tool dip on a wet suit

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Waterproofing a cheap wet suit can turn a $40 wet suit into something reasonably useful. The problem with lower end wet suits isn’t that the neoprene fabric itself isn’t waterproof, but more likely, the quality of stitching and ability to keep cold water out. With a bit of ingenuity, you can greatly improve the ability of a cheap wetsuit to keep water out. However, it may not be as nice against the skin as a nicer wetsuit. For this DIY, I’ll be focusing more on closed-cell neoprene, as that is the material that is more widely available and cheaper. Open-cell neoprene is usually found inRead More →

sagebrush

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In a world full of high tech solar backpacks and GPS applications that digitize the experience of walking through tall grass, I can’t help but think that we’ve lost our ability to get lost. I indulge in the recollections of childhood when you could be on your way to adventure with just a pocket knife, a bandanna, and the lucky feather. On this high desert hike to see what adventure I can find, I also bring a cheap gimbal to record a video. The high desert chaparral is full of flora, fauna, and adventure. Going off of the trail and into the bush has rewardedRead More →

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Navigation using an analog watch is based on the principle of where the sun rotates in the sky based on whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rotates along the Southern part of the sky. The earth mostly rotates along the equator that divides the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, so for us Northerners, the sun will be in the Southern part of the sky. In hunting, one of the common practices is to hunt the North-facing slopes, as this side of a hill or mountain stays generally cooler than the other slopes. When building a home inRead More →

Leatherman Wave Review

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The saw function on a multitool is something I never knew I needed. After I did the SAK Camper review a few months back, I’ve been reaching for it more often than my Leatherman Skeletool CX as my companion for the day. Having pliers would be more useful for everyday emergencies, but there is something that inspires me about having a saw in the pocket. After a bit of consideration, the Skeletool was listed on ebay and I started my search to find a multi-tool with pliers that would be suitable for everyday carry. Here’s my Leatherman Wave review: Pros of the Leatherman Wave for EDC:Read More →

sak camper saw cutting through log

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The SAK Camper, also known as the Victorinox Swiss Army Camper, is a workhorse of a multitool. While it is an obvious everyday carry option, I’m under the impression that there are many observed pitfalls to the reliability of one as a bushcraft tool. I’ve read of many experts that would gladly reach for a Swiss Army Knife and some survival schools are even promoting this as the only-tool of choice. I took the opportunity to take a light hike and do an SAK Camper review. It was the only tool I brought with me outside of my steel Klean Canteen, a fanny pack, andRead More →

DIY Christmas Gift Inlayed Checkers Board

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My friends and I decided that we are doing a DIY Christmas gift exchange this year, Secret Santa style. Because the group is starting to breed and buy up California shacks, there wasn’t as much disposable income to shower each other with $50 gifts as we’d normally do. The rules this year were simple: you can’t buy anything. While watching Alone Season 4 (surprise!), I noticed that two contestants, Brooke and Dave Whipple, had spent some time making a bushcraft DIY checkers board to keep themselves entertained. I figured I could take on a more colorful version of that for the family man whose nameRead More →

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I’ve been overdue for a scandi folding knife. Being a guy that gravitates towards higher priced, premium examples of sharp objects, I’ve been going back and forth on the Enzo Birk scandi folder in s30v for about a year. At the price point, however, I just can’t pull the trigger. I already have a premium steel folder in VG-10 that I’ve been meaning to add scales and make into an heirloom quality knife. The problem with this is that I don’t seem to abuse the ones meant to be abused. I don’t know if it’s the price point or the beauty of the piece, but IRead More →

Mike with a cigar standing over my California mule deer buck

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I killed my first deer this season hunting on Californian public land. Here in California, there tends to be a lot of competition, minimal buck sightings, inaccessible areas for hunting, rough western country, and anything else you’d imagine that comes with hunting with an over-the-counter tag. After two unsuccessful seasons, I was able to finally pull the trigger Sunday morning of opening weekend. I learned that the adage about the real work starting after the shot is, in fact, true. With my Esee 4HM on my hip, Field & Stream Folder in my pocket, my Bahco Laplander folding saw in my pack, and 550 paracord; I had the toolsRead More →

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The sling weapon that David used to slay Goliath launches a stone with much more power by extending the thrower’s arm. Imagine David, a small man, standing in a battle arena with a 9-ft undefeated giant Goliath. The crowd laughs as David swings a length of rope with a stone in it above his head in a helicopter-like fashion while Goliath does crowd work and taunts David. David then hurls a stone, also known as a “sling bullet,” whizzing at Goliath’s head and dents his skull between the eyes. Goliath drops dead and the small man silences the crowd. How does this work? How canRead More →

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“Recycle, reduce, reuse.” That’s a motto drilled into me as a kid and a mantra that we all should start living by. I know we’ve all seen some sort of plastic soda bottle or similar while out hiking and maybe it’s time to look at that garbage a little differently. Plastic bottles have some obvious uses and some that aren’t so obvious like making cordage. Some people have gone as far as making floating island habitats out of these things. This is one of the cooler videos that I’ve stumbled across. I’ve fashioned cordage from plant fibers before but never thought to fashion cordage fromRead More →

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