RECOIL OFFGRID Gear Gear Up: Spring Into Action
In This Article
Welcome back to Gear Up, your go-to guide for the latest in survival gear and preparedness tools. This edition is packed with innovations and tried-and-true classics that are essential for staying ready for any situation. From cutting-edge tech to reliable gear, we aim to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to stay ahead of the game. Whether you're gearing up for the unexpected or fine-tuning your survival kit, join us as we take a closer look at this month's must-haves.
As winter’s grip loosens, we welcome apricity filtering through thawing branches. Though frigid days linger, we turn our eyes to trusted gear, knowing spring's arrival brings unpredictable weather and mud-laden trails. With snow still blanketing parts of the nation, we prepare by sharpening blades, inspecting packs, and awaiting the first signs of green returning to the landscape. As migratory birds reappear, so does our longing for campfires, fresh air, and open trails. It’s time to lace up our boots and step into the wild places once again.
WEIGHT: 2 pounds, 7 ounces
MSRP: $400
URL: nemoequipment.com
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The three-season Nemo Riff sleeping bag offers a customizable sleep experience with its Spoon silhouette, providing extra room at the elbows and knees while trimming bulk in the feet and shoulders, ideal for restless sleepers. Next-gen Thermo-gills on the chest regulate airflow, adjusting comfort with temperature changes. A PFAS-free waterproof head and foot box keep condensation at bay. Available in 15- and 30-degree options, Riff comes in regular (fits up to 6 feet) or long (up to 6 feet 6 inches). Nemo’s Endless Promise ensures full recyclability — just send it back and Nemo will take care of the rest.
Material: Ground wood fiber and wax
MSRP: $20
URL: outdoorelement.com
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Starting a fire in the woods or even the backyard can be a challenge if you don't have the right materials. Sometimes a ferro rod and scraper struggle to bridge the gap when weather conditions have left you out in the cold with wet tinder and low chance of success without an assist. Fiber Light by Outdoor Element may be just what you need to get warmed up. Made from finely ground wood fiber and wax, this nontoxic accelerant is packed in a pocket-size tin you’re certain to get a flame from with just a pinch. Once started, you can quickly thaw your fingers for 3 to 7 minutes. Or you can slowly add your own not-so-dry tinder until you've got a fire even Jeremiah Johnson would be proud of. Fiber Light offers three different-sized tins, pre-compressed Fiber Light nuggets, as well as two different-sized refill bags. Each tin comes with a ranger band and a scraper with integrated emergency whistle.
Blade Length: 21 inches
MSRP: $175
URL: shanklehomesteadleatherworks.com
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The Homestead Bucksaw is a hardwood frame foldable and packable saw, like granddad used when he was a lad. Keeping to tradition, the frame is treated with boiled linseed oil to aid in longevity and durability by sealing out the elements. Each saw comes with a tough, waxed canvas sleeve, completing a streamlined neatly finished package for added protection from inclement weather as well as keeping this tidy package together. Because the classic design only has a handful of parts, the Homestead Bucksaw is easily assembled even with cold or gloved hands. Securing the saw blade in place is solid rust and corrosion-resistant brass hardware and a leather strap closure. This saw is a splendid example of what going back to our roots with simple, well-built tools looks like. Handmade on the Shankle Homestead, the Bucksaw is offered in red oak, maple, or hickory. The frame is sleek and smooth with no rough edges, making it a pleasure to use.
Insulation: 1,000 grams Thinsulate
MSRP: $190
URL: gomuddy.com
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Say goodbye to cold toes. The Muddy DV8 Insulated neoprene rubber boot is 17 inches tall with 1,000 grams of Thinsulate insulation. The boots are 100-percent waterproof and rated to keep feet warm as low as -50 degrees F and comfortable in temps up to 50 degrees F. This wide range of protection allows you to prolong your time spent on the ice or in the woods with the DV8 boots. As anyone who spends time in the cold knows, once your feet get cold the fun is officially over. Muddy Outdoors uses a FeatherTech footbed support system making the DV8 feel less like a heavy-duty cold weather neutralizer and more like a tall cross-trainer. We had no problems navigating steep inclines in challenging terrain, frozen lakes, or unplowed parking lots while testing them. At 17 inches tall, the Muddy DV8 has you covered should you find yourself standing in not-yet-frozen puddles, hunting waterfowl, or shoveling your suburban driveway. If mobility and heat retention are high on your list of needs, these are worth your consideration.
