Awesome T-Shirts!

Hello ZSE Members!

How have you been. I hope all is well at your command posts. Everything seems to be calm here…..for now. 

I wanted to give you some intel on some bad ass gear and clothing I spotted the other day.

Now remember some of these are not for the faint of heart. A brave soul who is confident in what they stand for will wear these with pride.

Check the threads out below.

 

 

If you find any great tee’s out in the field se sure to send them my way.

Over and Out.

P.S. REMEMBER…..

Due to the rapidly growing fan base and traffic of the ZSE we have had to move operations. The Zombie Squad Elite has moved to a new site. PLEASE Bookmark the new page at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com. Repeat. Please bookmark the new page at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com and sign up for the Newsletter. Any Crew Member that signs up for the ZSE Newsletter will be entered in the drawing for the ZSE Fan Kit (Free ZSE Gear Valued at over $80)!

So get moving and haul your ass on over to the new ZSE Operations site at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com and sign up for the Newsletter and “Like” us on Facebook.

See you at 0800.

Over and Out,

ZSE

Camp Like A Champ: 9 Tips

These 9 Tips for camping are sure to have you camping like a champ!

Camping is the excitement time for family to enjoy the fun and relaxation naturally. These camping tips will help you whether you are a new camper or a camping veteran. Good advice and tips for camping always come in handy. This article offers some good and unique advice about camping basics, step-by-step how-to’s, and lots of tips for camping suggested by fellow campers. Here they are:

Tip #1. Select Campsite

When choosing the site for camping, First and for most, make sure there are no Zombies. After that you need to beware of the widow makers because dead trees could fall down instantly and ruin your camping trip. Even, it can threaten your life. Downed limbs as well as debris around the site might be a good indicator of upcoming things.

There are many camp ground which have fire pits and picnic tables. So, you had better choose campsites with healthy tree cover that can be helpful for you in the rain.

Also, you should pay attention to the wind direction. I am sure that you do not want to be sucking down by others’ camp fire smoke throughout the day. The site with upwind will be your best choice.

The site you choose should not be covered by a lot of trees because they might block some of the early sunshine. The sunset is actually a nice view, so you should not miss it.

Tip #2. Shelter

The shelter will be your safe haven in any campground. Obviously, it will be where you are going to lie on each night and where you are going to retreat during bad weather. In other words, this is the home base for you in the camping adventure; thus, comfort should be place in the top of priorities. Make sure that your own shelter will give you a comfortable experience.

It is not necessary to be a big tent. Just choose the tent size that fits your demands. Do not go overbroad because a large tent might take from you much effort than smaller does. The tents with double doors could be an actual plus. Less gear in the tent will allow you to have more space for movement. Additionally, the shelter might be a hammock which supplies a unique option for solo campers. Hammocks could also be efficient to reduce the footprint or where room is limited.

In terms of materials, a sleeping bag filled with synthetic fiber will dry faster that one stuffed with down, and also, it is non-allergenic. Yet, a goose-feather sleeping bag is easier for campers to carry because it is lightweight.

Tip #3. Fire

A good camp fire is considered as the most comfortableness to campers after a long day on the trail. Planning the fires, especially the wood and tools for sustaining a good rager might give campers trouble. Fire starters are a great thing to have handy. Here is a great kit and it is inexpensive. Too little or too much are also not good. Here are some tips for you to have good camp fire:

• You had better know your burn rate. With 12-14 logs, you will have enough wood to cook dinner and fuel a moderate fire until mid night.
• Dry and lighter wood will burn more quickly than hard woods
• Prepare enough additional wood for any contingencies.
• Camping in cold climate means that you might stoke a fire throughout the day and also most of the night. The key point here is counting logs and knowing how long a stack will last you.

Tip #4. Prepare The Essentials

A list of tips for camping will not be accomplished without mentioning water and food. No mater you camping trip is mini adventures, like canoeing or hiking, or just kicking back in your RV, food and water are indispensable.

With the food, the rule of thumb is to take just what is essential to cook meals. By this way, you will just pack and transport what you need to prepare your meals. For instance, if you are going to camp with a small group, then bringing two cups of quick cook oats will be better than an entire 48-serving canister of oatmeal. Chop the ingredients, dice them, and measure or mix what you could do right from the comfort of your home Make some notes to regulate various recipes so that you will not feel boring with the meals. Make use of sealed plastic bags to mix food. By preparing ingredients at home, you will make your mealtime much easier and quicker.

