Hairyhunter

Sorry, was reading it on my phone and got the posts confused......

HJ, Badlands are super adjustable so they can be fitted to any body type, quiet material and super strong. I have a 4500 for multiday hunts, a 2800 for over night or a couple of nights and a monster (bum bag with straps) pack for day treks or when not travelling too far from base camp. All are hydration bladder compatible and the two bigger ones accommodate the rifle when i don't want it on a sling. The two bigger packs I had in mind so I can carry plenty of meat back or a trophy if I need to. that in mind your pack will probably need to be bigger than what you need just for your gear. Nevertheless the god packs usually have a heap of compression straps to stop the load from shifting even when underpacked. I also have a half a dozen small day packs by a company from the US called "MOTHER" also very good packs as they have a feature where they have an integrated game bag that belows out giving the pack about 3 x the original capacity to carry some meat. I have to be honest though with the heap of packs that I own I currently only use two, the Badlands Monster and the" Mother" One Pack. Both brands purpose built for hunting. Also being waterproof or having a rain cover is pretty important too. ....I also like the badlands warranty. They will fix or replace it even if a rat chews through it. How much ar you looking to spend HJ?

Hey Gos, I it sounds like you're quoting Imelda Marcos "one shoe can't do everything"

Thanks worm, I couldn't resist, I ordered a pair too, in Army green of course

g'day Marko, I would be interested to get your opinion if you notice any advantage over just normal cammo gear, after you have had a chance to use it a few times ? ? would have prefered to see a pic with you wearing it mate.

I I totally forgot about Steiner, I have read many reviews about them and they are supposed to be not far from the quality of high end swarovski, leica etc, at 1/2 the price. I have yet to look through a pair but am expecting good things. I will probably end up with a pair or two of these too.

Thanks Matt, beautiful blades, thanks for taking the time to take the pics, I like some more than others in you set, but they all look superb quality. I like the Czech damascus, can you give me a hint of the guys price range?

Tez, a word of advice, It's a month of Fridays out on the weez, maybe less. Be good to yourself and get one. If I had it over I would have spent the extra on the exact model I want, because now I have to buy another two. A caper and the other I haven't decided yet. But having said that, I don't regret the P.D. 1 either, it's the Hell survival knife. The stuff I have cut with it against all my best knives just tells me that it's not just hype. Blame me!

I agree machine, no doubt same thing NEW, when comparing apples to apples is always cheaper in the US. That's why the crafty distributors tie up exclusive deals on brands and get p1ssed off with parallel imports, that undercut their prices. All I was saying that the zoom Bushnell I bought are over $900 here and $700 in the US and are a reasonable pair of glasses. Sorry if I sounded defensive, I am not. I will definitely buy some Swaros when i am rich and famous .

Thanks Tezza, sounds like you have some great blades yourself. I checked out the Jap stones they look like excellent stones. I currently use Arkansas Stones and have about 1/2 a dozen different ones, they seem to do the job. I also got sucked into a couple of knife sharpening systems which I have yet to use. It has always seemed like a bit of a hassle to set them up. I seem to be able to put an edge on the blade, that I can shave with, once I learned how to sharpen them properly. I think you will agree that the technique is at least as important, if not more, than the sharpening medium. I have seen a you-tube vid of a guy getting a shaving sharp edge on smooth concrete. How do you compare your stones to Arkansas stones? Do you think I would get a noticeably better result? I have my eye on the 8000 grit stone, which grades do you use? Also I am researching how to sharpen this bloody friction forged Diamond blade, It is currently new and shaving sharp, but I expect that once I hack into a few bones and antlers it might need a touch up, bit I need some diamond based medium for an RC of 65-68 steel I think. The main thing I am also struggling with is to get over the psychological barrier, not stuffing them into my collectors box and taking them out onto the field to see some action. I actually like to buy some used knives as it does not break my heart taking them out and actually continuing to use them.

It depends which Bushnell you are looking at. I have two sets of Bushnell 7 x 50 Tactical and an InfinitySeries 8-16 x 42 zoom and they are both not close to Swarovski, but little is. I had a look throught the 10x50 swaros a week ago that are being released here soon and want them, but for $3,200 I will put up with my Bushnells for a while. To the other low to mid range binos,my Bushnell compare very nicely, without the hefty price tag. The Bushnell 7 x 50 are great for low light and also have a ranging reticle in them.

too true, I have all the gadgets under the sun and it's amazing how you cut back to basics when you have to carry all that crap. My stuff is sorted into backpacking, car camping, and "it was a good idea at the time" pile, as I even hate overloading the truck with stuff I never end up using.

