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Category Archives: Urban Survival
Firefly Navigator Compass – Plastimo Iris 50 Review
The Ultimate Night Navigator Compass featuring four Trigalight® light sources
This incredible hand-bearing compass has been specifically designed for use under the cover of darkness and is the chosen instrument of numerous military forces throughout the world. There is one UK company that specialises in police equipment that has even restricted the compass to police/military personnel only. In addition it is also used by adventurers, yachtsmen and travellers everywhere. However, its not just darkness that it excels in, as it is equally at home in daylight too.
The Firefly Navigator compass is essentially an upgraded Plastimo Iris 50 compass that normally comes with a Luminous/Glow In The Dark (GITD) base and has been switched to a Gaseous Tritium Light Source (GTLS) base which is a self powered light source that gives a constant and steady glow, needs no batteries, switches or bulbs and doesn’t affect your night vision. This is one compass that you can leave a well lit room and be plunged into total darkness of the night and still be able to read the bearings without waiting for your night vision to kick in to action. Instant Go!
At night your senses become heightened and things taken for granted during daylight hours take on a new sense of urgency. The possibility of something going wrong dramatically increases and to get home safely you need to be able to rely on your equipment. Plastimo are a French company that makes compasses for ships and boats, life jackets and other life saving equipment and just about everything else a sailor could need and have been in business for 50 years.
One of the great feature. s I like about the compass is that I can read the bearings without the need to put on my reading glasses (sign of old age) and that includes the prism. This has often been a failing for me when using other prismatic compasses. It is the ultimate in night-reading functionality with integrally fitted Swiss Tritium light sources, enabling you to navigate in total darkness through the prism and from above.
You do need a separate bearing protractor for reading bearings directly from a map as this compass dose not have an integral baseplate, with map scales or ruler.
This to me is no disadvantage as it is much quicker to get bearings to different locations on the map and in some ways is more accurate due to reducing user error with a baseplate compass. It is also the standard method for military personnel, although many carry a baseplate compass for backup navigation. Navigation Protractors are available in the UK in Mills and Degrees from Survival Aids
The oil filled sealed compass stabilizes quickly and can be used in boats or vehicles and has a soft bottom cell that prevents air bubbles forming in extreme conditions of altitude, temperature or just knocks from hard use.
The Plastimo IRIS 50 offers the ultimate in night-reading functionality due to four integrally fitted Trigalight®, enabling you to navigate in total darkness through the prism and from above.
Weighing only 105g and measuring 83mm x 33mm, the ergonomic design and non-slip rubber casing make it almost indestructible. The soft bottom cell prevents the formation of bubbles and leaks, and the red lubber lines ensure it’s easy to read.
The Plastimo IRIS 50 is also comfortable to use, waterproof to 50m and functional in temperatures ranging from -20c to + 60c. A must for all night trips, the IRIS 50 compass has a five-year warranty, which extends to ten years for the Trigalight® illumination.
Highly accurate, waterproof, extremely durable, lightweight and compact, this little gem is essential for those of you who push it to the limit long after sunset or do Stealth Camping, Guerilla Bushcraft or do a lot of night navigation. The downside is that the Firefly Navigator Compass is not cheap at a tad under £100, but anything using Tritium is not cheap and this has to be considered, but compared to the Issue Military Prismatic Compass the M73 Francis Barker they sell for £200 used and as they are made from brass and aluminium and are surprisingly heavy compared to the 1005 grams of the Firefly Navigator Handbearing Compass.
I have also had quite a few top end Silva compasses that have suddenly developed bubbles in the compass housing for no apparent reason and have already spent that amount once over and more on replacement compasses, this is minimised with the Firefly Navigator due to the soft bubble housing/cell designed to prevent this happening at extreme altitudes or temperatures. If you are not going to be doing enough stealth bushcraft, night hiking or night navigation to warrant the price then you could consider the standard Plastimo Iris 50 compass which is available for under £50 and used on ebay for £30 (ex MOD)
Available with MILS or Degrees calibration.
