All Outdoor

Kiku Matsuda is a custom knife maker of international renown. He not only makes excellent and unique knives, but they are widely appreciated for their ability to withstand hard use. Despite their unusual aesthetics they are not art knives or show knives–these are pieces designed to do real work.

Up until three years ago SOG Knives were designed almost exclusively by the company president Spencer Fraiser. Fraiser either borrowed liberally from classic designs, as he did with the beloved SOG Vietnam-era bowie designs, or the knives were entirely his work. It is an impressive output, both in terms of number of and quality. But I would imagine all of that design work was exhausting and so perhaps for the first time, SOG opened up to outside designers and Kiku Matsuda was one of the first they choose. The first knife of this collaboration was a very different fixed blade–essentially Fraiser and Kiku worked together on the design and then Kiku made it for SOG in very, very small numbers, releasing a handful of blades over about a year. After that they scaled up and made a very nice production fixed blade of similar design with a striking hammered pattern on the blade. Then, last year, they released a pair of Kiku designed folders–the Large and t

Forty years ago when I started deer hunting, the standard for hunting boots were either army surplus leather boots, lace up work boots, or rubber farm boots, none of which were considered insulated. If they were advertised as “insulated” then all that meant was a layer of thin foam was put between the outside leather and the inner sock liner. They were not warm, and they soaked up water like a sponge.

If that were not bad enough, most hunters wore cotton socks. You might as well keep bare feet as to expect cotton socks to keep feet warm. As you walked, usually your feet sweated and there was no where for that moisture to go but into the socks. Cotton absorbed that moisture until finally your feet felt like they were encased in a block of ice, which was not too far from the truth if the outside temperatures were that cold.

I forget when the first truly modern, hunter designed boots came on the market. Brand names like Browning, L.L.Bean, Kenetrek and others broke the ice. Later Muck and LaCrosse introduced high quality insulated rubber pull on boots. Slowly but surely decent boots did arrive and hunters were quick to adapt to them.

Scientifically engineered insulation materials began to show up, too. Today we know them by the trade names like Thinsulate ® in various gram thickness layers or insulations lik

In this video you will learn how to make your very own Spring Snare Trap. Watch the step by step process below and report back on how it goes.

I love my Black Rain Ordnance Fallout-15 not only because it makes heads turn every single time I pull it from the bag, but also because it performs extremely well. It remains one of my most accurate, dependable, and smoothest running AR-15’s, and because of these things, it inspires confidence. All the good things about the gun aside, I wanted to drop some significant weight, and the most apparent weight reduction was to swap out one of the best quadrails on the market for something lighter.

The challenge was that the competing smooth handguard could only deliver a one-ounce reduction at best. After searching for some 10/22 rifle accessories, I ended up on Clark Customs Guns site and stumbled into their carbon fiber forend product line. At 6oz, the Clark Customs Carbon Fiber AR-15 Forend is without a doubt the lightest and coolest looking AR-15 forend in existence… I had to have one.

1911s are the guy’s version of playing barbies. We take a perfectly normal 1911 and then we start swapping out and upgrading parts. I had actually spent the better part of a night swapping between various sets of VZ Grips on my Ruger SR1911 and Springfield Range Master when my wife asked if I enjoyed playing gun barbies… sadly, yes I do.

So far, my Ruger SR1911 and Springfield Range Master 1911s have been a blast to shoot, but they’ve been even more fun to customize. The Smith & Alexander Mag Funnel replaced my stock back strap on my SR1911, but I moved it over to my Range Master to make sure I liked it before picking up another. The S&A funnel greatly improved reload speeds and dressed up the 1911. But thought it’s an easy upgrade, a magwell funnel can be a bit intimidating.

Grips, on the other, hand are an easy custom touch for any 1911 owner. New grips can give your gun huge improvements in grip, comfort, and looks, all with just removing and replacing four screws. When it comes to 1911 grips, no other company offers the variety of 1911 grips like VZ Grips, and the kicker is that they are some of the most reasonably priced grips on the market.

