I’ve been using various carriers for years, but at the start of 2014 I received a new and unique system: the Tasmanian Tiger Trojan.

The Trojan has a lot to offer as a rifle carrier, and after a few months of using it I can see myself retiring some of my older packs.

At its core: the Trojan is an ultra-flexible rifle carrier, that can be adapted for different distinct uses.

There are two primary parts to the Trojan: an assault pack, and a rifle scabbard.

The assault pack has a large interior compartment with included camera-case-style velcro dividers and 8 interior pockets. On the outside of the pack, you have a large flat zip pocket on the front, and four small compression straps at each corner. There’s a rubberized handle on the very top of the pack, and a velcro section for attaching whatever patches your mission or vanity requires.

External elasticized water bottle holders and drinking tube vents on each side round it out as a proper hiking pack. This uses the same carrying system and shape-able internal aluminum frame as the Mission Pack, which has excellent shoulder straps and a small hip belt. I’m a thin waisted guy, so I appreciate the elasticized strap retention, which I’ve always preferred over the velcro-rolls common on other straps.

The scabbard has molle up and down both sides, a reinforced end, and a butt cover that attaches via velcro and buckles. A set of 4 molle binding straps snap the scabbard in between the assault pack’s carrying system and it’s main pouch. The molle straps mean you can move the scabbard up or down, and even remove it entirely.

When you remove the scabbard, you can zip up the assault pack to remove the dead space, and make sure the load of the main pouch is against your back where it belongs.

The scabbard itself has its own set of shoulder straps that are hidden when inside the main pack. They also attach via molle, and while they’re only flat strapping, they do have a functional chest strap and allow you to carry the rifle scabbard alone. There’s also a molle threaded handstrap on the scabbard, which I opted to transfer over to the side of the assault pack.

If there was one thing I could change about this pack: I would add a second one of those hand-grips onto the other side of the assault pack. I like having handles when tossing packs like this into the back of a vehicle.

But the flexibility really starts to shine when you look at all the different ways to use all these different carriers and straps.
For one trip, we took a .308 rifle alone in the scabbard, but attached a small utility pouch on the outside that held all the ammo Jess and I would shoot that day.

I took the Trojan pack without a scabbard to Shot Show this year, and used its interior dividers and pockets as a great camera and sound bag.

I can carry my mags, lunch, spotting scope, and a folding stock Vz58 in the completed trojan without needing to use the butt-cover. The scabbard is deep enough to cover the entire rifle, but if I want to keep it accessible: I can insert the gun with the stock unfolded and retrieve it without unshouldering the pack.

I’ve also taken the flat molle carry straps and attached them to an old unused shotgun scabbard. Suddenly this thing that was collecting dust in my gear closet is a great way to carry my Russian M44 carbine in the bush.

I have a wide variety of guns, and take them to all kinds of different places. I know the Trojan is going to see a lot of use this summer because its flexibility means that I can quickly and easily make it the right solution for a given trip.

If you want to see some footage of the pack in action, I also put together a youtube video:

At the core of this is the war-belt, also known as a battle-belt. This padded belt traditionally integrated into a soldier’s load bearing system. It carries rifle magazines, first aid kits, and all manner of necessary equipment when on patrol overseas or in any number of dangerous environments. However, the war-belt has found a life independent from the drop-loads, chest-rigs, plate-carriers, and assault-packs involved in a complete system.

I have two distinct setups built from Tasmanian Tiger’s Warrior Belt: one for the specific applications of 3-Gun, and one built to maximize flexibility outdoors between all kinds of firearms.

The first setup is an adaptive (not dynamic) war-belt. It’s one of the least tactical but most flexible pieces of equipment I own. Because of that: it sees more use than any of my other soft-cloth gear.

Without changing anything I can take it to the indoor range for pistol drills, wear it out into the wilderness for a hike with the shotgun, or throw it in the back of the jeep with a new rifle that is about to be zeroed.

As part of this focus on flexibility I’ve chosen soft cloth Tasmanian Tiger magazine pouches. Two rifle, two pistol. The mag pouches use an elastic retainer and can fit P-mags, M-14 mags, both calibers of Vz-58 magazines or even AK-47 mags if needed. They may not be designed for everything I force into them, but they’ll hold anything I might want to take to the range on a given day.

In the same vein, I use the adjustable MKII Holster, which I can fit and wrap around any pistol from a walther .22 to a .357 revolver. It can hold any handgun in my safe, regardless of lights, lasers, sights or magazines I might choose.

This means the holster is not a duty carry setup. It does not have serpa retention or other speed releases. But in the name of flexibility it can securely hold any sidearm or accommodate radios, GPS units, laser rangefinders and other similarly sized equipment.

I’ve attached a OSOE shotgun panel for 12 rounds of shotshells, and a TT dump pouch. Personally, I find a good dump pouch makes a world of difference to my shooting. It’s a space for loose ammo, a pocket for your cold-weather gloves, or a bin for empties and trash.

