Discussions
Reply to: What triggered you to prep? Posted August 20, 2021

Like many of you “The Boy Scout  motto  “Be Prepared” has been a big part in my preparedness life, but in reality I think it actually bit me at the the age of 5 after I watched my first Tarzan movie. He had his trusty knife and I have been a knife & gear nut ever since. I can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t prepared.  I have always had an EDC of some kind as a kid a knife. As I got older and of legal age my EDC included a firearm, knife, multi tool, flashlight, spare mag, fire starting rod etc… My travel kits that have always been bug out style kits, with the highest quality gear and when flying they are packed with my firearm in my locked Stormcase check bag. My remote country hunting gear is much the same plus my rifle usually a 338 Win Mag in N America. A 375 or bigger in Africa. My remote hunting and remote travel gear has an extensive medical kit. Last but not least the craziness that has been going on in this wacky world for decades has been an ongoing catalyst to keep on prepping.

Reply to: New guides in our field knife series Posted July 30, 2021

Good to see you show & mention the TEK-LOK. I designed the TEK-LOK over 20 years ago and we have made millions of them. I still have the original hand drawn design sketch. Another product that’s great for attaching sheaths, holsters and other gear or pouches is our MOLLE-LOK. I attached a few pics of the original TEK-LOK and the Gen 2 TEK-Lok attached on some custom sheaths I made for a couple of my personal blades along with an assortment of MOLLE-LOKS. The adjustable belt shims differ quite a bit between the two versions. The steel shim is diamond coated (done by DMT) we offered them for a while as the “Sharp Shim” a mini knife sharpener inside the TEK-LOK as a backup sharpener. SEE BLADE-TECH, MOLLE-LOK WEB LINK BELOW; https://blade-tech.com/products/small-molle-lok?variant=4541490036764&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-09-18&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=CjwKCAjwxo6IBhBKEiwAXSYBszDkMATmrT5qfTKsmuAOo8VRWdpTP6MK3eKh5Q6ptDVHHHlv_3hZ4hoCmJkQAvD_BwE

Reply to: How do you safely store an emergency kit in a pickup truck? Posted July 29, 2021

I have had 3 gear bag thefts in the past 30 years. The first time some crackhead stole my Toyota 4Runner while I stoped to grab a few things for the wifey at the store. I was in the store 7 min. Got the 4Runner back but none of the gear even though they caught the scumbag. The 2nd was I had a druggy break my Excursion door latch and steal a Level 1 BOB in my churches parking lot on a rainy day. A Sheriff buddy called me 6 mo later when I was at a trade show. He was on a drug bust & found my bag with one of my Glock 19’s in it and I eventually got most of the contents and the bag back after it was held in evidence fir about a year…the 3rd time was in Maun Botswana just before we were heading into the bush. A villager snatched my bag out of my buddies land cruiser right under our noses as we grabbed local currency for barter with the outer villages. Never saw the 8k worth of gear again. My insurance covered most of it but that’s a whole other story. Back to the the 2nd time. After that incident I had Jimmy Jammers installed in my door latches & installed (bolted in) a 25 cu ft – 48” wide by 30” deep by 2’ wide into the back of my Excursion where the 3 row seat sat. It’s loaded with everything but the kitchen sink & locked up. That was my theft solution but with a car or smaller vehicle you’ll need to get a bit more creative. However they make smaller versions that could be installed in a trunk or back cargo area…hope it gives you some ideas. Cheers!

