Author: news

Every November, I go to a climbing festival in southern Illinois. While the weather is often beautiful during the day, at night, the temps drop quickly, and I’m frequently left shivering in my lightweight puffer. This year, however, I came better prepared, with Patagonia’s Hi-Loft Nano Puff Hoody. This jacket takes the brand’s classic Nano Puff design and beefs it up with more body-mapped synthetic insulation and more durable fabric. This is the burlier big brother, built for colder conditions and true winter weather. With it, I can stay toasty on those chilly Illinois nights even when they dip into…

By Kevin Creighton Posted in #Skills There is an abundance of firearm owners in the United States. Millions of people choose to express their natural right of self-protection and enjoy the freedoms enshrined in the Second Amendment. However, do they train to the level they should to employ them effectively as an EDC? This conundrum is what drove Karl Rehn of KR Training to take a look at how many gun owners were getting training, and what sort of training they were receiving. He published this research in a series of blog posts, and the effect it has…

The new L3Harris NOVA binocular system is ‘the every-soldier goggle’ – and the beginning of a new era for night-vision capability. Today, direct combat forces gear up with advanced night-vision goggles for their missions. Going forward, L3Harris has a solution for the remaining complement of armed forces – the NOVA™ binocular system. As armies globally are modernizing their foundational ground-force capabilities, equipping troops to be effective at all times of day and see at night is taking focus. “We’re meeting the needs of the U.S. Army, militaries around the world and public safety officials by creating a system that delivers…

Over the past few years, Smith & Wesson has been experiencing great success with its Model 1854 lever-action series of rifles. The storied American gunmaker keeps introducing new 1854 variants, and with that more caliber options.  The latest caliber option in the Model 1854 lineup is the .360 Buckhammer, a modern, straight-walled cartridge designed for deer hunting in states and areas where bottlenecked cartridges are traditionally prohibited due to safety concerns. While there are several excellent straight-walled .35-caliber cartridges on the market that address those midwestern hunting requirements, the .360 Buckhammer, originally developed by Remington, has an advantage for leverguns…

As I carefully descend down a slick, slurpy, muddy path, a giant brown puddle of unknown depth awaits at the bottom. Undeterred, I add throttle. The Wilderness sinks in and scrapes the front bumper. Yet the Bridgestone Dueler tires claw at the sloppy terrain with plenty of force, and I march through the puddle, showering the sides of the Outback with mud along the way. All in a day’s work for a Wilderness-branded Outback, given its 9.5 inches of ground clearance, 17-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, and easy-to-clean surfaces — both inside and out. But with the more refined, seventh-generation platform…

CARBONDALE, PA, January 21, 2026 – Gentex Corporationannounced today that its PURSUIT Helmet System has been selected by the US Naval Aircrew Systems program office (PMA-202) as the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet(NGFWH). The Navy NGFWH awarded contract is a 5-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract to deliver over 5,000 NGFWH systems and associated spares to support the fielding of the next generation helmet across all Navy fixed wing aircraft, including E-2D, F/A-18, E/A-18G, T-45, T-6, and the in-development Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS),and is anticipated to total approximately $22M during the period of performance, representing one of the…

ROCHESTER, NY – January 21, 2025 Safran Federal Systems, a trusted U.S. Department of Defense mission partner and leader in Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT), announced the successful flight demonstration of its Blacknaute™ Inertial Navigation System (INS) aboard a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Purpose-built for multi-domain operations, Blacknaute™ delivers precise navigation in GPS-denied and electronic warfare-contested environments, fulfilling a critical need for resilient, open-architecture PNT capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. The live flight test confirmed Blacknaute’s ability to maintain high-accuracy inertial performance without GNSS support, validating operational readiness just days after its U.S.…

RECOIL Network gave out the first Top Brass Awards at SHOT Show 2026! Brands that brought new products, new ideas, and bold innovation to the market. Top Brass Awards come from all of the RECOIL Network brands, including RECOIL Magazine, Gun Digest, CONCEALMENT, CARNIVORE, OffGrid, and CANCON.Here are just a few of our winners!RECOIL Top Brass Phoenix Award: FN SCARReborn from the ashes of the first generation of FN SCAR, the king lives on in the second generation. Improved in almost every way, this new version continues to impress us. We got the first hands-on look at the new SCAR and…

FARNBOROUGH, UK – GM Defense has launched GM Defense UK, creating a dedicated presence to support the UK’s defence priorities and strengthen sovereign capability. Operating from GM’s sites in Leamington Spa and Silverstone, the new entity will lead all UK Ministry of Defence engagement and anchor GM’s wider NATO and European defence activity—boosting UK industry and export potential. The launch comes as GM Defense intensifies its delivery and support planning for Team LionStrike, ahead of bidding for the UK’s upcoming Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme. “Standing up GM Defense UK is a major milestone in our long?term commitment to the…

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Minnesota is a popular spot with paddlers, hikers, and anglers. Soon, it may be opened for nearby mining, which critics argue will damage its pristine nature. On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the House of Representatives passed a bill to overturn a 20-year ban on mining in the area. The Area The BWCAW is a 1.1-million-acre area of land in northern Minnesota, close to Voyageurs National Park. It is located within the larger 3-million-acre Superior National Forest. It is home to 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails, and 2,000 designated campsites. It…