Hiking Backpack Zone

Posts Tagged ‘survival’

Your bowie knife is a very handy tool, indeed. It provides you with numerous benefits and uses, whether you are hunting, camping, fishing or even just working around your home. However, while that knife is an ideal tool for many different things, from cutting to slicing and even blazing a trail through the underbrush, you’ll find some things that it should not be used for. What should you not use your knife to do?

Many people make the mistake of using bowie knives for purposes for which they are unsuited. For instance, if you choose to use your knife as a screwdriver, you’ll encounter some problems. This will likely lead to a bent tip, or might even snap the tip off your knife altogether. If this happens, you will either need to repair the blade, take it to a professional cutler for repairs, or reshape the blade as is.

Let’s look at using your bowie knife as a pry bar to get an even better feel for why these versatile knives should not be used for such tasks. When prying on something, it generally means that the item is either rather heavy, or it is jammed and stuck. While your knife might fit quite well under whatever that object might be, you can rest assured that you do not want to put the blade there. Even a small amount of pressure can actually bend the blade of your bowie knife, leading to some serious problems.

Chisel - Chiseling is something best left to specially designed tools. While your bowie knife might seem to have the right size and shape, and might even do a good job of it at first, you’ll find that it can quickly become blunted and damaged through this type of misuse. You’ll also find that use like this will void the warranty on the knife, if you have one.

As you can see, bowie knives, while ideal tools for a wide range of different uses, are not designed for some purposes. The basic rule of thumb should be that if another type of knife wouldn’t be right, then bowie knives would likely not be a good fit, either.

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knife and glock grip extension store.

categories: bowie knives,bowie knife,hunting knives,Hunting,Fishing,Camping,Outdoors,Survival,Recreation,Hobbies

You are using your bowie knife for a particular project when it suddenly drops from your grasp. It lands point first on a rock and when you pick it up, you realize that the tip is bent. Or perhaps you lent your bowie knife to a friend who, for reasons unknown to you, decided that it looked like an ideal replacement for that screwdriver he or she lost a week ago. When the knife comes back, the blade is bent. What do you do about a bent blade on your bowie knife? What are your options?

What should you do, should you realize that the tip or blade of your knife is bent? How do you repair bowie knives with bent blades? The very first thing you need to do is scrutinize where the bend is located. The most common area of damage is to the point of the knife. This might be because you dropped the knife point first onto a hard surface, such as a rock or cement. It might also be because someone attempted to pry with the blade or use it as a screwdriver. Bowie knives should not be used thus.

Many people will attempt to bend the blade back into shape on their own. You might be tempted to try using a pair of pliers, or even a vice clamp. However, what this usually leads to is a broken blade and possibly quite a lot of blood from where the blade fragment gashed you. This does not sound like a lot of fun. You might try to bend the tip back into place, as well, though this usually results in a broken tip and a disfigured knife blade. If you cannot repair the blade yourself, what should you do?

What should you do, then? Your best option is to reheat the blade tip and then reshape it. This will require some serious heat, a hammer, an anvil and some pretty specific knowhow. In fact, you might not be able to accomplish this task on your own at all. It’s a better idea to find a cutler who can repair your knife. Why should you opt for professional help with bent bowie knives?

A cutler will ensure that the blade does not lose its heat temper and will also be able to ensure that the blade regains its proper dimensions. Conducting such repairs at home, on your own, can be an excellent way to ruin that knife blade through incorrect repair techniques.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knifes store featuring Cold Steel training knives. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online lighters store.

The question of metal type used in blades has played an integral role for tens of thousands of years. Once, the choice between bronze and copper was significant. Iron came onto the scene and changed all that. Today, you have even more choices, from super high tech steel to high carbon fiber steel and many other types. In fact, if you took the time to look at the question in detail, you would find several hundred different types of metal that can be used for creating the blade for your new bowie knife. What’s the best choice?

