Becker BK2 and Ramos Custom Leather Sheath

What I have appreciated about the Becker line of BK knives is the opportunity to customize and modify the knife from the way they were received from the factory.  I own and regularly carry the Becker BK14 as a neck knife, and read some amazing testimonies on the durability and reliability of the Becker BK2.  So, I picked up a BK2 about 6 months ago; now, I‘ve not put this particular knife through any brutal torture tests, but, after handling the knife and performing your typical bushcraft/camping related tasks, I see why there is such high regard for the BK2.

For me, there is a real appeal for making a knife my very own, even if it’s just adding different scales or replacing the sheath.  Just like the Becker BK14, I completely stripped the factory coating off of my BK2.  I’ve contemplated adding custom Micarta or wood scales, but I’ve grown accustomed to the standard Grivory scales.  Perhaps someday I will change them out, but, for now, I find them to be plenty comfortable and I like the black color against the naked steel.  

The BK2 is an excellent knife; however, the stock sheath, for me, was a big disappointment.  I won’t go into a lot of details about my dislikes, but the overall serviceability of the stock sheath was definitely lacking.  So, what I really wanted to complement the knife was a quality leather sheath.  Fortunately, I recently came across Freddy Ramos of Ramos Custom Sheaths.  More information can be found here:  Ramos Custom Sheaths. While I have never met Freddy, his dedication to the art of leather sheath making is evident in the products he makes. All of the sheaths he makes are custom made; hand cut and hand sewn.  Freddy’s attention to detail and workmanship are first class; the quality of the leather he uses is exceptional, and I was very pleased with his customer service.  I had the opportunity to email Freddy a couple of times about my sheath order and he was always prompt and courteous in responding to my questions.  I tend to stress in my blogs that every product I purchase have a high cost to value ratio. I have found that this combination between the Becker BK2 and a custom leather sheath from Ramos Custom Sheaths meets the requirement.  ~Keep it Sharp. 

Drago Tracker Backpack Mini Review

I just purchased the Drago Tracker Backpack after retiring a North Face Yavapai that served me well for more than 12 years.  I was initially going to stick with the new version of the Yavapai, but the Drago Tracker seemed to be more versatile, especially as an extended Day Pack.  With the Molle webbing, I like having the ability to expand the pack beyond the 4 main compartments.  In the photo you can see that I have added two H2O pouches and a 6.6 pouch  (with blue carabiners) which I was able to get on sale from 5.11 Tactical.  This pack is hydration pack compatible, so is able to carry plenty of water now.  The OD Green Drago pack and the OD Green 5.11 pouches are a perfect match and the material are very similar.

The pack is made of 600 Denier polyester and appears to be well made.  I believe it will take a beating very well; and, that's important since I'd like this pack to last as long as the North Face.  On this particular outing, the pack was loaded with only 15lbs. of gear and was very comfortable to carry.  In fact, I was surprised how noticeably more comfortable it was compared to the North Face.  Due to the way this pack is made, there are ways to distribute the weight of gear and equipment evenly.  I believe that this bag has enough capacity with the way I have it currently configured, for it to easily be an overnight or 2 night pack.  Definitely with the number of attachment points, and even internal pouches, this is a versatile pack.  What I really like about the Drago Tracker Pack is that I can now stow all of my items systematically, so that each item can be stored in its own location.  I couldn't necessarily do that with the North Face.

Since it hasn't been thoroughly field tested at this point, I haven't decided for sure  if it's a favorite pack; but, it certainly has a lot of potential.  ~Keep it Sharp.

