not found the occasion (or a willing volunteer) to test one under actual conditions. This is a direct-to-consumers product available without a prescription and the sample pack I received was very complete, including three of the ZipStitch devices.
As a field dressing it certainly looks like a step up for longer term wound care when there are no medical services readily available. Their hydrocolloid adhesive is specifically formulated for about 2-weeks wear, assuming it is applied to dry clean skin, making it ideal for an off-the grid application, whether on an extended hunting/fishing/camping trip or in a SHTF situation. It is also good for a cut when slicing food, doing projects with tools/small power tools, an injury at a kids soccer game, a minor car accident, and on and on. You can bet these samples are going to end up in my medical kits at home, in the car and in my EDC bag and BOB. As you can see I am already one short.
Mission Darkness Faraday Bags
The good people at Mission Darkness sent two sample Faraday bags, one specifically for a mobile phone though it can also accommodate your blue-tooth car key (think about that), your wallet, credit cards and passport (things that now have chips embedded) etc. The other larger bag is for a laptop.
The non-window bag for Phones (and/or that other stuff) is shown below:
A simple test of inserting a cell phone in the bag without the folded enclosure engaged allowed me to call that phone with no real time-delay in receiving the call, however, with the enclosure properly engaged, all calls from other cell phones and landlines failed to reach the device as did text messages and emails to accounts active on the phone.
The same results were achieved when doing my simple tests on a laptop in their larger bag. As you know there have been a number of posts in The Prepper Journal on EMP and Faraday Cages and I was impressed with these bags. Very well made, shields from RF signals, WiFi, Cell, Blue Tooth and RFID with a 70-db average signal attenuation.
RSDL – Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion
The longer this one remains “untested” the better. Emergent BioSolutions sent this as part of their new product release. RSDL is an FDA-cleared decontaminate that removes or neutralizes chemical warfare agents and T-2 toxins from the skin. Lightweight, portable and military-grade, used by the United State military for the past 10 years, it is now available to civilians. This is something that preppers should look into, especially if they live in an area where exposure is a possibility such as close proximity to chemical plants that may produce some of these agents. It is effective for skin contamination of tabun, sarin, VX, Mustard and soman. As of September of last year it became available for civilians in the United States and is available from Amazon. It is important to note that this is a skin decontaminate intended for external use only. The nerve agents mentioned above are more dangerous when ingested, breathed or rubbed into your eyes but they all cause severe blistering and infection to your skin that will result in eventual death if left untreated.
And Then There are Knives
A gift to test and write about from Ganzo Knives. And yes, I do keep the ZipStich from above close when I am handling these. Quite an assortment.
Not specifically for home kitchen use, but definitely nice to haves as EDC’s or off the grid.
And to Counter the Knives and Intruders
Hardcore Defense sent their Alpha Shield for testing. It is rated NIJ Level III-A, very well balanced and comfortable to hold, I am looking forward to testing it as soon as I can get away from the keyboard. This is rated for all the standard pistol calibers defined by the NIJ up to a 44 magnum traveling at 1,400 fps.
I am a firm believer in body armor as a essential piece of home security equipment and in shields in particular as a quick don item that can be close to where you keep your primary home defense weapon. The trade-off here is that in order to keep it as lightweight as possible it is sans of a spall and frag coating and a shield rated at Level III or above for standard rifle rounds would be heavier. Since this shield is made for self defense of an individual and not assumed to be used by a group where the spall and frag from one shield can seriously injure others, it meets the need for home defense. When I test this I will do a post on the results.
I am Behind in My Reading
In fact I am way behind. I did read 4 Seconds Until Impact, The Skyrocketing Attacks by Predators on Humans by Bruce Buckshot Hemming and posted a review of it in The Prepper Journal Newsletter. And I am currently reading The Ocean in the Fire by Renee N. Meland.
The rest of my current unread prepper library consists of:
Come Unity; Community by James Walton
North Wind by Michael Gale
The History of the Decline and Fall of America by Scott Erickson
All Systems Down by BA Anderson
You now know what I will be doing should cooler weather return to Arizona and I can use the fireplace.
And additionally…
Some of the other things I have received recently are a very nice leather holster for my CCW from Falco Holsters, a rocket stove from Siegestoves.com and Lifesaver Liberty’s Portable Water Filtration System which is available from Amazon.
Other than the RSDL cream I am never at a loss for people wanting to help review and test and then keep these items. Be safe out there, check out the items above for your own use and Follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!