From the monthly archives:

October 2009

ITS Tactical Flickr Groups

by The ITS Crew on October 22, 2009

We’ve just created two Flickr Groups for ITS Tactical and we need your participation!

The first group was started with Every Day Carry in mind, and as a way for our readers to share what their EDC consists of. We’ll be adding to the group by posting what’s in our pockets too, in fact we’ve already started!

Check out the EDC Group here! [Read More…]

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Developing Your Every Day Carry Kit

by TJK on October 21, 2009

I’d like to thank ITS Tactical for providing the opportunity to share knowledge amongst us readers. Hopefully you find this article helpful.

What should you carry in your EDC kit? It depends. I can’t give you the answer, but I’ll try to help you to start thinking about it.

Before we start, it is important to know that an EDC kit is not a Survival Kit or a Bug Out Bag. It should consist of just the basic items to help you answer quickly to situations that could arise during your day. According to my philosophy, an EDC kit should contain the fewer items you can afford to carry. You use your pistol to get to your rifle, and an EDC kit should serve the same purpose. It should serve your needs until you get home, get to your car or get some help.

First of all, assess your environment. Do you live in a tornado area? Or perhaps in an earthquake prone zone? Do you have to drive long distances to get to work or will you stay a few blocks away from home? All this questions (and any other you can ask yourself) will help you to determine your needs. I guess what I’m trying to say is why carry a fully fledged 1st aid kit if you will spend your day only a few minutes away from a hospital?

In my case (and I write this down just as an example) I do live in an area that has been hit by earthquakes and that could potentially be hit by a tsunami. We have occasional storms and landslides. There is a growing danger of violent riots, especially on certain dates along the year. Also I work 40 minutes away from home, so there is the possibility of a car breakdown or witnessing a car crash on the highway. These are my potential needs. What are yours?

Once you are clear about your needs, it’s time to plan how you will face them. What tools will you need in case these situations arise? Don’t limit yourself to emergency situations. Are there any tasks you do normally that would benefit from having a certain item with you?

So now you have your needs, and the tools you could use. Step three is thinking about how you’re going to carry those tools. Will you use your pockets? A carabineer? A fanny pack? Perhaps you can carry a small backpack. How about your cars glove compartment?

Only after you have determined your needs and your resources (space available and capability of weight carrying), you can start building your EDC kit. Don’t just jump and buy stuff because someone else has it in his kit you saw on Youtube. Be smart. Think about how you will use your tools. Perhaps there are some tools that can perform more than one task. Remember, you have limited space available, and any weight you can avoid is bad weight. Remove everything that has no real purpose or anything you really don’t see yourself using. Now you are ready to pack your gear. Place it in a logical manner. Things you will use more often should be more accessible.

Summarizing, don’t start building your kit based on the tools. Start with your needs. Once you know your needs, you will know what tools to take with you and what tools should stay at home. Practice with your gear. Find new uses for it. The more you know, the more practice you have, the lesser tools you will have to carry. A good exercise is asking to yourself: “If I could only carry 3 items, what would they be?” Remember to keep revisiting your kit. If you’re doing something unusual, or going to a different place, perhaps your normal tools won’t be of any use.

So, do you already have an EDC kit? What are your needs and how do you address them? Post your experience!

What should you carry in your EDC kit? I can’t give you the definitive answer, but I’ll try to help you start thinking about what you’ll need.

Before we start, it is important to know that an EDC kit is not a Survival Kit or a Bug Out Bag. It should consist of just the basic items you’ll need to help you quickly respond to situations that could arise during your day.

An EDC kit should be as light and small as possible. You use your pistol to get to your rifle, and an EDC kit should serve the same purpose. It should serve your needs until you get home, get to your car or get some help. [Read More…]

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Your Knives Are Safe!

by The ITS Crew on October 20, 2009

We just received this exciting email from American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) and wanted to share the great news with everyone!

The U. S. Senate’s Solution to Customs’ proposal to ban assisted-opening, one-hand-opening and other folding knives has passed in both the House and the Senate. [Read More…]

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CERT Community Emergency Response Team

by Bryan Black on October 20, 2009

I recently rogered up for CERT Training here in the D/FW area after reading about it in Neil Strauss’ book, Emergency.

The classes start in a few weeks, and I’m looking forward to helping out however I can.

If you’re not familiar with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), allow me to enlighten you. [Read More…]

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Knot of the Week: Snake Knot

by The ITS Crew on October 19, 2009

We continue our Knot of the Week with a decorative knot called the Snake Knot.

The Snake Knot is a common pattern in decorative knot work, and produces an almost round design.

We’ve constructed a Snake Knot Lanyard for this demonstration, with the intent to girth hitch it around something. [Read More…]

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Reduced Light Shooting Tips

by RSKTKR on October 13, 2009

The purpose of this article is to assist you in developing the skills necessary for effectively employing a semi-automatic pistol during a shooting confrontation in other than daylight conditions.

As a L.E.O. / Military / Security Professional, you will work in various low-light conditions. Therefore, you must be prepared to properly perform in other than ideal conditions. [Read More…]

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ITS Tactical Training Stand-Down

by The ITS Crew on October 12, 2009

We’ll be out of town this week gathering new article material, and attending training classes.

Have no fear, the regularly scheduled Knot of the Week will resume again next week, and we’ll try our best to throw up some teasers from our classes.

We have a few guest posts scheduled for this week as well, so stay tuned!

Thank you for your support!

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Reader Appreciation Contest #4 Winner!

by The ITS Crew on October 11, 2009

We’d like to announce the winner of our fourth Reader Appreciation Contest.

ITS Tactical reader “rkuntz” (#47 out of 48 entries) is the big winner of a RskTkr Consulting “Top of the Food Chain” T-Shirt and Wiley X PT-1S Shooting Glasses!

As with all our contests, we used Random.org to choose the winner to avoid any kind of trickery.

For the details on how you can enter to win, visit our contest rules page, and stay tuned for our next Reader Appreciation Contest.

Thank you to everyone who entered, we appreciate all of your support!

rkuntz, if you haven’t received our email yet, please contact us to claim your prize.

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Reader Appreciation Contest: Giveaway #4

by The ITS Crew on October 9, 2009

We’d like to introduce our fourth Reader Appreciation Contest giveaway, sponsored by one of our more active readers “sigshooter.”

Doc, as everyone knows him, owns and runs RskTkr Consulting, which teaches Combative Pistol and Concealed Carry classes.

Today Doc has graciously donated one of his “Top of the Food Chain” shirts and a Pair of Wiley X PT-1S Shooting Glasses to the lucky winner.

The winner, will have their choice of size from an Adult Small up through XXL. [Read More…]

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An Everyday Carry Belt That Won’t Sag

by The ITS Crew on October 7, 2009

Today on ITS we’d like to introduce the Jones Tactical Cobra 1.5″ EveryDay Belt.

Jones Tactical is becoming well known for his custom gear that’s handcrafted with the utmost attention to detail, and made in the U.S.A.

We’d seen pictures of his work and heard the praise before reviewing this belt, but words can’t describe the quality that Jones Tactical brings to the industry.

The EveryDay Belt is without a doubt one of the finest belts you can mount a concealed holster on. It does a pretty good job of holding up your pants too! [Read More…]

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