I came across this company called CFK USA a few months back while searching online for random gear. I believe I found their knives listed on ebay and as I looked at them more and looked at their website I found a few interesting things.
1. They operate under two names. CFK Cutlery Co & iPak Survival. 2. They offer all knives as one of a kind which is true however, there are more than a few which will be VERY close in style (same blade design, materials, but just slightly different enough to be considered one of a kind). 3. They don't sell knives on their website, only eBay from what I could fine. 4. Most of their knives listed (at the time I was looking) were all listed with a very low starting bid with no reserve. Personally I think this is cool! Why? Because it makes the knives sell for true market value right then. You don't have to pay an insane price because that's what they are asking. You pay what you're willing to pay over the next guy who wants it too. I'll admit, I found a few I liked from this company and bid on a few prior to winning this one. Note: this company does some work on some models in the USA however these knives are imported. The "Damascus steel" is not the best quality (and most likely Pakistani / pakimascus) steel. It's not amazing steel, but looks great and holds a decent edge. Just know if you are going to buy one of these, it's not a top tier damascus steel like Damasteel. The model I purchased! Name/Model: CFK USA EDC TRACKER Hunting Skinner Purchase price: $80 Premium Green & White Canvas Micarta Handle Scales Full Tang 512 Layer Custom Damascus Blade Triple Oil Tempered to 58-60HRC Razor Sharp Blade Edge 9 5/8" Overall 2 3/4" Skinning Cutting Edge 2" Straight Cut Blade 5 1/8" Overall Blade 2" Wide Blade 3" Reverse False Edge 4 3/8" Long Finger Groove Grip Handle Brass Tube Pins / Brass Tube Lanyard Hole Vine File Work on Spine of Handle 3/16" Thick at the Spine Knife Weight: 9.7 Ounces Handmade Premium Buffalo Leather Horizontal Scout Sheath Lifetime Replacement Guarantee The knife came with no fancy box or packaging, but with their business card and a certificate of authenticity with the knives information. So far I've been very happy with the knife. The handle feels great in hand, very ergonomic design. Has great character on the spine with a notched design which offers some gimping. I've been using it for random chopping, cutting, feather sticks and normal use. The edge is holding well even with the wood work. I wish I had purchased one of their slightly heavier models for a little more effective chopping abilities but this works great for the size and weight it is. Having the two edges takes some getting used to but is very functional and useful. The sheath material is very nice, great stitching and feel. However, I wish the design was different. The sheath is setup to be carried horizontally and I prefer to carry my knife on my support (left) side so I can get to it with my right or left hand which I can't do with this sheath. The small pouch isn't large enough to carry any normal sized stone. The snap retention holds the knife in (barely), I will need to modify this because the knife can slip out more than I am comfortable with. However, for the price it's hard to complain too much about. Overall I have no regrets with getting this knife. It was absolutely worth the $80. It will continue to be a regular bush knife for me. The company has some very cool stuff and worth checking out if you're in the market for a new blade in that $40-100 range.
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OliCamp XTS Pot & OliCamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove OliCamp XTS Pot: Weight: 7.7oz MSRP: $29.95 OliCamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove: Weight: 1.6oz MSRP: $49.95 Boil Time with XTS Pot: 2 minutes (16oz) 3.5 minutes (32oz). Fuel Consumption: 8g per 3.5 minutes (using highest setting) Note: With an 8oz fuel bottle you can use this stove almost 30 times to boil 32oz of water (which is usually twice the typical amount of water used for prepping freeze dried food). So this stove is actually very fuel efficient.
Product: UST (Ultimate Survival Technologies) - ParaHatchet FS MSRP: $19.99 (Can be found for less) Weight: 12oz with fire rod Sheath: Nylon Sheath with belt loop and slot for fire rod. Size: Length 9.7" x Width 3.4" A few extra photos of the ParaHatchet FS.
DYI: Homemade Beef Jerky I've always loved beef jerky but it gets expensive fast. Even if you buy the cheap stuff (which lets face it, it's not the best tasting stuff in the world either) it's still not that cheap. So I finally started making my own beef jerky at home. I originally read a bunch of different recipes and everyone had a different version, so I just took a little information from a bunch of sources, added some of my favorite spices and kinda made my own recipe which I'll post here. Keep in mind, this is the version I came up with, don't be afraid to try other stuff and see what you like. Also you can always make a bigger batch by doing a little math to make the correct amount of marinade for the meat.
