ESEE Knives

Whether you are camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, or just meandering outside, it is always a good idea to have a knife on you. It is even better to have a sharp pocket knife and a fixed blade knife.

A pocket knife can be used to do a lot of the smaller more intricate cutting tasks that might be required and is small enough that it won't get in its own way when doing so.

ESEE makes knives in several sizes and configurations.

I believe in carrying a fixed blade knife on or in my pack most of the time when doing something outside because a fixed blade knife is going to be a lot stronger and more durable that its little brother, the pocket knife. With a fixed blade knife, you cut wood, start a fire (if you have a fire starting rod or flint), and even defend yourself. In my humble opinion, one of the best fixed blade knife brands on the market is ESEE.

ESEE specializes in fixed blade knives that are tough enough for any task you throw at them. I own an ESEE 4 knife that I have put through hell in the time I have owned it and because of the quality that it was made with, you can hardly tell.

When you buy an ESEE knife, you are getting more that a hunk of sharp metal. You are getting a finely designed and roughly tested knife that will handle anything that you can.

Most ESEE knives come with a kydex plastic sheath that has adjustable retention screws in order to hold the knife with just the right amount of force that you need. You can also attach the sheath to nearly anything by using molle-loks, tek-loks or any number of accessories

ESEE knives receiving their patented powder coat finish.

Made out of 1095 carbon steel that is easy to sharpen and hold an edge for a long time, ESEE definitely knew what they were doing when they designed these knives. They are also covered in a tough, bed-liner like powder coating that helps protect from rust and scratches. The knives themselves come razor sharp out of the box.

But by far, my favorite thing about ESEE knives is the warranty. These guys really stand behind their product and aren't afraid to back up their talk of making some of the toughest knives around. ESEE's warranty is a no questions asked replacement guarantee. I have heard several stories of people abusing their knives just for the sake of it, and after they were damaged or broke, ESEE replacing them for free. While I don't condone damaging your knife on purpose, it is good to know if something happens to it, the company that made it has your back. In fact, I have heard from 2 or 3 people a story of someone accidentally (or on purpose) cutting their ESEE knife in half with a blow torch and ESSEE replacing it within a few days.

ESEE knives are available in several different lengths, colors, and blade options so if you are looking for a new fixed blade knife, don't hesitate to pick up an ESEE.

ESEE Knives

A Tent for the Whole Family

If you aren't worried about carrying a tent 3 or 4 miles off the beaten path, you should look into a big tent. This gives you a lot of room to set up various stuff, and more people can sleep in the tent compared to backpack tents, which barely allow room for one person.

One of the best tents in this category is the Coleman series of instant tents. These tents have the poles built into the tent so there is no fumbling around with inserting poles, trying to make sure they don't come apart, and accidentally snapping.

I have used the Coleman Instant 8 Person Tent on several occasions, and have never had a problem, I can set it up by myself in less than 5 minutes, and take it down by myself too. The tent is very spacious, even with 4 or 5 people in it. You probably wouldn't want to put 8 people in it unless you don't mind being a little cramped. There is also a divider that divides the tent into 2 rooms. The windows are large and can be unzipped to allow air to circulate in hotter months. All in all, if you are looking for a bigger tent, don't care about weight, and want easy set up and take down, look at the Coleman Instant Series of tents.

This is what Coleman says about the tent -

Coleman Instant 8- Person Two Room Tent

The Coleman Instant 8 person 14- by 10- Foot tent is perfect for the family that is looking to get their campsite set up quickly to start enjoying the outdoors. This is an 8 person, two room tent that has straight walls that make standing up in this tent easy with plenty of head room at 6'5" center height. Fully taped seems with 150D fabric allows Coleman to provide the keeps you dry guaranteed without the need to install a rain fly.

Features
• Spacious 8-person, 2-room tent designed for quick assembly
• Poles come pre-attached to tent, ensuring setup in 1 minute or less
• Exclusive WeatherTec system with thick waterproof walls and welded floor
• 2 doors and 7 windows for full ventilation; removable divider between rooms
• Base measures 14 by 10 feet; center height of 6 feet 5 inches; 1-year warranty

Link - 

Coleman Instant Tents

Knife Sharpening

I already posted the reasons you should have a sharp knife, and a couple different methods to get your knife sharp, but here is a video of how I sharpen MY knives. I know there are better methods, and I know I don't have completely perfect technique, but so far, this method has worked good enough for me. I use a Smith's 3-in-1 Sharpener, with ceramic rods to get the knife pretty sharp, then I finish it off with 10-12 passes on my homemade leather strop that I made from a fence picket and an old belt rubbed with some car polishing compound. Check the video out, and let me know what you use to keep you knives sharp.

First Aid Kit

It's always a good idea to carry a first aid kit with you when you are outdoors. They can be useful and be used to help treat anything from a twisted ankle, scrape, cut, or even bug bites and stings. You can find several capable first aid kits everywhere from Walmart to Cabela's but you should always go through the kit and add or subtract things that you think you might need for your particular situation.

This is my First Aid Kit that I keep in my camping/outdoors bag. It started out as an Adventure Medical Kits - Steelhead model, but I have added a few things that I thought might be useful. These include Benadryl, Chapstick, an emergency blanket, a water filter, water sanitation tablets, a lighter and several other small items.

If you start out with a commercial kit, and then customize it to suit your needs, you should be ready for nearly anything you might encounter.

Stay safe.