Category: Field Gear

Minuteman “K” Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson

The Minuteman “K” Rocket Stove is an outstanding biomass-fueled stove for grid-down situations or for recreational use. The stove is easy to light and easy to feed. It is easy to remove excess ash from the stove while it is in active use. And the stove provides highly effective heat output that is suitable for use with full-sized cookware. The stove cost $289.95 at the time of this writing at Minutemanstove.com, including 2 one-pound bags of Maya Stick fatwood fire starter tinder. If you live in an area that is rich in sticks, twigs, and similar biomass, the “K” stove …


Champion Handle-Rod, by Thomas Christianson

From time to time, days of hunger come. Sometimes they come for an individual, sometimes for a family, and sometimes for pretty much everyone at once. Money is short, food is expensive, and it is difficult to keep properly fed. During hungry days, fishing may offer a welcome way to add valuable protein to the daily diet. Even during days of prosperity, many people find fishing to be a fun and relaxing pursuit. So in good days and in bad, whether providing protein or lowering your blood pressure, fishing may be good for your health. Some excellent items of fishing …


Fiskars Pro Folding Utility Knife, by Thomas Christianson

With a hefty, ergonomically-shaped, rubber-coated handle approximately 0.88 inches thick and a well-engineered, all-metal blade holder, the Fiskars Pro Folding Utility Knife provides a rugged tool for serious cutting. It is roughly 4.5 inches in length folded and 6.5 inches open. The supplied Carbon Max blade provides superior edge retention in comparison with standard utility knife blades. The chunky handle is comfortable to grip, but also takes up quite a bit of room when clipped into a pants pocket. With a manufacturer suggested retail price of $26.99 at www.fiskars.com at the time of this writing, and widely available elsewhere online …


Sentry Tuf-Cloth Cleaner/Dry Lubricant/Protectant, by Thomas Christianson

Sentry Tuf-Cloth provides a conveniently-packaged, non-toxic, lint-free cloth for cleaning, lubricating, and protecting cutlery, firearms, tools, and other metal objects. It is made in the USA, and is available in vapor barrier foil pouches or in plastic jars in either a standard version or in a marine version that is designed for more corrosive environments. The Tuf-Glide CDLP (clean, dry-lube, protectant) solutions that impregnate the cloth are also available without the cloth in pen applicators or in spray bottles of various sizes. At the time of this writing, the standard and marine Tuf-Cloths in the foil pouch were priced at …


NightBuddy 230° LED Headlamp, by Thomas Christianson

The NightBuddy 230° LED headlamp uses an LED lightbar that bends around the forehead at the front of the lamp. This provides an even flood of illumination that is excellent for working outdoors in the dark. It is reliable, lightweight, compact, rechargeable, water-resistant, and easy to use. Battery life is somewhat less than advertised. I must also admit to being somewhat disgruntled by the fact that it is made in China. I feel that NightBuddy Customer Support was not 100% forthright when I inquired about its place of manufacture. The NightBuddy cost $34.95 from www.nightbuddy.com at the time of this …


L.T. Wright Large Northern Hunter, by Thomas Christianson

Inspired by the traditional Canadian Belt Knife, the L.T. Wright Large Northern Hunter is a versatile, effective, well-balanced, and attractive example of the knife-maker’s art. It is well suited to either chopping carrots in the kitchen or skinning a deer in the field. As such, it will effectively serve both a man of the field like Esau while hunting or a homebody like Jacob while making pottage (Genesis 25:27). The sturdy 3.87-inch high-saber-grind blade is made of 1/8 inch thick AEB-L stainless steel and comes razor sharp. The nicely rounded Micarta handle fits the hand extremely well. With a price …


Ergodyne Skullerz 8945f(x) Bump Cap Insert, by Thomas Christianson

This past summer, I was limbing a felled tree. As I leaned forward to cut a low limb, I smacked my forehead against the stub of a higher limb that was hidden by the brim of my cap. I saw stars for a moment, and could feel blood seeping from my forehead. To add insult to injury, my wife, Kari, said, “That was stupid. You should have been wearing a hard hat.” Neither the bump on my head nor Kari’s comment scored very highly on my happy meter. The Bottom Line, Up Front The Ergodyne Skullerz 8945f(x) bump cap insert …


