Looking for thoughts on gear...

[BigDumbGerman]

Nice to back on gunsnet. Wanted to field a few questions for the pros. Sorry if they've already been answered. I'm putting together a new, up-dated bugout bag and am looking at opitons.

First off, I'm looking for advice on the following gear:

Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel -- Yay or Neh? Looking for a shovel/machete/hatchet in one and have seen the video from Cold Steel. Anyone use one in these roles?

Cold Steel Bushman (Non-Bowie) knife.

MSR Whiperlite stove

Gerber Gator Junior Machete

Finally, any experience with Survival Solutions' OPSEC poncho?

Any feedback is appreciated.

BDG

[old Grump]

Seen the shovel and looks like it would be fun to play with if you are mad at watermelons or you have a stump that needs to be punished.

Just my dos centavos a shovel built for shoveling would work better as a shovel and a woodsman pal or a good machete would do you better for the chopping and cutting.

[ubersoldate]

The only thing I own and use from the list is the whisperlite..
That thing kicks butt.
Worth every penny.
I used to do alot of backpack camping before the wife and I had kids, and I used the hell out of mine.

[swampdragon]

Nice to back on gunsnet. Wanted to field a few questions for the pros. Sorry if they've already been answered. I'm putting together a new, up-dated bugout bag and am looking at opitons.

First off, I'm looking for advice on the following gear:

Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel -- Yay or Neh? Looking for a shovel/machete/hatchet in one and have seen the video from Cold Steel. Anyone use one in these roles?

Cold Steel Bushman (Non-Bowie) knife.

MSR Whiperlite stove

Gerber Gator Junior Machete

Finally, any experience with Survival Solutions' OPSEC poncho?

Any feedback is appreciated.

BDG

Wow.
For the first time in a long history of posts...I can honestly say I have never used a single thing on your list. Not even one.
Ya got me?

[justinsaneok]

Wow.
For the first time in a long history of posts...I can honestly say I have never used a single thing on your list. Not even one.
Ya got me?
You have the gerber machete don't you Swamp, If not you it was Chiak47 anyway someone said it was great!

[chiak47]

You have the gerber machete don't you Swamp, If not you it was Chiak47 anyway someone said it was great!

I have one and it's nice but in hindsight I should have gotten a Ontario machete...

[printerman]

If I really need to shovel I carry a little one piece trowel/shovel . It can't break and it's lighter than air . I keep my shoveling to a minimum , maybe a small trench just outside my groundcloth for really wet weekends , but mostly for a small dumphole / privy ...

Weight is always a premium ....

[BigDumbGerman]

Well, I just got the Coldsteel shovel and the Gerber Gator Junior.

The shovel is... Freakin' GREAT! It came brand new and sharp as hell. It digs better than a USGI E-tool (not hard to believe for anyone who's used one) and I chopped through two 2X4s with 6-8 strokes each! Not a mark on the shovel and it weighs in at about a pound and a half without sheath.

The machete is also formidable. Awesome saw on the back and the handle takes all the work out of chopping/sawing. At less than 2 lbs also (with sheath) it's a great tool for the car or pack.

Both of these dandies for under 20 buckes a piece! Not sure which one will go on the outside of my ruck/bugout bag...

BDG

[Bluntforce]

I'm going to get a Cold Steel Shovel and I have a Woodsman's Pal, I am underwhelmed by it. All I hear on this site is glowing reviews of the fugly ucker.

ETA. This summer (2011) I did some more work with the Woodsman's Pal and I actually like it. The more I use it, the more I like it. I had to learn to put the target closer than the blunt point. Ordered the CS shovel for myself for Christmas.

[swampdragon]

You have the gerber machete don't you Swamp, If not you it was Chiak47 anyway someone said it was great!

That was Chi.
I have an Ontario.
I don't know how good or bad the Gerber is.

[aliceinchains]

Seen the shovel and looks like it would be fun to play with if you are mad at watermelons or you have a stump that needs to be punished.

Just my dos centavos a shovel built for shoveling would work better as a shovel and a woodsman pal or a good machete would do you better for the chopping and cutting.



LMAOF!

[swampdragon]

I have one and it's nice but in hindsight I should have gotten a Ontario machete...

Why?
What are your observations of the Gerber?

[Flinter]

The only thing I own and use from the list is the whisperlite..
That thing kicks butt.
Worth every penny.
I used to do alot of backpack camping before the wife and I had kids, and I used the hell out of mine.