To prepare healthy meals for a perfect camping trip, you can refer the guide of meals plan for cleansing bodyand quick recipes for healthy cooking plan.

Keep in mind that you prepare clean water unless you have to find a spring or a tap water which is safe to drink from. Or, you can run the water you find via a filter or boil that for at least 10 minutes. When it comes to prepare water storage, you can use collapsable water bottles which are available in various forms, containing travel mugs, squeeze bottles, and insulated stainless steel forms. Another option is water bags. There are a lot of water bags you can choose, but the main design is the same for most. They could fit into a pack, be hung from a tree branch, and be left on a table. Moreover, water bags are not expensive for everyone to take advantage.

Improve your physical health to have safe camping trip with ultimate methods for perfect boot camp andunique advice for an interesting boot camp

  

5. Start A Fire Easily

—————————————————Read the Rest over at our new site.

Talk Soon,

Commander Smith

The New Zombie Squad Elite:Moving Operations

Attention ZSE Crew!

This is a Special Ops Announcement! Due to the rapidly growing fan base and traffic of the ZSE we have had to move operations. The Zombie Squad Elite has moved to a new site. PLEASE Bookmark the new page at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com. Repeat. Please bookmark the new page at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com and sign up for the Newsletter. Any Crew Member that signs up for the ZSE Newsletter will be entered in the drawing for the ZSE Fan Kit (Free ZSE Gear Valued at over $80)!

So get moving and haul your ass on over to the new ZSE Operations site at http://www.zombiesquadelite.com and sign up for the Newsletter and “Like” us on Facebook.

See you at 0800.

Over and Out,

ZSE

 

Free ZSE Fan Kit Valued over $80!

The word is out and the buzz has started. We are officially less than one-hundred followers away from 1000 subscribers on the ZSE Blog! The comments are flowing in as well as the likes. We are grateful for the readers and loyal followers. The feedback, emails and comments are excellent. We are in the process of putting together a membership kit and to celebrate we are going to give away a Zombie Squad Elite T-Shirt,  ZSE Patch, ZSE Decals, ZSE Can Cooler and ZSE Coffee Mug! A value worth over $80 for FREE! All you have to do is help us get to 500 likes on our Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/ZombieSquadElite

So BLOG IT, TWEET IT, Facebook IT and SHARE it with your friends! Every share on your social media, every sincere comment and facebook like will enter you into the ZSE Fan Pack giveaway! One luck winner will walk away a Zombie Squad Elite T-Shirt, a ZSE Patch, ZSE Decals, ZSE Can Cooler and ZSE Coffee Mug! A value worth over $80 for FREE! So start Sharing and reporting back with a comment on this post! Help the Zombie Squad Elite Facebook reach 500 likes by February 1st!

Remember crew, share your zombie pictures, ideas and gear on our Fan Page! We want to hear from you!

As an EXTRA BONUS take 40% OFF for MLK DAY! At checkout enter promo code MLKDAY40. Shop Now!

Deadly Wheels: Ultimate Zombie Proof Wheelchair

This bad ass post is dedicated to one of our loyal reader Andy Taylor (you can check out his Blog here).  He did not waste anytime to ask the hard questions. He is already on top of his game. Well Andy, this is for you!

In doing some research we found out that there is some bad ass solutions for mobility on the market. Listed below is some actual chairs we have found with the websites to purchase them as well.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/03/most-badass-wheelchair-weve-ever-seen-action-trackchair/

http://www.ottobock.com

http://www.actiontrackchair.com/Default.aspx

5 Incredible Chairs

You don’t have to be a trained mechanic to zombify your vehicle, weather it is your car, truck or Hell even if it is your wheelchair! All it takes is a little bit of time, basic tools and materials that you can find just about anywhere to turn a normal production vehicle into a high speed workhorse ready to tackle your driving adventures.

Tires or Tracks

The first thing to do is to make sure your chair has heavy duty tires. If you can switch you tires to a track then this is the best option. It can be best described as a mini-tank. This way getting jammed on on something is nearly impossible. If you have to have tires I would go with a home-made sureflat.

