http://edcforums.com/ Feel free to talk about anything and everything related to everyday carry. en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:46:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://edcforums.com/images/styles/edcforums/misc/rss.png http://edcforums.com/ http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76723-Need-experienced-advice-please-re-Legal-to-sell-ship-knives-to-Canada-from-USA?goto=newpost Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:34:59 GMT Moderators:If this thread is inappropriate here,please delete.

To our Forum brethren in general:
I've had two or three emails from our EDCF Canadian peers & cohorts,asking to buy knives from my 'Yard Sale' thread here.
My original posted intention was: no knife sales outside of the U.S.,simply because I don't know the rules.

I'm confessing my ignorance on this subject! and would appreciate input from members who have done this,or why not to.

Thanx!
~Gnarly ]]> General Discussion Gnarly http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76723-Need-experienced-advice-please-re-Legal-to-sell-ship-knives-to-Canada-from-USA http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76716-I-need-a-new-hobby-suggest-me-some.?goto=newpost Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:48:10 GMT -No collecting -No large amount of start-up $ needed Whats some fun stuff? -No collecting
-No large amount of start-up $ needed

Whats some fun stuff? ]]> General Discussion epicelite http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76716-I-need-a-new-hobby-suggest-me-some. http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76694-Long-overseas-flight-with-a-two-year-old%21%21%21%21%21%21?goto=newpost Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:00:23 GMT Dear fellow edc compadres. I am about to embark on an 15 hour flight with a 4 hour layover with my two year old daughter by myself. I am already... Dear fellow edc compadres.
I am about to embark on an 15 hour flight with a 4 hour layover with my two year old daughter by myself. I am already losing sleep thinking about how terrible and wild she will be on the flight. I guess Im just used to preparing for the worst... I am looking for advice on what i should bring on the flight to keep her occupied/ drugged (no jokes here) other than the stuff I have already planned on bringing in our carry on.

Stuff Ive already considered: DVD player, books, magnadoodle, chewable dramamine, coloring book, flip up book...


IF anyone has any first hand experience with this do tell! ]]> General Discussion wonderingson http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76694-Long-overseas-flight-with-a-two-year-old%21%21%21%21%21%21 http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76689-Suggest-items-for-support-bag?goto=newpost Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:40:22 GMT I am going with the family in a week long vacation about 100 miles away. There are lots of friends and relatives and will be a few marraiges and... I am going with the family in a week long vacation about 100 miles away. There are lots of friends and relatives and will be a few marraiges and parties. Schedule is not certain. We may stay there all 5-6 days and return, or we may stay there 3 days and return, then I go back and stay for a few days with one daughter ( her friend getting married ). It is not finalized yet but I want to be ready for all possibilities.

Car has been fully maintained recently, and GHB bag updated. My question here is about the other ( support ) bag which sits completely empty, just to be filled with extras.

I am not worried about road problems but more about surprises and anything unexpected while there ( we have many relatives but we are far from our home and stuff ).

OK, if I want to be ready for 'anything' (almost) what should I add to this support bag.
Again, this bag is NOT the GHB or clothes bag.
This bag is extra.

So far, I have added the following in the support bag :

* Additional Sewing kit and additional roll of duct tape
* My older (working) cell phone as a backup
* My older glasses
* External hard disk (250 GB) with all my data, in case the house was burglarized in our absense and the PC was stolen.
* Empty wallet ( maybe for more cash or making a pocket kit ) you never know.

What else would you suggest ??? ]]> General Discussion clock http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76689-Suggest-items-for-support-bag http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76616-Fall-is-coming-not-a-good-time-for-EDC?goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:22:50 GMT Temperature is dropping, looks like soon I will have to stop wearing cargo short in favor or jeans/slacks. Not a good time for EDC thou, as I'll lose two large cargo pocket to carry stuff, and down to only two front pockets (I don't like putting stuff in back pockets, sitting on them cause back discomfort).

How do you guys deal with this particular time of the year when you only have pant pockets available? ]]> General Discussion jzmtl http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76616-Fall-is-coming-not-a-good-time-for-EDC http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76607-The-Standard-Knot-used-on-Atwood-Tool-Lanyards?goto=newpost Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:21:45 GMT Hey Folks,

Would any of you knot experts know of the standard knot that Peter Atwood gives you on all his lanyards? Here's a picture of some of his tools with the lanyard knot I'm referencing.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...DSC_0001-3.jpg

I'd like to be able to re-tie that knot, I just don't know what it is called or how it is done. And yeah, I realize it's a common knot that many other people use. But it just seems ideal for moderate-activity lanyard use.