However, one of the most important questions that you will need to answer is what sort of metal you prefer for the blade of your bowie knives. What are your options? Why does it matter? Isn’t metal basically the same? Actually, the metal used in knife blades varies considerably. You will find literally hundreds of types of metal on the market, each offering pros and cons to its use. For instance, one particular metal might be ultra hard and hold the best edge, but it might be brittle when used in a longer blade. You might find that some metals are much more resilient and tough, but they do not hold as sharp an edge as other metals.

What type of metal should you choose? Actually, if you do any amount of research at all, you’ll find that there are hundreds of types of steel out there that might or might not offer you any benefits. The best idea is to determine what you’ll be using that knife for. For example, will you be using it as a utility knife, for hunting purposes only, or will you be using it in situations where your life might depend on the quality of the blade?

Bowie knives are rugged, durable and provide tremendous versatility, but you’ll need to choose the right metal for the task. As an example, someone who will use their knife as a general camping or hunting tool will not require the same benefits as someone who does solo exploration in the wilds of northern Canada.

Choosing metal for the blade of a bowie knife can and should take some time. Never opt for the “newest” or “hottest” option on the market. Find reviews of that particular metal type and determine just how well it held up for other users and you’ll have a solid foundation on which to base your own decision.

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knives and glock grip extensions store.

categories: bowie knives,bowie knife,hunting knives,hunting knife,bowie hunting knives,Hunting,Fishing,Camping,Outdoors,Survival,Recreation,Hobbies

Bowie knives are some of the most sought after and prized knives in the world. Their rugged good looks, impressive size and incredible durability and usability make them ideal for numerous situations, from clearing brush to personal protection. However, what actually qualifies as a Bowie knife? To answer this question, you’ll have to understand a little bit about the history of this popular knife. Where did the knife get its start? What did the first versions look like?

Actually, Bowie knives got started in Louisiana. The first one was actually commissioned by James Bowie’s brother, Rezin. The original knife was a little over 9 inches long (blade length), had no cross guards and did not have the clipped point that is such a hallmark of Bowie knives today. The next version of the knife differed slightly. In fact, the number of versions between the knife commissioned by Rezin and what you would recognize today as a Bowie knife are truly not known. What is know is that James Bowie eventually commissioned a blacksmith by the name of James Black to create a knife based off a wooden version that Bowie had made. The result was unique.

The blade should be at least six inches long. It can exceed this length, though. You’ll find Bowie knives with blades as long as twelve inches, or even longer. The blade should be at least one inch wide, though longer knives might be up to two inches in width. The blade should only have a single edge, running along the bottom of the edge. These may or may not have a Spanish Notch - an area supposedly designed to trap an enemy’s knife blade, but more likely used in a utilitarian manner.

The classic look is what most purists accept as a true Bowie knife, though even here, there is much disparity. Some collectors even accept Sheffield Bowies as true Bowie knives (these feature a sharpened back curve on the point, where the clipped portion curves up to meet the knife’s spine).

Finally, the knife should have only a single edge, though some versions with saw-teeth on the spine have been produced, based on a military design that saw use during the Vietnam war (and featured in films such as the Rambo series). Of course, the status of a particular knife will vary with each person, depending on whether they are purists or just knife lovers.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knife store featuring the Cold Steel jim bowie knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of a specialty lighters store.

Air travel has certainly become more troublesome since 9/11. However, most travelers would agree that the new restrictions are not without cause. That said, understanding these new restrictions can be a bit problematic. For instance, are you allowed to carry a bowie knife aboard a plane? You might be surprised by the answer to that question - yes, you can. However, you’ll have to follow some special rules setup by the TSA to maintain safety aboard planes.

First, you will need to make sure that your bowie knife is not packed in your carryon luggage. While you can take bowie knives aboard planes, your carryon bag is most certainly not the right place for them. Where can you put them? The only place that the TSA allows bowie knives is in your checked baggage - your suitcase, for example. This type of baggage is checked at the ticket counter, and then sent down a conveyor belt to be loaded in the belly of the plane. While this will certainly keep you apart from your knife for the duration of the flight, it does allow you to travel with your weapon.

