A part of my bushcraft essentials are, believe it or not, two rolls of heavy duty dog poop bags. 13" x 9", non scented, 15 count per roll. They can be used for holding water, protecting small things from water like kindling, a place to put food items you may need to gather, and if it's really rainy you can make sandbags with them. I'm sure their are other uses so let your inner McGyver run wild.
We also made a flat blade screwdriver on the handle of our channel locks when I worked at a Detroit Edison power plant. We used the blade to open up electrical control panels to do resets. We carried them on our rear hip, looped over our belt, so that the sharpened end of the handle didn't slice you open!
Great idea. How about a chisel end for shaping bushcraft what-have-you. Also, personally I like to crimp the end of the heat shrink by pinching it together with a hemostat or needle-nose plier immediately after heating it up. This way the handles are better insulating if you need to work on anything electrically hot. One can always rip off the heat shrink if you wanted to use the chisel or other tools ground in to the handle ends.
Growing up on farm as a kid, and now seventy, the standard build of your stealth weapon - inner tubes - creative strips with progressive width, creating a slingshot from a perfect tree branch -'Y' - Micro zip ties - secure tubing to Y, and load patch. The best back pocket stealth weapon. Cheers,, and very cool tips for compass... to alternate hands free grip for EDC. And always use a tethered strap to keep EDC safe & secure, or it will vanish.
Hahaha I was in the Army when you couldn’t buy ranger bands!! We made our own! Great video brother! Here’s a hack to add to your videos. When you’re sitting in the car waiting on your wife, roll the window down half way or more and use the edge of the window to sharpen up your knife! This really works!
I did this as a kid!! Got into so much trouble for it too. So grateful for your comment bringing up not just a great tip and but also a memory. I won't forget it now, lol
I have been using paracord for flashlight tethers for years. My method involves keeping one side free to use as a lanyard while still being able to hook it around the light and use it as the hands-free loop or, most commonly, an impromptu belt loop for storage. It works with fewer designs, but the versatility it gives is amazing.
So the lanyard dangles from the end of the light, and is just long enough that you can loop it over the head of the light wrapping around your hand/belt?
You can do the watch thing with a digital watch or even no watch by just knowing what time it is and imagining where the hour hand would be if you had an analog watch.
@@randoUser-n4s Yes, I seen Ron Hood do that back in the early 90's when he was showing this technique, and someone said what if you have a digital watch, and Ron said that's why I carry a pen and paper.
Best idea for a video ever! Please make this a weekly show. Include the small things you think people might automatically know. You never know when someone is brand new to EDC.
Great vid. For some of your viewers who may not be familiar with using the analog watch as a compass. In the southern hemisphere you have to point noon at the sun,unlike in the northern hemisphere you point the hour hand. Have a great day
@@DavidH373 I have went that route several times before, but I didn't like it much without several layers. I have had better results with Plasti-Dip. Shrink works in a pinch though. Depending on the tool and the shrink tubing... you can trap water inside, between the wrap and the tool. That's something to watch out for. I will say that ever since I was able to repair someones broken glasses (leg broke off the frame) that I now keep a bit of shrink tube on my all the time... in my belt.
I appreciate that you credit folks when you share their ideas. Lots of people will share “hacks” as there own without crediting the people like Mors who came up with them
I like your flashlight lanyard idea but I still like mine better. Although I've never needed it, mine can be adapted to yours quickly. My flashlight is on a lanyard made to wear ID badges, park passes, etc. The type you see everywhere and they often have corporate logos and are handed out as schwag. I simply wear it around my neck, dangling when in use. I can use both hands and (this is key) as long as I'm working on something directly in front of me and below my chest, it works great. Car repairs, clean a fish, air up a tire, and find the right key for a lock. It works great and points where I usually need it. Your method always points the light off somewhere else unless maybe you are using a screwdriver and gripping it overhand working chest high or above. I wouldn't call mine a hack. It's just hanging an led flashlight on a lanyard and putting it around my neck the way that event pass lanyard was meant to be used. I can wrap it around my hand binding the light to the back of my hand if I want to, but never have. When the need arises I'll remember your trick.
An additional hack, specifically for RovyVon or similar micro edc flashlights. Make it a neck light with some paracord. It makes access to it more convenient in almost every scenario, you have a way to secure it to things when you need an area light, and it can even be worn without clothes. Do with that what you will.
And to take ranger bands a bit further: when you make your own out of old bicycle innertubes, you can make them any width you like, while store-bought ones usually come in different diameters, but usually not different widths. I find that they give better grip if you clean off the talc powder on the outside of the tube (put there to reduce friction between the tire and the tube) that they give a lot more grip. The advantage to cutting your own ranger bands to wider sizes is that you can do the shrink wrap-flashlight hack without buying shrink tubing and used tubes from bike shops are always free. You can ask the wrenches in the back if they have a box of them but often times, they're piled out by the dumpster. Most shops replace rather than patch tires but they'll sell you a patch kit 😉
I wish you released this video a few days ago, I lost my Fenix pd25r in the bush the other day. I will be attaching a cord to all my lights that I take hunting now. Great video, keep it up!
