Sterling Carbide Pocket Sharpener

Submitted by Lewis Perdue

I swear by the Sterling sharpener. Pricier, but it's served me for years and years.

ED – Some additional information.  The Sterling sharpener features a pair of tungsten carbide sharpening “teeth” set into a 20 degree “V” notch, just like the ceramic rods on the Fiskars sharpener.  The carbide teeth are mounted on an A32 aluminum body, which can be custom colored (the stock sharpener is red.)  Sterling warranties the carbide teeth and construction for life, but does not warranty the custom coating (i.e. they warranty the teeth forever but not the grizzly bear painted on the body.)

The stock sharpener retails for $19.95

One thing to note.  The company says that you can clip this sharpener to your key chain, making it a “go anywhere” sharpener.  In this post 9/11 world though I’d ask first before you try to take it on the plane.  Yes, I know it’s just a sharpener, and it’s got no sharp, “weapon-like” edges, but I’d hate to see someone have to DX theirs at the X-ray machine because the TSA employee at the security checkpoint thought it was a weapon.

Get a Sterling Pocket Sharpener here.

A Real Personal First Aid Kit

Submitted by Eric Daniel

In every unit that I’ve ever been in, one common part of the field uniform has always been the field dressing.  Normally carried at the left hand shoulder, this is the item we’re supposed to reach for in the event we injure ourselves on the battlefield.  Well, that’s all good and well if that wound happens to be from a gunshot, or a bayonet, or artillery fragments, but what if it’s a cut from a small piece of glass, or a skinned knee?  I’ve always been impressed by the portable hospitals the medics in my units carried.  They all take great pride in their work and almost to a man they are medical pack rats.  One of everything is the absolute minimum, and they’d carry three if they could get away with it.  Unfortunately, the end result is, when all I need is a band-aid, it becomes a major evolution just to dig one up out of their pack.  This isn’t a knock on the medic’s preparedness, but rather an observation that, for the most part, they are focused on the “big picture” that being the treatment of large, multiple battle related injuries – not the “play ground” stuff.

A couple years back I started carrying a USFS personal first aid kit with me in the field.  It’s small, about the size of a canteen cup, and is filled with a good assortment of personal first aid items.  In addition, it comes in a nice, durable, plastic case that was fairly crush resistant.  Unfortunately, I even found that to be too large for what I was looking for.

What I eventually settled on was using an empty mint tin (Altoids, Fishermen’s Friend, etc..)  It was the perfect size.  In it I carry a couple assorted sized band-aids, a couple alcohol pads, a couple iodine pads, a small patch of moleskin, a couple aspirin, Motrin and Imodium, and that’s about it.  The tin is small enough that it can go into any of my ACU pockets (I put mine in the right hand ankle pocket to keep it out of the way and since I don’t use those pockets for anything else) and is robust enough that it keeps the contents in good shape (especially the pills.)  More over, the size absolutely limits how much I can carry.  The purpose of the kit is to treat truly minor boo-boos without having to break open the CLS footlocker; it doesn’t have to get me through a 1-year tour, just the end of the day.

P.S. – As an added bonus, it fits inside that “hot beverage bag” (aka the Ziploc) that comes with MREs now so if you want to waterproof it, you can.

Pocket Rock

Submitted by Eric Daniel

Making beer one day I was rooting around my buddy’s garage looking for a razor blade to cut open a bag of hops when I came across an old folding blade pocket knife in his tool box.  Opening up the main blade, I could see that it was dull as hell, but, being too lazy to go into the kitchen for shears, I figured I’d just blunt force the bag open with the knife.

“Hold up”, my buddy said, “Gimmie that knife.” 

So I did, and he pulled a tiny orange square out of the box and proceeded to pass the knife blade through it a couple of times before passing the knife back to me.

“There you go, good as new.”

Sure enough, the knife functioned as advertised and the reinforced mylar vacuum bag opened with ease.

The tool he had used was a Fiskars Pocket Sharpener.  The FPS is a square of plastic maybe 1 x 2 inches, with a pair of pre-set of ceramic sharpening stones.  One pair is for coarse work, while the other pair is for fine finishing.  I was amazed at the number this tiny little sharpener did on that knife.  To be sure, I would imagine there are stones and sharpening systems out there that could put this little gem to shame, but not for the price ($3) and the size (less than an ounce and you could carry a dozen in your pocket.) This thing is just the ticket for a quick touch up out in the field.

For some odd reason, Fiskars doesn’t mention this sharpener on their website, and they are no longer orange, but they are still available.

P.S. -- Apparently Gerber also sells a version of this sharpener, so they are also available from Gerber in both ceramic and diamond versions.

Get a Fiskars Pocket Sharpener here.

Drano Drops

Submitted by Eric Daniel

I like breathing.  Cal me a wimp, but the fact is, I’m not worth a flip during the day if I can’t breathe.  Well, one day, when I was feeling particularly sickly and stuffed up on a trip to The Netherlands I was introduced to Fisherman’s Friend lozenges.  The Dutch girl I was dating at the time said they were, “strong, drop strong.”  Now, for those of you uninitiated to the concept of “Drop”, the uncrowned national candy of Holland, Drop are a cross between black licorice and Clorox, with an emphasis on the Clorox part.  Never in my life have I experienced anything more foul and disgusting than drop, but if she said these FF things were strong, maybe they’d unplug my nose and let me breathe normally again.

The effect was instant and immediate.  Sucking on one of those little brown Drano drops cleared my nose right up and got me breathing again.

That was 1989 and Fisherman’s Friend drops are still a standard part of my field gear.  I’m told they come in a variety of flavors, but the ones I keep using are the originals, which still do the trick.  If you are looking to take them to the field, I’d suggest you hit up a drug store and get the tin and then buy packs in bulk and just refill the tin as you go.  Be forewarned though, they are NOT yummie (unless you like Drop that is…)

Get yourself some Fisherman's Friends here