After the year 2020 has been and all of the additional stress that has been added on to “the job,” the one thing every officer can probably use is extra down time; some recreational time away from work, disconnected from the Internet and news, just enjoying life. With that thought in mind, this year’s Christmas Wish List, crafted by our editorial staff and offered up as gift ideas you might explore for your law enforcement professional, focuses on recreational gear rather than kit for work. More specifically, it’s kit your law enforcement professional (LEP) would enjoy having while they escape into the great outdoors. Let’s take a look.
First and foremost, if you’re LEP is disappearing out into the woods, they’re going to need a way to carry all of their kit. The backpack needs to be sufficiently sized, comfortable to wear, and organized in a manner that allows for segmenting out different equipment needs, i.e. fire making, sleeping, clothing, food, first-aid, etc. With roughly 60L of capacity, the 5.11 Tactical RUSH100TM Backpack is available in black or Kangaroo (tan) and has an amazingly low MSRP of $187.49 (as this is written). This pack has been field tested by our Editorial Director on a backpacking trip in the Shenandoah mountains and functioned flawlessly. There’s a large bottom section where he stored his sleeping bag and pillow. The side pockets were used, one for his cook kit and the other for his water purification system. There are also smaller pockets/sections for food, clothing, fire starter material and more. The shoulder straps and waistbelt are well-padded and adjustable for size/comfort. Finally, although our Editorial Director didn’t try it out, the pack is hydration system compatible.
There are times, though, when you don’t want to have to take off your pack to access something as simple as… say… snack bars or a camera. Enter the 5.11 Tactical All Missions Rig teamed with the Two Banger Gear SetTM. The All Missions Rig is a chest harness that will support any one of several gear sets available, as well as the AMPC Pack (16L capacity) if you’re not going out for more than a night or two (most). The All Missions Rig has a 9”x9” platform on the chest that supports various pouches attached by hook-and-loop or hooks or both. The Two Banger Gear SetTM has two section pockets plus a “hidden” back pocket that’s big enough to easily hold two 3-round magazines (not that you need that out in the parks). There’s more than enough room to carry snack bars, binoculars, camera, compass and more – all easily accessed center chest on a comfortable carry system. You can wear it under the backpack and still have it on when you set the backpack down to rest for a few minutes.
If there’s one single tool every survivalist or outdoorsman will tell you is a “must have,” it’s a good quality knife. The knife doesn’t have to be huge but it does need to be sufficient to the variety of tasks you might require of it. Our recommendation is the MMM-1 from MIL-TAC Knives and Tools. This simple but sturdy (and very capable) knife will handle any camp chore you can imagine. Delivered in a nylon sheath with multiple carry options, it’s easy enough to mount on your pack, belt or shoulder strap.
When it comes to eating your food, that knife isn’t a fork or a spoon. Let’s face it, unless you’re eating everything with your fingers (or squeezing it out of a wrapper/bag somehow), you need a decent set of utensils that won’t fall apart or break when you need them. Given the depth of some camp food bags, you need utensils with longer handles than normal home flatware. For that, the Gerber ComplEAT set is pretty handy. With a unique pan-handled knife, a fork and a spoon, as well as small multi-tool that serves to snap them all together for packing, the ComplEAT is all you need for your eating needs.
To get that food you’re eating in a ready-to-consume condition, you need a fire or stove. If you’ve paid attention to the wildfires that have challenged almost the entire west coast this year, building a campfire might not seem the best idea. Having a smaller cook fire that is contained is obviously more preferred, and in today’s world of electronics (like your cell phone), if you could have a stove that generated electricity WHILE it cooked your food, why wouldn’t you? The BioLite CampStove 2 does exactly that. It generates its own electricity and has an internal battery to run the fan that helps to maintain your cook flame and heat at the desired levels. It also has a USB port for charging your portable electronics.
In the camp, both in and out of the tent, you need light. Since we’ve already ruled out a big campfire to provide the light, other options would be necessary. Depending on how much light you need or want, a handheld light might be needed with multiple light levels available. The new Streamlight Stinger 2020 is ideal for this application. Ranging in light output from 100 lumens (MORE than enough for around the camp) to 2,000 lumens (in case you want to see the space station from your camp site), the Stinger 2020 can provide you with 24 hours of light (at the 100 lumen power level) and if you’re using two hours of light per evening (as a general use average), that’s twelve days out in the wilds without having to recharge.
Inside your tent, you might find even the Stinger 2020 on low power to be too much light. The perfect light for this setting and application is the ASP DOT. This small USB rechargeable flashlight is literally half the size of your pinky and has a spring-loaded clip at the end ideal for hanging it from a loop at the center top of your tent. Producing 130 lumens of downward facing light (hung as described), the DOT will light up your tent for about a half hour if you just leave it on the whole time. Further, thanks to the handy (and short) recharging connector, you can recharge your DOT using your BioLite CampStove 2 while you cook your meal.
The last item we’re going to put on the list we actually have two options for. The item is a easily carried rifle. Many officers might think an “out back” rifle needs to be in a large caliber such as .308 or .30-.30, but many of the most experienced and knowledgeable survival experts claim a .22lr is the best way to go. You’ll rarely, if ever, need it anyway, and if you do it’s more than likely going to be for hunting small game. The .22lr is perfect. But which one? Remembering the “easily carried” requirement, a rifle that breaks down into easy to pack components is the way to go.
Our first recommendation is the Ruger 10/22 Takedown. The Ruger 10/22 has been around for decades and is one of the most popular rifles ever made. The Takedown version breaks into two segments – the receiver and the barrel sections – and can be purchased with it’s own small pack for carrying if you so desire. The second rifle we’d suggest is the Henry Survival AR-7. Dating back at least to the late 1960s, this rifle has been used by the U.S. Air Force for downed pilot survival and collapses completely into its own stock – which floats. The collapsed and stowed rifle would pack easily and can be put together if needed.
The last item we’re putting on the list, and one we’d include every time you go out to the woods even if it’s just for a day hike, is a hat. Yes, any old ballcap will do, but if you want one that really pays homage to the great outdoors, check out Dakota Defense and their line of ballcaps. Embroidered with wildlife and available in earth-tone colors, the Dakota Defense ballcaps provide you a practical service while looking good doing so.
So… that’s our list. In the comments below, let us know what you’d add or if there are different sources you prefer.
