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This post will cover the US Army Entrenching Tool or e-tool. The e-tool is one of those pieces of gear that you don’t know you need, until you really need it. I think every outdoor enthusiast should have one. I am not advocating carrying it with you on every trip, but if you are “car camping” as opposed to primitive camping, then throw one of these e-tools in your trunk. If I plan on making a new campsite, I take the e-tool with me. If I visit an old campsite for the first time in the season, I take the e-tool with me to clear out new growth, and remove old ashes from the fire pit.

Entrenching tools come from many different manufacturers and from different decades. You can find an older type, with a wood handle, or the most common I see today, is the tri-fold metal handle. There are many cheap fakes from Asia, and many decent “replicas” as well. There is an excellent guide on eBay “U.S. Entrenching Tool Identification — Spot a Fake!“. According to this reviewer, my newest e-tool may be a fake. While comparing it to my old e-tool, I cannot tell any physical differences, except for stamped markings. Overall design, weight and “feel” are the same. There are several types of entrenching tool carriers; the newest type is a MOLLE pouch with buckle closure in the front. I use old-school rubber ALICE carriers with snap-ons to secure the lid. In my situation it makes no sense to pay more for the MOLLE carrier, but a soldier, who may have to hit the ground hard, the snap-on ALICE pouch can come open easier than the MOLLE carrier with buckle closure.

I have used the e-tool in the field as a shovel and a spade. I think for chopping branches, a machete or hatchet are best. The e-tools weakest points are it’s hinged parts, and chopping violently stresses them much more than digging. Size of the blade is good for camp chores like digging a fire pit, or getting rocks out from underneath the tent. One could use the e-tool as a weapon in some situations, it certainly has the weight and the edge to damage flesh and bone.

A few words about using the entrenching tool… There are several hinges, and one plastic nut on the last hinge. Twist this nut counter-clockwise to allow the hinges to work. Once this is done, unfold the e-tool into desired position, shovel, pick, or closed. Twist the nut clockwise till it stops. This will lock all the hinges, and you can use your e-tool.

entrenching tool review
e tool review e tool entrenching shovel Entrenching tool

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For review today I have a MOLLE Sustainment Pouch. These are designed to attach to the sides of the Main MOLLE Pack to carry the “sustainment load – MREs”. I imagine they can be used for anything, from carrying clothes to food to bottles of water.

My pouches are made by SDS, and have waterproof coating on the inside. There is a draw-string closure on top, and a flap with buckle for added security. For real-world sizing, I stuffed a Medium/Regular set of BDU pants and shirt, and a Fleece inside. It is about the right fit for the three items; I can probably fit a pair or two of socks inside, if all the clothes are rolled and compressed really tight.

The pouch measures about 12″ tall x 8″ wide x 6″ deep, which makes it around 570 cubic inches in size. Fabric is usual SDS cordura with good stitching and waterproofing. I have yet to be disappointed by SDS quality of materials and craftsmanship. Personally, I have to use for the Sustainment Pouches at this time, they are too big to fit on the sides of my MOLLE Assault Pack, and would add too much space to my regular UTG Web pack. If you are have a MOLLE vest, a couple of these could probably be used instead of a rucksack altogether.  There are four MOLLE attachment straps on the back, so two rows of webbing on the main pack will be used for each attachment point.  Because of the size of these pouches, and the kind of weight they can carry, I would secure the MOLLE straps with either duct tape of a zip-tie near the end.

MOLLE Sustainment Pouch MOLLE Sustainment Pouch back MOLLE Sustainment Pouch 570 cu inches
Sustainment Pouch review

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The FM 21-76 is considered to be one of the ‘standard’ survival publications available today. The other ones are Boyscout Handbook, SAS Survival Guide and such. If you are not familiar with US Army’s publishing scheme, I can try and explain it in a few words, based on my own understanding. FM stands for Field Manual; the numbers that follow are for various tasks, skills, and equipment maintenance that may be of use in the field. I beleive the Army uses this system (FM, followed by a series of numbers) for all their field publications. If you do a search on Amazon.com for any of the titles mentioned above, there are plenty of sellers, and links to similar publications. While searching for good survival publications, I found several reviews stating that the Boyscout Handbooks have been revised over the years, and the 1950’s and ’60 publications are the best.