Material: Waxed canvas
MSRP: $350
URL: lrbushcraft.com
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Lester River Bushcraft is well-known in the bushcraft community for its high-quality, durable, and thoughtfully designed gear. Originally known for the Wool Field Shirt, LRB has expanded into year-round outerwear, including the waxed canvas Field Shirt — a rugged yet feature-packed jacket. At first glance, it looks simple, but it’s packed with practical design elements. It features two large, outer side pockets with tie-down loops, two easy-access chest pockets, and two spacious internal zip pockets for secure storage. These interior pockets keep essentials close while leaving outer pockets free for quick access. Built for durability, the doubled-up elbow reinforcements protect against abrasion, while the anorak-style hood and gusseted neck seal out wind and water. Generously sized armpit zips allow for ventilation when needed. While waxed canvas isn’t fully waterproof, it provides excellent water resistance without the harsh chemicals found in many waterproofing treatments. Designed for versatility and resilience, the Field Shirt is a reliable choice for outdoor enthusiasts.
Steel: CPM3V
MSRP: $350
URL: knivesbynuge.com
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The Bruin is offered in two blade styles: saber grind and Scandinavian (Scandi) grind. The saber grind is geared toward your dedicated hunting applications such as field dressing, chopping, and heavy-duty cutting, as the edge of the blade is thicker. A Scandi grind is a multi-use blade profile that excels in slicing and carving tasks, because the edge is thinner. To make up for the thinner edge, Nuge uses 3/32-inch CPM3V tool steel for the blade of the Bruin. CPM3V is very resistant to wear and is known for its toughness. It’s used industrially as dies, punches, and shear blades. Overall, the Bruin is 8.25 inches in length with a sharpened 90-degree spine for use with ferro rods and currently comes with a Badger Claw Outfitters leather sheath. The handle is slender and modestly sized. This helps a good deal if you’re using the Bruin while wearing cold weather gloves, but may feel a bit scant if you’ve got large hands. The Bruin is available in OD green and natural Micarta as well as blue, orange, and green G10 grip scales.
Power Capacity: 15000mAh, 3.7 / 55.5W
MSRP: $249
URL: unchartedsupplyco.com
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There’s no such thing as a great time for a flat tire or a dead battery. Thankfully, Uncharted Supply Co. released their Zeus Air Jump Starter and Inflator. This is an intelligent addition to your vehicle, because it saves you from depending on outside help and inviting a stranger into your vulnerable situation. When you're at home and see you’ve got a flat or low tire, this isn’t likely a dire circumstance. It’s when you return to the parking lot after work or a grocery run that the possibility for trouble is ripe. Zeus can jump up to an 8-liter gas engine and a 6-liter diesel and pumps out 40 liters of air per minute. While this may not be as fast as your home air compressor, the compromise is that this tool will fit in a center console.
VOLUME: 130dB
MSRP: $320
URL: nextorch.com
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The Nextorch ND30B is a highly recommended option for those who take training seriously. Flashbangs and other single-use distraction devices get expensive very quickly. The ND30B is an auditory and visual disruption electronic “flash bang.” With 11,000 lumens of disorienting strobe and 130dB of audio output, this professional-grade device has four deployment modes and activation delays. Choose the mode best suited for your scenario. You can get as many as 4,400 uses from a single charge in mode 1 or as few as 65 in mode 4 where you get 12 seconds of continuous strobe and sound. Powered by a built-in 18650 USB type-C rechargeable battery, this is a rugged device, ready to be tossed into a room or set up as a trip wire activated early warning device. Using the same footprint as the 7290 flashbang ensures there are plenty of options available from companies you trust for attaching the ND30B to your support gear.
Protection: IIIA+ HG2
MSRP: $399
URL: rtstactical.com
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RTS’s new Ballistic Compression Shirt is the latest addition to their sprawling line of protection products. Their reasoning for the compression shirt is to offer low-profile protection to security-minded citizens at a price that’s affordable. This shirt is designed to stop the most common ballistic threats and integrate seamlessly into your daily lives. Moisture wicking will keep you cool and dry as well as offer a four-way stretch. The stretchable material not only allows for freedom of movement but also securely holds the four separate Level IIIA+ HG2 plates securely in place at front, back, and both sides. Soft armor plates will intercept commonly used 9mm ball all the way up to 44 Magnum. RTS offers the Ballistic Compression Shirt in size XS to XXL.
