+1 I do this with all my leather sheaths. It improves the retention. And waterproofs it. I throw my sheaths into the oven for about 5 minutes beforehand to open the pores and make the leather pliable for wet forming.
I wish Esee would make the Esee 4x6 (4 by way of the 6) I know the LaserStrike fills most of these needs but I am still not satisfied with its spear point as opposed to the drop point. I also prefer the pointed pommel opposed to the rounded butt of the LS. A 4.5” cutting edge on the Esee 6 frame would make my dreams come true! How about it? Wanna hear something even wilder? The Esee 3x6!!!
I sincerely wish ESEE would think long and hard about making their knives available made from 5160 steel!
I am not sure that (with comparable heat treatments) there is a significant advantage that 5160 has over 1095. Nothing at all wrong with 5160 either.
A minimalist emergency rappel kit. You already offer the carabiners. How about some kind of rappelling attachment system that falls somewhere between a real harness and a Wilderness instructor's belt. Just buy and add rope. Or hell, sell me the rope too. I won't complain.
Google the following: Munter Hitch 8.5mm rope Snap Bowline 1 carabiner Riggers belt or improvised harness Done.
That's basically what I'm using now depending on the situation. I just feel like there's a better mousetrap somewhere between the rigger's belt and a real harness. It might already exist and I just haven't found it. Some friends and I have gotten into micro-creeking lately. Basically we're descending steep terrain to paddle little mountain streams when the water is high enough. Lower the boats, drop down and explore the length of the creek as far as possible. We're usually spending two or three days in most place, carrying minimal gear, including camping stuff. Some of the guys carry a harness, I've been using a couple of 'biners, some rope and my old Wilderness instructor belt.
we use a couple of different very light weight harnesses. The Petzl Altitude is a SUPER light weight Dyneema harness that folds up to about the size of your fist and extremely light....Petzl also offers a cheaper alternative called the Tour. Both are great for access but NEITHER is something you would want to hang in for an extended period of time. I paddled Kayaks for over 20 years and my preference was technical creek boating. We did some vertical access stuff too and I used an original ATC. Knowing what I know now I would likely use some type to Canyon Fire Imlay or a Technora rope, a Munter hitch and one of the harnesses above. you could add a dyneema sling or two, 2-3 carabiners, a prussic and couple of small pulleys and be set up for an awesome Z drag as well should you ever need one. That would be my choice of set up.
I'll check out the Altitude. It looks like it might fit in the same space as my Wilderness belt (shoved in a trailrunner shoe in my boat). @shaneadams90, any good forums, reddits, podcasts or whatever for this type of stuff? I don't Facebook, spend minimal time with Instagram and have little free time to research specialized options for the dumb stuff I like to do.
