Just Because I Can.

This morning while going to collect a gift from another Youtuber at a secure locker I thought I would treat myself to a McDonalds breakfast. After sitting at the drive through for a few minutes with no one to take my order I parked up and headed inside. 

While I placed my order I noticed 4 police officers (2 male 2 female) having their breakfast, I have no idea if they were about to come off night duty or start their day but I thought here is a chance to bless someone. 

I asked the cashier for 4 bottles of pure orange juice and took them over to the officers. I was met by a somewhat shocked response as I set the bottles down, I just said "here is a wee gift for you and thank you for all you do for us". The officers were very thankful and I was on my way. 

Now your asking a few questions I am guessing, why? and What has it got to do with me?

Well let's look at Why? : 

There are a few reasons why I done it, I receive a good amount of gifts from Youtube, Twitter and Facebook followers and I thought it would be nice to bless someone outside of Youtube.  Also I truly believe this was spirit lead, I have no idea what kind of night the officers had or the kind of day they will have so maybe they will reflect at the end of their shift and see that they do matter to people. 

Now, What has it got to do with me? :

Well I would like to set you guys a challenge, whenever you read this post please look for a way to bless someone you meet, a complete stranger, a homeless person or a member of our emergency services.  It could be as simple as buying them a coffee or some orange juice but look for a way to be a blessing.  If you get asked why your doing this, just smile and say, because I can. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you find it helpful. 

God Bless

Tom

TO TAG OR NOT TO TAG?

This is going to be a short one guys but i think its important. A few of you know that I cycle into work, and with that comes the risk of being knocked down by a car or lorry.  Any cyclist will tell you that if you spend enough time on the roads there will be a time when you will get that "near miss". 

So what happens if you are hit by a car and knocked out? Well hopefully police and ambulance are called and you will begin to receive the medical help you need, but what about your loved ones? Picture your husband or wife at home or work thinking everything is all ok while you are being worked on in a hospital and the police are trying to ID you and contact your family. 

Well this is where the Dog Tags come in. Thousands of servicemen and woman have worn these to help ID them should the worse happen. Why shouldn't we as cyclists, hikers, wildcampers or hunters be any different?

I have recently took delivery of a set of Dog Tags that have the following information on it which I believe is enough to aid rescuers should the worse happen. 

Name:

Date of Birth:

Blood Group:

ICE: (In Case of Emergency) phone number. 

Maybe this is something you have thought of getting but just haven't done so yet, well I can tell you that I feel a lot better knowing should something happen my family will know about it as soon as possible. 

Leatherman Raptor Review

LEATHERMAN RAPTOR REVIEW

Time and again I have needed a quality pair of tough cuts to remove clothing from someone who has been involved in a accident. Be it in my time with the RNLI or Red Cross its one tool that you need to be able to relay on. 

I have used many different kinds of tough cuts but now Leatherman has ventured into the area of medical equipment with their offering of the "Raptor". I must say on looks alone these are wicked looking, sleek design with 6 tools. 

1. The Shears
2. O2 Bottle Opener
3. Strap Cutter
4. Glass Breaker
5. Ruler
6. Ring Cutter

I have found in testing that the Raptor is a very comfortable tool and preforms well. Price point on these will be around £60 - £65 and I recommend you buy them from Heinnie Haynes by visiting http://www.Heinnie.com

The Raptor was supplied to be from WitbyandCo and I want to thank them for their continued support.

Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon 2 Backpack Review

I have very kindly been given this pack to review.  I have used it over the past few months as my carry bag while going to work on the bike.  This pack really impresses me with how much it can hold and still give you that little extra squeeze room for any extras.

The only thing I wish Maxpedition would of done was add somewhere to put moral patches, they missed that on this bag, but you can add some velcro yourself just like I have done.

For all the Specs please check http://www.maxpedition.com and to buy please check http://www.heinnie.com.

Thank you and please enjoy the video.

P.S everyone loves my socks!

Leatherman Charge TTI Review

This is one cracking Multitool!.. Through out the testing I have had a smile on my face when I get asked what I am carrying for EDC. 

Now with these style of tool all the tools lock and that for some people cause issues when they want to carry this every day.  I can only speak for myself in Northern Ireland and I have spoken to several policemen who do not see a issue with me carrying my Leatherman. Generally speaking if you are walking around town with an expensive tool like this your not really the type to be breaking the law. 

http://youtu.be/bXP5X8i3vGM

I hope you enjoy the video review, please remember the views expressed are my own and I will not take responsibly for any trouble you get into for carrying any knife in public. 

UK Legal Knives

Ok Guys,

This is something that has been doing the rounds with some friends of mine.  The question is, what knife can I have for EDC in UK?  Well I have taken some of my UK legal knives I hope you like the reviews of them.

I will be adding to it as much as a I can, but here you go for what I have.

Thanks again for all the support you give me.

US MRE FOOD TEST

So a change from the usual dinner I decided to try one of the US MRE meals just to see what I have invested in. So the meal in question is the "Menu 4 Maple Sausage"

Tasty looking isn't it! Well you will soon find out. 

Lets look to see what you get in the bag, which by the way is very robust. 

So we have a breakfast of Granola with milk and blueberries (yet to be tested) main meal is the of course the Maple Sausage and in between that you can have a muffin top or crackers. Also included is jam, peanut butter a small pack with coffee, salt, sugar, gum, spoon and of course the flame less heater. 

Now remember these meals are for our work horse armed forces so needs to be packed full of all sorts. 

So this is what your main meal looks like and to be honest tasted good. 

Now after I finished this off I tackled the muffin top with syrup which was a little dry without the syrup but hey who doesn't like syrup. 