The Smaller Things, by A. Midwester

To give you a little background, for most of my life I lived in an urban environment, everything I needed was just a short walk or drive away. It could have been a few 2x4s and screws for one of my many projects, a new tool when I needed it, or anything else like it. If it wasn’t available locally, I could easily order it online and expect it, almost without failure, within a day or two. It’s truly amazing what society has developed in terms of convenience. But it’s also scary to consider what would happen if that convenience …


Leatherman Skeletool CX, by Thomas Christianson

With a 2.6-inch, plain-edge blade made of 154CM stainless steel, pliers, wire cutters, and a bit driver, the Leatherman Skeletool CX makes an outstanding tool for everyday carry (EDC). Priced at $89.95 at the time of this writing, it is well worth every penny. I highly recommend it. The Backstory I was sitting on my tackle box by a river, fishing with my grandchildren, “Cicero”, “Ernest”, and “Ginger”. We were casting a worm and bobber, and catching many small fingerlings, which we were releasing back into the river as fast as we could catch them. The grandchildren, aged 5, 3, …


Merrell Chameleon 7 Stretch Hiking Shoes, by Thomas Christianson

I generally love Merrell hiking shoes for everyday wear. They are usually comfortable, fairly durable, provide good support, and give good traction under most conditions. I recently tested a pair of Chameleon 7 Stretch Hiking shoes. They have a neoprene collar around the ankle and over the top of the arch that makes them extremely comfortable as walking shoes. Unfortunately, the neoprene collar of the Chameleon begins to feel uncomfortably tight if one wears the shoes for an extended period of time while sitting at a desk, driving a car or doing pretty much anything that is not walking. The …


Buck 286 Bantam BHW Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Bottom Line, Up Front The Buck 286 Bantam BHW Folder is a robust, 3.38 inch, drop-point-blade knife. It comes out of the box razor sharp. The thick, nicely-textured, fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handle is just a little on the chunky side for everyday carry (EDC), but is unusually comfortable under heavy use. It has dual thumb studs for ambidextrous one-handed opening. The stonewashed finish on the 420 HC blade is attractive. The lockback holds the blade securely open. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $33.99 at the time of this writing, and widely available online for less, the Bantam represents excellent value …


Ghillie Kettle Maverick, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front If you want to boil enough water to make a cup or more of tea or other hot beverage as quickly and efficiently as possible using a handful of twigs, pine cones, or other dry biomass, a Ghillie Kettle may be the ideal tool for the job. It can have your water boiling in about 3 minutes or so. That gives almost-microwave-like preparation times in the field for just-add-boiling-water food and beverage options. Ghillie Kettles are handmade in the UK and come in three sizes. The Maverick can boil up to 2 cups of water …


ALPS Mountaineering Felis 4 Tent, by Thomas Christianson

Last Spring, my wife “Kari”, my daughter “Rivka”, and I were doing some initial planning for our summer camping excursions. In the course of that planning, we begin to discuss my tent. Rivka said that she wanted to borrow the old tent for a solo excursion that she had planned. I was not 100% comfortable with that idea. The tent had frankly seen better days. I was well acquainted with its quirks, foibles, flaws, and tricks. With that knowledge, I felt like I could safely use the tent for another season. But I just did not feel that I could …


Bear Swipe IV Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

The slightly leaf-shaped blade of the Bear Swipe IV folding knife calls to mind other leaf-shaped blades from ancient history and literature. I like the look of the blade form, and it also makes it easier to get the best angle on certain types of cuts. The assisted-opening, modified-drop-point, saber-grind blade of this Bear-OPS-made knife is 3.25 inches long, razor-sharp and easy to resharpen. It is made of 14C28N Swedish Sandvik steel. The scales of the black and green G10 handle are easy to grip, with a texture that is evocative of unpolished canvas Micarta. The knife has become one …


SAR Lessons for Preppers, by H.F.K.

In this article, I will relate some key lessons for preppers that I have learned as a Search And Rescue (SAR) worker and volunteer.  I tell people that we live in a wonderful and fun place, as long as you never forget that the wilderness is always trying to kill you. They think I’m being funny. But s a member of both a county sheriff’s SAR Team and a Mountain Rescue Association-affiliated team, I can tell you that I am being completely serious. Any prepper should approach life very similarly to how they would approach a backcountry hiking trip. The …