I had JUST started to put some heat shrink on some of my gear last month. Including on those tiny Knipex pliers. Love em but they were digging into my hands when I used them. Some trimmed heat shrink like in the video is amazing for the grip.
If you grind some flats on one of the knipex pliers handle tips you can add a standard flat screwdriver, or pry bar function. The other handle can be ground flat and then carefully angled the other direction for a two-sided philips driver. It would be cool if Knipex added proper #2 flat and #2 philips shapes at the handle ends though.
About the Knipex, if you’re already carrying a plier-based multitool, you better carry the Knipex wrench. It can do everything a plier does and will add more functionality when you need a secure wrench.
Had a Leatherman Skeletool for 15+ years and would regularly use the knife, screwdriver, and pliers in that order. Also would have my Leatherman Micra for longer and would use the knife, screwdrivers, and scissors. EDC either of those, and a Photon keyring light for over 10 years takes care of 90% of what I need to do on a daily basis.
Great video! THanks for sharing. A lot of great uses. I carry a fake a wallet when I visit places as well using just junk cards that look like credit cards from advertisements mailed to me, so long as they are generic and don't have my name. In addition when I travel abroad, i'll bring an old phone that is wiped and carry it as a phone to give to a potential robber/mugger.
I had a friend who lost is wallet while working out of town - he was hosed! Ever since then I've always kept a backup wallet in my backpack - $100.00 in cash, extra credit card and expired driver license - Thanks for some great ideas!
Yes I agree. Also, Liquid electrical tape works. And if you really want to step it up a notch. Can put very clean like fish tank fine sand in with it. And just dip.
Cool Video. I am going to go back and watch some of your other videos. Very well explained and made the 10 minutes of watching seem like 2 because i was surprised i was at the end of the video so quickly and not bored.
Pro tip. For small flashlights with a two way clip for putting on a hat cut a small slit into the brim of the hat about 2-3" from where the bill meets the cap (length of clip + 1") super glue the threads so they dont fray and you can slip your light into it and it will lay on the bill without sticking out really far. Its far more natural to use as a headlamp that way.
I recently found that the opposite/near-widest channel opening on a set of 150 Cobras works as a wire cutter in a pinch (literally!) Only works on wire you could feed into the groove though. Also when doing the handle heat shrink, try cutting a 1/2" "tail" that you can tuck back into the tubing to create a bit more padding for the very ends of the handles. Cheers!
After years of watching EDC vids i finally picked up a Leatherman free P2, civivi Crit and a decent field watch. it has been a game changer. I use the the Leatherman almost every day. Awesome vid, ill have to try that heat shrink when i pickup a flashlight
I'm mostly a pocket knife guy (Hogue Deka crew represent) but I recently started looking at them, and man. Flashlights are a lot. What I've gleaned so far is that CRI roughly measures color accuracy, and comes at the cost of power/heat efficiency. So, generally speaking, you'd want high CRI for anything to do with cameras or where it's really important to distinguish different colors, but for outdoor use, low CRI is IMO more desirable because it'll last longer. Hope this helps, sorry if I over explained
@@Zoroasterisk That definitely helps, CRI was the last flashlight spec that I didn't really understand. I like slightly weird gear so I ended up grabbing a Olight Oclip and its been crazy useful for EDC but now I'm looking at larger flashlights for the times I need more power and run time and I'm thinkin the baton 3 pro max but I'm still lookin to see if i can find something reasonably priced with more runtime at 1000 Lumens
Take the first tip and combine with your last tip to give your mini pliers an index finger loop. This way you just open/close your index finger to open/close the pliers. Comes in handy when you lose some finer hand movement while wearing gloves or your hands are just freezing.
Tip #1…. If you don’t have a clip you can loosen your cap a little and stuck it between cap nd forehead. Tip #2 very good but I do do it for mugging purposes (live in Mexico City). Tip #3 is pure gold. I’m going to offer one tip: carry a good length of synthetic gut or sinew cord. If you carry 30 grams in a bundle you’ll probably have 100 yards. I cannot tell you how tough synthetic sinew is. It can replace paracord in 98 out of every 100 things you use paracord for. Great video, thanks.
That shrinktube flashlight tip Brilliant! Extra cards you can just add to your phone, there are a bunch of aps that copy the barcode so you can scan them but not bring them. Great stuff man thank you!!!
You can also use the leatherman bit driver on top of a victorinox screwdriver (like the one found in the mini champ) and use different bits. Also bits can be used as a fire starter if you strike it with the mini champ file.
Hey, multi tools are too gadgety for me. I keep a small pair slip joint channel locks handy. I took off the plastic and filed the handle ends. One is an awl, the other a flat screw driver
You can use just a loop of shock cord for the flashlight. I tie mine near the tail cap. Then just loop it over the back of my hand and slip it over the front. I can easily remove it, and reattach it if necessary.
The analog watch as compass hack is an excellent skill. Remember that you need to adjust for daylight savings time. During DST SOUTH would be halfway between the 1 o'clock position and the hour hand.
