Ghost Knives Banshee D2

I've recently been carrying a super compact and lightweight fixed blade knife called the Banshee D2, by Ghost Knives. The knife is so small and light that at times I've forgotten I had it on me. If you're looking for a handy, small fixed-blade for everyday carry or to keep in a bug-out bag or daypack, the 6.11-inch over-all length and 1.8oz of the Banshee D2 won't be a burden and will make a fine addition or backup to whatever larger blades you may already carry. 

Ghost Knives Banshee D2

While the 2.38-inch blade won't do everything you might need a knife for, having a small, but sharp, high-quality fixed-blade available at all times is certainly not a bad idea. With it's secure Kydex sheath that can be attached to a belt, pack strap or carried in a pocket with a paracord tether to a belt or belt loop for one-handed draw, the Banshee D2 is quick to bring into action when a folder might be too slow or awkward to deploy.  

The unwrapped Banshee D2, showing the skeletonized handle.

The D2 steel blade is flat ground and comes to a drop point. The sample I received from Ghost Knives was shaving sharp right out of the box. The entire blade and skeletonized handle are coated with corrosion-resistent Cerakote. While you can use the Banshee D2 as is if you prefer the feel of of the skeletonized handle, Ghost Knives includes a length of black paracord for handle-wrapping, which gives a secure, more comfortable grip. The paracord wrap is actually fire cord, with a flammable strand inside that along with the included micro-flint, can aid in fire-starting in an emergency. 

In the Kydex sheath, the Banshee D2 is easy to grab and because the sheath is identical on both sides, lacking clips,  it can be worn on either side and in whatever position you prefer.

My use of the Banshee D2 has so far been mostly limited to slicing open UPS boxes and such, but as small and light as it is, it will be going with me on some upcoming fall camping trips and will likely see plenty of use in the field. I can see carrying it whether hiking, kayaking or canoeing, or riding my motorcycle or bicycle, as there is no reason to leave it at home, really. 

The Banshee D2 is 100% made in the U.S.A. and is reasonably priced at an MSRP of $79.99.  You can save a few dollars off list and get it for $74.99 from Amazon.

If you're not sure what to do with the included handle-wrap cord, here is a video tutorial featuring this very knife with simple instructions on how to wrap a skeleton knife handle with 550 paracord.

 

EDC Lights and Knife from James Williams and CRKT

I received some fantastic products in the mail today from James Williams, of System of Strategy. Those of you who are familiar with CRKT Knives have probably seen some of the designs of James Williams, a master of the Japanese samurai fighting arts and the president of Bugei Trading Company. James Williams has extensive experience teaching close-quarters combat to police and military and his tool and weapon designs are based on the needs of those whose lives depend on them.  Finding this site, he thought my readers would be particularly interested in these personal defense and tactical flashlights designed for EDC, as well as his new Shizuka Noh Ken folder. I absolutely agree, and I will be posting a full review of them after spending some time with them.

Pictured below, from top to bottom, the James Williams-designed CRKT Personal Defense Light, the Tactical Applications Light, and the Shizuoka Noh Ken folder. Note the clips for deep pocket carry on each:

Compact high-intensity flashlights have come a long way since I reviewed some early models here on  Bug Out Survival in this 2010 post: http://www.bugoutsurvival.com/2010/01/gear-review-compact-hi-intensity.html

I'll have all the details and specs of these new CRKT lights in the upcoming review, but I can tell you already that one or both of these will going wherever I go from now on.

I was especially excited to get my hands on Williams' new Shizuka Noh Ken folder, as I was looking to replace yet another Cold Steel Voyager with a broken pocket clip. As a master of bladed weapons, Williams designs his knives for self-defense and combat, so this is not a do-it-all utility or bushcraft knife. It is designed to neutralize an attacker as quickly and efficiently as possible; one look at the blade will tell you that. Carry something else to open packages and whittle with and save this for when and if you need it. The Shizuka Noh Ken (Japanese for "Hidden Blade") is a smaller version of his Otanashi Noh Ken (Sword of Silence) of the same design and it is so light and slim in your pocket you'll barely remember you have it. It's rare to find a blade design that both stabs and slices equally well, but that's exactly what this and Williams' larger Japanese tanto designs excel at. When I post a review I'll show the difference between these traditional tanto blades and the more commonly seen American tanto designs that are much less capable when it comes to stabs and thrusts. For now, note that despite the long curve of the belly of the blade that makes it great for slicing, the needle-like tip is straight in line with the handle, making it effectivly a dagger when it comes to thrusting.

