Editorials - Editorials

I've been mulling over a couple of things for the past few months, and I know basically what I want to say, but there's a whole bunch of concepts and threads that weave themselves throughout my thoughts.  But, I'm going to try to keep myself on track and on point, and hopefully I can do it quick enough that you'll have no problem finishing the article.  The problem is that we are losing ground.  By "we", I'm talking about primitive skills guys, outdoors people, gun owners, knife lovers, and all the folks that embrace our heritage and the things that made our country unique and let us blaze a trail through the wilderness to create this great nation.  I recently saw an article that  made gun owners, conservatives, and republicans interchangeable--which they aren't.  But, in the eyes of the general population, we are all of the same ilk.  Myself, I am more of a conservative than a republican, and probably even more of a libertarian when it comes down to it.  But, the thrust of that article that painted us with one broad stroke was that we were a declining population consiting mainly of middle-aged white men.  Hmmm.  I don't think I'm middle-aged yet.

Read more: We Need To Think A Little Differently...

Reviews - Outdoors Tech

For those power-hungry electronic devices you take with you on your vacation travels and adventures this summer, Brunton has developed a very veratile charging solution that just might be the trick for you.  Take a look at our review on their new Solo Battpack offering.  You may find this is what you've been looking for!

Read more: Brunton Solo Batt Pack Review

Reviews - Stoves, Cookware & Utensils

For those folks that are looking for high performance camp cooking gear, Woods Monkey takes a look at a few items from Snow Peak including their Lite Max Stove, Mini Solo Cookset, and their Titanium Spork.   Constructed of the latest high-end materials, these items promise great quality with light weight for the trail monkey on the go and we'll see if Snow Peak delivers on that promise.

Read more: Snow Peak In The Foothills

Reviews - Water Purifiers and Filters

Need a sure-fire way to filter a lot of water for a group of people in camp?  Woods Monkey just had the opportunity to test a new filtering system from Playpus named the CleanStream Gravity Filter System  It's an interesting approach to solving the problem and reducing your workoad at the same time!

Read more: CleanStream Gravity Filter

Reviews - Misc. Gear

At the recent 2009 Blade show in Atlanta, GA I had the chance to examine a new “survival” kit at the Martin Knives table. Hank Martin was excited to show it to me and was generous enough to provide me with a sample to check out on my own. The kit is made by Best Glide Aviation Survival Equipment (ACE), and is designed for short duration survival. It’s a kit to keep you alive, and in some degree of comfort, until you can be found by rescuers. While many of our readers likely make their own survival kits, chances are we know a lot of folks who don’t. For folks like that, a pre-made kit is just the ticket to throw in their day pack while hiking, the game bag of their hunting jacket, or on their ATV or snowmobile while out enjoying a ride. Even if you do make your own kits, this Best Glide one might still be a welcome addition to your own gear, or a good choice for a spare left in the truck, trunk of your car, on your boat, or other places where you might want to stow one. Let’s take a look at what the kit’s all about and you can decide for yourself.

Read more: Emergency Ration Pack

Reviews - Knives

Before I get into the review, I’d like to share a little insight on me.  Unfortunately for most of you, I’m not really an outdoorsman.  Actually, my idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel room that doesn’t have a separate living room!  My kids have been asking to go camping lately, so I figured this was a good time to start getting prepared for that.  I am a police officer whose duties are primarily investigative.  I am also a member of my Department’s tactical team.  Getting back to the topic, so when I was asked to review this knife, I was reminded, ever so diplomatically, that this review is for a predominately outdoors website, not a police site.  I’ve reviewed products before, so this is not a new endeavor.  I am not that familiar with knives as one might expect for a police officer.  I did learn one valuable piece of information though throughout my years of training and experience.  If you get involved in a knife fight, you will get cut!

Read more: Ontario/Ranger RD-4 Review