What's in the Bag? - David's Everyday Carry Pack Dump
Ok, so the first thing we’re going to take a look at is stuff on my belt...and we’re actually going to look at my belt too, because I got a new belt. Sometimes I have my cell phone in my pack or in my pocket, but today I have it on my belt, and I’m testing out the Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5. It’s a pretty cool case. Honestly I don’t like it as much as my Ballistic HC case, but it’s pretty good. And a cool app I have on my iPhone is the free SAS Survival Guide. There’s a few neat things in there; if you want the whole deal you’ve got to pay like $3.99 or something like that. Alright, so that’s my iPhone.
A couple of things I’m going to mention are things I’m just testing...and then there’s a few things that I’ve already tested and that I really kinda fell in love with, and I EDC them. One of them is the Schrade First Response knife. I’d say it’s similar to the Gerber Hinderer, but these Schrade knives are quite a bit cheaper, and they’re made out of pretty good steel...and I really like a good spring-assist knife on my belt, that way I can just take it off and open it with one finger. Similar to the Hinderer knife and a few other knives like this, you’ve got a flip-out strap cutter, and a little butt-end glass breaker...so that’s pretty cool. Another thing that’s really key for a belt-carry knife is the clip. This one has a v-bend in it - that’s going to help that knife stay on your belt better than a knife which has a belt clip that is kinda’ flat and smooth the whole way with no v-indentation on it - that design is more of a pocket-carry clip, made for sliding in and out of your pocket real easy. So anyway, enough about clips.
And I am testing (this isn’t really an EDC item) the new SOG Tangle. This is kind-of their answer to all the paracord knives that are coming out. They’ve got paracord wound around a skeletonized tang. I think this blade is a little bit over 4”...pretty good steel...and I like it so far - it’s a nice knife.
And lastly my belt. I picked up a new belt a little while ago. It’s the Black Hawk Rigger's Belt. When I first got one of these, I got the 1 3/4” width...and that puppy was just too big. It didn’t fit my jeans, and it didn’t fit really any of my other pants, and if it did, it went through the loops but was too tight...so I sent it back and I picked up the 1 1/2” version. It’s awesome. It fits in all my pants, it’s got parachute grade belt buckles, and it’s rated for 7,000 pounds tensile strength...and I really like it. So that’s what I’ve got on my belt, and my belt itself.
In My Pockets
Lets take a look in my pockets now. There’s my new Schrade pocket knife. It’s pretty nice; it’s got G-10 scales, it’s a liner-lock, it’s got thumb studs, and a serrated blade...so, it’s a pretty attractive knife. I like it. It’s very smooth, it slides out of the pocket nice, and it looks good. Lets see...what else do I have in my pocket? Oh, I’ve got my iPhone headphones - I didn’t even know those were in there. And my wallet. I’ve got a few cool things in my wallet...‘course, no money...I’ve got a buck, a penny, and a key for my P.O. Box - nice. On the other side, I have my Ultimate Survival Tips cards.
They also make this credit-card sized flashlight - the Eon, I think it is - and it’s just an LED light, and you just squeeze it in the middle to turn it on. It’s actually pretty bright, and they say it is going to last for 10 years. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen or not...but I’m not sure if I’ll even still have it then...so I guess we’ll see. The only thing with this light is that it’s a bit fatter than the knife, to fit the LED’s in where the switch is...so it does take up a little bit of room in my wallet, and I don’t carry it all the time, but I have been testing it lately, so it’s in there.
In The Pack
Let’s see what’s next. Lets take a look at my pack. There’s a lot of junk in here; I just got done with a 5 day photoshoot gig (day-job and all). So I’ve just got some extra clothes. I have what we call a “neck fuzzy”, but it’s like a scarf. And my Bible. Let’s see here...I picked up a paracord bracelet on Amazon, and I believe that it has an 8 foot paracord on there. I just keep that snapped on my pack. So let’s see what’s on the other side. Oh...a water bottle; a 32oz Gatorade bottle...they’re cheap - and they work. And reading glasses - welcome to over 40. Now let’s look in the main compartment here. I’m not even sure what’s in here this week. Some gloves. My Anorak all-weather cover; it’s really handy.
