New Light on High-End Flashlights

With days getting shorter, flashlights get more use, especially in a combat zone. The Hobbit Hole has given away a number of Pelican and SureFire xenon and LED lights to the troops. These are high-quality lights, but are rather basic in design. This was done to keep our costs down.

While we won’t be giving away any more flashlights, some new, and more expensive, lights have come on the market. If you have the spare change, these new lights offer some very advanced features, but at an increased price. But these are lifetime investments, and are great to hint at for a Christmas present for yourself.

The picture shows, from the top, our standard Hobbit Hole folding knife, and the Pelican xenon light, both included to give an idea of size. Next is a light that just recently appeared on the market, the “Lightsaver”. At the bottom is the Blackhawk “Gladius”. If the Pelican is a Chevrolet, the Lightsaver is a BMW, and the Gladius is a Rolls Royce, and priced accordingly.

I’ll mention the Gladius first, because with a street price of $180, there’s lots of great features, if price is no object. Since price is an object to all of us, I’ll just metion the features, and go on to the surprising Lightsaver.

The Gladius features heavy-duty aluminum construction, and the one-inch main body diameter allows it to be used in a weapons mount. It, and all the other lights shown, use two CR123 lithium batteries. The end cap has both a pushbutton, and a control ring. The four settings on the ring include lockout, momentary on/off, and a dimmer position, where holding the button lowers the LED from full brightness to very dim. It’s a nice feature.

The fourth position is the most important one for operations such as checkpoints. It’s a seven-per-second strobe. When your eyes are completely adapted to the dark, being hit by this bright strobe brings several seconds of disorientation and confusion. Those seconds could be vital to you, especially at checkpoints and vehicle stops at night.

The brand-new Lightsaver, (best price I’ve seen so far, $79) is another LED with heavy duty aluminum construction. It also has a one-inch body, so it can fit in a flashlight mount. There is even a remote “tape” switch for it, but at $50 it adds considerably to the cost.

Again, its main purpose is not to mount on a weapon, but to be used in the hand. The pushbutton turns the light on with one push, and off with the second. However, if you hold down the button, you get the same seven-per-second strobe flash as the Gladius.

These are the first two pocket LED flashlights with strobe capability I’ve seen, and the Lightsaver costs less than half of what the Gladius does. $80 is still a pretty steep price, but it’s in line with other high-quality aluminum LED flashlights.

Both of these lights also have serial numbers, so if your fancy flashlight “wanders away”, you stand a better chance of recovering it.

I wish our military could give away flashlights like these to everyone who goes outside the wire after dark. I wish the Hobbit Hole could give these away for the asking. That’s not to be, in either case.

Instead, I just want to call attention to these new high-end flashlights so individual troops are aware of their existence, and can purchase these worthwhile items if funds allow. They will give a long lifetime of service.

Add commentNovember 9th, 2006 Posted in General, Troop support, Troop Tech

This Old Helmet, Episode 1

Introduction

The PASGT (Personal Armor System Ground Troops) helmet (“Kevlar”) has been in the US military inventory since the early 1980s. It represents a significant improvement over the steel helmet, which had served since the early 1940s.

The PASGT has provided significantly improved protection against fragmentation, but was not considered to provide significant ballistic protection.

The helmet could actually prevent penetration by fragments with as much energy as a handgun round at point-blank range. But the helmet would deform over two inches in the process, usually inflicting severe or fatal blunt trauma injury to the head. This lack of blunt trauma protection also meant the helmet could not provide any protection in automotive accidents.

In the course of developing improved helmets over the last few years, the old web suspension system, little changed from the steel helmets of the 1950s, was replaced by special cushioned pads that provided superior blunt trauma protection, and improved comfort.

These pads are part of the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), now in production. At the same time, various companies have developed update kits for the current PASGT. This brings the helmet up to the same level of protection as the new ACH.

Future articles will feature some of these upgrade kits. But whether you have a new ACH, or upgraded PASGT, the key to maximum protection and comfort is in fitting the pads to the individual wearer. This takes a little bit of time, but it’s an investment in your safety and comfort.

