Memorial Day: Two for One

Troy Yocum, an Iraq-war veteran is hiking 7,000 miles across America to raise money for struggling military families. Starting NOW and lasting through MIDNIGHT TOMORROW NIGHT, Green Beans will match your "Cup Of Joe" purchase dollar for dollar with a donation to Troy’s organization, Hike For Our Heroes. To send a COJ to our Troops and help Hike For Our Heroes, click: http://www.greenbeanscoffee.co

m/coj/faq.php

Coming soon: Woolrich Elite Discreet Carry Twill Jacket

We got a close look at this new piece from Woolrich Elite Series Tactical at the SHOT Show this year, and I'm glad to hear that it will be available in June! Based on one of Woolrich’s most popular traditional jackets, the Dorrington, the Elite Discreet Carry Twill Jacket has a number of tactical features built in.

Large, reinforced inner pockets feature integrated holster loops to accommodate concealed carry handguns with up to a 6″ barrel. A unique double angle on the inner pocket provides ready access to gear, but prevents the pocket from flaring open and exposing the contents.

The rear locker loop conceals the entrance to a hidden accessory tunnel, which allows for convenient yet discreet carry of plastic restraints as well as providing routing for electronic wires.

Front hand warmer pockets contain internal accessory loops, perfect for carrying spare magazines, flashlights, batons or chemical sprays. These elastic loops are set at a 45-degree angle for optimized access and keep the items secure and in a consistent orientation for rapid deployment.

The hip-length waistband and cuffs are fully adjustable and the jacket features a boulder-washed finish for a broken-in feel. The shell is made of 11.5 oz. cotton twill and is lined with a polyester Sherpa liner. Sleeves are insulated with diamond-quilted 60-gram Arctic Insulation®.

MSRP: S-XXL, $129.99; XXXL, $149.99

Of course we will gladly be taking pre-orders. Just contact sales@darkthreads.com for more info!

Watching: Dual Survival on Discovery

(photo from Discovery Channel)

This series has been really interesting, offering two different perspectives on survival skills in different situations. In each episode, the hosts of the show - Cody Lundin and David Canterbury - find themselves in the midst of a survival scenario, in a different climate, different terrain, and different resources available. They each have different skill sets that compliment one another: Lundin's expertise is in primitive skills, Canterbury is an army trained scout and hunter.

I've read Lundin's best selling books on survival: 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive and When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes. Both were very down-to-earth, no-nonsense guides to surviving situations that anyone could very well find themselves in (i.e. hurrican Katrina).

Canterbury has also published a book that I will have to check out: The Pathfinder System: A Common Man's Survival Guide - another no-nonsense guide to survival skills.

One thing that I particularly like about Dual Survival is how in each episode, they demonstrate a different technique for starting a fire (some methods look a lot easier than others). In the last episode (Out of Africa), they actually made fire with a hand drill - probably the hardest way, but the only tool they had for that scenario was a machete, so that's what they had to work with. You can't know too many ways to start a fire...and you also can't know too many ways to sanitize water.

The dynamic between Lundin and Canterbury is also interesting. They often work as a team to figure out how to deal with each situation, but they sometimes disagree, which makes the show more realistic, especially since we are talking about life or death situations.

I recommend checking out the tv series or picking up any of these books as an introduction to basic survival.

Just Added: Gear Care Kit, and TUF Cloth

It only makes sense. If you spend a lot of money on your gear, you want to protect your investment. That's why we just added a new line of products specifically designed to maintain and protect knives, tools, and guns.

The Sentry Solutions TUF Cloth is a lint-free replacement for oil and silicone rags. It applies a water-displacing, micro-bonded crystal barrier to protect against rust, friction, and wear in any condition, for all of your firearms and metal equipment. TUF-Cloth provides superior protection compared to any oil or silicone based products against moisture; including extreme conditions and environments. It can be used hundreds of times, and stores in its own foil pouch.

The Gear Care Kit Field Grade Tin includes a Tuf Cloth, a GATCO Super Micro X Ceramic Four-Rod Sharpener, a TUF-Glide lubricating pen, and tools for getting into those hard-to-reach mechanisms. It all fits into a neat little tin, making it very easy to pack in your gear bag. Everyone here at DarkThreads HQ has one of these kits, and they are now available to purchase from our web store. Please check it out!

Upcoming MGP Event: Shattered Silence, June 11

Shattered Silence

June 11, 2011

CSENTRI Facility, Orlando, FL

$50 per person

Register here!
America breathes a sigh of relief as the world's most notorious terrorist is eliminated... but what happens now?

Although the serpent's head is severed, like a Hydra, many fierce heads sprout anew. As the United States races to take advantage of intelligence captured from Pakistan, terrorist cells scramble to evade capture and strike back against the West as one fanatic's death spawns a martyr.

Join us at the CSENTRI training facility in Orlando, Florida on June 11 for more CQB excitement as US Special Operations Teams battle terrorist cells from across the globe.

US Force Options:
MultiCam
Black
Olive Drab

Terrorist Options:
Civilian
Mixed Paramilitary (no complete uniform)

Standard MGP Rules in effect. Full face protection and red-chem light or red flashlight required safety items for this site.

Also at June event...

The Arms Market!

Bring your old weapons, uniforms, gear and other items to the Arms Market! Have some old equipment you want to sell? Need to make room for new toys? Tags will be available to tag your items with your name, asking price and other details. Items will be on display and watched over throughout the day, as a courtesy of Toy Soldier Sports, with a nominal 5% consignment of sales... no cost if items do not sell.

The Unsung Four-Legged Hero

Clipped from Fast Company: The Bulletproof Dog That Stormed Bin Laden's Lair


[Image courtesy K9 Storm]

Pretty spiffy, eh? And the article is well worth a read.

Decoding the CRKT M16 Zytel EDC Family of Knives

Kit Carson's M16 designs are the most popular series of CRKT's knives, and the Every Day Carry (EDC) family is their answer to an affordable work knife that can take hard use, but give good value. They feature the Zytel® InterFrame; Zytel is a fiberglass-filled nylon that offers excellent toughness and resistance to solvents, and the blades are 8Cr15MoV high-carbon stainless steel which gives an ideal combination of toughness and edge-holding ability in a work knife.

The M16®-01Z has spear point slim profile blade with a Razor-Sharp edge. It is ideal for fine cutting and carving tasks.

The M16®-01KZ is the same design as above, but with a black EDP blade, black frame and hardware.

The M16®-10Z features a dual hollow grind Tanto-style blade with Combined Razor-Sharp and Triple-Point™ Serrated edges similar to the “Big Dog” M16 models. The result is maximum blade strength and ability to saw through cord, webbing, nets or vegetation quickly.

The M16®-10KZ is again the same design with black EDP blade, black frame and hardware.

Of course, all models feature the Carson Flipper, which speeds opening of the blade and acts as a blade guard when the blade is open. Available now in our web store, and don't forget to use the code:

NRAFREESHIP

to get free shipping on your order, until end of May 2011!

NOTE: All CRKT knives are protected by the CRKT Limited Lifetime Warranty.