Raider - Volume 8 Issue 5 - September 2015

TH E MAGAZ I N E FO R TH E ALPHA MALE

OUTDOORS - ADRENALINE - TACTICAL - ESSENTIALS - FITNESS - EXPLORE

BOOT S ON T HE GROUND!

RAIDER FREE FALLS INTO THE EXTREME WORLD OF SKYDIVING! PAGE 44

FROM DOOR KICKING TO DOG WALKING THERE'S A GOOD BOOT FOR EVERYONE!

WE LACE UP WITH HI-TEC AND SHOWCASE THEIR NEW TACTICAL FOOTWEAR RANGE

COMMANDO SOFT SHELL JACKET ON TEST! PAGE 26

POCKET SPOTLIGHT!

WE PIT FOUR EVERY DAY CARRY TORCHES AGAINST EACH OTHER

BLADE SHOW 2015

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 'MILITARY 1ST' WE SHOWCASE SOME OF THE BEST TACTICAL LIFESTYLE LUGGAGE HAZARD-4 HAS TO OFFER!

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£4.25

HAZARD-4 LUGGAGE

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 5

RAIDER ON THE SCENE: WE WALK YOU ALONG THE CUTTING EDGE OF THE WORLD'S SHARPEST KNIFE SHOW!

US SURVIVAL RIFLE NEW 'STUFFA JACKET' ON TEST STOIC CONDITIONING: PART 2 BOOK REVIEWS SEPT15 RAIDER.indd 1

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CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW, BLACK

AIRSOFT IN June 2015 vol 11 iss 1

COMBAT PATROL UNIFORM®

EUROPEAN PATENT No. 001832254-0001 U.S. PATENT No. US D696,487 S Main bottom apparel from Urban Tactical Line®. Keeping the impression of casual pants, the UTP® provide load bearing capabilities and comfort typical for strictly utilitarian constructions. Designed for Law Enforcement operators, Urban Tactical Pants® enable carrying all essential equipment around hips and thighs line.

Low-profile pocket setup keeps the EDC gear and ammo close to body’s center of gravity, which, combined with stretchable fabric, leads to fluent and quick tactical movements. Furthermore, all these solutions give the outcome of clear and useful product for concealed carry tasks. UTP® are available in two raw material options, for hot and moderate climate as well.

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OUTDOORS - ADRENALINE - TACTICAL - FITNESS - EXPLORE

MEET THE TEAM

PAUL MONAF

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Email: paul@ebcon.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1775 750005

STEPHEN PRINGLE

EDITOR Email: stephen@ebcon.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1775 750005

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ART DIRECTOR Email: design@ebcon.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1775 750005

CONNOR MONAF

CONTRIBUTOR Email: connor@ebcon.co.uk

TRAMPAS SWANSON FIREARMS Email: trampas@ebcon.co.uk

MARKUS MOTUM

ILLUSTRATION Email: markus@ebcon.co.uk

SHARON MONAF

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR Email: sharon@ebcon.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1775 750005

SUBSRCIPTIONS

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 5 Greetings from a manic editorial office! It’s my own fault, I mean, taking a holiday?! It does mean that I’m furiously trying to finish this issue before deadline. On the upside there is no lack of content, this month we take a look at the new Dual Jackal bag from Highlander – it missed our Every Day Carry shoot-out but it has a neat trick that makes it well worth checking out.

Also from Highlander is the Blade Fast Boil, as the name suggests a quick-fire camp stove just ideal for long treks or simply making sure you get your caffeine fix while you’re out in the country.

We review the Commando Soft-shell jacket – designed by a former Royal Marine Commando and it shows, this new shell jacket is big on features that work and very low on weight. It could be the perfect stowaway jacket this season.

We review Robin Neillands’ book, “Battle for the Rhine – 1944” and give it a big thumbs up for taking a dispassionate look at the evidence surrounding the know well-known stories of the battle for Arnhem and the Battle of the Bulge. Some of the truths uncovered may well surprise you. We also look again at one of the best books to come out of the Vietnam war, Dispatches

by Michael Herr.

We are also delighted to announce that this issue, and the next two issues, will be available absolutely free in it’s digital format. We have been doing some research and it’s become obvious that many of you are interested in the Raider across the world but find it difficult to get your hands on a print copy. We cannot have you missing out so here’s your chance to have good read on us – enjoy!

Ever thought of jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane? No, neither have we but in the interests of a good story and an excess of adrenaline we’ll go there.

In our head to head we take a look at modern flashlights powered by a single AA battery. In my youth that was enough light to stop you falling down a flight of stairs, but that was then and this is now. Find out why this format is the perfect EDC light.

Survival takes a break this month – we simply have so many things to review amongst them a slew of lightweight boots from Hi-Tec, this may be the time to treat your feet.

Until the next issue, have fun and stay safe!

Stephen

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Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of articles in this magazine, but the publisher accepts no responsibility for any errors contained in material from independent sources or authors. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustration in any form without permission from the publisher/editor is strictly prohibited. We welcome articles, photographs or artwork. Raider Magazine cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to unsolicited material. Please enclose a SAE if you wish your material to be returned. Competitions will be judged on the dates specified. No correspondence will be entered into and the judge’s decision is final. In the event of the published prize not being available due to circumstances beyond the control of the magazine, a suitable alternative of similar value will be provided.

READ RAIDER ONLINE VIA POCKETMAGS!

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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 5

CONTENTS 06 NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

NEW PERSONNEL AT COMBAT FLIP FLIP, NEW CASES FROM MAGPUL, A TIMELY NEW BOOK ABOUT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND SOME LOONEYS RUNNING UNFEASIBLE DISTANCES IN AID OF COMBAT STRESS.

09 THE 2015 BLADE SHOW REPORT

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TRAMPAS VISITS THE BLADE SHOW IN THE USA – A MECCA FOR ANYONE WITH A LOVE OF EDGED TOOLS AND AWESOME WORKMANSHIP.

14 FIREPOWER

THE HENRY SURVIVAL RIFLE – A CIVILIAN VERSION OF THE VENERABLE AR-7 SURVIVAL RIFLE. THIS IS ONE RIFLE YOU CAN OWN IN THE UK AND IT CERTAINLY WINS TRAMPAS OVER!

18 HIGHLANDER DUAL JACKAL

HIGHLANDERS NEW EVERY-DAY-CARRY BAG HAS A VERY NEAT TRICK UP IT’S SLEEVE.

20 HI-TEC BOOTS

WE ROUND UP THE LATESTS LIGHTWEIGHT OFFERINGS FROM THIS INNOVATIVE COMPANY.

26 COMMANDO SOFT-SHELL JACKET

A NEW, ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT TOP LAYER TO KEEP THE ELEMENTS AT BAY PUT THROUGH IT’S PACES.

28 HAZARD-4 BAGS

WE DO LIKE OUR BAGS HERE AT RAIDER SO HERE IS A SELECTION FROM HAZARD-4 TO HELP YOU CARRY YOUR LIFE AROUND WITH YOU.

33 HEAD-TO-HEAD

LED FLASHLIGHTS HAVE CHANGED THE FACE OF PERSONAL ILLUMINATION, WE TAKE A LOOK AT A SELECTION ALL POWERED BY ONLY ONE AA-CELL, PERFECT FOR CARRYING WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES.

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40 THE STUFFA ONE GILET

A BODY-WARMER WITH INTERESTING ADDITIONAL FEATURES – DOES IT PASS MUSTER?

42 FITNESS: STOIC CONDITIONING STOIC CONDITIONING Q&A WITH ‘EASY’ HIMSELF.

44 ADRENALINE

SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY ENJOY LEAPING OUT OF PLANES! THIS MONTH WE TRY TO FIND OUT WHY.

47 MAXPEDITION EXCELSA POCKET FOLDER

A RATHER SWANKY NEW KNIFE FROM BAG MASTERS MAXPEDITION.

48 BOOKS ON REVIEW

THE BATTLE FOR THE RHINE AND THE VIETNAM WAR, TWO CONTRASTING WARS, TWO CONTRASTING BOOKS.

51 DIRECT ACTION

THE BRITISH ARMY APPOINTS ITS FIRST FEMALE MAJOR-GENERAL AND THE ARRIVAL OF MORE A400M TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT, THE REPLACEMENTS FOR THE LONG-SERVING HERC.

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FUEL REVIEW HIGHLANDER UNDER OUR SPOTLIGHT

FAST FUEL!

HIGHLANDER FROM

£49

THE BLADE BOIL COFFEE. COFFEE IS GOOD, NECESSARY. TEA IS ALSO VITAL TO NEARLY ALL OUTDOORS ACTIVITIES. CLEARLY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE PROVISION OF SUCH BEVERAGES, BUT YOUR CHOICES ARE CURTAILED – THERMOS FLASK OR GAS STOVE. FLASKS ARE CONVENIENT BUT ADD A BIT OF WEIGHT AND THE CONTENTS WILL LOSE HEAT OVER TIME, SO IF YOU NEED COFFEE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING THIS IS PROBABLY A POOR SOLUTION.

Gas stoves vary in both size, efficiency and weight with JetBoil leading the pack in terms of quick heating and convenient pack size. The downside to the JetBoil range is the price, it’s true that you get what you pay for and no-one is denying that JetBoil are deserving of their reputation, but what if your budget won’t quite stretch to £160.00 for the top of the range JB? Highlander have just introduced the Blade Fast Boil stove at £49.99 (before possible discounts) and do you know what? It’s really rather good!

The Blade comes well packaged in a stout cardboard box. Inside you’ll find the burner unit and the 1.1l capacity heating pot. The pot is made from hard anodised aluminium and comes with a neoprene cover to insulate the contents and neat butterfly handles (also neoprene covered), which fold flat against the pot when not in use. There is also a simple silicone lid to keep things warm and where they should be. The pot has a series of fins

on the bottom to more effectively distribute the heat from the burner unit.

The pot locks onto the burner unit with a simple twist fit keeping the two together when in use.

The burner will accommodate most of the gas cartridges out there and is fitted with the same simple screw fitting as you’ll find on Jet Boils and other camping stoves. It features a built-in piezo igniter which is appreciated – remembering to take a lighter or matches is just another chore and lighting any kind of stove in poor weather is a challenge. With the Blade it’s a case of turn the gas on and press the red button. It might take a couple of goes but it works well. When not in use the burner and gas can be stored inside the pot, although your ability to do that does depend on the size of cartridge. We used a 230 gramme Primus cartridge for testing and while the diameter is fine, the burner/cartridge combination is a bit tall to sit fully inside the pot.

It could still be transported like this however as the supplied lid doesn’t lock in place in any event.

The key question however is does it work and the answer is a resounding yes. Since necessity is the mother of invention and not having any outdoors treks planned around the time of writing, it was determined that coffee should be the test, doorstep coffee. To that end we filled the pot with 300 ml of water from the cold tap (the pot is conveniently and sensibly marked inside at 300, 600 and 900 ml) and set to boiling water. Gas on, hit the igniter, adjust the flame and record the time. There were bubbles within about 20 seconds and a full, roiling boil was achieved at one minute and twenty seconds. Even we, in our early morning impatience can wait eighty seconds for a coffee!

Highlander claim that the Blade will boil the full pot from cold in 3 minutes and this is entirely borne out by our testing.

Whether your boiling water for a drink or heating meals the Blade should deliver. While not the most compact stove out there it is damned efficient and very easy to use, we especially appreciated the built-in igniter. The pot is plenty big enough for any reasonable camping requirement and the neoprene cover keeps hot metal and tender flesh carefully separated. The killer for us is the price however – fifty quid is pretty tempting. It’s worth bearing in mind that you can find it somewhat cheaper depending on how brutal stores are willing to be with their discounts, the lowest we saw quoted was around £35.00 which is frankly ridiculously cheap! The other thing we noticed whilst checking prices was a lot (and we do mean a lot) of sites apologising for being out of stock. That suggests that plenty of you out there have had a look, liked what you saw and grabbed while the grabbing was good!

We know that Highlander recently got new stocks but if you are interested get shopping as the Blade doesn’t just boil fast, it seems to sell pretty fast as well!

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R AIDER NE W S E XCLUSIVE NE WS FROM AROUND THE GL OBE - E XCLUSIVE NE WS

NEWS

WHAT’S HOT FROM AROUND THE WORLD

NEWS FROM COMBAT FLIP FLOPS, MAGPUL ANNOUNCE A FULL SET OF BUMP CASES FOR THE NEW-ISH IPHONE 6 RANGE. STUFFA CONTINUE THEIR QUEST TO MAKE A JACKET THAT WILL ACTUALLY CARRY YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN ONE GO, WE GIVE YOU A HEADS UP ABOUT A BRAND NEW HISTORY OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND AN IMPRESSIVE HELP FOR HEROES LONG DISTANCE RUN!

COMBAT FLIP FLOPS NEW BLOOD Raider has featured Combat Flip Flops off and on over the past couple of years because they do good work and because we really like the way they go about it.

This latest news suggests that they are getting even more serious about what they’re doing – in a laid-back, fun sort of way no doubt!

Combat Flip Flops, a veteran-owned small business creating economic, educational and life-saving opportunities for those living in conflict areas, has announced former Reebok Vice President of Advanced Concepts, Paul Litchfield, will be joining the company as an advisor.

“As a rapidly growing footwear and fashion company, Combat Flip Flops is recruiting leaders to drive the mission,” said co-founder and CEO, Matthew ‘Griff’ Griffin. “As a veteran of the footwear industry, leader of innovation, and navigator of market challenges, Paul brings decades of experience to the Combat Flip Flops team. As a member of our advisory board, Paul’s focus is to help us smoothly navigate the exponential growth in global markets.”

Paul Litchfield is one of the most influential product creation experts working in the athletic footwear, performance apparel, and sporting goods industry. He holds over 160 granted patents and patents applications pending, and has long been regarded as one of the leading innovators in the field.

Paul began his career at Reebok in 1985, where he held roles in product creation and product marketing while also founding the Advanced Concepts Team. He and his team were responsible for numerous production innovations over the years, including The Energy Return System; The PUMP; DMX Moving Air; Insta-Flate, ZIGTECH, Easytone, Realflex and Z-Pump Fusion. With the 2013 launch of CHECKLIGHT, a sports and activity impact indicator for the head, he and his team made significant strides in the field of wearable electronics and safety equipment.

“I am extremely proud to have the chance to work with Griff and the Combat Flip Flops Team. CFF not only makes an array of cool product, but also brings a unique passion and commitment to business by focusing on the social and economic betterment of those living in areas of conflict around the world,” said Litchfield.

“Back in the day, we would call in a Gunship for mission support,” said Griff.

“Paul is our Gunship on this new mission. Through persistence, creativity, and respect, Paul will help Combat Flip Flops empower the mindful consumer to manufacture peace through trade. We couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity to work a proven leader in the industry.”

With a willingness to take bold risks, connect communities, and design impactful products, Combat Flip Flops’ ‘Business, Not Bullets’ mantra is flipping the view on how wars are won. Through persistence, respect, and creativity, the mindful consumer is empowered to manufacture peace through trade.

MAGPUL BUMP CASE FOR IPHONE 6 It was only a matter of time really! The Magpul Bump Case features two-material construction combining a hard protective shell with an inner shock absorbing layer, low profile PMAG®-style side ribs for added grip, and single-piece snap-on design for easy installation and removal. The Bump Case has the benefits of a hard polymer shell and semi-rigid liner without adding unnecessary bulk. Compatible with the standard iPhone 6.

Magpul don’t state whether or not it prevents your expensive iphone from flexing to break or not....

Designed and manufactured in the U.S.A.!