However, the news is not all bad. The TSA does allow you to carry a bowie knife with you if it is packed in your suitcase, so long as that suitcase is checked at the ticket counter and is not a carryon item. Of course, there are a couple of further caveats to this, as well. Your knife must be securely packed, sheathed and safe. It cannot be left loose inside your suitcase, nor can you pack it without its sheath. Interestingly, the same rules apply to swords, razors and other knives. If this seems a bit inconvenient, remember, you shouldn’t have any need for your knife during the flight, so packing it away before hand should be no issue.

Next, you will also need to wrap the bowie knife in something - bubble wrap works well. Actually, if you can manage it, you should box your knife, wrapping and all. This will provide the utmost protection for baggage handlers and inspectors who might come into contact with your luggage and the knife itself. As long as you follow these precautions, you can carry anything in your suitcase from a bowie knife to scissors, swords and even firearms (broken down into component pieces, of course).

You should also understand that your bag will likely be inspected during the loading process. No matter how well packaged it might be, it will show up in the x-ray machine. Therefore, having bowie knives wrapped securely will prevent injury to the inspectors, as well as potential injury to baggage handlers. You will find that traveling with bowie knives or even with swords and other bladed weapons is not a problem so long as you follow the proper procedures.

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knives and glock grip extension store.

categories: bowie knives,bowie knife,hunting knives,hunting knife,bowie hunting knives,Hunting,Fishing,Camping,Outdoors,Survival,Recreation,Hobbies

Considering the leniency of America’s weapons laws, it might seem like a no-brainer that you can carry that new Bowie knife out in public. However, before you head out the door, you should stop and check your state’s laws governing knife carrying in public. While Bowie knives might not be mentioned specifically, you’ll find that there are rules governing blade length and method of carry for all knives and some knives are excluded almost universally. You’ll find that quite a few states take a dim view of butterfly knives (balisongs), as well as switchblades and other automatic knives. Bowie knives are no exception to this rule.

Your first step will be to investigate your state’s particular laws. For instance, in Alaska, you can carry any type of knife concealed or unconcealed, except for automatic knives (there are a few provisions, of course). So, if you live in Alaska, carrying that Bowie knife around on your hip is perfectly fine. However, should you decide to visit Washington DC, you should not carry your knife with you. The nation’s capital does not allow any knives to be carried unless they are folding knives with a blade of 3 inches or less. This includes fixed blade knives, folding knives, dirks, daggers, etc, as well as concealed and unconcealed knives.

Of course, there are additional complications to this question. For instance, in Arizona, having a permit to carry a concealed weapon allows you to carry any sort of concealed weapon, from a knife to a gun. This includes Bowie knives. However, having such a permit in Texas does not carry the same legal rights, as Bowie knives are still considered illegal (In Texas, the knife must remain in your car, unless you are hunting or otherwise engaged in a (legal) activity that requires such a knife even if you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon).

In addition, you’ll find that Arizona lets individual cities and towns create their own laws governing what knives can be carried and how they can be carried legally. Therefore, should you travel from Flagstaff to Tucson, you might find that your knife is not legal. Check ahead to avoid legal problems.

These are just a few examples of the confusion that can result from trying to carry a knife in public. The best course of action if you are not sure about your state’s or your city’s laws governing knives like Bowie knives is to leave it at home, or leave it in your vehicle, in plain sight. Remember that even putting your knife in the glove box might be construed as concealment, putting you in hot legal water with local authorities.

Blake is a business consultant for an online bowie knife store featuring hunting bowie knives.

categories: bowie knives,bowie knife,hunting knives,hunting knife,bowie hunting knives,Hunting,Fishing,Camping,Outdoors,Survival,Recreation,Hobbies

Sharpening Bowie knives need not be a frustrating procedure. In fact, while these are certainly larger than many other types of knives, you’ll find that you sharpen the blades in much the same way. How should you go about doing this? What should you do or not do in order to ensure that you are able to achieve a clean, sharp, straight edge on that knife? Here, you’ll learn a bit more about the knife sharpening process, as well as what not to do when sharpening Bowie knives (or any other knife for that matter).

First, you’ll need to determine what angle the blade is currently sharpened at. This is an important consideration, as changing the angle will have detrimental effects on your sharpening. Most sharpening systems (commercial gadgets) have variable angle adjustments (at least a couple of different angles).

