Tornado Preparation

Posted on May 21, 2013 by naturen3rd

Hello Nature N3rd-ites

There are some big storms ripping through the mid-west right now.

Oklahoma got hit hard and may get hit again tonight.

I live in Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW) and we may also get hit.

As the good Boy Scout I was, I remember to always be prepared.

Let’s quickly go through the list of preparation:

  • READ THIS NOW - This is the official .gov tornado info site
  • Keep ID on you and your pets – You may get separated
  • Get a Storm Kit Ready

I want to go more into the kit. For most kits, you want to do about 72 hours worth of food and water.

After a big storm, the likelihood of you being trapped for 72 hours without rescue is slim, but there is still a chance.

So, let me show you what I’m preparing for me and the Mrs.

Pack #1 – Supplies

Storm_Kit

Going from left to right, top to bottom:

Pack #2 – Food and Misc.

Storm_Kit_2

Across top:

On left of pack, top to bottom:

In middle

On right of pack, top to bottom:

Now your pack may vary, but the main idea is to have a way to signal for help, do first aid, get information, and eat/drink.

Be sure to scope out the best place for cover in your home

In our house, the best place to hide in a tornado is in the bathroom under the stairs. It’s small, but we can fit me, the Mrs., 2 small dogs, 2 cats and the packs.

I’ve also put a large animal crate next to the bathroom just in case.

I’ll also be watching these sites all day:

D/FW Doppler Radar

Live D/FW News

Be smart and be safe.

Categories: bug out bag, Survival Tips | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Things Not in the Instructions

Posted on May 9, 2013 by naturen3rd

Because some hippies decided that “dismemberment due to improper use of a chainsaw” was a bad thing…we now have instructions with all outdoor products.

and that's why you always leave a note

and that’s why you always leave a note

But this has made us reliant on the instructions to tell us everything we need to know about our gear. The problem is, if you’re reading the instructions you are probably using it for the first time, you don’t know what you’re doing, and the gear is potentially dangerous.

Here are the top 5 things not in the instructions

5. Point the Blade AWAY from you

Funny enough, knives don’t come with instructions.

Stick them with the pointy end

Stick them with the pointy end

So, some tips on knives:

  1. Never cut towards yourself. NEVER.
  2. Never put a wet knife in the sheath.
  3. Keep it sharp.

4. Canned Drinks will Melt Your Ice

Again, no instructions on how to use an ice chest.  If they did, I’m sure it would read something like: put in ice, put in food. Order is not important.

What they don’t tell you is some basic laws of thermodynamics.  Heat goes from warm things to not-so-warm things. If you have warm food/drinks, and you put that into ice, the heat transfers to the ice.

When ice warms up, it converts to water.

Canned drinks are notoriously the worst culprit to pre-mature evaporation.

A single can has quite a bit of mass for its volume. If it’s at room temperature, it’s holding quite a bit of heat energy. Heat that you don’t want in your cooler.

Pro tip: Cool down all your canned drinks before putting them into the cooler.

3. Always Use a Ground Tarp

Tent makers are real keen to tell you how to put your tent up, but are suspiciously quiet on how to keep your tent in tip-top shape.

Always, always, always use a ground tarp under your tent.

That is, unless you like holes in the floor of your tent. Which sounds like fun…until it rains.

2. Don’t Chop Towards Your Foot

Chopping wood seems fairly simple. Take axe, raise over head, swing down, put blade into wood. Or in Jason Voorhees’ case, put into sexually active camp counselor.

Hockey Camp is really under funded this year

Hockey Camp is really under funded this year

The thing they don’t tell you is the proper stance. Now, it makes sense to not have one foot forward, you know, just in case you miss…but it happens.

Always have your feet a little under shoulder width apart and parallel. Then swing so that, if you miss, the axe will hit the ground between your feet.

1. Use the Pole Bag to Measure When Folding Your Tent

One of the biggest frustrations when breaking camp is trying to get that damn tent back into the now impossibly small tent bag.

There is a trick to this. See, when they make all the tent stuff, they want to make things as small as possible to save on materials.

To do this, they have to use the size of the longest thing (hehe) to determine how small they can make everything else.

The longest single thing in your tent is one section of tent pole.

in this picture, lots of innuendo

in this picture, lots of innuendo

So that means all the tent bags are approximately a little bit longer than the length of the tent pole bag.

