Galco AL636 Ankle Lite Holster for LC9

I got great service and price from Glen's Outdoors. You can get your there too.

I spent a lot of time looking at reviews and agonizing over this holster. I haven't had the chance to find an IWB solution that I liked so I wanted to start with ankle carry to keep me actually carrying instead of leaving it home. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone who had an actual picture of an actual LC9 in it and under a pant leg. Usually when you hear of ankle carry it's for smaller things like G26s or LCPs. If I'm going to pull the trigger on the most expensive holster I wanted to be sure it would be the right one. Turns out it is every bit as good as every one says and I don't regret the ~$60 at all.

     The two things I was looking for were Concealability and Comfort. If I didn't like wearing it I may end up just leaving my gun home. I figure if I've gone through the requirements to carry I might as well actually do it. First up for me is how well it blends in with under my pant leg. I included a bunch of pictures so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about. The leg shots are in a mirror so look at the leg on the left. I wear fairly loose pants but I was just worried about it sitting in such a way that the grip would stick straight out the back. Galco got it just right by canting right to where the the longest distance from grip to sights is horizontal and right beside your leg. Everything is kept tight against your leg so it doesn't stick out any more than it has to. Even if someone knows you ankle carry they can look and never be quite sure if you have it at the time.

     Then there's comfort. The first thing you'll hear about is the muzzle rubbing on your ankle bone. I can tell you 100% that I've never had the least bit of discomfort with this rig. The sheepskin on the inside pulls double duty of sweat prevention and padding. Combine this with the 1/4" neoprene and just the right amount of extension below the bottom and I promise, besides the slight weight increase you'll sometimes forget it's there. Even in Tennessee I tend to wear thick socks. They can get warm but I'm inside most of the time and they're just so soft. You don't have to go that far but I recommend a full length sock. Wrap the holster around front and the pull the back as tight as you can get it. Don't worry about it being too tight; It doesn't cut off circulation and it's what keeps everything as stead as a rock throughout the day. Some people end up getting the calf strap but I'm telling you you don't need it. Put it on tight and you can kick, hop, and run without issues.

     Accessibility is a problem with all ankle carry but once you get the pant leg up the draw is just natural. Your thumb falls right to the snap release and there is plenty of grip exposed for the drawing. The steerhide is formed perfectly and keeps decent retention even after breaking in but you'll always keep it snapped anyway. For reholstering you also get a well-designed support back with some sort of insert that keeps the profile open and not collapsed.

    Lastly I have the say the materials are well chosen. The neoprene is soft but provides the right amount of elasticity and I don't feel like it makes me sweat any more than my other leg even in thick socks under pants in the Tennessee heat. The sheeps skin really helps there too. You would think after wearing for three months it would start to smell from sweat buildup but honestly I just checked and it smells like it did new. The hook-and-loop fastener is heavy duty with the loop part actually being some sort of thread instead of plastic and holds up well to repeated use.

     If you're ready to ankle carry I have to admit I haven't tried the cheaper options but this one from Galco has been worth every penny to me. My only complaint is that every once in a while I feel the steel backing that supports the retention snap. Really though, most of the time I forget I'm even carrying because it just becomes part of your leg. I'm not the least but self conscious that someone may notice I'm carrying and I'm comfortable. With those boxes fully checked I'd recommend this for anyone.

Multicolor LED mesh with 96 lights

Grab one on Amazon

We have a pergola that we like to sit in on warm nights but the little solar lights we have in there don't do much. I tried hanging these in the back an they give a nice little flair while providing decent light to see by. They have the advantage of being LEDs so you can have low power and even leave them outside all the time. The only problem is the control box; it isn't weatherproof at all so you'll need to find a way to keep it protected if you're leaving it out. Also make sure to have the mesh securely fastened to something so it doesn't blow around too much. The wires are pretty thin so if they catch on something and the wind gets a hold of it you could break something.

The multiple patterns it has are nice but you're always choosing between flashing and eye-catching or something my calm like we use. The slow fade is our favorite. Now, if you have it in a kids room as a night light they would probably take advantage of the more fun modes when friends are overAt the very least it's nice to have options.

The amount of light it gives off doesn't feel dim or under-powered but it's not nearly as bright as your average roll of LED strip. Also keep in mind that if you're looking at the pictures on the Amazon this is not nearly as long as the ones shown, just 1.5 meters. In any case it makes a fun, simple addition many places around the house be it outside, a kids room, or even a man-cave. I received this product at a discount in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.

Portable Car Jump Starter Powerbank by 1byone

Grab one for yourself at Amazon

Remember when jump starters came out with batteries inside which meant you didn't have to have another car around? This is the next step and I have to say it's wonderful. Everything about it is small and light to the point where I was skeptical before I saw the first one used by a family member. Even before this one arrived I had my doubts as I figured they were hit-or-miss unless you bought a recognized brand name. No worries though, it does work great.

Build- The main battery is like any high capacity phone bank battery; just under and inch thick. I keep it in the case with the other accessories though so it doesn't need to be paper thin. The surface is a matte black finish which I prefer over glossy for something that may take a little beating in the back of a car. You get a single button to turn it on and long-press to activate the light with a simple LCD to tell you percent full and an indicator of if it's being used or charged and lastly a indicator to tell which current mode(1 or 2.1 amps). On one side you get a USB output, the jumper output and a barrel jack input. Pretty understated really. The jumper attachment is a somewhat awkward, bulky, grip-like shape which is strange to me as you don't really hold onto it during use. At the end are small alligator clips that take up little space but are are just big enough to do their job.

