ALL-DAY NUTRITION ON THE GO OR FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
1. NUTRIENT SURVIVAL NRE
You’ve heard of MREs, the Meals Ready to Eat originally designed for the military, but also used by hikers, campers, and those storing food in preparation for emergencies. Now Nutrient Survival has introduced NREs – Nutrition Ready to Eat.
These new NRE packs in resealable pouches are loaded with a full day’s worth of nutrition for an individual. Like all Nutrient Survival products, these NRE packets are designed to exceed the U.S. Military’s Special Ops standards for food used during missions of intense or highly mobile training or conflict.
Each NRE pouch contains a variety of seven food and drink mix packets individually wrapped to provide not only a day’s needed nutrition, but about 1,405 calories (including 76 grams of protein) to fuel the body throughout the day. The meals are made in the USA using real food and they contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
The Alpha NRE, for instance, contains a Triple Cheese Mac packet (macaroni and cheese), and a Homestyle Scramble packet that contains cheese, eggs, potatoes, and bell peppers. For those, you just add boiling water. Also included in the Alpha NRE is a packet of Maple Almond Grain Crunch (similar to granola) that can be eaten dry as a snack or with milk or yogurt added. There’s a peanut butter snack bar for energy on the go, a packet of Vitamin Coffee mix, and a packet of lemon-lime flavored Liquid Nutrient rehydration powder, which can help you recuperate quickly after heavy exertion. What about dessert? Yes, this NRE includes a packet of nutritious Creamy Chocolate Shake mix, too.
Bravo and Charlie NRE pouches contain a slightly different variety of food and flavor offerings, such as lasagna, vanilla shake mix, and Southwest Medley (bean casserole).
Nutrient Survival meals are prepared with a patented freeze-dried process that preserves flavor and locks in nutrition. Each pack has a shelf life of up to 15 years, so they make good additions to your emergency food supplies to use when grocery store shelves are empty.
Aside from long-term storage for emergencies, these NREs are also excellent to use on any adventure where weight is a concern, refrigeration isn’t available, or you need a quick meal without a lot of prep time. Planning and packing meals for a multi-day trip becomes easy, too, because all you need to do is pack one pouch for each full day.
2. REDI-EDGE SHARPENERS
Tough jobs, prolonged use, and critical situations can put lots of demands on your knife’s edge. And sometimes you need to touch up that blade in the middle of a job; you just can’t wait to get home to do it.
Redi-Edge has been making small, handy knife sharpeners in the USA since 1994. They come in several varieties, but all are easy-to-use, pull-through sharpeners that use a pair of Duromite-coated carbine cutters. The cutters can be replaced – they’re held in place by small screws – but you probably won’t have to do that. These sharpeners carry a limited lifetime warranty.
Included in the Redi-Edge line are the 2-Position and 3-Position Stick Sharpeners. The first features two sets of cutters, one set to sharpen at a 30-degree angle (15 degrees per side) and the other set for a 40-degree angle (20 degrees per side). The 3-Position sharpener adds a third set of cutters that is set at a 60-degree angle.
The Redi-Edge Pocket Knife Sharpener features a single pair of cutters factory set at a 40-degree angle. It has a thumb groove to provide a secure grip on the tool. Do you want something even more portable? The Dog Tag Small Knife Sharpener is appropriately named and features a lanyard hole. Among other Redi-Edge sharpeners are models designed specifically to sharpen ulu knives and archery broadheads.
3. FIX IT STICKS FIELD TOOLKIT FOR GLOCK PISTOLS
Fix It Sticks makes lots of excellent tool kits. Some are for specific applications while others are for general maintenance and repair use. One of the company’s newest offerings is the Field Toolkit for Glock Pistols. With the widespread popularity of Glock pistols both among civilians and law enforcement agencies, this kit is a good idea.