Firefly Navigator Compass – Plastimo Iris 50 Review
Specs
- Dual Function – Hand bearing and traditional compass
- Oil filled sealed North indicating unit
- Available in Degrees, Mills, and Combo of Degrees-Mills
- Accuracy 1.5 degrees
- Field of view (sighting) 20 degrees allows optimum conditions to take bearings
- Graduations– one-degree/twenty mills graduations
- Temperature range of -20c – +60c
- Ergonomic design – Neck cord for easy deployment
- Smooth, non slip casing, stabilizes quickly and can be used in boats or vehicles
- Integrally fitted Tritium (also known as BetaLite, H3,Trigalight®) lights for the ultimate in night reading functionality
- 10 year maintenance free service life, no batteries, switches or bulbs
- No parallax error as a prism projects the reading of the bearing to infinity
- Soft bottom cell prevents the formation of bubbles and leaks in extreme conditions.
- Easy to read direction indicator due to the red lubber lines
- Colour options available for enclosure, Olive Green, Turquoise, Blue, Yellow
- Waterproof to 50m
- Weight – 105g
- Diameter 83mm Height 33m
- Five-year warranty extending to 10 with the integral GTLS compass
Note some specs seem to vary so check with the importer for accuracy
Conclusion
This is a truly great and accurate, near bomb proof compass that should last the user many years. Its price may seem high but this should last you a good ten years which if broken down from the price I paid is £9.50 a year over its 10 year life span of the Tritium. Thats if I only use it once a year, and to be honest as I feel I can trust this compass 100% It goes with me all year round in my bag or belt pouch, urban, mountains or wilderness
The one downside I have had is finding a pouch that I can use on a belt but have found a solution to this as mentioned in the BRUSCA 48 Hours Challenge post by using a SAS Altimeter Pouch
Update –
Firefly Navigator Handbearing Compass (Self Illuminating)
I paid £94.95 for mine 😦
Platoon Stores are selling this model for £70 (Degrees version, but ideal for bushcraft, non-military survival as well as general navigation)
Firefly Navigator Compass – Plastimo Iris 50 Review
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Grappling Hook by Perry McGee
Grappling Hook by Perry McGee from the National Tracking School discusses the Grappling Hook designed for carrying under the seat of a LandRover during the 2014 Bushcraft Show, Derbyshire UK
In a recent conversation with Perry, he told me he has in production “a smaller man portable grappling hook, which is ideal for use as a survival climbing aid in difficult terrain or conditions by an individual or group” contact Perry McGee for more details and availability
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Pathfinder Axe by Perry McGee
Perry McGee from the National Tracking School discusses the Pathfinder Axe, a tactical tomahawk during the 2014 Bushcraft Show, Derbyshire UK
Pathfinder Axe by Perry McGee Available from www.thetrackingshop.com
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Chris Caine Talks About His Survival Knife at the Bushcraft Show 2014
Chris Caine and I talk about the Chris Caine Survival Knife during the Bushcraft Show 2014, Derbyshire UK
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Perry McGee Pro Tracker Mk1
Perry McGee from the National Tracking School talks about some tracking and survival books he has coming out and looks at his Pro Tracking Tool/knife during the Bushcraft Show 2014, Derbyshire UK.
This is my Pro Tracker Mk1
Specs for the Perry McGee Pro Tracker Mk1
- Blade Length – 6.5″ (16cm)
- Total Length – 270mm x 70 mm
- Blade Thickness – 5mm
- Handle Material – Linen Micarta
- Weight – 500g
- Blade Material – EN56
- Hardness – 54 Rockwell
- Coating – DuPont Teflon (Mk2)
- Sheath – Cordura with liner
Each MK 1 Pro-Tracker tool is supplied with the following:
- An instruction document
- A certificate of authenticity
- Tracking cord
- A pace counter
- Cordura protective sheath
- 2 x Measurement probes
- Fire striker and pin
Needless to say this has become my primary knife
Visit The Tracking Shop to purchase the Perry McGee Pro Tracker Mk1 or Mk2
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Shrunken Head Bead – Laughing Ninja
This is a recycled wooden bead with glow in the dark eyes (this one is blue) made by knife maker Ru Titley ( Ru-Titley Knives )
Seen here attached to the neck cord of my Brazilian Tarp Hat
Works great as a personal kit marker/locater and as a bead. The glow lasts considerably long considering it’s made out of powder, glue and voodoo and its small size, but is not over bright as to give you away and you only see it when you get close to 15 yards or nearer.
