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Length w. Sheath	13.25″
Knife length	10.75″
Weight	2.8 oz
Steel material	Carbon Steel
Blade length	5.75″
Accessory	Wire cutter

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

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Another good MOLLE accessory from CheaperThanDirt.com is the Medical Bag. Originally designed for combat medics this bag contains more First Aid and surgery items than the Individual Soldier’s first aid kit. There are several variations of this design: three, four and five compartment models. The bag from CTD has 3 compartments, and it can be used as intended or as a small BOB, or a small stuff bag for day hikes. There are 2 MOLLE attachment straps on the back, so it can be secured to anything with PALS webbing. I am pleasantly surprised to find the inside is vulcanized to make the whole bag waterproof, and overall construction is pretty solid. One thing I do not like about CTD MOLLE gear it is somewhat cheaper quality than current US Army issue stuff. SDS makes a lot of Army packs, and they use YKK zippers, which are a big plus in my book. I imagine that most of the bags and pouches at CTD are imported, and do not have the same quality control as US made products.

This bag measures 11″ wide x 12″ tall x 4″ deep. There is an adjustable and removable shoulder strap, and two MOLLE straps. I do wish there were three or four straps to hold it in place securely. I have attached it to one of my backpacks, and if the pack was dropped or thrown around, the medical bag may come off. There is also a carry handle on top, and a quick-release buckle to keep all the compartments together.

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Rating	5 of 5 stars
Design	Frameless 3 Day Assault Pack
Size	small-med
Number of Pockets	1
Max. Load Carried	25 lbs
Price Paid	$65
Pack Weight	~4 lbs
Total size	1650+450 cu inches

This is my second MOLLE Assault pack. The original one is first generation Woodland Camo version. I am using the Woodland pack as my BOB, and the Desert Camo version for 2-3 day summer camping trips. Both are my by SDS (Specialty Defense Systems). There are several differences between the first and second generation packs.

1. Shoulder straps are different
2. Gen 2 pack has a waist belt
3. Gen 2 large pocket has a zipper instead of draw-cord
4. Gen 2 has an additional small Velcro pocket on the outside of large pocket
5. Gen 2 has four cinch straps on the sides

Everything else is pretty much the same. Fabric, zippers, buckles and total volume are the same. This pack is constructed from 1000 denier Cordura. The fabric is vulcanized on the inside to make it waterproof. SDS used YKK self-healing zippers, glide easily, and do not break.

The shoulder straps are about 3-1/4″ wide, and have thin padding material inside. The padding is only 1/8″ thick, but because the straps are so wide, it does not cut into the skin and spreads the weight well. This pack was not designed to carry a large load, so heavily padded straps are unnecessary. I imagine the soldiers wearing this pack on top of their body armor would not be able to tell the difference in the amount of padding at all. The sternum strap is in the usual location. The hip belt is just a 1-1/2″ strap with no padding. This makes it easy to tuck away the belt, if it’s not being used. On the other hand, if it is being used, the lack of padding makes it uncomfortable to wear with minimal clothing. Once again, the soldiers wearing body armor and a full uniform probably do not feel it. Each strap is covered with 3 rows of webbing.

The main compartment is 18″ x 13″ x 5″. The dual zippers open up about 3/4 of the way, and the fabric is not too stiff, so getting gear inside the bag is easy. On the bottom there is a small drain hole covered by some kind of tough mesh, so nothing falls through. I don’t see how anything could fall through a 1/8″ hole. Maybe it’s there to keep bugs from getting inside the bag?… On the back of the main compartment there is a piece of fabric that makes room for the framesheet and some padding. This framesheet is very light, thin and flexible, and the padding is about 1/8″ thick. This design allows for the framesheet to bend, and contour to whatever is inside somewhat. This could be both, a curse and a blessing. I normally carry clothes, and soft food inside the main compartment, so there is nothing to poke me in the back. At the top, on each side of the carrying handle there are two slits covered by Velcroed flaps for a drinking tube from a bladder, or an antenna from a radio.