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NE WS FROM AROUND THE GL OBE - E XCLUSIVE NE WS FROM AROUND THE GL OBE LUSIVE NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE - EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM ARO

STUFFA ODYSSEY

THE DUCHESS OPENS NEW PM REVEALS MEASURES HOME OF KING’S TROOPVISIT INTHE LATEST AFGHAN

Stuffa have announced the Odyssey, a jacket designed to make your travels a little easier, especially if you like to travel light. Yes, the Stuffa Odyssey has 13 very clever secrets, 12 concealed pockets within the zip out inner jacket and the inner jacket itself that is designed to carry a multitude of kit or luggage.

The Odyssey is two jackets in one, the outer being waterproof, breathable and wind-proof, designed to keep wearers outside for longer, offering protection from the weather whilst being combined with comfort and style. er Rememb your The removable inner jacket has 12 hidden pockets that will carry is R a i d e ra z i n e . enough kit for a short trip, so no baggage charges, and is also mag w us kno perfect for anyone partaking in outdoor activities and festival S o l e t u’r e u p t o o y t a h w er goers. Additional features include waterproof zips, zipped outer w h e r e vr e ! pockets, adjustable Velcro cuffs and an adjustable hem. you a The inner jacket is designed to be unzipped once the destination has been reached; however leaving it zipped in provides additional warmth once the temperature begins to fall.

The Stuffa Odyssey comes in black and is available in men’s sizes from small though to xxl. Priced at £220.00 GBP the Odyssey can be found at www.stuffa.co.uk The Duchess Cornwall opened the new homeout of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery Raider have aof couple of Stuffa products forWoolwich review, watch March and unveiled a the plaque commemorate the David changeCameron of the name of the new barracks, forin our on these nexttocouple of months.

On histake latest visit toover Afghanistan, the Prime Minister has announced a packagefrom of Napier Lines to King George VI Lines. measures to provide a significant boost to the British military campaign. Both UK troops and the The Regiment from theirwill barracks St Johns Woodfunding in February this year, having been Afghan Nationalmoved Security Forces benefitinfrom increased and state of the art equipment. stationed there for over 200 years. The new state of the art facilities house 120 horses and 150 The Prime Minister announced: soldiers and cost £16.5 million. ✪To £33.1 millionthe for visit the development of the Afghan in 2010/11; including building celebrate to the new state-of-the artNational facilities,Police the Duchess toured the forge, seven police stations addition to viewed the two aUK-funded policeof stations opened in Helmand last month. veterinary centre andinstables, and demonstration 12 horses exercising the Gun ✪ £135 million to carry double Remotely Piloted System (RPAS).

Carriages, which 13Reaper pounder guns which wereAircraft first used in the first world war. The carriages are used to fire the guns during The Queen’s birthday parade, State Visits and Remembrance Accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, the Prime Minister arrived Sunday.

6thBastion of August this yearprovince, sees the then release of a new book regarding the Base history of the Battle of at The Camp in Helmand travelled to the Main Operating in Lashkar Gah for The Duchess visited the officers’ mess atofthe startWar of the visit, tohas boardadvanced a horse-drawn open-top Britain, oneCommander of the most iconic struggles II. Raider copymade of “The a briefing by Task Force Helmand,World Brigadier James Chiswellan on the progress by the carriage, known as aand Sociable Carriage.

Deadliest Enemy” you can a full review in the next issue.development An initial sweep through Provincial Reconstruction Team toexpect drive social, economic and political in the area. it During herthat visit the Duchess also presented service medals toMax fourHastings soldiers did from suggests Stephen Bungay doAfghanistan for Battle of Britain what forthe He later met soldiers who crewmay andfinally maintain thethe newly operational Warthog armoured vehicle.

King’s Troopofwho have Command. just returned from frontline duties. the story Bomber Visiting the Helmand Police Training Centre on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah to present graduation Before departing themagisterial Duchess unveiled aisplaque to commemorate the the opening of the King George Stephen Bungay’s history acclaimed as the account Battle Britain. certificates to newly qualified Afghan policemen; he revealed that theofextra £33.1 of million resources VI Unrivalled Lines and Commanding Officer Major Mark Edward accounts, presented Her Royal Highness with a specially for its previous historical quality of its strategic would help build or synthesis refurbishof 48allpolice stations, including sevenfor to the be opened before spring 2011. engraved and polished 13 pound gun shell which had been used to fire the Royal Salute to the analysis and its truly narrative, this in is addition a book ultimately distinguished by its mark These improvements to compulsive essential infrastructure, to more resources for training, will start of Her Majesty Queen’s Diamond on 6 displayed February all 2012. conclusions – that itThe was the British in both theJubilee Battle the virtues oftoefficiency, help the Afghan National Police appear more who visible and more professional the Afghan organisation and even ruthlessness habitually attribute to the Germans, and they who fell population, enabling them to carry outwetheir role more effectively. short in their amateurism, ill-preparedness, poor engineering and even in their old fashioned Prime Minister Cameron notions of gallantry.

Ansaid: engrossing read for the military scholar and the general reader alike, this “I is know the thoughts will be of home and of loved the ones; I would like personally to thank everyone a classic of military history that looks beyond mythology, to explore all the tragedy and serving in Afghanistan sacrifice they are making. I say to them, it is great work you are doing comedy; the brutalityfor andthe compassion of war. and we must continue to do all we can to help you endure.

Afghan the British Army for six when they and met what for a two-day clashgrounds in the heart “This cricketers is my sixthknocked visit to Afghanistan, to Helmand Province, I see is some for of Helmand Province. The amount of ground that’s covered by the forces is up, the amount of markets cautious optimism.

A British team, across alland three branches of thethat armed serving on Operation that are open, theselected numberfrom of provincial district governors areforces in place, the number of Herrick a team from of thesecurity; Afghan there National a team improvement.” of Afghan interpreters in a schools 15, thattook are on open, the level are Army lots of(ANA) signsand of positive two-day series of 20/20 cricket matches in Camp Bastion in front of over 1,500 ANA spectators.

The British Forces Afghanistan team trained for days to prepare for the game against the avid Afghan cricketers, and the three sides sized each other up beforehand in the cricket nets at the ANA’s Camp Shorabak, next to Camp Bastion. But when the matches started the impressive Afghan teams took British Forces Afghanistan to the cleaners, with victories going to both the ANA and interpreter sides.

The British team were all out for 75 versus the ANA team’s score of 165, much to the rapture of the audience of Afghan soldiers who flooded onto the pitch to congratulate their colleagues. The Soldiers fromfared the 2nd Regiment delivering security in Afghanistan in their British team no Royal betterTank against the team of Afghan interpreters, scoringhave 169 traded for seven whileold the Viking vehicles and upgraded something even better, the mighty Warthog. interpreters managed 183 all to out.

2 RTR will use Warthog’s outstanding manoeuvrability to bring firepower and armoured support On the second day, the two Afghan sides met in a play-off, with the ANA coming out victorious in the final. wherever and whenever theyoccasion are called reflect new vehicle at their disposal, 2 RTR The matches were a huge forupon. both To sides.

Thethe ANA team played in blue-and-red uniforms soldiers in at theatre are now known presented the beginning of the as “Warthog Group” – and they are already building a reputation as one of the most mobile units under British command in Helmand. match on behalf of the ground Helmand The Warthog is a relatively light but robust tracked vehicle. It consists of 2 cabs: the front cab houses Provincial Reconstruction Team, the driver and commander and is armed with a heavy weapons turret. The rear cab is for infantry. which helps with development The new has greater armour protection and more power than its predecessor, but still projects invehicle the region.

The British retains the superb cross-country team played in ‘whites’ from the performance for which the Viking was known.

AbleCricket to operate in the most diverse and demanding environments, including moving through water, Army Association. climbing steep slopes and drainage ditches the new Warthog provides troops with high levels One of the spectators incrossing the of protection whilst giving commanders the flexibility to operate in areas where the terrain and local stands was ANA Corps Commander infrastructure mean more agile vehicle is needed.

General Malouk, the amost-senior Corporal Tristan ‘Tiny’ Cordery Afghan National Army soldier in (35), from Fowey in Cornwall, is a veteran of two tours of Iraq and one ofProvince.

Kosovo, and has served in Afghanistan on prior deployments. He has now returned to Helmand Afghanistan He said: as a Warthog commander with 2 RTR. “We canischoose the heavy, grenade or general purpose machine guns. This gives me as the “There a very between good Warthog commander competition going on,the a flexibility to tailor my armament to the mission, and that’s a vital capability in order to succeed complicated environment of Afghanistan. competition playedin inthe friendship. thisthat firepower good armour. The Warthog can take rocket-propelled grenade hits, It With is good British comes and Afghan machine are gunable fire and has better protection from IEDs. soldiers to spend quality Finally we wouldtogether.” just like to mention Michael Vaughan andushis matesare wholooking will befor running from John O’ This combination of firepower and protection is what Tankies in a vehicle.

We’re time working Groats in the September this yesand to raise for Combat These guys previously ran readytotoLands go outEnd with RTR mentality applymoney armoured tactics inStress. support of our guys with boots from Lichfield to Arnhem to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden, so the length of on the ground.” the country really shouldn’t be an issue! We are in touch with Michael and we’ll give you more details on their endeavours through the web and in the pages of Raider.

BANDITS!

3 O’CLOCK HIGH! TALLY HO!

AFGHANS OUTGUN THE BRITISH IN A FRIENDLY CRICKET CLASH

ROYAL TANK REGIMENT UNLEASH NEW VEHICLES

GOING THE DISTANCE JOHN O’GROATS TO LANDS END!

MARCH 2011 WWW.RAIDER-MAG.COM MAY W 2012 W WWWW.RAIDER-MAG.COM . R A I D E R - M A G . C O M 009 007

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BL ADE SHOW NOT LONG AGO I WAS IN MY OFFICE AND HAPPEN TO GLANCE UP AT MY CALENDAR TO DISCOVER I WAS ONLY TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE WORLD’S LARGEST KNIFE EVENT OF THE YEAR, BLADE SHOW! ASK ANY GUN COLLECTOR WHAT THEIR FIRST LOVE WAS BEFORE THEY WERE OLD ENOUGH TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN FIREARMS AND MOST WILL IMMEDIATELY SAY KNIVES. BORN IN THE LATE 70’S AND RAISED THROUGH THE 80S, BOOKS, TELEVISION AND MOVIES WERE FILLED WITH ACTION HEROES, ALL CARRYING THEIR OWN SPECIAL STYLE BLADE. WHO CAN FORGET THE CLASSIC RAMBO KNIFE, THE HIGHLANDER’S KATANA OR THE QUOTE, “THAT’S NOT A KNIFE….THIS IS A KNIFE!” AS CROCODILE DUNDEE UNSHEATHES A GIANT AUSTRALIAN BOWIE STYLE BLADE? EVEN TODAY, OUR ON SCREEN HEROES SUCH AS THE EXPENDABLES OR OUR REAL LIFE MILITARY WARRIORS ALL CARRY A SIGNATURE KNIFE. THE BLADE SHOW IS AN ANNUAL TRADE SHOW WHICH IS A MIX OF INDUSTRY MEETINGS AND A CELEBRATION OF FINE EDGED TOOLS ENJOYED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD! Tr am pa s.

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BLADE

SHOW This year, the Blade Show presented by Blade Magazine was held on the weekend running from June 5th – 7th at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia. As the event arrived, I called up my buddy, Nate McKee to give me a hand behind the camera since my long time camera person and lovely wife, Candace would not be able to accompany me at the event this year.

Nate and I loaded up my Suburban with all the needed gear that Friday morning and made the 6 hour trek to the venue in Atlanta.

Once we arrived at the Cobb Galleria, the doors were just opening to the public to explore the 116,500 square foot show hall filled with hundreds of national and international exhibitors displaying their latest knives and accessories. As Nate and I entered the hall, already snapping photos of whom and what was there to grab our attention, the judging for various coveted Blade Magazine Knife of the Year awards was just starting. I was eager to see what was in store for both the tactical world as well as the newly popular topic of bushcraft.

With any event this size, it took the better part of the weekend to make our way around to every booth. Fortunately, over three days I got to talk to some of the giants in the industry

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such as author and US Navy SEAL knife expert, Kevin Dockery at the Emerson Knifes booth, self-defense and knife fighting expert, Michael Janich at the Syderco booth and knife guild legend, Elmer Roush at his booth displaying some of the most amazing historically correct axees and hatches one will ever see. Before leaving the venue the first day, we were given a close up demonstration by Kevin Dockery on just how fast and effective the new Emerson Combat Karambit was to deploy and use by means of the Emerson Wave blade device.

On the second day, we made our way to the far north corner of the show and ran into friends of Raider Magazine, Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey with Spartan Blades. Curtis and Mark let Nate and I get a firsthand look at their newest creation, the Spartan “Velos” neck knife. This new blade was ergonomically comfortable, razor sharp and immediately reflected the high quality found in all of the Spartan Blade line up. Look for this double edged dagger to become a big hit for this North Carolina based group.

As with any industry event, I would be remiss in not mentioning brother beards in attendance. Whether it’s the NRA, Blade, SHOT or IWA Show, members of the Tactical Beard

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Owners Club are truly worldwide and run deep in the industries that produce tools of the warrior’s trade. It has become tradition to seek each other out and exchange signatures on our individual TBOC flags to mark the camaraderie shared. This year, Mike McCourt from 5.11 was in attendance as well as Craig Burhart of Skallywag Tactical and Bart Casey who made the drive down from South Carolina to check out the new blades for 2015.

One of the most interesting parts of the Blade Show is that it is not dominated by just large industry production. There are material suppliers on hand providing custom makers with leather, wood, bone and beautiful furs to accent custom pieces as well to the skilled members of the knife guild. I was honored to befriend over the weekend a pair of gentlemen whose friendship spans from the hills of Tennessee to the rolling green lands of Scotland. Will McAlister is the owner of Bray Oaks Forge in Tennessee and perhaps one of the most skilled axe makers I have ever met in person. Will carefully crafts functional works of art ranging from working peace pipe tomahawks of the Native Americans to intricate bearded axes that any Viking or Celtic warrior would be proud to carry into battle. To

my delight, Will was currently hosting native Scotsman, Graeme Biggerstaff of Glasgow, Scotland. Graeme is a master leather worker, who creates authentic Scottish shields known as targes. I was able to look over each targe and admire the hours of work that went into all of his functional display pieces. These two craftsmen had found each other over the internet and through mutual admiration of each others work became fast friends. I was honored to have been able to exchange information and since kept in touch with them both.

One of two hot topics getting a lot of buzz in the industry right now is bushcraft. This ranges from post-apocalyptic survival to simply bare-bones style camping. Two well-known names in this growing field were in attendance with exhibits for Habilis Bush Tools and L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives. After speaking to both companies, agreements were made to work together on reviews throughout the summer and into the fall to bring Raider Magazine readers the “cutting edge” in this new category of outdoor gear.

On the tactical side, the hot topic is not the knife but the axe! With designs as old as the cavemen who invented them, the short axe

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or hatchet is making a huge comeback in the hands of very skilled warriors ranging from paramilitary contractors to U.S. Army Special Forces. Companies such as CRKT, Boker and Houge have been putting their designs of the classic tool on the market with great fanfare lately. This is a topic we have already started undertaking evaluations on several brand name tools as soon as the show was over!

Not to be forgotten by any means, the classic combat knife was well represented at each booth with new auto and fixed blade designs from top companies like Ontario Knife Company, MicroTech and Steel Will Knives. One of the most interesting knives we came across was actually part of a self-defense knife system from Hoffers owned by Brian Hoffner. Pulling from his years as a law enforcement officer assigned to tactical teams and working as an instructor, Brian created a heavy duty combat blade with a wide spine to full support its razor sharp edge. With such a large knife, it is hard to make this a daily carry so Brian decided to think ahead and develop a tactical clothing line that mimics regular, every day professional and casual garb with hidden zippers allow fast access to not only large blades, such as his design, but firearms as well. This was the first

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and only exhibitor to offer not only the tool but the lifestyle options to be able to accommodate carrying and accessing the tool comfortably and quickly.