Thanks! ]]> General Discussion Crco http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76607-The-Standard-Knot-used-on-Atwood-Tool-Lanyards http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76569-Quick-Katadyn-Hiker-Pro-Questions?goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:27:55 GMT Hey guys, I recently got a Katadyn Hiker Pro from REI and I have a few quick questions. First off, I was told by an REI staff member that after I... Hey guys, I recently got a Katadyn Hiker Pro from REI and I have a few quick questions.

First off, I was told by an REI staff member that after I finish using it I should open it and let it dry. Assuming I'm on a 3 day backpacking trip, should I open it and let it dry after every single use, at the end of the day, or when I get home?

Second is, I read on the manual that I must pump about a liter before using it. I did so and I still taste the taste of the filter. (What I mean by this is, it tastes exactly like it smells on the inside.) Does this taste go away in time or will I have to get use to this indescribable taste?

Many thanks in advance.
-Chris ]]> General Discussion c.joe http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76569-Quick-Katadyn-Hiker-Pro-Questions http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76564-FAK-left-home?goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:10:10 GMT So the other night I was re-arranging some Truck EDC items and the bag with the FAK got moved into the house while I was changing things up. Left... So the other night I was re-arranging some Truck EDC items and the bag with the FAK got moved into the house while I was changing things up. Left the next day and forgot the truck bag along with its FAK. Do you know where we're going already? Long story short, string trimmer tangles with a 2-inch twig, which then finds my leg. I feel a burn and look down to see said stick sticking out of my calf, but only about 1/2 inch is showing. I pull out stick and realize that I now have a problem as I've probably nicked a vein because with each pump of my heart, I have a stream showing. Look around for a little Dutch boy, but none seen. Drop down to the ground and try to get some elevation to the foot. Works a little. Remember FAK in truck. Go to truck. With each step, more gusher issuing forth. Remember that FAK never got put back in truck. Thinking I am a dumb "----." Find some Kleenex in truck and grab a bunch to stuff into said hole in leg. Sit back down on ground and make attempt at stopping flow. By now the blood is filling up my boot. Thinking I am really a "dumb ----" and I am not having much luck at slowing things up here. Also realize I have over 200 feet of ext. cord to pick up before I can leave said property. Squish my way around the yard retrieving said cord and watching plumbing still going to town on my lower extremity.
Moral of story is if you EDC, then you must really EDC and not forget things like your first-aid kit in the bedroom where you left it the night before. Now I suppose my membership in EDC forum will be revoked for forgetting important items and for being an overall "dumb ----."
Please learn from my stupid mistake.
Cheers,
and you can call me Peg Leg Jim Don ]]> General Discussion JimDon http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76564-FAK-left-home http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76547-Where-do-you-dump-your-pockets-at-home-Need-something?goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:48:00 GMT I'm tired of my gear just in a heap on my night stand and would like a bowl or box or something for it to go in. Probably something bowel shaped. I know I've seen the square leather bowl do the rounds on the forum but its not really for me (although leather in general might be cool)

I looked a bit on Etsy at some cool turned bowls but anything under $20 and you're talking about something smaller than my Slimmy wallet.

Anyone have any suggestions? ]]> General Discussion GQGeek81 http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76547-Where-do-you-dump-your-pockets-at-home-Need-something http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76540-Whistle-Buckle-messed-my-wrist-up.?goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:45:29 GMT giant 2 inch bruise on my arm from the whistle buckle jabbing into my arm when i was working.... giant 2 inch bruise on my arm from the whistle buckle jabbing into my arm when i was working. https://s3.amazonaws.com/inventables...38_big_web.jpg

pretty dumb accident ]]> General Discussion NosHusky http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76540-Whistle-Buckle-messed-my-wrist-up. http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76517-Compact-firestarters-strikers-which-one-to-get....?goto=newpost Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:39:24 GMT I saw one over at County Comm but wanted to get some opinions. I have an old magnesium bar one that has the striker bar on the side. Any opinions on... I saw one over at County Comm but wanted to get some opinions. I have an old magnesium bar one that has the striker bar on the side. Any opinions on what compact one to get? ]]> General Discussion KDOG08 http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76517-Compact-firestarters-strikers-which-one-to-get.... http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76462-Scored-5K...what-gear-to-get?goto=newpost Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:26:44 GMT Of course all that cash isn't for toys, er I mean gear. vehicle repair is on the top of the list. Anyway, I'm going to pick up a Kifaru E&E. But what I'm also looking for is a shelter like the ones Kifaru has but not as costly as theirs. Any ideas for that? I've also thought about getting a decent store-bought pup tent and dousing it in waterproofer and keeping it aside. I have a camper that can serve as my main rig.

