In today’s connected and technology-driven world, it’s hard to go anywhere without the need to take along some pretty expensive tech gadgets. And if you’re a traveling professional, remote teleworker or anyone who works in a technology related field, then it’s even more highly likely that you have some form of laptop or tablet device with you – possibly both.

Unfortunately, with so many portable electronic devices being carried around these days, device and data theft crimes have skyrocketed. Though most corporations provide their employees with safety guidelines on how to best protect their technology assets and intellectual property when traveling, opportunistic device theft is still a major problem.

Smarter Travel Gear

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. In the photo above, you can see me wearing the Z28 into the office. For size comparison purposes I am 5 foot 8 inches and 155 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.

Pacsafe’s eXomesh® Locking System

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.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Brian is an avid lightweight backpacker and author of the popular Brian’s Backpacking Blog. Originally from Southampton, England, Brian has lived in the US for over 15 years, finally settling in North Carolina. His love of the outdoors started at a very early age, almost as far back as he can remember. Now he spends as much time backpacking as his work schedule and family life will allow. Be sure to check out his blog for other great backpacking tips & tricks and gear reviews.

Note: The model shown here is a prototype made from 3D printed plastic. The final version will be milled out of aluminum.

The BladeKey Bolt is a simple but well thought out device. Actually, you can probably guess how it operates just by looking at it. In a nutshell, it transforms your keychain into a pocket knife style key organizer.
No jingling. No poking. Just organized keys.

A Simple Design

The functional design of the BladeKey Bolt is something most will be familiar with. Anyone who has used a pocket knife will understand how it works because like I mentioned, it’s basically a Swiss Army knife for your keys.

Three different configurations of the BladeKey are offered and in two colors. You can order a raw aluminum finish color or black anodized aluminum model that holds three, six or nine keys. Let’s say you find yourself using the nine key model with only six keys, just add a few rubber washers and the sizing will be as snug as it’s supposed to be.

Build Quality

The initial BladeKey prototypes were made from ABS and Nylon Plastics and while strong, they eventually lost out to the look, feel and durability of aluminum. I’ve dropped and twisted this 3D printed version a few times and it’s withstood the abuse. I’m certain the aluminum version will only be better.

Bryan has the black anodized aluminum zip tie version, the BladeKey N9. That model was an early prototype as well. The Chicago bolt style is a big improvement over the zip tie version in terms of ease of use when adding or removing keys.

I know that the black anodized aluminum model will wear over time but I like having gear that shows signs of use.

Real World Use

The first thing I wanted to do when I got my BladeKey prototype was dump my keys from my normal keychain and start organizing. I quickly found out that only a couple of my keys would fit unmodified. The binding post barrel diameter is 13/64 in (approximately 5.15 mm), so make sure your keys have a big enough hole to accommodate the binding post.

Depending on what keys you have, you may be ready to rock and roll right out of the box but if you have keys like mine, you better start charging your power drill. The actual drilling was a fairly simple process and I made sure to do it with the most basic equipment. I didn’t use a vise and just held the key up against the drill bit and hit the go switch. Make sure to wear gloves in case your hands slip but it only took a minute on most of my keys.

These were the keys I wanted to add to the BladeKey:

These are the the keys that fit without modification:

Adding and Removing Keys

Once you get your keys prepped (or maybe you don’t need to), just unscrew the Chicago bolt, slide your keys on, screw closed the bolt and you’re all set. That’s really it. In just a few minutes, I was good to go. I tested it out on my door locks, mailbox and my car and it worked just as expected. No more noisy jingling keychain!

It’s simple to add or remove keys and I found that finger tightening seems to provide the best tension. Obviously the tighter you screw down the bolt, the tighter the keys will be but if you go too tight, the keys towards the outside will be extremely hard to open.

I’ve found that I like adding a small keyring to the BladeKey and attaching the entire setup to a front belt loop. This allows the BladeKey to be in my front pocket but not pulling heavily from the bottom of my pocket.