Really cool/useful accessory that adds that touch of style by a great craftsman
Shrunken Head Bead – Laughing Ninja
Shrunken Head Bead – Laughing Ninja by custom knife maker Ru Titley
Fenix EO5 R2 – Review
A Great Little EDC Torch – Fenix EO5
I was sent this great little EDC torch from BlackLeaf.com the compact Fenix EO5 is an ideal torch for everyday carry (EDC) where size and weight constraints dictate small and light. With its wide and powerful 27 lumen’s beam it makes for a great close search light for looking for lost items and gear, reading a map or book, dealing with a casualty at night and still powerful enough to navigating a trail.
Yet despite its size and relative low cost, the Fenix EO5 packs quite a punch and is a reliable torch; waterproof to 2 meters and impact resistant to 1 meter and is tough enough for expeditions, bushcraft, camping and ideal for including in survival kits and first aid kits as well as carrying for personal use.
Fenix EO5 runs on a single AAA battery and gives out 27 lumen output
There is nothing fancy about it s operation; no memory settings or lighting modes to contend with just twist on and off which can be done one handed. Simple and reliable and no buttons to cause accidental switch on. It is stiff enough so it doesn’t rotate accidentally while it is in you pocket or bag
Fenix EO5 Stood On End with my Swiss Army Champion Pocket EDC
Two holes at the rear of the Fenix EO5 allow for a split ring to be attached so you can add it to your keychain and a groove between them enables the split ring to tuck out the way so you to stand it up on a flat surface and use it like a candle.
The lens on the Fenix EO5 is not what most would expect as it is diffused as opposed to clear, this in practice gives a nice smooth graduating beam brighter in the centre and slowly fades out to the edges, the light is neutral/white in colour with little colour cast that can be seen by the eye. There are no circles generated or dark spots midway in the beam coverage and I feel this is one of the most important features of this light
With its IPX-8 rating and waterproof down to 2 meters it will survive river crossings or torrential downpours. It is also impact resistant at 1 meter, so it will survive most bushcraft and survival situations. If that’s not enough the Fenix EO5 also comes with a spare o-ring seal, 24 month free repair and limited lifetime warranty.
Digital Witch Craft Circuitry
The Fenix EO5 has a bit of circuitry built into it that regulates the power the the Cree XP-E LED which means the brightness is consistent throughout the battery life. This is not a torch that burns bright with a new battery then rapidly decreases in intensity as the life of the battery is reduced, meaning you get a consistent output of 27 lumen. This does mean that the battery life is shortened however and dies without much warning.
| Quick Tip |
| Use Lithium Batteries: you should get a runtime of about 5 hours and they are less prone to fading in the cold weather |
With this fact in mind, it is not a torch I would be using for signalling and rescue but use more as a utility light to make my life easier, for tasks such as applying first aid at night, map reading, reading a book or notes, finding lost objects and other similar tasks. It does make for a good compact backup torch especially as it is so small and light.
In Use
The way I work is to use/carry two torches, the first is a high powered, short battery life, with narrow beam and its primary use is for search and rescue for missing persons or essential kit on the hills or woodland and open areas, it rarely gets used, but there when the situation needs it.
The second torch is long life, low intensity light for doing tasks close up like map reading, finding my basha or other kit that may be temporarily misplaced amongst the leaf litter of a woodland floor; this light is my head torch. For anything else, or in a tactical situation I use my natural night vision or a tritium light source if I feel there is no one to see it in close proximity.
I am not a fan of using red LED’s or filters on torches to save my night vision either as all light can be seen in a stealth situation, and red light and map reading is not a good mix as roads and contour lines disappear on the OS maps It also does strange things when trying to examine a cut under red light and not good for first aid applications.
My personal view of the Fenix EO5 is that it does a lot of tasks well, but is not meant to be a big high powered beamer. It is certainly bright enough to run down a trail and has a good wide beam for that, this is something few head torches are good at.
In comparison with the little button cell and plastic lights like a micro light, it is obviously much more durable and waterproof, the AAA batteries are easy to get from just about any corner shop or can be robbed from other electrical devices at a push as they are a common size. The beam coverage is way better (Micro lights tend to have a bright spot/centre) and the colour appears to be neutral white. The battery is a snip to change and there are no other parts to fall out and can be easily done in the dark and even done one handed.