Here’s how to do it (this is great for any tires by the way…mower, wagon, wheelbarrow, etc):

1. Purchase at least two cans of minimal expanding rigid foam.
2. Jack up the chair.
3. Drill a hole just large enough for the canned foam’s spray tube. I turned the tire/wheel assembly so the valve stem was at the top, and then drilled the hole in the center tread of the tire itself. I removed the valve stem insert as well.
4. Insert the tube into the tire and spray the foam into the tire. Watch for foam to start exiting the valve stem area; the foam will just have about filled the tire by that time. This also allows any air in the tire to exit. Replace the valve stem insert and cap to keep the foam from exiting.
5. Keep filling the tire. Do this until the foam starts to exit the hole you drilled.
6. Allow the foam-filled tire to remain jacked up for a few days to make sure the foam has cured.

After a couple of uses, the tire softened up some and started to get a flat spot when it sat for a few days. To remedy that, I added more foam.

Even if I have to do this a few times, eventually I think the foam will be compressed to a certain point where it will not compress anymore. If you don’t want to do all this, there are tire shops that will fill tires for you.

Or you can go the badass way and get yourself a track. This is basically an all-terrain vehicle. Now many have a price-tag…but seriously would you rather be alive or the living dead? Check out these actual awesome chairs.

Lights

I recommend Surefire Lights. Mount them on your rails or on the back of your seat. What do you get for an electronics junkie who has everything? You might consider getting this flashlight. It has the highest light power for the smallest flashlight body that I’ve seen.

It has two light settings which I have termed medium and awesome: The “Medium” throws a beam of 15 lumens for 47 hours. The “Awesome” throws a beam of 200 lumens for 2 hours.

The light turns on two ways -one is the button on the back. It is not a “click on/click off” button that you might be used to. It is a “push in and the light turns on, and take your finger off of the back and the light turns off” button. Push it in halfway and the medium beam comes on and push it in all the way and the awesome beam turns on. Let go and it goes dark immediately. At first I thought, well, that is interesting, but what if I want it to stay on permanently? No worries -it has a second method of turning the light on -just twist the end like a “mag-lite” and after a full twist the medium beam comes on, and after another half twist the awesome beam comes on. Now it’ll stay on as long as you like.

Unlike most of the cheaper LED lights that I’ve bought in the past, this light is very high quality -it is as solid as a brick and is made fully of anodized aluminum -no cheap plastic here! It is no surprise that you often hear the words “professional”, and “tactical” when reading about this light. These Surefire lights are often used by military, hunters, aviators, and law enforcement. It is the type of light you see on TV detective shows all the time, where the main character holds the light up and pushes the button on the back with a thumb, illuminating the darkest areas in whatever scene they are in. It is the kind of light which I would feel safe having while walking at night, because if I shone this in someone’s eyes it would definitely blind them.

This is the perfect light to take out with you walking at night, as it will fit perfectly in a pocket, and give you a measure of comfort knowing that you’ll be able to see really far away when you need to, or to blind someone or scare them if they begin stalking or attacking you.

The Surefire brand is made in America and excepting the batteries and the LED, if you register the flashlight there is a lifetime warranty.

It also comes with a lanyard so if you are doing something where you don’t have easy access to your pockets, you can just hang the light from your neck. (The lanyard, by the way, is a “break-away” lanyard. If you get it caught on something, and if you pull hard enough, the lanyard will break away -to prevent choking- and it is a simple activity to get it hooked back up again.)

By the way, you can also buy red and blue lens covers, if you wanted to change the white beam to a red or blue beam. I don’t have them but I imagine they would be very useful in night vision situations. Use high intensity lumen lights if you are not on board with Surfire.

Firepower

This topic is purely up to the reader. Whatever you can get your hands on as far as protection in an all out Zombie Apocalypse is for the better. When push comes to shove it is going to be everyman for himself. I recommend high firepower and lots of it.

Awareness

Always be aware of your surroundings. Always plan your trips. Travel in groups and for goodness sakes avoid the high traffic areas of the undead! These few precautions should dramatically prolong the your life. The more time that you have available, obviously the better you can prepare your vehicle for rough terrain, heavy loads or aggressive driving. Simply by going through these checks, you also make yourself more familiar with the vehicle and aware of its weak points, which will allow you to change your driving style and decisions accordingly. Good luck out there and keep it on the road.

