The Steel Will Druid 200 – A first look

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

The Steel Will Druid 200 – A First Look

Part One – A couple of months ago, I caught a knife review on YouTube touting the Steel Will Druid 200. It mentioned a favorable design, good stainless blade, excellent leather sheath, and a very reasonable price of $70. Sure sounded like a great deal. But did I need another fixed-blade knife?

Steel Will Druid 200 -a first look

Naaa, not really. I own a Randall Model 5, which I purchased last century. (see it here) The blade has a complex geometry, with a mid-sabre grind, and a long swedge that runs the length of the steel. It is hand-forged from 1/4″ thick stainless, 5″long, full tang, with a drop point, modest bit of jimping and a finger choil. It The hilt and butt cap are German-silver. The grip is stag antler with finger grooves. And a fine leather sheath tops things off. Yes, that baby cost me a bundle back then. $250? Still I’m glad I bought it. Today the same knife would cost double and be back-ordered 5 years.

Yet, all that got me thinking. If I damaged or lost my Randall, there would be no getting another one. So didn’t it make sense to substitute something cheaper and easier to replace? You know – give the Randall a rest? Hell, sure it did! At least that’s was my lame excuse.

Steel Will Druid 200- a first look

Lo and behold, here is  my Steel Will Druid 200. Overall the knife it is 11.5″ long, 13″ housed in the sheath. It has a .2″ thick, 6.1″ long stainless steel blade.  Full tang? Yes. Drop-point? Yes. The leather sheath has a swivel belt mount, and is well constructed. (a sheath of this quality alone could bring $50 on the open market) The grip has a rubber-like feel. It is a good size (5.25″), a good shape, comfortable, and sports a lanyard hole. Steel Will claims the knife to be 9.3 ounces. Both my digital scales say otherwise, stating it to be 8.95 ounces. Home in the sheath, the Druid tips-in at 12.55 ounces. Okay that’s enough for now. We’ll examine more in the next post.

Steel Will Druid 200

 

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Fisheries Come and Go

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

Fisheries Come and Go  For a time now I’ve been getting skunked, coming up “snake eyes”. Not seeing reds cruising the sandbar, not seeing them “tail”, not even spooking them in the sand holes as I pole the flat.  Oh well, fisheries come and go.

Fisheries Come and Go

Over the years I’ve seen it happen many time. A fishery can be red hot and then without warning wane and possibly disappear. When I used to fish in Long Island Sound, big bluefish were chewing the place up in the late 1980’s. Even a 15 pound blue wasn’t considered special. Then suddenly in 1993, bang they disappeared. Ouch. Weakfish started showing up in New Haven Harbor around 2000. Wow. We hadn’t seen them in decades. By 2004 they were gone. Out on Martha’s Vineyard, the spring striped bass fishery was fabulous in the 1990’s. I mean legendary. Crazy good. Man I’ll never forget it. But it shrunk like a picked balloon in 2003.

Exactly what causes these collapses is up for grabs. It might be population cycles. Successful reproduction requires certain conditions. Weather patterns can screw that up.  Or it might be the lack of proper forage. No food no growth. And it might be us! That’s right angling pressure, regulations and fisheries management play a big role too. I’m just hoping the reds return to my neighborhood soon.

 

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Denatured People

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

Denatured People: Have you noticed? Have you noticed that many people amongst us are out of touch with the natural world? Their numbers are growing too – day by day. They have no interest in our planet. They’re Denatured People.

Denatured People

They know the menu at Starbucks by heart, but they can’t name the animals or birds in their own backyard. They’re convinced that money creates happiness, but they don’t know that the moon creates the tides. They can name all their favorite celebrities, but can’t look up and name the constellations or the stars. They rave about the sunsets they have seen, but have never witnessed a sunrise. They can point to the highway, but have no idea which way is north. The sight of a store sale makes them smile, but the sight of a bug makes them leap from their chair. Its all very sad. Denatured people are married to their smart phones, and divorced from Mother Earth.

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Carrying a Trail Gun

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

Carrying a Trail Gun: Back in November of 2008, I did a brief post on selecting a trail gun. In the intervening years a number of people have come by to read it. So perhaps its time to expand a little on the subject.

Carrying a Trail Gun – S&W 44 Magnum Mountain Gun

Finding the right holster for your trail gun is key. The holster must permit the gun to ride comfortably, securely and yet be easy to access. Hip scabbards and chest packs come immediately to mind. But it may surprise you to learn that there is an inside-the-waist- band holster (IWB) to  consider as well. Its called the Thomas Perfectionist.

Why chose an IWB holster? Couple of reasons. Unlike a hip scabbard, with care an IWB holster allows you to climb in and out of truck without removing it. Great advantage. And unlike either the hip or chest carry method, an IWB is concealable. Yes, even with a large frame magnum revolver such as the one pictured above. Which means you needed not alarm other people on the trail to its presence. I like that.

Thomas Perfectionist IWB for a 4″ N Frame S&W

Thomas Perfectionist IWB Holster for a 4″ N Frame S&W

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Thomas Perfectionist positions the gun high, and tight against the rib cage. But it does so with a sharp forward rake that offers quick access to the revolver’s grip. Lets take a closer look. In the left photo below I am wearing the revolver under a t-shirt. Can you see it? In the right photo, I reveal its location.

Carrying a Trail Gun

Carrying a Trail Gun

 

 

 

 

 

 

In closing, please note that it is extremely important to have a sturdy belt that fits the holster. Typical store bought leather belts aren’t going to hack it! Forget them, amigo. They’re trouble, believe me. The belt I’m using is made by The Wilderness. I recommend and use it daily for all my activities.

Be a Safe and Responsible Gun Owner!

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Review: Fish Pond’s Rio Grande Wader Belt – Part 2

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Ed Mitchell

Fish Pond’s Rio Grande Wader Belt – Part 2

Review: Fish Pond’s Rio Grande Wader Belt – Part 2

Ready for a closer look at the Rio Grande which I got from Bears Den? Lets do it. Note, the “D” rings and the Jacquard accent webbing running down the center of the belt. Yes, many Fish Pond products have this webbing. In this case, however, there is something special going on. The webbing is removable via a clip. (See red arrow in photo below). This in turn allows  you disconnect the webbing and thread objects onto it thereby securing them to the belt. Very, very useful.

Review: Fish Pond’s Rio Grande Wader Belt – Part 2

Once I found this clip, the wheels started turning. I dug out a small Fish Pond pack my son gave me for Christmas. Bingo, I ran the webbing through it and mounted it to the belt. (See photo below) Nice. Obviously, in this same manner, one could add a sheath either for a plier, a knife,  or a folding wade staff. Or who knows what? It’s up to you.

Fish Pond’s Rio Grande Wader Belt

Of course I wanted to put the “D” rings to work too. As you’ll see in the next photo, using para-cord I secured my Boga Grip. (right red arrow) The stainless steel clip (left red arrow) I bought to connect a rope to my “Adios”. As I mentioned in the first post I’m going to tow it along behind me.  ( I may end up reversing the position of the clip and the Boga)

Fish Pond’s Rio Grand Wader Belt

All told the Rio Grande is proving to be a modular wading belt, one that is going to allow me to customize it to fit my fishing. Gotta love that. Naturally I’ll report back as time goes by and give you some updates. But so far I’m very impressed.

Fish Pond’s Rio Grand Wader Belt with Wading Staff Attached

Lastly let me point out one important thing. My time is mainly spent in shallow water. So the belt will ride high and dry. If on the other hand you frequently wade waist deep, the Rio Grande is likely to be less useful. Everything aboard will get regularly soaked.

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