The ‘only’ pocket in the front of the main compartment is 11″ x 11″ 4″. There are two small pockets attached to this pocket. They are both protected by a Velcroed’ flap. These pockets are not very deep; about the only thing you can fit inside is a small book, or something similarly flat. I put my FM-21 Army Survival Manual inside the small inner pocket on the BOB. The large pocket closes with a zipper, and that’s covered with a flap. The flap can be cinched down with two straps on the front, and one on each side. My first generation Woodland BOB pack does not have the side cinch straps.

I purchased this rig with a MOLLE II Buttpack. The buttpack has both webbing and it’s own waist belt. It can be attached to the bottom of the Assault pack via the MOLLE straps, or worn alone. The buttpack measures 15″ x 6″ x 5″. It is almost round in cross-section. I rolled up my GI poncho, and poncho liner, and stuffed it inside the buttpack. I have a Marmot Trestles 15 sleeping bag, which is about the same size when rolled up and compressed. It too can be stuffed inside the buttpack instead of the ranger roll. The buttpack’s belt is the same as the Assault pack hip-belt. There are two cinch straps to compress anything inside. There is an extra set of ‘female’ buckles on the bottom of the Assault pack, so that you can attach extra gear like a sleeping mat, or a tent and tie it to the pack itself. These ‘extra’ buckles are actually used to attach the Assault pack to the main MOLLE II rifleman’s rucksack.

On the sides of the Assault pack there are 3 rows of webbing to attach MOLLE compatible equipment. I purchased two MOLLE canteen holders, and rigged them to both sides. I can use the canteen pouches for water, or to store extra gear. The lower side cinch strap goes across the canteen pouch, so it is convenient to compress whatever is inside.

I have used this pack a few times for short hikes, and it has served it’s purpose very well. Now that I have the smaller sleeping bag, and two canteen pouches, I will test it in the summer on 2-3 day camping trips. The overall construction and stitching seems to be good. I may have to reinforce some seams after a while; for now nothing has come apart or looks like it will.

Below are pictures of the Fist Generation MOLLE II Assault Pack in woodland camo. It’s used as my BOB. Notice the different shoulder straps and different attachment for the shoulder straps. There is no hip belt, or cinch straps on the sides. The large pocket has a draw cord closure instead of a zipper.

Useful Links:
MOLLE Care and Use Manual – PDF
MOLLE II Care and Use (with FLC) – PDF
MOLLE II Care and Use Manual (updated, with new FLC) – PDF

I bought and sold my SDS Assault pack on eBay. It really is the easiest marketplace to find one.

 
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This blog was created by Dmitry on January 20, 2008. It’s purpose is to encourage the sharing of knowledge and information between campers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. After several unsuccessful days or searching for meaningful reviews of the CFP-90 backpack, I decided to start this web log. The more articles I write, and more people join and post their own reviews, audience will become larger and more informed.

If you are interested in contributing in any way, either writing your own reviews, posting comments or any other ideas, please let me know. If you would like to write a post, please register and and you will become a Blog Contributor. There is a level of professionalism associated with all posts, so anything vulgar will be removed.

“If an American is to amount to anything he must rely upon himself, and not upon the State; he must take pride in his own work, instead of sitting idle to envy the luck of others. He must face life with resolute courage, win victory if he can, and accept defeat if he must, without seeking to place on his fellow man a responsibility which is not theirs.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“You can ignore reality, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.”
Ayn Rand

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Whenever I go camping, this utility belt is always with me. Around the campsite I take it off, but when out hiking, looking for firewood, or exploring it’s always on me.

The belt is a standard US Army Utility belt. I bought it from an army surplus store for about four or five bucks. I am not sure if it’s a ‘genuine’ issue belt, or a civilian look-alike, but it’s strong, and serves my purpose. On my left side is a Cold Steel GI Tanto knife. Then a plastic canteen in an ALICE pouch, then two ammo pouches. I have two screw-gate carabiners in between the pouches just in case. I cut off the loops from the ammo pouches, since they are useless for me, take up extra space, and snag on things. A GI metal cup sits inside the canteen pouch, and the canteen itself sits inside the cup.