I can second that. I've used a whisperlite stove for years. Sometimes they flare up when you are lghting them...that makes for an interesting few seconds, but overall they are good stoves.

[chiak47]

Why?
What are your observations of the Gerber?

It's nice and light but the Ontario is actually field proven for decades.
IMO experience trumps cosmetics any day of the week.

[HDR]

Almost any machete works good enough; the difference between good and excellent is whether or not your hand gets blisters from using it.


Wow.
For the first time in a long history of posts...I can honestly say I have never used a single thing on your list. Not even one.
Ya got me?


I've used a poncho; but it was just a plain old issued one.

[BigDumbGerman]

I'm a poncho fan myself. Used 'em a lot in various capacities. When I heard there was one that was a little larger, lighter, just as sturdy and in a pattern that blends better than OD or woodland, I took notice. Downside is it (the OPSEC one, that is) costs $70! Grommets are smaller too and that's a downer.

[Lysander]

Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel -- Yay or Neh? Looking for a shovel/machete/hatchet in one and have seen the video from Cold Steel. Anyone use one in these roles?

Love mine, have had it for years. It's a decent hammer/frying pan/wood cutter/hole digger

As a "jack of all trades" tool it doesn't do any job well, but does the jobs "well enough", ya know?


Cold Steel Bushman (Non-Bowie) knife.

Eh, handy, but there are other knives out there which are better.


MSR Whiperlite stove

Fantastic, love it.


Gerber Gator Junior Machete

Handy, but you should also look at the "Woodsman's Pal"


Finally, any experience with Survival Solutions' OPSEC poncho?

No experience.

[BigDumbGerman]

MSR Pocket Rocket (Not "Whisper Lite") is fantatic! Boils H2O FAST up here at a mile high. Cheap fuel too.

Cold Steel Special Forces Machete is a keeper. Much more than "just" a shovel.

Cold Steel Bushman Knife... I like it a lot, but like my SRK--and lately--Gerber Profile, even better.

Gerber Gator Jr. Machete? Still a great tool, but not sure if I need it with the Cold Steel Shovel.

OPSEC poncho: Great. Lighter and smaller than GI. Better camo pattern. Better coverage or ruck and legs. Better length as a shelter. Had to add grommets and buy those clap-type deals to best use it as a shelter. Still well worth the weight and space savings over a tent, bivvy or GI poncho. Not sure it will hold up as well. We'll see. Had to seam-seal it myself, which might not be a bad deal afterall.

All things considered, I've got a nice base for my bug out bag. Lots of time-proven stand bys in there too. Still keeping it light and handy and looking to make it moreso. Advice is always appreciated. Thanks for all your replies.

BDG

[American Rage]

I've never seen any of them. Pics would be nice.


Rage

[HDR]

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/41374?pi=685075&qs=3012739-Google_Base&subrnd=0

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-Special-Forces-Shovel/dp/B0017UVEW0

http://www.survival-solutions.com/id81.html

[El Jefe]

I sure hope the interest in these mini shovels is because you might have to pack it somewhere on foot, cause I'd hate to have to do any real digging with one.

[BigDumbGerman]

This one's not much smaller than a US GI E-tool. It doesn't fold up and that's actually kind of a plus. Before this, I had the USGI tool, the Gerber Gorge and a Coleman Mini E-tool/pick. I like this Amerikanski take on a classic piece of Russki issue gear. Kinda reminds me of some of the Vietnam Era Chinese E-tools you see at Sucker's Guide.

What I like most about the Cold Steel shovel is that you can use it as a hatchet/machette and a shovel.

BDG

[HDR]

Staying in yes; digging in no.

Usefulness would depends on the soil; around here it is clay with a lot of rock.

[El Jefe]

Staying in yes; digging in no.

Usefulness would depends on the soil; around here it is clay with a lot of rock.

Same here unless you're in the river bottom then it's sandy loam and would be easy digging. But outside of that, ugh, it would suck. But, that said, I'm sure it would beat nothing, and I can see the utility if you're packing everything you got in a pack. Hopefully I won't be doing much of that.

[HDR]

Same here unless you're in the river bottom then it's sandy loam and would be easy digging. But outside of that, ugh, it would suck. But, that said, I'm sure it would beat nothing, and I can see the utility if you're packing everything you got in a pack. Hopefully I won't be doing much of that.

