This post will be a review of several pieces of gear that I have gathered over the course of months that I took on a recent camping trip to test. Some of the items I have tested on a smaller scale at home and others got tried for the first time on the camping trip.
Let's get started...
The ESEE Junglas
This was an anniversary present from my wife - it wasn't a surprise as I picked it out. For the record, I ordered her a new set of kitchen cutlery for our anniversary - the Cold Steel Kitchen Classics block set.
When the Junglas arrived I tore open the box like it was Christmas morning, since I was anxious.
One thing I need to say is that this is a big knife! 10.5 inch blade from 1095 steel that is .188 inch thick and a roughly 6 inch Micarta handle around the full tang that is .88 inch thick, and it weighs in at a whopping 22.5 ounces without the sheath. I was concerned about the weight and handle thickness while considering the purchase. But let me say that the handle fits my hands great, and provides plenty of room. And even though it is heavy, it is extremely well balanced (not overly blade heavy), so it actually feels lighter in the hand than it would seem. The blade also came very sharp out of the box - easily shaving hair off of my arm.
The Junglas also came with a factory kydex sheath. Most of the other ESEE knives like the 3, 4, 5, and 6 come with a plastic molded sheath, but the Junglas sheath is a one piece, folded kydex sheath with a Cordura backing that allows for belt carry and is MOLLE compatible. There are also several mounting holes on both sides of the sheath. It is, in my opinion, the best factory kydex sheath I've ever received (still doesn't beat custom, but this makes the need for custom much less). After receiving the Junglas, I later ordered the MOLLE panel that attaches to the front of the sheath using the mounting holes. I have not not yet added any additional pouches to the sheath with the MOLLE panel, but I plan to add at least one for a multitool or small first aid or fire making kit.
Overall, even though I really wanted it, but was apprehensive about the size and weight, the ESEE Junglas has surpassed all of my expectations. I even strapped it on my flimsy dress belt with slacks one morning, and it was actually rather comfy - my belt didn't even sag.
A few weeks after receiving the Junglas, I used the blade to put a blunt point onto a dowel of about 2" diameter so that I could drive it into the ground. I did not use the knife to drive the dowel into the ground, but I did use it to produce the dull point on the end of the dowel. It took about 5 minutes to put a relatively even, tapering, dull point on the dowel. The knife did a great job of removing wood shavings from the dowel and was pretty easy on the hands. I was not using gloves and did not end up with any hand fatigue or blisters. Afterwards, the black powder coating showed only very slight (nearly imperceptible) wear from the cutting, and the edge was still shaving sharp, even on the sections of the blade that saw the most use (easily shaved hair from my arm).
I took the Junglas on my recent camping trip to put it through some more paces, mostly wood pocessing for campfires. I used the Junglas for batoning or various hardwoods as well as making firestarting wood shavings from the same hardwoods. The Junglas performed both tasks effortlessly. After processing enough wood to use for four days and three nights of campfires, the Junglas was still shaving sharp on the entire length of the blade! The black powder coating did show some wear on the spots that did most of the batoning, but that is to be expected. I just made sure to use a Sentry Solutions Tuff Cloth on the entire blade and a light coat of mineral oil on the exposed areas of the blade when I was done.
Overall, I was highly impressed with the function of this blade. It is very tough and holds an incredibly sharp edge for a long time! This is my first ESEE product, but it probably won't be my last, even though I am trying to avoid anymore knife purchases for awhile. It is a quality blade and I am sure it will continue to serve its purpose without flaws. ESEE also has a great warranty, just in case.
Lansky Puck
The Lansky Puck is a nice little dual grit sharpening stone for tools. It is very easy to use since one simply places The Puck on the edge of the tool and uses circular motions along the blade edge alternating sides. I used this on my axe that hasn't been sharpened since it was purchased a few years ago and has not even been used in over a year. The edge of the axe was quite dull and stained. About five minutes with the The Puck put a nice working edge on the axe that made chopping hardwood for firewood much easier. I will continue to keep The Puck in my pack for use on tools but will continue to sharpen my knife blades with the Spyderco Tri Angle Sharpmaker or field sharpener if the Sharpmaker is not available.
Clothing and Other Gear
For clothing, I will just make some general observations. The camping trip was in Northern Florida, so it wasn't in the really cold wilderness of the upper States, but it was cold and rainy for Floridians, so the clothing had to be warm and dry. I pretty much exclusively wore 5.11 Tactical Tac-Lite pants the entire time and found them to be not only warm enough (they are not meant for extreme cold), but also water resistant and held up against the stains and abuse common with camping.
We also wore clothing items in the Under Armour Cold Gear clothing line, which also performed quite well. I have become quite a fan of Under Armour clothing, especially their Heat Gear line of athtletic apparel for running and other physical fitness activities. Their Cold Gear items did not disappoint, either.
And of course, there was the US Army surplus M65 Field Jacket. That jacket kept me warm and dry the entire time. It didn't even need the liner in it, which is good, because I didn't have one with me. The one day that I didn't weat the Field Jacket was the warmest, but also wettest day of the trip and my Under Armour hoodie did just fine.
I won't go through the entire list of gear that we took, I only chose to mention those peices that I hadn't had a chance to use extensively yet or that I was most impressed with during the trip. I also have to give an honorable mention to my trusty Zippo lighter that I had. It never failed to light when struck and stayed lit long enough to light the kindling of my campfires.
That's it for now, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope to post more on this in 2014 as the year progresses.