One of the pouches contains the following:

• Bic lighter
• 550 paracord. Maybe 40 or 50 feet
• Trioxane fuel tabs. There are three in the box
• Mylar emergency blanket
• Winchester multitool
• Signal mirror
• Brunton compass with declination adjustment
• Slingshot replacement band. I have made my own slingshots before, this works great!
• Two wire saws. They don’t work too well, but will do in an emergency
• Aquamira Frontier Filter. Basically a straw filter good for 20 gallons

The second pouch has these items:

• Snake bite and sting kit. I added scalpel blades, more bandages, 4 clothes pins, butterfly sutures and a P-38 can opener. The disposable razor is there so you can shave the sting site for suction cup to adhere to your skin.
• Roll of waterproof medical tape
• Assorted large bandages, and gauze pads
• Roll of gauze
• Advil in a small bottle
• More medicine; antacids, anti-diarrheal, painkillers
• Garrity LED flashlight. 3 AAA batteries. This cost me $5 at the store, great flashlight for the price
• Gerber Gator knife. I have had this for at least 10 years, and use it all the time when camping

On the right side of the utility belt there is extra space for my Kimber 1911 in a Bianchi M12 style holster. I do not normally carry it with me, but if the situation arises, it sits comfortably on my hip.

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Few rifle owners are not familiar with the venerable Mosin Nagant rifle or carbine. I will not write about the history of this wonderful firearm here. There is much more information than I can possible say on this subject on MosinNagant.net, Wikipedia and SurplusRifle. What I will tell you is my personal tale…

It all started about three years ago at an outdoor shooting range. One of my friends brought his uncle’s Polish M44 carbine to the Spring Valley shooting range on a fine summer day. I had never shot a bolt action firearm before, and the Mosin was a pleasant surprise. The rifle looked gorgeous: light blond stock, deeply blued barrel and action and minimal wear on the bolt. It even had a rubber recoil pad, which I appreciated very much after just a few shots.

Summer 2006 I purchased my own Russian M44 from Aim Surplus. Date of manufacture is 1948 and it is from Izhevsk, well after the Russian army stopped using Mosin’s as their main battle rifle. It has close to 90% blueing on all the metal parts, and no stock damage except for a few nicks and dents from handling and storage. Unlike some other rifles, this one was not covered in globs of Cosmoline. The carbine had to be completely disassembled and cleaned. All the metal parts I thoroughly cleaned with acetone and Hoppe’s bore cleaner. There was minimal wear on the bolt, and barrel had nice deep rifling. There is no pitting on the barrel, so I believe this gun was manufactured and put away into storage without ever being used for training or combat.

I stripped the stock using aerosol Oven cleaner. This takes patience and dedication.

First, I cleaned as much Cosmoline from the stock as possible using rags and acetone. I then laid the stock in a bathtub and sprayed all the surfaces with oven cleaner. This stuff foams and smells terrible, so turn on the exhaust vent or open a window. Let the cleaner do it’s work for about 10-15 minutes, and rinse off. Repeat if necessary. Wood will swell from oven cleaner and water, so the stock has to be dried for a few days. Let it sit in your house, out of direct sunlight for a few days. When the wood is completely dry, it can be re-finished. For this project I chose Minwax oil-based stain. There are several types of Minwax finishes, and I used plain stain without varnish. After the first coat, I let the stock dry for 24 hours, and put on a second coat. Waited 24 more hours, and put on a third coat. After the last coat was dry, I put on clear varnish. To make it extra durable, I used four coats of clear varnish. End result is beautiful. I was afraid that heat from the barrel may start melting the varnish, but that has not happened.

By nature, Mosin rifles and carbines are very accurate. In fact special accurized versions of the Mosin Nagant rifle were used by Russian snipers in WW-2, before the SVD rifle was invented. In order to achieve good accuracy, the rifle has to be bedded properly, have good ergonomics and a good trigger. Bedding on my gun is fine, the barrel does not touch the stock anywhere but the action. One of the things I improved was the trigger. Original Mosin trigger is very “scratchy” and inconsistent. Huber Concepts makes excellent replacement triggers for many surplus rifles. They sent me a die cast adjustable ball trigger. A free-floating ball engages the sear, and can be adjusted to let off at various trigger draw weights. This improved accuracy tremendously. I am shooting much tighter groups than ever before.