Unless you have something worth protecting why would you dig in? If you have something worth protecting you'll have a better shovel and a pick to use, lol.

Remember the scene in Platoon when they were heading out and Dafoe unloaded all the stuff the newbies were carrying?? ;)

Nature walkers don't carry a lot of stuff.. lol.

[El Jefe]

Unless you have something worth protecting why would you dig in? If you have something worth protecting you'll have a better shovel and a pick to use, lol.

Remember the scene in Platoon when they were heading out and Dafoe unloaded all the stuff the newbies were carrying?? ;)

Nature walkers don't carry a lot of stuff.. lol.

Hell if I know, of course the digging I'm thinking about has nothing to do with combat and everything to do with perhaps a latrine or rain ditch around a tent.

And I agree about the nature hike. The boys and I did some of that today. We went to Plowboy Bend and finally found a way to the Missouri River from there. I drove the conservation access road till it ended, then another mile or so at the end of a bean and then a corn field, then got up on the levy and drove about another mile and a half, then had to leave the truck and we walked the last mile or so. All I took was my .45, a canteen of water and a snickers bar. Pain in the butt spot to get to, but would make one hell of a spot to fish.

[HDR]

Hell if I know, of course the digging I'm thinking about has nothing to do with combat and everything to do with perhaps a latrine or rain ditch around a tent.

The crack about "Platoon" had every thing to do with carrying too much shit and nothing to do with seeing combat. lol. You can't talk about combat because no one can put it into words.


And I agree about the nature hike. The boys and I did some of that today. We went to Plowboy Bend and finally found a way to the Missouri River from there. I drove the conservation access road till it ended, then another mile or so at the end of a bean and then a corn field, then got up on the levy and drove about another mile and a half, then had to leave the truck and we walked the last mile or so. All I took was my .45, a canteen of water and a snickers bar. Pain in the butt spot to get to, but would make one hell of a spot to fish.

I enjoy it myself. I go into the park from the back side as few people walk that far it has been undisturbed for decades. I hike from the house or drive to places then hike in. Usually bring water, something to munch, and a buddy. :D

[BigDumbGerman]

Thanks, HDR. I don't know how to post pics on the new site yet. That's the stuff, and so far, it's good stuff. As previously posted, I had to add grommets to the poncho, but it's a great poncho. Since I'm a poncho kinda guy, it suits me well. The Cold Steel shovel is a light-weight MONSTER! You could dig a hole, chop fire wood, pound tent stakes and fry an egg on it (over that bad ass MSR stove) all in the same day (might wanna fry the egg before digging the hole, depending where you dig ;) ).

Thanks again.

[HDR]

I've used a poncho as a shelter half. I added a whole bunch of grommets so it was easier to tie to my bike.

(M/C type bike not pedal type LOL)

[swampdragon]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Swampdragon/d1b38e5d.jpg

[HDR]

http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/po/091123/089r1/80816ia_26.jpeg

This is more my style..

[AKTexas]

http://www.puccimanuli.com/upload/images/super/FAM-BMW-Cycle-Model-1.jpg

I'd prefer this one.

[HDR]

Owning the belt feeder would be fun. As it is slow, heavy it would be a pita on the highways and no fun off road. The short form is you can have it.

[BigDumbGerman]

Those seats don't look to comfy, unless maybe you're the guy in the side car. Then leg room would suck. That said, DAMN is it pretty!

[printerman]

I really like the looks of the Cold Steel shovel. In my earlier post on this thread I recommended the one piece trowel type shovel because most small/mini or folding shovels are crapola . This Cold Steel looks like those old solid German issue puppies that are still reliable to this day. I'll be looking to upgrade , thanks for the heads-up !!

[HDR]

Those seats don't look to comfy, unless maybe you're the guy in the side car. Then leg room would suck. That said, DAMN is it pretty!

It is tact-i-cool... LOL.

[Bluntforce]

In a Holy re-animated thread Batman! moment I'd just like to say I got my Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel today and it's tits on crack with a bag of potato chips. It's cooler than Russian shit on permafrost. That is all.

How the hell this didn't materialize at Christmas....should be a subplot on the next X-Files movie 'cause I don't know how it happened. (See post #9, or don't)

[mrkalashnikov]

Interesting factoid about this thread; I count 7 responders who no longer post here. :gruebel: