When carrying in the appendix position, some holsters can interfere with the belt buckle. For instance, with wider attachments, the leftmost attachment might want to go right over my belt buckle, which often doesn’t work.
Here the belt buckle may interfere with the preferred appendix carry position. It also protrudes out further.Here, the belt buckle adds to the overall width of the beltline from the appendix carry position.
In addition to being in the way, sometimes the buckle sticks out. I have a number of belts with a cobra buckle, and even if I can center it without it interfering with my preferred carry position, it adds another 1/2″ or more to my waistline.
I have a simple tip to address these two issues that you may have already thought of.
Instead of changing how or where you carry, move your belt buckle. That’s right… it doesn’t need to be pointed straight forward. For a right handed shooter, move the belt buckle to the left to gain additional clearance for the holster clip. It’s simple and effective. Who says you must have your buckle straight forward on your centerline? Not me, especially when it affects my concealed carry!
Here the belt buckle is moved to the side, allowing me to carry the pistol exactly where I want and reducing beltline girth.Here the belt buckle is moved to the side, allowing me to carry the pistol exactly where I want and reducing beltline girth.
When we bought the 4runner, the dealer had the rooftop tent installed on the factory rack, with Yakima aero bars bridging the gap between the factory roof rack and the CVT rooftop tent. While it seemed reasonably secure, it sat higher than I wanted and I thought it probably wasn’t as strong as it should be. So I considered it my mission to come up with a stronger, lower solution.
While strength is a primary concern, I also didn’t want a solution that would put me well above the $1k+ territory. I wanted something lower, something stronger, something that fits the look of the 4runner, and preferably something that doesn’t make a lot of noise. Oh yes, it cannot cover the sunroof.
Toward that end, I called Rhino Adventure Gear, a Rhino dealer in California. They called me back later in the day, and we discussed options. After some measuring, the standard Rhino rack (not the backbone, but the rack itself) bar spacing would be a bit awkward versus the bars on the bottom of the CVT tent. The CVT bars would be half on/half off the Rhino bars. However, we did discuss the possibility of me just buying the backbone system and I would fabricate my own cross bars to mount the tent on. This is ultimately what we decided to pursue.
I also separately purchased 80/20 15 Series T-Slot aluminum extrusion 48″ long in anodized black. These are 1.5″ square extrusions, and I figured would be plenty strong. I wasn’t certain exactly how I would mount to the backbone when I bought these, but I thought it likely that I could mount them directly to the top of the backbone — this is ultimately what I did. I purchased 4, but ultimately only needed 3. They cost just over $13 each, plus shipping.
80/20 Cross Bar Attachment to Rhino Rack Backbone
To help reduce wind noise, I also purchased 40 feet of 15 series t-slot cover, which I threaded into the top & front & rear of the extrusions. I may also add to the bottom of the extrusions in the future. Cost $26.
Finally, I purchased black end covers for the 15-series. I ended up with more than I needed — 10 — but the cost was about $16 for these.
Backbone: $369, extrusions $13×3, t-slot cover $26, end covers $16. $450 for the whole thing, which is quite a bit less than the full systems including the racks.
With all the parts in hand, I proceeded with installation. First step is to remove the factory roof rack. Note that with this system, no holes need to be drilled in the roof. I popped the factory end covers, then loosened the two screws at each end gradually. Apparently, the 2 screws at each end have a bracket holding each of them together, so it’s best to loosen them gradually to avoid stressing that bracket. The factory roof rack removed easily.
Installing the Rhino Backbone was easy, and the included instructions were sufficient. Simply use the same mounting holes, apply the rubber “gaskets”, place the backbone, and then install using the included bolts with washers arranged appropriately. Once the 4 bolts are attached and torqued appropriately, the backbone is in place. Repeat for the other side.
With the backbone in place, it seemed reasonably strong. The steel isn’t overly heavy, but should hold weight well. I will say that the factory rack seemed to be more solid under side-to-side load due to the way the bottom was formed to the shape of the roof. Part of me wishes that the backbone did something similar to distribute weight on the roof a little better, which might help with side-to-side loading.