Fitting the pads

Whether you have an upgraded PASGT helmet, or a brand-new ACH helmet, fitting of the foam pads is the key to both increased protection, and increased comfort. It is also something that should not be rushed, because you are customizing the fit for yourself alone. A new pair of boots requires breaking in. These new helmets require time to find the best pad layout. Plan to spend at least two or three hours of “quality time” with your helmet, and you’ll be paid back with greater safety and comfort.

First, if the chin/nape strap is already attached, take it off. Leave the plastic H-buckles on, just take off the cloth strap. It’s the last item that needs fitting, and only gets in the way of working with the pads.

Next, a quick word about pad thickness. For the Advanced Combat Helmet, there are two different thicknesses of pads: number 6 (thinner), and number 8 (thicker). Both provide equal protection. The only difference is to assure the best possible fit with the size of helmet you’re working with. The number 6 pad is considered “standard”, while the number 8 is used for a better fit when the helmet is too large.

Oregon Aero, manufacturer of one of the upgrade kits, also makes a thinner number 4 pad. Again, it should be used only if there are problems in fitting. The approximate thickness of the pads is:
· #4: .07 inch
· #6: .09 inch
· #8: 1.1 inch

The round pad goes into the bottom of the helmet first. Try to get it centered as well as possible. Then the two “trapezoid” pads go in the front and rear of the helmet. The narrow part should be touching the round pad.

With those three pads in place, we’re left with the four oblong or rectangular pads. Some documentation mentions the pads may be oval, but I’ve never seen any. It’s these four pads that are the key to a comfortable fit, and the overall increased safety of the helmet. Adjusting these four pads takes up most of your time, but it’s also where the biggest benefits come from.

Most illustrations show the four pads arranged horizontally around the rim of the helmet. That configuration makes for the tightest fit, but that may not always be best for you.

The secret to a good fit is that these pads can be arranged horizontally, vertically, or at an angle. They can also be placed closer to, or further away, from the rim. Different pad orientation provides different fits, and one will be right for you. This is also where most experimentation will be done. The closer the pads are to the rim of the helmet, the tighter the fit. The closer to the center, the looser the fit is.

The most important thing to remember is to have the pad either cover the mounting hardware, like the A-nuts that hold the plastic buckles, or are close enough to these protruding items that they won’t be able to contact your head in a severe impact.

Take your best guess at pad orientation, and then place the helmet on your head. There should only be a slight amount of pressure, usually around the temples, when you put it on. Slap the top of the helmet to make sure it’s fully seated. If you’re still feeling pressure, the two front rectangular pads may need to be moved a bit.

Once you have a reasonably good fit, wear the helmet for about two hours to “settle” the foam pads. This is the most important part of a comfortable fit.

You should be able to move your head around without feeling any movement of the helmet. If you look down at the floor, the helmet should not fall off. The “lighter” foam in the pads is for comfort, and will take a slight “set”. It’s the heavy-duty foam in the base of the pad that provides the real trauma protection. That, in turn, increases the helmet’s ballistic protection.

After about two hours of continuous wear, if the helmet still feels good on your head, the fitting process is almost over. Now reattach the chin/nape strap, making sure none of the straps are twisted. Adjust the straps for a good fit, and check the final results in a mirror. The helmet should not be tilted either left or right, or forward or backward. There are several FMs that show how the helmet should look when worn properly.

This is more effort at fitting than with the old suspension system, where you adjusted the inner loop of the suspension straps, and you were done. But the payoff in comfort and safety is worth the extra work. As a test, I wore a properly-fitted ACH helmet for six hours straight with no discomfort. In the “good old days”, I could never wear my steel pot for that long without coming up with some excuse for taking it off, with the hope of finding another excuse for not putting it back on.

It’s your head. Invest enough time to keep it safe and happy by fitting it properly.

Add commentNovember 4th, 2006 Posted in General, Troop support, Troop Tech, Hobbit Hole Skunk Works

The Hobbit Hole basement, part 1

Even when you live in a Hobbit hole as comfy as the Baggins’ hole-into-the-hill at Bag End, you still have a basement where you keep your mathoms, those items that you don’t know what to do with, but are too good to throw away. Among Hobbits, mathoms are usually saved, and given away on birthdays. It’s a Hobbit tradition to give presents on birthdays, not receive them.

