techniques, knives, wild edible plants, tracking, shelter, fire, etc.

Timex Expedition WS4Read: < 1 min

Timex Expedition WS4: Big Size, Big Features

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

I’ve owned a Suunto Observer for years, a gift from the wife and I love it. With it I can tell which direction I’m headed, altitude, barometric pressure, temperature and of course the time. While somewhat bulky, it is still stylish IMHO and once configured performs well.

Timex will start shipping the Timex® Expedition® WS4™ on May 1, 2009. Similar in functionality to the Suunto, but no where close in looks, the gargantuan Expedition WS4 offers altitude, weather conditions, compass heading and time at a glance.

Unlike the Suunto, which has you spinning 360s to configure the compass, the Expedition WS4 can be used the moment it comes out of the box UPDATE: Both the Suunto and the Timex Expedition WS4 require manually calibrated. Timex also offers a fabric band to make wearing it over your gear easier, allowing for outside temperature readings, not your arm.

Dubbed a “wrist-top adventure instrument,” the Expedition WS4 has weather forecasts that look to be fairly simple to read. On my Suunto I need to be somewhat of a weatherman and figure it out for myself. Available in a half dozen colors, water resistant to 50 meters and lit by Indiglo, the Timex Expedition WS4 is expected to cost about $200.

Posted by: Jay

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Bayley S4Read: 2 mins

Bear Grylls Knife Costs $700

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Man vs. Wild star Bear Grylls is no doubt a surviver. Consumption of live snakes, sheep’s eyeballs, decomposing Zebra, still-warm Yak livers and worse, but a man’s gotta eat! He free-solos cliffs, wrestles wild beasts, drinks from elephant dung… face it, the man survives.

Certainly Bear doesn’t need to risk life and limb by down-climbing a waterfall, eating live snakes or puss-filled grubs – but it does make for entertaining television. Many scoff at these Fear Factor-like antics, but it has viewers peeking through their fingers and muttering ‘that crazy bastard‘ over-and-over. Some critics go as far to say that Bear misinforms his viewers by taking these risks in remote regions.

In many survival circumstances the best advice is to stay put and wait for rescue, but Bear is seemingly being chased in every episode, burning precious calories to sprint down a sand dune or swim a freezing cold lake. Of course sitting around and waiting for rescue would make for pretty ho-hum TV, so Bear turns on the bravado and the charm to keep us watching as he performs fearless acts of ‘survival.’

Bayley S4

I can forgive the fact that Bear bends survival tactics for the sake of entertainment. I have a harder time with merchandising the tools he uses for his show. A Bear Grylls ‘signature’ knife sells for $700. If you have $700 to spend, get a satellite phone and $40 Buck knife.

Maybe this is just Bear ‘surviving’ in the real world – and he’s got a right – but hopefully fans are smarter than that (and smart enough to not drink from elephant dung).

Posted by: Lawrence

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Read: < 1 min

Worst-case Scenarios: Extreme Survival

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

It’s been a while since we’ve written a survival post. To be honest, it’s been a while since we’ve written any post, but that’s the price we pay when working for the man.

Shark Zones Survival situations are essentially wort-case scenarios. How you play them out is often times a matter of life and death. A site called Worst-Case Scenarios provides step-by-step, how-to’s for everything from fighting off a shark to landing a plane.

So you thought bopping a shark on the nose was your best bet? Wrong – quickly and repeatedly jab it in the gills or eyes – use your dismembered leg if you have to, but man keep fighting! If you find yourself in a position where you need to land a plane, the first step is to “…push, pull, carry, or drag the pilot out of the pilot’s seat.”*

A Cardinal Rule in survival situations is to not panic. The more prepared you are, the less likely it is that you’ll panic in one of those worst-case scenarios. That includes jumping 5 stories from a building into a dumpster or how to wrestle free from an alligator.

* Please note that the pilot should already be incapacitated.

Posted by: Lawrence

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David BelleRead: < 1 min

Parkour – Bounding, Balance, Braun and Balls

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

You may not know it by name, but you’ve all seen and marveled at the art of Parkour. If you saw the new version of Casino Royale or Live Free or Die Hard, you’ve seen Parkour.

