Need fire, not fuss? Go with a lighter. Just don’t depend on it. Fuel or flint may run out when you need it most. Butane lighters are notoriously fickle when used at or below freezing temperatures. As with all things mechanical, beware of Murphy.
Cordon & Review
CamelBak’s “Urban Assault” backpack is a medium-sized bag designed for tactically minded city-dwellers who want to carry a lot of gear, a laptop, and water on their missions in the urban jungle.
If you don’t wear a tie to work every day — or you do, and you don’t mind looking like a college kid — this backpack can work as a great daily briefcase, especially if you’re commuting by train or bus. Pockets, sleeves and admin pouches secure loose papers, folders, pens and just about anything else, plus the dedicated laptop case is ideal for the expeditionary office drone. At 1850 cubic inches, it’s also large enough for a few gadgets or gym clothes.
If you’re getting ready to ship out to the sandbox, or looking for something to take on a hike across Death Valley, this may not be your first choice. The Urban Assault isn’t designed to accept CamelBak’s trademark suck-tube water pouches hydration bladder, instead setting aside two side pockets for its flip-up tube, Better Bottle water bottles.
Let’s take a closer look at the bag to see if it’s got what you’re looking for.
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Clockwise from Bottom, RMJ, American Tomahawk, Sayoc Winkler, SOG
Referenced by the U.S. military back as far as 1757 in the 28 orders of Robert’s Rangers, the tomahawk has seen a resurgence in popularity as an effective weapon and a useful battlefield tool. They are decent breaching tools, outstanding weapons and are replacing knives as the last-ditch CQB weapon of choice by some of America’s elite forces.
While many are sold as breaching tools, this belies the ‘hawks best and bloodiest use. No other weapon of the same size can generate as much force with a short stroke in an enclosed space. Period. If a bad guy gets in your entry stack, you can’t shoot him without endangering your teammates; and a knife is a slow kill. If you really want to get someone off your teammate in a hurry, there’s nothing deadlier than the spike of a tomahawk to the head. Small and short might not look as cool, but they do the bloody job better than a knife in a confined space. Now, if you want to get through a wooden door, rake some glass or punch in a door lock, the longer handled tomahawks fit the bill.
Looking at the range of ‘hawks in today’s posts, you’ll see everything from budget-minded quality all the way up to exotic-looking designs. One of the keys to a tomahawk’s durability is the way the shaft is connected to the head. Nylon handles attached to steel heads will bend back into shape after a hit, but the head could eventually separate. Full tang designs mean the head and shaft are made from a single piece of material with no chance of head separation. Another factor to consider is the type of steel. Each of the ‘hawks below use different grades of steel and you get what you pay for in weight, durability and edge retention.
SOG Fusion Tactical Tomahawk $62.00
Some times it’s about the value. Manufactured overseas and based on the Vietnam Tomahawk, the SOG Fusion Tactical Tomahawk is an update of the battle axe optimized for breaching operations, excavation, obstacle removal, extraction, and other utility applications. The 420 stainless steel head is mounted to the fiberglass reinforced nylon handle with heavy-duty bolts and a steel ferrule for stability. Just under 16″ and 24 oz, the Fusion ‘hawk can get you though some tough spots without breaking the bank. Comes with a simple nylon sheath.
PRO: Value, no tears if 1st Sgt takes it away
CON: Two piece design, may come loose someday
American Tomahawk LaGana Tactical Tomahawk (“VTAC”) $129.95
The LaGana Tactical Tomahawk is also based on the Vietnam era ‘hawk. Peter LaGana’s axe-head design has served the United States in every major conflict since the Vietnam War. AT’s update lightens the weight to 16 oz and adds an unbreakable Nylon handle and manufactures them in the US. The 1060 steel head is heat treated and weighted for throwing. The edge bevel is utility ground to retain its edge during breaching operations, so don’t expect it to pop the hair off your forearm. The included sheath will mount up to MOLLE gear for safe transport on your pack or vest. The army found them useful enough to make them standard equipment in the Stryker combat vehicle to support 3am door knocking ops.
PRO: Intermediate sized, wicked strong handle, light, USA made
CON: Two piece design, may come loose someday
RMJ Tactical Shrike Hammer Forged Tomahawk $360.00
Stepping up to a hammer-forged chrome-moly 4140 steel RMJ Tactical has taken the tomahawk into the new millennium. Forging the entire axe from a single piece of steel covered by an electrically insulated grip give you two things. First, the head can’t fly off, and you’re protected when you accidentally hack through a power line while making entry into UBL’s cabana. The handle is ST801 Super Tuff Nylon overmolded onto the 8″ tang. The butt cap unscrews to reveal an enclosed sharpening stone. The long spike is designed for serious penetration and the heads narrow profile rakes glass with ease. The sleek head shape contains an extra cutting surface, called the beard, that is used on the pull stroke like a shroud cutter; a very nasty, appendage rending shroud cutter. The included bottom-eject Kydex scabbard works with PALS and holds the ‘hawk securely until you need it. It’s probably the most seriously engineered ‘hawk holster in the group.
PRO: Full tang (One piece) construction, several cutting surfaces, insulated grip, long reach, USA Made
CON: Big, impractical for IBA mounting
Sayoc/Winkler R&D Hawk F/S
$555 military/$840 civilian w/sheath
The R&D is the child of two tomahawk titans. Rafael Kayanan of Sayoc Tactical Group and Daniel Winkler, an accomplished bladesmith. This hand machined hawk is designed for combat and features 2 hand hold areas. A traditional grip at the end of the handle provides considerable swinging leverage and a second just under the head is ideal for close quarters work. This distinctive axe starts with 3/8″ 5160 steel and features a full tang that is skeletonized and tapered to maximize the weight, and impact force, at the head. The blade angle isn’t a typical utility axe grind. It’s a knife grind, optimized for damage.
