members,
Getting a new Kathathu 7.5" soon. Had to follow my buddy who just waited 2years for his Randall 18. not to be on the wrong forum, but EVERYONE can learn a thing or two about quality from Randall.
friend and i have been discussing the fillers for our new knives. His came with a marble compass, epoxied firmly in the butt cap of the Randall. I was checking out www.equipped.org which is a phenomenal gear oriented site for survival/bailout gear. The guy who runs the site, Doug Ritter,is bent on saving people's lives. he has personally posted several survival kits and critiqued almost every brand of pre-assembled kits available. this guy emphasizes quality. great basis for groundwork, extremely comprehensive articles on every piece of gear you can imagine. BTW, he carries a Sebenza for everyday.
I read several of the previous responses to this particular topic on the forum and see that there is a lot of debate about two key issues: the compass, and the contents for the handle.
the compass seems to be ok, epoxy on the aluminum cap should secure the piece in there pretty well. However, excellent concerns were raised over the compasses's ability to remain functional while being pounded on the buttcap. everyone will recall that impact and heat destroy the magnetic properties of a piece of metal. oil-filled compasses will be more resistent to both due to the fluids' ability to minimize the impact of both on the magnetized needle. However, using the compass means removing the buttcap everytime you need a reading. In the dark, that's a risk if you fumble and drop the buttcap on terrain or if you actually drop the knife and spill the contents of the handle onto the terrain. logical solution: don't keep it in the buttcap. if you need a compass, include it on a thong located somewhere else. make sure it's plastic or waterproof, small, and luminous. keeps you straight and true.
the remaining contents: research shows that a number of things can be included in a kit. but think of a timeframe for an excursion or a ditching. probably you will be picked up within 5 days if you are alert, aware, and alive. they send people after you within 24hrs now, and you will probably need to do well for about a business week, if not sooner. if using the knife for SERE, use a drop kit. if you can't establish better resources in 5 days, than you're probably gonna bite it.check out this page:
http://www.equipped.org/toc.htm
please provide feedback on this, but i think this will be the best that can fit in one of these....
take the bare minimum you need.
fire starting should be done with a small flint and magnesium. Done Right Mfg produces tiny magnesium and flint rods that are perfect for a handle kit.
add tinder (few pieces)
a wire wood saw,
about 9ft of snare,
some nylon rope (remainder of the snare),
paracord around the sheath,
50ft of 20lb test line,
hooks and sinkers,
needles, including a suture needle, and silk thread,
a few tabs of water purification tablets,
a neosporin packet,
vicadin
to really round this off, there would be a mirror, a light (photon II or II), a sharpener, and a compass (button, self luminous). I grieve, since the leather sheaths i've seen do not appear to be able to hold any accessories (please point out if I'm wrong in this). they are extremely well done, though, and the leather work is excellent. a good alternative which I found was a blackhawk 7" ballistic sheath, but i dunno if this will fit the 7.5" kathathu. obviously it seems not to, but haven't talked to them about it. too bad since the sheath is very comprehensive and has an adjustable accessory pouch for stone and other items.
This was the only shortcoming I could think of with a CRK one-piece survival kit, the sheath. If anyone can think of a better alternative, or have any comments on the proposed contents, please post them! happy to hear your thoughts.
toast
i think this should be good enough to fit in a handle.
Getting a new Kathathu 7.5" soon. Had to follow my buddy who just waited 2years for his Randall 18. not to be on the wrong forum, but EVERYONE can learn a thing or two about quality from Randall.
friend and i have been discussing the fillers for our new knives. His came with a marble compass, epoxied firmly in the butt cap of the Randall. I was checking out www.equipped.org which is a phenomenal gear oriented site for survival/bailout gear. The guy who runs the site, Doug Ritter,is bent on saving people's lives. he has personally posted several survival kits and critiqued almost every brand of pre-assembled kits available. this guy emphasizes quality. great basis for groundwork, extremely comprehensive articles on every piece of gear you can imagine. BTW, he carries a Sebenza for everyday.
I read several of the previous responses to this particular topic on the forum and see that there is a lot of debate about two key issues: the compass, and the contents for the handle.
the compass seems to be ok, epoxy on the aluminum cap should secure the piece in there pretty well. However, excellent concerns were raised over the compasses's ability to remain functional while being pounded on the buttcap. everyone will recall that impact and heat destroy the magnetic properties of a piece of metal. oil-filled compasses will be more resistent to both due to the fluids' ability to minimize the impact of both on the magnetized needle. However, using the compass means removing the buttcap everytime you need a reading. In the dark, that's a risk if you fumble and drop the buttcap on terrain or if you actually drop the knife and spill the contents of the handle onto the terrain. logical solution: don't keep it in the buttcap. if you need a compass, include it on a thong located somewhere else. make sure it's plastic or waterproof, small, and luminous. keeps you straight and true.
the remaining contents: research shows that a number of things can be included in a kit. but think of a timeframe for an excursion or a ditching. probably you will be picked up within 5 days if you are alert, aware, and alive. they send people after you within 24hrs now, and you will probably need to do well for about a business week, if not sooner. if using the knife for SERE, use a drop kit. if you can't establish better resources in 5 days, than you're probably gonna bite it.check out this page:
http://www.equipped.org/toc.htm
please provide feedback on this, but i think this will be the best that can fit in one of these....
take the bare minimum you need.
fire starting should be done with a small flint and magnesium. Done Right Mfg produces tiny magnesium and flint rods that are perfect for a handle kit.
add tinder (few pieces)
a wire wood saw,
about 9ft of snare,
some nylon rope (remainder of the snare),
paracord around the sheath,
50ft of 20lb test line,
hooks and sinkers,
needles, including a suture needle, and silk thread,
a few tabs of water purification tablets,
a neosporin packet,
vicadin
to really round this off, there would be a mirror, a light (photon II or II), a sharpener, and a compass (button, self luminous). I grieve, since the leather sheaths i've seen do not appear to be able to hold any accessories (please point out if I'm wrong in this). they are extremely well done, though, and the leather work is excellent. a good alternative which I found was a blackhawk 7" ballistic sheath, but i dunno if this will fit the 7.5" kathathu. obviously it seems not to, but haven't talked to them about it. too bad since the sheath is very comprehensive and has an adjustable accessory pouch for stone and other items.
This was the only shortcoming I could think of with a CRK one-piece survival kit, the sheath. If anyone can think of a better alternative, or have any comments on the proposed contents, please post them! happy to hear your thoughts.
toast
i think this should be good enough to fit in a handle.
