Night Vision vs. Thermal Imaging: What’s the Difference?

Looking for reliable self-defence? Learn how to choose, use, and maintain pepper sprays. Shop trusted SWAT pepper spray online at TheQuarterMaster in South Africa.

On a list of skills for your average South African might need to learn, restraining a criminal might be on it. Physically restraining an individual is both physically and legally risky. Physically: Because it means you are in extremely close proximity to someone who wishes you no good will. Legally: Because if your restrain/arrest someone for the wrong reason or they are injured whilst they are restrained can lead to legal bills. But the sad fact is that the ordinary South African civvie might have to perform a citizen’s arrest and detain someone until the police arrive; eventually. TheQuarterMaster can assist by supplying the correct Handcuffs or Cuff Ties. Usually if you hand over a hand cuffed suspect to the SAPS you can expect your hand cuffs to go with the suspect to the holding cell and most likely you are not going to get it back. TheQuarterMaster has a Handcuffs ranging in Quality and Price: The Republic Arms Hand Cuffs are top of the range and have a reputation internationally for being robust and well made. Look after them and they will serve you for a lifetime. The Midrange Hand Cuffs work well to do the job at hand and if you lose them they will not break the bank either. The Flexi-Cuffs are ideal for when mass arrests are made and you have to quickly and safely restrain groups of individuals E.g. Gangs, syndicate members etc. No key is required and they are incredibly strong. They must be removed with the use of side cutters. Using a knife is going to result in injury. (Refer also to legal troubles above) At TheQuarterMaster Skills and knowledge are as important as having the right gear. To do things right TheQuarterMaster can help you with the gear and advice Regards  Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew

Among the devices that TheQuarterMaster sells are those that make a noise. A very loud noise. And if you couple it with it being an unexpected loud noise then you have both and alarm and a deterrent to alert you to intruders and to scare them off. The BangAlert is a tripwire device that uses, well, a trip wire and a .27 Calibre Hilti Cap to make a loud noise (Similar to a Gunshot) and if it is in a confined space, passage or room believe me it is even louder! Use it to secure either perimeters or outbuildings and campsites. It is rugged, weather proof and requires no batteries and will not harm pets or children if set off accidentally. Obviously the closer you are the greater the fright. Even if you do not hear the “Bang” if you patrol the area you installed the Bang Alert you will notice if it has been set off. Set the trip wire just below knee height and you should be good to go. If you are sneaky you will alter the angle and length of the trip wire each time it is set off and keep the bad guys guessing. We also have hand held Compressed Air Noise Blaster in a range of sizes. It give a deafening sound to raise an alarm, scare off/frighten bad guys as well as Elephants and other critters. Seriously: One customer order a quite a few of the larger Air Horns that are used on a Game Reserve to scare off Elephants and it seems to work? As the saying goes: YMMV (Your Miles May Vary) so please be prudent. If you have unwelcome guests at night and you are secure it will be extremely effective giving off a loud piecing blast. If you use a series of short blasts it can signal a fire, intruders or a specific emergency event which if everyone is trained to react to can speed up the response and hopefully reduce the severity. With a smaller unit it can scare off a mugger or signal when you are lost. It does not require batteries and is simply to use with minimal training. This is what TheQuarterMaster does: Help you prepare for those events that can be life changing and hopefully reduce its severity. (A blast of noise might just do it) All the best Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew

Who ever thought of taking a Pea and mixing it with a nut and butter was genius. Seriously though Peanut butter is a real treat especially with Apricot Jam or even Mixed Berry. However in situation that are less than ideal, such as a crisis, of heightened physical and mental stress Peanut Butter is a life saver. Our Eezy Squeezy Peanut Butter is Packaged in a 30 gram pouch it is going to provide you with a mouthful of Peanut Buttery goodness as well as the energy boost that comes from consuming a protein. The Eezy Squeezy Peanut Butter Sachet has proven to be popular with some of our customers who are either hikers or athletes that need a quick boost whilst on the go. Or it can make for a nice tasty snack when you take a break whilst on an anti-poaching patrol or long Saturday Cycle in the country side. The sachet is easily compactible to be disposed of when you are back in civilisation. It will easily burn in a fire to. So keep a few Eezy Squeezy Peanut Butter Sachets in your hiking or EDC gear. It will make nice time nicer and crisis times a bit more manageable. Checkout our webstore: We also have Olive oil , Honey , Mixed Fruit and Apricot Jam Sachets Calmly: Be prepared  Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew

Fire and especially a braai fire is a South African tradition. However there are time when out about in your favourite part of the South African outdoors that it is either not prudent nor possible or even illegal brew up a coffee or heat a meal on an open flame never mind a braai. The possibility of starting a veldt fires, alerting poachers (if on an anti-poaching patrol) or being stuck in a tent whilst it is raining and windy outside all get a vote as to exactly how you will make that “brew”. TheQuarterMaster has a range of stoves that can, literally, fit the pocket or at least a large pocket. One of the popular old favourites is the Coughlan’s Emergency Stove It is a copy of the venerable Esbit stove (No longer imported into ZAR). It will fit into a breast pocket and has space to contain Solid Fuel Tablets. It is relatively odourless and smokeless which is critical if you are indoors or simply trying to remain low key. You know those gas stoves that have a relatively high center of gravity: The usually indicate that the water has boiled by tipping over  who has not experienced that! That’s why the a low center of gravity is important Thus Coughlan’s folding stove is completely quiet, odourless, packs really flat. When set up is low and can take a small to large size kettle or pot. This is my favourite and I have used it many a time to make a brew and heat a meal. It uses a Wood Alcohol as fuel which is not messy or stinky. The MSR Dragon Fly Multi Fuel can use petrol, benzene, diesel or paraffin. Ideal for those trekking across strange continents not knowing what fuel will be avaliable. At full blast it really makes a noise, but brings water to a boil quick. The flame is easily regulated and can be set to simmer when needed.  TheQuarterMaster has a range of Stoves, solid fuel, gas and liquid fuel that can turn a miserable time out doors into a pleasant time. It will save you time foraging for wood or fuel too. If you need advice give us a Call or a WhatsApp and we will assist you. All the best Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew.

There was a time called BC. Before Coffee. It must have been a crazy world, getting up in the morning and maybe having a drink of hot water or milk or maybe some concoction of roasted grains. Thank fully those dark day are behind us. Here at TheQuarterMaster we take our coffee so seriously that we sell it GREEN. Yes, unroasted green coffee beans. We have Columbian , Guatemalan and Ethiopian green coffee beans in 500gr thru 5kg packs. Why you may ask? Green coffee beans if stored properly will last indefinitely and you can choose when and how dark/mild you want to roast them. How do you roast coffee at home? Easy, in a thick based potjie or pan. I prefer to use an electric popcorn maker. Two or three minutes in the popcorn maker and you can gauge the level of roast for yourself. If you are going to try this at home: Do it OUTSIDE as the smoke and the thin skin that peels off can create a real mess. Roast them till you here a crackle begin. This is called first crack. When a 2 nd bout of cracking starts then you are more or less ready. It’s not rocket science, but you get the satisfaction of roasting your own beans to your peculiar taste and the aroma is just wonderful. Last bit of advice: Allow the beans to cool off and only use a day or two later. So, get your green coffee beans from TheQuarterMaster and either put them away for long term storage or roast to you own spec. Regards Camo & TheQuarterMaster Crew

You know those cooking shows where they show you the freshly obtained ingredient’s, neatly arranged on a clean counter all ready to be prepared, diced and cooked up. That is not how it works at TheQuarterMaster. Ideally you will be in a remote and beautiful location sitting next to a camp stove with your Billy can or Dixie at a rolling boil. There is no chicken, pasta or vegetables in sight. Because TheQuarterMaster has crammed them all into a retort pouch. No fuss, no chasing chickens around or having to dig up vegetables. All you have to do is place the pouch in your boiling Dixie. Simple, tasty and easy to warm up. Keep camping, hiking or patrolling simple. TheQuarterMaster has a range of Single Meals which can be paired with rice , samp or lentils. Regards Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew

Possibly: You’re on a long hunt. Perhaps on a longer bush patrol (Vehicle or Foot). You might be in an observation post which you cannot leave. Or you might have security guards on post at a client. You could be bugging out! In all cases you will be away from catered food and water. In situations like this getting food and water to those in the field is complicated. Checkers 60/60 or Mr Delivery are of no use save a 4x4 or armoured car to get the food and water to where it needs to be. Additionally you want the food and drink arrive in a condition where it is safe to eat and drink. (I recall soldiers in WW1 battle of Ypres (I think) during been delivered hot tea in containers that had been used for petrol. In the hell of trench war this must have been a soul destroying) So how do you get hot hygienic and tasty food to those out in the field or on operation? That exactly what TheQuarterMaster is here for: Getting you the right gear and supplies to the right place at the right time. That way you can ensure you complete your mission (Work or Fun). Our Single Meals are tasty and hygienic meals stored in a pouch. They can be heated in the pouch either against your body or boil in the bag. If open flames are unwise or not permitted then a Flameless Ration Heater (FRH) is ideal. It is a packet with a water activated heating pad. Insert your Single Meal Food Pouch into the FRH add about 30ml of water and within 10 minutes you will have a piping hot meal. Use your SPOON to keep the meal hygienic and feed yourself. My favourite is the Savoury Mince and if you add in a starch such as SAMP , Savoury RICE or even PAP you have a really good meal. For those with a sweet tooth TheQuarterMaster has sachets of APRICOT and MIXED FRUIT JAM as well as PEANUT BUTTER and HONEY . All of these sachets will quickly give you an energy boost can be applied to bread or biscuit to make a sandwich. To round off you meal TheQuarterMaster has “ Bush Biscuits ” Styled on the traditional army Dog Biscuit. HOWEVER our Bush Biscuit is easy to eat/fragment into piece yet not a fragile that it will crumble into powder whilst being carried. It has a pleasant Mild Malty Taste and can be eaten as is, topped off with Jam and Peanut-butter or anything savoury. Bon appetite! Regards Camo & TheQuarterMaster Crew.

Shock caused by blood loss from a traumatic wound is a cold and clammy feeling mixed in with a shivering cold and the sensation of falling asleep and nausea. Unless immediate action is taken a funeral plan might be needed. Whilst most commercial first aid kits are set up to deal with ‘Lite’ type wounds, the limited amount and small size bandages will have trouble with arterial or large capillary bleeds. I highly recommend that you attend a course Stop-The-Bleed. It will teach you how to deal with massive bleeding wounds with limited resources. For many years Tourniquets have been frowned on as specialist equipment that only specialists should use. The reality of specialists is that they are seldom around when you need them and more than likely you are going to have to wait for them to get to you or you are going to have to get to them: ASAP! AXIOSTAT is a sponge that has a blood clotting agent soaked into it. Depending on the size of the wound it can be literally shoved into the hole or gash to quickly stop bleeding. Honestly if you are on blood thinning meds, you need to have Axiostat close by. Let’s assume that you have stopped traumatic bleeding, either with the correct use of Axiostat, a Tourniquet or your T-shirt stuffed into the holes and pressure applied. Yes, it will be messy (and I really hope you will be wearing protective Nitrile Gloves ) but it can work. Next you will have to deal with the consequences of the blood loss namely Shock and its symptoms. This can range from feeling cold and starting to shiver and drowsiness. A simple Rescue Blanket can easily keep the victim warm. Failure to do so will see complications from the shock set in a few days later as the grim reaper returns to claim what should have been his a few days prior. There are tragic stories of lives that could have been saved bit for skill and/or a simple piece of gear. Please folks consider carrying TheQuarterMaster IFAK . It will have most of what you need to deal wounds and injuries that result in blood loss. Stopping the bleeding should be your priority. One can get oxygen into the victim after a few minutes, blood not so much. TheQuarterMaster IFAK bag should be part of your range gear and be in your vehicle. Gear plus skill might prevent tragedy for you or your family. Stay Safe Regards Camo and TheQuarterMaster Crew.