This isn’t a breaching tool. The spike on the blade serves two purposes; its got looks to intimidate and it’s designed to cause maximum soft tissue damage on a slash. Pain is the point here. A slash with a razor sharp knife might not even register during an adrenaline fueled fight, while a rip with the jagged nastiness of the R&D F/S is going to get some attention. Overall length is just over 13″ with a weight of 1 lb 6 oz. Available with light curly maple, durable black Micarta or grippy recycled rubber scales.
PRO: Most deadly in close quarters, light and small enough to consider IBA carry, full tang construction, USA made, looks awesome in a deployment shadow box with your ear collection.
CON: Price, knife grind on blade makes edge a bit too delicate for breaching.
The red-dot reflex sight has become the reticle of choice for close-quarters battle. Accurate under stress out to about 300 meters, the sight goes with the carbine-length M4 like milk goes with cookies. Sure, there are 600-meter shots to be had with a well-maintained service rifle, but the M4’s 14.5-inch barrel is built for the close fight.
A 4MOA red-dot reticle is going to get you center-mass hits inside 100 meters easily with both eyes open and under stress. In urban terrain, situational awareness is crucial and shooting through a non-reflex (magnified) sight is nearly impossible with both eyes open. The unmagnified reflex sight is a boon when you need to see what’s going on around you and your target. Throw a 3x magnifier on a reflex optic and you’ve got a decent scope when you need to reach out over the next irrigation canal.
What they said:
- “Necessary for the shooter to accurately, quickly and effectively employ the M4 in the scenarios where an M4 will be used — CQB distance out to 300 meters.”
- “Both speed and accuracy are improved with the use of a red-dot sight. This is why the military first purchased the Aimpoint sights. EOTECH also makes a good red-dot sight. Both are great products. Often an end user leans towards what he is familiar with or what he was first issued.”
Operator favorite: Aimpoint Micro-T1 ($650)
When the Micro T1 came out at SHOT Show a few years back, it started showing up on everything: soldiers’ rifles, competition shooters’ pistols, probably even kids’ slingshots. Weighing in at only 3 ounces, it’s 42 percent lighter than the M68 and the lightest battle sight out there. One set of batteries will last as long as five years continuously using a medium-intensity setting. Add a LaRue Tactical LT-66 high mount and you’ll have a perfect cheek weld — and it will co-witness with iron sights. The LaRue mount also brings the T1 to the proper height to work with Aimpoint’s 3x magnifier, which your Division’s G3 can get for your unit with an ONS signed by your local general officer.
Also mentioned:
EOTech: 512AA ($440). 1x mag. Holographic sight gives a wide downrange view with a wide 65 MOA circle and a 1MOA dot reticle. It runs up to 1,000 hours on a set of AA batteries.
Trijicon ACOG ($1,100-$1,650). 4x mag, swimable, battle-proven, illuminated reticle using battery-less Tritium is always ready for the fight.
We’ve all heard it; You can’t hit what you can’t see. Sounds catchy, but it’s not true. You can put a lucky round in a fleeting, backlit target before you can accurately identify it. How do you know it’s not a friendly? Better to flood a shadowy recess with a momentary blaze of light to look for bad guys. Superbright rail-mounted LEDs with remote switches allow rapid identification of a target without affecting your weapon grip or readiness.
What they said: “During close-quarters battle, most buildings will have limited visibility inside, even during the day. A white-light illuminator, combined with the proper training, allows the war fighter the ability to maneuver on the enemy and rapidly engage the threats accurately. The white light illuminator should be mounted on a weapon with a pressure pad or momentary type switch allowing the operator to activate the light only when necessary without changing his normal grip on the weapon.”
Operator Favorite: Surefire M600C Scout Light ($425)
The Scout Light is the lightest (3.5 oz) and most compact rail-mount light available in its brightness range. It’s a simple, single-brightness LED light that will light up a target at 150 meters while still providing good peripheral light. It runs on two CR123s for two hours, which is typically a few weeks downrange. Surefire’s modular system of heads and bodies means you can replace the KX2C LED head for an incandescent head if you need white light with the capability to use an IR filter.
Also mentioned: Surefire G2 ($40)
The inexpensive polymer-body light can be weapon-mounted with a separate rail mount and is compatible with many Surefire heads and switches.
U.S. troops do their best work at night, thanks to formidable low-light tech that lets you see our enemies before they can see you. Night-vision goggles by themselves are a PIA to use with optical sights. An IR pointer lets you ID and aim in through NVGs and engage targets in total darkness.
What they said: “Makes hitting the target at any range in complete black a possibility without compromising your position.”
Operator Favorite: Insight Technology ATPIAL $N/A (Go through your unit’s supply chain for this one)-
The Advanced Target Pointer, Illuminator, Aiming Light AN/PEQ-15 delivers a visible laser pointer along with an IR pointer and IR illuminator that makes a deadly combo when used with NVGs. We heard that the IR pointer can be defocused and used to light up and ID targets hundreds of meters away under NVGs. The visible laser is slaved to the IR to make it easier to sight in. It runs from a CR123 for 6+ hours and, best of all, it’s about half the size of the older AN/PEQ-2.
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