kit suggestions for a new BK10?

F

Foilist

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Dec 20, 2004
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After a lot of helpful advice from this forum on choosing a fixed blade for general purpose, outdoors/camping use, I've chosen the Becker Crewman. I think it will be a good replacement for my other fixed blades: an Ontario USAF knife and a Grohmann #1 (both of which are decent, but niether of which I really feel satisfied with). The Crewman ought to do the jobs of both of those knives, and comments about Becker have been overwhelmingly positive.

Although I don't usually get too far off the beaten path, just for ha-ha's, I thought I'd take advantage of the sheath pouch and the hollow cavities under the grips to store some small gear. For the sheath pouch, I'm thinking:

sharpening stone
very small folder (for fine work)
lighter
very small LED light
allen wrench (for handle grips)

For under the grips:

hooks, fishing line, sinkers, X-acto blade, needles, thread


Does anyone have any other suggestions?
 
Ontario USAF knife and a Grohmann #1 (both of which are decent, but niether of which I really feel satisfied with). The Crewman ought to do the jobs of both of those knives, and comments about Becker have been overwhelmingly positive.
Click to expand...

I hope you don't mind a few questions:

At what tasks did the Grohmann fail? Is it carbon or stainless? Flat or hollow grind?

In what ways will the BK10 increase your scope of work or make it more efficient?

What type of work do you do with this class of knife?

As for kit suggestions,
A bit of fat wood, a ferro rod, some cotton balls (soaked in lip balm) and water purification tabs take up very little room, and are very useful.

Thanks,
KT
 
The Grohmann is stainless (I'd prefer carbon), and I have a hard time sharpening it (due to weak technique, I'm sure). I think it's a flat grind, but being a bit of a knovice, I'm not positive. I also don't care for the sheath. It is a good knife and really hasn't failed me. It just leaves me a bit cold aesthetically.

To be perfectly honest, I don't NEED the Becker; I've gotten along fine without one. I just think it's neat and it seems like it can function well for typical outdoors chores like cutting rope, fabric, wood, etc. while camping or working around my property. I want something that can also tolerate occasional pounding and prying, but with a keener edge than the USAF knife.

Most of the "survival gear" I will probably never use, but since I can include it cheaply without making the knife cumbersome, I figured I might as well do so.
 
Go to http://www.survival.com/survival_kits.htm, which is part of Ron Hood's web site, "Hoods Woods." He did a sort of contest among a pretty savvy bunch to see who could design the best kit to go in a Becker. These links are the result.
 
I've been looking at one of these myself, just to stash in the car. I have seen lots of positive reviews of Beckers on this site. I'm waiting untill I can get a deal on one at Ebay though.

2nd the Ferro rod (I would go with a hot spark), and I like some of those compressed cotton pads that I steal from my wife's makeup stuff. They pack flat and burn longer than a cotten ball.
Mike
 
More substantively try this:

Instead off a "small folder" try a Leatherman Micra which gives you a really good pair of scissors, and a Leatherman Squirt P4 which gives you a competent set of mini pliers.

For LED, get a white or turquois Photon III

for tender, either a good piece of fat wood, or a thick soda straw stuffed full of petroleum jelly (lightly!) loose cotton with the ends sealed with silicone.

Doan's mag & ferro fire starter OR ferro rod (Survial Sheath Systems has the best http://www.survivalsheath.com/fire/index.htm)

2 sewing machine bobbins wound with 1) black nylon #69 thread, and 2) spiderwire spectra fishing line [buy a dozen bobbins, find the screw driver bit that they will fit over, and sit down and wind up a bunch with a variable speed drill]

two large needles -- big enough to hold with cold hands and to take the line cited above

If you don't get the leatherman micra, which has tweezers, too, or even if you do, add a pair of tweezers [Splinter Picker forceps from Adventure Medical http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/]

Sharpener: find a DMT diamond sharpener with diamond dust impregnated on a piece of stainless steel credit card size stock -- then sharpen one of the long edges of the card

A good hank of stainless steel safety wire for general repairs [available at GOOD auto parts stores] .032", if memmory serves -- don't dick around with brass; you will starve to death before you can make a living with 20' of brass wire making snares -- comes under the heading of the solar water still: keeps you busy until you die]

look and see how much room you have left, then cut a rectangular section of coffee can lid and wrap it with as many layers of duct tape a you have room for, or scavenge one of the tiny rolls of duct tape that Doug Ritter puts in his Adventure Medical survial kits [which, if you want to spend $25, is a damned competent little kit]

Also, don't screw around with band aids and crap. Get some real wound closure strips [ J&J, or Kimberly-Clarke Sure Strips] The object of the game is to get yourself functional, not look pretty

lastly, as much as you stash or wind of 550 para cord, or better, climber's Spectra core accessory cord -- 3mm with break strength of 1000# or so from http://www.neropes.com/climbing/accessory_cords.htm

That's my .04
 
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