Chop meat into 1/8" thick strips at lengths less than 8" long and toss into a pile or the bowl you will use for soaking it in. Add the marinade to the bowl and cover with clear wrap. Soak the meat 8 hours or overnight in the fridge. Next Day: Remove the strips from the bowl and stab a toothpick through an end of each strip. Line the bottom of your stove with aluminum foil. I usually place one rack on the lowest level and line that rack with the foil. Raise the other rack to the highest or second highest level. At this point you can turn your stove on to 150-170F. Start hanging the strips of meat from the top rack. To make things easier, slide the rack out a little and start from the rear left and work your way to the right and forward. Should be able to fit quite a bit in a full size oven. I've been able to cook about 4lbs of meat at once and had a little extra room left over. At this point close the over, set the timer for about 4 hours. This can vary depending on how thin you actually cut the meat, the exact type of meat you decided to use, etc. So check it after 3 hours or so and see how it is doing. You want it to by dry where there is little to no moisture, but don't want it crispy or burnt. Once the meat is dried / cooked to your preference, turn off the oven and let it cool for a couple minutes. A little trick I've found to save time is just shake the oven rack which will cause all of the jerky to drop onto the foil below, then pickup the foil and move it to the counter. Remove all of the toothpicks, let cool completely and enjoy! I also add a little extra coarse pepper on top at this point because I love pepper. I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy some homemade beef jerky. I've found that it cost me about 1/3 the cost to make my own and it is actually much more flavorful than store bought jerky as well as more satisfying. An often overlooked item is the PSK (Personal Survival Kit). I believe every hiker, backpacking, bushcrafter and outdoorsman should have and carry one. This kit should contain the 5Cs or 10Cs of survival and if possible other items. This should be small enough to carry in a pocket or on the belt. This kit is designed to be carried on your body at all times when outdoors. This can end up saving you. If you end up having to ditch your pack for any reason, get lost from your base camp or one of any other hundred scenarios. There are several variations of the 10Cs list, one of the most popular is Dave Canterbury's list which is great but as with any list is not the "be-all and end-all" list. Every kit should be customized to your needs. This is my list of the 10Cs Not listed in any specific order: 1: Cutting Tool (Knife) 2: Combustion (Fire stuff) 3: Cover (Tarp/Shelter) 4: Cordage (Rope/Line) 5: Candle (Light) 6: Compass 7: Cargo Tape 8: Cotton (Bandanna) 9: Communication (Signalling) 10: Container This Condor Pocket Pouch is just barely large enough to carry what I want in my kit. This can be mounted to a belt (or molle webbing), loop for attaching with carabiner or be carried in a cargo pocket which is my preferred method. I keep my bandanna in the front pocket, otherwise everything else fits inside the pouch. In my PSK I cover my 10Cs excluding a compass.
Here is a list of my contents: Cotton Bandanna AMK Emergency Blanket sealed in bag Heavy Duty Foil Bic Lighter (wrapped in tape) 3X Alcohol Prep Pads 3X Wetfire Fire Starters Key chain LED Light Fishing Line Fishing Kit Liquid Bandaid SOG Micron Knife LMF Firesteel AMK Whistle NDUR Wire Saw Water Tablets (Aquatabs & Aquamira) Chapstick UCO Stormproof Matches & Tube Starflash Signal Mirror 2X Small Cordage 1X 550 Firecord MRE Hot Beverage Bag DPX Gear Survival Tool (use for making another knife) As you can tell, my kit has some redundancy... What can I say, I really want to be able to make fire when I want! This kit should compliment but not replace your EDC (Every Day Carry) items. Feel free to let me know what you think about my kit or what you carry in your kit. Thanks for reading! So I purchased the Outdoor model about 3 months ago. Specifications: Battery: 3.7V LiPo Internal Battery (non-replaceable) Power: 2 Small Solar Panels Weight: 3.75oz Size: 5" round x 3/4" tall (compressed) Size: 5" round x 4.5" tall (inflated) Lumens: 65 peak Waterproof: Yes (even floats) Advertised Battery Life: 12 hours on bright (lowest setting). 7 hours on super bright (highest setting). Price (MSRP): $14.95 Outdoor Model $24.95 Aura Model. (They do make a couple other models which I haven't used yet). When I first saw this inflatable (yes you blow it up like a beach ball), I was quite curious. I've used several other camp lanterns, but nothing like this. The lantern body is made of a thick PVC rubber material which gives it a good quality feel and doesn't make you think it could pop at any second. The Outdoor model is a clear PVC the Aura is a "frosted" coated PVC. It packs up very flat and weighs in at 3.75oz (slightly less than the 4oz as advertised by MPowerd). It can be blown up with one breath so time and effort is very minimal. It charges to 100% from a dead battery in 8 hours in good sunlight, which is pretty awesome considering the size. I tested the battery life on the brightest setting and it got a little over 7 hours so I figured it was unnecessary to test the lower setting battery life. The lighting area the lanterns offer is pretty decent. They advertise a "10ft² (1m²) lighting area" which is conservative as I could easily get more especially if you are able to hang it up from a tree or stand. The Luci Outdoor Lantern has 3 settings: Bright, Super Bright & Beacon. The Lantern also has two handles, one on each end which makes it easy to hang from your pack to charge or string up for better lighting. The lights worked perfectly fine after spending a night in the rain. I let them sit out the rest of the day and fully charge. Zero issues afterwards.
In my opinion these are honestly great little lights! Great for car camping, backpacking, emergency use, fishing, hunting, anywhere you need extra light! I even bought the Luci Aura model for my kids (the Aura model had 7 different colored lights) and they love it! One thing I would like to mention is that the company MPowerd has a program which gets discounted lanterns to those in poverty struck nations, especially those with no power grid. This gives those families more usable work hours in a day and gives them a safer feeling at night. Link to light: https://www.mpowerd.com/products |
Tactical-BushcrafterI'm an avid outdoorsman who enjoys a good mix of primitive bushcrafting skills and modern tactical gear and survival equipment. Archives
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