Bug Out Bag revisited

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Got the new DRAGO BOB, and it is everything the positive reviews said it was. Not too big, but just big enough. And definitely not too small.

Here's the kicker: Want to see a man get all riled up? Watch him pack his BOB. Holy shit, it's a rough row to hoe. What will fit? What won't? What is necessary? What is imperative? What is fluff? What is the point of a BOB? What is it supposed to do?

Man, the new BOB is half the size of the old, so I am leaving a lot behind and doing a lot of switching down. Realizing it is really a true SHTF bag, basically to keep me alive and that's it. I'll post more when I get this thing wired tight.

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Major BOB overhaul

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Holy cripes. Checked out the Bug Out Bag today and it was embarrassingly ill-equipped. No fork, no multi-tool, no toothbrush or toothpaste, not enough food, no batteries, no flashlight, no poncho, no knife at all, no quarters, no water bottle, holy shit NO FIRE, to name some oversights. Filled it up right quick with 3 types of fire, 2 water bottles, a CRKT spork, tooth gear, the HAKET, a Mora knife, more socks, more undies, another t-shirt, cans of tuna, packets of soup mix.

Still need to add soap, deodorant, a poncho, the old bivy sack, quarters, TP, a solar battery charger.

What did it already have in it? A PUR water purifier, a self-inflating mattress, a Snugpack desert sleeping bag, MREs, plastic bags, clothing, an Esbit stove, etc.

Truth is, a much better pack is needed. Decided to go with the DRAGO Assault Pack which can be had online at US Cavalry for $49.95 and gets 5 very solid reviews. It's cheap, which I like. Has a very sturdy top handle, which I like. Has lots of webbing, which makes for expansion. I have the Drago roll-up pack and it rocks.


Will post more when the upgraded BOB is 100% complete.

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Poison Oak

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A little something about poison oak: Poke is the Queen of the California landscape. Get to know it well. Learn to identify it in the dark, in the winter, in your sleep, with your eyes closed. Be ever reverent towards it, even when you haven't had an allergic reaction to it in years. I grew up with it and got it badly numerous times as a child. By the time I was 20 I was immune to it. But I show it great reverence to this day. I have seen friends do stupid things and get it systemically, so badly that they had to go to the emergency room for cortisone shots. I've known people who ate it by accident, burned it and inhaled the smoke by accident, got it in cuts, got it on their balls, you name it. They should have known better, but perhaps no one ever warned them. You, however, can't use that excuse - not after reading this. And once you understand Poke, spread the word to those around you when you go hiking or camping. The key to protection is reverence.

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The Star Necker

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I call this little fucker the Star Necker. It is bar none the cutest little tool I've seen in a long time. Very unique, too. Bought the Kydex sheath on Ebay, and the arrowhead online at Esee. Added the paracord lanyard m'se'f. This tiny little sharp serves as both a concealed carry fighter and a work knife for the little stuff.

Below you can see the arrowhead edge.

Here we show the true size, in comparison to my ugly-ass, white mandible. It's a small'un. Gonna have to check local law to see if it's legal to carry. Sometimes blades that have an edge of less than 2 inches bypass the law. If it is, down m'shirt it goes. I will OWN the night, motherfucker.

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P.S. The Star Necker is razor sharp, and don't forget it. I stabbed myself with it by accident (duh!) and found out the hard way. I also dropped it on my keyboard tray and it put a divit in the plastic.

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Sunday

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Perfect fucking day. Kind of hot, but not ass-kickingly roasting. Went for a walk at sunset and the orange sunlight made me feel so damn good. Images of perfect people and perfect places come to mind - people and places I've never known.

Spent the afternoon working on the lock box. Caulked the extra bolt holes, cut a piece of plywood for the floor, fitted cork spacers under it to clear the bolts, cemented carpet to the top to cushion the tools that will lay on it. Then cemented carpet to the inside walls of the box. Blued the hasp and padlock bolt with a Sharpie. Almost done now.