Installing the t-track was trivial. I already had some t-track brackets & bolts, and I used those to clamp the rack down on the roof. I paid special attention to spacing them evenly on the roof, and I made sure the split washers were in place, as I didn’t want them loosening up. Provided the t-track is tightly attached to the backbone, this will distribute the tent weight side to side better, helping keep things rigid. If they loosen up, I could see the weight of the tent pushing down and bending the backbone attachments.
Crossbars on the Rhino Rack Backbone
Finally, the backbone system provides for 3 cross bars. I’m utilizing all 3, with the intent that the middle adds strength to the overall system. However, the CVT tent uses only bracket mounts front and rear. I suppose I could add a 3rd set in the middle, but I don’t see a strong need for that.
So far, I’m happy with the mounting system and apparent strength. My wife does report more wind noise, which is not surprising since we had previously been running the factory roof rack without crossbars. The rack does look good on our all-black T4R, fitting the black theme and removing the factory silver.
Next step is to mount the tent and test!
Update 6/1/2018: After driving the T4R, I agree with my wife that the wind noise is significant. I’m pulling the crossbars off until we are ready to mount the RTT. I’m a bit disappointed at the amount of noise, but I guess that can be expected given the squareness of the 80/20 crossbars.
Update 6/8/2018: After removing the 80/20 crossbars, the T4R is back to being super quiet. Thank goodness!
What if I told you I was watching everything you did? I know every web search you make. I know when you leave your home, and when you come home. I know when you go to visit the doctor, and how long you spend there. I know when you visit that website you shouldn’t. I know when you go to the liquor store, and I know when you visit with friends and can even pinpoint the friend you visit with and how long you were together.
Would that creep you out? I (personally) do not know all those things, but Google does. Facebook does. How? They own your cell phone.
I’ve known that this is possible for a long time. Previously working at Intel, I am tech saavy, and have had a friend on the cell phone team. When asked whether a company or agency could track us using our cell phone, he answerd, “It’s just software, Shan, and you know software.” Wow.
The amount of tracking was underscored by a recent video on how Google will track you even when your cell phone is not available because you turned on airplane mode. This is important because it underscores the possibility that Google could track us even if we put our phones in privacy sleeve or possibly even if we have our phone off.
I have many upstanding friends who say, “I have nothing to hide; why should I care?” To that I respond asking how they know they have nothing to hide? There is a huge amount of federal criminal law, state criminal law, and even local laws that can land one in jail. I guarantee that if we lived in a world where law enforcement was 100% effective at identifying and imprisoning those who committed any crime, we would all be behind bars. We’re going to leave it up the the discretion of those in some government to determine whether they want to prosecute us? Or are you saying you agree 100% with every law and everyone in government? There are thousands of examples of abuses in this area. No thanks.
As someone who values the security of living armed, the idea of reducing my attack surface to corporations, individuals, and agencies who might wish to do me harm is attractive. It helps me further protect myself and my family. If I ever decide to take a higher profile role in the community, it helps me protect them as well.
As a result, I’ve decided to increase both my security and privacy. I’ve decided to improve my cell phone security and privacy as part of this journey. I did it once, years ago, with the now-dead Cyanogenmod (note that it has a direct successor — Lineage OS). Perhaps you’re interested in how I do it? If so, follow along as I share some of my experiences.
Next article: Options to increase cell phone privacy and security.
Perhaps you already have a Sig Sauer P320 and are looking to get a weapon mounted light. While there are lots of good options on the market, the Inforce APLc is a popular one because of a few reasons.
The light itself is small, and has a mostly snag-free design. This is an important carry consideration as designs with big levers or arms can snag on clothing and necessitate a larger holster to carry. The light has 200 lumens, which is adequate for most situations (I would advocate carrying a handheld light as well for situations where you don’t want to point your pistol at something you wouldn’t want to shoot — but that’s a whole different topic), and the runtime is adequate at 1.5 hours. Finally, the switches are available on both sides, allowing you to manipulate with strong hand or reaction hand. This all adds up to a very popular package for users.
But there are 2 different versions of the APLc. There is an “APLc” and “APLc for Glock“. The difference between the 2 is not immediately obvious, but if you look close, you’ll see that the APLc for Glock places the screw (which goes through the rail slots) further forward than the regular APLc.
