Category: Field Gear

An Ultralight Get Home Bag – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued From Part 1.) Shelter/Warmth The next area involves protecting her core body temperature, especially while sleeping at night. One important thing to keep in mind is that in New England it gets down into the lower 60s or upper 50s at night, even in the summertime, and since you can get hypothermia at temperatures as high as 60 degrees you need to make sure you can stay warm and dry year-round. While there are various commercial and public buildings along most of her get-home routes that she could seek shelter in, I didn’t want to assume that would I’ll …


Bushnell Trail Cameras, by Pat Cascio

I’m old school – especially when it comes to hunting. I always thought that the word “hunting” meant you got out there and beat the bushes for the game you wanted. I guess things have changed over the years, and now it is a scientific and calculated thing – doesn’t sound much like a hunt to me. It is more of a game, if you ask me. Have you ever wondered what is going on at your digs, when you aren’t home, or who – or what – is on your property in the dead of night? Yeah, I thought …


Review: A Light, A Battery, A Book, and A Radio, by Thomas Christianson

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This review was written by a long-time content contributor to SurvivalBlog who wrote his articles under the pen name “The Novice.”  Thomas Christianson just had his name added to our masthead. Since he will be a paid member of the SurvivalBlog editorial staff, he will no longer be eligible for our writing contest. — From time to time in my daily life, I run across items that may be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This article is a collection of short reviews about some of those items. These items include a heat-powered lantern, a battery bank, a …


Zero Tolerance 0357BW, by Pat Cascio

Before Zero Tolerance (ZT) knives came out, I was touring the Kershaw Knives factory, and I was sworn to secrecy, about the new ZT line of knives that they were coming out with. Needless to say, it was hard to keep it all secret, but I did. Many months later, the ZT line of knives became a reality. I had several samples of the first ZT knives given to me during the tour, and several more were sent to me, for testing some time after my tour. I was really impressed with the products I saw and tested – and …


The Handyman’s Tool Pouch, by John M.

Over the decades, I became a seasoned (older) person having built, renovated a few homes, rebuilt a score of autos, maintained survival retreats, watercraft, motorcycles, and so forth. These all at some point require specific tools, be it just a screwdriver, or a Crescent wrench. Chances are, working at a building site, or other situation you will have most tools that you need, but there is that unplanned event that requires a special tool. When I was younger, my goal was to have tools, lots of tools, and soon discovered the need for storage and a large tool chest on …


Cold Steel Finn Hawk, by Pat Cascio

Sometimes, something old, can be new again, with minor improvements. The Finnish Puukko knife is one of those things that are old, but new again. When I was just a young boy – maybe 11 years old, I used to travel to downtown Chicago, to haunt a couple Army/Navy surplus stores. I always had an affinity for anything military surplus. I still do, to a certain extent. Both of the Army/Navy surplus stores I used to haunt were within a block and a half of one another. However, the smaller of the two stores, had a much larger selection of …


Columbia Trailstorm Hikers, by Pat Cascio

I’m very picky when it comes to footwear! I stopped purchasing cheap shoes at least 35-40-years ago, always remember, you get what you pay for. I don’t purchase footwear from any discount shoe stores, nor at any of the big box stores. I’ve found it much better to save up for better shoes and boots. I want to buy something that will last me a very long, and give me the support I need. Unlike a lot of senior citizens, I have high arches, instead of fallen arches. So, I wear prescription insoles, instead of the insoles that come with …


How to Quickly Kindle a Fire, by St. Funogas

Comments on SurvivalBlog last winter about some folks having issues starting their morning fire in the woodstove got me to thinking about how crucial fire-building skills should be in our skill-set preps, as well as an important every-day skill for those of us who heat with wood or build fires on a regular basis. If TEOTWAWKI becomes a reality and a wood fire becomes common for heating and cooking, this knowledge will be essential. Much has been written on the many aspects of building a fire, mostly geared towards wilderness emergencies, but they typically only address how to ignite tinder, …


Shake Light 40B, by The Novice

The EcoCentricNow Shake Light 40B is a human-powered flashlight. It is fairly reasonably priced, reasonably water resistant, reasonably shock resistant, and reasonably heat resistant. It is charged by a powerful magnet that presents a danger to sensitive equipment, so I do not recommend it for field use or as a children’s toy. I think it could be useful for applications like tornado preparedness kits or as a nightstand flashlight. The Back Story I recently submitted an article to SurvivalBlog that included a review of the IKEA Ljusa hand crank flashlight. The beauty of the Ljusa is that the hand crank …


Hand Sanitizer, A Knife, and Eyeglasses Cleaner, by The Novice

I would like to pass along some odd discoveries for your amusement and edification. Repurposing Surplus Hand Sanitizer With the advent of Covid, many micro breweries and chemical companies in our area turned their production capacity to making hand sanitizer. They wanted to do their part to help slow the spread of Covid. No good deed goes unpunished. On December 29, 2020, the FDA notified these companies that they needed to pay a $14,060 Monograph Drug Facility Fee and $9,373 Contract Manufacturing Organization Facility Fee by February 11, 2021. After significant media outcry, the fees were withdrawn. They are a …


Some Poncho Options, by Pat Cascio

A poncho is something so simple and inexpensive, yet it can save your life. I don’t suppose anyone really knows when the poncho was invented, but it has been around for a lot of years. Prior to the poncho, at least here in the USA West, cowboys and ranchers wore a “slicker” when it was raining. It was nothing more than a long coat, usually heavy canvas duck material, that was impregnated with something like beeswax or similar waterproofing material, that repelled the rain. The only thing was, your lower body still got pretty wet when riding a horse. In …


Mosquito Protection and a Headlamp, by The Novice

It is said that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. In this second installment of the Blind Squirrel series, I would like to pass along some nutty discoveries for your amusement and edification. Mosquito Protection The area where I live is quite swampy. At certain times of the year, being outside without some sort of protection is almost unbearable. Whenever possible, I like to avoid the use of insect repellent. It feels sticky, smells stinky, and I don’t like the idea of absorbing chemicals through my skin. Fortunately, there are some other tools available that …


Clocks And Glocks Need Oil, by A.J.S.

This brief article is about the lubrication requirements of some everyday mechanical objects including clocks, sewing machines, and guns. It is surprising how little oil is needed but it has to be in the right places. A clock is a good example. Your mechanical watch or clock may run just fine for years without maintenance. But one day it will stop running before the next wind-up time and you will probably realize it needs oiling. This happened with one of my old pocket watches. It was made in 1899 and is an outstanding example of advanced watch production of the …


Gear Review: LogOX Forester Package, by The Novice

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a cant hook is: “A hinged metal hook at the end of a long handle, used for gripping and rolling logs.” One refinement of the cant hook is the timberjack, which attaches a stand to a cant hook, enabling the user to turn and elevate smaller logs, thus allowing the user to cut those logs without the saw coming in contact with the ground. I own a 48-inch Ironton Wooden Handle Timberjack. It is an extremely useful tool. It allows me to roll larger logs and elevate smaller logs that I would otherwise have …


The Tao of Cordage – Part 2 , by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Paracord As I’ve mentioned several times, 550 paracord is the granddaddy of prepper cordage. Virtually every survival-related blog, forum, book and other information source has recommendations to include 550 paracord in your preps. 550 paracord was originally developed to use as lines on parachutes, so it’s strong and stretches a lot (up to 30%) to absorb the shock of the parachute deploying. From a survival perspective, it’s a kernmantle style, so you can extract the internal strands and use those for fishing line, sewing thread, etc. and still use the external sheath …