Notes and Critiques

• By removing the rubber washers, I was able to insert six keys and a USB flash drive in the 6 key model BladeKey. After trying that for a week, I noticed it wasn’t ideal though because the rubber washers help to keep the keys evenly secure.

• The obvious issue is that the BladeKey Bolt doesn’t fit all key types and some drilling/filing may be required. You can check the Kickstarter page for a sizing chart and key information. James, the creator of the BladeKey, also made a note in an email mentioning that he wanted to design and build the BladeKey from common off the shelf hardware. This was done for simplicity and to keep costs down.

• With a single side hinge, pressure on the keys can be a bit uneven making the middle keys more loose than the ones on the end. This really isn’t a big deal but I wonder if a dual-sided option may work better.

• In addition to using the larger rubber washer that was included, I toyed around with adding a smaller one to the middle of the keys. They were easy to find at my local hardware store and acted as a nice buffer/spacer.

Conclusion

I like it. I think it’s a fun and interesting way to organize my keys. A lot of people I showed it to also thought it was cool and are looking at getting one.

So, if you want to stop sounding like a janitor when you walk around, get yourself a BladeKey. Unless you are a janitor, in which case you should probably pick up a few.

Where To Get It

• $25 Pre-Order: BladeKey.com
• Source code for 3D printing: Thingiverse

Have some questions? Leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

In the video below, we show you a torture test performed on the Princeton Tec Charge MPLS Helmet Light. Check out the results for yourself!

I’ve always been a fan of flops and walked way too many miles in them. However, Combat Flip Flops‘ tag line speaks the truth. They’re bad for running and worse for fighting.

Started by two Army Rangers and a Bass player from Montana, Combat Flip Flops was born on a trip to Afghanistan in 2010 where a Afgan-owned boot factory worker was seen wearing a makeshift pair of flip flops using the sole of a combat boot.

Combat Flip Flops’ goal is to manufacture in Afghanistan with the belief that a strong economy will sustain the gains made over the last decade. As international forces withdraw in 2014, the mature Afghan National Army and Police are taking the lead. Footwear manufacturers in Kabul depend heavily on military contracts, so any decrease in volume has a huge impact on operations. Unfortunately, the decline came faster than expected and the plant where Combat Flip Flops were about to begin production, could not sustain operations on supplemental flip flop volume alone.

In response, the Combat Flip Flop team went to work in December designing and building a micro-manufacturing facility in Issaquah, WA to fulfill the backlogged orders. While current production is in WA, the team intends to expand production to Afghanistan, Libya and Syria in the next few years, based on demand.

Tuck Tuck

While I wear flops on a regular basis, I’m always diligent about having a pair of shoes or boots in my vehicle for situations when flops just won’t cut it. That aside, the pair of Tuck Tuck Combat Flip Flops I’ve been kicking around for close to a year now are probably THE most comfortable pair of flops I’ve ever owned. I’m not just saying that for the sake of a good review either.

The cushion in these is worlds above any other pair I’ve owned, they’re squishier than Apu’s Quick-E-Mart! Thanks to a nice suede deck, they’re also soft. I’ve worn most all of the major brands of flops; Flojos, Reef, Rainbow, you name it. One of the biggest differences between those brands and Combat Flip Flops is wear. After a few months the foam wears out and my feet leave impressions in the decks. With this pair of Tuck Tuck’s I haven’t noticed that at all and they still feel as comfortable as the first day I started wearing them. The combat-boot grade rubber tread has hardly worn at all either.

I will say this, there’s no way anyone will miss seeing you while you’re wearing these. To quote the Tuck Tuck description on the Website, they’re “visible from space on a cloudy day.” The other features include a patent leather upper, EVA medium density midsole, quilted suede deck and chrome poppy hood ornament for extra bling.

The Combat Flip Flops lineup includes men’s and women’s flops with a few styles to choose from. Adorned with embellishments like chrome poppies and hand grenades, each model ties in to the Afghan culture and creates a connection with the wearer. Non-traditional assembly methods are also utilized, including old aircraft ovens and old school hand-labor.

