Hey, in the meantime check out the Brazil episode of Dual Survival. You'll see Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin using the ESEE lite machete we took a look at last month.

And because some people have asked - the knife Dave Canterbury is using his own design from Blind Horse Knives, the pathfinder blade. Although less frequently asked I believe Cody Lundin is using a Mora 740, which is a discontinued model.

Well guys, I got back from the work weekend at my Dad's South Carolina deer lease late Sunday night and have been trying to catch up since then. Finally I got some time to put the videos together. Unfortunately there isn't much video because man we were busy! But we did see some serious tracks and some big rubs. Somewhere out there on this property are some monster bucks!

This video is of the tower stand that we were lucky enough to pick up for $250 from another member who wasn't using it. I had an epic battle with a legion of wasps trying to clean it out but it's good to go now. My brother and I put in a new plywood floor as the old one had some dry rot. Then we put self-adhesive carpet tiles on top of the plywood for heat retention and sound dampening. This should be sweet come the cold weather.

The stand is situated facing (east) down an access trail/shooting lane that runs about 200 yards give or take before it curves sharply to the south. Right at that curve are the big rubs we saw. To the north (left) of our stand is thick pine brush they bed down in, to the south of the stand (looking right and slightly back) is a food plot. Hopefully we will catch them as they move over the trail from their bedding areas to the food plot. There is enough tree cover so that the rising sun shouldn't be an issue with early morning sessions.

ESEE Knives

ESEE Lite Machete Review - 4.75/5 (My new primary bushcraft blade)

I had been questioning what kind of blade I needed as either a chopper or utility type blade aside from a neck and/or belt knife for several months. I was originally considering the new junglas from ESEE but when I considered the weight vs. utility factor I just didn't see why it was any better than a specialized tool. So I started asking around about hatchets as opposed to large knives and really considering my needs in the bush.

As people started to answer it was evident that large knives were out and the real battle was small axe vs. machete. So I started thinking about my AO and approach and thought to look up some videos on thicker vegetation areas like jungles. That's when I came across Colhane's Youtube Channel. This guy is a machete master! He's a Baptist minister that spends a lot of time in Brazil and leads a kind of outdoor ministry at times that frequents rain forests. Now, whoever of you out there doesn't think the areas I operate in are as thick as jungle, check out the area behind me in the Sitka Review Video. Most importantly from his videos I saw what the machete could do to smaller trees - that is, take them down. I had previously worried about the strength of a machete for serious chopping, but seeing some really thick trees felled quickly with no damage to the blade convinced me enough to try one out. Besides, even the most expensive machetes are half the cost of a good belt hatchet.

I had seen that ESEE was producing a new 18" machete (23" OAL) and being a bit of a fanboy, decided to order one. Add that I had just seen Woodsmonkey's review and was smitten. Let me tell you first, it's an improved copy of the 18" Condor machete and is almost twice the price. ESEE adds their own blade treatment and micarta handle, but other than that it's the same. The reason why I support ESEE regardless of price is outlined a bit later.

So it came and it was of course, razor sharp. I mean shaving sharp (which was an issue later on). The handle is a tad bit long for my hand but is really comfortable. The sheath was a fairly inexpensive cordura type that I'm not a big fan of, but it'll do for now. The whole feel of the machete, the balance and the handle together is just awesome.

Now, I was going to wait until the lease work day to try it out, but I was excited about it and took it trailblazing with the dog in tow. It was great, felling 1-2" saplings with one swing and up to 5" with relative ease, so chopping down frame materials are no issue at all. Clearing vines and palmetto was nothing. I did this for about two and a half hours and had a blast. At least in my AO and for my purposes a machete was going to fit the bill perfectly. But the real test was going to be using it as the only clearing/hacking/cutting tool on the work weekend for our deer lease in South Carolina.