Now for the crackers. I will admit this was my first time eating peanut butter and again I can't complain about it and I would have it again. The only thing is the crackers do leave you wanting some water. 

All in all I enjoyed this one and I think I have a good investment in some camping food or food for an emergency. 

I hope you have enjoyed this blog, please comment and share. 

Pruning your life (Thought for the week)

Today I decided to prune the tomato plants I have been growing over the last few months and hiding in the back was this tomato just getting on its way. 

This got me thinking, in life we have so much going on and so many things take up our time. These things are not always good. So from time to time we have to get cutting. For some it's making more time for family, for others it's remembering your friends and those who have helped you get where you are today. 

Or is there things or people you need to cut from your life? People who may have a bad influence on you.. 

Whatever you need do always look before you cut or you can find ourself cutting away the good fruit. 

Have a good weekend guys!

Wherever He Leads (Thought for the week)

This week I was up climbing Snowdon Mountain with my brother. Now this was the first time I had ever been to the Welsh mountains and I needed my brother to guide me. 

In life just as in hill walking we need a guide, someone who has been that road before, someone who knows the safe route to travel.  The Bible gives us not only the map we need but also the guide in Jesus Christ. 

If you are lost and feel alone I encourage you to look to Him and be lead by the creator of the world. 

Is the a Doctor in the house!!!

So today while we were out shopping at a local supermarket a call came out for the first aider to go to customer services! This perked my ears up and thoughts were going through my mind of what could it be.  Then 5mins later "if there is a doctor or a nurse in the store can they please come to customer services!!"  

Well that changed things, my wife is a nurse and I am a trained community first responder and I had my years on experience in the RNLI and Red Cross so we made our way over to see what we could do. 

After speaking with the girl on customer services we were told that man had suffered a heart attack in the toilets, she asked if I was a doctor and after explaining who we were she told us that the ambulance service had just arrived but thanked us for coming over. 

Now here's the thing, how well are you versed in your first aid? Would you know what to do? Would you offer to help someone in their hour of need?  Would you be that SheepDog? Or like may others just carry on your day as normal?

Personally I can't stand by and see someone suffer I have seen to many people die too many people stand by watching while others suffer. 

There are many places you can learn and most important you can get out and treat people on duties just like The Red Cross and St John to name just two. 

If you call yourself a prepper then are you prepared to help others too?  I hope so. 

I will never leave you (Thought for the week)

I will never leave you : Hebrews Ch13 v 5

Guys we all have problems in this life, for some these problems are small maybe they are just worrying about when the next iPhone will be released or how bald they are going.  For others its how are they going to pay the bills or have they prepped for the right things over the last month.

Well one thing is for sure, The Bible says that if we are God's children, that simply means that if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and asked him to forgive our sins, then He will always be with us.  He will be there to help, guide and protect us no matter what happens along the way.

For me the last while has been filled with sickness and worry but this morning I received a blessing that I wasnt expecting to come but it came in Gods time, just when I needed it.  So I can personally testify that when Jesus says he wont leave you, you can rest assured that He won't.

Enjoy your weekend guys.

Tom

Streamlight Stylus Pro Flashlight

Over a year of use and this light is still going strong. It is very lightweight only 1.64oz or 47 grams which makes it prefect for EDC use. The white LED pumps out 48 Lumens which again is great for such a small light running on 2 x AAA batteries. 

This comes in black, red, blue and sliver. Is also comes highly recommended by me. 

Vango Banshee 200 Tent Review

I have used this tent over the last year and I can highly recommend it for anyone looking for a single person tent.  Yes tango market this as a 2 man tent but to be honest if your as big as I am you want to have as much room as possible.  As everything in the tent world, a 2 man tent is really a 1 man tent.

This has been bashed about and blown around in near to gale force winds and still was no issues.  Main points for this tent is that its lightweight, easy to setup and low impact on the environment so its perfect for backpackers and guys who want to have something like this for a get home bag or a bug out bag.

Price point is around the £80 - £90 mark depending on where you shop.  Keep a look out online for offers on amazon and ebay.

Any questions just ask.  

Homemade Firelighters

So I have seen others online with homemade firelighters and thought I would give it a go.  So in true Blue Peter style you will need:

1. Egg box

2. Candle wax

3. Pine Cones

4. Old used tin

5. Cardboard tube

So how to. 

1. Wrap the cardboard around the pine cone and tape.

2. Melt the wax in the used tin

3. Place cones in egg box

4. Pour wax into egg box

5. Leave to cool 

And it's a simple as that guys. Hope you get out and make your own. 

Check out my video on it.

Get Home Bag Test

Get Home Bag Test

Have you made a Bug Out Bag (BOB) or a form of Get Home Bag?  If so have you ever tested it? Do you know its limits? is it too heavy?

Well I decided to take my Get Home Bag out into the field and give it a test.  Now the only rule I had was I could take the bag and whatever I had in the boot of my car.  I have a box set in the back with some things that could help in a emergency so they came along too.  

Here is the video for it.  I hope you enjoy.

How To Clean A Shotgun

I was asked to do a video on how I clean my shotguns. Now a rule for this video, everyone has there favourite gun oil or a different way of cleaning their firearms, this is just how I clean mine.

For a full review of the Browning 325 shotgun please see below
http://youtu.be/4wH6tA7C9-s

Please subscribe, like and comment on this video, follow me on twitter and Facebook by searching for MrFermanaghMan.

Thanks

PREPPERS UK SURVIVING ARMAGEDDON 2

The full length video for Preppers UK: Surviving Armageddon 2, broadcast by National Geographic.