As a tribute to Andy Taylor and for our readers. We wanted to offer our readers a 40% of coupon for the custom ZSE T-Shirt. With killer graphics on the front and back this ZSE shirt is to be worn with pride. Just click the graphic below or click here then enter Promo Code: POWER40 at the checkout! 40% Off!

Talk Soon,

ZSE

Check out our Zombie Swag Store!
https://www.facebook.com/ZombieSquadElite

U.V. B.O. Gear

I was talking to a buddy on the phone the other day about bug-out bags in case of a Zombie Apocalypse. He indicated that he had read somewhere lately that he should mark his map with three routes to his BOL (Bug-Out Location) and asked what I thought of the idea.

I indicated that, at least in my opinion, that it didn’t sound like a sensible OPSEC (Operational Security) idea. In a Zombie Panic situation there are many conditions that could cause your map to fall into the wrong hands. It could be lost or even taken by force, to name a few. In the wrong hands, you’ve just revealed where you are going and that place most likely has your supply of food and other self-reliance items. Other members of your family might even already be there.

My thoughts were that it’s not a bad idea to have alternate routes to your BOL, predetermined in the event of detours. I mean Hell, you never know when and where the Zombies may be heading. But you don’t want to advertise them. I believe in running your routes, before you need to use them and memorize those routes. In executive protection, the advance team and drivers always run various routes such as the hospital, airport, etc., so they are familiar with possible detours and become comfortable with the routes. The same should occur with Bug-Out routes. But in the event a family involved and something did happen to the main leader, a map could come in handy. So, upon further thought on the matter, I felt if you really wanted to mark a map, then you should do it covertly.

What I came up with was the use of a fine-point UV (Ultraviolet) marker  to make your markings, then use an UV light to see the markings. I happened to have used this technique for other purposes over the years so I knew it would work in this situation. I also have a couple of different small UV lights that could easily be carried or concealed in a pack.

This photo shows a fine point UV marker, a Streamlight Stylus with UV LED, and a Micron Freedom with UV LED.

This photo shows a map of an area where a BOL could be. This map already has three routes marked to a location using a UV marker.

This photo shows the marked route using the Micron Freedom with UV LED.

As you can see, this is a great way to make markings without other people being able to see them. This can be used for other OPSEC purposes as well. Let’s say you have some information that you want to carry with you, but don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. This could be phone numbers, lock combinations, or other personal information. You could write that information in an innocuous location on something that you have on you such as a piece of paper in your wallet. What I like to do is write inside a small book, in a location that I won’t forget. You could use odd pages, or always start on page 12, etc. Use a system you’ll remember.

This is a page from the Emergency Pocket Survival Guide which is very small and thin booklet. It could be carried in almost any survival kit or pack.

This photo shows how information could be concealed on a page of an innocuous book.

This could also work for information kept at your home or BOL. Just use any book sitting on your bookshelf and add the information you don’t want people to see with a UV marker.

Anyway, I thought this information might be interesting to people who want to mark their maps with various routes to their BOL without it falling into the wrong hands, or securing other private information. We could be hit with a Zombie Apocalypse anytime…..You never know! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Note: John D. McCann  is the owner of Survival Resources, a company that specializes in survival kits, survival kit components, and outdoor skills courses. He has also written two books, Build the Perfect Survival Kit  and  Stay Alive! Survival Skills You Need. Check them out!

Over and Out,

ZSE

How To Make Your Car Handle a Zombie Apocalypse

You don’t have to be a trained mechanic to zombify your vehicle, all it takes is a little bit of time, basic tools and materials that you can find just about anywhere to turn a normal production vehicle into a high speed workhorse ready to tackle your driving adventures.

Battery

Your battery needs to be tied down very securely if you plan on operating at high speeds, over rough terrain, or both. A loose battery will arc its terminals on sheet metal, flex and break its connections, or shift from its location and interfere with other moving parts. Batteries can be tied down with ratchet straps, bungees, paracord, etc.

Take care not to bridge the terminals with metal or any other conductive material, even touching the terminals together with a tool tool can let the smoke out of the wires or ECU. Cover the battery or at least the hot terminal with scrap rubber or plastic, even wrapping with tape will help prevent a catastrophe.

Tires

Standard equipment tires found on most sedans across the world are fairly thin, weak units. The sidewalls of the tires are especially prone to puncture, as the steel belts and other plies are typically found only in the tread section of the tire.