So as promised I took the ESEE Lite Machete to do some trail clearing during our work weekend. We cut pine, maple, trimmed up (hacked of 4" branches) of scrub oak. My dad once stopped hacking with it to say "that's a dang good machete!", and he is not easily impressed. While putting up his ladder stand on a new area he had never hunted he realized that although the area was perfect with two clear lanes, a food plot not far, when he climbed up and looked out he hadn't counted on one single old maple to be blocking about 90 degrees of shooting. From the ground it wasn't in the way, but its leaves at 15-20ft definitely were. My dad thought we could "bend" it back but it was 7-9" thick and we didn't have enough rope to throw over. I said "let's hack it down", now my little brother says there's no way the machete could take it, accepting the challenge of it I said I could do it in less than five minutes. So I started hacking down into the tree at about 54 inches, then started wedging up. I was making good time but got out of breath and dad took over. Within two more minutes the thick maple was down.

We were all sold at that point. The ESEE Lite Machete had taken three hard days of serious abuse taking down hard and soft wood up to maybe nine inches thick and had come out begging for more. I will never need that size wood while scouting or bushcrafting, but it's great to know that this machete's performance will far exceed my needs. I am so impressed with the performance here that I am going to perform Colhane's mods and possibly purchase or make a good leather scabbard for this blade because it's coming with me every time now. The only thing this baby doesn't do is baton and split wood, it's also quite large for delicate tasks. So I'm going to really evaluate what other blades I need. My Izula is utterly unnoticed while on my neck and it takes an edge so quick that its a must have. So the question really is, is my RC-4 past it's prime or do I really need a specific batoning blade?

The issue: The first day I had used the machete I noticed some denting/chipping on the blade. It didn't effect performance but it still concerned me so I emailed ESEE's info address asking if they knew of any bad batches or how they preferred to re-profile the edge. Amazingly the very next day I go an email from Jeff Randall himself (owner) and through the day we isolated the issue to a very severe grind leading to a super thin edge and a possible heat treat issue. He told me how to fix the edge and said he'd send me a new machete immediately. That's the kind of service I like and it's why time again I will order from smaller American owned businesses with a reputation for pride in their products.

You see, with constant chopping a super thin grinds tend to roll and chip at the edge and that's exactly what happened. After two good hours of use through palmetto, Kudzu, and taking down small pine saplings the edge was chipped in several places. I was not happy. So I sent an email to ESEE which was promptly answered by Jeff Randall (the owner) and he's sending me a new machete with a less severe grind at no cost. He also explained how to work out the burrs and chips and put the proper angle on with a file - I used a smith's tri-hone. That's why I support ESEE/Rat, great service, knowledgeable staff, and true confidence in the product.

I will still use the machete I have this weekend for a video review.

I also wanted to let you guys know that Maxpedition has a load of factory second OD green Pygmy Falcon II's for $62.99 plus shipping. I know some people don't like that Maxpedition uses foreign produced bags but it's still American designed and American owned.

I did pick up a Savage 110 with scope. Hopefully I'll have enough time to put that up in the "My first Deer" section.

In the meantime if you want to check out where we'll be hunting this year go to Buck Forest.

I literally just finished this book five minutes ago so the memory is fresh. Much more so than my recollection of the movie by the same name which was another bomb for Kevin Costner and was at best, loosely based on the novel. But nonetheless, here are my thoughts on this PAW fiction classic.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world that was brought on by a war where nuclear weapons were used. Fifteen or so years after the initial war we find ourselves face to face with Gordon Krantz, a loner type who is trying to find a place where true rebuilding is happening. All the while he moves from hamlet (author's word) to hamlet using his memory of classic plays to entertain townspeople and maybe get a meal and some resupply. While on the trail he is ambushed by hostile survivalists which forces him to escape, that's when he makes a startling find, an old USPS mail jeep. He takes shelter from the cold in the jeep where he finds a the remains of the old mailman. He takes the jacket and hat from the old dead man and uses them to fool people into believing he is an agent of the new American government sent to re-establish a mail route. That's when he finds himself forced to live a lie and spread hope.

