Post for people who use knives and other good gear

D

diced

Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
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I have got a lot of good advice on Blade Forums, specifically on the Becker sub since I started following the site around 2001. I have noticed that it has recently become more about modifying knives for aesthetics rather than helpful information for people who actually use these types of knives to their potential. I think I am safe in assuming that everyone knows that these blades are designed for heavy and abusive use. I like them because they fit my need for a blade that will withstand heavy work without the risk of failing and causing me a gusher in the woods. What other gear do you trust when you go into the field. This post is for folks that do stuff outdoors...

I'll Start:
My typical gear on any extended trip:
Back pack: Currently Kelty Red Cloud 50/w hammock ---Kelty RC90/w tent
Hammock: Hammock Bliss No See um No More - using a tarp rain fly (looking at a Hennessy ASYM Expidition but mine wont break and is comfy..:)
Tent: For cheap goodness Timberline by Uereka
Sleeping Bag: Alps 20 replacing my damaged down bag...not sure yet how thats going to go/ grabber hooded space blanket the thick reusable type.
Knives: Bk9 with BK24 and Leatherman Wave, chain mate US made portable saw- (liking my new RTAK2 with 5160 though recently)
Cooking: Trangia alcohol burner, Westwind stove (not great) MSR 1.1 pot, Stanley Adventure cook set, GSI cup, CRKT eatin tool.
Fire: Swedish Army, Peanut lighter, fat-wood, Quick tinder, some packets of weird fireplace stuff that work well and a bic
Water: MSR micro works & eye dropper w/bleach (if virus potential at source) 1 32oz nal and 1100oz bladder.
First Aid Kit: Condor EMS molle pack, custom made with dressings and supplies...
Nav: Engineer compass with back up button compass. Casio Pathfinder watch
Signals: SOL whistle, star flash. (light the woods on fire if needed)

On Land: Boots Cabelas Outfitter Pro 800 Gram 11" fit me like they were custom made gortex and all leather outers
On Wheels: 4 Runner or Honda XR650L and a Coleman CT200U
On Water: Malibu X-Factor kayak, Tracker 15' Jon, 35' Carver Montego
In Air: Piper Cub or my gas after a chili cook off.. not much commercial flying for me F\ck TSA


Hunting
Bow: Mathews Switchback XT
Rifle: Savage bolt varmint .308 or .223 usually...
Shotgun: Remington 1100 or 1187 if its going to be muddy.

What gear do you use/trust/depend on
 
Heck, I'll play. I'm not too much into "modifying" blades, but that is mostly cause I suck at handy work.


My typical gear on any extended trip:
Back pack: Mil-Surp black 3 day assault pack. Lots of molle goodness on it, and I like it. Gonna be looking for something else though soon. Something smaller for day-trips.
Hammock: Jungle Hammock for inclimate weather or buggy location, Yukon Outfitters "Oversized" hammock, and a cheapy off Woot.com that is surprisingly good!
Tent: I got a hammock, and no need for a tent... I used to have a Coleman something or other but it's long gone... Actually it may be at my parent's place.
Sleeping Bag: Getting a Coleman Mummy Bag rated 0*-20* with my next check.
Knives: I got a couple favs: BK-7/17 is quite possibly my favorite pair right now though. the 5/15 isn't bad either! The 11/4 goes everywhere though. The Esee-LS is becoming a go to as well though.
Cooking: I need to do some research on this, right now I just have a lodge cast iron skillet that I do all my cooking in.
Fire: Ferro-rod in Esee-LS. Zippo in pocket.
Water: Lots of bottles! All kinds as well.
First Aid Kit: My mom is a nurse and she helped me put together one. Some of the basics in it though: Alcohol, alcohol wipes, steri-strips, gloves, gauze, tweezers...
Nav: I need to work on this. I have an app on my phone, AlpineQuest but that's it.
Signals: Cell phone, and ummmmmmm... Yeah, I'm screwed.

On Land: Rocky Alpha 8"... I <3 them!
On Wheels: Angel (2005 Pontiac G6 GT) Sucks offroad but she flies on road!
 
