Survival Gear

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger

If someone ever tells you nice watch at a urinal you may want that watch to be the ParaClaw CQD watch. I mean, it might be a compliment, but if its make creep than compliment at least you’ll have a knife on hand. Literally on hand, or well, on the wrist. The ParaClaw series from Outdoor Edge comes as both the original Paracord bracelet as well as the ParaClaw CQD watch. This design gained a lot of attention online, and also a lot of less than reputable rip-offs. Outdoor Edge is the original manufacturer and they are unsurprisingly the only quality option for the ParaClaw.

The core of the design is the Hawkbill blade that’s a mere 1.5 inches long, attached to both a bracelet or watch. Both are made from paracord and the blade hides in the clasp that secures the bracelet or watch around your wrist.

Sneaky Stinger

The ParaClaw is a sneaky little stinger that allows you to carry what has to be the most disguised knife in the world. If the key to proper concealed carry is concealment you don’t get much more concealed than the ParaClaw. These handy knives are designed to be for last-ditch self-defense or even weapon retention tool.

If you get in a pinch and are wrestling over your firearm the position of the Paraclaw on your wrist is convenient. It’s easy to grab, deploy and get into action. It’s not something your opponent would see coming and would allow you to inflict instant damage, and hopefully free your gun up to end the threat. The hawkbill blade is perfect for cutting into the wrist, shoulders, or neck of your opponent.

Outside of just getting your weapon back the ParaClaw acts what’s best described as a concealed carry SOC-P dagger. It creates distances, causes pain, and ends fights. The blade allows you to get the advantage in a ground fight and to change an attackers mind or allow you to gain an advantageous position.

The Blade

The blade is made from Cr13MoV stainless steel so sweat from the wrist won’t cause corrosion. To tag onto that the knife has a very nice Blackstone finish that I really like. The steel itself durable, plenty sharp, but isn’t made for heavy everyday use. It’s not a tool, this is a weapon. You want it to be sharp and ready should the need arise for some close quarters bloodletting. The back of the knife has a thumb rest and jimping to allow you to use your thumb to drive the blade through a target. Its hawkbill design allows it to excel for slashing.

Slashing is certainly how this knife is supposed to be used. It’s a bit short for stabbing, but for well suited for opening up an opponent. Below the edge of the blade is a slight guard to tuck your trigger finger under. This will allow you to exercise the utmost control of the knife, and lower your risk of hurting yourself. You can untangle and unbraid the bracelet and use the blade and sheath in other roles. I’m working them into a sling for my 80 lower receiver AR pistol.

The Handle

The handle is, of course, the weaved paracord that makes up the bracelet or the watch band. Outdoor Edge has the bands hand weaved from paracord. With a weapon like this, you have to keep things into perspective. This isn’t a Ka-Bar, they are both fighting knives but serve different purposes.

The Outdoor Edge Paraclaw is for quick and brutal engagements. It’s not a working knife, but with that in mind, the Paracord handle is actually very comfortable. It’s soft, fills the hand, and is comfortable enough for its intended use.

The Watch

Obviously, the main difference between the watch and the bracelet is one tells time. The CQD watch head is a precisely crafted timepiece with a Japanese quartz movement.

A quartz movement is a very accurate means to tell time, and the use of a battery means no winding. Quartz timepieces are also very durable due to their fewer moving parts. The watch comes in both large and medium bands and the choice between Zinc alloy and stainless steel. The Zinc Alloy model is a bit cheaper, and a very adequate timepiece.

It’s a watch designed for EDC indoors and out. It’s water resistant up to 170 feet for the stainless steel model and a 100 feet for the zinc alloy model. Both have titanium PVD coatings, mineral glass and a glow in the dark lume indexed display.

Complaints?

My only complaint would likely ultimately create a function issue. It doesn’t match my sexy offensive shirt. From a purely looks perspective, I’d like a thinner handle. The bracelet and watch band seem to be a little on the large side and I prefer smaller bands overall. However, a smaller band means a smaller handle and that could compromise the tool as a weapon.

The Paraclaw

The ParaClaw is a unique weapon that will provide you with a hidden blade for those close encounters of the violent kind. The ParaClaw isn’t a main fighting knife, but a way to create distance to escape, reformulate and attack, or to get to a better weapon.

PACE Lid Constellation Kit: A compact urban survival kit

I did a previous article on the new GORUCK Constellation Urban Survival and Navigation course. The owner of PACE Lid is also heavily involved with GORUCK and decided to come up with a kit that could be used for the course utilizing his PACE Lid product.

From the PACE Lid website:

GORUCK Constellation is an Urban survival and navigation course. In the course, you will use items in a kit to carry out various evolutions. The Constellation kit and PACElid were the models for the courses, so it makes sense to offer the exact kit inside a lid ready to go for your Constellation or SHTF preparation.