Over-inflating tires to 35-40 PSI will help to keep the sidewalls away from the terrain that you’re driving over, this will also keep a better seal between the tire and the wheel. Do not slide the car overly sideways on rough terrain, as this exposes your sidewalls to rocks and debris.

Specific rally-racing tires are available in a variety of sizes to fit most vehicles, these tires are designed and reinforced to handle very abrasive surfaces and rough terrain. Whenever possible, carry a full size spare and tools. Secure all of these as well.

Lights

Standard white lights found on most cars leave much to be desired. Replace bulbs with higher wattage units when possible. Also, it is important to understand that your headlights were aimed at the factory with other driver’s feelings in mind. In the States, left side headlights are aimed further inboard and down as a courtesy to other motorists, and headlights are in general aimed further down than is practical for expedient driving.

Find a level surface to align your lights against a large wall or even a deserted stretch of road. Rain-X not only works well on windshields but it keeps headlights clean too. Be sure to adjust your following distances on muddy roads.

Underbody

There are many vulnerable parts on the underside of your vehicle that will stop your trip in a hurry if they are compromised. Your radiator and oil pan typically sit fairly low, as well as fuel tanks, pumps and brake lines. With time and materials, you can do an excellent job of protecting these items, but we all know that there’s often no time for this. Scrap metal, thick rubber, plastic or even a road sign can make an adequate skid plate underneath the engine or fuel tank. I have a Finnish friend that once cut a piece from the wing of an old military aircraft in Estonia to fashion a skid plate in a hurry.

Slice small diameter rubber hose lengthwise and use it to wrap fuel and brake lines then finish it off by affixing with hose clamps or flex ties. Secure the exhaust system firmly to the body with mechanics wire or hose clamps at all mounting points.

Drive Time

These few precautions should dramatically prolong the life of a standard vehicle. The more time that you have available, obviously the better you can prepare your vehicle for rough terrain, heavy loads or aggressive driving. Simply by going through these checks, you also make yourself more familiar with the vehicle and aware of its weak points, which will allow you to change your driving style and decisions accordingly. Good luck out there and keep it on the road.

Talk Soon,

ZSE

How To Make a Mini Backpacking/Camping Kit

For the past year, I’ve been working hard at coming up with the minimal necessities I need while backpacking. By necessities, I mean hygiene items that give a good balance of size, weight, needs and wants. Your mileage is going to vary considerably from mine, especially for the females reading this, but what I’m presenting here is a Lightweight Backpacking Dopp Kit that I’ve developed, along with some thoughts and considerations on how to develop your own.

Mini Backpacking Kit

The first thing you have to ask yourself is “what do I need to sustain myself for “X” number of days?” Take a look at what you use on a daily basis and what’s necessary. What isn’t? Make a list of those items and then start to think outside the box.

You may find a few of these suggestions I’ll present to be gross, or not what you’d do and that’s fine. If you have a true desire to do more with less in the outdoors, hygiene items are a good place to trim weight. You’ll be amazed if you haven’t tried this yet. It’s neat to get your brain thinking about how to trim ounces. Take a travel size deodorant for example, do you really need all that plastic? The actual deodorant is all you’re using, right? As you’ll see in the photo, I’ve repackaged a travel-size deodorant into a small .25 fl. oz. container. I just use two fingers to apply it daily. I’ve done this with many items that you see here. I’ve even got a few that I don’t always take, but have shown just for their overall size. Below you’ll see the contents of the Kit, which is enough for 10 days and even way more than 10 days with a few of the items. This just means that there’s even more room for improvement and weight savings. Again, this also contains a few things I don’t normally take, but the maximum of what I would for a 10-day backpacking trip. Everything you see here weighs just 8.8 ounces together.