The story has it's share of PAW standards, a small-scale war between rival factions, para-military organizations, some talk of primitive skills, etc. In and of itself the novel is a slightly better than average story, but of course I can't leave well enough alone. I did not like the portrayal of prepper types (pre-war) as basically, selfish and foolish hoarders who died lonely deaths soon after the initial war. The logic is flawed when considering that the "normal" non-preppers establish primitive communes and struggle, but are apparently doing OK and are at least alive. I consider this part of the book to be a major flaw and in some instances, slightly offensive.

But to be fair I did like the major emphasis on rebuilding in small communities with clear division of labor. In a true PAW I highly doubt there will be much of a time where utter isolation is considered the norm. I'd imagine a banding together of small communities to pool resources, barter, and eventually try to rebuild. The mentioning of arts like beer brewing were fun as well.

The book reads at a good pace. There weren't any moments where I thought "oh, c'mon, let's hurry this up". There was a fair amount of real story here instead of the story simply revolving around the setting (event that brought PAW). This differed a bit from books like Alas, Babylon and One Second After where the story is really just how a group of characters react to a PAW-inducing event.

For those who have seen the b-grade movie, the book is not the same at all. Costner (directed and starred) really short cut a few areas and doesn't follow the story arc. In my opinion he really didn't hit the main idea of the novel. Usually I can understand why movie adaptations of novels change certain things, dramatize a scene, or don't include smaller and less significant scenes that help character development. However in this movie they missed a lot of marks.

The verdict - Worth reading if you have no other books on your "to read" list available. Buy it used or check it out of the library. Not something I need to include in my prep library.

The movie, I'd only watch it again if it was on Hulu and I needed some background noise while working on a project.

So I head on over to Youtube and take a look at Colhane's channel. He had a neck knife setup as a PSK using bicycle inner tube for flaps/pockets. I then remembered a Dave Canterbury video where he did something similar with a machete. Having made some "pathfinder" type gear myself I thought I could do the same with the kydex body. That would solve the pocket issue, but what about the belt carry?

As I looked around for images of different RC-4's I saw one mod where a poster on BladeForums used a piece of rappel grade webbing and some zipties to add a loop for his RC-6. That would be perfect if I sewed some loops to keep the webbing from shifting under the zip ties. I know I can do it now, and for cheap.

So while on a break at work I took some time to do this.

Materials - kydex sheath body, two 8" zip ties (will be cut), one 12" section of webbing (will be cut), 26"x1 3/8" inner tube, and I sewed the webbing loops with upholstery thread but that's not necessary.

Tools - knife/scissors, needle if you choose to sew loops in the webbing.

1) Cut a piece of webbing that will eventually serve as the belt loop. You could also use old belt leather or even paracord as an alternative. I chose to sew several sections so the webbing wouldn't shift. Cut it to reach an inch lower than you plan the lowest zip tie to be but long enough for the sheath to ride where you want it.

2) Put the zip ties into as many rivet holes as you'd like. I think two is fine.

3) Loop the webbing and place it where you'd like height-wise against the body. Remember to place it for righty/lefty.

4) Cinch down the zip ties and cut the excess. That will create the belt loop section. You should be able to modify these plans for horizontal carry fairly easily

5) Cut inner tube to the size pockets you want. Remember that the larger you cut the pieces the harder it will be to stretch them and slide them into place.

6) Starting with the top pocket slide the inner tubes into place with each new piece overlapping the "bottom" of the higher piece. I'll admit, this part is difficult. This will create the pockets.

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Now that I've completed the "construction" I'll have to put together a PSK on the sheath. I'll post better pictures when it's complete.

I just put in an order for an ESEE lite machete and should be having a serious testing session come the 30th when we go up to South Carolina to work on the hunting lease. Might do some video with the Henry .22lr while we're up there. I am also considering trying to import a Karrimor Sabre for my next pack review. Hopefully by the end of the week we will have some photos of a sheath mod for the ESEE/Rat RC-4. In addition to all that I've got a few more videos planned out but not yet filmed due to the nearly daily heavy rains we've been getting in my area. I'd do it anyways but it makes for horrible video quality.

