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Persec Aware- A solid option for a custom belt, handmade in Canada.

A solid piece of kit, made in Toronto.

For years, I’ve been on the lookout for a solid belt.  When I say solid,  I include in that definition fit, style, strength, durability, functionality and dependability.  Almost two months ago, I think I hit pay dirt with that.

While I was planning my Bruce Trail outing, (read about it here) I found that I was missing a key piece of gear: a “solid” belt.  Sure, there are a load of well-known commercial companies that offer quality belts, but I was looking for something specific.  I wanted what they offer, something I considered “solid”, not ridiculously over-priced and, if possible, Canadian-made.

Enter Persec.  We had followed each other on Instagram and I reached out asking some questions about their products, their hardware, colours and the like.  Not only was I happy with the answers, but also the questions I was asked.  Custom work, apparently, is even better when the one making the product has a better understanding of the customer’s intentions and requirements.

Extra stitching, clean and tight cuts. Quality materials.

Some fast-facts about the belts offered by Persec:

  • They offer 3 widths – 1.5″, 1.75″ and 2″
  • Several colours (black, ODG, camp, coyote, etc)
  • Built from a combination of high-strength webbing and Codura for rigidity
  • Available in a variety of stiffnesses, strengths;
  • All are custom-lengths;
  • Every belt is made by hand, in Toronto, Canada, and with incredible attention to detail that is immediately apparent.
  • All manner of customization is available – contact them directly for more details.
Like a belt-Christmas!

As I received my order of belts, I was immediately relieved with my decision to go with Persec and try them out.

The belts were custom-sized.  Exactly what I had requested.  The shipping was very fast (they are located in Toronto).  When I held them, I could feel the quality of construction in the materials but also, when examining them closely, could tell the attention to detail in the craftsmanship.  Most consumer goods made in bulk have loose stitching, imperfect cuts and the like, but not these.  Every detail was exacting.  I was impressed.

What I had requested was a belt which would cross-over easily from the trail to the urban jungle, in black, with semi-rigidity, custom-length, with both buckle options (hook and Cobra Buckle, respectively).  Persec did not disappoint.

The Cobra buckle (left) and hook buckle (right) options on Persec belts.

The semi-rigidity of the belts, as well as the widths (they recommended 1.5″ as opposed to 1.75″ as I was interested in the cross-comparability of daily wear as well.  The 1.75″ would be more appropriate for a duty or gun belt setup).  I was happy for the choice as it easily works with jeans as well as hiking or tactical pants.

Persec belt works well as a daily wear belt in the urban wilderness as well as on the trail.  Also, the Lolly in my pocket (from Delta2Alpha’s Accent Series) compliments the belt in more ways than one.

The adjustment options for the belts work very well.  The hook buckles have three attachment points which, in harmony with the velcro hook & loop patch on the opposite side, allow for a perfect fit every time.  With the Cobra buckle, you have only the velcro strip opposite the buckle, but this too works very well as the cam cinched down reliably.

Hook buckle. Once attached is very strong and secure.

I equipped myself with two of these belts (one with the Cobra buckle, in black, the other with a hook buckle in black subdued camouflage) for the miles of hiking and have been wearing one almost every day out since returning.  They have become my daily wear.

After almost 2 months of wear, use and some abuse, my conclusions are as follows:

  • The custom fit is great.  Better than regular commercial products, I find;
  • Each piece is made with great attention to detail, high quality materials and much pride.  In my correspondence, this was very apparent.
  • Both belts are “solid” by my standards.  I have no doubt that they will last a long time.
  • There has been barely any warping – this tends to happen, especially when I load the belt up – but despite this, it has been minimal.
  • The black of the material has not faded at all, despite long periods in the sun, water and dirt.  It’s still pitch-black.
  • The semi-rigidity of the belts allow for ease of movement without digging in to me at any point, even when equipping with clip pouches or anything “in-the-waistband”  (This includes a holster.  No concerns, even for the range).
  • I have even worn it with my uniform in a training environment and like it far better than the “rigger’s belt” I’ve worn for years.  I have switched them out and feel good about it, though I’ll likely order another in OD Green so that no one gets bent out of shape about the non-issue colour.

Bottom line, I’d recommend checking out the items offered by Persec without hesitation.  You can find Persec Aware on Instagram and Facebook.  You won’t be disappointed.

Versatile, durable and dependable.

Then while you’re at it, load it up with stuff from Canadian Gun Worx, held by custom Kydex from Gray Fox Strategic and some apparel from Tactical Beaver.  And don’t forget to pocket a few useful tools from Delta 2 Alpha Design, then you’ll really be good to go!

 

Till next time, stay safe and stay crafty.

 

 

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After Action Report: Covert Entry Concepts – Toronto

On the weekend of 28-29-30 July, 2017, True North Tradecraft hosted the first-ever offering of The CORE Group’s Covert Entry Concepts course in Toronto.  We had 9 students, an excellent venue, great food and of course, fantastic training.  (To read my review of the course I attended in Maryland, click here.)

Training materials before.
Training materials, after.