One thing i like for not so much EDC but Home prep, are large fresnel lenses (Magnifying sheets) bout 8x10 roughly.......locally i find them at the dollar store on occasion......handy for us that are older when glasses dont cut it for Really fine print or no glasses handy atm (i try to keep a pair of glasses, in most every room in the house, one or two in the car).........and it works as a fire starter on a sunny day in a pinch.
Love the mini light hack, and on the neck knife, I removed my after almost choking myself out when a branch snagged it. It know hangs from my cell phone holder at the center radio console of my vehicle as a quick grab.
Also, I don’t think a lot of people know this about the knipex cobra pliers but you don’t have to hold both the handles. Once you get it, locked onto something you can let go of one of the handles and it still holds the grip completely tight. They actually lock on kinda like vice grips.
The way I was taught with a watch. Take the time (MILTARY) in your case it was 1430. Divide this by 2= 7.15 Point the 7 at the sun and then 12 points north. It's more accurate than dividing between the hr and the sun.
You can get a 4” Knipex to hold a standard 1/4 driver exactly as you demonstrated with the larger Knipex. I don’t have the Leatherman bit holder, so I can’t speak to that. Nice vid!
Solid hack for attaching things: a bit of Sugru over a small, strong, magnet. Sugru makes it so it won’t scratch or shatter the magnet. Make just about anything magnet attachable.
hi What is the best scissor ... i think it was you, that for a "trade-show" you put together a knife test and the winner was a pair of Shears -- I believe it was the Miller Scissors KS-1 ... the 3 top contenders are ONE: the Miller Scissors KS-1 TWO: the Wiss 7 in. Utility Shears Three: the Knipex Electricians' Shears ... If you could review the three above and any other one you think maybe as good I would appreciate it thanks Peter
Some great and simple hacks. Thanks. I have para cord on a flashlight, but it’s tied off at the ends and my hand slides in. I like this method and gonna redo the setup.
Incredibly useful ideas - thanks for showing. I already knew about ranger bands and went to my bike-shop asked them and got a whole bunch of different sizes for free. Mostly an innertube is thrown away after 2 or three repairs, but the rest is still in good shape - rubbing it with talcum improves the lifespan and works as a dry lubricant as well. One of my favorite hacks is taking a cheap, regular locking 1/4" hex-driver and file and/or grind it flat on two opposite sides until it fits my Leatherman Wave bit holder. Got one for 6€ instead of 25€ for the Leatherman Extension, and much more compact - love it!
Hands free flashlight is a great idea. Next thing they will come up with is one you can wear around your head! 😂 Just a heads up. Actually in the Southern Hemisphere, you point the 12:00 position of your watch toward the sun then half way between the hour hand and the 12:00 position is North. All noted in "Wilderness Survival" by Gregory Davenport 1998.
Mentions Macgyver, doesn't show any hacks for a SAK. In a pinch, you can use the cap lifter on a SAK with 1/4 inch drive sockets. Had to take a battery out of a family members car, and had plenty of sockets, but no ratchet in the truck. So, got the cap lifter out in the halfway position, put the socket on it, and got the battery out. And if you dont have a dedicated bit driver, you can get a 1/4 inch bit driver to use with most SAK cap lifters. Also, I don't know why i didnt think about using shrink wrap for tool grips, it only makes sense.
About ranger bands.... the bike shops around me will give you old inner tunes if you ask.... so if you don't have any old tube laying around, or want different sizes, there's your supplier.
@alexbowen6243 agreed.... that's why I shared my info. Went into one bike shop, left with thin racing tube, 2 different mountain bike size tubes, and one fat tire tube.... and they would have given me more
@@nachobuddy1a lot of bike shops probably have tubes that have broken valves or don’t hold air that they’d happily just give you for free as well. And then you can cut them up and make your own custom sizes
If you can't find orange shock cord (very hard to find), you can get color shrink tube (much easier to find). Comes commonly in yellow, blue, white, red.
No matter where you are north is north. Earth is a plane, much like a plate !, the center is where all compasses point, huge magnetic mountain called ‘black rock’ resides there, it also holds the ‘north’ star Polaris directly over ‘north’ the center. Forget what you were ‘taught’ in schools.
Good hacks, worth knowing. Just three responses from my POV: a) For many simple uses you don't usually need a bit holder - just hold the bit directly with the plier, and done. b) Combining your neck knife with a firesteel (and maybe some other little items like bandaids, a sharpening stone etc.) by using a ranger band is a great idea if you want to assemble a little backup/survival kit for your car or rucksack and so on. The result is a small unit which contains all you need. But carrying all that stuff always around the neck during your daily hard work in the woods it is surely not what anybody would want, because every extra weight on your neck makes you uncomfortable and tired. And it makes also not really sense, since you might use the firesteel (and/or other items) of this nice kit only once a day or so, whiles you might use your knife all the time, and that's also exactly the reason why you hang that tiny knife around your neck - not for having a whole toolkit in front of your chest but for easy access to a knife. So before putting the heavy kit frustrated away after five minutes of use, just disassemble the great kit in two seconds, hang only the neck knife around your neck, and keep all these fancy other items in your pocket or rucksack or whereever. And when everything is done, you can assemble your great kit again in a blink of an eye. c) You don't need any analog watch for using the sun as primitive compass. If there is sun visible, there is also shadow visible (even from your own body if nothing else is around). And as we all know, the sun rises for those in the Northern Heimsphere in the East, stands around noon a bit in the South, and travels further to the West, before the night starts. So very obviously any shadows shows in the morning towards West, during lunch towards North, and during sunset towards East. You can use this simple knowledge always for your orientation, doing so even comfortably whiles moving (in a car, or whiles running or cycling or skying etc.) without ever lifting your arm and nestling around with your jacket to find your watch ... ;-)
Not sure if someone already said it or not, but if you have a leatherman p2 or p4 you can open both phillips and flathead drivers together and put a 1/4inch drive socket on them. It’s not perfect but works in a pinch for sockets and other bits.