Pack: Kelty Coyote 80 for tent camping (got it over summer still deciding whether I like it or not) or a Black Diamond Hollowpoint for shorter trips with my hammock
Tent: Some no brand sportsman's guide single tent I've been using for years (got it for 40 bucks and has held up through some crazy trips)
Hammock: ENO SingleNest
Sleeping Bag/systems: Sportsmans guide ultralight spring summer bag, fleece liner, Wool army blanket, early 90's North Face Winter Bag,
Knives: BK-16, Vic officer suisse, gerber xl chopping axe (yes I backpack with an axe)
Cooking: Stainless steel Nalgene cup, MSR Pocket Rocket
Fire: Ferro rod, Bic lighter, Char cloth, trioxane fuel bars
Water: Nalgenes out the Fraxinus pennsylvanica, katadyn hiker
First Aid: level 1 FAK
Nav: Silva Ranger Compass, a lot of maps, (want to get a Garmin eTrex20 asap)
Signal: Emergency tarp (one orange side one reflective), whistle, signal mirror

Land: My beat up ankle height vasque's (7 years old now still running fine but getting pretty low on tread) Keen Summit County for winter
Wheels: 94 yj wrangler
Sea: Native Watercraft Marvel 12
Air: as far as I can jump lol

Hunting: havent really been out hunting in a few years now I scout and watch with buddies pretty often though
Bow: PSE Thunderbolt
Rifle: N/A
Shotgun: N/A but I'm saving up for an 870

as you can see its mostly a mishmash of hand me down gear and stuff I've bought but It works and I can't complain :D
 
Bag of tea, pack of smokes, bic lighter & a Becker, any Becker.
Yep, that's about it.
 
I was planning on taking a hog in one of the arroyos. Harvesting the bacon and smoking it over mesquite in time for breakfast.:D
 
TheWambo said:
Pack: Kelty Coyote 80 for tent camping (got it over summer still deciding whether I like it or not) or a Black Diamond Hollowpoint for shorter trips with my hammock
Tent: Some no brand sportsman's guide single tent I've been using for years (got it for 40 bucks and has held up through some crazy trips)
Hammock: ENO SingleNest
Sleeping Bag/systems: Sportsmans guide ultralight spring summer bag, fleece liner, Wool army blanket, early 90's North Face Winter Bag,
Knives: BK-16, Vic officer suisse, gerber xl chopping axe (yes I backpack with an axe)
Cooking: Stainless steel Nalgene cup, MSR Pocket Rocket
Fire: Ferro rod, Bic lighter, Char cloth, trioxane fuel bars
Water: Nalgenes out the Fraxinus pennsylvanica, katadyn hiker
First Aid: level 1 FAK
Nav: Silva Ranger Compass, a lot of maps, (want to get a Garmin eTrex20 asap)
Signal: Emergency tarp (one orange side one reflective), whistle, signal mirror

Land: My beat up ankle height vasque's (7 years old now still running fine but getting pretty low on tread) Keen Summit County for winter
Wheels: 94 yj wrangler
Sea: Native Watercraft Marvel 12
Air: as far as I can jump lol

Hunting: havent really been out hunting in a few years now I scout and watch with buddies pretty often though
Bow: PSE Thunderbolt
Rifle: N/A
Shotgun: N/A but I'm saving up for an 870

as you can see its mostly a mishmash of hand me down gear and stuff I've bought but It works and I can't complain :D
Click to expand...

Let me know how you like the Garmin etrex 20 if you get one. I realize they have made some advancements but My eTrex Legend is a POS and loses its sat signal every time I get in a heavily wooded thick timber where I actually need it...
 
diced said:
Let me know how you like the Garmin etrex 20 if you get one. I realize they have made some advancements but My eTrex Legend is a POS and loses its sat signal every time I get in a heavily wooded thick timber where I actually need it...
Click to expand...

Ill keep you posted :thumbup: from the stuff Ive read on it it seems like a good mid range gps but you never know untill you try it out yourself
 
diced said:
Let me know how you like the Garmin etrex 20 if you get one. I realize they have made some advancements but My eTrex Legend is a POS and loses its sat signal every time I get in a heavily wooded thick timber where I actually need it...
Click to expand...

just so you know gps works of a signal. if it cannot bounce drom the unit to the sat and back its not gonna work. learn to use a map and compess efficently so that you can shoot a beaeing and follow that when the gps is in a bad spot. compess rarly fails doesnt need batteeies and works in heavy bush.
 
Ok heres the short version of my most used gear:
Packs: various maxped packs & pouches for day hiking.
long trips- old school kelty ive been using for 15+ years since i was in scouts

Hammock- a han, very comfy w/ a tarp rainfly. And a cheapo for backup.
Tents- An 8 man cabin tent for truck camping and a 2 man backpackers tent.