So as always if you have any requests, comments, questions, or concerns please contact me at TheChristianSurvivalGuide@gmail.com - Thanks, Tyson

5.11 Rush 12

- For video check here -

I have been searching for the perfect pack since I began getting serious about the woods. Starting with a Target special sling bag and progressing through various vendors and designs. For my most common need I think a two strapped version of the Maxpedition Sitka would be great. Or maybe a new Pygmy Falcon with a hydration carrier and a back plate. Something a bit smaller than a true daypack but with at least 1000d nylon and a little support. Having used a 5.11 Rush 24 for some hard months through the Ocala National Forest at a wilderness therapy camp, I grew to appreciate 5.11 designs. So naturally when I saw the 5.11 Rush 12, I thought my perfect pack was on it's way.

5.11 has a short history with packs only having produced three true packs in conjunction with VTAC. All having been designed in the past five years or so with little to update or improve the design. Luckily the designs are pretty decent. 5.11 likes to include quick release buckles on straps, cuts the shoulder pads at a curve for a more ergonomic fit, and includes decent options for hydration carrier capability. One of my favorite 5.11 features is the padded eyewear pocket near the top strap. The Rush 12 doesn't deviate from these designs, just miniaturizes them.

For a while now it's been pretty difficult to come by the Rush 12. Apparently 5.11 made a limited run of them, I'm assuming they weren't confident they could gain enough market share over Maxpedition when it comes to smaller packs. I found mine from a random Ebay vendor that usually sells only challenge coins and the like. I thought it weird but it was verified new in the bag with tags still on it and at $72 plus $5 or so for shipping, I was down.

Size comparison with a cheap Target pack and the Maxpedition Sitka

So it comes, I open the box and rip the bag out like it's an Atari at Christmas. I hold the bag up ala Lion King and commence the inspection. All the seams look tight, no fraying, zippers are smooth (all YKK's), buckles aren't deformed. Well alright, I won't need to return it. On to the pockets - the main pockets and compartments. The main compartment is almost the same as the 24 and 72 with a bungee pocket on the back wall and two zippered mesh pockets on the front wall. They have taken away the bottom zippers but I don't really see any harm in that. The hydration carrier pouch is all the same, two hooks and a velcro loop up top - hang your bladder in there, thread the drinking tube up through the access slot and into the velcro ports on top of the bag. There are ports on both sides but when you thread the tube onto the shoulder pads the only real option is the left side as this is where the sternum strap's keeper loop is. The Admin pouch is again, a mini version of the 24, two key keepers, all kinds of small flaps/pockets, two deep pockets on the front flap that will hold a .5L bottle of water each, and a zippered pocket at the back. The padded eyewear pocket on the top is now a staple of 5.11 products - don't lose that, design guys, and Maxpedition take note! The only real difference with the Rush 12 is the "top pocket". The 24/72 had a split pocket with a perfect set up for cell phones, small wallets, compass and firesteel, etc. In the 12 it is one pocket about 4.5" deep and maybe 8" long and its not padded or separated any further. Its a great place to dump your wallet and keys but that's about it. I would have rather seen another split pocket design even if miniaturized.

Holding a 17 inch laptop

The exterior is the same ol' PALs webbing (credit BobtheBreaker from ZS for clarifying that). I don't really use any Molle accessories and I'd actually like to see a version without all the tacti-cool webbing. But that isn't this review. The stitching looks strong but I've had issues with my 24 in the past and I'm not confident that they won't break loose in the future. And yeah, I know I won't use it so there's no point if the webbing does get loose but I paid for it, I want it to be quality regardless. There are some added buckles at the bottom of the pack to add webbing and make a waist strap. I see this as completely unnecessary - the pack isn't big enough. Should have thought about that with the 24, though. The back plate is ok. It adds rigidity but retains heat and allows no airflow - equals swamp back. No padding, either. Luckily the straps are quite comfortable up to about 18 lbs.

