Let me put one thing straight, I love my Victorinox Workchamp. It's an absolutely fantastic knife. It's loaded with features, superb locking blade and very solid built... but it also weighs a ton (205 gram), which makes it somewhat less suitable for "every day carry" on a belt. I decided to move my Victorinox Workchamp to the front pocket of my Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack, where it will serve me just as fine. But that leaves an empty spot on my belt, so I searched for a decent sized, knife that is lighter, has a sturdy locking blade and a price-tag of no more than € 50,-
So, as I was browsing through my favorite knife-store, I saw it... and I just fell in love immediately. This was the perfect knife... it was under € 50,- with a sturdy locking blade: the "tactical pink" KA-BAR "Dozier" Folding Hunter knife.
This knife is very light: with 45 grams you hardly notice it when you're carrying it. I'm keeping the knife on my belt in the nylon sheath of my old Buck 450T, which seems to fit quite decently. The knife has a 7,5 cm (or 3 inch) locking blade of AUS-8 steel with a hollow grind. By default it came with a reasonably sharp flat bevel, but I don't want reasonably sharp knives... I want ridiculously sharp knives, so I re-sharpened it with my own polished convex cutting edge. The handles are made of Zytel (the same material that the sheath for my Fällkniven F1 fixed-blade knife is made of), which is lightweight yet extremely sturdy. My first impressions of the knife are very good.
So why did I go for a pink knife, when it's also available in black, od-green and other more "manly" colors ? In part because it's just easier to locate your knife in the dark or out in the woods; but also because I just like to provoke... and a pink knife is certainly a conversation piece
A few months ago, I bought a Helle Fjellkniven to be my bushcrafting/outdoor knife. Over the past few months, however, I found out that the scandi grind on the knife isn't really my thing, which results in me pushing the knife harder than it is supposed to. Because it is a very pretty knife, I don't want to abuse it too much, so I decided to look for another knife for outdoor use, and keep the Helle for special occasions.
My criteria were simple... the knife had to have a convex grind, a full-tang construction and about the same size as the Helle. Browsing the web showed me many wonderful knives that matched the criteria, but they were all way over my budget. After some searching I finally found a good knife that, with its € 100,- price tag, fits decently within my budget and matches all my criteria: The Fällkniven F1
Fällkniven is a Swedish company, but the steel for their knives is manufactured in Japan by a company called Takefu Special Steel. Just like the Helle, this knife also has a laminated steel. The majority of the knife is made from 420J2, which is a relatively soft but very tough steel, and the cutting portion of the knife is made from a very hard, but relatively brittle, steel called VG10. So by combining the VG10 and 420J2, the knife is very durable and keeps an edge very well.
The knife has a full-tang construction, which basically means that the metal of the knife retains its full thickness through the whole length of the handle, which makes the knife very tough. The knife has a convex grind with a secondary micro-bevel with a V-edge. If you don't know what it all means, don't worry; it means that the knife is very sharp and will cut very smoothly.
The blade is about 97mm (or 3,8") long and the steel is 4mm thick; so it's nice and beefy, but not too beefy. It weighs about 150 grams, which is actually a good bit lighter than my Victorinox Workchamp. The handle is made from some kind of synthetic material. It feels a bit rubbery, but it's very solid and appears very durable too. The knife comes with a simple, slim and functional sheath which is made from a synthetic material called "Zytel", and fits absolutely perfectly in my EDC bag.
In conclusion, the Fällkniven F1 seems to be a very nice knife and gets very good reviews; and I can't wait to use it outdoor
My "Every Day Carry" bag, a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack S-type, has a nice spacious bottle holder on the side. I always used to carry some small plastic bottles with various drinks in there: Cola, Aloe-vera drinks, fruit drinks and sometimes even a bottle of water. This worked perfectly, but it was a bit costly.