Did that heat gun not come with a metal shield attachment for heat shrink? It curls around the backside and distributes the heat around it (and not past it)
Great idea with the hands free flashlight! Gonna try that but making the cord smaller so it will hopefully fit snug around the ear to use as a headlamp of sorts. Will update if it works.
Some paracord under the grips of the smaller pliers and then heat shrunk or tied, could pull double duty, but might be a bit chonky. Gutted cord might work better.
I have range bands but don’t use them too much. I do like the idea of having them for the flashlight with the bungee. I have both Knipex pliers. That was good mods for them.
That watch compass thing has been Taught by the US Military for Decades . Just one thing . If you are in an area that observes daylight savings time then South is between the hour hand and the 1 o'clock position
I like the small torch with the cord, I can see myself doing something with that idea as it's starting to get darker here now (New Zealand) and I'm tired of reaching into my bag for it. I have another really good Leatherman hack for you, for the P2 and P4 at least as I'm not sure about the earlier ones. Check out the Philips head screw driver, the gap in the base of it fits the typical driver bit that would normally go into your impact driver! It's saved my ass a couple times! P.S. the Milwaukee Packout kicks ass ay :D
![Best Damn EDC [Taylor Martin]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/dEnbzSzpE6sYjPI492DObzSXQazhBlCAGLkT6Zgw7Yvz4Mq7j7SWn0yZMOqart_i47vobgeFbfg=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
Use marine grade heat shrink and you don't need a knot. Just slide the tails in and heat it. It is lined with heat activated glue.
Thanks. That's awesome to know about.
A part of my bushcraft essentials are, believe it or not, two rolls of heavy duty dog poop bags. 13" x 9", non scented, 15 count per roll. They can be used for holding water, protecting small things from water like kindling, a place to put food items you may need to gather, and if it's really rainy you can make sandbags with them. I'm sure their are other uses so let your inner McGyver run wild.
Ah, didn't know thety make heavy duty. thanks.
Just something to keep in mind. Dog bags are designed to break down so after some months they will literally fall apart if you try to use them.
I understand this is a hack video to pare down your gear, but I now have an additional 7 things I want to add to my edc 😅
😅
😢pppppppppppppppppppppppppp😅pppppppppp😅ppp😊😊😊😊
That DOES tend to happen here.
I’m just glad I’m not the only one
@@BestDamnEDC
Or a digital watch and 2 sticks ....
Ranger bands ere phenomenal....
Love my knipex..
Great cobra hack...wow
Excellent video ...
Honored, privledged, and giddy to see our Ranger Bands and Viking Spark make it into this vid! Thanks Taylor and crew!
Ranger bands smell.
On ships, we often grind and shape channel lock handle ends, to a flat screw driver and a tapered spud for loosening knots and opening screw shackles.
We also made a flat blade screwdriver on the handle of our channel locks when I worked at a Detroit Edison power plant. We used the blade to open up electrical control panels to do resets. We carried them on our rear hip, looped over our belt, so that the sharpened end of the handle didn't slice you open!
Great idea. How about a chisel end for shaping bushcraft what-have-you. Also, personally I like to crimp the end of the heat shrink by pinching it together with a hemostat or needle-nose plier immediately after heating it up. This way the handles are better insulating if you need to work on anything electrically hot. One can always rip off the heat shrink if you wanted to use the chisel or other tools ground in to the handle ends.
Growing up on farm as a kid, and now seventy, the standard build of your stealth weapon - inner tubes - creative strips with progressive width,
creating a slingshot from a perfect tree branch -'Y' -
Micro zip ties - secure tubing to Y, and load patch.
The best back pocket stealth weapon.
Cheers,, and very cool tips for compass... to alternate hands free grip for EDC.
And always use a tethered strap to keep EDC safe & secure, or it will vanish.
Great video, Taylor. I saved this in my EDC Playlist (a rare occurrence) for future reference. Yes, please more hack videos like this. I love it.
Hahaha I was in the Army when you couldn’t buy ranger bands!! We made our own! Great video brother! Here’s a hack to add to your videos. When you’re sitting in the car waiting on your wife, roll the window down half way or more and use the edge of the window to sharpen up your knife! This really works!
