The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
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 […]
Machetes are a great tool to have in the arsenal. I’ll be honest in saying that during the majority of my time in the Ranger Regiment, machetes were not all that common. They were, however, used by some lead elements to break through brush when conducting jungle specific operations or movements through the densely vegetated […]
Fans of ESEE will remember we recently covered the Expat Cleaver. The Expat Cleaver was the first of many planned Expat knives designed by ESEE forum member and world traveler “Expat”. Like all Esee knives, the design comes from folks who are noted survival experts. At SHOT Show 2018 I had the chance to connect […]
Founded in 1939, Gerber has long since established itself as one of the biggest names in cutting tools. From kitchen cutlery to pocket knives, to skinning knives, Gerber has remained a small-shop powerhouse for most of a century. The Portland, Oregon based company is still fighting to keep at the forefront of the industry. Being […]
After recently releasing Grandpa’s Ax, designed by TOPS Knives CEO Leo Espinoza’s father, the company continues to tap into the minds of those closest to them. This time it’s a barong-inspired machete called the Yacare 10.0, designed by none other than Craig Powell, General Manager at TOPS. The Yacare leverages its unusual dimensions to make it a high-intensity, mid-size […]
When TOPS Knives President Leo Espinoza was tasked with designing the ultimate chopping knife, El Chete sprung from his mind practically fully formed. “Leo knew as soon as he drew this thing up that people were going to love it,” TOPS Knives’ Craig Powell tells us. “As soon as they look at it, people just know that it’s going […]
Coincident with a new wave of demand for chopper knives, KA-BAR’s Parangatang is finding its way back into production after a brief hiatus. The design is the brainchild of Steve Johnson of Johnson Adventure Blades, who set out to make a sturdy, powerful, and balanced tool capable of a wide variety of cutting tasks. This […]
Make a Fire in the Jungle No match, no problem. What you’ll need: A machete or sharp knife; bamboo; char cloth; rock; flint; steel Jungle Chair Pop a squat in the woods. Directions: Cut two sticks at the same length. Sharpen one end on both sticks. Stab the sticks into the ground, a little more […]
I’ve used Gerber Gear knives and tools since the early 90’s when I was active duty in the Marine Corps. One of the best knives I used during that time period was the Gerber Gator series of folding knives. That Gator Grip was something else. When they released their Machete with the Gator Grip I […]
(Article courtesy of Tactical Life) It doesn’t matter much whether you’re trying to survive the aftermath of a hurricane, an earthquake, a massive flood, an extreme blizzard or a volcanic eruption—once you’ve bugged out to your safe zone, you are probably going to be heating large quantities of water over an open fire. RELATED STORY: 11 […]
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