Awards over the weekend were given out in 15 categories including what most of us will recognize from magazines and store shelves, the production class. Blades are judged on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits. Some of the weekend’s well deserved winners in production knives were:

BEST BUY OF THE YEAR:

Spyderco Byrd Knife Cara Cara 2 Kitchen.

KNIFE OF THE YEAR®:

KAI USA Shun Limited Edition Chef’s Knife.

INVESTOR/COLLECTOR KNIFE OF THE YEAR®:

Pro-Tech Warenski Ultimate Godfather Knife.

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR®:

RMJ Tactical/Bawidamann Blades Tomahawk.

MANUFACTURING QUALITY AWARD:

Chris Reeve Knives.

OVERALL KNIFE OF THE YEAR®: LionSteel T.R.E. (Three Rapid Exchange).

AMERICAN-MADE KNIFE OF THE YEAR®: Zero Tolerance 0999.

IMPORTED KNIFE OF THE YEAR®: Spyderco Nirvana.

MOST INNOVATIVE AMERICAN DESIGN:

ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR:

Wicked Edge Generation 3 Pro.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE KNIFE OF THE YEAR®:

Taylor Brands Schrade SCHF36 Frontier Knife.

INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:

Shepherd Hills Cutlery.

PUBLISHER’S AWARD:

Koenig Zenaida.

Elephant Protection Association.

MOST INNOVATIVE IMPORTED DESIGN:

BLADE MAGAZINE CUTLERY HALL-OF-FAME© INDUCTEE: Chris Reeve.

Fox Knives Desert Fox.

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As the weekend drew to a close, Nate and I made the trek down I-75 back home to Florida that Sunday afternoon with a notebook full of contact information for companies looking to work together to bring you a more in depth look at various new products for 2015. Currently, several products have already arrived and are in the works to appear in the coming months.

With as much fun Nate and I had meeting all the great people who attended this year’s event, look for coverage of the Blade Show to be an annual event for this publication. Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming articles here in Raider Magazine featuring many more of the interesting blades we found to review.

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FIREP O IN THE NEWS WORLDWIDE, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING INTEREST IN POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVAL BY PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE. IT’S NO COINCIDENCE TELEVISION REALITY SHOWS LIKE SURVIVOR, MOUNTAIN MEN AND ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH BEAR GRYLLS ARE POPULAR WITH WEEKLY VIEWERS. TOPICS SUCH AS BUSH CRAFTING, CAMPING, AND HUNTING ARE NO LONGER BEING STUDIED BY JUST OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS. BANKERS, LAWYERS, DOCTORS AND COMPANY CEO’S ARE NOW PUTTING DOWN THEIR CELL PHONES AND LAPTOPS TO PICK UP A BACKPACK AND AX TO LEARN TO SURVIVE WHEN / IF THE POWER GRID GOES DOWN.

When we look at what is needed to survive in an emergency situation, we often look to our military for equipment and training ideas. While civilians are usually mesmerized by the high speed tactical gear, there is one tool depended upon by the US Air Force pilots since 1959 that is very often overlooked, the Eugene Stoner designed semi-auto AR-7 .22 caliber survival rifle. While most of us are not military pilots and are not able to access this particular item, an improved civilian version of the rifle has been quietly produced for some time now in black and Mossy Oak camo by Henry Repeating Arms aptly named the U.S. Survival Rifle. Often overshadowed by Henry’s very popular lever action series of rifles, this semi-auto .22 LR rifle provides the perfect tool for civilian bush pilots, backpackers and preppers around the world looking for a small caliber compact rifle for emergency situations. When disassembled, the Henry rifle fits easily in a boat hatch, overhead storage bin or a side pouch of a “Bug-out Bag”.

RIFLE BREAK DOWN

A few months ago, I received a sample of the U.S. Survival Rifle from nice folks at Henry Repeating Arms for review. As a long-time fan of Henry rifles, I was well versed in their version of the AR-7 rifle already, but this would be the first chance to get some quality

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time with one in person. When the rifle arrived at my local gun shop, Second Amendment Outfitters, I was surprised at how small the box was. Upon opening the plain black box marked U.S. Survival Rifle, it appeared as if they had only shipped a 16” long plastic stock. I took the gun out of the box and popped the butt pad off the rear of the stock to reveal the rest of the rifle securely nestled away inside. At a weight of 3.5lbs, I was very impressed how lightweight the package was.

I removed the barrel with attached nut, 2 magazines and receiver from the rear of the stock and secured the butt pad back on the gun. I started assembly by placing the rear of the receiver into the forked groove in the front of the stock and secured it in place by means of a turn screw underneath the pistol grip until it was tightly fitted. Next, I dropped the barrel onto the front of the receiver into a notch cut out for a barrel pin similar to an AR-15 and used the attached barrel nut to hand tighten the barrel down. A simple click of one of the 8 round .22 caliber magazines into the cut out magazine well and the whole rifle was assembled in all of about 45 seconds!

Fully assembled, the rifle was only 35 inches long, making it perfect to maneuver through thick bush or over harsh terrain. The receiver and barrel were Teflon coated to protect against corrosion from inclement weather and even salt water. The receiver is grooved to mount a small air gun size scope, but

for what the rifle is built to be, its supplied iron sights are more than adequate for the task. The rear sight is an adjustable peep hole which lines up quickly with the highly visible orange fixed bladed front sight. I discovered quickly, the charging handle had to be popped out from the side to load the first round into battery and after that, the rest was easy. Once I familiarized myself with the operation of the rifle, I was ready for some quality time outdoors.

FIELD TIME

Since the Henry was considered more of a survival tool that it was a range rifle, I decided to reach out to my close friend and resident bushcraft expert, Craig Reinolds for his thoughts while testing. I loaded up the Henry magazines CCI mini mag ammunition and test fired the rifle at a small game distance of 15 and 25 yards and fired at small polymer and steel targets roughly 4 – 5 inches tall.

While awkward at first, I shouldered the rifle and quickly got use to the offset configuration of how the barrel sits on the stock to accommodate the storage area inside. The trigger felt a bit stiff but broke cleanly considering it is a survival tool meant to be there in an emergency while my match grade Ruger 10/22 is at home collecting dust in the safe. Both Craig and I took turns running through box after box of the

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P OWER diminutive CCI ammo with only one operator induced failure. Due to the lack of a handguard, the shooter must choke up on the receiver with the support hand to prevent getting burned by a hot barrel over a prolonged period of shooting. With the deep cut out in the receiver for the magazine to fit flush, it’s easy to accidentally grab the exposed outside edge of the magazine and apply enough pressure to cause a mis-feed. Once I caught myself doing this, I corrected my grip and continued shooting with no further issue.

Learning from my mistake, Craig ran the rifle with no issue, shot after shot, rocking our “minute of squirrel” size targets back and forth. The bright orange front sight was easy to line up against the black background of the targets and transitioned quickly from each one with very little felt recoil.

Due to the takedown configuration, the rifle is extremely easy to clean up after shooting by using a simple Hoppe’s Bore Snake and an old tooth brush.

After oiling the Henry Survival Rifle down after cleaning and stowing the parts back inside the stock, I decided to see how it would do if dropped accidentally in a river or lake. Once I arrived back home from the range, I took the rifle into the back yard and simply tossed the unassembled rifle into the pool. After the splash, the rifle rose to the top of the water and began to float around in the water’s current. After a few minutes, I noticed the rear of the stock started

to slowly sink under the water line. Within less than 5 or 6 minutes, the rifle then sank to the bottom of the pool. I fished the Henry out of the water and opened the back cover of the stock. Water poured out of the stock as if I had used it for a canteen. I rinsed the pool water off all the parts with fresh water and wiped everything down with a towel before re-oiling. For rain or sea spray, the stock would work excellent for protecting the parts inside, but failed the long term submersion test. If I were to keep this on a boat, I would at least tether the rifle to some sort of flotation device in case of capsizing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Over the past few months, the U.S. Survival Rifle by Henry Repeating Arms has rode up and down the St. James River stowed in the hull of a pontoon boat, been rode across fields on horseback and lugged around in the Bug-Out Bag I keep in the rear of my Suburban when not being used for plinking at the range. Unlike other survival rifles I have reviewed in the past, I like the fact the Henry is a singular compact unit that does not have extra parts to have to keep up with or be carried in its own carry case like other survival tools I have previously reviewed in the past.

In addition to the rifle, Henry included a neat little tin box loaded with additional survival tools such as

a signal mirror and whistle, wire saw, waterproof matches, rubber tubing, emergency blanket and snap light. Made for Henry Repeating Arms by Best Glide ASE, the box is water tight and can be used for a wide array of task such as constructing shelter, snares and starting fires in the field. While this is not included in the sale of the rifle, it is an excellent item to consider pairing with the U.S. Survival Rifle.

Retailing at $290 US, I have seen these rifles in stores listed on sale for a bit cheaper at around $230 US. The quality and reliably you get with this and any other Henry product is second to none for the money you invest. After spending time with the Henry, it proved itself to the point of wanting to refer to it as a tool more than a firearm. Everything about its design and function are made to help you be confident in overcoming life threatening situations and survival! I recommend this rifle so highly in fact, in the time since receiving the Henry for review, I have already made arrangements to add this particular one to my every day equipment. If you want to learn more about the U.S. Survival Rifle and other great products from Henry, visit them at www.henryrifles.com.

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ON OUR RADAR EVERY DAY CARRY/HOLDALL

HIGHLANDER THE DUAL JACKAL BAG

IT’S A SHAME THAT THIS MISSED OUR EVERY DAY CARRY REVIEW AS IT’S AN INTERESTING BAG THAT HAS A VERY NEAT TRICK UP IT’S SLEEVE. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO GET OUR REVIEW SAMPLE DIRECT FROM HIGHLANDER AS WE WERE STRUGGLING AT THE TIME TO FIND THESE FOR SALE IN THE UK, HOWEVER THEY ARE NOW CROPPING UP ON £34 EBAY AND AMAZON FOR AROUND THE RRP OF £35.00.

FROM

The Jackal is an A4 sized shoulder bag made from 1000 denier nylon printed with Highlander’s own Hmtc (Highlander Multi Terrain Camo) and equipped with Duraflex fittings and tough No. 10 zippers. There are two main zipped pockets, front and rear, and a well-appointed admin section concealed under the front flap. As such it makes a very competent every day bag with no shortage of space both for organising and simply stuffing things in there. The Jackal’s trick though is that it unzips to become a 50 litre holdall – that’s carrying capacity! It’s the tactical equivalent of your Granny’s fold out shopping bag but way, way cooler!

We confess we would love to see this in colours other than the Hmtc; coyote and black would be nice choices as this bag really does tick a lot of boxes for us. The only reason it didn’t go on holiday this summer was that fact that it was camo and we wanted a break from things military.

The admin section has space for cards, valuables (there are two zipped pockets in there), in truth all the basics that you might need every day are catered for with the added advantage that you don’t need to completely open the bag to get to them. The two main pockets suffer slightly from the fact that the rest of the material that allows the Jackal to expand is hidden behind them, but that said in a couple of weeks of use we never actually had an issue because of this, just do what we did and stuff things in there. At no point were

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we unable to get something we needed in there and the bag and it’s fittings coped without complaint.

In holdall mode the first thing we noted was that for obvious reasons the bag has no internal support – it would be very difficult to have the Jackal fold up with stiffeners included. Read that as an observation and not a criticism as the 1000 D material is tough as a tough thing and once again we simply approached this with a certain abandon, filling the bag with a whole bunch of stuff, including a couple of smaller bags that were already full but we were running out of hands. The Jackal took all of this without demur and although it is true we wouldn’t have wanted to carry this, fully laden for too long it made life at that point much easier. Although the idea isn’t exactly new, a massive thumbs up to Highlander. Man-bags are far more common and acceptable than they were some years back and the essentially vertical design of the Dual Jackal makes it very easy to use and live with day to day. Most of the time you just won’t need that 50 litres of carrying capacity but when you do... Instant Godsend. It’s like remembering that your two-seat sports car has a boot capable of holding an assembled lawnmower and it’s genuinely useful.

The Dual-Jackal is a compromise, it has to be and as an EDC bag it’s a little bulky. It also lacks a top-mounted grab handle but that is in part due

to the design of the holdall feature. We can live with that, and we reckon you could too. The Hmtc print is reasonably subdued so in civvie use it doesn’t scream “MILITARY” but it is what it is and we stand by our earlier comments regarding the availability of alternative colours. Had the Dual Jackal been available to use for our head-to-head it would have scored pretty highly although we don’t think it would have pipped 5.11 for the top spot. It is priced very competitively and is well made – easily capable of handling the tasks it’s likely to face. If you like the idea of having a lot of additional carrying capacity to hand, check it out. Highlander are to be congratulated for adding another innovative product to their line up and although it missed a trip to Brittany this time round, this bag will see a lot more use.

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HERE AT RAIDER WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A SOLID PAIR OF BOOTS AND WHETHER YOU’RE SCALING A MOUNTAIN, WALKING THE DOG OR LIKE JUST LIKE TO RUN IN WHAT YOU FIND COMFORTABLE, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHOOSE A SOLID SET OF FOOTWEAR TO GIVE YOU GRIP, COMFORT AND SUPPORT OVER THE TOUGH TERRAIN. WE’VE BEEN CHECKING OUT THE “MADE IN EUROPE” RANGE FROM HI-TEC TO SEE WHAT’S ON OFFER FOR BOTH EXTREME AND EVERY-DAY OUTDOOR USE IN TERMS OF FEATURES AND VALUE!

V-LITE ALTITUDE PRO LITE RGS The Altitude Pro Lite RGS Waterproof is the ultimate lightweight men’s walking boot, packed with technology.

It has a fully waterproof durable suede and mesh upper and Dri-Tec breathable membrane to make sure your feet stay dry and comfortable, and a removable insole delivers extra underfoot cushioning. Rustproof metal hardware stays in great condition however bad the weather, while the V-Lite construction keeps these boots lightweight. The Vibram outsole and abrasion-resistant heel & toe cap also help to protect your feet against rough terrain wherever you’re walking.

What makes these shoes extra special is the Vibram Rollingait System (RGS), well-loved in our popular Altitude Pro RGS boot. It supports the natural roll of the foot and reduces muscle fatigue.

Ready to take on anything, these stylish men’s walking boots are ideal if you’re looking for high quality, technology packed, good looking footwear. Great for hiking!

V-Lite lightweight design, perfect for long-distance walking.

Dri-Tec waterproof, breathable membrane keeps feet dry.

Rustproof metal hardware holds up, whatever the conditions.

Gusseted tongue keeps debris out.

Removable moulded EVA insole delivers underfoot cushioning.

Vibram Rollingait System (RGS) midsole supports the natural roll of the foot.

Vibram rubber outsole provides durability and outstanding traction.

Made in Europe.

£99.99 STEPHEN SAYS

“These are my favourite looking boots in the selection we have here with a tough outer construction that protects your feet from debris without being too big and bulky.

I really like the mid-height ankle that gives good support but doesn’t make you feel too restricted in motion, this combined with them being nice and light and the RGS system makes them feel like a very high-speed choice.

The waterproofing makes them ideal for all-year use and the styling is subtle enough to take out and get dragged around a field by the dog without looking too “military”.

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HI-TEC COYOTE MID BOOTS The Coyote Mid is an ideal waterproof walking boot for men who enjoy the outdoors all year round.

The waterproof, suede and high performance mesh uppers, delivers breathability, durability and comfort during wear. While the moisture-wicking lining wicks sweat away from the foot.

Ortholite insoles provide long lasting cushioning, anti-odour and anti-microbial properties for exceptional comfort. These men’s walking boots also have a Vibram outsole for added durability and traction.

Great for dog walking, puddle splashing and tackling average terrain.

Waterproof and breathable suede and high performance mesh uppers.

Ghillie and hardware lacing system created a secure fit.