We found this video that shows an in depth review and ice test of the top 5 coolers on the market, including Engel Coolers, IRP Coolers, Igloo Coolers, Coleman Extreme Cooler, and Yeti Cooler.

If you’re going to spend the cash, make sure you watch this video first.

We found this video that shows an in depth review and ice test of the top 5 coolers on the market. Including: Engel Coolers, IRP Coolers, Igloo Coolers, Coleman Extreme Cooler, and Yeti Cooler.

If you’re going to spend the cash, make sure you watch this video first.

Ahhh I love the smell of new Tupperware in the morning. As a huge fan of Glocks and one who carries one on a constant basis, I look forward to the introduction of new models. What baffles me is that newGlock introductions are usually met with about as much skepticism from Glock shooters as the Glock 17 was when it first came out. The SHOT 2014 introduction of the Glock 41 and Glock 42 was no exception. Already I have heard an ear full from friends: “WTF was Glock thinking?” “I wanted a single stack [insert favorite caliber here].” “I wanted a competition tuned Glock.” “I want…”I want…” “I want…”

Here’s the deal folks. Apparently Glock is smarter than all the loud screamers, because the new for 2013 G30S sub-compact .45ACP 10-round pistol was hugely successful over the last year. It was initially received by the “already got a Glock” ownership crowd about as well as a gut punch. For that same crowd, expect a hit a bit lower this year because you hardened G17 and G19 shooters are going to again start poking fingers in chests over the new giant mega capacity .45 ACP and small single stack .380 ACP. I always find it funny that the more I initially loathe or attempt to find fault with a new Glock model, the more I want one.

The G42 is one of Glock’s exclusively USA m

Ahhh I love the smell of new Tupperware in the morning. As a huge fan of Glocks and one who carries one on a constant basis, I look forward to the introduction of new models. What baffles me is that new Glock introductions are usually met with about as much skepticism from Glock shooters as the Glock 17 was when it first came out. The SHOT 2014 introduction of the Glock 41 and Glock 42 was no exception. Already I have heard an ear full from friends:“WTF was Glock thinking?”… “I wanted a single stack [insert favorite caliber here]”, “I wanted a competition tuned Glock”, “I want…,”I want…”, “I want…”

Here’s the deal folks. Apparently Glock is smarter than all the loud screamers, because the new for 2013 G30S sub-compact .45ACP 10-round pistol was hugely successful over the last year. It was initially received by the “already got a Glock” ownership crowd about as well as a gut punch. For that same crowd, expect a hit a bit lower this year, because you hardened G17 and G19 shooters are going to again start poking fingers in chests over the new giant mega capacity .45 ACP and small single stack .380 ACP. I always find it funny that the more I initially loathe or attempt to find fault with a new Glock model, the more I want one.

The G42 is one of Glock’s exclusively USA m

If you’re looking for the perfect knife to suit your inner Viking, look no further. Helle Norway makes fixed blade knives using materials native to Norway’s landscape. The results are knives that vary piece to piece. It’s important to Helle to make knives beyond novelty. While the Scandinavian geography plays a role in their designs, they prioritize function. According to Helle’s website:

The wild mountains, fjords and open seas combined with generations of outdoorsmen are the inspiration for our design. Each knife is designed with a specific task in mind. The purpose of a specific knife may be that it should replace a couple of other tools and be a versatile and multifunctional tool. Or its mission can be to be the best fishing knife around.

Founded in 1932 in a small Norwegian village, the company hasn’t changed much. It still employs a handful of people who keep production steady but small. Most of the knives fall in the retail range of $95-$200–the “sweet spot,” according to Helle rep Matt Huff. Helle knives can be purchased through their 

If you’re looking for the perfect knife to suit your inner Viking, look no further. Helle Norway makes fixed blade knives using materials native to Norway’s landscape. The results are knives that vary piece to piece. It’s important to Helle to make knives beyond novelty. While the Scandinavian geography plays a role in their designs, they prioritize function. According to Helle’s website:

The wild mountains, fjords and open seas combined with generations of outdoorsmen are the inspiration for our design. Each knife is designed with a specific task in mind. The purpose of a specific knife may be that it should replace a couple of other tools and be a versatile and multifunctional tool. Or its mission can be to be the best fishing knife around.

