Thursday, February 17, 2011

DIY: ESEE Izula II Belt Clip



While in Costa Rica, my EDC blade of choice was the ESEE Izula II. This second version of their Izula knife adds 1/2 inch to the handle and comes with micarta scales. For such a small knife, it has quite the bite (hence the name reference to the Bullet Ant).

I carried the Izula II by attaching molle clips to the screw points and then clipping it to my belt. Molle clips aren't really meant to be used in this way and are really more to secure gear to tactical vests or other molle strapping, so it's not a terrible surprise that this was sort of an inconvenient way to carry it.


When I got back I decided to go the route of purchasing the boot clip attachment, but after I calculated the cost of the purchase and shipping, it pushed it slightly beyond what I was willing to pay.

Of course, I did have a few spare pieces of kydex left over, a spare belt clip and some chicago screws...so why not just make my own?


I started off by lining up the sheath with the kydex and drilling out the holes. Really it was as simple as drilling out one hole, securing it with a chicago screw and then drilling out the rest.


The next step was trimming the kydex clip plate to match the sheath. The majority of the material was removed by scoring straight lines with a box cutter and breaking off the excess material. Rounding was carved by hand and then sanded smooth with 400 - 1000 grit papers.

I lined up the clip to where I wanted it to sit, and drilled out two holes at the end points, the width of the clip. It was then just a matter of connecting the holes with straight cuts and removing the material.


The belt clip was too long for my purposes so I cut off the excess with a grinding wheel and smoothed out the sharp edges.

Affixing the clip to the plate was just a matter of opening the the clip wide enough to slip it through a horizontal slit I made with a rotary tool (slit not shown above).



Once I screwed the clip plate on, the back end of the clip is sandwiched between the sheath and the kydex and is tensioned in place by the chicago screws.


The clip tension is perfect to keep it in place and it much more comfortable than the molle clips. While I made this clip plate for my Izula II, this is an easy project for any similarly sized knife. The Ka-Bar BK-11 (Becker Necker) or the Personal Survival Kit I built on it comes to mind as well.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Gerber / Bear Grylls Survival Kit

Kit contents: Survival Instructions, Gerber Mini Multitool, Emergency Blanket,
Firesteel
, Storm matches, Cotton Tinder, Signal Mirror, LED Light, Wire Saw,
Snare Wire
, Cordage, Fishing Line, Fishing Hooks, Sewing kit

Bear Grylls of the Discovery channel's Man Vs Wild show has teamed up with Gerber Legendary Blades to what they call the "Ultimate survival kit".

While it's hardly what I'd call "ultimate" (I don't even think there exists such a thing), nor can I vouch for Bear's survival tactics on the show, this kit looks pretty well put together for something that could easily fit in a cargo pocket. Add a bic lighter, canteen/water vessel and a large fixed blade and you have yourself a decent kit. Much better those survival-in-can kits in which you don't know what items are available to you, nor could you possibly modify the contents.

At $50, the most expensive item in the kit is the Gerber Mini Multitool and for the cost-to-usefulness ratio I'd say this particular tool isn't a necessary inclusion.

However for the listed price you could and should build your own kit. I've spoken before on the merits of building your own kit, not the least of which is your intimate knowledge of the contents, there quality and usefulness to you. However, if you're looking for convenience, you could do worse.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

What I've been up to...

In the past few months I've had very little time to document any of the things I've been up to and even less for any actual dirt time.

Even still that doesn't mean I've had to completely abandoned my prep or skills. I've been working on a few projects, some I've gotten to a reasonable level, others I've only been preping to start. A short list includes:

  • DIY Belt clip for ESEE Izula-II sheath
  • Maxpedition 10x4 + molle pouches Sling Kit
  • Maxpededition M2 Belt Kit
  • DIY 10x10 1.3 oz SilNylon Tarp

As I get time I'll post about each.