I've heard a lot a great things about Swarovski optics so when the time arrived to begin searching for a quality pair of compact/light weight binoculars, I started (and soon ended) with what many consider to be one of the best names in optics. Swarovski.
I tend to travel light meaning the gear I carry usually fits into a shoulder bag, bedroll, and at times, depending on the "mission", a bare pack-frame. In other words, I don't have a lot of extra room to spare when it comes to equipment. I felt that if the binoculars were to bulky and heavy, they would eventually be left at home. Naturally, they wouldn't do me a lot of good there, so I ended up purchasing a pair of the small sized 8x20 pocket models.
After having spent several days in the Texas woods observing wildlife (nephews and nieces included!) with my family, I'm very pleased I chose the 8x20's. The clarity of the optics were simply amazing and their size was perfect for carrying through the woods. I'm looking forward to using the binoculars in the Sierra this summer.
I always look forward to trying out a new axe or hatchet, mainly those offered by Gransfors Bruks. The "new" GB Wildlife Hatchet is no exception.
Even though I've been using an "old" Wildlife Hatchet for some time now, I'm anxious to see what, if any, difference (other than looks) there is between it and what now appears to be the middle brother to the Mini-Belt Hatchet and the Hunters Axe. Let the chopping begin!
Many outdoors people have high praise for the Rucksack pocket knife made by Victorinox and I would tend to agree with them. What makes the Rucksack shine is it's larger locking blade, quality wood saw, awl, and it's comfortable hand-filling size. There's no doubt about it, the Rucksack is a very good tool for the woods.
The Outrider is basically the size and weight of that of a Rucksack with a few extra handy features thrown in. One of these features is a nice pair of scissors which can really come in handy for various camp chores such as clothing repairs, dressing small game, clipping finger/toe nails and other tasks that may require a small controllable cutting tool.
As a wearer of prescription eyeglasses, I also like the fact that there's a small eyeglass screwdriver that ingeniously screws down into the Outriders corkscrew tool. Anyone that has had one of those tiny (and anoying) screws loosen up may very much appreciate this small yet essential tool.
Well, I finally got around to purchasing a few of these much talked about knives. Having recently used a Mora #1 at my job for various cutting chores, I'm beginning to realize what all the talk has been about!
For the price ($9.00), I doubt if there is a better bargain out there. These little Swedish knives appear to be made very well with quality materials. Wilderness expert Mors Kochanksi speaks very highly of the Mora knife and judging from Mr. Kochanski's outdoor skills, I'm quite sure he knows what he's talking about!
The motorcyle. While it's not exactly a knife or an axe, as with most other vehicles, the XR is just another form of survival related equipment.
I took a bit of a plunge and purchased what is commonly refered to as a duel- sport motorcycle, an off-road bike that a person can also ride legally on the street. I'm in the process of puting together a plan that will allow me to travel deeper into the Sierra which in turn will allow me to explore some of the more remote areas.
Part of the above plan will be to create and locate one or more "depots" that will contain some of the more bulky/heavy items that I normally use when camping out of my truck. More on this later.
Obviously, there's a lot to learn about traveling by motorcycle in remote areas. Improvising a wilderness "jack" from sticks in order to replace a tire tube is just one example of the many skills one needs to learn to get back home safely. Thanks to his vast knowledge of outdoor travel by foot, motorcycle, you name it, ML has once again offered to help me shovel my way through my pile of questions. Once again, I offer him my thanks.
In addition to creating the depots, I've also began gathering items that will be used in a motorcycle survival type kit. The kit will contain items that are essential to safe off-road travel such as spare tire tubes, tire repair tools, extra clothing, food etc. Of course this kit will contain other various tools one of which is a highly recommened pair of Knipex Cobra pliers.
Many of my wilderness projects require I tear/bend pieces of discarded metal cans and other pieces of trash. The Knipex Cobra pliers seem like they would function much better than a multitool's plier feature so for that reason, I'll be adding the Knipex to my kit for testing. Also, due the fact that I already carry a Rucksack, there would be no need to carry my Gerber Multi-tool since many of the individual tools would just be repeated. It also appears that the Knipex weigh a bit less than my Gerber Multi-tool.
Copyright © 2001 by Eric Stoskopf.
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