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Post by Derzis on Jan 11, 2017 2:50:52 GMT
I just finished the hickory scales (from an old axe handle) for one of my knives. I decided I like hidden pins for the knife, looks better in my opinion. These + SAK hunter XT are my favourites for going in the woods. Carbon Steel for wood, stainless for food.
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Post by howler on Jan 11, 2017 3:07:53 GMT
I just finished the hickory scales (from an old axe handle) for one of my knives. I decided I like hidden pins for the knife, looks better in my opinion. These + SAK hunter XT are my favourites for going in the woods. Carbon Steel for wood, stainless for food. That's a good combo, particularly for heavier woods, but in spring through early fall (as you may go boys axe and bow saw for wet/freezing). Bottom line is that a combo is best for outdoors, not just one item. Nice Lansky Puck.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 11, 2017 3:14:00 GMT
I have Laplander saw also, it depends on what I want to do there. SAK Hunter XT has saw + serrated blade anyway.
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Post by howler on Jan 11, 2017 3:27:23 GMT
I have Laplander saw also, it depends on what I want to do there. SAK Hunter XT has saw + serrated blade anyway. Yep, I thought your SAK had that, as I think the saw is the main reason to have a SAK (unless your standing around with a beer and need a bottle opener...that would be a DISASTER). Laplander for the bigger stuff, but you probably will always need some form of axe/heavy tomahawk/hatchet, as they are so much more robust than a saw, even though they burn more calories for many things.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 11, 2017 3:40:36 GMT
Saw in the city doesn't make too much sense, but when a trail is very close, it's good to have. I like SAKs anyway, in all forms and tools. Spirit X is always with me.
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Post by ineffableone on Jan 11, 2017 8:48:13 GMT
I just finished the hickory scales (from an old axe handle) for one of my knives. I decided I like hidden pins for the knife, looks better in my opinion. Great work. I really like the look of those wood scales, and even better that they are repurposed axe handle wood. Makes the knife and hatchet a matching set. Definitely hidden pins work great on that.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 11, 2017 10:16:40 GMT
Thank you Ineffableone, it was a fun little project. First time I am doing it, but when you do it for you it's different. In a "survival" situation most of the time you recycle things, not order online. I think I like wood the most for fixed blades, you can mod the scales anytime and it looks good.
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Post by bluetrain on Jan 12, 2017 21:49:57 GMT
Here are a couple of thoughts about choosing survival "stuff." Equipment, tools, weapons, and so on. Strictly my own viewpoints, totally unendorsed by anyone, not even my wife.
With an exception, bladed weapons are relatively silent and stealthy, at least compared with firearms. Survival means many things and one take on the concept is escape and evasion, so stealth is important to some degree. The exception I mention is an axe, which can make a lot of noise when chopping wood. But the sound only carries so far and if you're going to have a fire, the noise won't make any difference. I guess being stealthy with a fire is another topic altogether.
How you expect to get away (escape) if you have to also enters into the equation. It's reasonable to assume you would be able to drive as far as your fuel holds out. That means you won't be so limited as to what you can take along. I think I've probably mentioned that part before. Same thing if you have to "survive in place," which is probably as likely as having to pack up and leave, given the things that have happened over the years. In theory, having to travel on foot any distance is probably not a realistic scenario except perhaps if you were away from home (at work) and something happened that disrupted normal travel. That doesn't necessarily constitute a serious survival issue unless lots of other bad things happened, too. But the basic object in that instance is merely to get back home. As it happens, it happened to me.
This was ages ago, probably mid-1970s, when I was working in downtown D.C. I worked late one day and when I came outside and walked down to the bus stop, a distance of about three blocks, there wasn't a bus in sight and no one waiting at the bus stop. No, it wasn't a case of everyone vanishing; there was a bus driver strike. At the time I was living across the river near Crystal City, if you know the area, and I just walked home. It was a good long hike, to be sure, though no more than two or three miles, but it seemed much longer because it wasn't something I ever expected to do. But other scenarios could be more serious and if I was living twenty miles from where I worked, I don't know what I might have done. Twenty miles is a long day's walk. But I haven't ridden the bus since then. But floods, hurricanes and snowstorms happen with some frequency, if not regularity, so it might be a good idea to keep the tank full in the car and maybe a few things to get your through the night should something happen.
