2026 Christmas Gift Guide

Well, Christmas is metaphorically around the corner. And no matter how I believe you shouldn’t start doing stuff until the day AFTER Thanksgiving, I regularly get overruled.

One place this happens is with gifts. We need time to shop, decide, order, and have it shipped. Ok, fine, I get it. So, for Christmas 2026, I will get the gift suggestions out early.

First up is Blue Force Gear’s (BFG) MTKN NANO -ES, or the Micro Trauma Kit Now. This 6”x4” kit is designed to help treat any trauma-related injury as soon as possible. It offers the capability of larger BFG kits in a smaller footprint. The pouch contains “barrier gloves, QuikClot® Combat Gauze LE, a mini compression dressing, flat-fold tape, and a HyFin® Vent Compact Chest Seal twin pack.” In other words, everything you need to start fixing the medical problem.

The kit is designed to attach to your gear in several ways. The two obvious options are attaching it directly to your gun belt or to an external vest carrier with MOLLE loops. For those who need more adjustability, you can mount it vertically or horizontally.

Especially after seeing the Polish officers who were wounded in the terrorist attack over the weekend, our need for on-body medical gear is not going to change anytime soon.

BFG makes very solid, thoughtful products with significant consideration given to feedback and requests from end users. That’s not a quote from a media release. That is based on being a customer of theirs for well over twenty years.

If your agency is interested in the BFG med kit, contact them by email at [email protected].

I have covered this device HERE in the past. However, with the sheer amount of information on traumatic brain injuries that has come out this year, I’ll resurrect the recommendation. The Q-Collar came from the sports world and has some distinct applicability to the tactical space, whether you are in law enforcement or the military. The collar applies slight pressure to the carotid arteries. In turn, that change in pressure provides a measurable benefit to the end user when they are subjected to those sorts of pressure waves.

Q-Collar details the science on their website.

Considering the impacts (pun not intended) that even minimal pressure waves can have cumulatively, this collar is well worth looking into.

Yes, dry fire with “just” an empty pistol is incredibly valuable. Zero argument there. However, adjustments can significantly increase the benefit. Dropping a piece of cardboard or a wire tie between the breach face and the barrel lets you get repeat trigger presses. Or you can adopt the Cool Fire Trainer and have a dry-fire pistol that cycles. The cycling allows the shooter/student to reacquire the sights and manage recoil during training.

I have a longer-form article coming on this product; however, in the meantime, there is a real benefit to this product.

With models that interface with firearms from fifteen, yes – 15, different manufacturers. In addition to the commonly seen handgun options, there is support for the AR-15 family as well.

Speaking of dry practice, consider Annette Evan’s book – The Dry Fire Primer – which can be found here https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Fire-Primer-Annette-Evans/dp/1983427535/.

While the review is still in progress, I’ll mention the Anark from Modlite’s Noxon line. It is a multi-purpose light, rather than a tactical one per se. The Anark is a peer competitor to the Wedge and Stiletto Pro.

There are two switches, and each has its own level of output. The tail cap, which has been upgraded, gives the user 1000 lumens and 18,000 candela over a 2.5-hour runtime. Students have positively commented on its output in low-light classes. Using the side button delivers 80 lumens and 1000 candela for 17 hours.

With the upgraded switching, I have been carrying it much more frequently.

Regardless of what you choose, from this list or another, spend as much relaxed, connected time as you can with your loved ones. It’s been an interesting year, and I’m quite concerned that 2027 may bring more interesting events and times our way.