Condor Bushlore Knife Review

The Condor Bushlore Knife is one that I have carried in my pack for about two years now.  In fact, I ended up buying a second Bushlore from Ben at Baryonyxknife.com a few days ago...  more on this a little later.  The Bushlore is a knife that has been reviewed countless number of times, so I don't expect to add much to what has already been written.  However, I write this review to not only express my satisfaction and why I recommend this knife, but to also to describe how to avoid some of the pitfalls that accompany this blade. Whenever, I go out into the woods (even on a short day hike) I always carry my Enzo Trapper with Micarta scales on my belt, but the Condor Bushlore always accompanies me inside my pack.  This knife has proven, for me, to be a very versatile blade capable of a variety of tasks from batoning wood, prepping firewood (ie. making feather sticks), and for preparing foods.  The blade has the ability to get a super sharp edge and I have found with proper care and utilization the edge retention on this knife is excellent.  The more I use this knife the more I like it.  Here are it's basic specifications having been made in El Salvador:

Full Tang Construction
1075 High Carbon Steel Blade
4 5/16" Blade Length
1/8" Blade Thickness
Hardwood Handle-Walnut
9 5/16" Overall Length
Quality Leather Sheath

The thing that has caused me to be impressed with this knife is the cost to value ratio.  I would rate this knife to be an excellent value for what you receive in the box.  If you've done any amount of research on this knife you will have read that most folks consider the sheath to be of such high quality that it alone is worth the purchase of the knife.  I wouldn't call the Bushlore a beater knife, yet it has been designed to be a workhorse and to accept abuse (within reason). It's a knife that you don't have to be concerned about when your out in the woods.  While I'm definitely one to keep track of my gear in the woods, if my Condor Bushlore was somehow lost, I wouldn't be as concerned compared to losing a more expensive knife. I've had my Bushlore out in a pouring rain with little opportunity to keep it dry to avoid potentially rusting the blade, yet, this wasn't a concern for me since I paid about $30 for it at the time.  Even so, I found that the blade withstood the moisture pretty well and it has always cleaned up nicely.  From the pictures above you can tell that that there doesn't appear to be consistency in the color of the handle material.  The more rosewood colored handle was the first knife that I acquired.  Both handles were stripped, sanded and re-finished with multiple light coats of boiled linseed oil.  I read somewhere that when boiled linseed oil was used to finish gun stocks, that light coats of oil was put on the wood in the following manner:  1 coat everyday for a week; 1 coat every week for a month; 1 coat every month for a year; and, 1 coat every year for life.  The key to putting on boiled linseed oil is super thin coats and letting it dry between applications so that the coatings don't become gummy.  I've used boiled linseed oil on all of my wood handles and the results turn out very nice.  This is a knife that looks good; I hate to say it, but all of my knives have to have a high aesthetic value; it must perform well and look good.  The Bushlore definitely falls into this category.

Now, some of the things to be aware of...  When I purchased the Bushlore back in June 2011, the folks at Condor had made a change to the Bushlore design.  The knife previous to the current design was much thicker and the useable edge on the knife was shorter.  It seemed that there may have been some quality issues with making the transition on the knife.  While the heat treatment on the blade was acceptable, the knife edge was not ground properly so that the blade was not sharp along the edge closer to the handle. I spent a lot of time and energy getting the full edge to be acceptable.  This knife is now super crazy sharp, is easy to maintain and a joy to use.  While we are on the subject of the edge, the Bushlore does not have a true Scandi grind; rather, it has a secondary micro-edge.  It's important to recognize this in order to get the edge to it's sharpest potential.  The handle also came very rough, but that was easily solved by stripping and sanding.  The other thing that I find on the first knife compared to my newest Bushlore is that the tang extends a wee bit past the handle material.  While this doesn't impact the comfort or practical use of the knife, some folks may find this unacceptable.  I suppose when I first purchased the knife I didn't have very high expectations of the quality. The good news is that on the second knife I purchased (dark brown handle) was from Ben at BaryonyxKnife.com.  The advantage of doing this is that Ben inspects every knife that he sells to insure that you are receiving a knife that meets his expectation ultimately for your satisfaction.  You can also request what he calls a "Special Grade" Bushlore where the blade has been thinned and the factory edge is refined.  When I received my Bushlore, I was very impressed with the quality; it simply looked better and came much sharper than my first purchase; and it was sharp along the entire edge. After a few strokes on a leather strop this knife was super crazy sharp.

Sharp enough to make paper curl.  These
 cuts were made against the grain using
the old Bushlore.