As already mentioned, James Williams not only designs edged weapons, but is a master of using them and teaching others to do so. In addition to the tactical lights and knife, he included two of his instructional DVDs for my review (The Edged Weapon and Continuing Solutions to Edged Weapons). There are a lot of concepts and ideas in the nearly four hours of instruction here that I have never seen  anywhere else, although we worked with knives quite a bit when I studied Ed Parker's system of Kenpo. I'm looking forward to working more with these principles and hope to attend one of James Williams' seminars to see his methods first hand.

The timing for these items to arrive could not have been better, because I have been planning to begin writing more here about self-defense, both unarmed and with weapons, as well as the importance of physical fitness for survival. I feel these are critical skills and attributes that are far too often overlooked or neglected in the prepping and survival community. Stay tuned for more to come soon.

Revisiting Favorite Wild Places

I spent a couple of weeks in September wandering around the Southwest by motorcycle, mostly camping in national forests and other public lands, which there is no shortage of in this region.  Many of the places I wanted to revisit were favorite areas I've done lots of backpacking and exploring in, such as the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado and the Blue Range Primitive area of southeastern Arizona.  These are also areas discussed as bug out locations in my book: Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It's Too Late.

Riding the Suzuki Vstrom 650, I was able to leave the pavement for long stretches of exploring unpaved forest service roads.  A lighter, more off-road capable bike would be e even better once there, of course, but with all the highway and interstate riding to do the 3700-mile trip out and back from Mississippi, the DL650 was a good compromise.  I plan to post a more detailed account of the trip with more photos on my main website soon, but wanted to share a couple of photos here too.  Those of you living out West are fortunate to have access to so much publicly accessible wild land for exploring, camping, hunting and in the worst-case, as potential bug-out locations.

Southwestern Colorado near the San Juan Range

Blue Range Primitive Area, Arizona

An another note, before I left on the trip I did an interview with Morry Baines, who runs a multitool review site and has been working on a round-up of interviews with various survival authors and others with questions such as "What is the most useful tool for the outdoors?"  You can read the answers including mine and those of some of my fellow survival authors including Jim Cobb, Bernie Carr and others here: http://bestmultitoolkit.com/expert-roundup/most-useful-tool-outdoors/   The full interview that I did is here: http://bestmultitoolkit.com/interviews/scott-williams-bugoutsurvival-com/

Morry also wrote an article on multitools aimed specifically at boaters, and since much of my writing has to do with bugging out by boat, here is the direct link to that: http://bestmultitoolkit.com/knowledgebase/multi-tool-boat-essential-tips/

Also, don't forget that I'm giving away a free copy of Refuge After the Collapse (Book II of The Pulse  Series) every Friday of this month to subscribers to my newsletter.  Last Friday's winner was Wayne in Fort Edward, NY.  Today's winner will receive notification through the newsletter list, and will be announced to the rest of the list later today or tomorrow.  There are three more Fridays in this month, so if you haven't won a copy yet, hang in there, you've still got a chance.

Updated Cold Steel Voyager XL

The new edition of the Cold Steel Voyager XL, one of my favorite large folding knives:

In this post about Three Knives for Everyday Carry, I mentioned the Cold Steel Voyager XL (5-inch blade model), as I have owned and carried one of these since first running across one in a local sporting goods store back in 1996.  I was immediately drawn to the design the first time I handled it, as the size and balance seemed perfect and I could tell it would easily become an extension of my hand when applied with the Kenpo knife fighting techniques I had learned when I was heavily involved in that art.  But beyond its potential as an excellent close-quarters weapon that was large enough to be effective yet easy to conceal, I felt it could also serve well as a general purpose field knife and over the years this has proven true.  I've used it for skinning and dressing large and small game as well as for camp chores and rigging work while aboard my boat. Because of its light weight, smooth contours when closed, and convenient clip for securing inside a pocket or waistline of anything from sweat pants to swimming trunks, I rarely went anywhere without mine - that is until the clips broke off. 