Moisture-wicking lining keeps the foor of the boot dry.

OrthoLite insole delivers long lasting cushioning, anti-odour and anti-microbial properties for ultimate all day comfort.

Vibram rubber outsole, delivers traction, comfort and durability.

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£73.99 BEN SAYS

“The Coyote Mids were my go-to choice from this selection of Hi-Tec boots because they are ideal for all-day comfort and have a slightly wider fit which I will always look for in a boot, first and foremost.

THE COYOTE MIDS HAVE A MUCH MORE GENEROUS WIDTH THAN MANY OTHER BOOTS WHICH IS IDEAL IF YOU REQUIRE A WIDER FIT OR NEED A LITTLE MORE ROOM TO SPREAD YOUR TOES FOR EXTRA COMFORT. Although they are called a “Mid” cut I actually think they are pretty low on the ankle and without any hard armouring around the sole I would stick to using these in relatively low-hazard areas instead of running through rough terrain as I wound not want to tempt a spraining incident due to a lack of ankle support.

I like the casual styling that looks good with jeans and hiking shorts.”

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HI-TEC PIONEER HIKING BOOTS This men’s waterproof light hiking boot in smokey brown and taupe is ideal for ramblers who want durability, protection and comfort.

Featuring a Dri-Tec waterproof and breathable membrane to keep feet dry, along with breathable, abrasion resistant mesh and gusseted tongue for added protection. The synthetic leather upper adds support and durability and the ghillie lacing system creates a snug and secure fit.

The removable moulded EVA insole delivers underfoot cushioning, while the multi-directional traction outsole improves grip and durability.

Whether you’re walking the dog or hitting the trails for a long hike, these men’s boots will keep your feet dry and grounded until it’s time to head home.

Synthetic leather upper for support and excellent durability.

Abrasion-resistant mesh adds great protection and breathability.

Dri-Tec waterproof and breathable membrane keeps feet dry.

Ghillie lacing system creates a snug, secure fit.

Gusseted tongue keeps debris out.

Removable moulded EVA footbed delivers underfoot cushioning.

MDT rubber outsole improves grip and provides durability.

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£99.99 PAUL SAYS

“I had a tough time picking between these and the Altitude model because the boots offer a similar level of support and the cut is much the same. They are a little lighter built around the sole but are still reasonably protective and the lacing is a nice high-speed design with the hooks at the top allowing you to take them on and off quickly, with ease.

THESE PIONEER HIKING BOOTS SPORT THAT ALL POPULAR TAUPE COLOUR-WAY FOR DESERT GOERS.

All you geardos out there will like the fetching and sort-after taupe colour-way that is pretty much a dead-on match for the popular Flat Dark Earth colour and they will compliment a desert camo pattern nicely.”

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HI-TEC ALTITUDE LITE I BOOTS The Altitude Lite is a versatile men’s walking boot which is lightweight and packed with technology.

It combines waterproof suede and nylon mesh in a durable, breathable and comfortable upper. The Dri-Tec waterproof membrane keeps feet dry, while the i-shield technology repels dirt and water which helps to prevent stains. The OrthoLite insole and impact absorbing midsole delivers superior underfoot cushioning comfort. These boots also have a Multi-Directional Traction carbon rubber outsole which will help to keep you grounded while the abrasion resistant heel and toe cap add protection for those rough terrains. The ghillie lacing ensures a secure fit and the lightweight and durable fork shank ensures flexibility and stability.

Finishing off these boots are pops of colour add style and fun for your adventures. From a walk in the park to a tough hiking challenge, these men’s boots are ready when you are!

Waterproof suede & abrasion resistant, breathable mesh.

Dri-Tec waterproof, breathable membrane system. i-shield repels water and dirt, and is resistant to stains.

Combination ghillie & hardware lacing.

Gusseted tongue.

Abrasion toe cap and heel.

Ortholite Sockliner.

Moulded EVA midsole platform.

Nylon shank for lightweight support.

MDT rubber outsole for ultimate grip.

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£59.99 BEN SAYS

“I had to do a double-take when checking the facts and features of these boots as I couldn’t believe they were less than sixty quid! They are my ideal choice for tough terrain use thanks to the high, supportive cut, good foot protection and also the wider than average fit, ideal if you have wider feet or are wearing warm, thick socks!

I was also attracted to the high lacing hook allowing you to really cinch the boots up to support your ankles. Being fitted with hooks most of the way down the boot though means that I can get them on and off quickly, much better for taking them off for the drive home!”

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HI-TEC MAIPO MOUNTAIN BOOTS The Maipo Waterproof is a stylish and comfortable men’s hiking boot.

The waterproof suede and high performance mesh upper is premium, durable and provides long term comfort.

Lightweight and breathable, the boot is fully equipped with rustproof hardware, and an abrasion resistant heel and toe cap to protect your feet in rough terrains.

The Vibram rugged rubber outsole delivers world renowned traction and durability. A soft collar adds further comfort and support.

For men who want their boots to work as hard as they do, the Maipo is the ideal footwear choice for hiking.

Premium, durable, waterproof suede and high performance mesh upper, provides long term comfort during wear.

Waterproof bootie construction.

Rustproof metal hardware holds up all year round.

Abrasion resistant heel and toecap protects against rough terrains.

Vibram rubber outsole, delivers world renowned traction, comfort and excellent durability.

Hard-working and hard-wearing.

Also available in a Women’s boot.

£89.99 STEPHEN SAYS

“The Maipo boots from Hi-Tec really remind me of the classic military “rough out” style desert boots but of course with a little more styling and some sweet features. They have a long lacing arrangement with the lowest laces right down near the toes running all the way up to the top of the boots via 3 sets of speed hooks. This gives the boots the appearance of higher-end

THE MAIPO WILL PROVE POPULAR BECAUSE OF THEIR TRADITIONAL STYLING. THEY ARE ALSO PACKED WITH FEATURES YOU KNOW AND LOVE.

mountain boots and also allows you to really adjust the lacing tension to fit your feet perfectly. I must say I’m not the biggest fan of the styling of the sole but from a practical perspective, these give you a lot of boot for the money!”

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CS OOF T M M A N D O -SHELL JACKET LAST MONTH WE REVIEWED THE MML3 FROM SNUGPAK AND WERE PRETTY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT IF YOU REMEMBER. WE HAD HOPED TO COVER THIS COMMANDO SOFT-SHELL JACKET BY HIGHLANDER IN THE SAME ISSUE, BUT IN TRUTH IT’S PROBABLY AS WELL WE HAD TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH OR WE MIGHT HAVE HAD A SURFEIT OF EXCITEMENT!

Highlander have a former Royal Marine on board these days to oversee, promote and help design their range of military equipment and the addition of his knowledge and experience shows in their new designs. There is nothing like a bit of hands-on know-how to tell you quickly if something is going to work or not. Highlander stated quite clearly on their website that this was designed by Owen and if you have any experience with serving military this comes as no surprise to us. As an example, during a recent visit to their headquarters in Livingston, Scotland, we mentioned that the Hmtc pattern looked a lot more subdued, almost worn, on the newer gear. Owen just nodded in agreement. Other manufacturers could learn a lesson here.

We have described this as a soft-shell because that’s how Highlander describe it, but to us that doesn’t seem strictly accurate. The Odin, reviewed last month, is a soft-shell, this is a shell – pure and simple. It’s also much more of a ‘military’ jacket, it’s antecedents are clear in it’s design and realisation not just the Hmtc pattern (Highlander multi terrain camo). That said, it is available in nice plain black as well.

The basic features are as follow: ■ Curved backside with draw cords ■ Lightweight and breathable ■ Pack away hood ■ Under arm ventilation zippers ■ Velcro ID panels on chest and upper arm ■ Upper arm and upper chest pockets ■ Slide through double zipper back pocket ■ Adjustable cuffs ■ YKK zippers with wind flap ■ Sizes: S-XXL ■ Fabric: 98% Nylon, 2% Elastane.

FRO M

£54.99

To call this lightweight is to fail to fully appreciate how light it is, it tips the scales at just over 600 grammes, which is nothing really. That alone will tell you that there is no insulation happening here and there is none, just the shell material and a breathable mesh liner in some key areas; the lower back and the front panels specifically.

That these are the areas where there are pockets is probably no accident... Fit of the jacket is good and loose, length is exactly what is should be, covering the lower back well and extending down to cover your posterior. The draw cord in the lower hem is exceedingly efficient making it easy to cinch the bottom of the jacket tight to exclude drafts and heat loss, and like all the other cord locks full sized items are used rather than the compact and bijou version increasingly found on outdoor clothing. It’s a small thing but it makes adjustments easier without having to search for the lock because it’s too small for gloved or tired hands. There is no such provision at the neck although the cuffs of the sleeves are adjustable thanks to Velcro closures. Given how lightweight this jacket is it is no surprise that the pit zips are simple openings lacking the mesh we mentioned in our review of this company’s Odin jacket last month. Speaking of Velcro, there is plenty of it to be found, with space for name tags on the chest and patches on both arms for unit insignia. It is also used to secure the storm flap over the single full-length YKK zip. The zip is double ended allowing the bottom hem to be loosened if required and there is single button at the bottom of the storm flap to secure it should you wish.

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PRICE: £54.99 (IN MULTICAM PATTERN ONLY) AVAILABLE FROM: WWW.HIGHLANDER-OUTDOOR.COM

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The concealed hood has elasticated draw cords for closure and fit which is just as well given that it’s quite generous. This isn’t a criticism, far from it, we missed the central adjuster at the back of our head initially and thought the hood too large, it isn’t, we just hadn’t adjusted it properly!

There are two slash pockets on the front of the jacket, one on each sleeve and one large, slide through pocket at the rear of the jacket. That last feature is one of the signs that this was designed by someone who knows what is needed. Front pockets are difficult to use in the prone position or when wearing body armour, whereas a pocket low and to the rear is nearly always accessible. The three main pockets are all of good size although the design and construction of the jacket means you’re not going to carry 50 kilos of munitions in these, they are just not robust enough.

The entire jacket is made from Highlander’s AB-TEX material which is a waterproof, wind-proof and breathable laminated layer designed to keep the elements out and the wearer comfortable. As such is is imbued with durable water repellency (DWR) but this will need to be topped up occasionally by using something like Nikwax wash. It should be obvious by now that there is no additional insulation, nor is there meant to be any. This is a shell jacket designed to take up as little room as possible when not being worn but to offer protection from the elements when required.

It’s ideal for stuffing into a back pack or even a suitably sized pouch. It’s also well suited for donning after a period of exercise when you are warm but going to start losing heat rapidly or when additional protection from wind and rain is required. It’s very much intended to be seen as part of a layering system and we have used it in conjunction with some of the Snugpak kit, like the Softie shirt. It performs very well, being big enough to go over an insulation layer without restricting movement of affecting comfort. On it’s own, the material is comfortable over just a base layer and it adds just enough additional protection without any real additional bulk.

As mentioned earlier this is available in black as well as Hmtc, and like the Dual Jackal from Highlander reviewed elsewhere in this issue we would love to see Highlander make this available in other colours as we think it would make an excellent addition to the kit bag of those who regularly take to the great outdoors but who would prefer something a bit more colourful and a little less military. The only change we would suggest to the design should this happen would be to lose the rank slide holder as this really has little relevance to non-military users.

Highlander aren’t the only company to come out with a jacket of this nature, we recall a similar idea from Helikon a couple of years back but once again they have managed it at a really affordable price. In addition, we prefer the cut of the Commando – it’s a bit more generous and to us that makes it a bit more versatile. It does exactly what it’s makers claim, summer so far has been sufficiently changeable to let us test it’s water-repellency fully and it is now a firm favourite around the editorial office as grab-and-go jacket.

Highlander have produced a jacket which has relevance and application well beyond it’s military-inspired roots and at the risk of repeating ourselves we would very much like to see some non-camouflaged options offered in due course.

That desire in no way detracts from a garment that is well-designed and offers much both to serving personnel and those looking for a tough but lightweight layer to counter the excesses of the climate. Full marks from Raider on this one!

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HAZARD 4 BAGS ONE THING THAT THE TACTICAL MARKET DOES WELL THAT LENDS ITSELF TO EVERYDAY USE IS LUGGAGE. FROM SATCHELS TO RUCKSACKS, HOLDALLS TO EDC BAGS, THEY ARE ALL MADE TO HUGELY HIGH STANDARDS, GIVING THE END USER A BAG THAT WILL SURVIVE VARIOUS DIFFERENT TERRAIN. OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WE WILL BE SHOWCASING A RANGE OF OUR FAVOURITE COMPANIES TO DABBLE IN THE MARKET, HIGHLIGHTING OUR FAVOURITE PRODUCTS FROM THEIR RANGES. THIS MONTH WE TAKE A LOOK AT A HUGE FAVOURITE OF OURS - HAZARD 4.

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This is a unique and interesting pack that will appeal to commuters or travellers that demand a high quality product with excellent build quality and design features. It features a padded retainer which is ideal for laptops and can be rotated from back to chest, providing on-the-go access to gear and allowing users to sit back in tight quarters such as trains, busses or in vehicle interiors.

Ergonomically shaped, padded and ventilated shoulder and waist straps guarantee comfortable wear all day long, while thermoformed best-in-class moulded back panel provides variable rigidity, air ventilation and a durable surface. The spacious main compartment is lined in velcro-like fuzz for attaching dividers, patches or Hazard 4 holsters (not included and a drop-down fast access shelf-like gear organiser can also hold an iPad-sized tablet. Externally, generous modular webbing (MOLLE compatible) provides lots of expansion options, allowing attachment of additional pouches, etc.

Part of the Evac sling series, the Holmes sling bag was designed to sit at the lumbar area of the back, promoting a low centre of gravity and to carry a smaller volume than its larger counterparts. Wider than other Evac bags, Holmes allows carrying wider loads like iPads, netbooks and laptops. It also goes with protective padded pod on each side. This makes it ideal as a day pack for carrying just the essentials without burdening you with a large, bulky load.

CLERK FRONT/BACK POD ORGANIZER BACKPACK

■ Capacity: 20.1L (1,227.6 cu in) ■ Main compartment with nylon sleeves, drainage hole and fuzzy-lined side walls ■ Inside-lid zipped mesh pocket ■ Hydration hose/antenna port to main and back areas ■ Padded back-carrier pocket fits most 15” laptops ■ Back pocket will also fit hydration bladders (up to 100 oz./3L) ■ Full-width flip-down shelf with organizer to access on chest ■ Small side flat-pocket for paddle holsters/rifle magazines ■ Protective, padded pods with Velcro panel area above ■ High-quality 3D Hazard 4 logo in subdued colour scheme ■ Anatomic, thermoformed back-panel with air circulation ■ 3D air-mesh underside on shoulder straps and waist belt for breathability ■ Large grab-handles for carrying or pulling to chest/back ■ Wide, padded waist belt has MOLLE webbing for pouches, etc.

■ Buckle on harness strap for rapid drops in emergencies ■ Compression-straps (which also secure tubular items) ■ Generous MOLLE for attaching holsters/mag pouches

EVAC HOLMES LUMBAR/CHEST SLING BAG

■ Capacity: 12.7L (773.5 cu in) ■ Large main compartment with small zip pocket, sleeve and fuzzy-lined inside edges for attaching holsters/patches, etc.

■ Large front pocket with organiser for pens, knives, small tools, etc.

■ Padded back-carrier pocket fits up to 12” tablets ■ 2x protective, padded pods (one on each side) ■ Front Velcro patch area and modular webbing (MOLLE) ■ Thermoformed back padding for ventilation and durability ■ Rotates around large padded strap from lumbar area to chest ■ Adjustable stabiliser strap to securely hold bag to body ■ Modular (MOLLE) webbing on main strap for pouches, etc.