So where and why does this fit in with my current set up?
The Head torch has been ditched (it used 3 AAA batteries, which meant I always had one left over from a packet and had no place for) but more importantly with the Fenix EO5 it is the quality of light to me is the important factor and why my £45 head torch has been dropped. It is so smooth and neutral it makes tasks easier on the eye, more reliable viewing and less chance of missing a lost item in the beam of dark circles that you get with some torches. It is also durable, waterproof, easy to use and is less prone to being switched on un-intentionally than my head torch that had a sliding switch with multiple outputs and strobes/SOS modes. There is no need to take out the batteries in a worry to accidental switch on and battery drain.
As a torch for urban EDC the Fenix EO5 with its compact size will win over people who want minimal bulk and weight and I tend to have mine attached to my Swiss Army Champion which together fit in the fob watch pocket of my jeans. This works great for me in an urban environment and can still squeeze in a mini Bic lighter. Turning the torch up on its end on a table gives a nice light to a room when bounced of a white ceiling and better than a tea light or candle for when the power is out.
Outdoors I have found this to be a great little light; the beam won’t light up the whole woodland which is not what I want anyway, so that is a bonus. It is important however
By placing a finger over the Fenix EO5 you get red light which won’t affect your night vision. Although you may not be able to see the contour lines as they are a similar colour to the light source. In reality it looks a lot brighter to your own eyes than the camera has picked up. The green light is the Tritium on my compass.
to remember that what you see lit up can also be seen as lit up from a distance. Cupping your hand over the lens reduces the light beam down and is easy to do and can make a very narrow beam of light and reduced intensity. With your fingers containing that red blood and wrapped around the end of the lens you get Red – filtered light and can protect your night vision and as the Fenix EO5 is powerful enough to get the light through your fingers, it works as a tactical/stealth red light.
Medics stuff: Dealing with a casualty at night is no fun and in the past I have been using head torches and one always remained in my medical kit. I have now added an elastic headband with a loop at the side for the Fenix torch as in my opinion the light quality is way better than any small torch.
When dealing with a casualty, you need to be able to see clearly to make a proper assessment. If your torch is giving off all sorts of dark spots and bright spots in its beam pattern you are simply fighting with your torch! The wide diffused beam pattern is also good for assessing a casualty’s injury and its surrounding area. I’ll be adding another Fenix EO5 to my Wilderness Medics kit as a permanent fixture although mounted in the side of the headband you do get shadows, which is not a problem as it helps evaluate how deep cuts are etc.
Batteries: As for the shorter life span of the battery, I am running Lithium batteries, with a pack of four AAA costing about £4.00 I will get 20 hours runtime which is enough for my tasks outdoors and will cover me for a whole night of darkness.
Quality Of Light
OK, so I have been banging on about the quality of light and I though I had better explain. This is one of those things that is easier to show you in person than to explain in text form, so here goes.
Imagine its a full moon with no clouds and the moon is behind you, there is sufficient light for you to see when you have acquired night vision, sometimes it can be amazing as to how bright the moon is away from light polluted areas. If you were in woods you would find that it is harder to see than in the open as the shadows cast (yes at night) from the moon appear to be very dark (almost black) Note; its the same light source! Now hang in there…
Take the same cloudless full moon and again in the open but this time the moon is in front of you, again the same light source (OK, it can vary in season and distance depending on the time etc) but pretend you just turned around from the first scenario above. Your vision is now struggling to see as well as it did when the moon was behind you. The reason is simply the contrast between the bright moon that your eyes adapt too and the dark ground as your eyes are trying to over compensate for the brightness of the moon you are now seeing. Again, now in the woods with the moon in front of you it will be even harder to see in the shadows as the contrast range has just increased even more. Putting up your hand as if shielding your eyes from the bright sun (blocking out the moon) and waiting for your eyes to adjust you will be able to see better.