This might make you think that you must purchase the APLc for your Sig Sauer P320. However, that is not the case.
APLc for GlockAPLc
As you can see from the above pictures, the screw may be positioned differently, but the light appears to be mounted in the same position. Why is this? It’s because the APLc for Glock and the APLc simply have their screw travel through different rail slots; the rail slot spacing is the same as the spacing difference between the different versions of the APLc.
Why is this important? Say you have a number of different pistols you may choose to use your weapon mounted light with? Perhaps you’re not sure if you’re going to run your APLc on your Sig or your Glock? You can purchase the APLc for Glock, and use it on either pistol. Similarly, perhaps you’re wanting to switch your light between the P320 and the HK VP9sk (the APLc for Glock won’t fit this HK), then get the regular APLc and you’re covered.
While this article is in relation to the popular Sig Sauer P320, it likely applies to a number of different pistol models. If you choose carefully, you can maximize the interchange of your APLc on various pistols.
On a cold December Sunday, we decided to go see it. Yep, we were finally going to see the giant cedar in Idaho. If you never knew there was such a thing, then read on…
Apparently, there is a cedar grove with a Giant Western Red Cedar not a terribly long drive from our house. Not sure what to expect, we loaded up the 4runner with self recovery gear and some extra food and headed out for the adventure of it.
We headed to the town of Elk River, then turned North. The roads weren’t bad because winter has been mild. We followed the maps using a pin I had dropped on Maps.me at 46.888958, -116.12997 for the turnoff from Forest Service 382 Road. It turns out that the roads were fairly well marked, but I was happy to have the GPS anyway.
As we climbed, the scenery became more beautiful, and the snow and ice started to get thicker. The stream we followed was a living ice sculpture, and the trees were laden with snow — straight out of a Christmas movie.
We found our cutoff, and followed the road. It brought us right to the trailhead, which I had marked at 46.886949, -116.12156. Given the late hour (about 3pm on a winter Sunday), it was not surprising that we were the only ones there.
We walked down the snowy path, one part of which was covered by a large tree that had fallen into another, and both were suspended above us as an eerie lumber guillotine. It was amazing that both were still suspended in an X fifty feet above our heads. A little further and found the cedar grove. According to the sign by the tree, this giant is over 18 feet in diameter at chest height, and it is estimated to be more then 3000 years old. It was alive when Christ walked the earth! Standing beside and underneath it, we found it difficult to appreciate the full size. It’s huge.
Says this tree is estimated to be over 3,000 years old.
There are other trees nearby. And when we stopped and listened, we heard… nothing. It was beautifully silent.
The walk wasn’t long, and there wasn’t a lot to be done other than admire the beauty of God’s creation. But this was definitely a worthwhile trip.
We headed back to the truck, and headed out. As the sun turned the sky shades of pink and purple, the snow crystals blinked unique patterns of Christmas lights back at our headlights. It was a beautiful trip, made all the more fun and unique by the blanket of snow.
Pink sunset and crystal sparkles welcome us on our drive home.
The 4runner with the Toyo Observe GSi-5 studless snows had no problems on the roads. Thankfully, we didn’t have to use any of the recovery gear we had brought. This trip was easy… just watch the scenery and serenity of the mountains near Elk River.
Our 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad with KDSS and CVT Tent., on the drive home from the dealer, just North of Riggins, ID.
My wife’s Audi Q5, as perfectly reliable as it has been, was approaching 100k miles. In addition, she was wanting something more rugged — something we could take out to the abundant forests nearby and explore and camp. Since we already had the Werkz Ram 1500, we didn’t want another pickup. We wanted something in the highly capable SUV realm.
We initially were looking at the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, 2012 and up. The off road capabilities are great, especially with the Rubicon package. However, we could never put together quite the deal we were looking for. And to be honest, I don’t think either of us enjoyed the jeep that much. Sure, taking the top off was fun, but it’s also a pain — how often would we really remove the top?
Getting discouraged, I asked my wife to drive a used FJ Cruiser at a local Toyota dealership. She thought it was fine, but she prefers carpeting and nicer interiors. The FJ Cruiser is a cool rig, but she couldn’t see driving it every day. We also saw and drove a 2017 4Runner TRD Pro. She liked the rig. A lot. If it had been in black or white or an exclusive 2017 color (it was Barcelona Red), we might have bought it. It did lack two things we wanted — moonroof for her, and I wanted KDSS. Those two options aren’t available for the TRD Pro.
