My Update

Ok, so I have been pretty quiet here lately. This is due to a number of reasons. Those reasons are that I went on vacation (I'll make a post for that soon with some pictures), I have been playing around with Google+, and I finally swore into the U.S. Navy. I expect once I ship out on March 21st 2012 there will probably be very few posts for like the next few years. I've got an EDC update and that's really it, I haven't done much to River because of the heat and the fact that I'm broke. I should be getting a few new EDC toys (I already got a few, but that's another post) here in like a month so more posts there. So, for today I'll post teaser pic's and other random musings.
First up:

This crappy picture of an EDC update, this is my "Heavy" EDC, usually reserved for cargo shorts, winter

Independance Day

Today, 235 years ago, we became a country. Since then soldiers have fought and died for us to keep our country, along with our freedom and our rights. Today, get a friend and go blow something up or shoot something in the name of freedom, then grill food. It is the American way.

CB, Firestik, Hi-Lift, Repairs, and Misc Work on River

Ok, so I finally got my CB and Firestik 4' antenna installed and wired up. Running the coaxial cable was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but it still sucked, my biggest concern about it was being discreet, I did not want holes drilled into my center console or lose access to my ashtray (I keep spare change in there, it works). I ended up putting it where I have never seen a CB put in a 4Runner, behind the lower dash trim.

 

 The piece in the center of the picture is just a random trim piece that

5D Maglite and SOG Seal Pup!

I picked up a 5D cell Maglite from Craigslist for $5 a few days ago, I had to pay twice that for the batteries but the light itself is brand new! I also got a SOG Seal Pup with a Nylon sheath for helping install an antenna into a 4Runner (That was a pain to do). The Maglite is something I have wanted for a long time, I have had 3 or 4 over the years but they were always the 3D lights, the 5D I have wanted just because it is basically a baton that lights up, I EDC a 200 lumen Surefire so I have no need for a dim battery hog!

I had to add one slight modification to the light though, that being

Brush Guard And KC Lights For River!

So River is now a little tougher looking, she got a brush guard a few days ago (What a pain to put on...) because my little brother moved up from his 95 4Runner to an 01 4Runner (We basically STOLE that truck, great deal!). The ironic part is that the brush guard he had on his 95 was originally designed for a 96+ which would have fit his 01 if we didn't get it modified to fit his 95, since it fit the 95, it fits my 91! Anyways, after sweating out 2 gallons of water (It's HOT here, it hit something like 99 degrees in the shade) I finally got the brush guard fit. The guard itself is a little loose because the passenger side front bolt is messed up and I need to replace it, once that is fixed I should have it good and tight, then tighten down the driver side light guard to even it up.

 Anyways, "Charlie Whiskey" had 4 KC Off Road Lights given to him and

Setting Up A Pool, Our Way

Finally, a post not about EDC, Reviews, River, or things like that, this one is just about setting up a pool. Simple right? Hah, you have not been around our house then. For those of you who don't know, we're crazy, and by we I mean my family. We don't just do something half way, in fact we do more than is necessary just because we can. Our backyard has a decent slope to it, something along the lines of about 20 degrees or so on average, this is not a good slope to have for a pool. Our answer?

A GIANT BOX!

Pelican 1150 Case and Lots of Pretty Pictures!

So I finally got a Pelican case for my EDC Rotation, the only thing is it is not a 1060 like I was going to get, it's better! The Pelican 1150 is larger than the 1060 in both width and depth but the 1060 is slightly longer.
1150: 8.18" x 5.68" x 3.62"
1060: 8.25" x 4.25" x 2.25"
The 1060 would have held everything I had perfectly, but since I went bigger, now I need more stuff to fill it with! Anyways, here are some pictures of my new box, remember this is new-to-me, I need some stickers to make it mine.

 I have no idea why "OAK" is on the lid but

Blackhawk! Range Bag Review

Ok, here's a different one. I have a Blackhawk! Tactical Range Bag, it's an older version but it works fine. I got it in a sort of hand-me-down-trade deal, I traded a Patagonia half-zip thermal that I had owned for a while. My bag has been with me through quite a few overnight or 3 day trips but no long extended stay trips just yet. Mostly this gets used as my gym bag that gets cleaned out for travel. I actually used this today as a gym bag for a PST to become a Navy EOD Technician.

 The bag itself, while it looks small is actually

Custom Engraving on Zippo and DIY Lanyard

So Charley Whiskey got my Zippo and Pen Body Lanyard Bead tickets to a round with the engraver at his work. They turned out great with the only flaw being he mistakenly misspelled NEMESIS as NEMISIS on the Zippo, no big deal. For what was done I simply do not care! The Zippo got my signature XD Grenade done on one side with NEMISIS (Misspelled like that) above it, while the other side got the entire prayer from The Boondock Saints (One of my all-time favorite movies).

The Zippo was quite hard to photograph right but

Ruko 067 Traditional Pocket Knife Impressions

So I got a Ruko 067 today, it's a little "traditional" pocket knife with 2 blades and a 2 3/4" closed length. The blade is cheap 440A steel but the knife is so small that it really does not make too much of a difference. The blades open opposite each other I cannot give you an accurate blade length on this knife but I can say that the main blade is about 2 1/4" while the small blade is only about 1 1/2"-1 3/4". The knife weighs in at a featherweight .98oz so make no mistake, this thing is SMALL!

The scales are made of Pakkawood while the bolsters

Today's EDC and a Quick Review on Nalgene Bottles and an Outdoor Research Insulated Cover

Today I had a pretty good sized EDC Carry, I had the usual Wallet, Keys, Phone, Notebook, and Knife but I also carried my Zippo (Which I just got engraved), my new Ruko 067, and my new-to-me Surefire E2D LED Defender.

And, for some reason (I'm tired is most likely), My Surefire E2D is missing

Surefire E2D LED Defender First Impressions

So I've had this Android tablet for a little bit, a Panimage 7" MID (Mobile Internet Device). I really never used this thing so I put it on craigslist, it sat there for like 3 months before I get an email saying that some guy has an old Surefire and some knives he will trade me. I end up meeting this guy and get a few cheap knives (I kept one out of like seven or so knives, and I only kept that because it was mostly serrated and it's going in my truck as a saw), plus a Surefire E2D Defender LED. The E2D has 2 modes with a 5 Lumen low and a 200 Lumen high mode. I also got a blue lens filter for it. The light itself is an older model upgraded with the crenelated "strike" bezel and a partially crenelated tailcap so that the light is able to "tailstand" or be stood on its tail.

The flashlight has gotten more use today