I've had the pack for a little over a month now. I take it to work, use it to walk the dog (loooong walks), run with it on, and have taken it through the brush while scouting. These are my findings:

Showing the depth

If you plan on stuffing this thing with some work goodies and a laptop (in a sleeve) it's great. Highly organized and comfortable for car to office kind of carry. I think 5.11 takes an edge over Maxpedition when it comes to EDC as their organizational options are a bit better, and with this new reduced size, they finally have a true contender for the desk bound Sheep dogs.

However, in the bush this bag is hot (only comes in black), is not breathable on your back, and creates way too much condensation with the back plate. Add to that a somewhat inferior fabric durability and I'm just turned off. I am not confident in this bag's ability to stay together over the long run. There are most certainly better options in the $100-$150 range if you can throw a bit more cash at it. Even in the same sub $100 range the Pygmy Falcon II is a better bush bag (sans hydration carrier ability).

The verdict: Great EDC bag, not so great in the bush. For well under $100 its a cool piece of kit if you like the tactical black approach, for those who prefer a greyman approach check out Mountainsmith in the same price range.

Caution: The language and some situations in this book are not kid safe.

The Read: So I have an affinity for wilderness adventure books and this one has been noted on many backpacking forums as one of the most comical and entertaining books ever written about hiking. I've had it on my list of 'to read's for a while now and just kept putting it off. I don't rightly know why as it's central figure is the Appalachian Trail, a place I have long dreamed of hiking and which goes through what is in my opinion the prettiest slice of America, the Blue Ridge or as better known, The Great Smoky Mountains.

The author, Bill Bryson, is also the main character as the book is a telling of his own hike through the AT. He is quick and witty and has a great sense of timing. His portrayal of the characters on the trail (mostly fellow hikers and hostel owners) is just plain funny. Often when entering a new park or section of trail he will sort of stop for a little education and history of the park. At times this can get a bit preachy and in the few instances he speaks at length in this manner, interrupts the cadence of the storytelling.

The thing I really loved about this book was that it did not over-glorify the hiking experience. In fact, Bryson speaks with a self-depricating prose about his age and being ill-equipped for the trail. He and his companion, Katz, were both a bit older and not physically prepared, plus under-experienced for a thru-hike. This made for great comedic moments like throwing extra food off the trail in a hilarious fit of rage because of it's weight. Bryson also had a serious fear of bears that almost seems central to the story. The interactions and sarcasms exchanged with Katz, Bryson's hiking companion for a good portion of the book are just awesome. The times where Bryson is without him on the trail you miss his presence.

The one thing I did not like was the amount of enviromental preachiness. Especially when Bryson tells of his encounter with a moose. He goes on to call selective culling and lottery permitted hunting of moose, "slaughter". And while I agree that commercialism inside National Parks defeats the purpose they were created for, I also see it as a sort of necessary evil to pay for their own staffing. A constant complaint from Bryson is the underfunding of the National Park System, yet he also speaks of the NPS as if it was staffed by a pack of incompetents anyways. There was one short moment where Bryson spoke sarcastically of wanting to make sure his doors locked at night after meeting a young Christian couple at a boarding house. Their causation for fear, they prayed. Quietly and on their own, mind you, not involving others at the table. Luckily this was a quick moment and he did not drag on with it.

I got the book for a steal on Amazon (that used book set up they have is great!) and paid about $5 total for the paperback version. It was well worth the money. I suppose the book would not have the same humorous and sarcastic flavor if Bryson didn't occasionally rag on the NPS or stereotype some characters, but still, some of it crept up on "the line" though for me, it did not pass it.

The Verdict: I have to say if you're interested in hiking the AT or just like a witty travel story, it's a must read. Expect to laugh out loud and be offended all in the same chapter, just don't pay full retail.