Action: Out The Front (OTF)
MSRP: $217
URL: kratetactical.com
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An Out The Front (OTF) knife may be one of the safest knife styles to operate. Especially under stress, it’s easy to leave a finger in the path of a closing blade. A double-action OTF requires only a firm grip in one hand to deploy and retract the blade. This negates the need for fingers to go through gymnastics to stay clear of the path of a closing blade. Krate Tactical uses tough high-carbon D2 steel to craft their blades. D2 is wear resistant, holds a fine edge, and defies corrosion. The dual action of each Krate OTF is crisp, ending with a great tactile feel and satisfying audible SNICK! Each knife comes with a disassembly tool for thorough cleaning and maintenance, nylon belt holster, pocket clip, and a lifetime warranty. Krate Tactical offers multiple blade styles, finishes, and knife body colors. As a bonus, the user doesn't void the knife’s warranty by disassembling it for maintenance.
Bag Type: Hip bag
MSRP: $55
URL: pnwbushcraft.com
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Springtime is right around the corner. For much of the country, that means wild mushrooms will begin to pop up in the woods and even lawns of surrounding areas. The Mushroom Foraging Pouch is made of durable and water-resistant waxed canvas. The bottom of the belt-mounted hip pouch is mesh. This helps you to continue to spread the valuable mushroom spores around the forest floor as you traverse the grounds you're foraging. This design feature is important for aiding mushroom growth and future success. Having your foraging pouch attached to your belt helps keep things simple and your hands free. You won’t accidentally walk away from your tasty treasures and forget where you set them down. The pouch is a tidy package of 4 by 3.5 inches when stowed away and a generous 11 inches deep, 9 inches wide to fit the highly prized large morels in for safekeeping. The Mushroom Forager Pouch is offered in five varieties of color combinations.
Storage: Knives, pens, small tools
MSRP: $40
URL: knafs.com
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At Knafs, they don’t charge extra for guac. When you want to have your knives and tools ready for a fiesta, you grab a Knafs Burrito Grande. Measuring 13.5 by 30.5 inches unfolded and 6.5 by 13.5 inches rolled up, the Guac Burrito Grande has 17 pockets sewn into waxed canvas. There’s also a place setting for four tools in the heavy elastic with an add-on of eight pens or precision screwdrivers. Espera! Hay mas! The waxed canvas repels water and will aid in protecting your pocket gadgetry. A 5×12-inch Velcro panel headlines the show and allows you to display a few of your favorite patches. Knafs got really clever and sewed in four dime-sized magnets to catch small screws when the surface is being used as a workspace, and they also hold the bottom section closed. On the outside, there are two nylon straps with G-hooks to use as secure closures when rolled into burrito mode. There are two pressed eyelets in the top corners for securely attaching to a wall or other vertical services like a tool cabinet. Knafs also offers the Burrito Grande in OD green and black.
Material: Stretch webbing
MSRP: $40
URL: arcadebelts.com
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Somewhere along the way we all accepted the idea that a utility belt had to be very wide and extremely stiff to be useful. The Arcade Utility Belt upends this stigma by being stiff from edge to edge and having an elastic stretch from end to end. The elasticity is just enough to preserve comfort when carrying items on your belt outside of your waistband, where the bulk of the weight of the item is at the belt line or below it. The unique design allows for enough structural integrity to keep gear in place while maintaining enough of that elasticity to uphold freedom of movement without pinching your skin or having hotspots that utility belts are famous for. Sitting or standing, this is a truly comfortable belt for everyday carry and use. Arcade offers the Utility Belt in iron, coyote, mud, olive, and denim.
