Gear Review: 3 Tactical Work Glove Options

Gloves can be an important part of many situations.  From camping for handling knives, saws and axes for firewood, professional tactical situations, a day at the range or to stash in your car emergency kit.  Protecting your hands is always key to continuing your activities.

 

 

For this I am comparing 3 pairs of gloves, all size Medium, that I have used and many different situations for an extended period of time. 

Ka Bar Becker 16 Custom

The Ka Bar Becker 16 is a great camp/survival knife out of the box.  But as I've noted before, I like to personalize and upgrade things myself and after a few tweaks, this knife may be one of the best out there.   

Inspired by the customization project outlined on the YouTube channel of Gideon's Tactical as I began to search for a survival/camp knife, I decided to go with the Ka Bar Becker BK 16 based on many things including its lower price point and ability to upgrade parts of the knife when you are able to and not have such a large investment up front. 

First the final results after stripping the stock coating and upgrading the handles and sheath:

 

Emergency Checklist PDF

A recent close call with a natural disaster, that I previously mentioned, has me thinking more about the safety and well being of the family and demonstrated first hand how quickly things such as electricity, water and shelter, that we rely on daily can be taken away. 

I'm a list maker so I started looking for lists that others had already made for a starting point for items needed in an emergency situation. 

GORUCK Challenge Event Gear and Training Tips

Training for your first GORUCK Challenge?
Make sure you have the gear you need. 
Pictured is the gear I used on 2 GORUCK events.  1 Challenge and 1 Light.  I completed my first event, a 15hr 20plus mile Challenge, in December of 2013 and recently completed the 9/11 Light Special Event.  And I am looking forward to completing GORUCK's new Charming the Snake 2016 events.
I also have listed at the bottom some general tips on training for someone who is training for their first event.

Sabra Gear Quick Pouch Review

Sabra Gear is an Israeli company making high quality bags and packs.  I usually do my best to buy American but if I'm buying a foreign product I have absolutely no problems supporting an Israeli company.

Also, Israel is near the top, if not the top destination on my Life List I would love to be lucky enough to visit one day.

My Field Notes Notebook Collection Fall 2015 & New Edition Suggestion

With the release of the new Field Notes Winter 2015 Snowblind Edition, I decided to get all my Field Notes together and do an updated collection picture.

I have also included my humble suggestion for a new edition at the end.

What started out as a goal to always have a notebook on or near me has turned into a rather large collection.

I started buying Field Notes because I loved the idea behind their product and to support an American small business. As they continue to make new editions every quarter, I end up buying every new release because they continue to surprise me.

Standard, State Fair editions and a couple special bonus books I was lucky enough to get:

EDC And Stocking Stuffer Gift List 2015

I hear a lot that guys or fans of the outdoors are hard to buy for.  I think that may be true if the person buying doesn't have the same interests.  So to help with that I've put together a list of less expensive, stocking stuffer type items for the guy, outdoorsmen or camping/survival fan on your list.

I personally think you can't own too many different knives and have multiple posts about recommended knives here on the blog.  So this list will (mostly) stay away from knives.

Higo No Kami Knife Review

During the era of the Samurai in Japan, no one was allowed to carry weapons other than the Samurai or the military, hence the similarity of many Japanese weapons to farming implements.  These more familiar weapons were developed and carried by various tradesmen, farmers and fishermen. 

These tradesmen as well as peasants also developed a smaller more concealable weapon,

 

Leatherman Wave Night Shoot

I know there have been a number of changes to the Leatherman Wave since I purchased mine years ago but it is still one of my favorite tools.

I decided to take mine out tonight to experiment with some night shooting.

 

a Memphis Traveler's 2015 Christmas List Part 2 - $25-$100

Part 2 of the 2015 Christmas Gift List includes gifts in the ranges of $25-$50 and $50-$100 to try to keep things a little organized. 


$25-$50:

a Memphis Traveler's 2015 Christmas List - $25 And Under

The 2015 version of the annual Christmas list is here!  I have put together a list of some items I personally own and have tested and many others that I have researched and would love to see under my own tree! 

Most are geared toward the Outdoorsman and this first part is under $25 because I know budgets are always important. 

Lists for $25-$50, $50-$100, and EDC stocking stuffer lists are in the works.

EDC - 3 Good Quality, Budget Pocket Folding Knives

You can spend almost any amount of money on a pocket knife.  And there are hundreds of cheap knives out there that aren't going to hold up.  If you are like me, you want a good quality knife without spending $100 or more.  Also important to me is buying something that is going to last a long time and not have to be replaced every year.

Expanding GORUCK Collection

GORUCK has been on a run lately releasing new rucks and different colors.  So that means....

The number of GORUCK packs I own is expanding,

DIY Machete Handle Upgrade

One way to save money and still have quality gear is to upgrade less expensive items yourself so they look and perform better.

I have a couple knife blanks I have been wanting to put handles on so I decided to test out technique on an old machete I have but never really used. 

I've had this machete for years but never really done anything with it. It has a two part plastic handle and the cutting edge came with a dull edge covered with paint, maybe for safety during shipping.

Can't Wait To Use This Gerber Strong Arm!

Just got a Gerber StrongArm from Amazon and I can't wait to use this thing on the next trail or camping trip I take.  I was able to get some time at least to post some initial thoughts for now.

 

Field Notes - Fall 2015

I really enjoyed this set. Previously my favorite Field Notes sets have been any that included green books as well as the real wood covered Shelterwood edition.

A mini " hello was included in one of my packs.

Buck Knives - Compadre Camp Knife

This will be going on my upcoming 2015 Outdoors Christmas Gift List but I wanted to do a separate post about it as well because I just like the looks of this knife so much.



Buck Knives 0104WAS Compadre Camp Knife with Red Blade and Plain Edge.

 

You will either love or hate the red powder coated blade but I like it and think it goes well with the Walnut handle.

Morale Patch Collection

My newest hobby that has developed as I have gotten into doing GORUCK events over the last few years is a patch collection.

EvenFlo Secure Kid Car Seat Review - Great Seat!.

Ensuring the safety of the little travelers, and your sanity.

If you are in the car seat business like we are at my house then you know the struggle that you deal with any time you want to move a car seat to another car, or simply to clean underneath them to find the Cheerios or where that new smell is coming from.   

 

EDC Pack - GORUCK GR1