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Black PACElid outfitted with the following items:

Adventurer Button Compass (NATO/U.S. Military Issue)

All Weather Survival Matches (NATO/U.S. Military Issue)

Derma Safe Razor Knife (U.S. Military Approved)

Sewing Kit w/6 Safety Pins (Assembled in USA)

MP1 Water Purification Tablets (U.S. Military Issue)

Adventurer Survival Whistle (SOLAS/NATO Approved)

Mini Survival Fishing Kit (Assembled in USA)

Type 1A Utility Cord (U.S. Military Approved)

Brass Snare Wire (Trapping and Equipment Repair)

Emergency Signal Mirror (Daytime Emergency Signaling)

Compact Flint Fire Starter w/Striker

Adventurer Tinder Quik Fire Tabs

Adventurer Fresnel Lens Fire Starter

Water Bag

Compact First Aid Kit
–Sting Relief (2 packets)
–Butterfly Bandages (2)
–Band Aids (6)
–Moleskin (3″ x 4″)
–Triple Antibiotic Ointment (2)
–Zip Lock Bag

Hand Sanitizer

Silica Gel Desiccant (Moisture Absorbent)

*Photo courtesy of PACE Lid

Nordic Pocket Saw: The bigger they are, The harder they fall

As an avid outdoorsman, it’s very rare that I find myself unprepared when I venture out into the wilderness. I always make sure to take the essentials, be it a medical kit, proper clothing, or fire starting materials. After using the Nordic Pocket Saw, I came to recognize one area in which I’ve been unprepared. By using a cheap, low-quality pocket saw, I was severely hampering my ability to create shelter.

The Nordic Pocket Saw, in my own opinion, is worthy of praise for several reasons. First, it’s designed by the Swedes. I’m almost certain that over half of that country is made up of dense forest surrounded by some of the world’s harshest arctic conditions. Second, the chains are phenomenal compared to any competition that I’ve personally used. I have owned no less than five different pocket saws, all of which have failed, one of them catastrophically DURING use. When it comes to pocket saws, I have quite a bit of experience and I know what works and what doesn’t. If I had to choose only one for an extended venture into no man’s land, I’d choose the Nordic Pocket Saw.

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One thing worth noting is the quality of the chains on the Nordic Pocket Saw. Any tool that you use is going to require maintenance, no matter what. The problem with the cheap competitors is that the low-quality material makes it extremely difficult to maintain. I’ve had a couple pocket saws whose teeth broke off during sharpening. I can’t stress enough how dangerous this would be if you were relying on them to help you build a shelter or source firewood. The cheap steel simply broke off on the competition, but I’ve barely reached the point that I need to sharpen the teeth on the Nordic Pocket Saw.

When you do get around to sharpening, however, you must use a 4mm round file. This is the perfect size to maintain the sharpness, which will allow you to keep a consistent speed in the wood, making it more efficient. Another small part of the maintenance is to use a lubricating oil on the hinges to keep them from seizing up or rusting. Again, the material in the Nordic Pocket Saw is high-quality, which means you can sacrifice a little bit of maintenance time for more important things like food or rest if you had to.

With my saw, I was able to tackle some fairly large trees with very little trouble at all. In fact, the only reason I really broke a sweat was that I haven’t kept a normal running routine! This saw can take a lot of abuse since it’s made of heat treated high carbon steel. The handles are made of Cordura nylon fabric and are attached to the chain with a triangular steel connector that is very sturdy. There are two teeth to every chain, both of them in opposite directions so you can make cuts going back and forth.

In my first go with the Nordic Pocket Saw, I downed a 4-inch diameter tree in about 20 seconds going at a slow pace. Speeding it up, I was able to drop an 11-inch diameter mammoth in about a minute and a half. The blaze orange handles and carrying case are a great addition to the quality of this product. If I were to drop the saw, I’d never have to worry about losing it in a pile of leaves, while the carrying case does a great job at securing it to my belt. All in all, the Nordic Pocket Saw provides an amazing value at an affordable price.

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Author – Rodney Pointer is a former Army Infantryman. After graduating from Airborne School, he was ruthlessly assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana to live out his days as a dirty leg. He served with the 2nd BN, 30th Infantry of the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Following his deployment to Afghanistan, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Intelligence Operations. He currently works as a nuclear security contractor.

The Brush Demon Machete: Eat the Jungle

Florida often invokes a specific image, Disney Land, beaches, sun and fun style living. Which is all true, but doesn’t represent the entirety of Florida, just the places people want to go. Not many people want to cruise over to Northwest Florida, the land of sun, mosquitoes, and what feels like a tropical rainforest at times. NW Florida is a jungle, but in its lushness is the easy access to fishing, hunting, camping, and an outdoors style life. Like all jungles it’s exploration requires tools, and machetes are a common must have. The folks at Outdoor Edge were nice enough to send me a Brush Demon machete to help continue my adventures. (And maintain my yard)

I live smack dab in the middle of nowhere in a clearing surrounded by woods on all sides and I love it. That being said I have plenty of work to keep up with to constantly push nature backward. Before we dive into the slicing and dicing lets look at what the Brush Demon is.