■ Large top/bottom grab-handles ■ Bottom compression strap ■ Hazard 4 logo on front and back Material: Invista 1000D Cordura External size: 13”x8.5”x7” (33x23x18cm) Weight: 1190g

Material: Invista 1000D Cordura External size: 18”x11”x6.2” (46x28x16cm) Weight: 1675g

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HAZARD 4

OBJECTIVE SMALL SLR BAG A smaller version of popular Hazard 4 Wedge camera case, the Objective was designed to carry SLR cameras with shorter lenses, and includes a 4-slider system zipper for access from front or back and heavily padded construction for ultimate protection.

This sets it up as the photographer’s best friend, especially designed for those hit-and-run missions or for carrying a basic camera set-up in addition to your regular gear.

■ Material: Invista 1000D Cordura ■ External size: 10.5”x8.75”x5.9” (26.7x22.2x15cm) ■ Weight: 655g

HAZARD 4

HAZARD 4

If you have a day’s worth of kit to take out into the field, a change of clothes and also some admin gear to take care of, the Officer is the ideal pack. You get a high volume storage capacity with great protective compartments for computer equipment but this is teamed with a neat fold-out organiser system that allows you to quickly access documents safely, where ever you might be.

A well sized day backpack with expandable large main compartment lined in Velcro-like fuzz for attaching dividers, patches or Hazard 4 holsters (not included), with sleeves that unroll to allow carrying of various rifles inside.

Moreover the pack goes with unique thermoformed sunglasses pocket, padded retainer which is ideal to carry laptops, and large organiser pocket for pens, lights, knives, etc. Ergonomically shaped, padded and ventilated shoulder and waist straps guarantee comfortable wear all day long, while thermoformed best-in-class moulded back panel provides variable rigidity, air ventilation and a durable surface. It is worth adding MOLLE-compatible waist belt is removable and can be worn alone as a surface for mounting smaller bags and pouches. Generous, MOLLE compatible modular webbing throughout provides lots of expansion options, allowing attachment of additional equipment.

OFFICER FRONT/BACK SLIM ORGANIZER BACKPACK

■ Capacity: 26.9L (1,643.4 cu in) ■ Main compartment with nylon sleeves, drainage hole and fuzzy-lined side walls ■ Inside-lid zipped mesh pocket ■ Hydration hose/antenna port to main and back areas ■ Padded back-carrier pocket fits most 15” laptops ■ Back pocket will also fit hydration bladders (up to 100 oz./3L) ■ Full-width flip-down shelf with organizer to access on chest ■ Small side flat-pocket for paddle holsters/rifle magazines ■ Flat zip-pocket on front with Velcro panel area above ■ High-quality 3D Hazard 4 logo in subdued colour scheme ■ Anatomic, thermoformed back-panel with air circulation ■ 3D air-mesh underside on shoulder straps and waist belt for breathability ■ Large grab-handles for carrying or pulling to chest/back ■ Wide, padded waist belt has MOLLE webbing for pouches, etc.

■ Buckle on harness strap for rapid drops in emergencies ■ Compression-straps (which also secure tubular items) ■ Generous MOLLE for attaching holsters/mag pouches ■ Sternum strap Material: Invista 1000D Cordura External size: 18”x11”x8.3” (46x28x21cm) Weight: 1595g

OVERWATCH RIFLE ROLL-OUT CARRY DAY PACK

■ Large main compartment with fuzzy-lined side walls ■ Can be expanded to accommodate various size riffles thanks to roll-out sleeves ■ Rifle then can be accessed from pack or top sleeve ■ Two inner compression straps hold guns tight while you move ■ Hydration hose/antenna port to main and back areas ■ Padded back-carrier pocket fits most 15” laptops ■ Back pocket will also fit hydration bladders (up to 100 oz./3L) ■ Middle compartment for cumbersome accessories such as scopes, VFG, etc.

■ Small side flat-pockets for paddle holsters/rifle magazines on each side ■ Padded, thermoformed pod for carrying optics, etc.

■ Large pocket with organizer for tools, pens, etc.

■ Velcro patch area on front pocket and top sleeve ■ High-quality 3D Hazard 4 logo in subdued colour scheme ■ Anatomic, thermoformed back-panel with air circulation ■ 3D air-mesh underside on shoulder straps and waist belt for breathability ■ Large grab-handles for carrying, hanging, or passing ■ Wide, removable, padded waist belt has MOLLE webbing for pouches, etc.

■ Buckle on harness strap for rapid drops in emergencies ■ Compression-straps (which also secure tubular items) ■ MOLLE webbing throughout harness, etc. for expansion ■ Long sternum-strap with elastic take-up for chest comfort Material: Invista 1000D Cordura External size: 23.2”x14.2”x6.3” (59x36x17cm) Weight: 2525g

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EVERY-DAY-CARRY

TORCHES ON TEST LIGHT THE WAY

TO PARAPHRASE THE OLD SAYING, ‘INTO EVERY LIFE A LITTLE LIGHT MUST FALL..’, THE PROBLEM IS THAT OFTEN YOU NEED IT JUST WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE IT. ADVANCES IN LED TECHNOLOGY IN PARTICULAR HAVE MADE THAT PROBLEM A THING OF THE PAST, WITH FLASHLIGHTS THAT ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO EASILY SIT IN A POCKET ALL DAY BUT BRIGHT ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP YOUR LOCAL PARK OR HELP FIND THOSE KEYS YOU DROPPED DOWN THE BACK OF THE COUCH. Many, many years ago on holiday my parents gave me and my siblings an Ever Ready flashlight each so that we could find our way around the darkened hotel that we were holidaying in at the time (en suite? What's that?!) If I recall correctly it used two AA sized batteries (cells) and produced about as much light as a firefly trapped in amber at the bottom of a coal mine. That was a long time ago and the world has moved on a bit. Moving much closer to the present day I bought a CMG aluminium flashlight some years ago which used the-then new fangled LED. This promised functionally unlimited bulb life and huge burn times, not that I thought of it as that back then. I still have it and it still works but it's not very bright. This is all tinged with nostalgia and suggests that flashlights powered by a single AA call are really not much use, an assertion which we all know to be utterly untrue these days. It is not uncommon now to find flashlights with outputs in excess of 150 lumens powered by the humble AA cell. These units aren't just compact they are highly effective tools and given their small size they have rightly claimed their place in many peoples every day carry list.

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EVERYDAY CARRY TORCHES TERMS THAT YOU MAY ENCOUNTER

THIS MONTH I AM GOING TO COMPARE A NUMBER OF FLASHLIGHTS AND SEE IF I CAN COME UP WITH A DEFINITIVE BEST-OF-BREED, BUT FIRST I NEED TO DEFINE A FEW OF THE TERMS YOU'RE GOING TO ENCOUNTER IN SHORT ORDER. LED

A light emitting Diode is a semi-conductor that emits energy in the form of light when a voltage is passed through it. Initially they were only capable of very low intensity output but over the years development has led to high-intensity output across the visible spectrum. Noted for their flat, cold light, it is now possible to obtain LEDs which are balanced for daily light, or mimic incandescent lighting. LEDs have a number of advantages over older incandescent bulbs – their lifespan is far greater – 100,000 hours is not uncommon and in a flashlight this makes them effectively everlasting. Light output has increased massively, several hundred lumens can now be wrought from the humble LED depending on power source and configuration.

LUMEN

Here I am going to turn to Wikipedia and not try and pretend that I understand the science here! Wiki explains a lumen thus: “The lumen can be thought of casually as a measure of the total “amount” of visible light in some defined beam or angle, or emitted from some source.

The number of candelas or lumens from a source

also depends on its spectrum, via the nominal response of the human eye as represented in the luminosity function.

The difference between the units lumen and lux is that the lux takes into account the area over which the luminous flux is spread. A flux of 1000 lumens, concentrated into an area of one square metre, lights up that square metre with an illuminance of 1000 lux. The same 1000 lumens, spread out over ten square metres, produces a dimmer illuminance of only 100 lux.

Mathematically, 1 lx = 1 lm/m2.

A source radiating a power of one watt of light in the colour for which the eye is most efficient (a wavelength of 555 nm, in the green region of the optical spectrum) has luminous flux of 683 lumens. So a lumen represents at least 1/683 watts of visible light power, depending on the spectral distribution.”

The bottom line is that a lumen is simply a metric by which we can measure the difference in light output from different devices.

CREE INC.

Pretty much every flashlight maker in the world claims to use Cree LEDs. They probably

don’t. Cree are a company based in North Carolina in the United States. Started by a group of researchers from North Carolina University, Cree revolutionised the use of high-intensity LEDs in a number of applications. For my purposes this month their impact on the world of hand-held lighting was enormous – LED flashlights which were previously only suitable for close tasks and provided small amounts of illumination rapidly overtook the existing industry giants such as Maglite in providing bright, portable illumination. No longer did we have to rely on half a dozen large, heavy D-Cells to properly light a scene, we could carry much more power in a far smaller package. Not only that but it lasted longer and used much smaller cells. For flashlights the world had literally changed out of all recognition. It is because of the central role Cree Inc. played in this revolution, and it was nothing short of a revolution, they they have become of of the universally referenced component suppliers. If you buy a branded flashlight that claims to have a Cree LED on board, it probably does. If the light comes from a local market – maybe not so much.

THE CONTENDERS...

I'll be looking at a small group of LED flashlights all powered by a single AA cell.

The reason for making this choice is in part outlined above. The single cell makes for a small light that can easily be carried in a pocket or bag, in other words, they are convenient. The AA cell itself is one of the most universally available power sources in the world today, I cannot think of anywhere barring maybe the Arctic where you won't find local shop selling them. Sure CR 123 cells pack a punch but even in western shops finding them can be a bit hit-or-miss. A flashlight without a battery is nothing more than a short stick and about as useful.

Some of the lights on review are slightly older models, this is because I have them to hand and the specs haven't changed significantly. Where they have changed I will give specifications for both the unit tested and the current model so you can see the difference.

I have included that original CGM Infinity flashlight for comparison if only to illustrate how far this technology has developed over a fairly short period.

I will therefore (in no partiular order) we will be looking at the following lights:

■ KLARUS ST10 ■ CMG INFINITY

■ NEXTTORCH AA ■ FENIX LD15

Of these the original CMG Infinity is no longer made however it would appear that Gerber have taken over the design and it is available at around £20.00 through sites like Amazon and eBay as well as other outlets. Klarus have revamped their line up and the closest equivalent is the XT1A. There are functional differences, mainly in the switch options, but the basics are largely the same. Price-wise, at around £45.00, it’s about the same cost as the previous model. The Fenix and NextTorch are both current models.

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FENIX LD15 WWW.FENIXFLASHLIGHT.CO.UK RRP: £34.99

FENIX ARE VERY HIGHLY RATED AMONGST FLASHLIGHT FANS AND FORUMS AND IT’S NOT DIFFICULT TO SEE WHY. EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE COMBINED WITH GREAT DESIGN AND ATTRACTIVE PRICES. The LD15 offers two modes – 8 or 117 Lumens. Obviously the higher output eats batteries much faster but if you need that sort of illumination it’s there. At the lower setting I found it ideal for general use around the home and even taking the dog out at night to make sure I didn’t stand in anything unpleasant! It uses a genuine Cree XP-E R4 LED and as you would expect in this test, is powered by one AA battery (Alkaline or NiMH).

The LD15 is an incredibly neat package, oddly reminiscent of the CGM in it’s simplicity but bang up to date in terms of its performance. Although larger than some of the very competent AAA powered flashlights out there, the substantial increase in electrical capacity offered by the AA cell means run times of nearly 40 hours at the lower setting makes these my preferred EDC option.

FRO M

8 CM

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LD15 SPECIFICATIONS: ■ XP-E LED (R4) with life span of 50,000 hours.

■ Two modes of output: - High (117 lumens, 1.5 hour runtime).

- Low (8 lumens, 39 hours) (Tested with 2500mah Ni-mh battery).

■ Stable current regulated circuit for constant brightness.

■ Uses one 1.5V AA battery (ni-mh or alkaline).

■ 80mm (Length) X 16.6mm (Diameter).

■ 21-gram weight (excluding batteries).

■ Made from durable aircraft-grade aluminium.

■ Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish.

■ Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard.

■ Toughened double ultra-clear glass lens.

■ Reliable twist switch.

■ Candle mode (Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle).

■ Accessories: key ring, lanyard.

ALL IN ALL THIS IS A MASSIVELY COMPETENT LIGHT, UNENCUMBERED WITH TOO MANY OPTIONS. THE KLARUS HAS MANY MORE ILLUMINATION OPTIONS, AND THE NEXTTORCH HAS A REALLY NEAT TRICK UP IT’S SLEEVE BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOING IN THE DARK, YOU WON’T GO WRONG WITH THIS CRACKING LIGHT. W W W.RAIDER-MAG.COM

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CMG INFINITY SHOP AROUND RRP: £20.00

I CONFESS I HAVE INCLUDED THIS PARTLY OUT OF REASONS OF NOSTALGIA BUT ALSO AS A BENCHMARK AGAINST WHICH TO JUDGE THE INCREDIBLE SPEED OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIELD OF LED FLASHLIGHTS AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR LOWER POWERED LED LIGHTS. When I bought mine I believe that it cost me around £30.00, a substantial amount for a flashlight that wasn’t terribly bright. All those years ago, the design and promises of a bright future (sorry – unintended pun) won me over. The fact that Gerber appear to taken CGM over and is still offering an updated version does suggest that it is still relevant in a world where one hundred -plus lumens is hardly unusual.

The Infinity consists of two major components, a simple aluminium tube that contains the battery and the head which contains the LED and the associated circuitry. The body has a very secure loop at the end through which you can attach a lanyard or keyring to help with securing it. Water resistance is rated at 10 feet / 3m and although I have been unable to find a metric for shock resistance I think this light might just be tank-proof!

Although the newer version has a higher output than the original, neither are particularly bright. In part this is due to the LED and the

circuitry, in part the lack of a highly polished reflector. I have read on some flashlight forums of owners painting the area around the LED with gloss white paint and claiming a marked improvement – I confess I was never that bothered.

Thus far I am describing a tough but unexceptional flashlight and you are probably asking why bother? The answer is dependent upon what you need a flashlight for. I still use mine but I specifically use it where I am working close in or in tight spaces and need illumination without troublesome glare. For this the Infinity is perfect giving even illumination without an excess of bright spots or troublesome reflections. I will also use it when moving about in the dark, but think of it more of what our tactical brothers would call a ‘navigation light’ – bright enough to allow you to move safely at slow speeds. You really wouldn’t want this if you were running through a pitch-black building!

INFINITY SPECIFICATIONS: ■ Light source Type: L.E.D. ■ Light source Quantity: 1 ■ Output Colour: White ■ Modes: steady white ■ Housing Colour: Green/Black/Silver ■ Housing Material: Anodized Aircraft Aluminium ■ Battery Type: AA

I COULDN’T FIND RUN TIME FIGURES FOR EITHER THE ORIGINAL OR THE GERBER BUT GIVEN THE MODEST OUTPUT I SUSPECT “PLENTY” IS AS ACCURATE AS YOU NEED, EVEN WITH REGULAR USE. IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT THE SPECIFICATION LIST IS HARDLY STUNNING, THINGS DON’T GET MUCH SIMPLER. IT’S NOT GOING TO GIVE THE OTHER FLASHLIGHTS IN THIS TEST A SOLID RUN FOR THEIR MONEY BUT IT IS SIMPLE, RUGGED AND IF YOU NEED GOOD, EVEN ILLUMINATION RATHER THAN SEARCHLIGHT-LIKE CAPABILITIES, IT’S STILL GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER. 036

FRO M

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NEXT FLASHLIGHT MYTORCH AA WWW.NEXTFLASHLIGHT.COM RRP: £24.95

NEXTTORCH ARE A VERY INTERESTING COMPANY WITH SOME TRULY INNOVATIVE IDEAS. THE MYTORCH AA AS IT’S NAME SUGGESTS IS A SIMPLE BEAST, POWERED BY A SINGLE AA CELL. IN MY EXPERIENCE IT DOESN’T LIKE NIMH RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES BUT GIVES GOOD SERVICE ON ALKALINE CELLS. CONTROLS ARE ABSOLUTELY BASIC WITH ONLY A LUMINOUS TAIL-SWITCH. THAT IS A GODSEND WHEN LOOKING FOR YOUR FLASHLIGHT IN THE DARK. The myTorch is designed not to roll courtesy of ridges on the tail cap and head and is generally a delicate wee thing. I don’t mean that it can’t take the knocks – 1 metre water resistance and 1 metre shock resistance deal with that, but of the units featured it is the simplest in design terms.