Reply to: How do you safely store an emergency kit in a pickup truck? Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021

Sorry this took so long to reply I have been out of pocket… I have hunt lots of Deer, elk, moose, bear & caribou, cougars  & hogs in N America, Alaska & Canada.  In Zimbabwe Africa I have hunted a livestock killing leopard, numerous Cape Buffalo & plains game and besides Zimbabwe I have hunted Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, SA & Namibia, all the meat harvested went to the local tribal communities except for what we ate in our camps. I/We have also hunted the huge man eating  crocs in the Zambezi River and muddy Zambezi delta where crocs eat the locals quite frequently. Some crocs reach 17 feet long. As far as hunting tips (same as prepping) don’t take the cheap route get the best gear you can afford & if can’t afford it at the time save up for it. This is especially so with optics; binoculars & scopes. Firearms the next most important & that include premium ammunition tailored with bullets tailored to the game you plan to hunt. Knives & multi tools are next. Get something with a dropped point that still has a good sharp tip. My favorite design is called a semi-skinner. Find onewith S30V if possible or some other good steels such as 154CM & D2. 440C is ok as well. Learn how to sharpen your knives. if you know the proper techniques you can process a whole elk without touching up your blade if you stay out of the dirty silica filled hair & hide. Cut from under the hide. Good layered clothing & well made footwear is also very important.  Learn shot placement there are great books like the “Perfect Shot” to get that knowledge and learn game anatomy not just for taking the shot but for the field processing chores. Happy Successful Hunting to you! see Semi-skinner blade attached.

Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 15, 2021
Reply to: Which Go Bag backpack(s) do you like and why? Posted July 14, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 14, 2021

To answer your questions; Since being in the Gun, Knife & Hunting Industry as a gear manufacturer for nearly 30 years I have had the opportunity to contribute to a few magazines such as Eastmans Journal, Muley Crazy, SCI Safari Magazine, Tactical Knives, FMG American Handgunner Annual, Swat Magazine & a few others. The FMG were paid articles the hunting mags were non paid submissions. I write about things I am passionate about & subject matter I enjoy. As far as knives & gear go my knife choices haven’t really changed at all but the BMBG has. Because of the current volatile world & the unrest in America the BMBG has morphed to a full blown Multi-faceted Go Bag (a Vertyx Gamut plus) that I carry chock full in a separate locked Storm/Pelican case. That’s a whole other unpublished story. Lol!

Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag”
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Posted July 14, 2021
Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag”
9
13
Posted July 14, 2021
Reply to: What triggered you to prep? Posted August 20, 2021

Like many of you “The Boy Scout  motto  “Be Prepared” has been a big part in my preparedness life, but in reality I think it actually bit me at the the age of 5 after I watched my first Tarzan movie. He had his trusty knife and I have been a knife & gear nut ever since. I can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t prepared.  I have always had an EDC of some kind as a kid a knife. As I got older and of legal age my EDC included a firearm, knife, multi tool, flashlight, spare mag, fire starting rod etc… My travel kits that have always been bug out style kits, with the highest quality gear and when flying they are packed with my firearm in my locked Stormcase check bag. My remote country hunting gear is much the same plus my rifle usually a 338 Win Mag in N America. A 375 or bigger in Africa. My remote hunting and remote travel gear has an extensive medical kit. Last but not least the craziness that has been going on in this wacky world for decades has been an ongoing catalyst to keep on prepping.

Reply to: New guides in our field knife series Posted July 30, 2021

Good to see you show & mention the TEK-LOK. I designed the TEK-LOK over 20 years ago and we have made millions of them. I still have the original hand drawn design sketch. Another product that’s great for attaching sheaths, holsters and other gear or pouches is our MOLLE-LOK. I attached a few pics of the original TEK-LOK and the Gen 2 TEK-Lok attached on some custom sheaths I made for a couple of my personal blades along with an assortment of MOLLE-LOKS. The adjustable belt shims differ quite a bit between the two versions. The steel shim is diamond coated (done by DMT) we offered them for a while as the “Sharp Shim” a mini knife sharpener inside the TEK-LOK as a backup sharpener. SEE BLADE-TECH, MOLLE-LOK WEB LINK BELOW; https://blade-tech.com/products/small-molle-lok?variant=4541490036764&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-09-18&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=CjwKCAjwxo6IBhBKEiwAXSYBszDkMATmrT5qfTKsmuAOo8VRWdpTP6MK3eKh5Q6ptDVHHHlv_3hZ4hoCmJkQAvD_BwE

