Emerson CQC 10

I've been wanting an Emerson knife since I heard about it in a Richard Marcinko book.  I did some research and they are awesome knives, although they run a little more than I have ever spent  on a knife.   I decided to finally take the plunge and get an Emerson folder.

I got a CQC 10.   I picked that model because I wanted something with a substantial enough blade.  I had bought a different knife with a 2.85" blade, and it just didn't seem like a good, big, manly, solid knife.  It was good, but just not enough.

So anyway I got the regular blade ( a combo serrated blade is also available) and am very happy with it.  The blade measures 3.6 ".  It's a good size - not too big and definitely not too small.  It came razor sharp.  The blade has a black non reflective coating, and is made of steel with a conventional V grind.

Here are the specs:

Handles	Black G-10 epoxy / glass laminate
Blade	154 CM Premium Blade Steel
Finish	Black or Silver
Grind	Conventional V Grind

Overall Length	8.50 in.
Blade Length	3.60 in.
Blade Thickness	.125 in.
Hardness	57-59 RC
Weight	4.7

The handle is made up of a material called G-10 (An extremely durable makeup of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked. Impervious to moisture or liquid and physically stable under climate change.) and is just as substantial as the blade.  It has a good solid feel and provides a good grip.  It also includes a clip for your pocket and maintains a reasonably low profile.

The CQC 10 has the wave feature.  It's a little hook like thing on the outside of the blade, that's designed to catch on the pocket, as it's being drawn.  With a little practice, it's a very fast way to deploy the blade.

This is my favorite knife.  Although Emerson knives are expensive, so far I think it's well worth the money.  I purchased this online at Dave's Knife World and am equally happy with this vendor.  Dave himself takes the time to answer emails, and shipped me the knife very quickly.

After having the knife for about a month, and using it for various cutting tasks, the blade is still as sharp as when it came from the box.  Definitely worth the money, and I would recommend this knife to anyone looking for a good capable folder.
('’)

Surefire earplugs

I have no idea why I got these in the first place.  They do look cool, as far as earplugs go, and they work ok, but I think the free foam earplugs do just as good a job.

Sorry, had to get that out of the way.  The Surefire earplugs are different from others that I've seen in that they kind of are molded to fit and stay in your ear.  They are pretty comfortable for extended lengths of time, and that's their biggest plus.  The biggest negative is that they don't provide as much hearing protection.  I've repositioned them while using them, for example while at the range, and they still don't give me what I want. 

They do work pretty well in other high noise areas such as flying.  I was on  a military aircraft and wore these while sleeping, and they didn't bug me at all, and reduced the engine noise to a mild roar.  I've tried this with military issue ear plugs, and while the military plugs keep out the noise as well, they are not comfortable for periods over an hour.

The earplugs also feature a plug that can be engaged or disengaged to vary the amount of noise.  I would assume it's for times where you might need to hear someone's voice, and still keep out sudden loud noises.  I don't know.  They are also low profile, so you can get away with wearing headphones with these plugs, which is nice.

Bottom line is like I said at the beginning of this.  Get some decent foam earplugs, and you'll probably get the same result. If you've got money to burn, you may not be totally disappointed with these, but make sure you get the right size as well.  I believe these come in 3 sizes.  You can check you sizing here on the Surefire website.

TadGear EDC Fast Pack

I'm always looking for a good solid backpack that can go camping with me, go to work, and serve as an overnight bag while traveling.  I've found exactly what I need in TAD Gear's FAST Pack.

It's not just another tactical looking backpack.  It's built very sturdy, and has solid components like zippers and stiching.  I've loaded it up in the high 40 pounds and carried it with the handle.  Many other packs would have torn (I know this from experience), but this pack does fine.  I've also thrown this on my back with a heavy load and have been amazed how comfortable it is.

In addition to the construction, it has some other cool features like a compartment for a hydration bladder, a transporter tail (fold down module for securing a rifle to the pack), and a "flashlight cave".  The flashlight cave basically is a little zipper compartment underneath the pack, that allows one to access the compartment while wearing the pack.

Here's the specs from the manufacturer's website:

MILSPEC 1000-Denier Cordura Nylon.
MILSPEC High tensile strength composite nylon thread.
MILSPEC High tensile strength nylon webbing.
MILSPEC YKK Nylon Coil Zippers.
Features our Modular "Transporter Tail".
Primary zippered external Admin top pocket.
2 zippered side accessory pockets
Features single right side TAD Gear "Flashlight Cave".
Flexible HDPE removable framesheet.
Volume = 1800 cu in / 29.5 L.
Colors: Foliage Green, Multicam, OD Green Limited Lifetime Warranty.

