Today I had my first go at using a bow drill, I didn’t get anywhere near making fire with it. So with a few tweaks I will be trying again soon….
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Tinder-Quik™
Something that I have been seeing more of recently in survival kits is Tinder Quik, it has come in 3 of my last 4 survival kit purchases. Basically its cotton wool impregnated with a wax based fuel that takes a spark really well and burns for around 2 minutes, long enough to get kindling on and the fire going.
Normally you get 4 tabs in a kit with a Fire Lite™ a one-hand-operable fire starter that is easy to use and produces a powerful shower of sparks, personally I think that the size to weight to usefulness ratio justifies adding a few extra tabs to any kit.
Posted in Fire and Cooking, Preparedness, Products, Survival Kit
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Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knife
I have been wanting to get my hands on this for a while, I liked the number of features built into this item without it compromising on the knifes ability like my first survival knife that had a hollow handle with a survival kit inside. That was the worst £18.99 I ever spent on a knife, but a lesson well learnt as I realized you get what you pay for. I have seen reviews of issues with the pommel however I have not experienced any issue with my pommel, although I would have preferred the knife to be sharper out of the box. The ferrocerium rod throws some good sparks when used with the notch on the back of the blade and I have used it to light a few items of tinder I carry when outdoors. The handle feels secure in my hand and the whole knife feels balanced, it’s just a shame that the sheath is not molle compatible.
There are a few things that I would change which I have done on mine, first is to remove the whistle lanyard and attach this to the sheath. Second was to cover the diamond sharpener with duct tape as its handy to have in a survival situation and also to reduce wear and tear on the sheath. Third I added 3m of 2mm cord which has a multitude of uses from shelter making to immobilizing a broken limb in an emergency, lastly I have given the blade a quick touch up on my knife sharpening system to my own personal preference.
You can find more information on the Ultimate Survival Knife and the other products in the range by going to bear.gerberuk.com
Knife Features
# ½ Serrated High Carbon Stainless Steel Drop Point Blade – Ideal for edge retention and cutting rope
# Ergonomic Textured Rubber Grip – Maximizes comfort and reduces slippage
# Stainless Steel Pommel – At base of handle for hammering
# Emergency Whistle – Integrated into lanyard cord
Sheath Features
# Fire Starter – Ferrocerium rod locks into sheath, striker notch incorporated into back of knife blade
# Nylon Sheath – Lightweight, military-grade, mildew resistant
# Land to air rescue instructions
# Diamond Sharpener – Integrated into sheath for on-the-go sharpening
# Priorities of Survival – Pocket guide contains Bear’s survival essentials
Posted in Cutting Tools, Scouts, Survival Kit
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Gear Pods Stove
Your out on a day hike something happens maybe you take a wrong turn or the weather closes in and you get stuck out in the woods or on the hill, you have let your home contact know your safe and settle down in your makeshift shelter. You reach into your pack and pull out your gear pod system and open the stove pod, light the fuel and in around 8 minutes (this being the average boiling time with the various different fuels I have used so far) you are enjoying a hot drink. Maybe it was a planned wrong turn to enjoy a night under the stars?
Made from hard anodized aluminum the stove can either use solid fuel tablets or denatured alcohol (methylated spirit in the UK) if you are using the burner accessory, the cook mug is also made from the same aluminum as the stove and has a silica band to allow the handling of the cup when it’s hot. It also has a wind shield to increase the efficiency of the stove.
Posted in Fire and Cooking, Preparedness, Survival Kit
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Preparedness
This year we have seen various natural disasters which can occur without warning, so you have to ask yourself are you prepared?
While I might not be fully self-sufficient so as to survive the end of the world as we know it where I can my own food, raise livestock and have a 4 year stockpile per person in my house I have enough for one or two weeks of food light heat and water.
Most importantly I have a plan of action for each scenario I can reasonably think of given the area I live in, also where I might be at the exact time at home, work or commuting between the two. A few extra items kept behind a sofa or under a bed in a bag which allows you to grab what you need if you have to leave to seek other safe refuge in an emergency, last thing you should be doing is trying to remember where you put x y and z.
Practice basic survival skills before you need to depend on them and it will never be a bad thing to become a trained first aider, knowledge weighs nothing to carry.
I always think along the lines of its better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Posted in Preparedness, Survival Kit
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