6.03.2017

Brianna Maitland: 13 Years Gone



The day is Friday, March 19, 2004. 17 year old Brianna Maitland clocked out of her job in Montgomery, Vermont at around 11:20 pm. She walked to her 1986 Oldsmobile sedan and drove away, never to be seen alive again. Her car was found the next day backed directly up to an abandoned house roughly a mile away.

At the time of this writing, Brianna has been missing for over 13 years.

Prior to her disappearance, Brianna Maitland was an average teenage girl living in Vermont. At age 17, in hopes of seeking more independence, she moved out of her parents home with a friend 15 miles away. This allowed her to attend a new high school closer to a group of her friends. Unfortunately, this arrangement proved to be unsuitable and ultimately Brianna dropped out of school in February of 2004. She moved in with a different friend but didn't entirely give up on her education; Brianna enrolled in an program to obtain her GED shortly after.


Her parents, Kellie and Bruce Maitland, insisted there were no problems at home. They strongly opposed Brianna moving away from home but nonetheless allowed her to do so. Neither parent observed any unusual events prior that would shed light on her disappearance. However, on the day Brianna vanished her mother took her shopping before she went to work. As they were checking out of the store, Brianna abruptly left and went outside, telling her mother she'd be right back. Kellie Maitland completed the purchase and walked outside meeting back up with Brianna and driving her back to the house she shared with her friend. During the drive her mother noted she seemed upset, shaken and agitated. Not wanting to intrude, she didn't further talk to Brianna about what was bothering her. Kellie Maitland dropped her daughter off and never saw her again.

Less than a month before Brianna vanished, she was physically assaulted at a party, resulting in a concussion and facial abrasions. She was treated a local hospital for her injuries and later filed a formal complaint with police over the matter. The charges were pending against the assailant when Brianna went missing, though they were later dropped despite objection by the Maitland family. The motive for the attack remains unclear but the young lady has never been formally named a person of interest or suspect in Brianna's disappearance, but does have a criminal record.



The car was found the following day, March 20, 2004, by police and also observed by several passing motorists. Brianna's Oldsmobile was backed directly into the abandoned house, causing damage. Police found a trove of items in the area, but nothing explicitly pointed to a struggle. Aside from some personal items in the car, her paychecks were also still in the car, not yet cashed. In March of 2016, Vermont police revealed they have recovered DNA from inside of the car.

Over the years rumors of drug use, associations with shady people and possible debts have been brought up in her disappearance, making for even more of a tangled web of what may have happened to 17 year old Brianna Maitland. As of 2017, police have made no arrests in her case but feel strongly she fell victim to foul play.

The Charley Project: Brianna Maitland

Disappeared TV episode info "Vanished in Vermont"

Brianna's NamUs page

6.01.2017

Atactical A1 - King of Budget Flashlights

A quality flashlight is priceless - it's a bright, rugged tool to help guide you through the night. A good light will survive a drop, exposure to water and the elements and cuts through the darkness like hot knife through butter. It will serve you for years of general utility use, camping, exploring and numerous other activities. While it is a valuable tool for conquering the night, good lights aren't always cheap. If you want something well built, reliable and bright, there are many great choices out there. Unfortunately most will set you back $60-$100 and even more sometimes.

So when I first heard of the Atactical A1 flashlight being sold for $20, I was intrigued.


The light is apparently designed by Thrunite and even includes a rechargeable battery, so it is ready to go right out of the box. There are plenty of budget lights out there, however none that I have seen come with a battery. Previously you would have to order a charger and a battery or two (if you didn't have one already) which would cost you an additional $10-$20+, making it less of a budget option when you factor in that aspect of the purchase.


Atactical solves this by including an innovative battery with the A1. It is an 18650 battery but it has an integrated USB port so you can simply remove the battery from the light and charge it via USB. No additional charger is necessary.

In terms of value the A1 is impressive for $20 as it features:

  • Max 550 lumens
  • 4 regular brightness modes and SOS and strobe modes. 
  • USB rechargeable 18650 cell
  • Spare O rings
  • Dual tail/side switch
  • Pocket clip
  • Momentary on feature
  • Lanyard hole
  • Low battery warning

Of course, I didn't need another light but for the price I broke down and ordered one anyway.

After spending several nights with it I am very impressed with the A1. Lots of things to like about it and maybe a couple minor things I didn't like about it. Let's get started.

The light weighs in at 4.5 oz according to my digital scale, which includes the battery. It has a bit more heft than your average smaller sized pocket light but not by much. Length is about 5.3 inches, an being that it is an 18650 cell it's width will reflect that. I didn't expect it to be slim and small, but be aware this will be a tad bigger than your average single AA pocket light. I wouldn't consider it to be large, but as far as my personal preference goes, this is approaching the maximum size for a light that I would carry in my pocket for an extended time.

The finish is an all black, type II hard anodized and features a waterproof rating of IPX 7 (up to 1 meter submerged in water) and a drop rating of 1.5 meters. Both of these have been demonstrated on YouTube and it's seriously one tough light. The included pocket clip can be removed, if you so wish and the tail end features a hole in you want to add a lanyard.