I like this book because it is compact, and can be put in any backpack or rucksack pocket with ease. There are several concepts covered in the manual. This is not a chapter-by-chapter listing, merely a general summary:

• Survival Kits
• Basic Survival Medicine
• Shelter
• Water
• Firecraft
• Food Procurement
• Edible, Medicinal and Poisonous plants

My copy was published in 1970, so it is outdated by modern military standards. The most current revision has several additional chapters:

• Movement in Hostile Areas
• Camouflage
• Contact with People
• Survival in Man-made Hazards

This is not a bad book to have, just in case you get lost in the woods. At worst, if you are bored one day, and have nothing to do at the campsite, this will make for an educational reading. And everyone could always use a good book every once in a while.

LINK to zipped PDF files of Scanned FM-76, and LINK to a much smaller PDF text version.

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This is the standard folder I carry in my belt BOB. It stays there, and comes out when cooking on all the camping trips. I have had this knife for about 10 years, and still love it. Knife enthusiasts have said that old-school Gerber steel is much better than the new stuff. I don’t know, and will not argue with them. The steel of this knife is good. It is stainless steel of some sort, sharpens easy, and holds the edge well enough. A few years back on one of my camping trips I thought I lost this knife, and replaced it with a Gerber AR 3.00 from Wal Mart. Then, after about 3 months, while cleaning my car, I found the Gator. Hooray! Both knives have their strengths and weaknesses, and the Gator would come out on top, in my opinion.  The clip-point blade seems to be better in old-school Gerber knives like this one. The Gator has a lock-back mechanism, and a “handle made of a hard inner core of glass filled polypropylene, with Santoprene rubber molded and chemically bonded around it.” The grip is exceptional, even when hands are wet. This knife requires both hands for operation. I have tried flicking it open numerous times, and it just will not happen.

I purchased the Gerber AR 3.00 folder after a camping trip to Red River Gorge, when I thought I lost my Gerber Gator. I later found the Gator, but the AR 3.00 stayed with me because I like the pocket clip for every day carry. The blade action is incredibly smooth, and it has a satisfying “click” when locked into place. This is thanks to two Teflon washers on either side of the blade. Opening it with one hand is a breeze for me, thanks to the two thumb-studs. I have seen knives with better studs; some were simply larger, some had checkering to increase friction. I got the black non-reflective blade version from Wal Mart for about $30. The handle is not as comfortable as the Gerber Gator, but fits my hand well enough. I have used this knife on more than one occasion at work to cut fruit, bread, and meats, and it has retained the edge very well. Some purists may say that Gerber knives are not what they used to be, but for the price, AR 3.00 is a good purchase.  This model sports a drop-point blade without serrations.

Gerber AR 3.00 knife Gerber AR 3.00 pocket clip Gerber AR 3.00 open Gerber AR 3.00 liner lock
Gerber AR 3.00 thumb studs Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator 625 Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator right Gerber AR 3.00 and Gator open

Three of the Aquamira Frontier Filters arrived earlier this week. I bought them as a backup, and to put one each in our BOBs. Here is an exert from Aquamira’s web site:

The Frontier Emergency Water Filter System is ideal for hiking, travel, and emergency preparedness. It is the perfect addition to your 72 hour emergency kit. One unit will filter up to 20 gallons (75L) of water. Tests indicate that the Frontier Filter will remove 99.9% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The Frontier Emergency Water Filter System is also easy to operate, just attach and expand the straw, submerge the filter end into the water source, and drink through the straw.