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Post by howler on Jan 12, 2017 23:23:08 GMT
Here are a couple of thoughts about choosing survival "stuff." Equipment, tools, weapons, and so on. Strictly my own viewpoints, totally unendorsed by anyone, not even my wife. With an exception, bladed weapons are relatively silent and stealthy, at least compared with firearms. Survival means many things and one take on the concept is escape and evasion, so stealth is important to some degree. The exception I mention is an axe, which can make a lot of noise when chopping wood. But the sound only carries so far and if you're going to have a fire, the noise won't make any difference. I guess being stealthy with a fire is another topic altogether. How you expect to get away (escape) if you have to also enters into the equation. It's reasonable to assume you would be able to drive as far as your fuel holds out. That means you won't be so limited as to what you can take along. I think I've probably mentioned that part before. Same thing if you have to "survive in place," which is probably as likely as having to pack up and leave, given the things that have happened over the years. In theory, having to travel on foot any distance is probably not a realistic scenario except perhaps if you were away from home (at work) and something happened that disrupted normal travel. That doesn't necessarily constitute a serious survival issue unless lots of other bad things happened, too. But the basic object in that instance is merely to get back home. As it happens, it happened to me. This was ages ago, probably mid-1970s, when I was working in downtown D.C. I worked late one day and when I came outside and walked down to the bus stop, a distance of about three blocks, there wasn't a bus in sight and no one waiting at the bus stop. No, it wasn't a case of everyone vanishing; there was a bus driver strike. At the time I was living across the river near Crystal City, if you know the area, and I just walked home. It was a good long hike, to be sure, though no more than two or three miles, but it seemed much longer because it wasn't something I ever expected to do. But other scenarios could be more serious and if I was living twenty miles from where I worked, I don't know what I might have done. Twenty miles is a long day's walk. But I haven't ridden the bus since then. But floods, hurricanes and snowstorms happen with some frequency, if not regularity, so it might be a good idea to keep the tank full in the car and maybe a few things to get your through the night should something happen. Probably a good idea to carry a "man purse" of some type (I don't, but I probably should). Fire starting gear, flashlight, multi tool, medium/small knife, firearm, water bottle, nutrition bar, etc...(lots of examples of EDC bags on YouTube).
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Post by ineffableone on Jan 13, 2017 2:53:02 GMT
Yep a GHB aka get home bag is a common prepper staple. This is usually left in the car, but can be part of your EDC aka everyday carry bag too. The GHB is designed around what you would need to get back home to the rest of your preps if for some reason your vehicle or other mod of transport was no longer an option. Rather than a bug out bag, or other types of packs, the GHB is typically very light on gear. Just enough to get you home. Often more urban suburban oriented, with gear that would be helpful while in a city rather than the woods. You also mentioned extra gas, and yes that and vehicle preps are important too. Things like puncture repair kit, fixaflat, jumper cables, extra fuses, a blanket/sleeping bag, some snacks, tools for your vehicle, etc..
A lot of people seem to only think prepping is about the big stuff that isn't too likely, but really it is about being prepared for all sorts of stuff especially for the very possible local issues. Floods, hurricanes, wild fires, etc.. are a lot more likely than a pandemic, WW3, or zombies. So when prepping while you might want to prep for the bigger stuff, make sure that you are also including the more likely local issues too.
One of the big things experienced preppers advocate is back up documents in your bag. Copies of stuff like ID, Social Security, insurance, property deeds, etc... As well as a decent amount of cash. Because 90% of the problems you might need to evacuate from your home for you will be just heading over to the nearest unaffected town to sleep in a motel or friend/family member's. You will want copies of important documents for the inevitable bureaucracy you will have to wade through.
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Post by bluetrain on Jan 13, 2017 11:40:35 GMT
Although the county actually has something about a major evacuation on its website, I can't imagine a workable evacuation actually happening for two reasons. The first one is obvious, actually leaving town in an emergency would be problematic to begin with, given what normal rush hour traffic is like. The second should also be obvious; how far would you have to go to find some place that could accommodate the evacuees. Where I live, the only direction to go would be west, too. But you can't really be forced to leave home, although it seems to have happened in some places, depending on who you are. But in other places where hurricanes are not unheard of, it doesn't happen. Flooding would probably force you to leave and the Mississippi has always flooded with some frequency, if not regularity.