So the trick is:

  1. Pack away the tent stakes in their bag
  2. Pack away the tent poles in their bag
  3. Flatten the tent
  4. Put the rain fly on top of the flat tent. Fold the fly so that it’s not hanging over the edges of the tent.
  5. Put your tent pole bag by the middle of the side of the tent. Not actually on the tent, just next to it, and centered.
  6. Use the length of the tent pole bag to fold in the sides of your flattened tent and rain fly so that the entire width of your tent is a little less than the length of the tent pole bag.
  7. Once you have the width set, then put the tent pole bag onto the tent and use it to roll the tent around the bag.
  8. Make sure you roll it nice and tight.
  9. Now the tent should fit back into the tent bag.
leaving it on the ground in frustration is also an option

leaving it on the ground in frustration is also an option

Categories: Survival Tips, Zombie Apocalypse | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Becker Machax – In Field Review

Posted on April 24, 2013 by naturen3rd

Hey Paul Hogan

That's a knife

That’s a knife

I never thought to myself that I’d want a khukri that was superior to an actual khukri…but here I am.

I’m a supporter of the Becker line of knives. Hella durable and just a pleasure to work with. Like a co-worker who is kind enough to tell you that you look like Christian Bale about to start a marathon of Huey Lewis songs.

American Psycho isn't a documentary?

American Psycho isn’t a documentary?

Speaking of hacking tools…

The Becker Machax is a tool of mass awesome-ness.

Let’s take a look at it’s impressive resume:

  • 1095 Cro-Van Steel
  • Full (wu) tang 
  • 20 degree angle blade
  • Overall length – 14 11/16″

You had me at “…hax”

The Good

  • If you have ever used a khukri, you know they chop like Hong Kong Phooey on meth. Now imagine if modern knife design was incorporated into that design…yeah…that.
  • Cuts through most wood like butter. I have shaven the bark off of about 2 dozen wrist sized sticks and still chopped through an branch about 4 inches thick.
  • Like any khukri, there is a slot on the sheath for a companion blade. It didn’t come with one, so I got it a friend.

The Bad

  • I really can’t find anything bad about this knife. Is it the best knife ever? Probably not, but I can’t fault it.

Overall

This knife can do damn near anything (except make her come back). It can do fine work, it can chop, it can slice and it can poke.

I’ve taken this beauty out a few times and I can’t speak highly enough. It’s one thing to discuss it, and there’s plenty to praise, but the real advantage is just using it. Just a delight.

Is it Zombie Apocalypse Worthy?

Does the pope crap in the woods? This thing would be my knife of choice in a zombie apocalypse. Granted, not the best zombie weapon, but damn handy for almost everything else.

Categories: Gear, Zombie Apocalypse | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Moisture Wicking Underwear

Posted on April 2, 2013 by naturen3rd

Ooohhh yeah. That’s right, let’s get all cozy, open a Colt 45 and talk about underwear.

I can get your underwear off in under 12 parsecs

I can get your underwear off in under 12 parsecs

Texas can get hot. Even in 70 degree weather, with the sun on you, you will get warm..and you will sweat.

Might even make you move

Might even make you move

Plus you’re out there setting up camp, moving firewood, and just burning through a lot of calories.

Sweat will happen…even in cold weather.

Being moist is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous.

In cold weather, you don’t want that sweat on your body. You get hot, start sweating, your cotton clothes get wet, you try to cool off, you open your jacket..and now your cotton clothes are an evaporation system of hypothermia.

In hot weather you want evaporation to happen. That’s where the moisture wicking comes in handy. The clothing pulls the moisture out, allowing the air to pass through it creating a nice evaporating/cooling effect.

The bonus in both scenarios is that the moisture doesn’t hang around long. It gets pulled out and allowed to air dry. In the cold that keeps you from hypothermia and in the heat it cools you off faster.

I gave the light weight moisture wicking pants from Cabela’s a try this past weekend.

It was just delightful.

Like one of these got opened up in my pants

Like one of these got opened up in my pants

The Good

  • It kept my nether region nice and dry – even when moving firewood and setting/breaking camp
  • Extra layer from the bugs. No bug spray needed and no bug bites on my legs
  • Kept my temperature regulated better at night
  • Very lightweight

The Bad

  • A little on the pricey side

Overall

These will be going on me on every camping trip. I’m going to invest in the heavy weight version for winter camping. Do yourself a favor and get some moisture wicking underwear. It really is a game changer.

Categories: Gear, Survival Tips | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Things To Do When Camping in the Rain

Posted on March 21, 2013 by naturen3rd

There are fewer things more miserable than going out into the great outdoors and it just rains the whole time.

