I have a Kelty Coyote 4750 Backpack for sale that has only been used once on a 2 day trip. It is still like new and is a great pack. When I bought it, I had plans of doing more backpacking, but I have found that I can carry my stuff for a 2-3 day trip in my military style molle pack just fine. These are at REI right now for $160+ tax.
Email me for more info or if interested.
outdoorsurvivalblog@gmail.com
While online the other day, I came across this awesome new product line. You can purchase ready made kits or build your own. They also pack up nice and neat into custom sleeves sold by the company. Check them out!
I just got a Modgear Molle pack by Condor. I have seen lots of reviews both good and bad…I will see how it works for me. I will try to post pics of mine when I get it loaded down with gear.
On another note…I am getting geared up for next week when the local ROTC will be coming to the camp for some intensive survival training. Hopefully I can get some videos from that posted as well.
I have heard rumor that Bear Grylls has got a new sponsor….Gerber. It seems as though that he traded in his $600 Bayley knife for a $50 Gerber. As far as I can tell, he has started carrying the Prodigy. I like this knife and its big brother, the LMF II survival knife seen below.
So you wanna be like bear? Well, you can at least dress like him…now at 50% of the cost. Head over to his clothing site and check out the stuff they have on sale. They have “the pants”…you know the ones…with the big black reinforcements on the knees and butt. They also have the shirt styles he wears as well.
For shoes on the other hand, go check out www.merrell.com and look for the chameleon model of shoes. He has worn several different versions throughout the series.
I have a pair of these shoes, and they are some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. They have really good support and really hug your foot.
As far as the knife, you had better be ready to dish out some dough. You can find it over at Bayley Knife.I am sure that these are just wonderful knives, but it is out of my price range.
The survival bracelets like the one both he and Les Stroud wear can be found just about anywhere online, including me. I made a post a while back about them. I have since made some changes to the way they are made. The ones pictured to the left just use a knot to connect and only use 2 strands of 550 paracord, while the new ones have a closure and 3 strands of paracord. If interested in one, just contact me and tell me what you want.
The watch is a Bremont watch. Again…not a cheap piece of art. The have been worn by people that climb Everest, and actors alike…such as Ewen McGregor.
While you may not be able to be Bear, you can certainly dress like him as long as you have bank like him. If you have any other additions to this list, feel free to let me know and I will add them.
A Topo map can be extremely valuable in the wilderness…assuming it is for the right location and you know how to use it. The standard set of topos are the USGS. These are not really up-to-date, but are still going to be really close. I have stumbled across a site that you can download free topo maps of your area for free.
The Real Deal Brazil Tarp Hat
I got mine a while back now and have pretty much wore it non-stop. This is a really comfortable hat that is just dripping with character. Mine has multiple patches, but that is what makes it unique, there are no 2 the same. I also bought one for my father, his is patched up as well. According to the website, they have some that are not as ragged. Some people say they are ugly hats…I really like mine. Would i wear it to a fancy restaurant? NO…(I wouldn’t be in a fancy restaurant).
Here is the deal…They are made from recycled Brazilian canvas truck tarps. They are pretty waterproof, but some scotch guard might be a nice addition. They have already been through hell and back, so don’t worry about messing them up. They come shipped flat in a manila envelope. Just take them out, pop up the middle, bend and shape the wire frame brim, and slip it on your head. This hat has been featured in Zombieland where woody wears it, as well as in Backwoodsman or wilderness way magazine, forgive me, I don’t remember which.
They are on sale for$29.99 until today(31st) after that they go up to $39.
Here is the link, go check them out.
I picked up this little thing this weekend at the gun show. A Romanian Tokarev TTC. Nice gun in really good condition. This I have learned shoots an armor piercing round. It shoots a 7.62X25 bottleneck round. Not a great gun, but a decent one at around $200.
I also got a Ruger Standard .22 pistol. I really don’t think there needs to be much explaining to do here. Really nice .22 cal. Just about every outdoorsman has some variation of this and/or the 10/22 rifle.
I spent last night striping them and getting them all cleaned up….today I will go test them out and play a little.
“Built to be abused. Heavy, rugged and very functional. 13.5″ overall with sure grip rubber handle over full tang. Thick 8″ stainless steel blade with black textured coating and sturdy guard. Stiff lined nylon belt sheath”
I have used this on 2 trips now and I really have put it through the paces. It is not the sharpest blade, but holds an edge somewhat. I chopped through about a 5″ Cedar in about 10 hacks. The blade was fine and there were no signs of damage.
I like the weight of this knife. It is like a small machete, you can really get a chop going with it. I also looked at this as like a e tool. It works decent as a small trowel due to the wide front portion.
The downside…the handle,while comfortable, is starting to wobble on the tang. The texture is kind of strange on the blade as well. You will never get it clean. Sheath is a little weak.
Overall….Good knife! I see a lot of people nit-picking the above said things. It was a $10 knife! They advertised it as a rough use knife! I am a little worried about the handle situation, but if it breaks, I am out $10. I might even be able to re-handle it.
The TacTikka XP offers a powerful and adjustable white LED light with a 50m beam (boost mode) that can be used on economy mode to have a burn time of 120H. Power and duration from a single light source. The Tikka XP uses an unregulated LED roughly equivalent to a 1 watt LED, power ouput 40 lumens in boost mode.
The Tactikka XP includes 4 filters (clear, red, green & blue) which replaces the white diffuser. Giving you the option of a bright white beam or colored proximity light.
I have been really happy with this product. The one LED gives off a ton of light, However there are still brighter ones on the market. A co-worker has a Princeton Tec that has an external battery pack that is brighter. The main thing I like about this is the sliding color lens. I have plenty of headlamps that have color LEDs but you have to cycle through the white light to get to them. If I am using colored light…it is because I am trying to preserve my night vision, I don’t want to cycle through 5 levels of white.
I give this a 4.5 out of 5
Pro:
Flashing mode for drawing attention
Tilting head unit for precise lighting
Unique sliding diffuser offering penetrating beam or wide proximity lighting
Battery life indicator warns when the batteries are approx 70% and 90% drained
Push button operation
Compact and lightweight
Adjustable elasticated headlamp
Con:
Could be a little brighter.