Any outfit and plans would have to be tailored to the time of year and where you live. Believe it or not, there are some places in this country where there are no trees, so an axe is useless. But those same places might be a little low on water, so take extra. That sort of thing. Time of year makes a difference, too. Of course, if you had to consider everything that could possibly happen, you'd probably go crazy.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 13, 2017 13:15:45 GMT
Of course, if you had to consider everything that could possibly happen, you'd probably go crazy. Or just stay with the basic tools and "accumulate" knowledge. It's interesting to see how "over-gearing" is happening these days with the big help of the YouTube. "Get yourself a water purifier" "Get yourself fire-starter paracord" etc etc etc
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Post by bluetrain on Jan 13, 2017 13:51:03 GMT
Reality can be boring. Much of what we hear is for the purpose of trying to sell something. I will admit, some of it is interesting, some of it is very good and some of it is very expensive. People might be surprised at the way people somehow managed to get by with very many things that we consider essential today. There's more to it than is said in that sentence, of course, but the trick (and it's not a trick) is learning to get by without something. That's survivalism in a nutshell.
But barely surviving is no achievement. Nor should living frugally be confused with anything else, either.
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Post by ineffableone on Jan 13, 2017 22:48:25 GMT
Of course, if you had to consider everything that could possibly happen, you'd probably go crazy. Or just stay with the basic tools and "accumulate" knowledge. It's interesting to see how "over-gearing" is happening these days with the big help of the YouTube. "Get yourself a water purifier" "Get yourself fire-starter paracord" etc etc etc
One of the funny things about the over gearing issue. A lot of the folks who get addicted to buying tons of gear don't have much food stores. One of the best preps is food stores for not bugging out but staying in place, since most common disasters the biggest issue is immediate run on food at stores and no new food coming in to replace it. Having a month or more of food is a lot more important than buying your 3rd folding saw or the newest tactical pack. I have sort of seen a progression of prepping that while not constant seems to hold fairly well as a general progression, though many get stuck in one level or another quite often. 1st level is when awareness of need to prep happens, so an attempt to buy your way out of disaster starts. This is when people buy a lot of stuff and often get caught in the gear hording. I think we sword enthusiasts can relate to how addictive buying cool fun "toys" can be. The problem with this phase tends to be while buying lots of stuff can give you tools for survival, often times the skills aren't there to use them in a disaster. Not to mention, you often collect a lot of gimmicky stuff because without skills you make poor choices in what gear is quality. 2nd level is skills to go along with preps. In this people start realizing they need skills to go along with gear. They start camping to gain skills, take first aid classes, learn to can and preserve food, etc.. This can send people back into the gear collecting phase as their new skills gives them a new appreciation of higher quality gear. And as always gear collection is a seductive and addictive thing. In this phase though a lot of people start to discover bushcraft. Not only does it foster a lot of survival skills, it advocates thriving rather than surviving. Bushcraft can also help break the gear dependence, since it is very oriented toward "the more you know the less you need" philosophy. Putting a lot more importance on a high level of skills so you can craft and construct the things you need out of the environment. There is some cross over in bushcraft to more urban stuff too, since the ideas of bushcraft can be translated into urban survival. An urban setting has a lot of resources to utilize if you are actually looking for them. At this point something starts wiggling in the back of folks brains though, sustainability. Bushcrafting is great but how sustainable is it. Something to note, while there are plenty of preppers in bushcrafting, there is a bit of animosity in the bushcraft circles for prepping and preppers. Likely due to preppers coming into bushcraft and muddying the waters by spouting off about survival rather than bushcraft. 3rd level moves toward sustainability and often homesteading. Homesteading can be in your suburban yard or turning your bug out retreat into a full on homestead farm. At this point preppers are looking at producing their own food, being less reliant on grocery stores and outside sources for necessities. Some folks will jump to this past bushcraft, when looking and picking up skills. Since canning, rain water harvesting, gardening are all skills that are enticing to preppers who ware moving out of gear collecting phase. The gear you need for this sort of stuff is extensive and there is some pretty shiny fun stuff to pick up. But the homesteading phase is all about self reliance and independence from out side sources. While it is really impossible to be 100% self sufficient, because you are always going to need this or that from others, it is a goal to strive toward to see how close you can get. Trying to lower your need for outside power, food, medicine, water, etc.. Not only can be a good prepping strategy but can in the long run be a financial benefit. Something to note too, homesteaders tend to be natural preppers. So a lot of prepping mixes well with homesteading and homesteaders tend to be a bit more open and receptive to preppers though might not agree with the prepper's reasoning. As I said this is not a hard and fast thing, but just an observation I have seen in the years of prepping I have had. Watching how folks evolve and progress as preppers. For me I had always had an interest in woods skills, and was doing a lot of what is called bushcraft when I was a young kid. Similarly I had wanted to build a homestead and live closer to the land since I was young. So for me it was less a progression through each phase, and more just a constant mixing of each.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 14, 2017 1:56:25 GMT
That's true.
