Maxpedition Baron Duffel Bag

Sometimes you don't need a lot of pockets - just one big one. That's what this bag is. Maxpedition makes this basic, "load-out" duffel in three sizes; the Baron (small), the Imperial (medium) and the Sovereign (large). This one is the small in Khaki/Foliage:

It's nothing fancy, but it's not meant to be. It's a solid basic duffel with a minimum of frills. It has dual carry handles that secure together with velcro, an adjustable strap which is not removable and a drag handle on each end. It also meets FAA carry-on requirements.On one side there is a small zippered pocket and a 3 x 4½ velcro square for attaching patches. There is a pair of compression straps under the carry handles:

 The single zipper opens to reveal one big compartment. No other pockets in here:

The othe side has three rows of PALS webbing for the attachment of MOLLE style pouches or other accessories. That is a Maxpedition Small TacTile next to it:

Here is the TacTile attached:

TacTiles are awesome. I will do another post about them later.

Here is a shot of one of the drag handles:

In case you were curious, here is a pic of the chairs you see in the background:

They're just a couple of folding chairs I found in a dumpster and painted. They go along with my philosophy of re-using old stuff. (I got the gargoyle at Target).

If you are looking for a good quality basic duffel bag, this is one worth considering. I know that there are cheaper bags out there, but Maxpedition's quality speaks for itself and makes for a better value in the long run.

East German Long Coat

Back to fashion. I get distracted easily. For this post I want to show you this full length East German overcoat. It is of the same origin and period as the dress tunic I showed earlier. I bought this one at Mickey's Surplus.



It's also the same material - coarse, steel gray wool. This particular one has a dark collar, many of them have a light gray collar (same as the rest of it). This may be an officer's coat, but I'm not sure. The shoulder boards attach in the same manner as the other jacket.

Here's a pic of the back:

This coat is crazy huge. It's marked a 48, whic I wear, but it is very roomy. It's 48 inches from the bottom of the collar to the tail. On me it falls to about six inches above my ankle bone. I'm 5'9". It was hard to get a photo of the full length of it. There is plenty of room to put other layers under it, though most of the time that's not necessary. Being wool, it's usually enough, but with a fleece jacket under it, it can handle some pretty cold temps. There's also enough material to sheild you from the wind. I wear this coat when it gets really crappy out. With the weather getting colder, I'll be posting more about winter clothing soon. 

A Few More Drawings

For this post, I'd like to share a character I've been drawing for about five years. His name is Gritty. He has been appearing on the pages of Grit Magazine since 2006. Grit is a farm-oriented magazine that has been published since 1882. That's right - 129 years. The original Gritty was just a "stick man" used to illustrate an article about trailer backing. He has been fully developed as a character for only about two years. I am able to fit him into just about any situation. I like how he is now and I would like to pass him along.

NOTE: the rights for Gritty are shared between Myself and Ogden Publications, Inc. Unauthorized use or reproduction is NOT allowed. With that said, here's Gritty!

This one was for an article about turkey carving in the November/December 2010 issue. His lady friend's name is Gritta:

This one is about pheasant hunting:

And here we see Gritty "snipe hunting":

I also like drawing cartoon animals. This one was about Colonial livestock breeds:

Here he is meeting a big bass:

Gritty is also very "scientific":

Gritty dressed as Popeye for an article about spinach:

This last one was not for publication. I thought it would be funny to pose Gritty and Gritta as "American Gothic":

I really enjoy drawing Gritty and I would like to see him reach a bigger audience. Like I said earlier; I can fit him into almost any situation. He's not limited to farm-related topics. Thet's just what I'm getting paid for at the moment. I hope you enjoy this and I'd like to hear your feedback!