Reply to: How do you safely store an emergency kit in a pickup truck? Posted July 29, 2021

I have had 3 gear bag thefts in the past 30 years. The first time some crackhead stole my Toyota 4Runner while I stoped to grab a few things for the wifey at the store. I was in the store 7 min. Got the 4Runner back but none of the gear even though they caught the scumbag. The 2nd was I had a druggy break my Excursion door latch and steal a Level 1 BOB in my churches parking lot on a rainy day. A Sheriff buddy called me 6 mo later when I was at a trade show. He was on a drug bust & found my bag with one of my Glock 19’s in it and I eventually got most of the contents and the bag back after it was held in evidence fir about a year…the 3rd time was in Maun Botswana just before we were heading into the bush. A villager snatched my bag out of my buddies land cruiser right under our noses as we grabbed local currency for barter with the outer villages. Never saw the 8k worth of gear again. My insurance covered most of it but that’s a whole other story. Back to the the 2nd time. After that incident I had Jimmy Jammers installed in my door latches & installed (bolted in) a 25 cu ft – 48” wide by 30” deep by 2’ wide into the back of my Excursion where the 3 row seat sat. It’s loaded with everything but the kitchen sink & locked up. That was my theft solution but with a car or smaller vehicle you’ll need to get a bit more creative. However they make smaller versions that could be installed in a trunk or back cargo area…hope it gives you some ideas. Cheers!

Reply to: How do you safely store an emergency kit in a pickup truck? Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021

Sorry this took so long to reply I have been out of pocket… I have hunt lots of Deer, elk, moose, bear & caribou, cougars  & hogs in N America, Alaska & Canada.  In Zimbabwe Africa I have hunted a livestock killing leopard, numerous Cape Buffalo & plains game and besides Zimbabwe I have hunted Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, SA & Namibia, all the meat harvested went to the local tribal communities except for what we ate in our camps. I/We have also hunted the huge man eating  crocs in the Zambezi River and muddy Zambezi delta where crocs eat the locals quite frequently. Some crocs reach 17 feet long. As far as hunting tips (same as prepping) don’t take the cheap route get the best gear you can afford & if can’t afford it at the time save up for it. This is especially so with optics; binoculars & scopes. Firearms the next most important & that include premium ammunition tailored with bullets tailored to the game you plan to hunt. Knives & multi tools are next. Get something with a dropped point that still has a good sharp tip. My favorite design is called a semi-skinner. Find onewith S30V if possible or some other good steels such as 154CM & D2. 440C is ok as well. Learn how to sharpen your knives. if you know the proper techniques you can process a whole elk without touching up your blade if you stay out of the dirty silica filled hair & hide. Cut from under the hide. Good layered clothing & well made footwear is also very important.  Learn shot placement there are great books like the “Perfect Shot” to get that knowledge and learn game anatomy not just for taking the shot but for the field processing chores. Happy Successful Hunting to you! see Semi-skinner blade attached.

Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 29, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 15, 2021
Reply to: Which Go Bag backpack(s) do you like and why? Posted July 14, 2021
Reply to: Thought I’d post two articles I had published by FMG several years back. “Knives for the Field” and BMBG “Bare Minimum Go Bag” Posted July 14, 2021

To answer your questions; Since being in the Gun, Knife & Hunting Industry as a gear manufacturer for nearly 30 years I have had the opportunity to contribute to a few magazines such as Eastmans Journal, Muley Crazy, SCI Safari Magazine, Tactical Knives, FMG American Handgunner Annual, Swat Magazine & a few others. The FMG were paid articles the hunting mags were non paid submissions. I write about things I am passionate about & subject matter I enjoy. As far as knives & gear go my knife choices haven’t really changed at all but the BMBG has. Because of the current volatile world & the unrest in America the BMBG has morphed to a full blown Multi-faceted Go Bag (a Vertyx Gamut plus) that I carry chock full in a separate locked Storm/Pelican case. That’s a whole other unpublished story. Lol!