I try to promote responsible range care, and nothing encourages you keep your shooting area clean like having a bag on you to put spent shells and empty boxes. Plus the standard empty-magazine-storage helps make sure you’re not tossing your precious p-mags in the dirt.

I keep the belt on this quite loose around my waist, and often wear it in conjunction with a set of suspenders (the updated MkII Warrior Belt includes these). This means that the load-out can be used by anyone else of similar body size, and that I don’t have to resize any straps between shooting indoors in a T-shirt and out on a mountainside with insulating layers.

This belt is built for the kind of shooting situations that I experience on a regular basis, and because of that it sees regular use.

My second build is part of my introduction to 3 Gun: holds your pistol and munitions. Nothing else.

War-belts are made up of 3 components: an inner belt that fastens around the waist, a padded outer belt with molle attachment points, and the actual load bearing parts attached to the molle. For my 3-gun setup I replaced the standard inner belt with a tight Ferro Concepts belt.

This offers two advantages: the upgraded raptor clip, and the ability to weave the 2″ belt through the war-belt panels. This way I can use both molle and belt mounted magazine carriers. I buckle this setup in the rear, to maximize the real estate right in front of me.

I use a Fobus hoslster, as its one of the few Israeli holsters designed to fit the Israeli Jericho 941. I’ve found the best stability for this actually involves placing the entire paddle over the war-belt, rather than threading it into molle or 2″ belt sections.

This will hold 3 rifle magazines of different capacities at an even height, and a 5 pistol magazines right up front. I’m currently working on a shotgun solution. Hopefully I’ll have an update on that soon. 

The way I’ve setup my warrior belt, it would be out of place on a battlefield. But that hasn’t stopped me from using it at every opportunity.

Sometimes equipment gets so caught up on being combat-ready, or built for SHTF, or loaded down with tactical-extras, that it can get left behind in the closet for just regular shooting. When I spend money on gear, my goal is to never let it rust in the closet. This war-belt certainly doesn’t run that risk.

Why Compete? Because I love to shoot, and testing myself alongside professionals scares the piss out of me. I want a challenge, and have no doubt that this will do it. From what I understand I will be the first shooter there to compete using a Tavor, and I’m excited to see that gun grow beyond an exotic bullpup into a widely accepted rifle platform.

Why Blog About It? I know too many other shooters who want to try competitive events, and don’t. I’m hoping that my coverage can give them a better idea of what’s involved, and encourage you to get out there and try it! That, plus I love discussing gear & techniques of any kind. This is something new for me! I’ll be chronicling my progress in the 3 Gun category of this blog.

So Are You a Gamer Now? Far from it. Adventure camping is still my favourite past-time. I’m hoping to spend just as much time in 2014 using NVGs under the stars as I spend at shooting events. To get an idea of my balance: I own seven backpacks, and only three pistol magazines. That’s going to have to change, but not too much.

I Owe Thanks To: The MGM Ironman is a big event for me, and I have lots of people to thank for getting me to a place where its within my grasp. Special thanks to Angelo Brewer from FLIR, who emailed me all through the event last year telling me I should shoot it. Also thanks to Dwight, Werner, Ken, Paul, Steve, and all the staff at Vortex Canada who’ve had me on their Field-Staff team for the past 2 years. I also owe a thanks to Zahal.org for keeping me stocked with all kinds of Czech and Israeli gear while supporting my various projects over the past year. Similar thanks to Adam Bekar at A3 sports, who’s encouraged me to haul Tasmanian Tiger packs and load-bearing equipment into the Rockies on a regular basis. A big thanks to all the people at ITM Instruments and Scout Basecamp who keep me busy during the week. Thanks to the talented people at IWI US and IWI Israel who have helped me with every question about the Tavor platform as my knowledge and skills grew alongside the rifle. Another thanks to James Bachynsky and Norm Hamilton from the Calgary Shooting Centre, who call me first when cool things show up on their doorstep. I should certainly thank Nathan Cook and the National Firearms Association for creating the Gun Owners of Canada Forum. My girlfriend Jessica deserves lots of thanks and praise for putting up with rifle parts strewn across the living-room and reload drills during movie nights. Finally, and most importantly I owe a huge thanks to the shooting community around me: everyone who says hi at the range, reads the blog, comments on youtube, or posts in the forums. You guys are cool cats, and I’m honoured to have you as an audience.

The Lastenkraxe is substantially more robust than some of the other frame packs I’ve handled, using a fixed step at the base of the pack. There are many mounting points to attach either the Tatonka pack, or any oddly shaped or oversized gear that necessitates the frame system.

I found the carry system to be really solid on this pack. As a lightly built person I will always choose a more adjustable pack over one that “fits most.” Tatonka uses the V2 system, which fits similarly to an eberlestock, but without the weight those packs are notorious for.

