September is National Preparedness Month according to the U.S. government. A whole pantheon of organizations are joining together to promote preparedness, from the expected, such as Homeland Security and the Red Cross, to some you likely never heard of.
Perhaps a little publicity, nightly news stories and community led efforts will help jump start those [...]

Wenger poured 100 years of craftsmanship into their showpiece Giant Swiss Army Knife. This hand-assembled unique knife contains all 85 tools produced by Wenger at the time, which have a total of 110 functions. While it was developed primarily as a marketing exercise to generate buzz and serve as a show piece [...]

The first hurricane of the season with potential to seriously impact the U.S. is fast approaching. Are you ready? By that, I mean, have you prepared to either shelter in place or evacuate with adequate survival gear and supplies? You don’t have to go out and buy a commercially assembled kit, though that [...]

Time Magazine has published an excellent article on “the national culture of unpreparedness.” It notes,” Because the real challenge in the U.S. today is not predicting catastrophes. That we can do. The challenge that apparently lies beyond our grasp is to prepare for them.”
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1229102,00.html

Leatherman Charge Changes
The cast titanium handles on the current Leatherman Charge Ti and XTi will be replaced by smooth 6061-T6 aluminum with a black Type III hard anodized coating. The Leatherman logo is engraved onto a polished stainless steel insert that is riveted to the aluminum handle.
I was told that weight is virtually unchanged. The [...]

Here’s a few of the new products that captured my attention at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City this past week.
While PLBs aren’t new, it was gratifying to see the ACR booth busy (McMurdo didn’t attend). Industry perception of PLBs is improving and there’s a lot more interest. ACR’s signing of Aron Ralston, [...]

The Doug Ritter RSK Mk3™ fixed blade is my first fixed blade design to reach production and it is a direct descendant from the very successful RSK Mk1™ folder. The RSK Mk3™ is a medium-sized lightweight fixed blade with premium steel designed for practical survival, hunting and everyday utility use. The 4.5 inch (11.43 cm) [...]

It’s time for my semi-annual trek north to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. While this show rarely has anywhere near the number of new product introductions  as does SHOT Show, there’s usually something of interest to the survival and preparedness community.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to use this blog to make note [...]

Knives are man’s oldest tool. A diverse group of concerned knife and tool owners has formed the United States Knife & Tool Association (www.USKTA.org) to oppose efforts to restrict knife ownership and carry. Recent events have escalated concerns about efforts to implement irrational and needless restrictions on civilization’s most fundamental tool.The July 25, 2006, Wall [...]