Friday evening saw the group meet up, make introductions and immerse themselves in Street Thief, a mockumentary based on a thief.  Though not “real”, it did accurately illustrate how an actual thief does what they do, ideas for protecting against such things and using the same methodologies in conducting security assessments and Red Team-type attacks.  That, coupled with some yummy pizza (no Hawaiian, you’re welcome Rob) made for a good evening.

Mmmm..pizza.

Starting bright and early on Saturday morning, we hit the ground running getting into the principles of physical security, locking mechanisms and the basics of attacking them.  This was framed within the construct of proper evaluation and approach vectors for attack and assessment.

The tools.

Thanks to The Lucky Penny for providing scrumptious snacks and endless coffee to get us started and keep us going.

Freshly baked and delivered food and coffee made a huge positive impact on all of us.

The entire day was fast and furious.  We hit on a vast breadth of topics and brought it all to practice very quickly.  The students were introduced to various locks and their corresponding pick and bypass tools.

Checking out a tubular lock pick.

Wafer locks, pin & tumbler, dead bolts, combination locks, padlocks, warded locks, etc.  The pace was fast but students picked-up the skills quickly and began to progress through to more difficult locks.  After everyone felt they were getting the hang of it, we moved right into impressioning and key casting.

Key impressioning. Money for nothing and your checks for free.
Key casting. Delicate but really interesting if done correctly.

Saturday had some tasty lunch too…

Rob enjoying a fine Canadian poutine. Now he has a standard to measure all others by.

The rest of the day was spent discussing elevators and their uses in Red Team operations and physical security, safes and other miscellaneous related content.

We finished off the evening as a group at a fantastic nearby Mexican restaurant where the food was excellent and the tequila and mojitos flowed.

Mmmm…guac and tequila.
So much food. So good. Cheers all!

Sunday, though rough for some more than others, continued the same high tempo.  We dove right into more elevator stuff and more impressioning challenges.

One challenge was who could impression a key properly before anyone else.

The second was the T-Rex Challenge.  Picking a lock while a electronic muscle stimulator is hooked-up to one’s forearms.  It’s a laugh for all.

Those arms are shaking. Doesn’t matter how tough you are, it was crazy.

That winners of each challenge got some stuff from our friends at Delta 2 Alpha Design (The Lolly and The Mark, and stickers, each.)

After we all stopped laughing and got feeling back in our arms, we carried on to lock bypassing, familiarization with various tools and techniques associated with it and giving them a trial run.

One of the students using an Under Door Tool to rescue someone (Rob and another student) from the bathroom.

We then transitioned to removing/replacing tamper-evident seals.  A very delicate operation to say the least, this portion of the day was slow-going and painstakingly irritating when impatience wrecked it all.  That said, it was very interesting in its method and application.  We also discussed security posturing, use, strength and limitations of seals and tamper-evident devices along with best practices.

Making tamper-evident not-so-evident. Steady hands.

To round out the weekend, we finished on a high note with restraint escapes.  Dealing in escaping unlawful custody while restrained by handcuffs, nylon zip ties, duct tape and cord.  The more you know, the better prepared you will be.

Aftermath of zip tie escape.
Tools of the trade.

 

One of the most important parts of the learning was the manner in which it was delivered.  Rob’s easy-going and humorous nature, coupled with his expansive knowledge and professionalism made for a relaxed yet powerful learning environment.  He is an exemplary instructor and trainer and is so giving of himself and his knowledge.  That and he couldn’t get over how no one carried guns.  Yay Canada.  It all makes a huge positive difference.

As with all experiences of this kind, there was so much more we covered and were exposed to that it simply wouldn’t do it justice to speak to here.  There is only so much you can read about or learn from on YouTube before you hit a wall.  Well-delivered, quality, in-person training has no substitute.  I recommend this training to anyone interested in these skills. In the end, an excellent group made an excellent class.  Congratulations to all.

Certificate. It was all worth it.

We are excited about how everything went that we are already planning our next offering.  Keep tuned to the Blog (and Instagram and Facebook) for more details.

Thank you to Rob and to all others who helped make this happen and make it great (See below) and thank you to all who attended.

Till next time,

Stay Crafty.

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The Jody Mitic Podcast # 38 – Tactical Beaver & True North Tradecraft

Last Saturday, May 27th, Tactical Beaver and True North Tradecraft made an appearance in our nation’s capital.  We met with Tactical Beaver fans at a fine pub in the Glebe (Irene’s) and shared some good cheer and made some new friends.  And sold some shirts!

It was a great start to a day which would see us as guests of Jody Mitic and the Jody Mitic Podcast.

We had been invited to be guests on Jody’s podcast to discuss Tactical Beaver and True North Tradecraft, our vision, goals and of course, shoot the shit with him.  It was all that and more.  Jody and Luke were gracious, humble and very fun to spend a few hours with.  They even invited us back!

We couldn’t leave Ottawa without meeting with some new friends for breakfast at the Wellington Diner, namely Marc from Hayabusa Ninjutsu and his lovely family.  Thank you for the recommendation.

We are looking forward to next time.  Till then, check out the great podcast here and follow Jody Mitic, The Jody Mitic Podcast, Tactical Beaver and True North Tradecraft on Facebook and Instagram.  Subscribe to the Podcast to hear more of Jody’s unique take on things and his other amazing guests.

Stay crafty.