Founded in 1932 in a small Norwegian village, the company hasn’t changed much. It still employs a handful of people who keep production steady but small. Most of the knives fall in the retail range of $95-$200–the “sweet spot,” according to Helle rep Mat

Three hundred years ago, you got around on your feet or on the back of a horse. News came via word of mouth or, in big cities, the first newspapers. The Revolutionary War was a century and a half in the future, and medicine consisted of leeches and biting bullets while your arm was amputated. Much has changed.

One thing that hasn’t changed in three centuries is the fact that one of the best knives for EDC is still the Barlow.

The Barlow is a traditional knife pattern that was first produced in the 1700s in or around Sheffield, England. It has a long bolster, a tear drop shaped handle, and a clip point blade. They almost all open with a nail knick. Dozens of companies have made Barlow pattern knives, and today you can get a cheap overseas-made version for $5 or fine custom ones for more than five figures.

From Sheffield, England, the Barlow, like other goods, was sent across the ocean in huge trade routes. It made its way up the Mississippi and into early America. Everyone that had a pocket knife in 1800s America probably owned a Barlow once in their life. They were cheap enough that even poor people could carry one. They were the first widespread EDC knife, so universal, in fact, that by the 19th century the word “Barlow” was genericized and came to mean “folding knife.” (Int

What goes around comes around, and that’s true not only with hunting equipment, but also with hunting strategies. Before the advent of the ever popular tree stands that we see everywhere in the woods today, deer hunters used to hunt on the ground. Many of the old black and white photos of early deer hunters showed them sitting on tree stumps or on the ground with their backs to a big tree.

I am not sure exactly when commercial tree stands came on the scene, but hunters have been building tree houses, platforms, or even putting a wedged board in the fork of a tree to get into an elevated position for decades. Some hunters just climbed up high in a tree and sat on a limb to achieve a bird’s eye view of the surroundings. I think that concept started with the Indians, but maybe cavemen did it, too. As the ad says, “We’ve come a long way baby.”

When deer hunters talked ground blinds 20+ years ago, they were creations fabricated at the hunting spot with available natural materials. Hunters pulled together a couple of logs or tree limbs then built up a camouflaged screen around it with evergreen cuttings and other vegetation. They could hover down behind this cover and be fairly well undetected if the wind was right. Building such ground blinds fell pretty much out of favor when the factory-made tree stands came

What goes around comes around, and that’s true not only with hunting equipment, but also with hunting strategies. Before the advent of the ever popular tree stands that we see everywhere in the woods today, deer hunters used to hunt on the ground. Many of the old black and white photos of early deer hunters showed them sitting on tree stumps or on the ground with their backs to a big tree.

I am not sure exactly when commercial tree stands came on the scene, but hunters have been building tree houses, platforms, or even putting a wedged board in the fork of a tree to get into an elevated position for decades. Some hunters just climbed up high in a tree and sat on a limb to achieve a bird’s eye view of the surroundings. I think that concept started with the Indians, but maybe cavemen did it, too. As the ad says, “We’ve come a long way baby.”

When deer hunters talked ground blinds 20+ years ago, they were creations fabricated at the hunting spot with available natural materials. Hunters pulled together a couple of logs or tree limbs then built up a camouflaged screen around it with evergreen cuttings and other vegetation. They could hover down behind this cover and be fairly well undetected if the wind was right. Building such ground blinds fell pretty much out of favor when the factory-made tree stands came along.

Three hundred years ago, you got around on your feet or on the back of a horse. News came via word of mouth or, in big cities, the first newspapers. The Revolutionary War was a century and a half in the future, and medicine consisted of leeches and biting bullets while your arm was amputated. Much has changed.

One thing that hasn’t changed in three centuries is the fact that one of the best knives for EDC is still the Barlow.