Another improvement I made was a bent bolt handle. Michael Battersby of MosinParts, LLC will extend and bent your bolt handle to look like the Mosin Nagant sniper variant. If you plant to install a drill-and-tap scope mount, this mod is essential. Even if you do not plant to use a scope, the extra length and position of the new bolt handle makes it much easier and smoother to operate. Extra leverage means I can open the bolt with one finger and minimal effort.

June 30th:  New pictures added.  Some were taken with a flash, and color corrected using Adobe Lightroom.  Some are without flash, and look darker.  True color is close in all the pictures with a flash, especially in sunlight.

Mosin Nagant action
refinished stock stained and finished Natural color, low light, no flash refinished stock
Stained stock M44 cheek rest woodgrain details natural woodgrain
Mosin Nagant M 44 M44 rear sight M 44 front sight and hood M44 sights

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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

buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-belt-loop-strap buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-belt-loop-strap-detail buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-burnished-edge
buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-burnished-edge-rib buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-camo buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-point buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-retention-strap
buck-omni-hunter-knife-leather-homemade-sheath-stitching

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Overall length	9.75″
Weight	7.8 oz
Steel material	420HC stainless
Blade length	4″
Accessory	Nylon sheath

I have gained experience after several trips to the woods, that would not have come any other way.  One of the most used tools is a camp knife.  In the beginning, I thought bigger is better, and started with a Cold Steel GI Tanto.  At first it seemed to make perfect sense: large heavy blade for camp chores, paracord wrapped handle in case it needs to become a spear head, inexpensive, to take abuse, etc.  All these ‘features’ turned out to be useless: large blade is a pain to carry, handle is uncomfortable, cheap steel dull easy, and it looks scary, when you run into other people on the trail.  So… the GI Tanto has been replace with a Buck Omni Hunter 12pt with gut hook.

The Omni Hunter has a large curved handle, made of black Kraton.  It is textured for good grip, and is not slippery even with blood on it.  There are ridges on the top and bottom of the handle to increase traction in all conditions.  A lanyard hole is in the back, you can easily feed 550 cord through it for extra lashing.  This handle is large, even someone with large hands should find it comfortable.  If you have smaller hands, the curve of the handle makes it easy to use in every situation.  It is a full tang knife, as you can through the lanyard hole.

Blade of this knife is made from 420HC stainless.  The knife is designed for skinning game, and the width of the blade shows it.  It is about 1-1/2″ wide, with a deep belly for delicate skinning work.  The gut hook on top helps skinning deer or other game.  This blade is high hollow ground to ease cutting meat and most other things you expect to slice.  Because of the grind type, I would not use this knife to baton wood, or other heavy-duty camp chores.  One side of the blade is stamped with BUCK USA logo.

The sheath is made in China, and it’s adequate for the job.  There is about 1″ of handle sticking out the back, and the sheath closes shut with a metal snap.  The inside is covered with flexible plastic to prevent slicing through the sheath.  Belt loop seem thin, and only one row of stitching.  It may be a weak spot of the entire setup, and rip off the belt.

There are several models of the Omni Hunter, some with gut hook, some without.  There are also multiple handle options: black, camouflage, and orange camo.  I originally purchased the camo version with gut hook as a dedicated knife for my hunting trips.  After a few months, I also purchased a black handle version for the BOB.  Looking back, I wish the original knife had a black handle as well, its easier to loose the camouflaged knife in the woods.  Camo versions are just regular black handles sprayed with camo paint.  Don’t waste your money on either of the camo versions.