The overall fit and finish of this knife was superb compared to the first Bushlore.  So there is a real advantage to purchasing a knife from someone who provides this type of service.  For only a little more than what you would purchase the knife from Amazon or another dealer, you get the peace of mind knowing that you're going to get a knife that has been looked at and will be ready for service.  By the way, I have no financial interest in the Baryonyx Knife Co.; my only interest is getting quality gear at a reasonable price and knowing where they can be found. So my bottom line is that the Condor Bushlore may be considered a budget bushcraft knife and may only be a Woodlore clone, however, it is not a budget blade.  There is genuine value and performance in this piece of equipment that will not disappoint even the most hardcore bushcraft or knife enthusiast. ~Keep it Sharp.

Condor Nessmuk Knife Review and George Washington Sears

George Washington Sears who is also known by his pen name Nessmuk wrote a book in 1884, simply  titled Woodcraft.   This book is available for free in either .pdf or e-book format from a variety of sources including the Gutenberg Project.  The book itself is a short read which provides an interesting picture and perspective of this man’s view of life in the outdoors during the late 1800’s.  In many ways, the book reminds me of an 1884 version of YouTube in book form.  Nessmuk writes to chronicle some of his musings of wilderness outings and pokes fun of those who are less experienced than he.  At the same time, however, he provides information and reviews on important matters of woodcraft including details on the gear and equipment he carries, the appropriate types of shelter, how to build a campfire and how meals are to be prepared.  It appears that Nessmuk spent much of his adult life enjoying the outdoors, honing his craft and building upon his knowledge and experience.  Because of this, many consider Nessmuk the father of bushcrafting.  The book is an interesting read, and because it has some valuable information and is somewhat entertaining (and humorous), I would certainly recommend it. 

In tribute to the man Nessmuk and his book, I purchased the Condor Nessmuk.  The Nessmuk knife is a copy of the skinning knife which George W. Sears carried.  It has an odd shape that is specifically designed for skinning animals, however, I have found that the design is equally capable of being used for light bushcrafting and camping tasks.  I purchased this particular knife through Amazon for a very reasonable price.  The Condor brand of knives has a reasonably good reputation although I have read and experienced that their quality control is suspect, at times.  Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the knife as I received it.  The handle material which appears to be walnut was uneven and the finish was rough.  The blade was not very sharp, however, I was glad that the edge of the blade came close to the handle.  Despite

its initial shortcomings, this knife had tremendous potential.  After a couple hours of work to get the handle smooth and honing the blade razor sharp on my Japanese waterstones, my new Nessmuk knife has become a very serviceable tool.  The 1075 carbon steel blade is easy to sharpen and holds an edge reasonably well.  I also applied several coats of boiled linseed oil on the walnut handle.  Overall, I am very pleased with the results, and quite frankly enjoyed the time I spent getting the knife to its potential.  There is no doubt this knife makes a terrific skinner; but, it is also a great camp knife for food preparation and for light processing of wood for fires.  I have no hesitation in recommending this blade and I plan to carry this knife with me in my pack.  For those who may be interested in purchasing this knife, I would recommend you looking at BaryonyxKnife.com; for a little more than what I paid, you will receive a knife that has been inspected and have an opportunity to choose their special grade option.   By the way, the sheath that is supplied is excellent and compliments the knife very well.  The Condor Nessmuk, a very serviceable knife in tribute to a man and his words.  ~Keep it Sharp.

McAfee's Knob and DIY Tarp Project

I had been planning an overnight camp trip for a couple of weeks and was finally able to make it happen this weekend.  My goal was to try out a new homemade plastic tarp, sharpen up some bushcrafting skills and techniques; and most importantly, spend some time with one of my boys. The outing took place near McAfee's Knob which is located near Roanoke, Virginia.  The hike is about 8 miles round-trip but worth the effort once you get to the Knob; revealing one of the finest views in Virginia.