The main premise of Parkour is for the practitioners (called traceurs, or traceuses for women) to get from point-to-point, avoiding all obstacles with quick and efficient movements. It takes incredible athletic and gymnastic ability, stamina and daredevil attitude. Leaping over large gaps (sometimes between buildings), running up sheer walls, flipping over staircases and precise jumps through tight spaces are typical to a Parkour session.

Considered the founder of Parkour David Belle is in his prime and bringing Parkour to the masses. Groups from all over the world hold Parkour Jams which use either the natural landscape or man-made obstacles. These are not competitions, rather a gathering of talent to display their skills with the encouragement of their peers, train and introduce the sport to newcomers.

Next time you have a little time to kill on the Net look for Parkour videos and sit back and marvel. You may even want to give it a shot for yourself. If you do the research, consider a DVD or attend a Jam. Also maybe get a big bottle of Glucosamine, this sport can’t be good for your joints, even with the rolling landings.

Posted by: Lawrence

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lifesaver bottleRead: 2 mins

The LIFESAVER Water Purifier

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fire, shelter and water are essential in any terrestrial survival situation. When it comes to fire there is an art to getting one started with available resources (sticks, glass, flint, etc). Shelter is a little easier if you know where and how to create it. Potable water is perhaps the most elusive of the three, especially if you can’t get a fire started to boil water or have nothing to boil it in.

LIFESAVER bottleSurvival starts with preparation and the LIFESAVER bottle should be a part of any terrestrial survival kit (note: it will not turn sea water into drinkable water). Pump-up even the most suspect looking water and the LIFESAVER removes bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens, leaving ~750ml of drinking water very quickly.

The LIFESAVER uses a combination of a pre-filter, activated carbon filter and ultra filtration membranes. It does not use chemicals and thus avoids the bitter-beer-face iodine and chlorine can induce (if you use chemicals, pack these lifesavers in your survival kit :).

From the tip of the LIFESAVER’s chew-proof drinking teat all the way to it’s anti-slip base, it is a well engineered product (nice teat, nice base). They also introduced what they call FAILSAFE technology, which prevents the user from filtering water once it is not longer safer to do so with the existing cartridge (replaceable).

To purchase, visit the LIFESAVER online store. They are – in my opinion – expensive, but your life is worth it. Cost: ~$385 (up to 4,000 liters) ~$450 (up to 6,000 liters) + tax.

Posted by: Frank

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Read: 2 mins

Portable Power with the Potenco PCG

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Potenco Pull-Cord Generator (PCG) looks like a deranged Yo-Yo with a mouth piece. But put it in the palm of one hand and with your other pull the cord and you’re a one man or woman power plant. The PCG can charge your cell phone, radio, camera, GPS, PDA and other portable battery-powered devices with minimal pulling.

Potenco PCGThere are lots of things you can pull-on for a minute or two when your out in the middle of the woods and no one can hear your screams. But none yield as useful a result as the PCG…

– 20 minutes of talk time on a mobile phone
– 1 hour of Ultrabright flashlight use
– 4 hours play time on an iPod Shuffle

Specifications on the PCG make it a no-brainer to stuff in your survival kit or to pack on your next multi-day trek…

– Compact: 2.5″ high x 3.5″ diameter
– Lightweight: 14 oz.
– Highly Efficient: 20W peak average power
– Quiet: 59 dB at 1 foot, <50 dB at 5 feet
– Rugged: Water, dust and drop resistant

The One Laptop Per Child project provides an XO laptop to children in developing countries. The ~$150USD laptop is subsidized through government assistance and private contributions and will include the PCG since users in developing countries have suspect power if any power at all.

The PCG will come with a USB port, is expected to be available in mid-2008 and expected to cost between $50-100USD.

Posted by: Frank

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FreebordRead: 2 mins

All I Want for Christmas…

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OK gadgeteers, here is one geeks top 10 wish list for Xmas ’07. Post your own in the comments.

Freeboard1. Freebord – ride a skateboard like a snowboard? A center wheel (like the one found on a ) allows you to ease off the traditional skateboard wheels – much like easing off an edge. Want to ride switch? Lean back brah. $210-285 (depending on config).