One thing I've been searching for is a small compact sized survival reference book. I have the "Pocket Reference" by Thomas J Glover and I love it but I'm interested in one that is strictly survival based. Any such animal?

Anyway, my head is spinning with all the possibilities so fire away! ]]> General Discussion KDOG08 http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76462-Scored-5K...what-gear-to-get http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76446-EDC-Labrador?goto=newpost Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:26:03 GMT A while back I picked up an Esee-6 R.A.T Pack from Iacchus and promised him I’d share a story of how I used it on a two week motorcycle trip to Labrador. Well, I just got back so here you go.

Here’s a rough map of our route, strayed off it a bunch, but you get the idea. Phase III of the Trans-Labrador highway just opened this year, so you can now drive between the coast and the interior. It’s almost all dirt/gravel.
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...the-route.html

My friend and I rode a BMW R1200GS and F800GS provided by BMW (perk of the job), both of which were absolutely perfect. I cartwheeled the 800 at 50mph after putting the front wheel in a pot hole hidden by loose gravel and it was barely scratched afterward. Rode it 1,500 miles home after the crash with no problems.

In addition to riding bikes, we also did some hiking, camping and general outdoors stuff. Labrador is absolutely beautiful, but you’re better off camping on the coast as the sea winds keep the black flies away, they’re a major problem in land. Here’s a panoramic video of our favorite campsite:
http://blip.tv/file/4045090

We watched humpback whales jumping from the site and also saw Orcas. Didn’t see any land mammals, but did see sign of both bear and moose.
http://blip.tv/file/4045188

Here’s a shot of a natural pond we swum in.


You can check out a list of everything we carried here, but figured I’d talk about some items that might be of interest to EDCers.
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...ure-check.html

Sharps
Esee-6: used to process firewood and and to prepare some larger food items like slicing big potatoes. I realized that the fairly light 6 wasn’t going to be the best chopper going into this but was prepared to sacrifice a bit of chopability in return for light weight. Just like hiking, weight is everything on a bike. I was able to use all deadfall wood the entire time, and the 6 chopped through the dry stuff fairly ok. It was better at batoning and chopping off smaller branches though. I was extraordinarily impressed by how well it held up. Two weeks of hard use and there’s not a mark on it and it’ll still pop the hairs off my arm, only touched it up once, unnecessarily, just to take some surface rust off and because I was bored.
http://blip.tv/file/4045389

Esee Izula: used for general camp chores and food preparation. I love the Izula, but it’s size is a bit limiting for some larger food prep work, hence using the 6 a bit. Here’s a shot of it slicing the best steak ever much better than the ****** spork was able to stab the meat. Did a little bit of wood prep with it too, or at least my buddy did since I lent it to him most of the time.


Lights
4Sevens Maelstrom G5: pocket carried at night. Used to keep an eye on the bikes and to monitor things like bear bags. Didn’t actually end up using this all that much after the novelty of carrying a spotlight in my pocket wore off, but it was handy keeping an eye on bearbags placed a couple hundred yards away and in checking on bikes parked a similar distance. You have to see how far this light can throw to believe something so small can do it, it literally is like carrying a one of those big clunky pistol-grip search lamps in your pocket.

Maratac AAA: worn as a headlamp in a Fenix head band. This was my user as I prefer a very dim lamp at night. Wore it every night and used if for everything and still haven’t change the lithium battery I put it in it before the trip. Guess those 8 spares were overkill. Good flood light, great on dim for food prep and close range stuff, great on medium for hiking, pretty good on high for longer distance stuff. So light you can’t tell you’re wearing it. Normally, it’s my keychain light.

Fire Making
Esee ferro rod: Here’s a video I shot of using it. Things you carry on a bike tend to get very wet when it rains, so it was nice having a source of fire that didn’t depend on fuel or dryness to work. In the video, I somehow chose to scrape and unworn side, so it’s not throwing great sparks. Once that coating’s worn off, it’s very good though. Room in the handle for cotton balls!
http://blip.tv/file/4045359

Gerber Harstook: Iacchus included this in the RAT pack to sue with the ferro rod. It’s perfect for that.

Vaseline-soaked cotton balls:
I love carrying these. Virtually free, easy to make, easy to carry and you can see how well they work. To my mind, better fire starters than anything commercially available.