Check out Combat Flip Flops online to pick up a pair today, just don’t blame me when people start staring at your feet!

Today I’ll be taking a look at the Jones Tactical 2″ FatZombie Duty Belt. The FatZombie is unique and is by far the best duty belt I’ve ever worn. My hope is that this article will help you make an informed decision if you decide to pull the trigger on a FatZombie.

I’ll be the first to admit that until recently, I just dealt with the duty belt I was issued and didn’t give it much thought. But like other equipment, there comes a time where it makes sense to switch to new material technology and design. If your agency is like mine, they go with the lowest bidder, which in our case is Uncle Mike’s. Not to knock Uncle Mike’s (they are made in the USA), but the belt I was issued 9 years ago was no different in material and technology than the Uncle Mike’s belt I was issued as an MP in the Army 17 years ago.

I guess you could argue, “why change something that works?” For some people this is perfectly fine, but for those that are reading this, evolving with equipment and training is a way of life.

A Brief History

I was fortunate to correspond with Richard (owner of Jones Tactical) during the writing of this article and ask a few questions about the belt. Richard keeps pretty busy between sewing and training and this shows his commitment to putting out the best products possible and staying current in the industry.

According to Richard, the belt was first prototyped around 2007 and was developed due to the weakness of the standard plastic buckle. The Cobra buckle was a no-brainer as a replacement to the common plastic buckles used at the time (and even currently). Using a Cobra buckle posed some design challenges, as the standard belt placement couldn’t be used due to the width of the belt and the smaller inner width of the Cobra buckle. Thus, a new overlapping design was used. Richard also saw that most belts were not stiff enough so he used scuba webbing to stiffen the belt.

I asked Richard about the name FatZombie, as this belt was developed before the recent fad of everything “Zombie.” Richard said the name came from a friend who helped him R&D the original belt. That friend’s paintball tournament nickname was “FatZombie” and it ended up sticking.

Hardware

The FatZombie uses the AustriAlpin Cobra Buckle and heavy-duty hook and loop. Bryan has covered the specs of the Cobra Buckle in other articles but here’s a recap:

1. They’re made of Aluminum so they don’t rust. Anyone that’s worked around the ocean can attest to how rusty metal buckles and v-rings can get.
2. They’re strong! a 2000 lb. load capacity is what paragear.com quotes.
3. They can’t be opened under tension. One side will disengage if under tension, but will not release. When the tension is released the side will then re-lock.
4. From #3, if one side of the two clasp system is disengaged the buckle will not open, both clasps have to be depressed to release.

The Cobra Buckle is leaps and bounds better than any plastic duty belt buckle on the market. The specs speak for themself and you’d be hard pressed to come close to exceeding the capabilities of the buckle on a non life/load bearing LEO duty belt. Overkill? Perhaps, but you’ll know your buckle won’t break or come undone.

Not without possible flaws, one of the first things I thought might pose an issue with the use of a Cobra buckle on a duty belt, was racking my pistol’s slide on it when doing malfunction drills. In my case, I find the belt buckle area to be more consistent than the lip of my holster or other area. On my old belt, I would use the webbing next to the buckle, as the plastic buckle itself wouldn’t consistently rack the slide.

With the Cobra Buckle, the top of the buckle is almost perfect for catching the rear sight of my pistol and racking the slide. The top of the release mechanism did come undone a few times, but the design of the entire system kept the buckle from coming unlatched. This is the beauty of the Cobra, you have to release both sides at the same time and when not under load. While nothing is impossible, it is HIGHLY unlikely you will undo your buckle while performing malfunction drills.

The uniqueness of the Cobra buckle may bring up some other issues when being used around people who don’t know how to operate the buckle system. If your partner, zone partners, or backup are not familiar with the buckle they may have issues removing your belt in an emergency situation (without cutting it). This is something to consider, as I’ve had other colleagues look at my belt and not know what a Cobra buckle is.