Buck Omni Hunter 12 point Buck Omni Hunter 12 pt Buck Omni Hunter Buck Omni Hunter review
Buck Omni Hunter handle Buck Omni Hunter blade Buck Omni Hunter gut hook Buck Omni Hunter full tang

You can easily buy one of these knives on eBay for a reasonable price. Save yourself time and gas driving around…




$56.95




$56.35




$58.95




$60.91




$53.88




$55.01




$54.12




$56.35




$99.99




$194.20

 

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Length w. Sheath	13.25″
Knife length	10.75″
Weight	2.8 oz
Steel material	Carbon Steel
Blade length	5.75″
Accessory	Wire cutter

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

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I first thought about a bug-out-bag in the late 1990s, while working as a bartender in a Cincinnati downtown bar. During the Christmas season, many businesses had their company parties, and I had to work 2-3 parties per day. In between shifts, I would have to change shirts (we had to wear white dress shirts), and socks. My feet got wet after a few hours of running around in dress shoes, and repeated trips to the dishwasher station. Spilling mixed drinks and beer all over my clothes made things even worse.

At that time I never even heard the term “bug-out-bag”, I used a yellow gym bag. The idea came to me after several messy work days. It was nice to have a fresh shirt, clean pair of socks, and some food for the days the restaurant did not have any for it’s employees. This was also when I started going camping at the Red Rive Gorge. At first I used a school book-bag, but that proved to be too small, and uncomfortable. After a few trips, I purchased a used US Army ALICE pack (medium size, no frame). I bought it online after seeing one my friends carrying all of his gear in one, and nothing was tied outside, except for the sleeping bag. On that trip, I caught on to the idea of using surplus military gear for camping. Mil-surp stuff is cheap(er) than commercial equipment, and a lot more durable. The ALICE pack is not as comfortable as the commercial internal frame packs, but for the money, it served the purpose for several years. One of my friends bought a large ALICE pack with the frame, several canteens with pouches, e-tool, utility belt, and a GI first aid kit about the same time. Between the two of us, we could carry a weeks worth of food and gear for two to three people.

Fast forward to today…
As the years went by, I figured out what gear was necessary for a pleasant camping trip, what was nice, and what was a waste of space. I bought more camping gar, sold some of it, and got different equipment to satisfy my tastes. I will not bore you with the list of things in my camping pack, but if you are reading this, then obviously this page is somewhat interesting. Please continue to “On your belt” and then to the “In your pack” pages. The stuff on the utility belt is what I always take with me when hiking; the stuff in the rucksack is more gear that stays at the campsite. I treat my real bugout bag differently than the actual camping pack, but the contents are similar.

One of the major differences is the size of the items. On a normal camping trip, I plan on going out into the woods for two days, and making it back to civilization on Sunday. If you have to leave home unexpectedly, and cannot go to parents, relatives or friends, then things are not so good. You have to be prepared for anything, and I know I am not even close. In order to stuff as many useful items as I can think of, they have to be compact, and hopefully serve more than one purpose. Some items in the BOB are simply unnecessary on a regular camping trip. Things like extra medicine, extra rope, garbage bags, multi-tool, batteries are usually not used much. Some people may disagree with me, but after numerous camping trips, I have realized that some stuff is nice, and some never gets used. In a real bugout situation, whether you have to traipse through town, or go into the woods for an unknown period of time, these things may become a lifesaver. Anyway, onto the size and wight discussion… If you are out of your house, trying to make it, you are probably not very concerned with creature comforts too much. Things like daily showers, a comfortable bed, gourmet food and drinks are not of great importance. What does this mean for your BOB? First of all food and water. Because food has to be nutritious, and compact, you can forget about canned goods, marshmallows, and beer. Things that mean most are easy to make and eat meals. Peanut butter, Ramen noodles, jerky, energy bars are high in calories, and varied enough to suit most people’s tastes. If you want to get even fancier, Mountain House makes good freeze dried meats and sides that are very compact. I am not a big fan of MREs, and similar type of meals. Some people choose to pack fishing line, snares and other similar devices for catching game. I have never hunted or trapped, so these things would not be very useful. As far as water goes, I have a water filter in my BOB, and several canteens. This assumes that water is available, and not contaminated, but if it is, I am screwed. For shelter I rolled up a US GI poncho, and poncho liner. On a regular camping trip, I can afford the extra space and weight of a sleeping pad, a nicer sleeping bag, plus a tent. In a survival situation, all the weight and creature comfort is not necessary. Chancer are, there will be no reason to set up a tent, and get comfortable on your sleeping pad. If you have to be in the woods, or in an urban environment, you need to be alert and ready all the time.