It sucks…like a turbo Dyson.

I just think things should work properly...like this catheter

I just think things should work properly…like this catheter

But just don’t pack up and leave, stick it out, it is manageable.

Top 5 Things to Do When Camping in the Rain

Locate the Runoff

Your campsite is going to have natural pathways that the water is going to want to follow. Make sure you identify these runoffs and don’t put your tent or shelter on that.

It’s probably best to just not put anything on the runoffs.

If it’s been raining and hasn’t started yet, you can see the runoffs because the dirt will look like running water has, well, run over it…and that’s exactly what has happened.

When it starts raining, start identifying the runoffs as soon as enough water has accumulated. Mainly because of the next item.

Dig Trenches

Yeah, I know you shouldn’t dig if you don’t have to (leave it like you found it)…but if you got streams of water running right towards your tent (and you can’t avoid the stream)…dig a trench.

Day's never finished...

Day’s never finished…

Which is why it’s always a good idea to have some kind of entrenching tool with you. If you’re car camping, bring along a shovel. If you’re backpacking, get a good entrenching tool (or e-tool).

Make sure to only dig as deep as you need to divert the water away from you tent, campfire, etc. Usually no more than about 2-3 inches deep and about the same in width. Just dig it long enough to get it away.

When you’re done camping, fill in the trench.

Cover your Firewood

Wet wood is awful. At first sign of rain, make sure to cover your wood faster than an 11 year old boy who accidentally walked into the girl’s locker room.

If the stack of firewood is small enough, you also can move it to under your canopy/tarp/shelter.

Keep Your Fire Hot

If you’re lucky enough to have your fire going before the rain starts, just make sure to keep feeding it during the rain. Most storms will only last a few hours (unless you’re in an area that is an exception, like a rainforest). Once the storm is over, if you let your fire die, it’s going to be a bitch to start back up.

Keep that fire nice and hot. The heat will evaporate the water on contact.

If you are not lucky to have a fire going before the rain, there are ways to get one going in the rain.

  1. Find dry tinder, kindling and stage 1&2 wood. See How To Build a Fire for details
  2. Start the fire off the wet ground. Wet ground will pull the heat right out of your fire. Put it up on some rocks or create a platform made of halved logs and start it there.
  3. Be prepared to babysit the fire. The stronger the storm, the longer you’ll need to spend.
  4. You’ll need to feed the fire lots and lots of tinder. Getting that first coal base will be a damned chore. But it is possible.

Stick with it and you can get it going. One time, my wife got a fire going in a torrential downpour. It took like 2 hours, but she did it.

Put Up Your Shelters

Right after you secure your firewood, start getting your shelters up immediately!

Put your shelters up in this order

  1. Tent(s)
  2. Canopy over your bench/kitchen area

You will want a space to duck into if it gets too stormy.

coming in from the westsiiide!

coming in from the westsiiide!

Then you’ll want to protect your basecamp/bench/kitchen area.

If you have any other tarps or canopies, put those up.

This is also why knowing a good set of camp knots and having rope handy becomes important. If you have a basic tarp but no rope or know how to tie a basic hitch knot, then you’re SOL.

Get familiar with your rope. Unless you’re a clown…then never do that.

I just want to show you my half hitch

I just want to show you my half hitch

Of course, let me know in the comments of any rainy day tips you have.

Categories: Survival Tips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Items Forgotten on Camping Trips

Posted on March 13, 2013 by naturen3rd

There are few things worse than spending days planning all your camp gear only to find that, of course, you forgot something extremely important.

It’s happened to everyone. I’m sure even Bear Grylls even forgets his pee cup every now and then. Then he has to drink it straight from the tap, and I can’t tell you how upset the producers get when they get that TV-MA rating.

Well played Mr. Grylls

Well played Mr. Grylls

As a rule, you should be making a list of gear to take…but if you forget to add the items to the list, then, of course, you won’t pack them.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten stuff and had to use the closest Wal-Mart or General Store.

So, just make sure these are on the top of the list:

Top 5 Items Forgotten on Camping Trips

Toilet Paper

Of course The Pope craps in the woods, and you may have too as well. Unlike His Holiness*, you will need a way to wipe.

*One of the lesser powers of The Pope is a non-stick booty.

Regular/Paper Towels

Remember the wise words of Towlie

Still the worst character ever

Still the worst character ever

You will need a towel. Even if just for cleaning off your food prep/service area or to actually dry off.

Be a frood…always know where your towel is.