The moonroof is self-exlpanatory, but KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) requires a little more explanation. It allows a bigger sway bar in front for on-road handing, then acts as a disconnect for off-road performance. Here is a video that explains it more:
Though I like the Pro front end a little better, the main thing that had us considering the Pro was the insane resale. From the ads I saw online, someone could buy a new Pro at sticker, drive it for 2 years and 40k miles, and sell it for darn near sticker again. However, since we didn’t plan on selling for many many years, we decided it was important to get exactly what we wanted.
We also considered a used Trail or used GX460. For those who don’t know, the GX460 is much like the overseas Toyota Prado, and includes a “love it or hate it” side swing rear door and v8 power in the same exact chassis as the 4Runner. And the earlier Trail is like the current TRD Off Road package. The problem was that we only found 1 used earlier trail with low miles and in great shape — and the interior isn’t as nice as the newer ones. We also loved the way the GX460 drove with the v8 and 6-speed automatic, but the styling was “meh” (for the early ones) to “ugh” (for the predator faced ones) and the GX460 has the Torsen center diff and no locking rear differential, limiting the off-road capabilities slightly.
As a result, we ended up buying this black 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium with KDSS and moonroof. We also ended up buying the Cascadia Vehicle Tent (CVT) that is on the roof. We’ve not had a chance to try the tent, but so far we love the 4Runner. Future upgrades will likely include BFG KO2 tires, on some genuine TRD wheels. We will probably upgrade to Bilsteins as well.
I travel frequently. This travel often requires that I stop at rest areas or other public restrooms. Maybe I’ve read too many bathroom attack stories, but I’m especially aware when using the bathroom late at night. Here are some tips that I’ve gathered for a safe stop.
Don’t stop at a questionable public restroom. This means you may want to avoid the bathroom that is in a bad section of town or bypass the rest area with only a car or two in the lot. One option if you’re driving back roads or less busy highways may be to simply stop at the side of the road. Another option is to use a Starbucks or McDonalds; they often have clean restrooms and are frequently available. If you can avoid a confrontation, it might be worth the extra few minutes to find a safer spot to stop.
Clear the bathroom. Don’t just push the door part way open, enter, walk to the first stall, and commence. Push the door all the way open to help ensure no one is standing behind it. Look in all the stalls to make sure you know if anyone is in there. Preferably it’s empty, but if not, you still want to know how many other folks are in there with you. Keep mental track of each individual in the bathroom while you’re in there. You can also clear the bathroom for your significant other; a law enforcement friend of mine said he just opens the door to the ladies room and yells “cleaning service” or “housekeeping” before checking the bathroom to make sure it is empty. It only takes a couple minutes to help improve the safety of those you love.
Lock the door. Many of the restrooms I enter have a deadbolt from the inside, even the ones with multiple stalls or urinals. I think it’s better to remain alone if you are at an apparently empty restroom; why not lock the bathroom door? The worst that may happen is someone else is inconvenienced a little.
Use the “right” stall or urinal. There are whole articles written about what to do with your pistol when using the toilet; I won’t talk to that. However, you may want to choose the larger stall to help make sure you have more space to maneuver and less chance of someone reaching under. You may want to use the stall at the end of the row so that there is less need for someone to walk past your door. If using a urinal, you may want to choose the one furthest from the door so that there is less chance someone entering may walk behind you. (Note that I’ve read multiple articles about people being attacked from behind at a urinal.) However, you may also choose the stall or urinal closest to the door for specific reasons. Either way, think through which one might give you the best advantage. Of course, if you’ve locked the door as suggested above, some of these concerns may be mitigated.
Exit aware. Now that you’re done and washed up, it’s time to leave. You’re safe, right? Time to grab your phone, check Facebook, or maybe text your spouse. Well, maybe not yet. When you walk out the bathroom door, check your surroundings. Check to see if anyone is immediately outside each door you walk out. Try not to let someone flank you at the doors. Definitely, don’t let yourself be flanked on both sides. If necessary, you can hold the door open and wait for anyone approaching to walk in past you, rather than giving your back to them. As you approach your car, use angles and distance to see if someone may be next to it. Finally, once you’re in your vehicle, time to lock the doors, start it, and move to an empty and less-busy area. If you need to check your phone, it is better to do it from a locked running car where people aren’t likely to walk by.