Contents

• aLOKSAK Bag (9″x6″)
• Toothbrush (cut down)
• Toothpaste (end of travel size tube rolled up and taped)
• Body Glide (repacked)
• Deodorant (repacked)
• Wilderness Wash (repacked)
• Sunscreen – KINeSYS 30 SPF (repacked in small spray tube)
• Bug Spray (small spray tube)
• Dental Floss (small amount on spindle)
• Gold Bond (repacked)
• Lotion (repacked)
• Light Load Towel (sealed)
• Dermatone 30 SPF (repacked)
• Aspirin (Bayer) – 2 Per Day / 10 Day Supply (ez-dose pill pouch)
• Ibuprofen (Advil) – 2 Per Day / 10 Day Supply (ez-dose pill pouch)
• Ginko Biloba (Altitude Sickness / AMS) – 2 Per Day / 10 Day Supply (ez-dose pill pouch)
• Aloe Gator Medicated Lip Balm – 30 SPF (original tube / could be repacked)

Considerations

The only thing not mentioned here would be toilet paper and that too can be repackaged by folding, or even getting those small Charmin To Go rolls. You can remove them from the plastic packaging and actually fit a roll in the same bag shown here, I’ve done that a few times and it worked out well. There’s some redundancy built into my contents here, as well as items that aren’t needed in certain situations, such as the Ginko for AMS if I’m not going into elevation. There’s also carrying sunscreen, but having the Dermatone for my face and the Aloe Gator Lip Balm being SPF 30 too. Another possibility to add would be repackaged hand sanitizer, but a mini bottle of that is easy to throw in a pocket. That small travel size toothpaste tube I’m using could also either be repacked or you could make toothpaste dots. The containers I used to repackaged most of these items were either Nalgene Snap-Cap Vials, Nalgene Containers, EZ-Dose Pill Pouches  (love these things) or  Polyethylene Containers from REI. I really like LOKSAK bags  for containing this kit, but overall they need to be replaced more often than I’d like. I’ve taken them scuba diving, backpacking, camping and just about everywhere. The only way that I’ve been able to truly guarantee they’re waterproofing the contents is to use a brand new one, or check a used one first by putting a paper towel in it and submerging it in a sink. That’s in no way saying they don’t work, but it’s always good to dirt dive them before you have to depend on them. Hopefully, if nothing, this look into my Lightweight Backpacking Dopp Kit has given you a place to start, if you’re looking to construct your own. Feel free to ask me any questions and I’d be happy to give you more info if I can.

Like and Share, Captain Smith of the ZSE

Protect Your Gear from Thieves with the Pacsafe Z28 Urban Security Backpack

Pacsafe has a comprehensive line-up of anti-theft products ranging from RFID blocking wallets to roll along luggage, and everything in between. For the past few months I’ve been testing the Pacsafe Z28 backpack which is part of their Heritage series.

The Pacsafe Z28 urban security backpack is one of the largest mobile security backpacks available on the market.

With a cavernous 28L interior main compartment, this thing is more than big enough to carry all of your technology needs and much more. It is constructed of heavy-duty polyester canvas.

Despite its size, the Z28 is very comfortable to wear with its quilted back support and fully adjustable padded shoulder harness with sternum strap and waist strap, both of which are removable.  For size comparison purposes I am 5 foot 11 inches and 225 lbs.

 

Taking a Closer Look

There are two main components to the Z28 backpack; the lid and the main compartment. Toward the back of the lid there is a fairly large zippered pocket that contains a plastic key loop attachment. This pocket can easily hold sunglasses, phone, keys, and other small personal items that you may need quick access to.  Just behind the top lid pocket there is a typical hauling handle.

Inside the pack’s lid there is an internal zippered pocket that is slightly smaller and has no organizational features. Both the external lid pocket and this internal one are not secure and can be accessed even when the Z28′s eXomesh ® locking system is in use. In other words, don’t store any valuables in these pockets!

The main compartment of the Z28 is extremely basic. There are no additional pockets or organizing pouches as part of the main body of the pack. However, there is a removable padded sleeve with two compartments. The larger compartment is designed to hold a laptop and is perfectly sized to take my 15″ MacBookPro. The smaller compartment is designed to hold an iPad or tablet device. A safety trap makes sure that your precious devices don’t slide out of the soft, padded sleeve.

At the heart of the Z28′s anti-theft security claim is its patented eXomesh ® locking system that is integrated into the very fabric of the main compartment of the pack. The eXomesh ® system consists of a braided stainless steel net or cage that is sandwiched between the rugged canvas layers that make up the backpack. You can easily see the mesh cage between the layers in what looks like a series of criss-crossing veins.

 

To utilize the eXomesh ® security system, simply cinch the top of the bag shut using the integrated wire cable. The cinching system uses a 2 foot long braided stainless steel security cable laced around the the opening of the pack. The cable runs through grommets in the top edge and between the sections of the inner mesh to create a fully enclosed stainless steel cage.