2. Bike Keg – Some clever bastard with spare RST forks built a keg trailer for his bike. Mmmmmm beer.

3. Rockpods – Polyurethane and steel Centerpod holds for my home wall. Santa please?

4. SOG Seal Pup M37 – Fixed blade survivalist knife. Good enough for Bear = good enough for me. ~$70

5. Grain Surfboard – The most beautiful surfboards I have seen made from sustainable cedar wood. I’ll take the 9 footer and better glass the tail. $2,000

Cluster Balloon6. Nintendo Wii – This may actually be the one thing on this list I actually receive… if I’ve been a good boy.

7. Cluster Balloon Flight – OK, this isn’t exactly a gadget, but how f’n cool would it be to fly around by a bunch of balloons like Curious George at the zoo?!

8. Two tickets to paradise – Just me and the wife living life Tonga-style with Paul and Karen from Dive Vava’u for a few weeks. Whale diving, hiking Mt Talau, beers at night – ahhhhhh…

9. SteepandCheap.com Gift Certificate – Call it an addiction or call it retail therapy, but I just can’t stop buying from these guys. A good deal on gear is too hard to pass up. $500 ought to do it 🙂

10. D30 Gear – Head to toe, I want it all and I could use the protection, but I’d settle for a beanie. Is anyone going to start selling gear using ?!

Source: Lawrence

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Read: 2 mins

SOG Seal Pup

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

When shopping for a survival knife there are several qualities to consider. Remember you’re not looking for a knife to open letters, peel an apple or, as some of the cretins I work with do, trim and clean your fingernails during meetings. You want a knife that can double as an axe on small timber by pounding it with a rock. A knife that retains its edge after considerable abuse, one that is durable enough to resist corrosion in less than ideal circumstance and a knife that ideally, has a partially serrated edge to make it more versatile.

SEAL Pup and ScabbardThe SOG Seal Pup is just this type of knife. The AUS stainless steel full-tang blade measures 4.75″, a half-inch longer than the 4.25″ handle (9″ overall for the English majors). This knife is the little brother to the SOG Seal 2000 knife used by Navy Seals and it will swim with you as a reliable dive companion (careful, no buddy breathing).

The Seal Pup has a nice hefty/quality feel to it that belies it’s 5 ounces. When sheathed it can easily be attached to belt, vest or (for diving) your leg. If there is a downside to this knife it is the scabbard itself, which can scratch the knife finish and does not allow debris (sand, dirt, etc) to easily escape. Some have taken to making their own nylon or leather sheathes to better suit their needs.

I’m all about peace and love people, but unless you can get an animal to commit suicide for you in the wild, a tree to lay down and play dead or you have really sharp teeth, a good knife should be the first item in your survival kit (right up there with plastic sheets and duct tape ;). Consider the SOG Seal Pup and please, please keep it safely out of the reach of children.

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Bear GryllsRead: 2 mins

Survival Chic

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

For most of my 39 years I’ve had an interest in survival techniques. Some of these were as basic as avoiding a beating from one of my two sadistic older brothers, let’s call this family survival. Wilderness survival such as tracking, animal behavior, shelter and fire-making, setting snares, edible plants, etc has also been an interest, probably so I could run away into the woods and escape the relentless beatings.

I’ve never had a reason to put to use any of the information I’ve gleaned from Tom Brown, Larry Dean Olsen and other revered experts to use. Mostly this is by choice, because no one wants to find themselves in a real-life survival situation. Other than terrorizing rabbits in my youth with my best bud Jason and a stint at a summer wilderness camp called Keewaydin, I’ve warmed, sheltered and fed myself with the almighty dollar.

Bear GryllsThe success of shows like Man vs Wild, and Survivorman are based around the escapism that survivalism affords. It’s great to fantasize about starting a fire with toe lint and nose grease, but if you were actually faced with a setting sun and freezing temperatures with nothing to protect you from the elements wouldn’t you have to ask yourself ‘self, why the hell did I ever think this would be fun?’

The old adage ‘always be prepared’ should keep most people out of a life and death survival situation, but if you happen to find yourself in one remember to stay calm, attend to any injuries as soon as possible, find a reliable source of water, make a shelter, a fire and make yourself visible from the air. Also, always be sure to let your friends and loved ones know where you’re headed BEFORE you head out.

In future Bitness postings I’ll talk more about survival, so consider the above a disclaimer of sorts. There is a ton of cool equipment (knives, clothing, navigation, etc) and techniques which open up a whole new category to Bitness (so I did). If anyone would like to see a particular product reviewed let me know in the comments.

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