Sure, a bottle of water costs "only" € 0,25 or so, but a bottle of Aloe-vera drink is € 1,- to € 1,50 (depending on where you buy them). It doesn't take a whole lot of time or effort to empty one of those 0.5L bottles, and the stuff is usually loaded with sugars. It was time for a change of pace. I was looking for a water bottle, but something decent... something that will last a long time, has a decent size and won't "adopt" flavor from the liquids inside.
After a bit of browsing and comparing, I read about Klean Kanteen. They are a USA-based company that manufactures 100% stainless steel water bottles in an environmentally-friendly way. Regardless of my opinion on the whole "sustainability" mumbo-jumbo, their bottles fit my criteria perfectly. I went online to see if there was maybe a dealer in The Netherlands, which there was; good news! So after browsing their selection of bottles a little bit, I decided to go for the 40 fluid ounce, or 1182ml "wide mouth" bottle, which arrived today.
Now then, it is by no means a cheap (€ 29,95) or small ( about 23.5cm tall and 9cm wide) water bottle; but it is a very, very nice bottle. It fits the bottle holder of my bag perfectly, and because the bag is so dark and the bottle is stainless steel; it keeps the beverage inside nice and cool. It holds 1182ml, which is more than plenty to get through the day, and because it is made of stainless steel, it won't adopt any flavors from the contents. Also, because it is stainless steel and has no coatings or whatever on the inside, you could technically speaking use the bottle as a cooking pot as well; but I don't plan on using it for that.
So what do I use it for then ? Well... one of my goals for 2012 is losing a bit of weight (Yes, I know... it sounds very cliché ), so I will be drinking less Cola, fruit drinks and other drinks that hold a lot of sugar. I will be drinking a lot of water and sugar-free beverages. One beverage in particular seems very interesting, and that is Bolero.
Bolero makes sugar-free, low-calorie instant drink mixes in 22 different flavors. A packet of instant drink mix costs € 0,35 at the local Asian supermarket , and combined with some plain tap water it will fill that 1182ml bottle with a very cheap and tasty beverage; which is very suitable for dieting too, because it has only 176kcal for the whole 1182ml. I've tested the apple, white-grape and almond ones, and they were absolutely delicious; so I will definitely be drinking more of them in the future.
"Two is one, and one is none; but three is better" is a popular motto amongst survival enthusiasts; So I was thinking... On my keychain I have my small kit: a Victorinox Classic SD knife and Fenix E05 flashlight, on my belt I've got my medium kit: a Victorinox Workchamp knife and Fenix PD20 flashlight; but in my bag I only had a larger knife: the Helle Fjellkniven. Time to go shopping!
My criteria were clear: I wanted a flashlight that could do 18650 as well as two CR123a batteries, it had to do at least 380 lumens (double that of the PD20) and it had to be a "tactical" light; which basically means that the on/off switch also has a momentary on position. Many flashlights caught my eye, but eventually my selection narrowed down to a choice between the to the Fenix TK21 U2 and the Olight M21 "warrior".
The Fenix TK21 U2 puts out 468 lumens and is priced around the € 95,- where the Olight M21 puts out 500 lumens and is priced around € 110,-. The prices are those of web shops in the Netherlands, and as most people in the Netherlands know; stuff is usually cheaper in Germany; so I decided to browse a bit on the German EBay site. I saw a Danish web shop that sold a brand new (sealed package) Olight M21 for € 35,- plus € 25,- for shipping. Their explanation for the low price was that they were clearing out the warehouse for a new collection. I don't care what the reason is... this was my chance to get the Olight M21 for half the price! My choice was made on the spot. About a week later (today), the postman came knocking on my door
As mentioned before, this bad boy put a whopping 500 lumens maximum with just one 18650 battery (or two CR123 batteries), and can do that for about 75 minutes nonstop; which is quite impressive. It's a very high-end flashlight, and you can really tell; it's built like a tank! It comes into play with small details like double O-rings, long threads for the screw-on caps, etc... the fit and finish is just perfect.