Ultra light and compact, the Aquamira Frontier Emergency Filter System weighs less than one ounce and easily slips into a day pack, shirt pocket or travel luggage and is always ready when you need it. The Frontier Filter is the ideal alternative to heavy, bulky and expensive pump filtration units when space and weight are primary factors. Activated carbon helps reduce waterborne chemicals and improves water taste. Use the Frontier Emergency Water Filter System to drink from any bottle, cup or directly from water sources.

I have not used this yet, and don’t intend to unless an true emergency comes up. I do not like to use, then store, then reuse water filters. Especially something as small as this. Back of the packaging states this filter will remove pathogens and contaminants up to 3 microns. This is not very good considering Giardia and Cryptosporidium are smaller than that. The Katadyn Vario filter can filter something as small as 0.3 microns. In an emergency I will take whatever is available, and for it’s size and ease of use the Aquamira Frontier “straw filter” cannot be beat.

Another great tool in anyone’s arsenal. The full size KA-BAR knife feels great in my hand. It’s well balanced, the stacked leather handle feels great in the hand. I got the half-serrated version on a whim, but it may serve some purpose in the future. Some people say that the leather handle gets slippery when wet, and may rot in humid climates. Let’s face it, I am not going to be in those extreme climates to see the handle rot and fall of the knife. My buddy has a full size KA-BAR, with the rubber/nylon handle, and it just does not feel the same in my hand. KA-BAR and Ontario knife company were the two original knife makers for soldiers in WW2 and after, so you can’t go wrong with either one. The 1095 steel is pretty standard for cutlery. It has .95% carbon, and holds the edge very well. It’s not as tough as 1055 steel, which is tougher, but does not hold it’s edge as well. The Cold Steel GI Tanto on my belt BOB has 1055 carbon steel for better durability.

Cold Steel has been in the knife business for as long as I have been using knives as tools while camping. I purchased the GI Tanto a few years back as an inexpensive all purpose camp knife. For $30 it has done a great job. I have cut small trees and branches to make forks for roasting sausages and marshmallows. It’s sharp enough to cut rope and cloth. I have not tried chopping anything large with it, because I believe there is a right tool for every job. For chopping either a hatchet or an axe should be used. To be really effective a hand saw is best. Anyway… this is a cheap instrument I am not afraid to dull, break or loose, and in a real survival situation it can be attached to a makeshift spear to hunt. It does not seem to hold an edge as well as some other knives I have used. The USMC KA-BAR seems to have better (1095 carbon) steel.

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Review coming ASAP, this post is a placeholder for now…

Long Range Bugout bag is created by Sandpiper of California (PiperGear.com). They make various sports bags as well as travel packs, and “bugout bags”. I snagged a used Long Range Bag on eBay last week for testing and reviewing purposes.

This bag is huge, no wonder they call it the Long Range bag. Like most suitcases, there is a zipper in the back that compresses additional 3.5″ of fabric, which adds 1116 cu/in to the main compartment. Unexpanded this pack is around 4400 cubic inches. Expanded it is around 5550 cubic inches. Because of its ‘square’ design, and expandable feature, the Long Range bag reminds me of a travel suitcase. In fact there are two carry handles, and a zippered back compartment to put away the shoulder straps. This can be handy if you fly with this pack, or travel via public transportation. Material is 1000-Denier Cordura, ACU color pattern. Stitching seems pretty good, however the metal carabiner attachments at the end of shoulder straps seem flimsy for the kind of weight you can carry in this pack. The bottom attachment points for the shoulder straps could use reinforcing.