Next, you will need to find an angle guide, if your knife sharpening kit does not include one. If you are unable to do this, you will need to know how to control the angle of the blade on your own. This will require a firm hand and a good eye. If the angle of the knife blade changes during sharpening, the edge will not be suitable for much. You should also have a high quality whetstone for the sharpening process, as well as the proper lubricant (some stones come with oil, or you can purchase the oil at your local sporting goods store). Never sharpen a knife if the whetstone has not been lubricated.

Once you have your sharpening system purchased, you will need to know how to sharpen that bade. Bowie knives are quite large, so the best way to sharpen your blade is actually to grind it in circles, down the length of the blade (heel to toe). Make sure that you are able to hold the blade at the correct angle while doing this, or your knife will not take a good edge. The angle is quite important; the entire reason for purchasing an all-in-one sharpening system is so that you don’t have to guess at the angle of the blade to the whetstone.

Once you have ground down one side of the blade and raised a burr, you will need to flip the knife over and grind the other side. This will raise a burr all the way down the blade (including the tip of the blade). Once the burr has been raised, you should use a fine whetstone or a strop to remove the burr and reveal the true edge of the blade. Further stropping or honing will polish the edges, as well.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knife store featuring sog bowie knives. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of a specialty butane lighters store.

Before buying your survival kits it will pay for you to find out more about what essential items should the kit contain? The simple fact is that there are numerous different kinds of such kits being sold on the market and so without knowing which items to look for you might not be able to zero in on the best kit. It is also quite surprising to note that many of these kits actually do not even include water as part of their items; so, paying special attention to the most essential items in a survival kit will enable you to make the right choices.

In order to identify the best survival kits it is first of all necessary that you try and identify the most likely emergency scenario which can put your survival in jeopardy. This means that you need to look at things such as whether you like to go camping or hunting or hiking; if so, you will need to identify possible dangers that can affect you while you are performing these activities.

In addition, you have to consider the possibility of various natural disasters affecting the city or area in which you live. You will obviously also have to think about any situations that can arise and for which you will not be well prepared for. These factors, when taken into account, can help you decide on which kind of survival kit is most suitable for you.

Typically, your survival kit must include a selection of specific items that will help you tend to wounds and handle difficult and dangerous situations. The survival kit should also have items that will help in stabilizing your internal life support systems so that you come out of bad situations in one piece and can also communicate with others. It should have those items that will ensure that you are able to support yourself when there is no other support to be found.

Remember, that a survival kit to deal with an earthquake will be much different to one that you will need to use in the wilderness. So, based on your circumstances you will need to pick a survival kit that addresses those particular circumstances.

A good survival kit must also be versatile and should contain items that can help you survive under different and difficult as well as dangerous situations. What is also very important is that you will have to decide whether to purchase survival kits that do not cost much money or whether it is better to purchase the more expensive ones.

In many instances, finding the perfect survival kit may not be possible because there won’t be a kit available on the market to fit in with certain kinds of situations. Furthermore, even if you do find a survival kit that addresses your needs it is still not enough. This is because you should, in order to play it even safer, think about buying an extra survival kit so that you also have a backup that can be used if anything really serious happens. In addition, you must always be prepared for the absolute worst.

Signaling is also a vital aspect of survival and so you need to have items such as a torch or signal mirror which can be used to attract the attention of search parties. Also, to survive you need more than survival kits; you need to be calm under stress and you should also stop, think and observe as well as plan your survival till help reaches you.

Are you an outdoor adventurist? Maybe you go camping frequently? Even if you’re just at home, it benefits you to own wilderness survival kits. Make sure that you own one that contains the items you really need in case of an emergency.

The Swiss Army patent is of a lot of importance to the people who are aware of its rare character. The patent confirms good and superior quality of engineering irrespective of whichever product we are talking about. This patent came into being as a result of a knife which was supplied to the Swiss Army by a man named Karl Elsner.

It was the Army Officers knife that the Swiss army decided to patent and promotes due to its multiple features. With time the Swiss army officers knife found a complimentary gadget in the form of a Swiss army officers watch.

