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

Staying Hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential just sitting at home on the couch, but that need is magnified when you are outside doing something physically taxing or rigorous. There are several ways to purify, store, and consume water when outside.

As far as purification of water goes, there are three basic methods that I am willing to use in the outdoors. The first is the most reliable, and least complicated at least the way I see it, is boiling water to get rid of unwanted bacteria and other pathogens. Most sources recommend boiling water for at least 1 minute to sterilize it. But remember, any time heated or boiling is better than nothing as far as getting rid of bacteria and other nasty stuff is concerned. I have used my Jetboil Zip to boil water on hiking and camping trips in the past.

Another method of purifying water so that is safe to drink is by using chemicals. Usually the recommended chemicals are iodine or chlorine. Iodine tablets are available for purification purposes at most outdoor retailers. As far as chlorine goes, simple household bleach can be used. Simply mix 1/4 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water, and let it sit for 60 minutes before drinking. 

The last, and quickest way to make water safe for drinking is by using a handmade, or store-bought filter. There are several filters available for sale at most outdoor retailers like Academy, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and even most Walmart stores. I have a simple Lifestraw Personal Water Filter that I keep in my bag for this specific purpose. I can fill up a water bottle, and drink through the Lifestraw to get clean safe water.

 If you find yourself in an emergency where none of these options are available, you can always crush some charcoal from your fire, put it inside a t-shirt, bandana, or any other type of cloth, and filter water through that. The charcoal will filter out most of the impurities and bacteria.

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Purifying Water

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.

Sharpening Knives

If you are going to be doing anything outside, where you think you may need your knife, you owe it to yourself to have a sharp knife.

Having a sharp knife is actually safer than having a dull knife. It takes a lot less force to cut something with a sharp knife so you are less likely to put too much pressure on that rope, fabric or piece of wood and force the knife all the way through what you are trying to cut and into you or something you didn't want to cut.


If your knife is sharp, you can also get more done, quicker. It doesn't take as much force so you can do more. One of the biggest reasons most people don't have sharp knives is because they don't know how to sharpen their knives. Today, with the multitude of electric sharpeners and guided sharpeners, there's no reason not to have all of your knives razor sharp.

Electric Sharpeners-
Work Sharp Sharpener
Chef's Choice Sharpener
Guided Sharpeners-
Gatco Sharpener
Manual Sharpening Systems-
Spyderco Sharpmaker
Smith's Bench Stone

I personally have developed a pretty cheap, but quite effective system for sharpening my knives. I first use a $19.99 Smith's 3-in-1 sharpener to get the knife pretty sharp, then I use my homemade leather strop* to finish the edge off, ending up with a knife that is sharp enough to shave with.

My homemade leather strop is simply portion of an old, wide leather belt rubbed with car polishing compound and secured to a small section of wood. It may be a bootleg version of a real strop, but it works and it was cheap.

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.