Lumens: 1,500
MSRP: $359
URL: streamlight.com
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Weapon-mounted lights (WML) have come a long way over the last 20 years. StreamLight has always been at the forefront leading the charge for innovation in the lumens game. The all-new TLR-1 HL-X USB is the latest example of their dedication to innovation. With a hinged front-loading battery port behind the head, two sets of ambidextrous switches one high and one extended length, this light is loaded with features. Now capable of running rechargeable batteries, you can reduce your operating costs with the new SL-B9 rechargeable batteries from Streamlight. This means higher output and less waste with single-use batteries. The new SL B-9 batteries deliver 1,500 lumens and 20,000 candelas, offering a nearly 300-meter throw (slightly less with standard CR123A batteries). This makes the TLR-1 HL-X USB a powerful option for those looking to mount a high-performance light on a full-size pistol or the rail of a long-gun.
Protection: Sand, wind, water, dust
MSRP: $179
URL: theloadlugger.com
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The Load Roll Vacuum Shoot (LRVS) was specifically built for underwater operations, where operators enter a training scenario or into the battle-space from the water. Unlike the movies, the rifles cannot get waterlogged while equipped with thousands of dollars in electronics and optics. The LRVS has a roll top, side-release buckle closure, and vacuum straw to shrink wrap the package around your pistol grip. It also features a window so the user can see their grip, trigger, and safety selector. Vacuuming the air out serves to make a lower profile package. It also creates space for gas to safely escape should the user need to engage targets while the rifle is still in the bag. No need to worry if you’re not doing over-the-beach missions. The watertight nature of the LRVS makes a perfect long-term storage or cache bag for anything you’d need to store in an airtight, lightweight, waterproof container.
COLORS: Multicam, ATACS IX, and Ranger Green
MSRP: $52
URL: carcajoutactical.com
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The Sniper Boonie from Carcajou Tactical is mission-ready straight out of the box. Designed for both concealment and comfort, its triple-layered crown combines bug mesh, ghillie mesh, and netting to keep mosquitoes at bay, regulate heat, and provide a sturdy anchor for adding natural camouflage. The shallow profile and short brim offer ample head coverage without obstructing your field of view. A single row of MOLLE around the circumference expands your options for attaching gear, foliage, or additional materials in the field. Choose between a clean, edge-taped finish or a frayed edge to break up hard lines and blend seamlessly into the environment. For extra texture and concealment, laser-cut mesh overlays the brim, eliminating flat surfaces that can catch unwanted attention. Just add garnish and disappear into your surroundings.
Material: Tarpaulin
MSRP: $208
URL: prometheusdesignwerx.com
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When adventure calls you can never go wrong with tarpaulin. Not only is it waterproof, it’s also extremely durable when combined with 1000 denier over and under handles to carry your load. The ZCaB-AW-XL is a large bag. Measuring 18 inches high, 17 inches long, and 8.5 inches wide, you can easily load this bag down with more weight than you would want to carry. Five open-top external pockets are perfectly placed around the perimeter of the bag and sized to secure your favorite bottles of wine or spirits. A hand-sized Velcro loop panel is ready to accept your moral patches or name tape while ringed by a row of daisy chain lashing points on both sides. Two large, zippered internal mesh pockets line the inside to aid in keeping your load organized.
As spring loosens winter’s grip and we step back into the outdoors, one thing remains a timeless favorite — gathering around a fire. Whether it’s the main event of your trip or simply a way to unwind after a day in the wild, a campfire is always welcoming, comforting, and essential to the experience
Few tools make gathering firewood as efficient as a saw. The Homestead Buck Saw from Shankle Homestead Leatherworks cuts through large logs and limbs with ease, making firewood faster, easier, and less exhausting than swinging an axe. With the ability to process thicker wood more efficiently, you’ll conserve energy and effort. Plus, a saw’s quieter operation offers a lower audible signature, a valuable advantage when staying discreet is a priority.
No matter the season, rainy days are inevitable, and early in the year, firewood is often damp or even fully saturated. Getting a fire started in these conditions begins with dry, reliable tinder. Fiber Light simplifies the process, removing much of the trial and error. With just one spark, you’re on your way to a warm fire — and maybe even some s’mores.
Spring is here, and we want to hear from you! What all-weather gear keeps you moving when nature can’t decide between rain or shine? If you’ve got a go-to item that we missed or tried something from our “Spring into Action” list, let us know how it worked out. Send us your thoughts at offgrid@recoilweb.com, or tag us in your spring adventures on social media @recoiloffgrid — your gear might spring into action in a future issue!
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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original version for the web.
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