I've enjoyed using this.  The various webbing on the outside makes it possible to attach commercial and milspec equipment pretty much anywhere.  There are plenty of external pockets and one internal pocket.

When I was getting ready to purchase this pack, I was also looking at the Kirafu line of packs, but went with this one.  I still might purchase a Kirafu for longer trips.  The TAD Gear is perfect for carry on luggage for an airplane, but if you're going for more than a day or two, it might be insufficient for everything, although I've never been known to pack light.  1800 cu. in. is  a decent amount, but it can get tight if you're carrying another pair of shoes and maybe a laptop with  a couple changes of clothes.  That said, I've used while camping to carry water, snacks and other junk while hiking, and it's been more than enough.

The bottom line is that this is a bullet proof pack, great for everyday carry situations (hence the name EDC).  I highly recommend TAD Gear.  I've gotten other stuff from them and will say they have good customer service in addition to their products.

Attention:  This item is now for sale on ebay.  Check it out at here

Altama Exospeed II Boots

Here in Iraq, we do a bit of walking. Nothing major like a patrol or anything, but enough that you need decent, broken in boots. I had a new pair of hot weather boots and a broken in pair of cold weather boots. The cold weather boots were just too hot and the new boots were killing my feet. I decided to order some different boots, so after some research, I decided to get some Altama Exospeeds II. I ordered right from the Altama website since they were the only place that could guarantee they were in stock. I emailed the customer service about sizes and availability and was pleasantly surprised at their quick response. Since these were not typical military issue boots, they recommended going off of a athletic shoe size as opposed to my issued Altama boot size.


I got the boots pretty quickly, along with my free t shirt, and was happy to find they fit well. The first day I wore them I was still happy as they felt broken in immediately. As I wore them more, they just got more comfortable.

They are fairly sturdy and breath well. The tread and sole seems to wearing well, although it's mostly sand and rocks around here. I've only been wearing them for a couple months, but I'm confident they'll last well through the rest of my deployment.

I would definitely get another pair of these boots and recommend them to anyone looking for a pair of boots that has that instantly broken in feel. I think I paid around $120 for them, which seemed like a little more than what I could find on other websites, but I got them quickly and they're worth the money. The price seemed within the ballpark of other boots of the same type. My other pair of issued Altama's are broken in now too, and I alternate boots. This works out well and my feet aren't killing me by the end of the day.

Good buy, worth the money, and good customer service.

12/16
I've had these boots for several months now, and am as happy with them now as I was when I purchased them.  They've held up well and are actually a little more comfortable as they continue to get broken in.  I had to replace the laces, but that's it.

Surefire G2

I picked up my Surefire G2 before this deployment and have gotten a lot of use out of it. I've also taken it camping and it's proven to be a great light, especially for the money.


I got it at a military post exchange for around $25, but you can probably get close to that on the internet. In stores it's closer to $32.

The flashlight is a compact flashlight (5.1" long) that will easily fit in your pocket. I bought an aftermarket holster for it that will fit on my body armor or belt from TAD Gear. The body is polymer and looks like it can withstand quite a beating. The power switch is a tailcap that can be activated by either turning the tailcap all the way, or by pressing and holding the tailcap button. I've found that by turning the cap towards the off position enough, you can effectively lock it out to prevent accidental discharge.

Both the tailcap and top, feature O rings that make it "weather proof". I don't know that I would submerge it for extended periods of time, but I feel confident that if I dropped in a pond or puddle, it would work fine.

The base flashlight comes with an incandesent lamp that puts out 65 lumens and has a run time of 60 minutes on one set of batteries. It was good, but I wanted increased runtime from my batteries so I dropped in a replacement LED bulb from Lighthound. I believe it was a Cree or Uniq. I do know that it was around $20 and well worth it. I think it puts out more light and definitely doesn't eat as many batteries. It uses two 123A lithium batteries, but can be modified to take a rechargeable battery. Surefire's website has this and other accessories for this light, such as filters and holsters.

I wrapped some 550 cord around the handle and made a little lanyard for it and I think it helps the grip a little more. I would recommend this flashlight to anyone needing a good basic durable light. It's available in 4 colors - Black, OD Green, Yellow and Tan.