Knife Care and Maintenance

Caring for your knife is just as important as choosing the right type of knife. I'd choose a low quality knife that's been well cared for over a top quality blade that's been abused any day of the week.

But what goes into caring for a knife? It's more than just sharpening your blade once every six months. In this article I'll detail the steps required to care for and maintain your knives.

Ten Things to Know about Surviving

A Simple Lean-To Shelter. Courtesy of
Flickr User Erik Fitzpatrick

You've heard of the ten essentials. Here's a list of ten simple rules to always follow when in a survival situation. This list is mostly in order of importance, but of course situations will dictate if and when you will stray from these rules.

Every Day Carry Survival Gear

Although many people obsess over having a fully stocked Bug Out Bag, few consider survival items they should carry every day.

An Every Day Carry kit is just that, something that you'll carry with you at all times. The reason for this is simple: survival happens when you least expect it. Of course a hurricane or an earthquake can happen - and that's when your BoB comes in handy. 

But what if you're out on a day hike, and get lost. Or driving somewhere in the desert and your car dies (and you don't have your BoB in your car). Having a few items you can lightly carry can make the difference between life and death. 

Moisture Wicking Shirts & The Desert?

Cotton is generally a bad material to wear in a survival situation. It's cheap, it breaths well and it feels great. But when you get sweat in the cold, it'll absorb that moisture and you'll pay for it when the temperature drops. 

But what about in the heat? 

When I go camping in the desert I usually wear a moisture wicking undershirt, as well as a synthetic shell shirt during the day, and then switch to thermal underwear at night. This of course depends on the temperature. The key here is that both shirts (the hot weather shirt and the thermal shirt) are constructed out of moisture wicking materials. 

A Bug out Bag: What you Need

Being prepared for an emergency is something that everyone should do. It has nothing to do with being a doomsday conspiracy theorist, it's about planning for a natural disaster

A Bug Out Bag (BoB) or Get out of Dodge Bag (GooD) is another name for a 72-hour survival kit. What type of kit you build will depend on your area.

The Gerber Crucial F.A.S.T.: Review ★★★

I received the Gerber Crucial F.A.S.T. multitool knife as a little Christmas gift for my wife. (Don't worry, she has a real one as well). We were celebrating the holidays early with my family (we'll be at her parents' house for the 25th) and I decided to get her a little multi-tool she could easily carry around in her purse or pocket.

After reading some reviews on Amazon (and noticing that it was going to have a lightning deal in two days), I decided to grab the little multi-tool for $20 (normal price $36.01).

The Leatherman Wave: Review ★★★★★

I was a late comer to the Leatherman scene. The original Leatherman, the Pocket Survival Tool, was introduced in 1983 and has been growing in popularity ever since. By the time I first saw them in wider use in the early 2000's they were the only multi-tool with pliers.

When my dad first bought one, I didn't like it. the pliers had a tendency to stick when you tried to open them (i.e. actually use them as pliers). Later on my dad got a Leatherman-type tool made by SOG which fixed this problem.

However, I've switched over to the Leatherman wave, and in this review I'll tell you why.