That being said, a buckle resembling the Cobra is used here in Tampa at Busch Gardens on the newest Cheetah Hunt roller coaster and no one seemed to have trouble getting out of the seats the last time I was there. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

Looking at the overlapping design of the FatZombie, you’ll see that the heavy duty hook and loop really takes the load and tension of the belt. The Cobra Buckle in most cases is not “loaded” so taking the belt on and off isn’t a hassel. If you’ve ever tried to release a Cobra under a slight load you know what I’m talking about. This will depend on how you have your belt set up however.

Materials and Sewing

The FatZombie is built like a tank and has several “layers” of webbing sewn together to form the belt. We’ll talk about the materials in a second, but I want to touch on something important first.

Since each belt is made to the user’s specifications, the overall thickness of the belt will depend on how you order it. In my case I ordered the belt with no internal hook and loop. This is important to understand for LEOs’ who have different types of accessories mounted to a belt. Your OC, COBAN, or flashlight pouch may have a small mounting tolerance compared to your pistol holster. My rotating ASP holder has only 8mm (0.315 in.) of mounting space and is a pain in the butt to get on the FatZombie. Compare that to my Safariland Glock magazine pouch (which is now used and stretched out) that has a whopping 18mm (0.708 in.).

Most manufacturers design their accessories around a nylon or leather duty belt, which by most standards is thin and flimsy. This is even if the nylon belt has two layers of webbing sewn together. The Uncle Mike’s belt I’m issued is two layers of webbing, but it twists with ease and isn’t very rigid. The main part of the belt is only about 5mm (0.196 in.) thick, however it’s 10mm (0.393 in.) thick near the buckles as the belt is folded over with hook and loop.

Getting back to the FatZombie: The main body of the belt is sewn with two layers of sandwiched 2″ scuba webbing and one layer of 1.75″ type 13 4088 webbing is sewn to the outside. This outside layer is what the COBRA buckles are attached to. Scuba webbing is designed to be very ridged and usually (depending on manufacturer) rated at about 7,000 pounds breaking strength. The type 13 webbing is typically rated at 5,500 pounds breaking strength. No need to do the math, the FatZombie blows the doors off your typical nylon duty belt.

The stitching of the belt is top notch and you can tell Richard puts a lot of time and effort into making these. Even knowing what little I do when it comes to sewing, I would imagine there’s a lot of sweat built into each of these belts and the sewing machine probably hates when one of these is on deck.

My belt has no internal hook and loop, as I didn’t order the inner pants belt. This is just my preference as I like to use keepers instead of hook and loop. My offhand shooting training has always been to pull the holster with my left hand to access my pistol, which requires the belt to slide and give a bit. This is just personal preference and I’m sure the hook and loop version is rock solid.

Since I dont have the inner hook and loop, the overall thickness of my belt is 6mm (0.236 in.) in the sides and back. In the front where the 1.75″ webbing is doubled over and where hook and loop is used to secure the tails, the belt is 10 to 11mm (0.433 in.).

So what does all this mean? As I mentioned my ASP holder is only 8mm and of course with my luck it has to go up front where the belt is at 11mm. I had to push, pull and swear my way to get it to fit. As you see in the pictures, I didn’t put it back on after stripping the belt for the photos. Make sure your accessories have the tolerance to fit on the FatZombie before you buy it.

Sizing

This is where things can get a bit interesting and you have to realize that the FatZombie is specifically designed to be used over your pants belt. Also consider that your pants belt size is most likely different than plain clothes as (depending on your uniform) you have to tuck in your undershirt, concealed ballistic panel tails and uniform shirt into your pants. My duty pants size is one size larger than my normal pants size (well I do wear one size larger anyway since I carry IWB off duty, but you get my drift). This isn’t a retrofit “riggers belt” that you throw your gun holster on. In my case, where I didn’t order the inner hook and loop belt, I ran into a issue on my end choosing a pants belt.

