Do It Yourself Special Feature: Building a ROP

A ROP is known among flashlight enthusiasts as "Roar of the Pelican" and is a popular project using a 2D maglite as a host and some special parts.

If you have a 2D Maglite around you or can get one easily you may be interested in this Mod. Without any special skills needed, no soldering, no sanding, nothing you can turn your 2D maglite into a flashlight Beast with more than 500 lumen of power in your hands.

This article published as a special feature covers all the materials you need for this project, pointers to some places to get them and instructions for the job. Once you have all the parts it just take 10 to 15 minutes to build your ROP and the result can be very rewarding.

Read the complete article following this link.

Vector Gear Lighter

This lighter uses a system called "lean-burn" that basically generates a stable combustion by setting the platinum catalyzer in the middle of internal burner cylinder, which in turn generates a secondary gas combustion.

This system reduces gas consumption and allows the lighter to work in limited oxygen environments like high altitudes.The flame is wind resistant and the case is strong to resist shock. It is not water proof so you need to avoid dropping it in water.

The lighter is refilled by common buthane fuel and it has a small window in the back to see the amount of fuel left, this is a very useful detail that not all the top quality lighters have.

The lighter performs very well, the lean-burn system is great to keep fuel consumption to minimum in long trips or excursions and the flame will be strong enough to resiste bad weather, rain and wind, being able to use it in high altitudes is another great advantage.

The lighter is available in 5 different finishes and colors you can read more about it and order for $80 from the product page.

ACR WW-3 Whistle

The ACR WW-3 whistle is a small flat whistle specially designed for emergency or rescue situations.

The whistle is 1.0 x 2.0 x .25 in (2.5 x 5.0 x .6 cm) so it is really small and flat weighting just 1.4oz (4og) the flat shape makes it possible to be carried in a wallet or a small side pocket in a hat or other apparel. For a neck lanyard it is very confortable since the plastic is smooth and the flat shape makes it invisible under a t-shirt. It is probably one of the best options for a small emergency kit inside a small tin.
It can also be carried in a keychain but that is probably not the best way to take advantage of the flat shape.

The sound is loud producing a dual tone pitch that can be heard from long distances; it can be used in all weather conditions and it can be attached to rescue tools or equipment and be available in case of need.

The whistle comes with a yellow lanyard and you can read more in the product page.

Sterling Systems Pocket Sharpener

This is a very small and flat pocket sharpener made of stainless steel with a tungsten carbide wedge.

To use the sharpener just place it on a flat surface, a table, a rock, a tree branch etc and then slowly slide the edge of the knife downwards through the carbide wedge.

With almost no pressure and a few passes any respectable knife will be razor-sharp, if the knife blade was very rough you may need some extra passes or apply some extra pressure. The sharpener is very gentle with the edge without leaving marks or creating dangerous dents.

As small as it is you can put it almost anywhere and it will be unnoticeable, a very recommended companion if you frequently use edged tools.

You can read more in the official website. Or you can order it for $12 from TAD Gear.

McFeely's Pocket Wrench II

The Pocket wrench II is a very small tool that can adjust nuts and bolts of different sizes the tool can also be used as a screwdriver, cap lifter, ruler and some other uses that depend on the imagination of the owner. The tool is only 4" long, 1" wide.

The main feature of the pocket wrench is the wrench tool that using a micro serrated edge can handle hex nuts from 3/16" to 11/16". The bodie’s 1/4" hex opening accepts any 1/4" hex power bit, so you can easily drive virtually any style screw. There is also a ruler that can measure up to 5cm or 2 inches useful for measuring screws and bolts if you need replacements.

The pocket wrench is made of 420 steel and is a very strong tool, it can go in a keychain unnoticed and be used to adjust hex nuts as long as they fit and about 90% of the hex nuts you may need to adjust will fit unless you are repairing the Golden Gate Bridge. For prepared individuals, craftmen or as a backup tool the Pocket Wrench is certainly great, it will fit your keychain without a problem and will be ready to be used in many situations.

They can be ordered for $10 from McFeely's website.

Spyderco LadyBug

The Ladybug is one of the two keychain knives produced by Spyderco; the other one is the Jester, which is similar.

This little knife is 2 and half inches long when closed (64mm) and 4 5/16 when opened (110mm), they are usually smaller than the palm of your hand when opened if a visual reference helps better than the measurements.

The blade made of AUS-6 steel can feature either a plain edge or a spyderedge as in the picture. The lock is a lock-back mechanism located in the middle of the handle. It is easy to open, unlock and close the knife with one hand thanks to the location of the lock and the spyderhole in the knife's blade.

The fiberglass reinforced nylon handle is covered by volcano-grip which helps avoid slippery accidents.


Due to its size the ladybug can be carried in a keychain without being bulky, it can go in a coin pocket, a zipper pull, the bottom of a bag, pocket or purse it will be almost unnoticeable. The knife cuts really well, it can cut rope, cardboard, plastic and other every day materials without any complications, it is useful, safe and very practical. A scaled version of a serious folder that is really good for a keychain or a neck lanyard.

The Ladybug costs about $30 you can read more in Spyderco's website or order one from REI or other dealers; they are quite popular.

Atwood's Tactical Whistle

This is a tactical whistle hand made by Peter Atwood it is very sleek, durable and loud.

The whistles are made from a solid bar of 330 stainless steel they have a splitring hole for attachment they are 2.5" long so they can be carried in a keychain or around your neck without being a bulky item.

The sound produced by these whistles is very loud and has a particular strong pitch so they are easy to recognize in noisy scenarios like sport events, concerts or school events. They can be used both in outdoors or urban environments to attract attention, call a group of people (kids) previously familizarized with the whistle sound, signal in case of emergencies, etc.

They are not as loud as a Storm Whistle or a Fox40 but they are comparable to a Fox40 mini and the particular pitch makes the noise stand out.

The construction is virtually indestructible and they will not have any problem with weather events, I don't know tests but I suspect the stainless steel construction might be unsuitable for boating due to corrosion.

The whistles can be obtained for $35 from Peter Atwood's website and you can also read more about them there.

Krill Lights

The Krill lights are en electronic alternative to chemical glow sticks commonly used in the military, camping and many other areas. The light is generated by electroluminiscence, no bulbs no leds, in the same way that a watch display glows. This means the lights provide a smooth 360 degrees ambient illumination without any beams or patterns.

They are available in different configurations, you can get them in 360 degrees or 180 degrees beam, there is a "Extreme" version that is brighter than the regular one with a shorter runtime and there is also a shorter version called "mini". The regular version can run for about 120 hours with one set of batteries while the extreme version runs for about 50 hours. The available colors are red, yellow, orange, blue, white and green.

The polycarbonate case with o-rings for sealing is extremely resistant and waterproof, the lights can be used up to 50 feet and will resist serious impacts and abuse. Compared to the chemical sticks the krill lights are less fragile and have longer runtimes but they are not as bright as the regular green light sticks, to our observes they were aproximately 75% of the chemical ones.

At a price of $25 to $30 the Krill lights are great tools as markers and soft illumination devices and require less care than the chemical lights, for normal use the "extreme" version is probably the best while the regular version becomes an option when you need extremely long runtimes.

You can read more and check for dealres at the official website.