The two kind of officer watches in the Swiss Army watches category namely a pocket watch and a wrist watch. The classic officers watch was supposed to be kept in the pocket and not for the wrist. It was designed in a uncomplicated way but still it was hardy and resilient. This is a consistent feature in most Swiss Army products.

The Swiss Army officers knife is sort of a multipurpose tool but in contrast to it, an officers watch has minimum functions. It is a plain time piece, yet, it has a charm that doesnt go unnoticed.

What makes the Swiss Army Officers watch very special is that even in the times when flashy watches sell like hot cakes, it is still considered classy and has a standardof its own. It is a evergreen watch which is considered fashionable even today.

The Swiss army watch was not invented as a fashion accessory in the initial place. The main aim behind the creation of the watch was to have something that is easy to use and utilizes expert engineering enabling it to work in the toughest of conditions. The Swiss army watch is a gadget that is fit enough to be taken into the battle field.

At present people in general are seen to be wearing these Swiss Army officers watches as it is fashionable to be wearing it and also for its sophisticated look. But it was worn mostly by the people in armed forces. As time went by, these watches were sold to the American army and they marketed these watches thus making it a huge victory.

There is sort of a charm in the Swiss Army tag that attracts the people even when these products are circumvented by other more appeling products. Actually people trust the brand a lot because its been there for ages. If a product belongs to this brand, you can be assured about its quality and functioning.

When a person wishes to buy a watch, they rely on a Swiss army brand watch because of its quality. This is the unique preposition of any Swiss army brand product.

With respect to its design, anyone who desires clean, simple and an elegant look is bound to be blown away by a Swiss army officers watch.

Based on the need of today cyber tools by Victorinox was launched which comprises of computer related tools. Officers Watch however remains the flagship product of the company, click here for more details.

categories: watches,watch,tools,camping,outdoors,survival,fashion,men,shopping

The Swiss army began off as a brand that supplied officers knives to the Swiss Army. From there they started inventing their own new variety of products and set a benchmark in the market. Now this company is known all over the world for its products and is respected by one and all. Not only that it has become a household name it is no longer associated only with army products alone.

Many people are loyal fans of Swiss Army products as observed over the years. Amongst the more popular items are the bayonets, these are quite ancient in their make and are a Swiss Army collectors dream. These bayonets are now available as army surplus items and are pride for the every collector and they cherish it lifelong.

The Bayonet belongs to the family of knives. It is primarily a dagger that fits into the top muzzle of a gun perfectly. This transforms the rifle into a spear like weapon immediately during the time of crisis of ammo. Thus, it was a unique and excellent creation during war-time created especially to be used in such situations.

Thus the bayonet was a useful weapon and served the purpose of being extremely uselful during a war when the transformed rifle would be the last resort for combat. These helped not only Swiss armies but also other armies during that time. It helped the soldier to defend himself during attack by his enemies even if he had run out of bullets. During the time when war were fairly simpler the bayonet was a useful innovation.

The practical advantages of the bayonet have reduced with the advent of modern warfare techniques that are all trigger oriented. In this regards the bayonet has today become a classic collectors item and is only sought after by those individuals that have a passion for Swiss army bayonets.

The changing character of warfare has however not completely erased the use of Swiss army bayonets. Its use is still prevalent in a number of countries but it does not hold the same importance as it did back then. The fact that it can be used as an independent dagger and need not be attached to a rifle is what makes it a versatile tool that can have multiple uses.

The Swiss knife has multiple purposes as already explained it behaves as a utility knife also. Similarly, at time of danger, if a person has a bayonet, he has some sort of security to combat his enemy.

Presently, Swiss army bayonets are accessible for those who passionately seek such stuff in auctions by collectors and other people who have these bayonets and are willing to sell it to make money.

The ideal bayonet has a blade length of 9.4 inches and a handle that measures 4.8 inches. Interested people can try their luck at the army surplus shops or browse for them through the internet.

The author is an expert on weapons like Victorinox Swiss army knife . More information on old weapons like swiss army bayonet can be found by clicking on the above link.