Camp Soap

What are you, homeless? Well, kinda. It is camping. But that’s doesn’t mean you shouldn’t clean up.

Make sure you have some camp soap. It’s good for everything in your camp site (including you). Plus is bio-degradable so you won’t poison the environment.

Fire Starters

If you really think that Bic lighter or that book of cardboard matches is going to be enough to get a fire started…well, I wish you the best of luck, Drew Barrymore.

The Prodigy were pussies

The Prodigy were pussies

If you’re not an expert in fire making, be sure to bring a surefire way to start a fire. Even something as simple as a DuraLog (available almost anywhere) or some lint mixed with petroleum jelly will work. Just don’t use the lighter fluid. We got enough rednecks out there with BBQ grills for that.

Smore’s

Your camp’s all set…you’ve cooked our first meal…it’s getting dark…you got a sweet tooth…you open your food stores…and BAM! no chocolate, marshmallows or graham crackers.

There’s a reason every store at every campground carries Smore fixin’s…people always forget.

If you want to see a child lose all hope…if you want to see that vacant look in their eye as they contemplate becoming either a cutter or a stripper…then forget packing some smore fixin’s.

And it better be Hersey's chocolate!

And it better be Hersey’s chocolate!

This is just my list. Let me know what stuff you have forgotten that made your camping trip rough.

Categories: Gear | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cast Iron Skillet – Not Just for Bashing People Over the Head

Posted on March 4, 2013 by naturen3rd

Not to be confused with Cast Iron Skrillex (the anime in which a DJ uses low frequencies and his ability to transform into pure iron to thwart a ninja version of Taylor Swift).

Ok, I made that anime up. But tell me that wouldn’t be an awesome show? Except it would be highly predictable and derivative of the other show “The 9 Houses of House Beats”

But I’m already off on a tangent.

Back on topic.

Cast iron skillets are what people have been using for cooking ever since we had cast iron as a thing. These highly durable skillets are a mainstay of my car camping gear. Highly versatile, extremely strong and flavor enhancing.

A cast iron skillet is exactly what you imagine.

This thing is soo metal!

This thing is soo metal!

But why use them when camping? Well, it’s because of the extreme durability and ability to withstand massive amounts of heat.

But, just like your mom, they require a special kind of love.

The Good

  • The seasoning (the blackened color on the pan) is like a permanent, biodegradable, non-stick surface. A well used cast iron skillet will naturally fry an egg without sticking to the pan. 
  • The more you use it, the better it gets as being non-stick and all that seasoning holds the flavors of all the food you cook in it. Adding more delicious-ness to your food.
  • You can cook almost anything in it. I’ve cooked steaks, eggs, stew, biscuits, etc in my cast iron skillet.
  • Will last forever. As long as you don’t let it rust, this will outlive you and your mis-shapen kids.

The Bad

  • You can’t wash it in soap. That seasoning is basically burnt in grease/oils. Applying soap strips that away.
  • Really freaking heavy!
  • Handle gets really hot. Use a pot holder or an Ove Glove
  • Can’t leave it wet. It is cast iron, it will rust.

#cornedbeef #hash

Overall

I have 2 cast iron skillets, a cast iron lid and a cast iron dutch oven. I can’t speak highly enough for cast iron cookery. Yeah, it’s heavy, but if I’m car camping, it’s totally worth it.

And like I mentioned earlier, you can cook almost anything in it. My favorite thing is good cast iron cooked steak. Yeah, that’s right, pan seared beef. Don’t believe me? Take Alton Brown’s word for it

Zombie Apocalypse Worthy?

If you get an established basecamp in a zombie apocalypse, then I’d take a cast iron skillet over any other pan. Mainly for the durability.

But if you are on the move, these things are way too heavy. Anyways, if you are on the run, best to not have any cookware to slow you down.

Categories: Gear | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Coleman Northstar Max Lantern

Posted on February 21, 2013 by naturen3rd

Things get dark sometimes. I don’t mean like when someone makes a Harlem Shake video using Michael J. Fox kind of dark…I mean as in Ray Charles inside of a black hole kind of dark.

fortunately, Ray Charles in a Black Hole image doesn't exist...good on you internet

fortunately, Ray Charles in a Black Hole image doesn’t exist…good on you internet

When out camping, having a flashlight is always helpful, but any decent flashlight (100+ lumens) eats through battery life pretty quick. You can use your campfire for light, but that doesn’t tend to be very portable.

So for those who like to car camp, make sure you have a lantern.