Brush Demon Specs

The Brush Demon is a compact machete with a blade that curves slightly forward. Its blade is 13.5 inches long and the overall length is 20 inches and it weighs 1.1 pounds. As you can see it’s compact and light. The blade is made from 65 Mn carbon spring-steel and it has a black powder coat for rust resistance. Carbon steel does like to rust and living a mile from the ocean it will rust, but the powder coat will help.

The Brush Demon had a nice Zytel handle with what they call a skin molded TPR. TPR, of course, being Thermoplastic rubber. The Brush Demon comes with a nylon sheath that’s quite nice and can be worn low or high. MSRP is 69.95.

Hitting the Brush

The Brush Demon is an incredibly sharp machete. Right out of the box it’s a serious tool. Your blow can be slow and with little force and it won’t have much issue slicing and dicing through the brush. This includes sapling oaks, palmettos, vines of all types and more. Little force is required to make good cuts and because of this, you have to exert less effort.

The forward curve to the tip of the Brush Demon is almost kukri like in design, but the curve isn’t so extreme. This forward curve does make chopping easier and the blade overall more effective. This thing chews through foliage. I cleared a little area of thick palmettos, saplings, and more in just a few minutes and was blown away and barely felt like I was doing anything. My exertion levels were low and my heart rate hadn’t jumped according to my Fit Bit.

The handle and its skin molded design does feel odd when you first pick it up. It’s oddly soft but in use, it’s comfortable and absorbs shock well. It’s a little thin, but this didn’t cause issues. Throughout a day of chopping, slicing, and destroying I felt some hot spots, but never developed blisters. My hands also never felt too fatigued or cramped. The ledges on the front and rear of the grip also keep your hand from sliding while chopping and cutting. You don’t have to grip it like your life is depending on it.

The Brush Demon is superbly light so fatigue is reduced just in general use. The machete glides through the air, and through everything in front of it.

And Furthermore

The blade is a little front heavy, but its a freakin machete, do they come any other way? The geometry of the blade does lend itself to the wrist snap technique for cutting. As someone who grew using a machete for everything from sod to brush the proper way to cut is with your whole arm, leading with the elbow and flicking your wrist up or down depending on the material.

The Brush Demon is an oddly designed machete sure, but its still an effective and handy machete. The heavy part at the apex of the belly is a sweet spot for chopping thicker materials and hitting them at the right angle will chop right through them.

Since exertion is minimized safety is maximized. When you get tired with a machete you get sloppy and when you get sloppy you get hurt. The Brush Demon’s design is well suited for both beginners and experienced macheticians. (Yes I made that word up.)

Design influence

The Brush Demon was designed by Jerry Hossom who makes several blades inspired by the Greek Kopis and you can see a lot of the kopis design in the Brush Demon, down to the ledges on the handle. It also has a hellacious point, which is uncommon on machetes. This blade can be used for stabbing, be it a pesky predator who’s put you on the menu, or a piece of scum looking for a score of course my new 80% 1911 is abetter choice.

There is a defensive edge to every machete, but the Brush Demon takes it a step beyond. The ability to stab and penetrate is simply another function of an already handy tool. My only real complaint is I wish the blade was a bit longer. As a tall guy, I’m bending over pretty far to hit brush on the ground. An 18-inch model would be blissful to my 6’5” frame.

Watch: Basic setup for go-bags and 3 day assault packs

It’s a simple topic but one that can always be updated as the times change. Today we take a moment to discuss different types of Go-bags/3-day assault packs and how I would pack one (generally).

You can purchase the Cannae Assault Pack HERE

Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL: Ultra-Portable Fire Starter

With a company like Exotac, you can pretty much guarantee that you are going to receive an amazing product for starting a fire in any condition. I’ve been so impressed with their products lately, and I’m more than eager to get my hands on their stuff when it’s available. For this review, I’ll be focusing on the new nanoSTRIKER XL, which is an ultra-small and self-contained ferrocerium rod. The nanoSTRIKER XL features an all-in-one design that allows for it to be completely waterproof when not in use.

When you’re ready to use the nanoSTRIKER XL, you simply unscrew the striking tool and the rod holder from the main handle. You flip the rod holder around and screw it back into the handle and use the striking tool like you normally would on the ferrocerium rod. The rod itself is completely replaceable and is rated at 3,000 strikes from the striking tool. Once the scrapings from the rod are ignited you can expect it to burn at 5500°.

The body of the nanoSTRIKER XL is CNC machined and made of lightweight anodized aluminum. You really can use the ferrocerium rod for starting fires in just about any application. Wood shavings, tinder, dry grass, quickLIGHT, and other flammable material is capable of igniting from the sparks. The XL model has larger dimensions than the original and is great for larger hands and needing better manipulation.

The nanoSTRIKER XL is currently available for $29.95 from Exotac and is available in Black, Gunmetal, Blaze Orange, and Olive Drab.