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This little sucker was purchased ‘for the fun of it’ online at SportsmansGuide.com for $18 including shipping. I was searching for a good BOB pack at that time, and this seemed like it would fit the bill. Indeed, it could. Cheap, no nonsense construction, perfect to throw in your trunk or closet for an emergency. This pack is said to be made of waterproof nylon. Looks like the fabric is vulcanized on the inside. It is well worn, and some of the pattern is faded away.
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The CFP-90 was my second foray into US Army rucksacks. The medium ALICE Pack was not comfortable for even short(er) hikes, and I wanted something with an internal frame and a hip belt. I looked at several civilian internal frame backpacks at local retailers, but none of them ‘turned me on’. The suspension systems were well designed, the size was right, but they were either too expensive, or ugly, or ‘just not right’. I then looked online for various military designs, and saw some very well made packs in the $300-$700 range. These bags were simply out of question! I am used to buying surplus military gear way below retail prices, and somebody wants $300 for a backpack? No way. After some more searching on the internet, I came upon an obscure pack made for the US Army, and never used. The CFP-90 was designed as a replacement for ALICE gear, but never adopted. The Army started using MOLLE gear instead. Which, I suppose, is good for the Army, and great for the civilian hiker because surplus Army gear became even cheaper and easier to get.
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A.K.A.: Leapers Assault Pack, Leapers Web Pack or UTG Web Pack.

I bought this pack at the end of the summer in 2007, and used it twice last season. This design is very comfortable. The padding on the shoulder straps is nice and thick, the back panel is padded, and the hip belt is wide. This is especially important because other packs I have seen have only a inch wide strap for the hip belt, and it’s uncomfortable to wear. Especially if you put load on your hips, and it cuts into the skin. UTG designed their hip belt to be 4″ wide, and it has padding inside. Not too much, enough to be comfortable. It has 3 rows of webbing for MOLLE for other web gear. Looks like only 2 (top and bottom) rows should be used for proper attachment of web gear, or maybe just the middle one. UTG used a pad of Velcro to attach the hip belt. It’s like and envelope, and the hip belt goes inside. Take a look at the pictures below to see what I mean. The hip belt can be removed completely.
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This post will cover the US Army Entrenching Tool or e-tool. The e-tool is one of those pieces of gear that you don’t know you need, until you really need it. I think every outdoor enthusiast should have one. I am not advocating carrying it with you on every trip, but if you are “car camping” as opposed to primitive camping, then throw one of these e-tools in your trunk. If I plan on making a new campsite, I take the e-tool with me. If I visit an old campsite for the first time in the season, I take the e-tool with me to clear out new growth, and remove old ashes from the fire pit.

Entrenching tools come from many different manufacturers and from different decades. You can find an older type, with a wood handle, or the most common I see today, is the tri-fold metal handle. There are many cheap fakes from Asia, and many decent “replicas” as well. There is an excellent guide on eBay “U.S. Entrenching Tool Identification — Spot a Fake!“. According to this reviewer, my newest e-tool may be a fake. While comparing it to my old e-tool, I cannot tell any physical differences, except for stamped markings. Overall design, weight and “feel” are the same. There are several types of entrenching tool carriers; the newest type is a MOLLE pouch with buckle closure in the front. I use old-school rubber ALICE carriers with snap-ons to secure the lid. In my situation it makes no sense to pay more for the MOLLE carrier, but a soldier, who may have to hit the ground hard, the snap-on ALICE pouch can come open easier than the MOLLE carrier with buckle closure.

I have used the e-tool in the field as a shovel and a spade. I think for chopping branches, a machete or hatchet are best. The e-tools weakest points are it’s hinged parts, and chopping violently stresses them much more than digging. Size of the blade is good for camp chores like digging a fire pit, or getting rocks out from underneath the tent. One could use the e-tool as a weapon in some situations, it certainly has the weight and the edge to damage flesh and bone.