I have the Coleman Northstar Max Lantern

by darkest day in blackest night...

by darkest day in blackest night…

Let’s take a look at the specs on this little powerhouse:

  • Propane (and propane accessories) fueled. Which means easy access to cheap fuel sources.
  • Uses the Coleman Tube Mantle – This is a proprietary mantle sold by Coleman (of course).
  • Rated at 4.3 hours on high setting and 9.25 hours on low
  • Insta-Start electric ignition – No matches required

The Good

This thing can get real bright. Bright enough to light up any standard 1-family campsite.

It comes with a folding plastic stand which packs away nicely.

The wire shielding around the globe helps protect the globe from accidental breakage.

The Insta-Start ignition works great. I can load in a propane tank and be lit in under :30 seconds.

I got the hard shell carry case, and that packs up the lantern very nicely.

I’ve had my lantern for over 2 years now (and it’s been on over a dozen camping trips)…still on the same mantle.

The Bad

It can get too bright. As in it attracts every flying bug within 2 acres, too bright. You will need to place the lantern away from where you keep your food and where you eat.

Not practical for backpacking. Too big and too heavy.

On mine, the fuel regulator squeels at a certain level. If I try to turn it down too low, a very high pitched squeel comes out. Very loud and very annoying. Although, I did check reviews and no one else has this problem. May just be my lantern.

The mantles are proprietary  so make sure you have a few always in stock. Even though they last a long time, you never know when it’s going to burn out. Keep a spare on hand.

this is where Nate Dogg and Warren G. would remind you to regulate

this is where Nate Dogg and Warren G. would remind you to regulate

Overall

This is a good lantern for any family camping situation. It does it’s job and does it well. Being that it works off propane is a definite plus. The propane tanks usually last me about 1.5 nights. But I also stay up late, so take that for what it’s worth. About 2 cans of propane get me through a weekend.

If you’re looking for a decent, mid range but good quality lantern, get the Coleman Northstar Max.

Categories: Gear | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

MRE – Meals Ready for Your Food Hole

Posted on February 8, 2013 by naturen3rd

I have a friend…he works for a major world government. He has access to some of this government’s equipment. And I occasionally get my hands on this equipment.

Now, I’m not going to rat him out, so stop asking me “guy-in-black-suit-with-a-suspicious-bulge-in-your-coat.”

maybe he's just happy to see me

maybe he’s just happy to see me

My “friend” got me a dozen MREs.

If you’re new to survival training or unfamiliar with how the military eats, MRE stands for Meals Ready to Eat and are the current standard issue for active military out in the field.

MREs come in a wide variety of food types. They even have vegetarian options for the hippie soldiers out there.

I have never eaten a MRE and decided it was about damn time that I tried one. Now, you may be thinking, “when am I ever going to eat an MRE being that I’m not in the military nor do I have any friends in the military.”

And the answer is, you probably won’t. There are many places that sell civilian MREs, and they are ok, but I wanted the real deal.

So I cracked one open and gave it a taste test.

MRE – Meatloaf with Onion Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

It will do anything for love, but it won't go bad.

It will do anything for love, but it won’t go bad.

What’s in the MRE:

  • Packet containing meatloaf in onion gravy
  • Packet containing mashed potatoes
  • Packet containing plain white crackers
  • Packet containing apple jelly
  • Packet containing a mint chocolate chip cookie
  • Packet containing 2 large tootsie rolls
  • Packet containing hot chocolate powder mix
  • Packet containing salt, BBQ seasoning, moist towelette, napkins, ice tea mix, gum and a book of matches
  • Packet for heating beverages
  • Flameless heating element
  • SPOON!

As you can see, they fit a lot of stuff in this little pack

It's full of packets!

It’s full of packets!

Inside of the packets...MORE PACKETS!

Inside of the packets…MORE PACKETS!

How does it work?

Well, they make it simple. Basically, you can eat the food right out of the packet, or if you have the time and are feeling a bit fancy, you can heat up the food and forget that you are field deployed and may have to cap a fool or two.

To heat up the packets, you open up the heating element pack, drop in the packet you want to heat, pour in a little bit of water and due to the magic of science, you get a good amount of heat off of the heating element

Actually, it’s a bit of magnesium and salt. See, when magnesium and salt are exposed to water, they begin to oxidize. Oxidation creates heat. If you create a rapid oxidation process, you get a lot of heat. And that’s basically what’s going on here.

Once you have placed the packet into the other packet (like a delicious Russian doll) then you put it back into the cardboard box it came in and then you wait.