That applies to the externals only, internally things are very different. This flashlight comes with a mini-USB connector because the myTorch is programmable. You can download the Nextuner application for Windows free from their website and use it to pre-set various parameters. Unscrewing the head reveals a mini-USB socket and you use this to plug it into your computer. You can now set light output and strobe modes with the flashlight being able to store up to 50 settings. In practice 50 is way too many and I ran three – 100%, 50% and 5%. You cycle through these with the tail-switch, just a half press moves through the modes. Unfortunately the flashlight doesn’t remember the previously used setting so you always start at the beginning, but it is a useful feature.

Leaving the CGM Infinity aside, this has the poorest throw of the flashlights on test, it’s not that it’s bad, it just loses out to the Klarus and the Fenix in terms of being able to reach out and shine, despite similar output. I would question the claim that this flashlight throws a beam for 81 metres to be honest. If you are looking for excellent value and simplicity of operation however I find this hard to fault.

FRO M

■ Bulb: Cree LED ■ Lumen: 115 lumens ■ Runtime: 63 mins at full power ■ Battery: One AA ■ Distance: 81 m ■ Aerospace grade aluminium 6061-T6 ■ Finish: Hard anodized finish ■ Weight: 56g

£24

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LIGHT THE WAY OUR PICK OF THE PACK - WE TRY BEFORE YOU

KLARUS ST10 WWW.TACTICAL-KIT.CO.UK RRP: £44.00

THE ST10 FEATURES A DUAL-SWITCH DESIGN, SEPARATING THE INTENSITY FROM THE STROBE MODES. TO FURTHER COMPLICATE MATTERS TWISTING THE HEAD ALSO MAKES MODE CHANGES, BRINGING THE ULTRA LOW LIGHT FEATURE INTO PLAY, YOU WOULD BE FORGIVEN FOR GETTING CONFUSED. THE REPLACEMENT FOR THIS MODEL APPEARS TO HAVE SIMPLIFIED THIS AND IT WAS PROBABLY WARRANTED. I SELDOM USE THE ULTRA-LOW LEVEL LIGHT AND THE STROBE HAS LITTLE DAY TO DAY RELEVANCE. That said, the Klarus is a storming flashlight providing serious illumination when necessary and given that it’s maximum output exceeds any of the others on test, you would expect that. Notably although the beam is pre-focussed it covers all potential situations very well and subjectively the throw from this flashlight is well ahead of the pack giving you the sense that you can really reach out and check what’s going on.

Using it at close range on the highest setting is probably slightly pointless as the reflection from that Cree emitter will blind you, but in the dark, especially outside the ST10 gives the user the sense of being more than able to see what is around you for a considerable distance. Klarus don’t offer any figures for maximum throw but experience says it’s in the region of 60 – 80 metres and within that range you should have no problem seeing in good detail.

Power output is controlled by a momentary press on the side-mounted button and this I find more convenient that manipulating a tail-switch. You

do have to remember that holding that button for 0.5 of a second triggers the strobe modes, if you’re anything like me you’ll be having the odd impromptu party until you get a feel for the flashlight.

Construction cannot be faulted with the hard anodised case being resistant to all but the most extreme abrasion. The supplied clip can ping off under stress, fortunately I haven’t yet lost mine.

Unlike the NextTorch I have found the Klarus completely happy to run on any type of AA cell without any major differences in performance.

As stated above, Klarus have revamped their range since I got this flashlight and appear to have simplified the operation and options. This is probably to be welcomed as you can have too much of a good thing, and the ST10 did offer a lot. I was unable to get hold of a current model in time for this feature but I made the decision that the ST10 was still an excellent ambassador for Klarus and was capable of holding it’s own with more up to date offerings from Fenix especially.

ST10 SPECIFICATIONS: ■ Emitter: Cree XP-G R5 LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours.

■ 4 lighting levels, 3 flashing modes.

■ Lighting mode: 140 lumens (1.5hrs) --- 12 lumens (25hrs) --- 60 lumens (4.8hrs).

■ Hidden modes: 2 lumens (83hrs) --- SOS --- (60 Lumen, 13.4hrs) --- Beacon (60 Lumens, 70hrs).

■ Variable frequency strobe (140 Lumens, 3hrs).

■ Working Voltage: 0.9V-1.8V. ■ Battery: 1pc 1.5V AA (Alkaline, Ni-MH, Lithium).

■ Tactical tail switch for power on and off with momentary activation.

■ Side switch for adjusting brightness output.

■ Rotate the flashlight head to access hidden modes (Super Low, SOS, Beacon).

■ Strobe access: Press and hold the side switch for 0.5 seconds in any mode.

■ Lens: Toughened ultra-clear glass.

■ Aircraft grade aluminium.

■ Dimensions: 107mm (Length) x 25.3mm (Head) x 20mm (Body).

■ Net weight: 53g (Excluding battery).

■ Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard.

■ Included accessories: holster, lanyard, body clip, two spare o-rings, and a rubber switch boot.

FRO M

£4 4

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YOU BUY - OUR PICK OF THE PACK - WE TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

CONCLUSION

COULD WE FIND A WINNER? I don’t claim that this has been an exhaustive test of all the AA powered LED lights out there, to do that would take way more time than I have available. I set out to try and look at a representative sample and give you an idea of what to expect and what it will cost you. LEDs are almost ubiquitous in flashlights these days so you will find one in your local supermarket or corner shop. One of my favourites came from my local DIY chain but as it uses AAA batteries I excluded it.

The Infinity is a niche flashlight these days as others do what it does and it is a bit of a one-trick pony. That said it is so simple and so tough that if you choose one you will still have it many years from now, and it will still work faithfully.

The NextTorch AA is a good simple light with a neat trick. It’s well priced and reasonably bright. Just how valuable being able to set 50 modes in a light of this size and power is open to debate and it would in my opinion be no less of a contender if it came with three presets. NextTorch as a company are worth investigating as they are constantly innovating, so while this may not be a winner, it’s far from being a loser.

That leaves the Fenix and the Klarus. Both are bright, both are exceedingly well made and both come from companies at the top of their game.

BE CA US E NEC K AND TH AT IS AND A Y B S IN W IX N FE TI ON FO R ME THE DE SI GN , IT ’S RE PU TA CO MPL IC AT ED K EE SL E, PL M SI ’S LE TT OF IT THE ST 10 FE EL S A LI IT ’S EA SE OF US E. TH OU GH I FU LL Y AC CE PT TH AT H AD CO MPA RE D TO IT AL TC H THE NEW ER K LA RU S OF FE RIN G .

W E BE EN AB LE TO PITHE RE SU LT MIG H T H AV E BE EN CL OS ER AG AIN ST THE LD -15 PR ES EN TS EX CE LL EN T VA LU E FO R A AT £3 5. 00 RR P IT REH T FR OM A SE RI OU S M AK ER .

SE RI OU S FL AS HL IG

W WW WW W.. RR AA II DD EE RR -- M M AAGG ..CCOO M M

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INNOVATION AT IT’S BEST ONE JACKET TO RULE THEM ALL!

STUFFA

STUFFA ARE A BRITISH COMPANY THAT HAS CARVED ITSELF A VERY SPECIFIC NICHE PERFECTLY SUMMED UP ON THEIR WEBSITE:

FROM

£ 85

ONE GILET

I have come across Stuffa before as I knew someone who was very enthusiastic about their jacket’s ability to allow him to carry all he needed between the UK and a European country where he lived, a journey he made quite regularly. It was therefore high time that I got hold of one for myself to review for Raider. In the event I ended up with two of their jackets, the Stuffa One, a gilet or body-warmer, and the Odyssey a full, water-proof jacket. I’ll look at the Odyssey next month, but for now lets concentrate on the Stuffa One. Out of the bag the One felt like a quality bit of kit. Weight was good and the materials appeared to be of a uniformly high quality. Fit was spot on for me and I appreciated the knitted waistband which does away with frankly irritating hem adjusters, there is no doubt that as a body warmer it does the job very well. Being a body-warmer however is not what the One is all about, it’s about enabling you to carry far more that you normally expect in a garment thereby getting away from the need to carry a bag. That’s an idea that I’ll return to in my conclusions later, but for the time being let me see how that works out.

The One is clearly intended to carry clothing rather than heavy items such as tablets or laptops so that’s what I used for testing. In total I added one pair of shorts, one pair of Craghopper

trousers, a couple of pairs of boxer shorts, a couple of pairs of socks and two tee shirts – one long sleeved one short. Just enough to cover a couple of days away from home although I could have done with throwing in a shell jacket to allow layering if the weather went South. I have one that rolls up tight so I could have got it in there...

The Stuffa One took all of this in it’s internal pockets without complaint or problem, it’s also important to note that I did this quickly – the trousers were folded, everything else was folded and rolled to minimise volume.

It is undeniable that all of this went into the One without difficulty, what is also undoubtedly true is that this small amount of clothing doubled or tripled the weight of the garment, made it uncomfortable to wear and doubled it’s size. I’m hardly petite at the best of times, now I’m doing a passing imitation of the Michelin man, this is not a good look unfortunately...

As an experiment, I took all the above and stuffed it into the 5.11 bail out bag which won our recent EDC head-to -head. This was not packing at it’s finest but everything went in and there was still enough space for a toothbrush, deodorant etc. Once again I’m good for a couple of days but there are some key differences and I think personally they go to the heart of this product.

I love Swiss Army knives – bear with me this is

“OUR LAUNCH PRODUCT WAS BORN OUT OF A FRUSTRATION OF TAKING EXTRA BAGS FOR WEEKENDS AWAY AND FLIGHTS. SO WE DESIGNED A STUFFA JACKET – A GOOD-LOOKING, LIGHTWEIGHT BODY-WARMER WITH 12 STUFFABLE POCKETS CONCEALED WITHIN THE LINING, CAPABLE OF HOLDING UP TO 5KG OF CLOTHING.” relevant. I love things that take the Swiss Army knife philosophy and apply it elsewhere – camper vans, multi-tools gadgets that unfold to reveal other gadgets, this is all great as far as I’m concerned – up to a point. Even the venerable knife is a compromise – just look at some of the bigger versions – you couldn’t pocket it, you could barely hold it to use the hoof hook or whatever – my point is that you can very easily overdo things and lose not only what you sought but pretty much anything else in the process. My fear is that the Stuffa One falls into the category. The most favourable twist I can put on it is that it’s a high quality body-warmer that will allow you to carry a load of stuff should you need to. I confess that when I see a suggestion on the product description of the company’s web site that upon reaching your destination you turn it inside out, hang it up and use it as a wardrobe, I cringe a little and fear that there may be a loss of clear thinking.

For me there is a basic flaw in the premise behind this garment, that premise is that not carrying a bag is desirable. I have to disagree.

Loaded, the One was bulky and uncomfortable, to relieve that I had to take it off. I now have to carry a garment (not made for carrying) which is as heavy as an equivalent bag carrying the same amount of gear but a good deal bulkier It is not designed to be carried – a bag is and comes equipped with handles and straps to make life easier. Even the ‘go from one place to another’ argument doesn’t really hold water. I have spent decades doing just that using a bag. I accept that I may be lucky but I haven’t lost one, my kit has remained safe and when I sit down in a cafe I can put it down and easily get things from it. I can do none of this with the One. For me the underlying idea here is incredibly desirable, the reality unfortunately is much less so.

If I approach the Stuffa One as a good quality jacket with the option of additional carrying capacity for use if required, I can applaud it.

Compared to other quality jackets, the Stuffa is competitively priced, being considerably cheaper than North Face options for instance.

As your primary load bearing choice for me it’s a non-starter, the bag still wins as it is simply a more flexible option. I don’t doubt that for some this will be Nirvana, and next moth we will see how the Odyssey, with it’s different capabilities stacks up.

PRICE: £85.00 FROM STUFFA DIRECT AVAILABLE FROM: WWW.STUFFA.CO.UK 040

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29/06/2015 13/07/2015 16:21 14:40

FITNESS Q&A

STOIC CONDITIONING - STOIC CONDITION

STOIC CONDITIONING AND THE MILITARY ATHLETE LAST MONTH WE INTRODUCED YOU TO STOIC CONDITIONING, A COMPANY COMPRISED OF FORMER AND SERVING MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES, WHO’S GOAL IS TO BETTER EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS ON HOW TO SURVIVE A RANGE OF DIFFERENT ARMED FORCES TRAINING REGIMES. THIS MONTH WE GET A INSIDE LOOK, SPEAKING TO COMPANY FOUNDER, AND ALL ROUND NICE GUY ‘EASY’.

RAIDER: Welcome to Raider Magazine ‘Easy’!

Firstly, would you mind telling our readers a little bit about yourself and the team so they have an insight into the men behind the company?

ZERO: Well firstly the team and me would like to thank Raider for the opportunity to feature in your publication. We are former and serving members of the Royal Marine Commandos (we are currently bringing in members of other established regiments such as the Parachute Regiment), the majority of our team are combat experienced but all of us are consummate professionals. We have career specialisms that run from reconnaissance operators to sharpshooters along side all being certified tactical strength and conditioning facilitators and performance nutritionists.

RAIDER: And with that out of the way, can you

give the readers a little information regarding what Stoic Conditioning is all about?

ZERO: Stoic Conditioning is a community for those who treat their profession with the utmost attention to detail in regards to physical

042

preparation. Be that an aspiring recruit to the established warfighter. We aim to share a mindset with those in our community that we are athletes be that Hybrid, Tactical or Military what ever the name, that is an integral part of our profession and through education and experience we can conduct a comprehensive needs analysis of the modern-day warfighter.

RAIDER: What was it that made you decide to

launch the company?

ZERO: Well I was a young marine entering training (18 years old). Having finished training I was skin and bones so like most of the lads at a unit the gym soon became a daily ritual. I was unsure of what I was doing so I tended to follow what the guys I wanted to look like did… which was a lot of chest and arms. I drank all the protein shakes going and ate what I thought at the time to be a well balanced diet, after a year of training like this with little to show for my efforts I began to question what I was doing and looked else where for advise.

Unfortunately the advice I started to follow was those of certain ‘health’ magazines which usually have a front cover promising a 6 pack in 6 weeks or have the latest movie star on the front with the catch phrase so and so’s latest workout for the film.

Again another year wasted changing programmes when the next issue came out and generally not eating enough to sustain all the running and weight training I was undertaking. So finally I turned to education I looked for internships, a degree and national governing bodies to be accredited to.

After 3 years of full time education 5 internships spanning across the UK, Ireland and the USA, earning accreditation to the worlds leading strength and conditioning body and competing in strength sports. I made the decision to rejoin the forces and alongside the help from my mentors and friends started to design a comprehensive strength and conditioning programme. Again I found all my efforts focused on training, eating and recovering, what I had learnt over the years alongside my

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TIONING - STOIC CONDITIONING - STOIC CONDITIONING

mentors knowledge I was soon becoming a hybrid athlete. Military personnel especially those who train to fight on the frontline are highly trained athletes their battlefield the competition. I soon realized their was little information on how this type of Hybrid/Tactical/Military Athlete should train recover and fuel themselves for training and competition and that is when stoic conditioning was established, shortly after a serving member of the Royal Marines and close friend with an established background in elite endurance running expressed his interest in contributing, he later became the first member of the team from here we have continued to attract like minded professionals who believe in the concept and we have formed the team from there.

RAIDER: So far you have four ebooks on the

market, could you break each of these down?

ZERO: Of course...

■ POTENTIAL ROYAL MARINES COURSE & PARACHUTE REGIMENT ASSESSMENT COURSE TRAINING PLANS

Both are 12-week training plans that aim to build upon the users initial level of conditioning, we employ several tests at the start of the book so the user can tailor the programme to their specific level of conditioning. Meaning that no matter your current position the book will adapt and build upon your foundation, progressively over the 12-week period. These book differ slightly in programming to reflect the differences across each testing criteria however both contain a similar structure evolving around: ■ Running both short and medium distances.

■ Beginner - Intermediate Strength Training.

■ Mental Conditioning and an introduction to Yomping/Tabbing.

■ ARMY DEVELOPMENT AND CENTRE TRAINING PLAN

A 9-week plan which aims to prepare the user for the criteria physical testing of the British Army.

■ This book covers running short distances.

■ Circuit training.

■ Specific training to testing standards i.e.

Power Bag lift and Jerry Can Carry.

■ TACTICAL MASS

This is our first book for the serving military athlete, many personnel have the desire to increase their muscular size, however many fall into the trap of training like a bodybuilder. This programme is designed to increase functional mass which in return will increase their combat readiness and proficiency in the soldiering role.

■ This book covers intermediate to advanced strength training.

■ Various methods of hypertrophy training.

■ Maintenance running.

■ Nutritional strategies for increasing lean muscle tissue.

RAIDER: Where did you draw your information

from regarding these various training programmes?

ZERO: We are very fortunate to work out of a professional strength and conditioning facility where our training exposure is not only with military personnel but elite athletes, ranging from solo south pole expeditions, international powerlifters and strongmen, sprinters, fighters and rugby players. These experiences alongside those of our active service have informed all of our training programmes. We are also currently working alongside a unit of Royal Marines to develop a testing matrix to be used as a means of testing combat readiness and areas needing development as a means of programme individualization.

RAIDER: And what positive feedback have

you received from aspiring or serving personnel regarding your ebooks?

ZERO: We have had success in both Marine and Para selection, alongside the demanding first stage of Special Forces selection The Hills, this success and feedback from these athletes has helped us improve various aspects of our books and solidify the areas we are now certain bring about positive growth.

RAIDER: What do you believe gives you an edge

when it comes to producing these ebooks, and more importantly why do you believe people should opt to choose yourselves over other resources on the market?

ZERO: Firstly I would like to ask the readers to

do their research into the programme they are purchasing. Who wrote it? What is their experience in the field both Strength & Conditioning and Military? Does the price reflect what you are receiving? If you have a problem how do you contact them? Are there genuine reviews of the book? Finally the programme is only as effective as the person who is following it, there is no perfect programme all will need tweaking to service individual needs.

Why should people choose our resources, we are men who are currently in the job striving to be better professionals, better men. This is reflected in all our products be it our clothing range where the material type of print and design has been through multiple physical trials of wicking sweat, chaffing, athletic fitting and comfort of blends. To our books that are trialed and tested on both novice and advanced athletes for ease of application, understanding what has been programmed and most importantly achieving success be it on military selection courses or physiological improvements.

RAIDER: One thing we’ve noticed that we’re a

huge fan of is your ’Team Room’. Could you give the readers information on this?

ZERO: Yes this is reserved for those who have purchased a training plan, and serves as an inside community that we refer to as the circle. Here there is a hive of information, be it physical testing aids, nutrition guides or topics in the forum regarding training, nutrition and military service. It’s and opportunity for those who have supported the business by purchasing an ebook to interact with the coaches of Stoic Conditioning.

ZERO: Yes these are men and women protecting our country and our freedoms. For some of the team they may be in our section fighting alongside us. If we can change the way our community looks at themselves and their training then we are succeeding.

RAIDER: Having been someone who has gone

through military training, do you have any advice for aspiring members of the Armed Forces?

ZERO: Prepare yourself physically and mentally, you do not need to be superman but do not be the one wishing he spent more time in the gym bulletproofing himself from injury or more time running developing his aerobic capacity, hold yourself accountable and each night before you go to bed ask yourself have I done every thing I could today to reach my goal. Remember why you started your journey. There will be a time that you doubt yourself this is when your strength of character will be called upon. Failing does not make you a failure, take each day as it comes and give your all. Many men have walked the path you have chosen they are no different from yourself.

RAIDER: Most importantly, where can people

find your products?

ZERO: Our website is the only place you will find our programming; (www.stoicconditioning.com).

They can also join our community on Facebook and Instagram by searching for Stoic Conditioning and on Twitter @StoicCon RAIDER: And finally, do you have anything else

you wish to add?

ZERO: Yes we have a few more books in the pipe line, of note are:

■ The All Arms Commando Course.

■ P Company.

■ The Tactical Athlete (A year round training plan to improve strength, size and running).

■ The Hills (Special Forces Preparation Guide).

■ 1.5 Mile Run Time Plan.

Finally, to those reading this never stop learning and continuing your education, school may not have been for all of us but it did teach us to read and write, whether you are interested in strength training, marksmanship, heavy weapons what ever it is continue to progress your skill set. We are as good as what we practice and what it bottles down to at the end of the day is our competition the battlefield there is no second place on the battlefield only death, so train hard, for others lives may depend on it.

‘EASY’ PROFILE

■ Team leader/founder of stoic conditioning.

■ Former sharpshooter in the Royal Marines and combat veteran of Afghanistan.

■ BSc Hons in Exercise Science & certified as a National Strength & Conditioning, Tactical Strength & Conditioning Facilitator (NSCA, TSAC-F).

RAIDER: So it’s fair to say that you and your

team genuinely care about your customer base, and that you want to provide them with the best service you possibly can?

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e n i l a n e r Ad

SK Y-DIVING IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS WE HAVE BEEN UP MOUNTAINS AND DOWN CAVES SO WE THOUGHT, WHAT THE HELL, LET’S GO AND DO SOMETHING REALLY SCARY, LIKE JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE... ALTHOUGH SKYDIVERS GO TO EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS TO MAKE THEIR PORT AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE THERE IS NO GETTING AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT STEPPING OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD AEROPLANE IS COUNTER-INTUITIVE

Although there is evidence of parachute designs dating from the period of the Renaissance, Andre Garnerin is credited with the first jump using a folded silk canopy in 1797. The parachute was designed by Jean-Pierre Blanchard who claimed to have used one to safely escape a hot air balloon but it appears that there was no corroboration of his story. Blanchard had definitely used his dog as a passenger on a parachute on a number of occasions whilst proving the concept.

Parachute design took sometime to reach what we would understand as the precursor of the modern chute, this was the ‘Parachute Type-A’ designed by a US Army team. Leslie Irvin, a member of the team developing the chute became the first man to voluntarily free-fall from an aircraft in 1919. Subsequently the Irving Air Chute Company became the largest manufacturer of parachutes in the world and during WWII, nearly all of the participating air forces used chutes either

044

from Irvin or directly copied from it. (As an aside, Irvin also developed the sheepskin flying jacket that bears his name to help counter the increasing cold encountered at higher altitudes).

Enough history – if you really want to leap out of a perfectly good aircraft, where do you start?

WWW.BPA.ORG.UK, the website of the British Parachute Association is a good place to find out about the sport and how to get involved. There is plenty of reference material there including some good information about the risks involved in parachuting, starting with the advice that if you don’t want to accept any risk then parachuting is not for you! We felt that this was rather self-evident..

The site covers the various types of jump that you can make and the benefits of each. A tandem jump, where the student is tethered to an experienced parachutist is often the first experience of parachuting as it’s one of the safest

ways to experience jumping and the one which requires the least preparation on behalf of the novice. The instructor is in charge of the chute, deployment and the landing, you will probably get a chance to guide the chute for a short period between deployment and landing. Cost for tandem jumps varies but expect to spend around £200 for a single jump.

Once you know that you don’t want to spend your jumping career strapped onto another jumper you have a couple of options – static line jumping, sometimes referred to as ‘RAPS’ and Accelerated Free-Fall (AFF) training.

STATIC LINE OR RAPS

Ram Air Progression System. Anyone who has watched films concerning air drops in World War Two will understand the principle behind the static line jump – a webbing strap attached to the airframe automatically opens the parachute as the skydiver exits the plane. Static line jumps normally begin at about 3500 feet of altitude and the course is progressive, intending to take the student to the point where they can exit the aircraft and deploy the chute themselves after a period of free-fall.

Expect about 6 hours of ground training before your first static jump. A basic static line jump course will cost you in the region of £250, with multiple jump courses nearer £400-£500.

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“This isn’t a cheap pastime and we doubt that it can ever be.

Even a single jump can cost you around £20, which when you consider what’s involved (mainly a ride in a plane!) is to be expected. So why do it? Like so many ‘extreme sports’ it’s very difficult to quantify the thrill involved. Leave aside the sensation, however brief, of flying simply doing something as counter-intuitive as throwing yourself into space and surviving is about as big a rush as you can imagine.”

ACCELERATED FREE FALL

The ‘accelerated’ refers to the learning process not the fall... With AFF courses the student jumps with two experienced instructors who will guide them through the various stages of the descent.

As it’s name suggests this course is designed to get the student to the basic BPA qualification as quickly as possible, your first AFF jump is part of a week’s course of 8 levels and a minimum of 10 consolidation jumps which will qualify you as a skydiver in your own right. If you know you want to take up skydiving, this is probably the quickest and most motivating method by which to do it and should culminate in you achieving your BPA A-licence. Expect typical costs for this kind of course to reach £1500 - £1750 although for that price you can reasonably expect personal kit to be included along with full BPA membership.

Once you have achieved your A-licence you can continue to work on your skills which include further canopy handling training and the Jump master 1 course, both of which along with further jumps are a prerequisite of achieving your B-licence. The jump master course covers areas such as taking charge of a group of jumpers, parachute packing and basic fault finding on a Ram Air canopy.

EQUIPMENT

During your training you can expect to be provided with all the gear required but thereafter if you decide that you want to put your own rig together expect to have deep pockets! In fairness, all of this gear is designed to ensure that you don’t come

to a sudden and nasty end as a result of throwing yourself out an aeroplane so expect it to be of uniformly high quality.

A typical main chute in the UK, from a manufacturer such as Aerodyne will set you back around £1900, and that’s is simply for the canopy.

The container (which normally incorporates your harness as well) will be about the same again from the same company. You are still going to need rigging to attach the two, something to wear, a helmet, an altimeter, you will want a reserve chute, the list is nearly endless. We did find a starter pack on www.thejumpshop.co.uk which will provide all the basic necessities for around £500. Given the cost of kit this looks like a good deal! Since all of this kit is critical there are regulation covering examination and re-packing intervals for less-used items such as reserve chutes. They are obviously there for your continued well-being and no-one in their right mind will ignore them.

In short, this isn’t a cheap pastime and we doubt that it can ever be. Even a single jump can cost you around £20, which when you consider what’s involved (mainly a ride in a plane!) is to be expected.

So why do it? Like so many ‘extreme sports’ it’s very difficult to quantify the thrill involved. Leave aside the sensation, however brief, of flying simply doing something as counter-intuitive as throwing yourself into space and surviving is about as big a rush as you can imagine. Once you get over the novelty and start to perfect your abilities and technique there are more and more challenges – formation free-fall, wing-suit flying and skydiving competitions run by the BPA. The number of jumps required to

reach the higher levels of BPA licensing are quite daunting so don’t expect to reach them in a hurry, this includes skills like wing-suit flying. Speaking to skydivers in Scotland recently they raised one other consideration – the weather. They complained of too many days spent waiting, endlessly waiting, for a break in the weather to allow them to jump. It seems that patience is a virtue worth developing, at least in the northern part of the UK! Obviously the UK isn’t the only place you can either learn to jump, or if qualified, jump. The appeal of different drop zones and generally better weather is strong. Space prevents us going into great detail about the whys and wherefores of jumping abroad but remember that regulations will almost certainly be different to those here, so check and double check before travelling. A nice piece of advice for dealing with different rules and regs comes from The British Parachute Schools (www.bpslanger.co.uk) and states; Always ask yourself - “would I be allowed to do this at home, and if not, why not?”.

The sensible stuff aside the appeal of jumping in an environment where the weather is uniformly good is almost irresistible, especially when looking out the window at yet another Great British Summer!

The BPA has a list of training sites throughout the UK should you wish to go and give it a try. We have approached this sport a little tongue in cheek we confess, but there is simply no getting away from the fact that hurling yourself earthwards is one of the biggest rushes you will find, so if thrills are your thing you owe itself to give skydiving a try – anything else – bungee jumping and the like are just a pale imitation.

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CARRY KNIVES IN ASSOCIATION WITH HEINNIE HAYNES

MAXPEDITION MAXPEDITION ARE BEST-KNOWN FOR THEIR BAGS AND OTHER LOAD-LUGGING GEAR BUT THAT’S NOT ALL THEY DO. THE EXCELSA FRAMELOCK SERIES IS A RECENT ADDITION TO THE MAXPEDITION LINE-UP AND WELL WORTH A CLOSER LOOK. ACTUALLY THEY DO A NUMBER OF KNIVES ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY ARE SERIOUS FIXED-BLADE OFFERINGS BETTER SUITED TO SOME RUGGED OUTDOOR USE. THE EXCELSA ON THE OTHER HAND IS VERY MUCH AN EVERYDAY CARRY KNIFE FOR WHICH YOU WOULD FIND A MULTITUDE OF USES.

EXCELSA FRAMELOCK KNIFE 8.4”

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The Excelsa comes in a smart dark grey and pale green box with the knife itself nestling in a cut out in the high density foam that fills the inner box. Underneath the knife is a small zip-lock bag containing a double ended Torx wrench to facilitate maintenance and cleaning. The handle is deeply sculpted and the blade itself has a clean, drop-point design with a full-height grind to maximise cutting efficiency. There is a final bevel to give the blade it’s edge so this isn’t a scandi-grind design. The blade is 2.9 inches long and the overall length of the knife open is 6.7 inches.

The steel pocket clip can be fitted to give a tip-up / tip-down carry position, in either case the knife is well within the pocket so that should it come loose it’s more likely to fall in than out. And... that’s about it. Incredibly clean and functional lines speak to some serious design thought.

Maxpedition do their design work although manufacturing is passed to a company in Taiwan.

Obviously this isn’t quite the full story. The blade is made of D2 tool steel, cryogenically treated to give a hardness on the Rockwell scale of between

58 and 60. Out of the box this knife is sharp, maybe not quite shaving sharp, but certainly sharp enough for any other task. That sculpted handle is made from titanium and is therefore both light and very strong. The stainless-steel thumb stud is ramped towards the opening finger which gives greater purchase allowing for more positive blade deployment. Once opened there is exactly no movement whatsoever in the blade, laterally or vertically. It goes nowhere until you press the generous framelock to release it. Thanks to the inclusion of the Torx wrench you can ensure that your knife has this level of positive lock up for many years to come.

The grip sculpting really comes into it’s own once the knife is in use giving a very natural and firm grip on the knife, aided by ridged serrations on the back of the blade. The only thing on the knife that isn’t absolutely functional is the ‘Maxpedition’ logo, and I think we can allow them that!

There is a distinct lack of sharp edges (apart from the blade of course) on this knife making it both comfortable in the hand and very tactile – it feels

well thought out and well designed.