My PowerLine AC adapter for my computer and iPhone and everything on-location. A hat. Ah! I just threw this in here yesterday: it’s the new Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro knife. I’m not going to talk much about it now...but it’s full tang. They did a lot of things right with this knife...but I’ll talk about that sometime soon. I’ve got my sweater. Oh...I forgot I had my SOG Force in there. I have a full review on that which you can check out on our channel.
Oh, this next thing is cool - I can’t wait to review it: This is a Henry survival kit. And actually, it comes in a cool, extra-large spam-can kinda thing with rolling closures. It’s actually waterproof; it’s got a silicone gasket. This is the most complete survival kit that I’ve seen to date in this small of a container. The only one I’ve seen that compares to this is the Gear Pods system. And I’m going to review them sometime very soon. The Gear Pods have quite a bit more than the Henry kit. And this isn’t something you’re going to just throw in your pocket, but you can certainly throw it in a pouch or a bag or even your glove box maybe...or under a seat in the car...whatever. So, we’ll take a look at that soon.
Let’s see what’s in this top pocket. Sunglasses. All my electronic spare gizmos and gadgets: iPhone cords, spotlight (LED flashlight) - this is just EDC stuff - battery backup charger for my iPhone (I’ve done a review on that), of course the Bear Grylls Priorities of Survival Guide - I have like 100 of these things, so they’re probably somewhere else in this pack also. And just some other random stuff: an extra Bear Grylls whistle, some fire-steel....oh, and this is cool, I think it’s discontinued now: A SOG sharpener that has some fire-steel on one side and a ceramic sharpener on the other side. Then there’s some extra batteries...and just stuff - electronic stuff mostly. What else do we have here...? Oh, my Winchester ear-plugs. You never know when you’ll need those.
The Wave
Okay...moving on. Let’s see what’s in this next section. A home-made granola bar. Didn’t know that was in there.... My vintage Leatherman Wave. This is a version 1 Leatherman Wave tool. This tool has seen a lot of action, goes everywhere with me...and it is ultimately the multi-tool I recommend. I got this in 2002. I’ve had this for 10 years, it’s never let me down...and, in fact, I’m going to tell you that I’ve never sharpened it, and I’ve processed quite a bit of game with this knife.
What else do we have here...? Ah, I’ve got my new Junior’s Bullet Pen. I actually talked to those guys at the Shot Show, and they gave me one of those pens...so that was really nice of them. You can read about their story here. And I’ve got another stainless steel pen. These pens are really handy and, in a pinch, they can be weapons. Not bad to have a few of those around.
I’ve got some note cards...some Christian tracts...and...a scarf. Also a survival blanket. Aha! And a new Smith & Wesson Border Guard knife. That’s a monster. It’s got a strap cutter, and a glass breaker. I lost that...I didn’t know where it was. Awesome.
What else is in this pouch? You never know what you’re going to dig up. My Old Timer 25OT; that’s a serious folder...and I forgot that was in there too. Another Bear Grylls Pocket Survival Guide. Toothpaste...but no toothbrush...alright. Two band-aids. Some soap. And you never know when you need to inflate a basketball, so there’s a pin for a basketball.
It’s a titanium multi-tool, and there’s 5 little tools in here. This ring is more of a novelty item than fully functional, but you can sharpen a knife pretty sharp with it...and these tools do work...they’re just small. They’re about 3/4 of an inch long. And we’ve got a little mustache comb, a little fine-edged blade, a little bottle opener, a serrated edge blade, and a little, tiny saw. It’s really comfortable, it’s custom-made to size, and they’re a couple hundred bucks, so if you don’t know what to do with the extra money in your piggy bank, you could check one of these rings out. They’re made by Boone Rings. So that’s it for this month. Check us out for next time...and I get to put all this stuff back in the pack now! Thanks for tuning in!
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