Mears Gear

G

ghost squire

Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Messages
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I have been watching the absolutely top notch shows Ray Mears Bushcraft, Extreme Survival etc.

I haven't read his books yet, so I was wondering, besides the Gransfors Small Forest Axe, what gear does he use in his show? What is that knife he uses? It vaguely reminds me of a Fallkniven of some kind built custom with just the blade blank but with a custom wood handle.
 
What I like about Ray is his obvious love of 'kit' :D

Knife: Make in England custom to his spec, its called the 'Woodlore' knife

Check out Stewart Marsh

http://www.highseats.co.uk/handmade_knives.htm

He uses other stuff from a parang to a collapsable log saw, and firesteel that seems like it has gotten a lot of use.
 
I havent seen that one, was it a dark green with pockets on either side and about 80-100L looking?

If so it was made by a British from called Berghaus. You dont see them much outside of the UK or on top of decent sized mountains. I think my pack (Crusader) is the old (15yrs) version of Mears pack.

www.berghaus.com

full_vulcan_cedar.jpg
 
love the parang he has, doubt we could find a parang like that outside of thailand or the philipines, he also uses a british army golok, a small forest axe, his personal knife, the blade must be 5 inches long. i have seen him use a mora in one video, i like his water bottles, and his billy kit. he has the best gear around, on his canoe video he packs all the food in leather pouches.

i also like the way he cooks salmon in the alaska video.
 
I havent seen that one, was it a dark green with pockets on either side and about 80-100L looking?

If so it was made by a British from called Berghaus. You dont see them much outside of the UK or on top of decent sized mountains. I think my pack (Crusader) is the old (15yrs) version of Mears pack.
Click to expand...

Thats very similar to it, although his seemed wider. And of course more worn!
 
These are actually very wide, they almost look square when fully packed. I think in this case its just the angle of the pic.
 
Ahhh, in that case you nailed it right on! Is it any good?

The parang he used seems similar to the one the nuari (??) headhunter peoples of the spice islands had. Or was it a golok they had? One also had a cross between a machete and a parang and golok that was really cool looking. They sharpened them on large concave rocks, which must give them a natural convex edge.

I love this show, the production values are very high, and the direction and soundtrack are fantastic.
 
ghost squire said:
Ahhh, in that case you nailed it right on! Is it any good?
Click to expand...

Its excellent, made in the UK with pride, they arn't cheap (nothing is in the UK) but I paid over 300 Pounds about 13 years ago for a GoreTex jacket they make and still wear it today, so if you follow the two best shopping adage's

There is no such thing as a bargain

and

Buy the best and only cry once

You will be fine.

This pack will last you a lifetime.
 
I very much like Ray but boy oh boy does he show a ton of gear and none of it humped into the bush on his back. He preaches bushcraft but uses some heavy non practical so called "survival" tools in many of his episodes.

That said the man knows his stuff just a bit contradictory sometimes.

Skam
 
Not to be argumentative, but he doesnt really talk about Survival per se. He talks about how to use things around you with the best tools you can source. So wheter he carries in any of his kit is moot.

I kind of see it like this

Mears: Bushcraft, which is more like Wilderness living
Brown: Spiritual, some hokus-pokus stuff, 'survival-bushcraft' i.e. not taking stuff into the field with you and using what you can make.
Hood: Use whatever the hell you have to get out of a crappy situation, or to weather one.

Three rather distinct styles.
 
Indeed, he makes a point of crafting just about everything he needs out of natural, renewable resources such as kelp and birchbark.

He does use the tools used to carve those things out of nature though such as a knife or golok/large fixed blade, which he does carry, a pocket saw, which I don't know if he carries, and an axe, which I don't think I have ever seen him carrying.

Its pretty hard to make do without a knife though, which he mentions. He calls it the most important survival tool, and the axe rivals it. You need the tools to make the tools (need a knife or axe to make a spoon, bread board, string from bark etc.)

But other then that he shows that you can make just about everything with those two tools. You don't even need a flint and steel and charcloth.
 
Not to be argumentative, but he doesnt really talk about Survival per se.
Click to expand...

Well, when you put the word "survival" into the title of your television series, I think it is kind of implied.

By the way, I think Ray is the real deal, and his shows are generally quite informative.


Mike
 
I think the use of the word is more for the layperson. Bushcraft is probably not a word most people would have an instant understanding of.
 
There is a little video snipit somewhere that shows a short interview with Mears, and in it he states that his show is aimed at long term survival or living in the bush, rather than emergency survival situations.
With the knowledge and advice he gives, one would be well prepared to avoid most (not all) emergency survival situations.
 
Most of the gear he uses is for sale at raymears.com
But most prices are largely over market price.

Go there, find what you're interested in, and then buy the stuff somewhere else.
 
If what he uses is on the site then I guess his pack is a Karrimor (UK Maker)

Did anyone see the parabolic fir starter? Looks very cool. I made a small one from the bottom of a soda can one, they are fun to use.
 
skammer said:
I very much like Ray but boy oh boy does he show a ton of gear and none of it humped into the bush on his back. He preaches bushcraft but uses some heavy non practical so called "survival" tools in many of his episodes.
Click to expand...

Indeed, some of it has Mears carry so much equipment that it is hard to call it teaching a sole focus survival or bushcraft, who for example carries an ice auger into the woods on an extended hike. This fundamentally changes what you have to do, drill a series of holes with an auger and then chop through several feet of ice with an axe, or better still with a small knife.

I think his perspective is essentially to carry what you can, he describes on many times how preperation is very important, he isn't one of the "survival" guys who berates equipment and champions knowledge over the exclusion of gear. Now you take this gear and you supplement it with the ability to maximize its use and to make due without the equipment if necessary.

For example I doubt that he makes all the paddles that he uses, but he has shown the ability on several occasions to make a paddle if necessary. He also presents opposing viewpoints, which is rare, such as just bringing a spare paddle instead of being able to make another one, which one of the guys with him notes that he does as does everyone he knows.

-Cliff
 
Hi Folks,

I spoke with John "LOFTY" Wiseman just before Christmas last year, He calls him Ray "CHUBBY" Mears, who couldn't survive in a supermarket.

Well he probably could, if he had one of Loftys' books (which he does) but has Lofty got one of his, I doubt it!

S1
 
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