A few words about using the entrenching tool… There are several hinges, and one plastic nut on the last hinge. Twist this nut counter-clockwise to allow the hinges to work. Once this is done, unfold the e-tool into desired position, shovel, pick, or closed. Twist the nut clockwise till it stops. This will lock all the hinges, and you can use your e-tool.

entrenching tool review
e tool review e tool entrenching shovel Entrenching tool

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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I saved these links a while ago from Old Town Coleman Center, and some articles are no longer online.   Maybe be affiliated with http://www.pressure-lanterns-il.com.  Anyway, links are on this site but manuals are not written by me.  I will not be held responsible for any personal, property or any damage caused by reading and following […]

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Update 5/31/2011: Just after a few weeks of use the pocket clip has lost most of it’s spring.  I had to use pliers to compress it again, so that the knife would not fall out of my pocket.  This really undermines my good overall opinion about the blade.

After a few years, the time has come to replace the Gerber AR 3.0 with something better.  Specifically, a better blade.  Numerous times I have sharpened my EDC knife, and wished I did not have to do it so often.  The carbon blade sharpens easily, but also dulls easily.

The new CRKT Vertex has a stainless steel blade, similar to AUS-8 steel.  It’s a Chinese steels that gets mostly positive reviews on various internet forums and other sites.  The blade is spring-loaded for one handed operation.  Depress the locking stud and nudge the blade forward, and it springs and locks into place.  Liner lock secures it into place for sure-handed operation.  This blade is extreme hollow ground for smooth penetration into whatever you are cutting.  The drop point version has black Micarta inserts, and the clip point sports cocobolo wood inserts.

CRKT Vertex drop point CRKT Vertex CRKT Vertex closed CRKT Vertex review

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The factory knife sheath on the Buck Omni Hunter is of lesser quality than the knife itself. One fine Sunday afternoon, I got tired of being bored and decided to make my own sheath. Bear in mind, this is my first attempt at knife sheaths, and only second attempt at leather-craft in general. The end product is just that, a prototype. It is a decent looking sheath, where I learned a few things, which will be improved in second revision. I hope to work on a few more sheaths in the next month, and do a better job for this knife. The next project will be for a Gerber Profile drop point type blade.

• Belt loop is on the wrong side for me, it is now made for a left-handed carry
• Retention strap needs to moved down to the index finger choil for better retention
• Semi-circle indentation needs to be cut, so there is no part of the shiny blade showing
• Belt loop needs to be moved up towards the butt end of the sheath, above the new position of retention strap

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If you are looking for a cheap knife to throw in your BOB and forget about it, the East German AK-47 Bayonet is a reasonably good solution.  It’s large, it has a built-in wire cutter and a saw.  I realize that the saw is pretty useless, but it’s there nonetheless.  Because this knife was designed to be attached to the AK-47 rife, its handle has a channel and a ring to go around the barrel.  These features are completely useless and inconvenient for anyone not using it with the AK-47 rifle.

The steel is pretty soft and easy to sharpen.  I gave it a brand new 20 degree edge after about half an hour of work with the Smith’s sharpening system.  It’s not as sharp as some of my other knives with better steel, but it will do; especially sitting around inside the BOB, not seeing daily use.  I am sure it will dull easily after chopping branches or digging in the dirt.  But hey, the bayonet was designed for stabbing, not so much for camp chores.

The built-in wire cutters are adequate.  I cut through a 1/8″ nail with a bit of difficulty, after a few smacks of the fist on the knife handle laying on the floor.  If you are planning to cut through a lot of wire, get a dedicated tool – this knife is a pain and kind of dangerous.  The handle is made from bakelite, and seems durable.  The knife would feel a lot more comfortable in the hand with a better designed handle.

After reading this, you may think this is a sub-par knife that does not excel in anything.  This is partially true, and for $50 you can get a great Ka-bar or a Buck Nighthawk.  However, for $15-20, this is a good tool to throw in your bag, and forget about it.

Image quality is not the best today, as I am using and older camera.

AK-47 bayonet closed East German AK-47 bayonet East German AK-47 bayonet handle
AK-47 bayonet wire cutter AK-47 bayonet wire cutter in action AK-47 bayonet