Gonna get to bed early and get up early tomorrow - gonna be another hot day.

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Switching Out One Motherfucker for Another

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Hey! Missed you :-).

So, today we have a simple DIY mini-project or three. Let's start with the TOPS Haket. The Haket is bar none one of the coolest survival gadgets I have ever come across. The online reviews are stellar, and I wish to add that the Haket REALLY IS ALL THAT. It rocks. Its hollow, flattened handle is made of coated gray chrome moly, and it is a VERY heavy duty (but lightweight!) tool. The tomahawk motherfucker, which is coated to prevent rust, is very solid. It attaches perfectly to the Haket, and when bolted into place there is not one iota of play. It also functions flawlessly on its own, as a knife. This piece of kit is a flawlessly designed and manufactured piece of awesome shit, and every hippie survivalist should have one (Unless they just don't need it cuz they already have better, or other, equally awesome shit that already fulfills the same purpose. You dig?).

Below we have my modded Haket, which I have deemed The Death Dart. You will notice that I have switched out the tomahawk motherfucker for the Alligator Alley harpoon tip motherfucker. I did this because while the tomahawk motherfucker kicks ass, I cannot abide the way it bulks up the precious aerodynamics of the Haket. Not when it's inside my house, or in transit or in storage, I can't. I like compact. So, by attaching the harpoon motherfucker, I have created a giant, evil dart - one which makes me very happy :-). I have also pulled an inner tube down over the exposed handle, because A) it protects the surface beneath, B) it provides sticky gripitation, C) I can secrete survival goodies under the rubber, and D) it looks Delta Force-like and menacing. I also attached both the harpoon motherfucker and its sheath to the handle, via paracord lanyards. The harpoon motherfucker lanyard is long enough to double as a hanger, too. That's basically it. I'm trying to figure out what to store in the handle, besides zip-ties (for securing the Death Dart to a pole or stick).

The only thing lacking on the Haket are more motherfuckers. Why don't they make a pick motherfucker, a shovel motherfucker, an ice pick motherfucker and a hoe motherfucker? Maybe I will never know. But I do know one thing - I am going to write to TOPS and request that they offer additional motherfuckers, cuz I will buy every one. Because I CAN'T HAVE TOO MANY MOTHERFUCKERS IN MY LIFE. I ALREADY HAVE SO MANY, WHAT ARE 5 MORE? FUCK.

P.S. Where do I keep The Death Dart? I hang it from the bedpost. Why? Because it makes me so fucking happy to see it there.

You know, we're almost out of time now, because I got carried away up above and wrote too much. Below I have 2 fun little mods. First off on the left, I fitted a piece of inner tube around a padlock to A) weatherproof it, B) prevent it from clanging, and C) remove it's silvery sheen. I also taped the top of the lock with electrical tape, for the same reasons. Does it look perfect? No. Is it functional? Yes. So if you don't like it, fuck you. I think it rocks. Lastly, on the right we have an orange Bick lighter that I wrapped with electrical tape to make it all Navy Seals-stealthy. Works like a charm.

OK, so we're almost done for today. Just wanted to say that my Lock Box project? The box was rattling around when I drove, so I jammed some inner tube under it, and it sits very tightly now. Also, the above padlock doesn't rattle. Bottom line: THE LOCK BOX ROCKS MY COCK. Take it easy and until next time!

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Esee AH1 Arrowhead

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Below we have an Esee Knives AH1 Arrowhead, available at Esee Knives for about $US18 & elsewhere online for about US$14. This is a highly rated edged tool that functions as both a necker and an arrow/spear tip.

Better yet, for about US$21.50 + shipping you can go on EBAY and buy a handmade Kydex sheath and handle kit per the photo below, turning this bad boy into a complete utility tool at a very reasonable overall rate:

I'm nicknaming this bad boy The Stocking Stuffer.

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