With my old duty belt I wore either a VTAC or 215 Gear Cobra belt as my pants belt. This worked fine as the Cobra Buckle didn’t really create any bulk up front. The problem I had with the FatZombie was the way it has an overlapping front closure system. If I wore either of the Cobra pants belts there was way too much bulk up front. I was able to slide the pants belt Cobra Buckle to the side to help prevent this but it was still too bulky. Even a standard old school Blackhawk Rigger’s Belt didn’t work well.

If you end up without the hook and loop inner belt you’ll have to either compromise with some bulk up front or find a low-profile pants belt. I did find the perfect solution (in my opinion) with the Volund Gearworks ATLAS Belt. The ATLAS belt is super low-profile as it uses a ITW G-Hook up front and a unique webbing system for it to hook onto. The ATLAS is also bombproof and really deserves an article of its own. I couldnt be happier as both of these belts work so well together.

You may also have to switch your keeps (if you are using them) to a longer/larger size up front. I had to switch three of my keeps up front to a longer size, but I was able to use two standard sizes in back. This will depend on how you have your belt setup. This is just food for thought though, as you may have to swtich them out and having this in mind before the belt arrives will save you some grief up front.

Final Thought

While there are other belts on the market that use plastic stiffeners or other materials, you’ll be hard pressed to find one that is as stiff as the FatZombie. Most of those belts are designed to go in a war belt or are not specific to LEO type setups. While they may work, the FatZombie was built from the ground up to be a “duty” belt.

I had several questions about the size and options when ordering my belt. Like buying boots online and without having something “in hand” to look at, buying a belt online can be a daunting experience. Richard was able to walk me through the process and make me feel comfortable about the choices I made. If in doubt give him a call or email and he can square you away.

Law Enforcement equipment is slowly catching up to the lessons learned in the military and I feel uniforms and duty equipment will be changing over the next few years. I just had a conversation with a major armor representative and this is certainly true on the armor and load carrier industry. American small business owners like Richard are ahead of the curve and providing some of those materials and hardware right now. Don’t wait for your agency to issue you better gear, you are just settling for the lowest bidder! It’s out there, you may have to just go get it on your own.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and thanks for checking out the Jones Tactical FatZombie Duty Belt review. You can order yours direct from Jones Tactical here.

I’ve personally been a huge fan of Kickstarter for some time now and have backed a handful of projects to help fellow entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground. For instance, I can’t wait to receive my Fellhoelter TiBolt Pen!

A project I’ve recently backed is from Tarik Lazri, called Tough Hook. This hanger was designed by Lazri to support heavy equipment like body armor and Scuba gear. You may find the design of the Tough Hook to be similar to the World’s Strongest Coat Hanger that I reviewed here on ITS last year.

While the design may seem similar, the Tough Hook has a few unique features that I really like. For instance, the main feature is the ability for the hanger to “flip over” and turn into a carrying device for your body armor. I think this is a great feature if you need to quickly go from hanging your body armor/plate carrier to transporting it. Lazri states that the handle opening is large enough to get a gloved hand inside of too.

The other feature I like are the opposing hooks on either side of the hanger to keep the straps on your plate carrier from sliding off. This is great for things like plate carriers and body armor and much needed for those, but it also doesn’t completely take the place of the World’s Strongest Coat Hanger’s for other applications. I’m certainly going to be replacing a few of my current hangers with the Tough Hooks, but not all of them.

I mention this just to drive home the point that both of these type of hangers serve different purposes and there’s certainly a need for both. The Tough Hook is a product I’m excited to see getting developed, as one of the things on my wishlist for the WSCH was to have something integrated that would secure shoulder straps better than the small cut-outs they feature.

Check out Lazri’s video I’ve embedded below and head over and help back his Tough Hook Kickstarter Project if you can. Even if you don’t want one for yourself, he’s got a backer level for $20 where he’ll send one to a deployed soldier. I know plenty of deployed guys that could really use these.

Photo and Video via the Tough Hook Kickstarter Project page.