True statement
I did this as a kid!! Got into so much trouble for it too. So grateful for your comment bringing up not just a great tip and but also a memory. I won't forget it now, lol
Yep, bicycle inner tube's worked great!
Klein also makes nice grips for their pliers...boil 'em and drive 'em on. Not positive they would fit the Knipex, though...
I have been using paracord for flashlight tethers for years. My method involves keeping one side free to use as a lanyard while still being able to hook it around the light and use it as the hands-free loop or, most commonly, an impromptu belt loop for storage.
It works with fewer designs, but the versatility it gives is amazing.
Have any photos of this somewhere? I'm always tinkering with this kind of thing, and I could use some inspiration for my next session.
I do not, unfortunately. I'll see what I can do though. Gotta spread the good word after all.
Yeah I don't know if my aada is on turbo right now.... But I'm not getting it
Edit: aadd
So the lanyard dangles from the end of the light, and is just long enough that you can loop it over the head of the light wrapping around your hand/belt?
@@djfatben1 that is correct.
You can do the watch thing with a digital watch or even no watch by just knowing what time it is and imagining where the hour hand would be if you had an analog watch.
Right. Just draw it in the dirt if need be.
@@randoUser-n4s Yes, I seen Ron Hood do that back in the early 90's when he was showing this technique, and someone said what if you have a digital watch, and Ron said that's why I carry a pen and paper.
Best idea for a video ever! Please make this a weekly show. Include the small things you think people might automatically know. You never know when someone is brand new to EDC.
What you said!
Agree!
Great vid. For some of your viewers who may not be familiar with using the analog watch as a compass. In the southern hemisphere you have to point noon at the sun,unlike in the northern hemisphere you point the hour hand.
Have a great day
Correct. Or that “half way between hour hand and noon” would be south.
Not going to lie! As a plumber, I have grips older than you. Tomorrow I am getting the sparky to wrap them in heat shit stuff.
Did you end up putting heat shit stuff on your pliers?
@@DavidH373 I have went that route several times before, but I didn't like it much without several layers. I have had better results with Plasti-Dip. Shrink works in a pinch though. Depending on the tool and the shrink tubing... you can trap water inside, between the wrap and the tool. That's something to watch out for. I will say that ever since I was able to repair someones broken glasses (leg broke off the frame) that I now keep a bit of shrink tube on my all the time... in my belt.
I appreciate that you credit folks when you share their ideas. Lots of people will share “hacks” as there own without crediting the people like Mors who came up with them
Yes!
Alot of time tho all these "hacks" people are taking credit for have already been done for decades by us old timers... 😂
@@ADMIND3R lol tru
I like your flashlight lanyard idea but I still like mine better. Although I've never needed it, mine can be adapted to yours quickly. My flashlight is on a lanyard made to wear ID badges, park passes, etc. The type you see everywhere and they often have corporate logos and are handed out as schwag. I simply wear it around my neck, dangling when in use. I can use both hands and (this is key) as long as I'm working on something directly in front of me and below my chest, it works great. Car repairs, clean a fish, air up a tire, and find the right key for a lock. It works great and points where I usually need it. Your method always points the light off somewhere else unless maybe you are using a screwdriver and gripping it overhand working chest high or above. I wouldn't call mine a hack. It's just hanging an led flashlight on a lanyard and putting it around my neck the way that event pass lanyard was meant to be used. I can wrap it around my hand binding the light to the back of my hand if I want to, but never have. When the need arises I'll remember your trick.
An additional hack, specifically for RovyVon or similar micro edc flashlights. Make it a neck light with some paracord. It makes access to it more convenient in almost every scenario, you have a way to secure it to things when you need an area light, and it can even be worn without clothes. Do with that what you will.
Headlamps are my choice for practical light source at night. Your hands are free and it is pointed in the direction you need it to be aiming.
The hack with those ranger bands especially the one including the neck blade and the fire starter was great. Gonna do it to mine now. Thanks Taylor.
And to take ranger bands a bit further: when you make your own out of old bicycle innertubes, you can make them any width you like, while store-bought ones usually come in different diameters, but usually not different widths. I find that they give better grip if you clean off the talc powder on the outside of the tube (put there to reduce friction between the tire and the tube) that they give a lot more grip. The advantage to cutting your own ranger bands to wider sizes is that you can do the shrink wrap-flashlight hack without buying shrink tubing and used tubes from bike shops are always free. You can ask the wrenches in the back if they have a box of them but often times, they're piled out by the dumpster. Most shops replace rather than patch tires but they'll sell you a patch kit 😉
I wish you released this video a few days ago, I lost my Fenix pd25r in the bush the other day. I will be attaching a cord to all my lights that I take hunting now. Great video, keep it up!
I had JUST started to put some heat shrink on some of my gear last month. Including on those tiny Knipex pliers. Love em but they were digging into my hands when I used them. Some trimmed heat shrink like in the video is amazing for the grip.
Upset I didn’t think of it first. Ran to do it to mine so fast😂
If you grind some flats on one of the knipex pliers handle tips you can add a standard flat screwdriver, or pry bar function. The other handle can be ground flat and then carefully angled the other direction for a two-sided philips driver. It would be cool if Knipex added proper #2 flat and #2 philips shapes at the handle ends though.