The one pictured in the post referenced above was my second one, as the first version came with an inferior plastic belt clip that once broken, could not be replaced.  This second edition was somewhat improved, with a heavier-duty replaceable metal clip, but the clip was still the weakest point of the knife and eventually I snagged it on something while carrying the knife clipped in a side cargo pocket and broke that one too.  The second version of the Voyager also had an improved gripping surface, but the shape and size was virtually identical, as you can see here in this photo of both knives with broken belt clips: 

Both of my older Voyagers have the plain edge rather than the half-plain, half-serrated option that was available, as I prefer a blade I can easily keep sharpened to my needs when required.  Like the older model, the new Voyager XL can be had with either a plain or 50/50 serrated blade for the same MSRP of $87.99. Changes in the design include a more secure grip, a new Tri-Ad locking mechanism, a flat ground blade rather than the hollow-ground of previous models, and ambidextrous pocket clips that are more discreet than the old design. 

With both of my old voyagers somewhat more difficult to carry and put into action without the pocket clips, I figure it's time to try the new model.  I'll report on it here after I've had time to compare the changes against my old favorites.  You can get one on Amazon for $69.95, and compared to a lot of the competition, that's a bargain for such a versatile folder. If anyone has used the updated model and has some feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

Here's the manufacturer's description of the new Voyagers from the Cold Steel website:

Voyager® Series

Our Voyagers® are, ounce for ounce, far stronger than 99.9% of our competitor's folders. And this is a fact, not an idle boast. Each knife features precision made parts with a stiff spring and our incomparable Tri-Ad® lock mechanism which is arguably the strongest, most reliable, low maintenance lock in the world! 

The thick, extra wide blades are made from Japanese AUS 8A steel and meticulously ground to a thin edge for maximum shearing potential. This thin edge also allows us to hone each blade to astounding sharpness. And, because of the high carbon content of the steel, and their near perfect heat treatment, you'll find this sharpness last a surprisingly long time. 

If you like serrations, you'll really appreciate our exclusive pattern. It features groups of very small, sharply pointed teeth separated by wide, shallow arcs so it will rip smoothly yet very aggressively through a wide variety of tough fibrous materials without snagging or hanging up. 

The Voyager® Series also offers all the other latest refinements in lock-back construction including lightning quick, one-handed opening, state of the art mechanical fasteners, massively oversized pivot pins that are fully adjustable and properly hardened, and dual stainless steel pocket clips for ambidextrous carry and deployment. 

The Grivory handles feature 6061 heat treated aluminum liners for the utmost in strength and stiffness and are ergonomically designed to afford a wide array of grip options including the palm reinforced forward grip for which they are particularly well suited. 

Grivory is unparalleled as a handle material as it is considerably stronger than Zy-Ex and, when deeply textured, offers a terrific non-slip grip. As an added bonus, it's impervious to moisture and won't crack, warp or shrink and remains remarkably resistant to abrasion or discoloration.
As tools these lightweight, super sharp knives are appropriate in almost any environment from hunting and camping to hiking and general utility chores. They can also readily fill specialty functions such as a boat or river knife, chute knife or police/military and survival/rescue applications.

Guest Post: The Survival Sewing Kit

Julie Eason, of Serious Sewing.com wrote to suggest a guest post on what to include in a well-stocked survival sewing kit.  As some of you may know, I included sewing needles and heavy-duty Dacron thread in the checklist at the back of my book, Bug Out.  I've also mentioned needles and thread as part of the components of an ultra compact, minimal EDC bug out kit.

Knowing how to make simple repairs with a needle and thread is essential to maintain your gear and clothing.  You can progress way beyond that if you take an interest in it and learn to make your own gear, probably better than most of what you can buy.  Among other things, I've made my own buckskin moccasins, archery quivers, hats, rifle slings and cases, water bottle holders, canvas bags and even the sails for my boats, including the one I'm building now.