To lock the whole system in place, pull the affixed steel “lump” through the largest of the two holes in the plastic end cap and slide it over to the smaller hole so that is holds the cable in place.

Finally, place the provided hardened padlock through the larger hole and lock the padlock. The loop of the padlock obstructs the larger of the two holes and restricts the steel “lump” attached to the cable from passing back through, thereby locking the entire opening of the backpacking – simple yet very effective.

You can easily puncture the canvas layers of the backpack with a knife, but the only way to get access to the contents is with a pair of wire cutters. And while this may be easy to do for a prepared thief, the average opportunist most likely won’t carry a pair of wire cutters.

Locking the Pacsafe to a Fixture

Another very ingenious feature of the Z28 is its ability to use the cinching cable as a way to securely attach the pack to an immovable or large object.

To do this, simply wrap the end of the cable through an opening on the object. In this example, I’ve attached it to the underside of an office desk, and used the fixed loop on the end of the cable to attach it to the loop of the padlock.

This secures the bag to the object while at the same time securely encloses the contents of the pack in the eXomesh wire cage. It’s very similar to the laptop cable locks that many of you may be using.

 

Conclusion

While the Pacsafe Z28 may not stop a well prepared and determined thief, it will most likely protect against opportunistic crimes, and that’s what it’s intended for. The weakest point of this entire system is the padlock.

If you recall our earlier post about how to unlock a padlock using a shim made from a Coke can, you’d know that it’s not hard to pop open a padlock. Of course that still requires extra time and expertise that not everyone will have, but you get my point.

I wish there were a slightly smaller option of this pack available. The 28L main compartment is enormous. It’s definitely big enough to function as a carry-on pack for traveling and could even store a few changes of clothes in addition to your gadgets, but for day to day office or commuting it’s just too big.

Another great addition to this pack would be some internal organization pouches and pockets. It lacks somewhere to clip in a few pens, stash some power cables or adapters, and slot in a notebook (of the paper variety).

This backpack would be great for anyone traveling and staying in a hotel room or for additional security when locking items in the trunk of your car. I also like that it is a very discrete looking backpack even when the cable is deployed.

 

Like and Share this! Check out the packs if you are in the market. Great bag.

Talk Soon,

ZSE

Make Toothpaste Dots for Lightweight Backpacking

Making your toothpaste lighter? Yep, today I’ll be showing you how you can even trim weight on your toothpaste. I’ll admit this technique sounded silly to me when I first heard about it, but if you’re serious about trimming ounces for lightweight backpacking,  then toothpaste dots might be for you.

In my ongoing quest to make my backpacking dopp kit even lighter, I decided to test out a technique that a buddy of mine used on a camping trip. Between Seth’s experience and reading about toothpaste dots in Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips by Mike Clelland, I set out to make my own.

Toothpaste Dots

The gist of creating toothpaste dots is to first select a toothpaste that isn’t a gel. If you try to use a gel, you’ll get globs not dots. Plus, gel toothpaste never fully cures like the paste will. For my experiments, I used Sensodyne Pronamel (Paste) and Crest 3D White (Gel). To create toothpaste dots, you want to squeeze out a tiny dot the size of a chocolate chip. Next, use tin foil to squeeze your toothpaste on to while it’s drying out. The dots will be very easy to remove from the tin foil and I let mine sit for about a week before removing them. A hint is to write the date you started with a sharpie, just in case the days blend together for you, like they do for me. The last step is to remove the dots from the tin foil and drop them into a small ziploc, or my preference, ez-dose pill pouches. The ez-dose pill pouches are great to have around for a variety of reasons. I also use them to store Asprin and Advil within my backpacking minikit.

Before closing up the bag with your new toothpaste dots, sprinkle a little baking soda in so they don’t stick together. That’s all there is to it! You can now simply take out a toothpaste dot, toss it in your mouth, chew it a little bit and start brushing. You have already cut down your toothbrush to save weight, right?

Just so you have a general idea, the ez-dose pill pouch shown here with 10 toothpaste dots, weighs just .2 ounces. Much lighter than the 1/2 ounce plus weight of a well used tube of travel toothpaste. Another benefit with toothpaste dots is that you know exactly how much toothpaste you have.

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Over and Out,

ZSE

What do you think of toothpaste dots?