With a torch that has dark and bright spots or circles you are effectively trying to view the woods while the moon is in front of you with lots of mixed contrast between bright, not so bright and blackness that change as the torch moves, and means your eyes can’t adapt to the constant changes. This makes for haphazard searching and constant task for your eyes trying to adapt to the ever changing light and you would probably do better without the torch and waiting for your eyes to adapt to the dark.
In an urban environment, car lights, street lights, shop windows etc all throw up extremes of contrast that is too great for your eyes/night vision can deal with, blasting light onto the scene from a monster powerful torch just increases the amount of contrast, giving you the result of not being able to see and everything going black where the light is not pointing. So a powerful torch is not always the answer and the solution is about putting enough light onto the scene you are viewing.
The Fenix EO5 has a good quality pattern of light that decreases to the edges in a very graduating and smooth way meaning you can use the edge of the beam for adding just a little light to the scene and moving towards the centre for more light finishing in the centre for maximum brightness meaning you can control the contrast as needed. If you avoid using/looking at the bright centre spot you can also reduce your night vision loss to a point, depending on how much light reflects back from the scene (white paper, reflection from windows, wet surfaces and so on)
As for power, well as mentioned earlier you can have too much for your situation, light bouncing back will rob you of your night vision much easier than a low powered torch and the closer the objects are to you, the more it will bounce back. Imagine trying to read a map with a torch kicking out 200 lumen’s compared to one that only has 30 lumen’s.
As many urban areas are built up and enclosed (around 50 meters from one side of a road to another) the problem still exists of light reflecting back at you. In the open outdoors, a powerful torch comes into its own when searching into the distance of course like across from one hill to another and where the distant hill is too far away to reflect back the light you have put out.
The Fenix is certainly enough output for running down a trail and for most tasks outdoors, but it is not powerful enough for open searches on the hills and maybe a bit weak for a pure urban torch and something a little more powerful may be in order if you need to use a torch on a regular basis, like security patrols or police work; otherwise just move closer to what you want to view.
There are many tricks to enhancing your night vision by reducing the contrast of the scene and I will do a separate post on Night Vision, explaining about the cones and rods, how long it takes to acquire night vision and keeping it, as well as the best carrots to eat to name a few others.
Value
BlackLeaf.com (who by the way give excellent service) are selling the Fenix EO5 at a smudge over £16 which when compared to a head torch of any standing is quite a lot cheaper, if I take into account the amount of head torches I have had in the past that have been water damaged, crushed (plastic bodies and lenses) and failure of dropdown/adjustable lights breaking the Fenix EO5 wins hands down for durability.
For EDC I never really carried my head torch, some times it would get thrown into my EDC bag but with the headband getting tangled up, it was hardly a pocket carry item and the micro lights although flimsy, was my normal way to carry a compact and lightweight EDC light. Granted some head torches are now offering multiple light outputs (up to 100 lumen’s) and may run for 200 hours, but again what is the quality of that light?
I have given the Fenix EO5 4 1/2 stars, partly as it would be nice to see some accessories to go with it like pocket clips, filters, etc, and also it would be nice if the runtime was a little longer or a second lower power output if it could be kept as a simple switch that is, as I do like the simplicity of its twist switch!
Specs:
- 27 Lumens
- Runtime 2hrs 50 mins
- Distance 26 meters
- Intensity 177cd
- Impact resistant ! meter
- Waterproof IPX-8 2 meters
- Powered by one AAA batery
- Broad Beam System
- Twist Switch
- Bulb: Cree XP -E LED
- Weight 11.3 grams (including the battery!)
- Mesurments: 64.5mm Long 14.4mm diameter
SERE V Cutter
SERE V Cutter a useful little tool to have if you have been illegally restrained such as a kidnapping, ideal for journalists and NGO staff working in hostile climates
Check out LAW Industries for escape kits and escape equipment
#bushcraft #fugitive #survival #sere #escape #evasion #gorilla #gorillabushcraft #edc #everydaycarry #courses #v-cutter
http://www.survival-bushcraft.co.uk
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Quick Travel Tip – Conflict Countries
If you are having to stay in a county where conflict has broken out and you are in a hotel or similar try moving or getting a room on the first floor, it’s less further to jump if you need an emergency exit.
However make sure the view from your window is of a side street as less fighting and large artillery is often less intense on smaller streets
#fugitive
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Primitive Survival Skills 