In the following article, Julie Eason goes into detail about what to include in a minimum survival sewing kit and why.  This is cheap to put together, weighs almost nothing and will take up little space in your bug out bag, so I think it's very good advice:

The Well-Stocked Survival Sewing Kit

Guest Post by Julie Anne Eason of Serious Sewing.com

When most people think of things they need to survive an emergency, a sewing kit isn't usually at the top of the list. But whether you're in a long-term TEOTWAWKI or a short-term natural disaster, things are going to need sewing. Obviously, your clothes need to stay in good repair. But don't forget about other fabric or leather based items as well--tents, sails, shoes, water skins. Some form of rudimentary sewing skill is necessary for a comfortable existence, and you're going to need supplies. Here's what you should have on hand in a survival situation.

Several sizes and styles of needles: Not every needle is suitable for every purpose. Fortunately, needles are cheap and small, so stock up on a package of different sized sharps and ball-points. Sharps are used to sew woven fabrics (the kind that don't stretch) and ball-points are used for knits (stretchy fabrics.)

You'll also want leather needles (called glover's needles.) These have a special point shaped like a triangle. It slices easily through leather (and skin-so be careful!) Speaking of skin, a few suture needles are a good idea, too, in case you need to perform medical stitching.

Curved needles, sail needles and large-eye harness and tapestry needles will also come in handy for all kinds of projects.

Several sizes and types of thread: Now is not the time to buy wimpy thread. Invest in several large spools of thick mercerized cotton thread, called "hand-quilting" thread. Also, you'll want several thicknesses of waxed linen thread for sewing heavy-duty items in canvas or leather. Some silk thread is also advisable for suture sewing.

Sharpening stone: Needles may be difficult to find, so you'll need to take good care of the ones you have. You should have a sharpening stone on hand anyway for honing knives and axes. The same one can be used for keeping needles in good working condition.

Scissors: Yes, you could use a knife to cut thread. But cutting fabric and leather is much easier with a pair of scissors. These can do double duty in the kitchen, too.

An awl: An awl makes a hole without cutting the fibers. This is especially important for repairing broken grommets in canvas or anytime you need to sew leather.

Small containers of beeswax and pine pitch: Run your sewing thread through a cake of beeswax a few times before sewing and your seams will last much longer. The wax conditions the thread and makes it less vulnerable to light damage and abrasion. Also, the wax will spread out a bit and fill your sewing holes, making a more water resistant (not water proof) seam.

Pine pitch is great for sealing a patch on shoes or anyplace a repair won't have to bend. It's flexible when warm, but will crack in cold weather if you bend it. You can make water-bearing bags and cups with pitch-sealed leather as they did in Europe 600 years ago.

Straight pins and small spring clamps: Pins hold your fabric together while you're stitching. But sometimes you need to work on a thick seam. That's when the spring clamps come in handy. Just a couple will do.

1/4 to 1/2 yard pieces of fabric: If you're not on the move, you can stockpile larger quantities of wool, linen, cotton, canvas and leather for making clothing and household items. But for an emergency kit, just roll up a few pieces of canvas and linen. Not only will these serve as patch material, but you can also strain liquids through them and even use them for bandages if necessary.

Small container of strong shoe glue like Barge cement: Your shoes and boots are going to wear out and need patching at some point. Barge cement is designed to hold shoes together without nails or stitching. Have a small tube on hand; it's useful for all kinds of repairs.

If you're not on the move and there's room in your kit you can add things like zippers, buttons, hooks & eyes, grommets and elastic. But usually these items can be recycled from other cast-offs. One pair of worn-out blue jeans can be a gold mine of recycled materials--fabric, buttons, zippers, pockets--just cut 'em up and reuse the parts.

Obviously a heavy-duty sewing machine and serger overlock machine are great to have on hand if you have the room and have electricity. But be prepared and learn some basic hand sewing stitches, too.