Just add a bit driver hex built into the handle.
About the Knipex, if you’re already carrying a plier-based multitool, you better carry the Knipex wrench. It can do everything a plier does and will add more functionality when you need a secure wrench.
I have them but this doesn't work with the pliers wrench. The slot is different due to the way the jaws work
Had a Leatherman Skeletool for 15+ years and would regularly use the knife, screwdriver, and pliers in that order. Also would have my Leatherman Micra for longer and would use the knife, screwdrivers, and scissors. EDC either of those, and a Photon keyring light for over 10 years takes care of 90% of what I need to do on a daily basis.
Great video! THanks for sharing. A lot of great uses. I carry a fake a wallet when I visit places as well using just junk cards that look like credit cards from advertisements mailed to me, so long as they are generic and don't have my name. In addition when I travel abroad, i'll bring an old phone that is wiped and carry it as a phone to give to a potential robber/mugger.
I had a friend who lost is wallet while working out of town - he was hosed! Ever since then I've always kept a backup wallet in my backpack - $100.00 in cash, extra credit card and expired driver license - Thanks for some great ideas!
Heat shrink also works for making skeletonized knife handles more comfortable. (Or over the scales if you want them grippier.)
Yes I agree.
Also, Liquid electrical tape works.
And if you really want to step it up a notch. Can put very clean like fish tank fine sand in with it. And just dip.
Cool Video. I am going to go back and watch some of your other videos. Very well explained and made the 10 minutes of watching seem like 2 because i was surprised i was at the end of the video so quickly and not bored.
Pro tip. For small flashlights with a two way clip for putting on a hat cut a small slit into the brim of the hat about 2-3" from where the bill meets the cap (length of clip + 1") super glue the threads so they dont fray and you can slip your light into it and it will lay on the bill without sticking out really far. Its far more natural to use as a headlamp that way.
I recently found that the opposite/near-widest channel opening on a set of 150 Cobras works as a wire cutter in a pinch (literally!) Only works on wire you could feed into the groove though. Also when doing the handle heat shrink, try cutting a 1/2" "tail" that you can tuck back into the tubing to create a bit more padding for the very ends of the handles. Cheers!
After years of watching EDC vids i finally picked up a Leatherman free P2, civivi Crit and a decent field watch. it has been a game changer. I use the the Leatherman almost every day. Awesome vid, ill have to try that heat shrink when i pickup a flashlight
I'm mostly a pocket knife guy (Hogue Deka crew represent) but I recently started looking at them, and man. Flashlights are a lot. What I've gleaned so far is that CRI roughly measures color accuracy, and comes at the cost of power/heat efficiency. So, generally speaking, you'd want high CRI for anything to do with cameras or where it's really important to distinguish different colors, but for outdoor use, low CRI is IMO more desirable because it'll last longer.
Hope this helps, sorry if I over explained
@@Zoroasterisk That definitely helps, CRI was the last flashlight spec that I didn't really understand. I like slightly weird gear so I ended up grabbing a Olight Oclip and its been crazy useful for EDC but now I'm looking at larger flashlights for the times I need more power and run time and I'm thinkin the baton 3 pro max but I'm still lookin to see if i can find something reasonably priced with more runtime at 1000 Lumens
Take the first tip and combine with your last tip to give your mini pliers an index finger loop. This way you just open/close your index finger to open/close the pliers.
Comes in handy when you lose some finer hand movement while wearing gloves or your hands are just freezing.
Tip #1…. If you don’t have a clip you can loosen your cap a little and stuck it between cap nd forehead. Tip #2 very good but I do do it for mugging purposes (live in Mexico City). Tip #3 is pure gold. I’m going to offer one tip: carry a good length of synthetic gut or sinew cord. If you carry 30 grams in a bundle you’ll probably have 100 yards. I cannot tell you how tough synthetic sinew is. It can replace paracord in 98 out of every 100 things you use paracord for. Great video, thanks.
That shrinktube flashlight tip Brilliant! Extra cards you can just add to your phone, there are a bunch of aps that copy the barcode so you can scan them but not bring them. Great stuff man thank you!!!
You can also use the leatherman bit driver on top of a victorinox screwdriver (like the one found in the mini champ) and use different bits. Also bits can be used as a fire starter if you strike it with the mini champ file.
Some cool ideas there! Absolutely loving the shorter episodes. Smooth edit as always 😎👌
Hey, multi tools are too gadgety for me.
I keep a small pair slip joint channel locks handy.
I took off the plastic and filed the handle ends.
One is an awl, the other a flat screw driver
You can use just a loop of shock cord for the flashlight.
I tie mine near the tail cap.
Then just loop it over the back of my hand and slip it over the front.
I can easily remove it, and reattach it if necessary.
The analog watch as compass hack is an excellent skill. Remember that you need to adjust for daylight savings time. During DST SOUTH would be halfway between the 1 o'clock position and the hour hand.