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Post by bluetrain on Jan 14, 2017 12:17:25 GMT
The one thing that I don't like about hearing the words survivalism or survivalists is that it implies that at some time in the not very distant future the social order will collapse and chaos will ensue. That's never happened, except for a day or two. We've had some very major riots in this country, you know, and even those events did not result in a general breakdown in the social order and if you lived at least a mile away, you would have barely been affected.
Of the things that might cause you to pack up and go is a flood. They happen frequently, always in the same places, and if you live in one of those places, you probably already know that and have a plan. Same thing with hurricanes. Tornados give less warning and are somewhat unpredictable but generally still happen in the same places. But I spent a summer in Oklahoma and another in Kansas and never heard the first mention of tornados. So I don't know if people evacuate or what because of tornados. But I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Other, more serious and less frequent events like 9/11 are something else. Chances are, you'd be better off staying put and anyway, you'll probably be needed.
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Post by ineffableone on Jan 14, 2017 23:02:00 GMT
The one thing that I don't like about hearing the words survivalism or survivalists is that it implies that at some time in the not very distant future the social order will collapse and chaos will ensue. That's never happened, except for a day or two. We've had some very major riots in this country, you know, and even those events did not result in a general breakdown in the social order and if you lived at least a mile away, you would have barely been affected. Of the things that might cause you to pack up and go is a flood. They happen frequently, always in the same places, and if you live in one of those places, you probably already know that and have a plan. Same thing with hurricanes. Tornados give less warning and are somewhat unpredictable but generally still happen in the same places. But I spent a summer in Oklahoma and another in Kansas and never heard the first mention of tornados. So I don't know if people evacuate or what because of tornados. But I'm not in Kansas anymore. Other, more serious and less frequent events like 9/11 are something else. Chances are, you'd be better off staying put and anyway, you'll probably be needed. I think the whole prepper term and movement came about due to people wanting to distance themselves from the stereotype of survivalist and survivalism. That scene had become heavily associated with loners with bunkers waiting for WW3. More of a hunkering down with guns in a bunker in fear of enemies kind of mentality. Preppers, at least until the "reality" show craze of showing the doom and gloom preppers, were a lot more practical in preparedness for more likely events. It was a lot more concentration on basic needs over being heavily armed. While preppers did advocate some weapons, they were for a more general use of hunting and a more general protection purpose. Though sadly some preppers did take this into the more weapons collection of the old survivalism. But some people will always just want to collect weapons. And there is nothing wrong with liking and collecting things you enjoy, the problems come when this is associated with the scene as the proper way to do things and a necessity to be part of the scene. The funny thing you mentioned about tornadoes, is in the past pretty much everyone had a storm shelter. But for some reason storm shelters have become less and less common in tornado prone areas. It is not like tornadoes stopped hitting these areas either. It really is an odd thing, especially since prefab easy to install shelters are so available. People these days seem to just not understand that a storm shelter is a wise thing.
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Post by bluetrain on Jan 15, 2017 12:22:04 GMT
Oh, I expect there are as many tornado shelters as there ever were but on the other hand, more people live in mobile homes. I've never watched any of those survival programs but it is curious that the survival situations always take place on a remote island (I think) that you have to reach by an expensive airplane flight and which people would be willing to pay money to go and spend two weeks, if they could.
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Post by Derzis on Jan 16, 2017 14:37:36 GMT
The housing industry is complicated and if there is no bylaw to require storm shelter for a property, it will not be implemented in new projects. When you have to pay extra to get it done, things tend to get loose and it happens what you see.
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