Note that none of these items require that you be armed. These are just a few tricks that you can use to help keep yourself or your loved ones safer in a vulnerable situation.
It was time to upgrade the tires on my 2014 Ram 1500. With 21k miles, the stock tires were looking a little poor, and handled terribly last winter. Living up a dirt road in Idaho, I wanted to put a more aggressive tire on the truck.
The first question I needed to answer was whether to keep the stock 20″ clad wheels, or go with something different. After looking at tire prices, I investigated pricing for the 18 and 17 inch wheels on Tire Rack. I decided that I wanted both the less expensive tire as well as the taller sidewall of a 17″ wheel.
The next question was what wheels I would get to run with the larger tires. Unfortunately, I didn’t see many 17″ wheels that I liked at Tire Rack. However, when searching Craigslist, I found a set of Ram Rebel wheels with the Toyo tires that I liked. I’m a fan of keeping my vehicles driving like stock — the factory engineers work hard to make for a good driving truck, and I don’t want to screw it up. While those wheels sold before I was able to buy them, it gave me something to shoot for.
Earlier this month, I found a set of bare Ram Rebel wheel takeoffs. I bought them for $500. Finally, I had the wheels I wanted, but now I needed to determine what tires to run.
After looking at postings on Ramforumz.com and other sites, it appeared that the 315/70r17 tires (which are 34.5 inches tall) would fit on the truck. It wasn’t clear whether a lift was needed for these to fit, many seemed to run the Bilstein front shocks with the front lift they provide. As a result, I was thinking that the best course would be to run the Bilsteins with the 315/70r17 tires.
I called 4 Wheel Parts in Boise to find what my options would be for the 17″ wheels I had. I priced the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac and the BF Goodrich A/T KO2 tires. Apparently, 4WP had a great bulk buy on 315/70r17 tires from BF Goodrich, so I went with them. The tires were under $200 each!
After a few issues working with 4 Wheel Parts (separate review to be published later), they found a note that they couldn’t use the Bilstein lift with the stock control arms. I didn’t have the Zone Control Arm solution installed, so it meant that they would only install at the stock height. They offered to go with smaller tires, but I opted to stay with the 315s.
2014 Ram 1500 with 315/70r17 at stock ride height – Upper Control Arm Clearance
When picking up the truck, I was a bit worried about rubbing issues. However, after 500+ miles, including some time on logging trails here in Idaho. I have had minimal rubbing. The only time I get rubbing is when backing in to where I park. A left turn while dropping the right front down a hill results in minor rubbing on the inner finder on the driver’s side. I have noticed lower gas mileage and a bit slower acceleration. Handling isn’t as sharp, but to be honest the ride is better. Road manners are just as good as stock; it doesn’t pull in the ruts, and my wife still enjoys driving the truck. That’s something.
2014 Ram 1500 with 315/70r17 at stock ride height – BF Goodrich A/T KO2 tires
So, what’s the lesson? If you want 315/70r17 tires on your 4th gen Ram, you can put them on at stock ride height. i admit that this is tire specific, but I suspect it will work with most tire models. This achieved my goals of having better off-road capability (did I mention these tires have the severe snow snowflake) plus a more aggressive look.
Will I eventually replace the control arms and lift the truck using the built-in capability of the Bilsteins? At this point, I don’t think so. The truck just drives so good with the 315s and it’s got a great look. There is minimal rubbing. I just don’t feel the need to lift it.
So… if you’re looking to get bigger tires for your Ram, but don’t want to lift it… I believe you can.
This website and blog is a collection of thoughts, experiences, reviews, and ideas related to concealed carry and outdoor living. We plan to bring articles regarding places we’ve been, gear we’ve used, concealed carry thoughts, firearm and accessory use, off-road vehicles, and a host of other thoughts. Hang on, and we’ll do our best to inform, entertain, and perhaps educate you as well.
