My EDC Kit

It's probably best to start out with my philosophy behind this edc (every day carry) bag. I wanted a system that could be easily transferred from varying larger bags - one that could be put in my daily office backpack, quickly added to a travel bag, carried out on the trail in a backpack or lumbar pack, or just simply grabbed on its own, with the idea that I would have the basic necessities always close at hand. My philosophy of use is a daily usage and basic survival kit - whether I need to bandage a minor cut, unchap my lips, clip my nails or even start a fire, purify water, and build a shelter. 

For these purposes I chose the Maxpedition Beefy Pocket Organizer. Of course there is no way this will fit in any pocket but it works fairly well as an addition to my backpack. I appreciate the sturdy construction and the many options for internal organization. I would love for this kit to be smaller but then I'd have to sacrifice some of my gear choices. This is my current content:

BASIC TOOLS

Knife - Probably the most basic tool. I'm running the Cold Steel Voyager Tanto large. Tanto isn't necessarily my preferred style but Cold Steel's Triad lock is a beast. This knife may be the next best thing to a fixed blade. 

Flashlight - I've got the Foursevens Mini M2A in 2xAA. I prefer easy to find battery options like the AAA or AA. I also carry some extra batteries, 2xAA & 2xAAA. 

Multitool - Leatherman Juice S2 - a wide array of uses, from cutting to opening cans to tightening a screw to opening a bottle. Knife, scissors, pliers, screw drivers, can opener. 

Mini-Pry Bar - can't say that I use this all that much but it's just a cool little tool. If I need to pry something open or remove a small nail then this fellow can save then wear and tear on your multitool. 

Tweezers - they don't take up much space but they excel at removing splinters or grasping small items. 

Nail Clippers - clipping nails and anything else that needs clipped. 

FIRST AID

I don't have a very extensive edc fak but I try to carry bandages in varying sizes, neosporin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, benedryl, tampon, maxi pad, and iodine. The iodine doubles as water purification. I wrote the instructions on the bottle - 5 to 10 drops per liter and then wait 30 minutes. The feminine products are handy for my daughters in an emergency as well as they can be used in place of bandages if necessary. 

FIRE

Lighter - easiest method. 

Matches - UCO Stormproof Matches. Waterproof and windproof. These are great in adverse conditions. 

Firesteel - Light My Fire Sweedish Firesteel. 

Vaseline Cotton Balls - these take a spark easily then burn for about one minute. Great for getting kindling going. 

Fat Wood - resin impregnated pine sticks - another great fire starter. Can be shaved down, split into smaller sticks or even just lit as is. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Spork - Light My Fire Titanium Spork. Helpful in the wilderness as well as when eating in restaurants that only have plastic ware. 

Lip Balm

Paper - small Moleskine pad. Many uses - writing notes, starting fire, leaving messages, keeping track of details. 

Sharpie Permanent Marker 

Pen - Fisher space Pen. Great writing instrument. 

Trash Bag - 55 gallon heavy duty drum liner. Can be used to help make an emergency shelter (i.e. tarp), climb inside for a bivy sack, make a poncho, or merely hold things. 

Bandanna - blowing your nose, cleaning lenses, covering a wound, wiping sweat, straining water before purification, making char cloth, etc. 

Duct Tape - several feet wrapped around a plastic card. Beyond the obvious usage can be used as a fire starter. 

Signal Mirror - SOL. Includes the sighting instructions on the back. Great for emergency signaling. 

Emergency Whistle - pealess; another signaling option. 

Compass - Suunto A-30. 

Poncho - cheap Walmart poncho in the front pocket. Very thin and light weight. 

Paracord - around 50'. Almost limitless potential. Lanyards, bow drills, ridge lines, lashings, splints, etc. 

Paper Clips - can be bent into many shapes for many uses. 

Safety Pins - couple pinned in the liner of the bag. 

Breast Milk Bags - these seal up tight and can be used for storing lots of items as well as using for emergency water bags. They are super light and thin so don't take up much space. 

Floss/Tooth picks - helpful in cleaning your teeth. 

Aluminum foil - two foot square sheet. Cooking, food prep, surface protection, signal mirror, etc. 

Zip Ties - great for lashing anything together. 

Well that about does it. I'm sure things will change some with time, but with this small kit with me I feel like I have a lot of the major bases covered for every day use as well as basic preparedness. 

Get out there,

~Rhyno

One Knife to Rule Them All!?! - The Perfect Knife

I've been on the lookout for quite some time for my perfect knife. I'm not talking about an every day carry (EDC) pocket knife, like my Kershaw Skyline, but my perfect outdoor fixed-blade knife. The one knife that does it all - fine carving, batoning, chopping, food preparation, striking a fire-steel, etc - one that's comfortable to use, not too heavy, holds a good edge, and able to take a beating and still come out on top.  I want all this without breaking the bank. If possible, I would like to stay under $100. Maybe that's asking too much. Can any one knife fit that bill?

 

A few knives I've played with thus far are:

Ka-Bar Becker BK7

I really like the overall size of this one - big enough for some light chopping and plenty tough to baton. I took it backpacking last summer to New Mexico and it served me well. 

My two gripes about it though are that its heavy (I'm hoping to move to lighter weight backpacking) and its a bit big for finer carving tasks. 

Ontario RAT 3

I've not really used this one out in the field much but I've kept it by my wood burning stove and used it to baton wood to kindle my fire. I actually broke my first one doing this but Ontario replaced it. 

It's a bit short for much serious baton use and it's fat belly doesn't seem like it's helpful in finer carving projects. 

Mora Companion

I really like the Mora knives. They are wicked sharp, easy to sharpen, inexpensive, comfortable to hold, and great carvers. 

Some of the negatives are that they are not full tang (maybe more like 3/4) making me nervous for batoning, their spines are not well finished making them poor for striking a fire steel, and they are so light weight that they are pretty much worthless for chopping. 

Mora Heavy Duty Companion

This is my most recent purchase. It has the same basic info from the standard Companion, just a substantially thicker blade. I'll be keeping this by the stove to see how it handles batoning and will bring it camping next month. 

Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie

This knife is a beast! It is absolutely huge, placing it at the top for chopping and batoning. It is comfortable in the hand, has a super sharp tip, and seems to hold an edge well. 

Negatively, because it is so large it is practically worthless for finer work, and definitely more weight than I want to carry on a backpacking trip. 

Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility

I really like this knife. If I had it to do over again I'd go without the partially serrated edge. 

Again it's a bit heavy for backpacking and probably a tad large for finer work. I also don't like the rat-tail tang. Because the tang is so much thinner I bent it a bit with some heavy batoning. 

Well that's my journey thus far. I think I'm concluding that there really can't be one end-all-be-all knife. If I want a good batoner/chopper it'll take a big, heavy, full-tang blade. If I want a fine detail carver and food prep cutter it'll mean a smaller overall knife. In the end I can probably make the smaller knives, like the Moras, fill most backpacking/camping/bushcraft roles. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno 

Biomechanics of the Grip | Personal Defense Network

Through the years I've played with different grip styles and thought I'd settled it in my mind.  This video helped me nail down what I think is probably the best grip for semi-autos.  I've found through experience that these biomechanic principles do indeed work when firing a gun - they help to lock it into place and bring it back on target for follow up shots. Although I find it funny that the cover photo for the video does not show the grip advocated. :)




Get out there!

~Rhyno