Having seen this DIY tarp on a YouTube video a few months ago, I was convinced that this was a project that had the potential of being very cost effective and easy to pack.  Completing the project was really quite simple and can be completed in less than two hours.  The material list in putting this project together is inexpensive and includes the following items:

1. Husky 9 X 12 Plastic Drop Cloth (2mil) from Home Depot ($2.98)
2. Duct Tape-40yards from Home Depot ($4.89)

So, there you have it...  for under $8, I was able to make  a reasonably lightweight and reliable homemade tarp that provides for more than adequate shelter.  The whole project took about 1.5 hours to complete. The most time consuming
portion was in reinforcing the plactic with the duct tape; this included both sides of the edge, the center line and the diagonals.  By adding the diagonal reinforcement, it seemed logical that this would reduce the stress of the plastic when putting on a load when staking and tying down.  In addition I decided to use duct-tape straps instead of grommets on the tie ends.   The hexagonal shape provides excellent coverage and the whole tarp weighs about 22 ounces.  The entire tarp rolls up to approximately 5.25" X 7". With the cost of sil-nylon tarps and the like, this really is a remarkable and cost effective alternative that won't let you down.  While the durability is yet to be determined, I can't think of a reason why this tarp wouldn't find a place in my pack on every overnight outing going forward. By the way, this was the first overnight with a hammock  Besides not having to sleep on the ground, there are definitely some pluses in selecting this type of sleep system.  I need to spend additional nights trying to optimize this method, so it may be awhile before I post my thoughts.  On the other hand, the DIY tarp and hammock combo complimented each other very well.  ~Keep it Sharp.

Enzo Trapper Knife Review

Back in March of this year I purchased an Enzo Trapper Knife kit from Curtis at Omaha Knife.  This was a straight forward knife kit that turned out exceptionally well.  The knife purchased was in O1 steel with Curly Birch handles.  While I never got around to posting pictures of the completed project, the Blue Ridge Survival Blog header has had a picture of this very knife.   I’ve been so impressed by this knife, I ordered and received my second Enzo Trapper earlier this week. 

Specifications:

Blade:  Full tang O1 tool steel with Scandinavian Grind– The Trapper is also available at Omaha Knife in D2 (both Scandi and Flat Grind), and 12c27 Stainless.  I have no doubt that D2 and 12c27 are excellent steels, especially since the Enzo brand represents high quality.  I purchased the O1 because I find it works well for me; I like the carbon steel and in terms of quality, ease of sharpening and edge retention the O1 steel has performed flawlessly.  From the factory this blade arrives hair popping sharp.  This type of grind lends itself especially well to bushcrafting tasks and is one of the simplest edges to sharpen.

The Trapper in Curly Birch was the first
acquisition.

Overall Length:  8 1/4” from tip to heel.  Blade length is 3 3/4".  Blade thickness is 1/8”.

Handle Material/Scales:  Burgundy Linen Micarta

Sheath:  The leather sheath is excellent and of very high quality.  The leather used to form the sheath is thick and comes with a dangler.  

Putting it all together...

As I said, this is a straight forward kit.  The kit was packed very well from Omaha Knife with the contents having the blade, handle material, corby brass bolts and a leather sheath.  The customer service from Omaha Knife is excellent.  I ordered the knife on Sunday and received it Wednesday.  I consider that very fast since the order could not get processed until Monday morning at the earliest. 

The scales that I 
ordered came pre-formed and pre-drilled, so the handle material is simply epoxied to the handle end of the blade, bolted and clamped.  The epoxy that I used is T-88 Structural Epoxy and it has a cure time of about 24 hours.    The next day after the epoxy cured, a Dremel tool was used to remove as much of the excess length from the brass bolts as possible.  I then used a small file to finish the brass pins flush with the handle.  The Dremel was also used to remove the excess handle material so that it's flush with the tang; I then followed up with 400 grit sandpaper on the handle material to smooth everything and round sharp corners.  Boiled Linseed Oil was then put on the handle and allowed to dry overnight.  Even with the Micarta handles, the Boiled Linseed Oil worked well.  Since this knife has the Micarta handle, I intend for this to be my primary workhorse.  I know all of this seems over simplified, but it really is a very straight forward knife kit.  I’ve been very pleased by the overall results and it’s satisfying to have built such a high quality knife.  This is a great weekend project that won’t take all weekend, so I highly recommend it.   ~Keep it Sharp.