As with any survival kit--pack what you need and can carry. You never know when your skills with a needle will come in handy. They could even save a life.

Some Favorite Machetes

I've written both here and in my book about the utility of a good machete in the bug out bag, as well as for all types of wilderness travel and just work around the house or camp.  I thought I would post a few pictures of some of mine.  Here are the two I use most often.  Both are Latin American style blades, heavy in the tip for effortless trail clearing in the jungle, and made of good, springy steel that takes a razor edge.

I brought the shorter one back from my last trip to Honduras, and it has become an everyday favorite.  I bought it from a street vender in San Pedro Sula for the equivalent of about 7 bucks, if I remember right, including the handmade leather sheath you will see in the photos that follow.  It's just the right size and weight for a bug-out bag machete, and it goes with me every time I camp and most times I enter the woods.  It measures 23 1/2 inches overall and has an 18-inch blade.   The manufacturer's label on it says "Montero."  I've never found one like it here in the U.S., although I did find this reference on a similar one by the same company.  If I had known how good it would prove to be, I would have bought a dozen of them at that price.

The longer one is a "Collins" style machete made in Colombia.  This is the one I used off and on for years when I did some land surveying work with my brother all over the swamps and thickets of the South.  The longer and heavier blade is good for cutting sight lines all day, as the weight of the blade does most of the work if you use proper technique.  This machete can cut down small trees with no problem and has been a real workhorse.  Unfortunately, I can't find these anymore either.  I bought this one at Forestry Supply in Jackson for about 30 bucks, I think.  This one has a 22-inch blade, but they were available in longer and shorter lengths at the time.  It's in need of a new handle, but the blade is good to go for many more years.

In this next photo, you can see these two compared with a much longer blade.  This is a machete I bought off of one of our Miskito Indian guides on the Rio Patuca trip that I recently posted about.  All these fellows carried blades like this, even though most of them were well under six feet tall.  They preferred the long blades for cutting through the jungle all day and of course they used them for everything else that they needed a knife for as well.  This blade is worn down to this slender profile by repeated sharpening over the years.  It probably at one time had a heavier section near the tip, like the other two.  On that trip I saw many machetes that were sharpened to nearly a needle point and had only an inch or so of blade width remaining for most of their length.  This kind of machete may be too long for a bug out bag, but these guys didn't have bags at all and didn't even use sheaths.  The standard method of carry in the jungle when the blade is not in use (which is rare) is lying in crook of the arm, edge up, ready to come into play in an instant.  This method is also safe when negotiating muddy trails, since it keeps the blade away from you in a fall. 

Here's a couple more shots of the two Monteros from Honduras.  The well-used one is mine, and the new one is the second one I bought and gave to my dad, which he has used as a wall hanger and preserved in pristine condition.

These fancy leather sheaths go with the territory in many parts of Latin America, and though a lot of it is decoration, the tassels don't really get in the way and the leather of the sheath is heavy duty and very well put together.  The only wear mine has shown is the discoloration you see here that gives it character.  Both of my working machetes live in the tool box of my truck, requiring little thought in the way of care and only a few strokes of a mill file to keep them sharp.  If I'm sitting around a campfire with time on my hands, I might get out the diamond sharpener and hone them to a razor's edge after the filing, but it's not necessary for most tasks these blades are meant for. 

I've tried a few other machetes available locally and some have been quite good, while others were a disappointment.  One that served well on my long kayak trips was the Ontario Knife 1-18 Military Machete.  This one is basically the same dimensions as the Montero, though not quite so well balanced and a bit heavier.  Still, it's a tough machete that can take a lot of abuse and it's readily available and inexpensive, as well as the right size for a bug out bag machete.  

More on Everyday Carry Knives/Multitools

In a recent post here I listed the three knives (including multitools) that I find most useful and essential for everyday tasks and therefore keep close by if not on my person at all times.   They are: the Victorinox Tinker (Swiss Army Knife), Leatherman Wave Multitool, and Cold Steel Voyager XL folder. The latter is in a different class, as it's a big folding blade designed more for knife fighting than for use as a tool.  I'll post more on that later.

