Ever wonder why the venerable ALICE Pack doesn’t have a carry handle? OV Innovations wondered and they are just the company to do something about it. Their ALICE Frame Carry Handle is now available.
The ALICE Frame Carry Handle attaches directly to the frame and provides a lift point that is strong enough for heavy packs without ripping shoulder straps. It is available in Camo Green.
We recently mentioned the new Architect Knife Systems Field Buddy 5.5 from The Knife Connection (TKC). Now TKC has already dropped a teaser image for the direction (or directions) that Architect might head next.
The teaser shows a prototype for the Field Buddy 6.5, a knife with the same handle as the 5.5 but a longer blade. It also shows a potentially new grind option for the series in the form of a Scandi grind and a new contoured burlap micarta handle option. TKC has also been floating the idea 3V steel as a new premium steel option. That is a lot of options for a company that already offers a lot of options to the buyer.
Stay tuned for more details on availability.
Hill People Gear have rolled out the new Umlindi V2, an update to their popular Umlindi lumbar pack. The V2 boasts a number of new features over the original:
Have you ever wished you could have the type of control over knife features that you get when ordering a custom knife… but pay a production knife price? That is the promise of the TKC Architect series and the first offering in that series – the Field Buddy 5.5.
The Architect Field Buddy 5.5 is available 2 ways from TKC. You can purchase the bare blade with handle kit on its own or you can use their Knife Builder to customize with your choice of handle scales, sheath options, and more.
The Field Buddy 5.5 is ground from 5/32″ thick 1095 steel. The blade has a high saber ground drop point shape where the point is in line with the handle. The blades are produced by TOPS Knives who knows how to get a lot of performance out of 1095 steel.
The handle shape is shared with the ESEE 6 which allows TKC to offer their massive array of aftermarket ESEE handles to fit the Field Buddy 5.5. The amount of options available is staggering and these handles are very comfortable to use in my experience.
There are a lot more specs and features to see and customize on the TKC Knife Builder. You can also check out the bare blade (must be purchased with handle kit) and all available accessory options at TKC’s Architect product page.
The original Terävä Skrama is a remarkable large knife in terms of its functionality and its affordable price. The Skrama chops, splits, carves, and generally just makes itself handy in the backcountry. It is a favorite of mine and I highly recommend it. But, maybe you’ve looked at the Skrama before and thought that you would prefer something just a bit smaller. The new Skrama 200 may be just the ticket.
The original Skrama 240, with its hand-and-a-half grip and impressive 240mm (about 9.4″) long blade, comes in at 17.93″ overall length. As you might guess from the name, the new Skrama 200 has a 200mm long (7.87″) blade, with a more traditional one-hand grip, has a 13.77″ overall length. It weighs 150 grams less than the original at 320 grams. Both are ground from super tough 80CrV2 steel, feature a 2″ portion of the blade near the handle with a finer 25-degree edge for finer work, and have an overmolded grip.
The Skrama 200 should be easier to pack while still offering a lot of capability and, like the original Skrama 240, it does it all without the high price. The Skrama 200 and the rest of the excellent Terävä line of knives is available at Varusteleka.com.