Function- I was going to make a video to show it really does work but as you can see on Amazon everyone's already done that. To summarize, I left my dashcam on accidentally one night and the battery was completely dead in my 3.9L V6 Mustang.. Couldn't move the started at all. What better way to test this jumper than that? No pulling my wife's car around. No running an extension cord from the garage for the wired jumper. I just popped the hood, stuck this baby on, and the car cranked right to life. It wasn't an instant full-power start but it didn't crank for more that 2 seconds which isnt' too far off my normal battery. The addition of a light is a no-brainer and will be invaluable if I ever have to jump it at night. We have used it to charge a 1/4 full Nexus 5X and it took about an hour and 30-40% of the battery's capacity after jumping the Mustang. The phone can handle more current to do it faster but 2.4A isn't bad.

I'm sure there are other jumpers out that that work but if anyone asks me for a recommendation I'd have no problem pointing them to this. It came through when I needed plus the extra features like the light and charging your phone are just icing on the cake. There's even a car charger included so you can recharge this after you've got the car started and it will be ready again next time you need it. Give it a try. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.

Action Camera Kit round 2

Get your own set here

If you don't have the attachments, an action camera doesn't really do you much good. The problem is figuring out which ones to buy but this set lets you try them all without breaking the bank. I was impressed with the sheer range of things you get and their quality as well. This is the second of similar sets that I've tried and while much of it is the same(a few of the included parts are the same item) I actually think this one is a better value due to a few choices I'll outline. Side note: if you have a crawling baby around, you'll get great footage to share if you put your camera on the headband and put it upside down on them diaper style and facing forward. FPV baby crawling!

Build- Having used another set for a while I've found that this plastic holds up fine for what it's used for. All the elastic straps are really wide so they stay in place better and the headband even has a rubbery texture on the inside to keep it from slipping off with movement. The only minor-est of things that I wish was a little different is that the wrist strap is just a piece of velcro and I can imagine it chafing after a little while. My last note build wise is that the selfie stick is built like a tank. I'm serious that thing could be a weapon so if you're the sort of person who likes selfie sticks, this one will hold up well.

Function- Again, there's a ton of stuff here. You've got the basic parts that allow you to orient the camera any way you need but those are expected. The real gems are the main mounts. I'd been wanting a head mount for a while now and this one was my favorite. It adjusts well and stays in place great. The chest mount lets you have a solid placement while knowing it will never fall off. I tried the wrist mount and while it works well, having the large camera sticking off made it a little unwieldy. If you're going to be around water you have a floating grip that lets you set it down around water, but still not worry about it sinking. Really three main things set this group apart for me 1. The included mini tripod is larger and the legs hold their shape much better 2. The suction mount is something I've seen missing in some other sets and 3. An included memory card. Many Go Pros and their clones don't include a card so it's nice that this set really does give you everything you need.


Beyond those you've got your helmet mounts(flat and curved) and other little add-on doodads that are just nice to have. That being said it doesn't include things just to say there is more than competitors. You have everything you need but nothing more. This isn't a name brand set but I think for the most part things will hold up fine for average use. If you do happen break something it's not like you paid 100 bucks for the set and it can be had for even less that less impressive sets. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.

Double Camping Hammock by Live Infinitely

Hang one up yourself from Amazon

I love this thing. No two ways about it. After taking it to a my wife's family's cabin on an Alabama river over Thanksgiving weekend I had plenty of time to try it out. Even after some tentativeness about the weight capacity it came through and I even have a couple family members who want one. While some products will only come with a hammock and expect you to make a separate purchase to get straps this one helpfully includes everything you need to walk out into the woods and set it up in minutes.

Build- For something purported to hold two people's weight you would expect to have some solid construction. I'm glad to say everything about it held up wonderfully. The main body is made up of a parachute type fabric that showed no strain when I was in it and was just as fine when my wife hopped in with me for a nap on a nice 70 degree day. I looked everywhere and there was no sign of seams pulling out anywhere. Even though the fabric seems so thin it is very wide so when it all bunches together at one point around the very thick paracord all the strain is spread out to the straps. Speaking of the straps, they are a must with this type of hammock and I like to see that they are included. They are very long which lets you pick any two trees that are the length of the hammock up to probably twice that length. just looking at them you can see they are made well and would have no trouble holding two peoples weight. One side of the hammock has a bag shape attached to it allowing it to fold right up into itself for transport.

Function- Well, I lay down in it and don't fall out so I suppose that's a good thing, right? Depending on your mounting strategy you can have it fairly taut giving you a somewhat flat surface to lay on. A loose mount will give you more of a U shape. To actually attach it to a tree I found that the best way was to start with the strap loop against the tree and wrap it around and over the loop while still leaving it exposed. Once you can't quite get a full turn or your hammock is too far away, stick it through the loop and attach it. The loops of strap hold tight just from the friction of their overlap. When you're done it really isn't had to pack into the small bag because the material is so light. I just fold it side-to-side until it's about 8-10 inches across and then roll it end-to-end. This usually leave it int he right shape and stuffing it works to finish it off.

This doesn't have to just be an outdoors/woods item. I was just as happy strapping it between two post of out pergola in the yard and enjoying a sunset. Kids love to play in them too and as long as they don't have anything sharp there's not really much they can do to it. As I said before I know several people who want one after trying it so that says a lot. I'd recommend it to anyone. I received this product free in exchange for nothing more than my honest opinion.