Designed specifically for Glock handguns, the new kit features the specialized tools necessary to maintain and work on Glock pistols, including the Fix It Sticks Front Sight tool, Base Plate Removal Tool, and Channel Liner Tool. In addition to the specialized tools, the kit also includes other components necessary for handgun maintenance, such as the Fix It Sticks Ratcheting T-Handle, the Mini All-In-One Torque Driver and the most common bits necessary for properly mounting optics on handguns.
The kit stores in a compact, soft zippered carrying case with a molded, low-profile bit holder that is designed to hold any bit/accessory with a standard 1/4” base, and any 8-32 threaded component. With overall dimensions of 6 1/2 x 2 5/8 x 1 5/8 inches, this is an incredibly useful kit for Glock owners that easily fits in glove boxes, tool storage compartments, range bags, etc.
FEATURES
- Fix It Sticks Toolkit For Glock Pistols
- Ratchet T-Handle w/Locking Hex Drive
- Mini All-In-One Torque Driver
- 3/32” Pin Punch
- 1/8” Pin Punch
- Steel Pick
- Cleaning Brush Bit
- Channel Liner Installation and Removal Tools
- Glock Sight Tool
- Glock Magazine Base Plate Removal Tool
- Battery Cap Tool
- Two brass rods
- Set of two 8-32 adapters
- 10 Electroless Nickel-plated Bits: T8, T10, T15, P1, H2.5mm, H.050”, H1/16”, H5/64”, 3/32” Extended Bit (for adjusting hard to reach screws on optics), SL6mm
- Compact Carrying Case
4. ORIGINAL MULEPAK
Too often when I’d leave the house, my pockets bulged like a chipmunk’s cheeks after a foraging expedition. Simply, I needed more capacity than my pockets could handle. I’ve been using an Original MulePak belt pouch for a few months now and it’s an excellent solution for those times when you need to take along a few more things, but don’t want to tote a daypack.
The Original MulePak consists of lightweight but strong nylon with two zippered compartments. Two wide belt loops are sewn to the back, so you can either carry this pouch directly on your belt, or, as I have done at times, added it to the belt of a waistpack or backpack to store small gear items that you want handy for quick access, such as a phone, cash and cards, flashlight, compass, multitool, etc. The Original MulePak is available in black, gray, slate, tan, olive, and Fly Dye. It measures 5 x 7.25 inches. It’s plenty big for my purposes, but if you want a larger bag, there’s the Grande MulePak that measures 6 x 8 inches. Both have a sling profile that’s much sleeker than wearing a fanny pack.
5. FLEX MOVES PERSONAL POCKET BAG
I don’t often order from website links that I find on social media, but I took a chance this time and bought a Flex Moves Personal Pocket Bag. This is another good alternative to wearing a waistbelt or small daypack when you need to carry a bit more than will fit in your pockets.
This Flex Moves bag features a comfortable strap that goes over your shoulder. The bag itself is designed to be carried under the opposite arm, not across your back. So, the bag for right-handed folks has the strap over the right shoulder and the bag itself hugs the ribs under the left arm for access by the right hand. There are bags available for left-handed use as well.
The bag is water resistant and is constructed of 70% nylon and 30% polyester. It features three zippered pockets – small, medium, and large – and a top cell phone pocket with a strap secured with a magnetic closure. That cell phone pocket measures 6.7 x 4.8 inches. The shoulder strap is adjustable from 31 to 44 inches.
The way this bag hugs your side makes it perfect for carrying important things discreetly because the bag can be completely covered by a light jacket. This keeps it free from prying eyes and touchy hands. It’s a good choice for carrying a concealed handgun, or, when traveling, such things as a wallet, passport, and other important documents.
I’ve been trying it for a number of different purposes and find it’s a good bag when riding a bicycle around town on errands or a commute. The overall size of the bag is 11.4 inches long on the back side by 9 inches wide, by 7.5 inches long on the front side, which then angles 9 inches across to the top. It’s available in black, gray, dark red, blue, purple, and rose red.