The modes are as follows:

Strobe(550 lumens/4 hrs)
Turbo(550 lumens/3.3 hrs)
High(200 lumens/5.5 hrs)
Medium(63 lumens/19 hrs)
Low(10 lumens/5.5 days)


Operating the light is very straightforward: lightly press and hold tail switch for momentary on. Releasing it will turn the light off. Full press and release tail switch for constant on use. While the light is on the side switch will allow you to cycle modes - Low, medium, high, turbo and SOS. Strobe is a "hidden" mode and it accessed by pressing and holding the side switch for about a second while the light is on. Press the button again and it reverts back to the previous mode. It features mode memory as well so it will return to whatever mode you left it on when you turn it on.

My impressions are all very positive. The A1 feels great in your hand, the tail switch seems very firm and positive and works as it should. The side switch feels a lot softer but still works accordingly. The light puts out a very symmetrical and useful beam. It's fairly wide with a decently sized hot spot for both close range use and lighting up areas from afar. Atactical rates the throw at 672 feet and its definitely suited for both up close and far away illumination.


Lots of overwhelming positive points but a few gripes, too. First and most importantly, I have no idea why SOS is included as a standard mode. To me, strobe seems like it would be a more used mode so I don't know why strobe is hidden while SOS is a mode you have to cycle through each time. Preferably, I would have liked both modes hidden and having it simply cycle through low, medium, high and turbo. At 10 lumens, I would have liked to see the low mode a bit lower, or even an additional 1 lumen mode. Having an option for a less cool white tint would have been nice as well.

Overall, the positives vastly outweigh any minor complaints I have and considering all you get for the price, it's an amazing deal and a really well made light. The Atactical A1 is available on Amazon and really worth every penny. Without a doubt it is the current king of budget flashlights.


2.08.2017

Fenix HL10 headlamp (2016 model) - Review and thoughts.


The 2016 Fenix HL10: Small but mighty.

Without a doubt, no collection of lights is complete without a good headlamp. I've been meaning to pick one up for quite some time, but the choices are pretty overwhelming. As much as I'd like to say I'd be using it to climb Mt. Everest, explore jungles or navigate dangerous caverns - my uses are much less exciting and more along the lines of dog walking, light jogging, working around the house, emergency use and things of that nature. Alas, I'm just an average user but I can still dream at least.

Small enough for EDC.
With that said, as soon as I unboxed the HL10 I knew it was right up my alley. It's a simple, no nonsense light for the average user with basic features I want and nothing I don't want. It has a single clicky switch to control it, 3 lighting modes powered by 1 common AAA, full control to tilt the beam and of course a rugged, waterproof design.

With 70 max lumens it might not be the best choice for treacherous wilderness adventures, but it's still quite bright. This makes the 2016 HL10 a great choice for basic outdoor tasks. The wide angle beam profile spreads light out well and effectively, so for close up and medium range use this is a really excellent, lightweight headlamp weighting only 1.2 oz without a battery.

The light has 3 settings, controlled by a single clicky switch, with the typical long press on/off and short press to cycle through the modes. As always you'll want to use an Eneloop or Eneloop Pro for best performance with this as Fenix rates the run times higher with NiMH rechargeables versus disposable alkaline batteries. Low mode is 4 lumens with a 26 hour run time. Medium is 30 lumens with 3 hours and 10 minutes of run time. High is good for 70 lumens and a 1 hour run time.

You can remove the HL10 from the casing for a tiny pocket or keychain light.
 The headband is a simple but effective design. The band is a soft microfiber type material with an adjustable clip on the back, which is very secure on your head thanks to a more grippy material on the inner band. The light itself snaps onto a hard plastic case, which allows for rotating the light to your desired angle. It's incredibly lightweight and comfortable - so much you'll quickly forget it's there. Being able to remove the light helps with versatility as well: you can use it as a traditional hand held flashlight or use the included ring to add it to your keychain.

One interesting feature on the HL10 is the flood and spot setting. By design the lamp is quite floody but Fenix made this with 2 beam modes for added flexibility. Removed from the plastic case, the light is essentially styled like a lantern. The clear plastic rotating lens has two parts: the spot setting is smooth and the flood setting is rough plastic - effectively making the beam more uniform and even. It's a subtle difference, nothing dramatic, but I've found the spot setting best for outdoor use whereas the flood is more diffused, eliminating the hot spot and making a more even beam - best suited for close up jobs where softer, less intense light is needed.
Simple clicky switch to change modes and a rotating lens for 2 beam styles.
Overall after using this headlamp for past month, it's easy to see it's strengths and weaknesses.

On high the battery is only good for an hour. That is the trade off with such a small, compact 1x AAA light. With any extended use you will want spare batteries and changing them isn't fast or easy in something this small. But again, it's a sacrifice you make with the size. Medium offers more efficiency with a bit over 3 hours while still being able to navigate in the dark, which helps with battery conservation.

The HL10's beam is useful but it's not a thrower by any means. It's not going to be lighting up objects 100 yards away - this is strictly for seeing a wide area right in front of you.

However it does succeed in ease of use, portability, battery efficiency, and comfort. It does have it's limitations where bigger, brighter lamps might be a better choice. But being under $30 it's still a wonderful light that runs on a common cell and throws a very wide beam in front of you.

For the price it's definitely a rugged, reliable option for someone who needs a no frills, hands free light source but doesn't need the long range power of more expensive lamps. Another winner from Fenix!

Need a place to buy it with super fast shipping? Check here!

Lastly, a big thank you to Fenix for providing this light free of charge!