Mattblack, I suppose its a matter of taste, for some reason I have been more into the classical, traditional, designs and production knives as they are cheaper than the custom ones naturally. Though having said that even the diamond blade I just got retails mid $400's US. and other models upward of $500. The diamond blade PH1 I got is more an exception to the rule and so is the camo spyderco, both are a bit too modern for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I am familiar with the stuff the guys you mention do and they do it extremely well, just not to my taste. Call me boring but I usually gravitate toward the Schrade, Camillus designs. I almost bought a Jess Horne C27 Spyderco last week, but that's about as modern I want to go. I also like Bob Loveless a lot, but who doesn't. Post some pics mate and lets take a look at your knives, don't be shy .I love to look at knives.

You know the old saying Optic, "it'sbetter to have loved and lost" Don't you recognize a fetish when you see one mate

Also forgot to mention that I bought these at the same time, I always wanted to get a good boning knife so I got a KOA to match my triple combo set; and have never tried Spyderco, so I also got a Syderco Military Camo with a CPM-S30V blade, U.S. made. KOA boning knife JAEGER: to match the triple combo Spyderco: Military camo G10 scales and CPM-S30V blade I am just a sucker for U.S. made cutlery

Fred , the single knife is a company called DIAMONDBLADE. The set is made by a company called Knives of Alsaka aka KOA. KOA own part of Diamondblade.

Thanks for clarifying Jindy, I thought that's what EPIRB's were suppose to do, where does the GPS part come into it?

ManU, you need more than one pair of boots, at least two pair. I have four pairs at the moment. I usually take two pair with me when I go anywhere, in case the pair I am wearing get wet. If you have a summer pair of uninsulated and an insulated winter pair then you could use the ones your not wearing as the spare pair. It may not match the season, but lets face it, if you drown your boots any dry pair is a godsend. And it also solves your seasonal temperature problem. I was also looking at buying a compact pair that I can fit into the backpack as a spare backup but have not found what I'm looking for yet.

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread as I have made some decisions on my knife dilemma and BTW thanks for your advice guys I checked out all the recommendations made and they were all superb cutlery. I decided that Ireally wanted to try the sharpest knife on the planet so I bought myself a Diamond blades knife, the modelI got was probably a little unusual as it is a survival knife with a Kydex sheath. But I have no doubt that if push comes to shove it will not have a problem skinning, quartering and boning a boar or deer. The handle on mine is different to the one below, it looks a bit like the braided stainless stuff on performance hoses, it is called Titanium Texalium. Heat Treat: Friction Forged® D2 High Carbon… Blade Bevel: 4.5° wedge grind with a 18-20°… Blade Depth: 1.09" Blade Thickness: 0.160" Blade Style: Personal Defense/Survival Knife Blade Length: 5.649" Knife Length: 11.500" Knife Weight: 8.0 oz. Spine Rc Hardness: 42-44 Blade Rc Hardness: 65-68 Designer: Charles Allen And because I am indecisive, to my detriment, I also got the set that I had my eye on for a few years, These are the actual knives I am getting, they are on there way over from the U.S. The Cleaver and Skinner specs: Metal: D2 Rockwell Hardness: 59-61 Bevel: 22 - 25° Knife Length: 7-1/2" Blade Length: 3-1/2" The caping knifeis is just 440C stainles, As much as I wanted to cull my collection I will probably end up with all your recommendations eventually. I gotta stay of this forum

Gafloss, the GPS with thebuilt in EPIRB souds like the way to go. Do you know who makes these dual models?

I actually have a smiths in the cupboard and have not used it yet, always default to the simple stone or ceramic rod to hone for some reason. Habbit I suppose. it takes a little longer to set up the smith gear...

let us know how you go with the Lansky kit, if it is better than using a simple stone & strop?

Nitro, I was thinking of bodgiing mine up when they need replacing with thosed bigger, supper heavy duty suction cups that they use to carrie big sheets of glass. Maybe thats an option, might be cheaper and even stronger? Interested to hear how much lightforce quote you also.

G'day Scott, I have had it a few years now and its generally really good, got it to prevent putting a hole in my roof of the landcruiser. When I mount it properly by keeping at least that part of the roof polished and wipe the dust and crap of with a wet cloth, put some moisture on the rubber cups, then they stick. Only a couple of times when I was in a hurry to get out there (Lazy) then I found that one of the cups popped off, easily fixed as long as you don't loose the setup before you find out about it. Lightforce say not to exceed 80km/ph I think? I've done 100 on bumpy paddocks and 120 on dirt track and they were fine. I think they just cover their asses. Also I look after the rubber cups, don't let them be knocked about too much to make them last, nevertheless they have had a good run, but spares are available, dread to think of the price though (I guess lust another Aussie manufacturer sticking it to the public who supported them and gave them a good name, when they were nobodies. ) Work well, very overpriced is the final roundup.

Assailant, all I have is the saved pics mate, I use the good old suction cups on my roof. I collect good ideas and keep them on file for future reference in case I (or someone else needs them). I feel really guilty for not keeping the details of the guy who posted the pics, Hate to take credit for other peoples good work.....but glad you like