One of the major advantages of the Lastenkraxe that I go through in the video is the ability to stand the pack upright on its frame. Unlike many packs that lie flat or slump, the Lastenkraxe can be firmly planted and won’t topple over. I find this especially useful in the camp when I am often looking for something like a bin I can take things in and out of. I like to keep a tidy site, and gear spread all over is gear that could easily get left behind, so the lastenkraxe offers an almost laundry bin like ability to keep things easily organized.

Rather than having to unzip and delve into pockets, the Lastenkraxe has a simple fold down top that covers the pack, but keeps it easy to get into and out.

If there is a short-coming of this pack, its that same lack of organizational pockets. There is one large bucket, and then three midsized flaps on the outside of the pack. But those exterior pockets don’t fasten shut, and there’s very little organization for smaller things.

Personally I use those external pockets to carry long items like axes or tripods that are good to have accessible and would be awkward to store inside, but I can see why some people might want more options when it comes to small compartments.

The Lastenkraxe will definitely stay on as my go-to heavy pack for years to come.

In under 2 minutes I review the Tasmanian Tiger Chest Rig, one of the german designed setups that definitely overshadows some of the other brands I’ve used.

I still own a tactical tailor rig, but it stays in the closet. The price, quality, and thought behind the Tasmanian Tiger unit is enough to make me go back to them with more money for more kit.

I say it in the video, but as the only rig which lets me wear a pack, the TT setup is the most comfortable of any chest rig I’ve tried.

I on the other-hand consider myself a dedicated outdoors person. Its not uncommon for me to camp alone, earlier and later in the season than most people, and with only the necessities of equipment.

Drumheller Badlands

At the end of August we went into the badlands of Drumheller to hike and spend the night. I thought I’d ease her into the experience by staying in a structured camp-ground where we could park the car and would have a fire pit. I have to confess that I have always considered this sort of camping cheating: where 90% of your home comforts come with you and there’s a convenience store 20 minutes down the road to cover that last 10%.

So I was pleased when afterwards she suggested: “Next time lets go somewhere with less dogs and kids. A little further out?”

That meant going the opposite direction the next weekend: West into Kananaskis Country, leaving the car and hiking down a washed out trail to camp beside a remote creek.

It would be a test for Jess, who had never done truly “on-our-own” camping and a test for some the new equipment I’d picked up recently.

Tatonka Lastenkraxe and Tasmanian Tiger G82

With a few years at Wholesale Sports under my belt, and healthy addiction to gear, there is always new kit coming in and out of my closet. But the new additions this time filled a niche I’d been sorely lacking in: dedicated, full sized rucksacks for heavy loads and long hauls. I wound up with two packs, both from Tasmanian Tiger/Tatonka. Tasmanian Tiger is the military tactical branch of German-based Tatonka, but both lines are manufactured in the same plant.

We loaded and carried the Tatonka Lastenkraxe frame pack, and the  Tasmanian Tiger G82 rifle-transport pack.

Asolo Ptarmigan 3

The Lastenkraxe Frame Pack on the left and Tasmanian Tiger G82 laying down

With the much lighter Lasternkraxe on my back, it was a pleasant hike till we came to the creek and settled on a spot to set up. After assembling the tent, and making a quick and easy meal of soup heated on a pocket-lite stove, we went back for the G82. Once again, being able to unzip the two side compartments and assemble them into a smaller third pack meant that Jess could take some weight off my back by carrying the water and the shooting gear, while the core of the G82 kept the rifle and sleeping bags on my shoulders.That night we discovered something simple but incredibly handy about the Lastenkraxe: its metal frame allows it to stand upright, even when almost empty. The ability to use this pack almost like a laundry bin while in camp was really quite valuable. Because the Ptarmigan is a fairly small tent, we tried not to put too much extra gear inside. Instead, anything thats underfoot and needs to be stored can be easily dropped in the upright Lastenkraxe, and retrieved again without having to unzip and disassemble anything.That’s the sort of feature that puts a pack on the top of my “to bring list”, especially on trips that involve staying in one place for a couple of days. Using the upright Lastenkraxe as a free-standing filing cabinet is much easier trying to lean packs against trees and digging through layers of pockets.The Lastenkraxe pack is actually a separate part, with the frame and carry system as the core of the unit. This squared frame is designed to move things that would normally be difficult to carry, like loads of wood or barrels, and I’m looking forward to testing out this more universal carry system.It was reasonably warm for Early September in Alberta. No snow or frost overnight, just an early morning chill and some light dew. I am always cautious of the weather at this time of year. I end up packing a lot of extra warm gear in case things change quickly. For the first time we’d brought along instant-heat gel packs, in case the morning was too cold. I didn’t feel like I needed them, but they were a bit of extra comfort that makes getting up in the morning that much more bearable.