Sleeping Bag- an Eddie Bauer down bag that is awesome for year round, they are now discont.

Knives- bk2, 5, 14, 4, rd9, rd4, battlecreek beast. All sepends on wut im doin & where im headed.

Cooking- Complete cast iron set for truck camping & a coleman bp stove & aluminum cook set w/ a eat n' spoon for bp'n.

Fire- sweed fire steel, zippo in pocket, vaseline cotton balls, quick tender, magnes & flint rods.

Water- nalg bottles & a camelbak 100oz. res.

First Aid- homemade kit in a lg. Maxped pouch w/ quik clot & emerg blanket incl.

Nav-Garmin etrex 30, topo compass, button compass, rare earthmagnets w/ a paperclip for desperate times.

Signal- mirror & whistle

Land-Danner 10" gortex elk hunters, my all time favorite footwear, & a pair of mukmastermuk boots.

Wheels- Ford F-250 4x4 w/ a 6" lift & 35" BFG AT's

Water- Express 16' flatbottom w/ a 40 hp mariner & jack plate( where i spend all my time) w/ interchangeable bowfishing deck w/ 8-500 watt halofens & ginny. And for winter, my homemade detachable duck blind to take the place of the bowfishin deck.

Air- no access only commercial

Hunting- i dont deer hunt i only nowfish & duck hunt.

Bow- (2) PSE barracudas for bowfishin

Rifle- Norinco MAK-90 w/ 1.000 rounds of ammo & 10 30 rd mags.

Shotgun- Remington 887 nitro mag& a Mossberg 500.
And that shoul about cover it! I love me some gear!
 
I don't do much camping or hiking. But for ranch work and hunting.

Shot gun -charles daily semi-auto 12 gauge or old single shot 20 for snakes
Winchester 30/30 brush rifle
heritage 22/22mag single action revolver
ruger 10/22 rifle
Beretta 96 40 cal
saddle-back leather back pack
tarps for shade
portable bbq pit made of 1/4 inch steel
bic lighter/ Swedish steel
lasso well worn
550 para
zip-ties
a couple no name cut down machete's
jeep wrangler 2003- very broken in
smart phone gps
ariat boots
bandanna
first aid kit
ice chest full of power aid, beer,and water
beef jerky
double headed ax
plus whatever becker I am carrying bk2,4,5,9
11,14,16
or BHK bushcrafter
folder zt350 or rat1
I only use leather for my fixed blades usually by skystorm leathers.
Most of my gear is heavy, well worn and tough as nails.
 
Sig_Op said:
if it cannot bounce drom the unit to the sat and back its not gonna work.
Click to expand...

agreed on map and compass.

You are correct about heavy tree cover. GPS sat signals are weak.
GPS does not transmit or "bounce" from the unit to the satellite.
The satellites are entirely ignorant of all receivers. They hang out up there transmitting the time from their internal clock with a bunch of auxiliary information. The receiver takes the time differences (and auxiliary data differences) from the various satellites and cross-references runs them through a Bunch of Math (tm) to calculate a 'fix' on the receiver relative to the positions of the satelittes, cross-referenced with a crude model of the surface of the earth (geodic model - WGS-84, for instance). The unit may also receive local corrections from ground-based transmitters which are doing the same sort of work, but are much physically closer to the unit and have a well-known and fixed surface location. Additionally, the satellites transmit on multiple frequencies which have different atmospheric penetration characteristics, and a multi-frequency receiver can add that into the math as well.
 
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Well mostly I just sit around having tea parties with my knives. I guess the stuff I couldn't do without would be my little tea set (it has some pretty pink flowers on it), and the knives that I have done up in different pastel colored sun bonnets. The BK2 in particular looks incredibly debonair in baby blue.
 
DerekH said:
Well mostly I just sit around having tea parties with my knives. I guess the stuff I couldn't do without would be my little tea set (it has some pretty pink flowers on it), and the knives that I have done up in different pastel colored sun bonnets. The BK2 in particular looks incredibly debonair in baby blue.
Click to expand...

OKAY...I can't stand it any longer. I got you a hand carved dogwood spoon for christmas. There, it's out.
 
Here is my current list of gear. Along with some not to distant future upgrades.

Packs: Mid 80's Kelty Frame pack, one of the most comfortable I have ever carried even with heavy (80+ lb loads), 1 large(7000ci) and one medium(5000ci) Mountian Smith internals. Never really had an issue and zero failures from any of them.