It may seem redundant to include both the Swiss Army Knife and the Leatherman Multitool, but they are configured differently and the size and weight of the Leatherman makes it less of a pocket item and more suited to carry on the belt pouch.  As a result, the Swiss Army Knife is the one that's in my pocket right along with the change and the truck keys every time I leave the house, while the Leatherman may stay in the fanny pack on the truck seat where I keep my Glock, Surefire flashlight, Firesteel and other gear close by.

A recent forum thread here debates the question of which of these two tools you should have:  
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=94519

There are some good points made there, but I see no reason not to have both.  Here is the Victorinox Tinker:

 

I picked this model because it is slim and lightweight enough when closed that you hardly feel its presence in your pocket, yet it has what I consider the most essential basic tools: two different knife blades, a can opener, a bottle opener/flathead screwdriver, a Philips screwdriver, and a reamer/awl tool (as well as the plastic toothpick and tiny tweezers that come with practically all these knives).  With this knife on me at all times I can do most light cutting tasks as well as some assembly/disassembly of things held together with screws, like for example removing the butt stock from my Winchester Trapper carbine so it will fit inside the bug-out bag.  I like having two knife blades as I can spare the edge on the larger one for cutting things that won't dull it and use the smaller one for other work that is more abusive.  Both are sharp though, and just yesterday I sliced open my index finger with the small blade while opening a box.  

The Leatherman Wave offers a lot more in terms of both cutting blades and other tools.  In this first photo we have the two knive blades, a saw blade, and a file/rasp combination.  The plain-edge knife blade is longer and sturdier than the largest blade on the Swiss Army Knife.  It also comes to a sharp point and features a thumb-hole that allows for one-handed opening.  The serrated blade can also be opened one-handed, and is useful for jobs like quickly severing big ropes, cutting away seat belts or other emergency tasks.  The saw is more effective and useful than you would think at first glance, and I've actually used it quite often in boatbuilding jobs where I didn't want to go get a larger handsaw or power tool.  The file and rasp provide all sorts of utility for things ranging from shaping and smoothing wood to sharpening machetes and other tools.

 

With the blades folded up, the Wave can be reversed to reveal an excellent pair of needle-nose pliers with wire-cutters built in.  The middle part also features a large opening with more aggressive serrations for turning bolts and other big-pliers jobs.   At the other end of the handles, additional fold-out tools include a can opener, a reversible Philips and flathead screwdriver combo, a sturdier single flathead screwdriver, a reversible jeweler's sized flathead and Philips combo, and a pair of small but sharp scissors. 

 

Of course with all these features, I could get by fine with just the Leatherman Wave, and it's certainly worth the trouble to strap it on your belt in the included belt pouch if you're heading out to the woods or off to do a day of outdoor work.  But having both is no trouble at all and the cost is reasonable.  You can get the Victorinox Tinker for just $15.00 on Amazon, and the Leatherman Wave can be had for $60.36 on Amazon (at least that's today's price -which you will see if you add it to your cart).  I received both of these fine tools as gifts, so that's even better, but for a $75.00 investment, I wouldn't hesitate to replace them if I lost them.

Three Knives for Everyday Carry

Cutting tools are are an important part of any list of bug-out gear, and for everyday use in a variety of tasks.  I've posted once here on my preference for machetes when it comes to large blades for camping, wilderness travel and survival.  Look for much more on that in the future.  Here I wanted to share with you the three knives that I consider essential for everyday use as well as in the bug-out bag.  These are close at hand practically everywhere I go whenever possible.  Each has it's own uses, advantages and disadvantages:

They are, clockwise from top left: the Leatherman Wave Multitool, the Victorinox Tinker (Swiss Army Knife), and the Cold Steel Voyager XL folder.  There is some overlap in functions in the Victorinox and the Leatherman, to be sure, but the smaller Swiss Army Knife is so light and slim in the pocket that it can go with me many places where I would not want the bulk or the belt sheath of the Leatherman.  The Voyager fills many roles from field knife to close-quarters weapon.  In my next post on this subject I will go into the details of each of these three knives.