The user-interface is pretty straightforward: the switch on the back turns the light on and off. Pressing the switch halfway means momentary on, and clicking it means the light will stay on. By twisting the head about 1/8th you cycle between output modes: low (20 lumens), medium (80 lumens), high (500 lumens) and strobe (500 lumens at 15 Hz interval). The light remembers the last mode it was in. So if you put the flashlight in strobe mode and turn it off, it will come back on in strobe mode; even with the momentary switch.
One of the reasons I wanted a flashlight that could also run on two CR123 batteries, is the fact that my Fenix PD20 also uses CR123 batteries. So by keeping three spare CR123 batteries in my bag, I have flexibility in my lights: At full capacity I can run the Olight M21 at full output for 2.5 hours (2x 75 minutes) and the Fenix PD20 for 4.5 hours (2x 140 minutes); or I could run the Olight M21 for 75 minutes and then have the Fenix PD20 run for 9.3 hours (4 x 140 minutes).
Alternatively, if I don't need a lot of output but want sustainability, then the numbers become somewhat ridiculous... I could run the Olight M21 at 20 lumens for 30 hours till the 18650 is empty, then have the Fenix PD20 run at 10 lumens for a whopping 264 hours (66 hours per CR123), and then squeeze another 6 hours of 30 lumens out of the Fenix E05 on my keychain (3 hours per AAA battery). That's a grand total of 300 hours (or 12.5 days) of non-stop light out of my EDC kit
It was a long, long wait; but it was worth it... after 8 weeks my new bag finally arrived from the USA.
It's a black Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack S-type, which is the left-handed model. I'm actually right-handed, but I prefer to wear my bag on my left-hand side. I chose this bag because it can hold a lot of stuff, keeps the stuff dry and it's just a very comfy yet solid bag. It's made out of sturdy and thick Teflon coated ballistic nylon, and it's very well thought out.
I have the bag on me, or within arm's reach, pretty much 24/7. So what do I keep in this bag ? More than you might think! You can find the complete list here.
A while back, I got a new pocket knife: the Victorinox Workchamp. I love this knife, and I keep it on me at all times. However, this knife isn't really a typical bushcraft knife, and I don't want to break it. So I decided to look for a nice fixed blade knife for bushcraft/outdoor use.
Enter the Helle Fjellkniven (mountain knife). It features a 3 7/8" blade with a "scandi" grind; which basically means that the edge has no secondary bevel. The blade is made with a laminated steel. The cutting edge is a high carbon steel, which keeps an edge very well; and the sides and top are stainless steel, which makes the knife nice and hard. The knife has a nice curly birch handle, that is not only very pretty to look at, but it is also very comfy and solid.
I really like this knife. It's comfy, ridiculously sharp and very pretty.
I love my knife, and I keep it on me at all times, except when I'm in the shower or in bed, obviously... though it is always in the same room as me, and within arm's reach; so to speak.
Because of all the features my knife has, it's a little on the bulky side. I don't mind it, because it makes for a nice solid handle. A big knife, however, also means a big sheath. And that's where my pickle was. Because the sheath was so big, there was a little comfort issue when driving my car. When I sat down, the bottom of the sheath would latch on to the chair and poke the knife in my hip. I decided to go for a horizontal sheath, which would make it a lot more comfy.
Of course horizontal sheaths aren't "mainstream", so finding one was next to impossible. Eventually I came to conclusion that a custom made one would be the only option. I got in contact with a fellow bushcrafter who had a bit of experience with leatherwork, and we worked some stuff out.
The result was a nice horizontal sheath that fits both my knife, and a little bundle of about 6 meters of 550 paracord. The sheath is very comfy to wear, has a truckload of space and above all, it doesn't poke my in the hip when I sit down in a car, yay!
As I recently said: "A good knife is probably the most useful tool any person could carry on them; and I usually have a few on me". Well.. my knife just became an even more usefull tool
Up until now my main knife was a Buck 450RD Protégé, which served me well for many years. However, I felt that it was time to upgrade and update my Every Day Cary a little, which means that some things were up for replacement. One of the things that was up for replacement was my knife. After browsing, drooling and comparing many knives I finally made my choice: a black Victorinox Workchamp.