Ultimately that’s what you are paying for of course. Although it is possible to spend many hundreds of pounds on a pocket knife, the vast majority of us don’t. You can pick up an Opinel knife for just a few pounds and it will, by and large, do the same job. With the greatest respect to Opinel however (and I have a lot of time for their products), you’re buying something else with the Excelsa – you’re buying the very best materials and modern design from a company that specialises in both. At their heart framelock knives are simple beasts and the only way Maxpedition could have made this simpler would be if they had gone for a single-sided design. There is no need to dress a knife like this up in fancy clothes, people who appreciate good design, well realised, will appreciate it and be drawn to it. It is a lovely, modern knife with a healthy dose of “proper tool” directness about it. Is it worth the asking price? In a word, yes. Whether you are willing to pay that price is a decision only you can make but we doubt that you’ll be disappointed if you do.

PRICE: £109.95 AVAILABLE FROM: WWW.HEINNIE.COM W W W.HEINNIE.COM

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MEDIA REVIEW T WO BOOKS YOU NEED TO RE AD! - T WO BOOKS

BOOK REVIEW

DISPATCHES MICHAEL HERR

A U T HOR : MIC H A E L HE R R - P UB L I S HE D : 19 7 7 IT WOULD BE INACCURATE FOR ME TO CALL THIS A REVIEW, THINK OF IT MORE AS AN APPRECIATION. MICHAEL HERR, THE AUTHOR OF DISPATCHES WAS A JOURNALIST WHO SPEND A YEAR IN VIETNAM IN THE LATE 1960S DURING THE PERIOD OF THE CONFLICT THAT ENCOMPASSED KHE SAHN AND THE TET OFFENSIVE. THE RESULT OF HIS EXPERIENCES WAS POSSIBLY THE BEST BOOK ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON MEN & WAR FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.

I have read many, many books about the war in Indochina, from the period of French involvement through to the fall of Saigon. There are many fine books about combat regarding the fear and the reality of fear and war. There are equally a slew of wannabe tomes best ignored. The magic of Herr’s book is probably due to his observer status, he wasn’t an active participant, although he does question that status, but due to the tie he spent in the field he was as close as the grunts themselves got to the war without being an armed participant.

The result is a book that is at once involved and removed, excited yet distanced and which captures the Zeitgeist of the 1960s in a way that young journalists in a war zone can and soldiers fighting for their lives possibly cannot. Dispatches therefore manages to capture not only the war in it’s many forms but the attitude of those intimately involved in it. It tells you about more than just what was happening in paddys and mountains of South Vietnam, reaching across the pacific to the heart of America where events were as relevant to the outcome as a burst of machine gun fire or a fast mover dropping napalm.

It follows that Dispatches isn’t a history book as

048

such, although you will find plenty of historical references in there. It’s a snapshot, or perhaps more accurately, one man’s home movie of a year in his life. The language is at times exquisite as Herr manages to convey the beauty of the county contrasting with the occasional horror of the events unfolding there.

His eye is a very particular one, it’s the view of a young man embarking on a great adventure an odd way to view war perhaps but ultimately true nonetheless. Throughout the book Herr is concious of the privileged position he is in and the contradictions inherent in the role of “war correspondent”, indeed it is a theme he returns to repeatedly. This isn’t to imply that this slim tome is merely an exercise in navel-gazing, it isn’t. Captured on it’s pages are the madness and insanity of this conflict alongside the tenderness and affection which is as much a part of the story.

All war stories are ultimately stories about people, trite but still true, and in Dispatches the individuals involved shine through. Herr comments at one point that he was asked by a fellow journalist what he found to speak to the grunts about, all they were interested in was cars and football. His response is that everyone in war has a story to tell, no matter how long or short and that he had never been on a ‘no story’ operation.

Whether by intent or accident it quickly becomes obvious that Herr was looking for something

other than punchy pieces for the six o’clock news. Accredited to a mens magazine he had an inordinate amount of freedom to observe, engage and consider what he saw going on around him, this is no more news that it is history. It’s more akin to being plugged into the pulse of the war and watching it spinning and crashing around you, in the depths of the Delta or stoned almost beyond speech back in Saigon. The descriptive qualities are such that I can re-read this book when I have nothing else on my plate and it is at once new and an old friend. Despite years spent studying this conflict which filled the television news during my childhood I found something here that I have never encountered elsewhere.

Michael Herr was involved in both Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, the latter incorporates some quotes from his book as dialogue. Neither film does the book justice, the film that should be made is of the book itself although how you would capture its essential essence is quite beyond me.

Few books have reached me in the way that this one does, and while I know that is a very personal thing, anyone with an interest in what happened to the USA between 1963 and the end of their involvement in Vietnam should read this. You may hate it, although I doubt it, but you will finish it understanding things about that conflict and the world at that time which I don’t think you will get from any other work about the war.

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OOKS YOU NEED TO READ! - TWO BOOKS YOU NEED TO READ!

BOOK REVIEW

THE BATTLE FOR THE RHINE

A U T HOR : ROBIN NE IL L A NDS - P UBL ISHE D: 2 0 05 NEILLANDS’ BOOK ON THE POST-NORMANDY PHASE OF THE ALLIES DRIVE ON GERMANY. NEILLANDS HIMSELF DECLARED THAT HE HAD ADOPTED THE ROLE OF HISTORICAL ‘MYTHBUSTER’ IN HIS WORK ON D-DAY AND ALTHOUGH WE MUST ADMIT THAT ANY SUCH CLAIM TENDS TO RANKLE A BIT, WHAT WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE IS THAT THIS BOOK PUTS A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON OPERATION MARKET GARDEN AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.

History they say is written by the victors, and in Europe in 1944/45 the victors were the US Army, based simply on numerical superiority.

Britain and her overseas territories had all but exhausted their manpower in fighting for five years and America provided the bulk of the manpower to batter down Hitler’s West Wall. One of the truly unfortunate side effects of this has been the gradual erosion of the importance of the part played by the rest of the Allies during this final phase of the war and students of history could be forgiven for thinking that no-one was taking part except for the Yanks and those pesky Nazis.

Part of the reason for this revisionist history is the near-loathing that Field Marshall Montgomery was regarded with by US generals. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this review but it is fair to say that despite many nods to Montgomery’s failings, Neillands is something of a fan. He isn’t wrong in this, as Monty was a consummate soldier and a far more capable general than many American authors have given him credit for, but their distaste for him has tended to result

in the belittling of the UK’s contribution and the promotion of US efforts.

Although there is much more to this book we commend it for it’s treatment of Operation Market Garden and the Ardennes offensive, and for Neillands extensive use of official histories to support his assertions. On the subject of Market Garden, the attempt to cross the Rhine at Arnhem, Neillands becomes almost incandescent. Popular history has it that the failure was due to the tardiness of XXX Corps, a supposed-failing emphasised in the film “A Bridge too Far”. Neillands shows that in fact the critical delay was caused by US failures at Nijmegan, a failure of planning and execution that caused the delay which doomed the Paras up the road. There is naturally much more to it - a single failure seldom completely derails an offensive and there is no guarantee that without this the drive would have succeeded but it is a valuable alternative view that does much to redress the criticism of both XXX Corps and Monty.

As far as the Ardennes offensive is concerned, Neillands shows that again it was Montgomery, given temporary command of two US armies and with his own 21st Army who contained the German advance until attrition and lack of fuel caused them to fall back, their drive spent. It would be fair to say that he is

scathing about the actions or lack thereof on behalf of Bradley and other US Commanders and his telling of the tale shows that once again this was not a wholly American affair.

If we have given the impression that this is all about Yank-bashing our apologies, it really isn’t. It is far more concerned with strategy, tactics and leadership and the problems faced by the Allies in the post-Normandy period of World War II. Neillands devotes a lot of time and print to an appreciation and critique of the leadership of the Allied forces, from the politicians at the top to the generals tasked with bringing the war to a swift conclusion and this is the essence of the work – could the war have been won in 1944 as some have suggested. His answer, after careful consideration is no – the Germans simply weren’t co-operative enough however he does suggest that the position of the Allies at the end of 1944 could have been more advantageous. Whether this is true or not we can only speculate but Neillands analysis and use of source material makes a compelling argument. For anyone wanting to understand the complexity of marshalling disparate forces in pursuit of a common goal, The Battle for the Rhine is strongly recommended.

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DIRECT

ACTION!

THIS MONTH DIRECT ACTION BRINGS YOU TWO RATHER DIFFERENT STORIES. THE FIRST IS THE APPOINTMENT OF MAJOR-GENERAL SUSAN RIDGE AS THE BRITISH ARMY'S FIRST TWO-STAR GENERAL. THE SECOND CONCERNS THE DELIVERY OF THE LATEST A400M TRANSPORT PLANE TO RAF BRIZE NORTON.

BRITISH ARMY APPOINTS IT'S FIRST WOMAN GENERAL General Sir Nick Carter congratulates Brigadier Ridge on her new appointment

The British Army is delighted to announce the appointment of its first ever female Major General (2-Star).

In September 2015, Brigadier Susan Ridge will become Major General Susan Ridge the new Director General Army Legal Services (DGALS).

Currently working as Director Legal Advisory, Brigadier Ridge and her team provide legal advice to the chain of command on discipline and administrative law. Any day will see the team advising commanding officers on disciplinary matters through to dealing with service enquiries and service complaints.

Reflecting on the recent scrutiny of the Service Complaints System, the Brigadier said: “My team and I have been involved in the current System of Service Complaints and is advising the Army on the new Service Complaints System, and how we can work together to make changes for the better. This will certainly provide useful background knowledge and understanding of what is being developed for my next appointment.”

There is no doubt that this is a very significant appointment within the British Armed Forces and Brigadier Ridge is to be heartily congratulated on her promotion.

“THE BRITISH ARMY IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE APPOINTMENT OF ITS FIRST EVER FEMALE MAJOR GENERAL (2-STAR).

IN SEPTEMBER 2015, BRIGADIER SUSAN RIDGE WILL BECOME MAJOR GENERAL SUSAN RIDGE THE NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL ARMY LEGAL SERVICES (DGALS)."

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"PRIOR TO A PAUSE IN FLYING IN MAY/ JUNE, THE FIRST TWO A400M ATLAS TO BE DELIVERED TO THE RAF COMPLETED OVER 405 FLYING HOURS, WITH THE FIRST AIRCRAFT– NAMED “CITY OF BRISTOL” CARRYING OUT ITS FIRST OPERATIONAL MISSION TO CYPRUS IN MARCH. "

THE MOD IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE IT HAS TAKEN DELIVERY OF ITS THIRD A400M ATLAS AIRCRAFT WHICH HAS FLOWN BACK TO THE UK. The next-generation transport aircraft took off from the assembly plant in Seville, Spain, and landed at its new home at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last night following the two and a half hour flight.

The aircraft is the third of 22 A400M Atlas to be accepted by the UK as part of a £2.75 billion programme which is on track to meet the UK’s future air mobility requirements. Given the current role of British Armed forces world-wide, it is clear that the increased capabilities delivered by the A400M are much in demand.

Sir Bernard Gray, the MOD’s Chief of Defence Materiel, said: “Having now undertaken and completed thorough checks on the UK’s A400M aircraft, I am satisfied that we have fulfilled and allowed for the safe delivery of this third aircraft.

“We are very mindful of the recent tragedy in Spain and our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those affected by these terrible events.

(A Spanish A400M crashed in May this year, killing

all the crew on board. Initial investigation suggests that a problem with data files critical to the proper operation of the engines may have been the cause.

The RAF, like other forces operating the aircraft, grounded their A400s until air-crash investigators had produced their preliminary findings.)

“This world-class aircraft will have an important role to fulfil with the Royal Air Force and the programme is at the forefront of modern technology and the RAF is looking forward to receiving its full order in due course.”

Prior to a pause in flying in May/June, the first two A400M Atlas to be delivered to the RAF completed over 405 flying hours, with the first aircraft– named “City of Bristol” - carrying out its first operational mission to Cyprus in March.

The RAF is now developing the use of the aircraft whilst continuing to grow the experience of the aircrew instructors, before they begin to train the crews destined for the A400M Atlas Squadron later this year.

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The new fleet of A400M Atlas is due to replace the C-130 Hercules when it goes out of service in 2022.

Over the next three years the aircraft will be equipped with advanced capabilities that will see it progress into a highly capable air transporter that will move people and equipment rapidly around the globe on military and humanitarian operations.

Introduced with the basic level of capability currently required by the RAF, over the next 12 months A400M will be capable of delivering a wide range of loads, as well as carrying out free fall and static line parachuting.

The aircraft will initially take part in low level operations as it builds up to meet all of the UK's requirements, which once complete will include high altitude aerial delivery and parachuting, high precision drop and advanced self defence capabilities.

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Once you have created your account from any device, you’ll always be able to sign in and read them via the App or even via www.pocketmags. com on your desktop PC or Mac, using your username and password, as that annoying meerkat says, “simples!”

You can buy subscription bundles from as little as £10.99 but when your subscription runs out, you’ll always be able to access your magazines, just like owning a physical copy except they don’t end up tatty, torn and dog-eared!

AGA ZINE

E ALPH

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE ALPHA MALE OUTD OO

HOW DOES IT WORK?

THE M

FOR TH

19/02/2014

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GLOBETROTTERS!

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04/06/2014 10:38

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VOLUME 7

COMPUTER TABLETS BALLISTIC EYE PROTECTION DIRECT ACTION FROM THE FRONT LINE

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ME 7 ISSUE

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A-TACS SNUGPAKACTIVE! VAPOUR CHECK OUT NOW PAGE 34 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN BIG!

PAGE 10

7 ISSUE 2

WE SPEAK TO CEO OF COSTA AN AND THE BEARD HIMSELF IN EXCLUSIVE RAIDER INTERVIEW

As publishers, we are passionate about printed products.

There’s nothing better than the feeling of opening up a fresh magazine and seeing our hard work in print and to be able to add another volume to the shelves is a satisfying experience but we realise that for many people, reams and reams of paper magazines just isn’t feasible. If you live your life on the go, have limited space or just don’t fancy cluttering up your house with piles of magazines there’s now another option.

We realise the way that many people read magazines is changing. Sometimes it’s just not practical to carry a paper copy around with you on busses, trains or on holiday and with amazing devices like the iPhone, the iPad and the Kindle, reading in a digital format is now easier and more comfortable than ever, no matter where you are.

We also realise that because of the proliferation of the Internet and near instant transference of huge amounts of data, people expect to be able to get their hands on things, fast and rightly so. Why should readers the world over have to wait in this day and age? With Raider’s digital version everyone can get their copy at the same time.

If you are particularly environmentally conscious, Raider Digital versions are also much greener. Even though our paper magazines are produced responsibly and from sustainable sources an application needs no freight carriage and has no wastage so it will always have a lower carbon footprint!

VOLUME

GUNFIGHTER INTERVIEW! LUDUS

FIGHTING FIT

THINKING OF JOINING THE BRITISH FORCES? WE TALK YOU THROUGH ALL THE PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

£4.25

THREE PEAKS

AFTER A NEW CHALLENGE? THEN WE’VE GOT JUST THE THING FOR YOU!

CHRIS COSTA

VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3

WHY GO DIGITAL?

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE ALPHA MALE

OUTDOORS - ADRENALIN - TACTICAL - ESSENTIALS - FITNESS - EXPLORE

£4.25

HERE AT RAIDER WE ARE COMMITTED TO BRINGING YOU THE BEST MAGAZINE WE CAN AND TO MAKE IT EASIER TO GET YOUR MONTHLY FIX. THANKS TO SOME HUGE IMPROVEMENTS IN HOW WE DELIVER OUR DIGITAL VERSIONS WE ARE NOW PROUD TO SAY THAT RAIDER IS AVAILABLE IN MORE FORMATS THAN EVER BEFORE!

04/06/2014 10:38

11:15 17/03/

2014

15:38

VISIT WWW.POCKETMAGS.COM AND LOOK FOR RAIDER MAGAZINE! NO WAITING, NO QUEUES. READ IT YOU WANT IT, WHERE YOU WANT IT!

058 NEXT ISSUE.indd 58

30/09/2014 11:43

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