One thing i like for not so much EDC but Home prep, are large fresnel lenses (Magnifying sheets) bout 8x10 roughly.......locally i find them at the dollar store on occasion......handy for us that are older when glasses dont cut it for Really fine print or no glasses handy atm (i try to keep a pair of glasses, in most every room in the house, one or two in the car).........and it works as a fire starter on a sunny day in a pinch.
Love the mini light hack, and on the neck knife, I removed my after almost choking myself out when a branch snagged it. It know hangs from my cell phone holder at the center radio console of my vehicle as a quick grab.
Also, I don’t think a lot of people know this about the knipex cobra pliers but you don’t have to hold both the handles. Once you get it, locked onto something you can let go of one of the handles and it still holds the grip completely tight. They actually lock on kinda like vice grips.
The way I was taught with a watch.
Take the time (MILTARY) in your case it was 1430.
Divide this by 2= 7.15
Point the 7 at the sun and then 12 points north.
It's more accurate than dividing between the hr and the sun.
You can get a 4” Knipex to hold a standard 1/4 driver exactly as you demonstrated with the larger Knipex. I don’t have the Leatherman bit holder, so I can’t speak to that. Nice vid!
Happy New Year! To add, I like the Vulkit.
I love heat shrink on hand tools. Learned this when I worked excavation.
Enjoy the video and would love to see more content like this down the road. Best of luck in the new year!!!
Love the Knipex grips heat-shrink hack, thanks!
Solid hack for attaching things: a bit of Sugru over a small, strong, magnet. Sugru makes it so it won’t scratch or shatter the magnet. Make just about anything magnet attachable.
You’re so cool man. You have a lot of wisdom with edc. Love the channel man.
hi
What is the best scissor
...
i think it was you, that for a "trade-show" you put together a knife test
and the winner was a pair of Shears -- I believe it was the Miller Scissors KS-1
...
the 3 top contenders are
ONE: the Miller Scissors KS-1
TWO: the Wiss 7 in. Utility Shears
Three: the Knipex Electricians' Shears
...
If you could review the three above and any other one you think maybe as good I would appreciate it
thanks Peter
Show more videos like this one please! Thank you for sharing.
Some great and simple hacks. Thanks.
I have para cord on a flashlight, but it’s tied off at the ends and my hand slides in. I like this method and gonna redo the setup.
A good idea to use ranger bands to hold the ratchet attachment to the handle of the pliers 😊
You don't necessarily need an analog watch, you just need the time. Then you can draw the analog time in the dirt. ;-)
Incredibly useful ideas - thanks for showing. I already knew about ranger bands and went to my bike-shop asked them and got a whole bunch of different sizes for free. Mostly an innertube is thrown away after 2 or three repairs, but the rest is still in good shape - rubbing it with talcum improves the lifespan and works as a dry lubricant as well.
One of my favorite hacks is taking a cheap, regular locking 1/4" hex-driver and file and/or grind it flat on two opposite sides until it fits my Leatherman Wave bit holder. Got one for 6€ instead of 25€ for the Leatherman Extension, and much more compact - love it!
Thanks!
Mini Vice Grips will work with the Leatherman ratchet driver as well.
Very informative..... And that's an OUTSTANDING piece of Tiger Maple on that Counter-top! Thank You.
An EDC hack video with actual usable hacks. Very good video!!!
Hands free flashlight is a great idea. Next thing they will come up with is one you can wear around your head! 😂
Just a heads up. Actually in the Southern Hemisphere, you point the 12:00 position of your watch toward the sun then half way between the hour hand and the 12:00 position is North. All noted in "Wilderness Survival" by Gregory Davenport 1998.
Mentions Macgyver, doesn't show any hacks for a SAK. In a pinch, you can use the cap lifter on a SAK with 1/4 inch drive sockets. Had to take a battery out of a family members car, and had plenty of sockets, but no ratchet in the truck. So, got the cap lifter out in the halfway position, put the socket on it, and got the battery out. And if you dont have a dedicated bit driver, you can get a 1/4 inch bit driver to use with most SAK cap lifters. Also, I don't know why i didnt think about using shrink wrap for tool grips, it only makes sense.
Thanks for the video! About the grip on the knipex, why not gorilla tape? That way you have also some tape if you need.
Video was great and yes, more videos like this would be appreciated!
This video somehow reminded me of your old channel with those MiniMODs you used to make. Keep up the great work with the EDC community. Cheers
About ranger bands.... the bike shops around me will give you old inner tunes if you ask.... so if you don't have any old tube laying around, or want different sizes, there's your supplier.
Nobody really needs to BUY ranger bands 😵💫
@alexbowen6243 agreed.... that's why I shared my info. Went into one bike shop, left with thin racing tube, 2 different mountain bike size tubes, and one fat tire tube.... and they would have given me more
@@nachobuddy1a lot of bike shops probably have tubes that have broken valves or don’t hold air that they’d happily just give you for free as well. And then you can cut them up and make your own custom sizes
@alexbowen6243 that's what they gave me. Old ones with holes, whatever, that didn't hold air
Thyrm switchback + modlite plhv2 handheld >>> love it
If you can't find orange shock cord (very hard to find), you can get color shrink tube (much easier to find). Comes commonly in yellow, blue, white, red.