After about 10-12 minutes, your packet is ready. Open up and enjoy.

Of course, while you are waiting, you can munch on any of the crackers/cookie/candy that comes with the MRE.

Never cracka-lackin

Never cracka-lackin

even soldiers like cookies

even soldiers like cookies

What ever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me. Time for my pills.

What ever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me. Time for my pills.

How Does it Taste?

Not bad.

See, I used to sneak my grandfather’s old K-rations when I was a kid. That stuff tasted like week old butt-holes. I kinda expected the same quality from the government.

But this is a step up.

The meatloaf tasted more like a TV dinner salisbury steak and the mashed potatoes tasted like the instant mashed potatoes you get out of a box.

The crackers were very plain (no salt on them) but the apple jelly made them palatable.

The cookie was actually pretty damn good…and big.

The hot chocolate was about Swiss Miss quality.

Even the iced tea mix wasn’t too bad. Like Lipton instant mix.

And if you don’t know what a Tootsie Roll tastes like, then I pity your childhood.

So I put it on a plate, big whoop, wanna fight about it?

So I put it on a plate, big whoop, wanna fight about it?

The Good

  • MREs last a long time – over 5 years if stored properly
  • About 1200 calories per MRE, well balanced between protein and carbs. Also packed with vitamins.
  • Not too shabby on the taste. Kudos military.

The Bad

  • Fairly bulky. You’re not going to carry around 5 days worth. They are like food bricks (in size, not weight).
  • With this MRE, I had 2 packets to heat (Meatloaf and the Potatoes). The heating element didn’t last long enough to fully heat both (you have to heat them one at a time)

Overall

If I was in the field, these would be the best things ever. It really isn’t bad and better than most freeze dried foods out there. On my next outing I’m going to just eat MREs and see how my energy levels balance out, but considering the nutritional values, I think I would be fine.
If you ever get the opportunity to get a few MREs, I highly suggest it.

And if any of my fans happen to also work for a large government and want to accidentally ship me a few MREs…Well, let’s just say I will forget to return to sender.

Categories: Gear | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wetterlings Les Stroud Bushman’s Axe – First Impressions

Posted on January 31, 2013 by naturen3rd

When Les Stroud and Wetterlings announced back in May 2012 that they were collaborating on an axe, I couldn’t get giddy enough.

This is the survival expert equivalent of when Goten and Trunks first merged to become Gotenks

For those who don’t know, here’s a little background:

Les Stroud is the Survivorman. A bad ass that goes into the wild for 7-10 days with little to no supplies and films himself doing all manner of bass-assery. No film crew…just a man, some camera equipment, a few minor supplies and a buttload of moxie.

Wetterlings makes hand forged axes. They are considered to be some of the best axes in the world. Gimli would use Wetterlings, if he was, you know, real.

But, like chocolate and peanut butter before them, they met

After the merge dance, then called it Leserlings...later decided that was dumb and called it the Bushman's Axe.

After the merge dance, then called it Leserlings…later decided that was dumb and called it the Bushman’s Axe.

And this was the results of their union

Wetterlings Les Stroud Bushman's Axe

Let me axe you a question

I got my hands on one, and boy o boy, is it pretty. Like if Bradley Cooper was an axe, this would be him.

Before we go into the first impressions, let me take a moment to thank the folks at Sport-Hansa for putting this lovely axe in my hands.

 

 

 

 

So, let’s go over why this thing is so awesome.

  • Made from high carbon steel. That means it’s harder than Chinese Algebra.
  • Nice big, 3+ inch blade. Lots of cutting surface.
  • Inset beard (the beard is that curve from the blade to the handle). That means you can get a good close grip and choke up real close. Aside from being able to produce awesome puns about “choking up” it allows for precision woodwork…ok, you can make “woodwork” puns too.
  • Hammer on the rear – Ok, no more…
  • Hickory wood shaft. – Alright, stop it!

Another great thing is that it’s not too heavy. This axe can be swung for a good long time without tiring out too soon.

The entire length is about 22″, which makes it easy to carry.

Comes stock with a nice sharp edge. Not quite sharp enough to shave with, but plenty sharp enough to whittle with.

What does everybody want? (axe) Head!

What does everybody want? (axe) Head!

Also comes with a leather blade cover.

Safety first, kids!

Safety first, kids!

I still need to get this thing out in the field to see how it holds up to the elements and some wear and tear. Keep an eye out for a more in-depth review.

Rating :: 4 out of 5 Bradley Coopers

Categories: Gear | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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