The Barlow is a traditional knife pattern that was first produced in the 1700s in or around Sheffield, England. It has a long bolster, a tear drop shaped handle, and a clip point blade. They almost all open with a nail knick. Dozens of companies have made Barlow pattern knives, and today you can get a cheap overseas-made version for $5 or fine custom ones for more than five figures.

From Sheffield, England, the Barlow, like other goods, was sent across the ocean in huge trade routes. It made its way up the Mississippi and into early America. Everyone that had a pocket knife in 1800s America probably owned a Barlow once in their life. They were cheap enough that even poor people could carry one. They were the first widespread EDC knife, so universal, in fact, that by the 19th century the word “Barlow” was genericized and came to mean “folding knife.” (Interesting note: I can’t think o

I stopped by the Spyderco booth at SHOT 2014 and got the chance to sit down with Marketing Manager Joyce Laituri, who walked me through many of the products that the company has launched in the past two weeks. Here’s a quick summary of what I saw.

Serrata

Spyderco’s new Serrata sports a 4.65-inch, full flat ground blade made of casted 440C steel. Note that I said “casted,” there, and not “forged.” Instead of heating up the blade material and hammering it into shape, Spyderco makes a wax mold and pours molten steel into it. This makes a dendritic steel, which apparently has some different crystaline properties than a forged steel, and gives it added strength.

Serrata detail

If you look closely at the picture above, you can see tha

Seven of the first eight deer to walk within bow range of “The Stand” that last, late afternoon were bucks. And while all would have been easy targets and gladly taken anywhere else, this tree stand was different – a special spot, in a special place, at a very special time.

For two hours I watched fork-horns, 6-points, and small 8s walk within 20 yards of The Stand. They rubbed their antlers on saplings, tested the wind with heads held high. Once a pair of bigger bucks even butted heads – until the larger deer broke off the challenge to chase a young doe that stood on the woods fringe, watching her suitors spar.

Another time, another place, any of those bucks would have been fair game for my bow. But not from this tree stand, at least not on that last afternoon hunt.

It was the rut in South Texas, and everything about the storied land of giant bucks with towering racks had come true. It was early December and we’d arrived three days previously at Brooks’ Pikes Peak Ranch near San Angelo.

It was awesome.

As we drove to the ranch, deer bounded across roads as common as rabbits in a brier patch. And when Bill Brooks showed us around his property, plenty of quality bucks raced about. The first morning on stand, I saw several dozen deer, including bucks of near-record book size, but the animals w

I stopped by the Spyderco booth at SHOT 2014 and got the chance to sit down with Marketing Manager Joyce Laituri, who walked me through many of the products that the company has launched in the past two weeks. Here’s a quick summary of what I saw.

Serrata

Spyderco’s new Serrata sports a 4.65-inch, full flat ground blade made of casted 440C steel. Note that I said “casted,” there, and not “forged.” Instead of heating up the blade material and hammering it into shape, Spyderco makes a wax mold and pours molten steel into it. This makes a dendritic steel, which apparently has some different crystaline properties than a forged steel, and gives it added strength.

Bucks are going to lose their antlers, but I imagine they do not wish to lose them like this.

Leatherman was showing off their LED Lenser flashlights at SHOT, and apparently the company has an exclusive for most of the year on an especially high-powered and efficient LED. The company’s entire line got a one-off major boost in lumens — it looks like around 20% to 30% — from this deal, and their supplier has agreed not to make the new LED technology available to anyone else for eight months.

To be honest, I didn’t even know that Leatherman was in the flashlight business, so when I got to pick up and try out most of their line in one session, it was all new to me. The company seems to have a great array of models in various sizes, from AA-powered keychain lights all the way up to Maglite-sized monstrosities. In regard to the latter, there were a pair of law enforcement officers at the booth who were basically asking the rep if the larger lights could, er, take a beating — as in “you take one of these lights out and it usually gets the point across.”

Of course the rep assured them that the lights would stand up to any amount of abuse just as well as a Maglite. This is something that we’ll have to test when we get our hands on some of these later this year.