No matter where you are north is north. Earth is a plane, much like a plate !, the center is where all compasses point, huge magnetic mountain called ‘black rock’ resides there, it also holds the ‘north’ star Polaris directly over ‘north’ the center. Forget what you were ‘taught’ in schools.
You could also tie a 55mm ph2 bit on to the handle of the knipex cobra with a ranger band.
Would love see a video that showcases good edc loadouts for different careers and styles of work
The Knipex ratchet driver was such an amazing hack
That was awesome stuff that I didn’t realize but thanks keep it coming. Just found your channel awesome.
Good hacks, worth knowing.
Just three responses from my POV:
a) For many simple uses you don't usually need a bit holder - just hold the bit directly with the plier, and done.
b) Combining your neck knife with a firesteel (and maybe some other little items like bandaids, a sharpening stone etc.) by using a ranger band is a great idea if you want to assemble a little backup/survival kit for your car or rucksack and so on. The result is a small unit which contains all you need. But carrying all that stuff always around the neck during your daily hard work in the woods it is surely not what anybody would want, because every extra weight on your neck makes you uncomfortable and tired. And it makes also not really sense, since you might use the firesteel (and/or other items) of this nice kit only once a day or so, whiles you might use your knife all the time, and that's also exactly the reason why you hang that tiny knife around your neck - not for having a whole toolkit in front of your chest but for easy access to a knife.
So before putting the heavy kit frustrated away after five minutes of use, just disassemble the great kit in two seconds, hang only the neck knife around your neck, and keep all these fancy other items in your pocket or rucksack or whereever. And when everything is done, you can assemble your great kit again in a blink of an eye.
c) You don't need any analog watch for using the sun as primitive compass. If there is sun visible, there is also shadow visible (even from your own body if nothing else is around). And as we all know, the sun rises for those in the Northern Heimsphere in the East, stands around noon a bit in the South, and travels further to the West, before the night starts. So very obviously any shadows shows in the morning towards West, during lunch towards North, and during sunset towards East. You can use this simple knowledge always for your orientation, doing so even comfortably whiles moving (in a car, or whiles running or cycling or skying etc.) without ever lifting your arm and nestling around with your jacket to find your watch ... ;-)
I remember my scout leader mentioning daylight savings, and adjusting for that before getting north with the watch. Food for thought.
I like the TKELL shirt, Tim rocks! Thanks for all the content.
Not sure if someone already said it or not, but if you have a leatherman p2 or p4 you can open both phillips and flathead drivers together and put a 1/4inch drive socket on them. It’s not perfect but works in a pinch for sockets and other bits.
That tip with the watch is a life saver especially if you don’t know how to orientate with a compass
With your cobra pliers, you could use rubber automotive tubing. Very comfortable and inexpensive in most hardware stores like ace.
Did that heat gun not come with a metal shield attachment for heat shrink? It curls around the backside and distributes the heat around it (and not past it)
Great idea with the hands free flashlight! Gonna try that but making the cord smaller so it will hopefully fit snug around the ear to use as a headlamp of sorts. Will update if it works.
Love the neck knife hack. Who makes that knife?
Knives By Nuge Primitive Wicket
Awesome video, only gripe is YELLOW AND GREEN ARE AWESOME!!!
bahahahah the "costanza wallet" nice the sound it made when it exploded kills me everytime lol
Some paracord under the grips of the smaller pliers and then heat shrunk or tied, could pull double duty, but might be a bit chonky. Gutted cord might work better.
for the compass part you can also use your body, a small tip I learned.
I’m now starting to get more into the edc accessories and am very curious where you purchase your lanyards/beads
You and your cousin Michael Fischer always make great videos!!!!
This is one of the best videos I have seen on RUclips. My friend, you earned a subscribe!
Cool video. I like how you got straight into the information. Thank you sir.
Where is the link for the leatherman ratchet driver?
Great video man. Fast and to the point, super enjoyable. What watch are you wearing?
Big Idea Design Ti Field Watch
Appreciate you're ingenuity and consistency in excellent content brotha!!✊️🔥✌️💚
I always have ranger bands on my lighter for fire extender, also protects from scratches. and ranger band on kneckife to hold ferro rod longside....
I like the heat shrink idea for pliers. Over time, the dip flakes off in Arizona heat.
I have range bands but don’t use them too much. I do like the idea of having them for the flashlight with the bungee. I have both Knipex pliers. That was good mods for them.
Several excellent hacks here. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this format for your videos
That watch compass thing has been Taught by the US Military for Decades . Just one thing . If you are in an area that observes daylight savings time then South is between the hour hand and the 1 o'clock position
What's good Taylor...
Enjoyed the video man!
I like the small torch with the cord, I can see myself doing something with that idea as it's starting to get darker here now (New Zealand) and I'm tired of reaching into my bag for it. I have another really good Leatherman hack for you, for the P2 and P4 at least as I'm not sure about the earlier ones. Check out the Philips head screw driver, the gap in the base of it fits the typical driver bit that would normally go into your impact driver! It's saved my ass a couple times! P.S. the Milwaukee Packout kicks ass ay :D