In the course of our troop support work, I’ve managed to acquire a few mathoms. It’s now time to give them away to any of our American troops who want them (no matter how odd the item seems to be).

The first item is an adapter that allows small diameter (under an inch) flashlights to be mounted on the accessory rails of a weapon. Flashlights in this category include the Mini Maglite, a flashlight familiar to almost all our troops.

In an earlier article, I mentioned my opinion that using ordinary flashlights on weapons is not the best of ideas. Everything might work perfectly, or the fragile lamp filament might fail on the first shot.

That being said, I still purchased three of these plastic adapters for evaluation. They do hold the flashlight securely, and lock onto the rail properly. However, an AA flashlight does not put out a lot of light. That’s just the nature of the beast.

However, if you want to experiment, these adapters are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Other AA flashlights might also work too, due to the adjusting screw on the clamp. You’ll have to supply your own flashlight, because I’m keeping the gold-anodized MiniMaglite used in the pictures.

There will be more items from the Hobbit Hole basement as I go through our mathoms, so keep looking for things that might or might not work (if it’s really junk, I’ll be throwing it away), but could be a handy gadget in helping you in the defense of America.

Add commentOctober 27th, 2006 Posted in General, Troop support, Troop Tech, Hobbit Hole Skunk Works

EOD Robotics grappling hook

Here’s another one of those gadgets I just could not resist. The Hobbit Hole may never buy another one, but this item had just the right combination of neatness and possible practicality that it deserved a closer look.

This is a small, pocket-sized grappling hook, not intended as a safety device that can be used to snag and pull down wires, trip lines, or small objects. The three spikes store inside the body of the gadget when not in use. It’s made by EOD Robotics, Inc, and has an aluminum body with stainless steel hooks. Here it is, next to our standard Hobbit Hole knife.

With some 550 paracord threaded through the end cap, this hook is rated at 350 pounds. That’s not enough for you to scale walls with, but it’s more than enough to tear down some wire or fencing without exposing yourself to enemy fire, or to move some suspicious object from a safe distance.

The body can also be filled with sand or water if more weight is desired to achieve a greater range. And if you leave the hooks stored inside the body, you can use it get a wire or line up to some location without worrying about things getting snagged. Further uses are limited only by your imagination.

This is a quality product, and the $75 price tag reflects that quality. If you can really use one, just ask, and it’s yours. If you can’t use it, let us save it for someone who can. That way we have more money for things that everybody can use, like knives, flashlights, and assorted safety and convenience items.

1 commentSeptember 11th, 2006 Posted in General, Troop Tech, Hobbit Hole Skunk Works

ZTS multi battery tester

Electronics have become almost as vital to the American military as ammunition. Portable devices like flashlights, lasers, radios, and NVGs all need batteries. You can count the ammunition you’re carrying, but you have to test your batteries to be sure.

I’ve heard from some troops that batteries are hard to come by, and others that they can get batteries by the truckload. In either case, you know your device is working when you head outside the wire, but you are never sure if they’re at 90% capacity, or 10%. And even if you have plenty of spares, the middle of a firefight is not a good time to replace batteries.

Because of this, our newest Hobbit Hole “product” is the ZTS battery tester. The military uses this brand, but we want to get the tester into the hands of the troops, rather than leaving the testers at battalion or brigade level.

This pocket-sized tester runs on four AAA batteries, and uses a computerized pulse test to determine battery capacity. This particular unit tests all 1.5v and 9v alkaline batteries, and 1.2v “coin” batteries. Even more important, it tests most 3v lithium batteries, such as the CR123. These batteries are common in NVGs, flashlights, and other high-tech electronics.

The Gunnery Sergeant who received a tester to go along with a large number of xenon flashlights and CR123 batteries said he was surprised at how much he was checking batteries before sending his Marines outside the wire. That convinced us that this would be a valuable item for the troops.

This tester is not overly expensive, costing about as much as a Camillus Rescue knife. However, we’d really rather not give it out just for some individual to check batteries on his iPod or digital camera.

So we’re asking that requests be limited to officers and senior NCOs who have responsibilities for troops working outside the wire who need to be certain about their batteries. I’m sure they won’t mind checking your camera batteries for you, but business needs have to come first.

Add commentAugust 9th, 2006 Posted in General, Troop Tech