At 11.1 cm long, 3.15cm thick, 2.9cm wide and weighing 205 grams, it's by any means not a lightweight or small knife, but that's because it has a shitload of features: A large locking blade, a set of pliers which doubles as a wire cutter and wire crimping tool, a large Philips screwdriver, a metal saw which has a coarse and medium metal file on the sides, a wood saw, scissors, a small Philips screwdriver, a bottle opener which doubles as wire stripper and large flathead screwdriver, a can opener which doubles as a small screwdriver, an awl / reamer, a corkscrew, a mini flathead screwdriver, tweezers and of course a toothpick.
My Workchamp is firmly seated a fancy leather sheath on my belt, and a little paracord lanyard makes it easy to remove it from the sheath. In my opinion it's a very decent and highly versatile knife, and I totally love it
"And said God let there be light, and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). And light there shall be: 180 lumens of it to be exact!
A few years back I bought this no-name flashlight at a gas station for a few bucks, and I thought it was pretty amazing. It was nice and bright, worked fine on one AA battery, it was pretty compact and easy to carry; and in general I was pretty happy with it. When I got the Fenix E05 as a backup light on my keychain a while back, that changed quite dramatically. It was quite embarassing really... My tiny backup flashlight completely blew my main flashlight off the table when it came to brightness. It was time for an upgrade!
I had some good experience with the Fenix E05, so the Fenix brand had a light preference. Eventually my light of choice was the Fenix PD20 R5.
It's a very compact ( 7.85cm long and 2.22cm thick) and light (39 grams without battery) flashlight that runs off a single 3-volt Lithium CR123a battery. It can burn continuously at 9 lumens for 66 hours, 38 lumens for 10 hours, 90 lumens for about 4 hours and a whopping 180 lumens for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Asides from the continuous burning modes, it also has a fast 15Hz strobe mode at 180 lumens and a 90 lumens S.O.S. signal mode.
Fenix claims it can throw light up to 102 meters and that it's waterproof up to 2 meters of depth. I don't plan on testing the waterproof claim unless I absolute have to; but I can definitely confirm the 102m throw. I thought the Fenix E05 was bright, but the amount of light this little fellow is able to produce is just plain rediculous
Needless to say, I'm very, very satisfied with my new flashlight
Because I like to hang out in abandoned and/or derelict buildings, and said buildings tend to be full of sharp, rusty and moldy things; I thought it would be a good idea to add a little first aid kit to my every day carry. Daniel picked up on that and got me a Tatonka First Aid Mini for Christmas.
The kit is very small but sturdy. The content of the kit on its own is pretty ok, though the manufacturer could have done a better job with the form factor of some items. For example, the medical tape that comes with the kit comes on a rather bulky roll that takes up the majority of the space in the kit. I decided to optimize it a bit by wrapping the medical tape around an old credit card; which meant that the kit now had a lot of empty space that could be used to hold additional stuff. I added quite a bit of stuff, and customized the contents to my own liking.
The kit is just 10x7x4cm, but at the moment it contains 2 large waterproof bandages, 6 medium waterproof bandages, 1 waterproof knuckle bandage, 2 waterproof butterfly bandages, 10 moleskin patches, 1 large oval Glacier Gel patch, 5 antiseptic wipes, 5 alcohol swabs, 4 safety pins, 4 Paracetamol pills (fever or headache), 4 Antacid pills (heartburn), 4 Diphenhydramine pills (allergic reactions), 4 Loperamide pills (diarrhea), 4 Bismuth Subsalicylate pills (nausea or upset stomach), 4 Ibuprofen pills (painkiller and inflammation inhibitor), 1 small pack of antibiotic ointment, 5m of medical tape and a tick remover.
It can easily tackle most problems that could ruin one's day without any problems; and if the pocket first aid kit can't solve the problem, I've always got a larger first aid kit in my car which contains even more stuff.