Mutlitools
SOG Powerlock: used to work on the bikes and carried around camp. Used a few times to adjust the suspension with the large flat blade screwdriver and to cut a bit of wire, but largely forgotten as we didn’t have one lick of mechanical trouble. Suplemented an already very complete toolkit.

Leatherman Squirt PS4: pocket carried all the time, even while on bike. Surprisingly, used this little thing the most. Always had it in my pocket, so inevitably pulled it out to cut cable ties, use the scissors, adjust a bolt, whatever. Very rugged for such a small tool.

Etc
R.A.T. Pack: didn’t get the use out of this I planned. I’d wanted to go fishing, but didn’t end up camping anywhere near a suitable location, so didn’t bother. I was going to throw my fishing supplies in it, but ended up just carrying a spare lighter, some paracord, firemaking supplies and general camping etc in it. The included diamond rod is great for touching up blades in the field and the storage space is very versatile. I’ll get more use out of it on day hikes and on future trips. Wasn’t impressed with the internal kydex sheath/shock cord retention sytem. Plan to replace with proper retentive kydex shortly.

Klean Kanteen: Used to carry water on the bike and fetch water/drink around camp. Boiled water in it once with the lid loosely on to save time, which was a mistake because the lid melted a bit and changed shape, so now it won’t seal completely.

Generic aluminum mugs: The hit of the trip. Just found something at the local dollar store that looked good. Featherweight and versatile, I cooked in them, boiled water, used as general eating bowls, everything. They’re a bit bent and discolored now, but will last for years, a new staple.

iPhone 4: all these shots and videos were taken on it and I used it to read at night with the Kindle app. The battery would last for 4-5 days with this kind of use as long as I put it in airplane mode. Also made exploiting WiFi hotspots in no cell reception areas a breeze, so kept the girlfriend happy too as I was able to talk to her way more often than I normally would on a trip like this.

Outlier workwear pants: Shed water and dirt, keep out the wind but breath, don’t get dirty, don’t hold odors. I wore these everyday for two weeks and they were still suitable to wear to a decent restaurant.
http://shop.outlier.cc/shop/retail/workwear-pants.html


Generic hand sanitizer: I swear by this stuff. Didn’t get the runs once all trip, despite doing most of the cooking myself. Even use it to clean small cuts and bug bites and whatnot. Cheap, wonderful. ]]> General Discussion Wes_Siler http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76446-EDC-Labrador http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76411-What-firefighers-EDC?goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:18:20 GMT Found this webpage, I thought you could be interested ;) http://www.vententersearch.com/pockets.htm Found this webpage, I thought you could be interested ;)
http://www.vententersearch.com/pockets.htm ]]> General Discussion sbillard http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76411-What-firefighers-EDC http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76394-America-s-Oldest-Continuously-Operating-Cutlery-Store-A-Bust?goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:06:15 GMT So today was a slow day, raining and not much to do (I am sorta an outdoorsy type and while the rain doesn't bother me, it does bother my infant son), so we decided to make a trip into Boston. While there I wanted to swing by Stoddards, something of a Boston institution, for the reason stated in the title. I had been there a few times before, but they closed down one store and moved their other location. They have been in the current location for a while, like a year or two. Boston is a knife store desert. I can get $250 flip flops in a bunch of places (serious, have you ever been to Hermes? Ugh.). So Stoddards in their new location, was my only hope.

Alas, it was a bust. First the store was very disorganized. There were two display counters with pocket knives and a bunch of kitchen knives on magnetic strips behind the counters. There was another counter but it had nothing in it. The only legit pocket knives were a box of Opinel's (unsorted, still in their shipping box), some Lone Wolf knives, some CRKT knives, a good selection of Spydercos and some Benchmade products. They were not tagged. I asked about prices and I was blown away. They were charging OVER the MSRP. Now on some products, like the CRKT stuff the MSRP is pretty low to begin with, and going with the old, pre-Internet philosophy of adding on for the middle man, I can see tacking on a bit. But Benchmades and Spydercos were insanely priced. Mini Grip? $100. Seriously. No special steel, not a limited edition, just a regular old Mini Grip.

What a disappointment. Your business model cannot be dependent on A) overcharging your customers and B) having only customers who are not Internet savvy. They did have a nice selection of kitchen knives, if that is your thing, and the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable. They also had a very nice sharpening service set up, but I don't think it was a full regrind operation, though I don't know that for sure.

So, any Mass or New England folks know of another good knife store in the area? ]]> General Discussion Rawls http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/76394-America-s-Oldest-Continuously-Operating-Cutlery-Store-A-Bust