GHB: Mountian Smith butt pack (maybe 1500ci)

Hammock: ENO Double w/ a tarp rainfly. And a cheapo for backup.

Tents: Kelty 4 season 2 man backpackers tent. It's too heavy for summer use, but stands up well to heavy wind and snow loads.

Future purchase: Big Agnus 2 person light wieght BP tent. http://www.rei.com/product/827913/big-agnes-copper-spur-ul2-tent

Sleeping Bag: Marmont zero degree bag. I've been out in -10 weather and stayed nice and tosty in this bag. Thermorest full length self inflating matress

Knives: BK2 or BK7 and a Boker folder.

Cooking: Peak one dual fuel stove, titanium 2l cook pot, spork. Just got a small canister stove to try out and see how fuel usage is. It wieghts much less than the peak one.

Fire: fire steel, zippo in pocket, vaseline cotton balls, & flint rods. Recently picked up a blast match and found an old tube of fire paste. I have a couple of brsh piles that needs burning, so I'm gonna try out some different combinations and see what works best for windy damp conditions.

Water: PUR water purififer, nalgene bottles & a camelbak 70oz res. Recently got a Sawyer Squeeze filter to test out.

First Aid: Home brew kit in a Ziploc. Has all the basics, plus a pack of QuiK Clot gauze and a double emergency reflective bag.

Nav: Garmin etrex, topo maps of the area I'm in, Silva Ranger compass. The Etrex is not reliable in heavy cover, so I find myself not taking it with me and relying on the map and compass.

Land: I have a pair of Danner Ft. Lewis Go Devils, Vasque Sundowners, or Vasque GTX Breeze boots. Just depends on terrian, type hike, and weather as to what I wear. The Danners are fairly new but I love them. The Sundowners are 20+ years old and still wear like new. I just got the Breeze last year, but they have quickly become my go to boot.

Wheels: Toyota DC Long Bed, It does a great job towing my camper and trailer loaded with the tractor.

Hunting: Savage Model 116, in .308, .50 Muzzle loader

Rifle: AR-15, Mini-14

Shotgun: Remington 870
 
daizee said:
agreed on map and compass.

You are correct about heavy tree cover. GPS sat signals are weak.
GPS does not transmit or "bounce" from the unit to the satellite.
The satellites are entirely ignorant of all receivers. They hang out up there transmitting the time from their internal clock with a bunch of auxiliary information. The receiver takes the time differences (and auxiliary data differences) from the various satellites and cross-references runs them through a Bunch of Math (tm) to calculate a 'fix' on the receiver relative to the positions of the satelittes, cross-referenced with a crude model of the surface of the earth (geodic model - WGS-84, for instance). The unit may also receive local corrections from ground-based transmitters which are doing the same sort of work, but are much physically closer to the unit and have a well-known and fixed surface location. Additionally, the satellites transmit on multiple frequencies which have different atmospheric penetration characteristics, and a multi-frequency receiver can add that into the math as well.
Click to expand...

since you obviously know a bit about these things what would you recommend? I would really like them to work in the woods to mark a waypoint to go back to i.e. I arrow a deer way back in the sticks, need to go get my deer cart and some help to drag it out..Are some different ( I assume higher frequencies) going to do better/ My etrex is about 10 years old and not up to date on the software but it pisses me off when it works until i need it and its "searching for sats" Thanks.
 
DerekH said:
Well mostly I just sit around having tea parties with my knives. I guess the stuff I couldn't do without would be my little tea set (it has some pretty pink flowers on it), and the knives that I have done up in different pastel colored sun bonnets. The BK2 in particular looks incredibly debonair in baby blue.
Click to expand...

do you heat your tea on a stove, fire, alcohal or esbit burner? Do you put the knives in the tea to tea dye a patina?:D
 
I am a boring person and dont do much camping or hiking.
But, My EDC is Bk-14 (stripped)
Zero Tolerance 350
Victorinox Hercules
Modified Bk-11
War Eagle Leather Works wallet
20+ feet of black para-cord
small survival kit
a few pieces of fat wood
Ferro rod
Write in the rain note book
Fisher Space pen Refill cartridge
2 Hand warmers
More para-cord
ESEE survival card
ESEE hat
Cobra weave para-cord bracelet
Crappy phone + plus keys and stuff like that.

When hunting
Rifle=Remington model 7400
Bow= Parker Side-kick
My EDC stuff.

That is for the most part what I carry and hunt with, I would rotate my EDC folder if I had more than one :D
 
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