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Review: ESEE Navigation Cards

By Matt on February 3, 2011 in Reviews, Survival

ESEE makes a variety of navigation cards that are designed to help you use a map, compass, and GPS more effectively. These cards are all credit card sized and printed on 30 mil thick plastic for durability. In this review, I will look at 3 different products: the Emergency Navigation/Survival Card, the Map Card 1:24,000 Scale, and the Izula Gear Nav Card Set.

UTM tools help you keep your map, compass, and GPS in sync.

Before I look at the details of the specific cards, I should talk about what they have in common. All of the cards are credit card sized (3 3/8″ x 2 1/8″). This may seem like an insignificant thing but it really does set them apart from anything else on the market. Most map tools of this type are square in shape and are much larger. The ESEE navigation cards will fit inside something that you probably already carry every day – your wallet.

All three of the cards utilize the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system (UTM). UTM is basically just a grid based method of indicating a location on a map. Unlike the Latitude and Longitude system which consists of lines laid over a 3 dimensional globe, UTM is a 2 dimensional grid which makes it much easier to work with on maps. Most GPS units can be set to display UTM coordinates which makes UTM ideal for syncing your map, compass, and GPS.

The UTM system is useful for transferring points from your GPS to your map (and vice versa) and for precisely indicating points on your map so they can be navigated to or shared with others. Even if your map is not marked for use with UTM, the tools can still be used as metric measuring devices.

ESEE Emergency Navigation/Survival Card

The Emergency Navigation/Survival Card is a jack of all trades, master of none. It is designed to be be extremely versatile across many map scales but this versatility comes at the expense of precision. This is exactly the type of tool that you would want stashed in your wallet for emergency use when you can’t be sure of what, if any, map you will have access to. It is a quick and dirty tool for those times that you can’t have your entire navigation kit with you.

The Emergency Navigation/Survival Card features UTM corners or map rules for 3 of the most common map scales: 1:24,000, 1:50,000, and 1:100,000. It also features a 10 acre square (1:24K), basic survival information, and a simple compass rose with 22.5 degree increments. The card comes with a Tyvek slip cover that protects it from wear while it is being carried in a pocket or pack.

I used the Emergency Navigation/Survival Card on an orienteering course to get the hang of how it would work. The imprecise compass rose made determining an azimuth difficult but this card was not meant for navigating to small 4″ wide posts in the woods. It is designed to navigate from area to area. It was in its element when I used it to navigate from the last point on the orienteering course to the parking area. I was able to find precise points by using the UTM corner and a GPS.

If you are just using a map and compass, this card will easily allow you to determine straight line distances and rough azimuths. If you have GPS unit on hand you can be much more precise.

ESEE Map Card 1:24,000 Scale

The Map Card 1:24,000 Scale is a full featured map tool. It can be used in concert with a map, compass, and GPS unit to navigate in a very precise manner.

The Map Card 1:24,000 Scale features several different tools on the same card. There is a 1 mile map rule that is broken into 1/4 mile increments. It also has a compass rose with 2.5 degree increments and 1, 2.5, 10, and 40 acre squares. The card also has a full UTM grid with 10 meter increment hash marks on the top and right side of the grid. The provided Tyvek slip cover prevents the card from being scuffed when it is in a pocket or pouch.

This card works extremely well on an orienteering course. The compass rose is marked in 2.5 degree increments which is more than precise enough for most map and compass work. I found that I was able to accurately estimate the azimuth when it fell between hash marks. The 1 mile map rule worked very well to estimating distance but I usually just use the UTM grid as a meter map rule since that works better with my 100 meter pace count.

The UTM grid on this card is excellent. It is one of the few UTM grids that I have used that has 10 meter hash marks. This allows a very high level of precision that isn’t easily obtained with grids that lack these hash marks. Since the hash marks are located on the top and right side of the grid, it can also be used as a very precise UTM corner tool. This is accomplished by placing the upper right corner on a navigation point and then reading the easting and northing where the edges of the grid tool crosses the UTM lines on the map.

Izula Gear Nav Card Set packaging

Izula Gear Nav Card Set

The Izula Gear Nav Card Set is a complete navigation solution for many of the most common map scales. It contains 3 map cards and 2 informational cards. The map cards cover 5 different map scales: 1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000. The information cards cover topics like map reading, declination, pace count, use of UTM, determining an azimuth, conversions and general survival information. This kit is compact and comprehensive. If you could only have one set of map tools, this would cover a lot of bases.

Each of the 3 map cards feature a compass rose with 2 degree increments around the perimeter of the cards. The 1:24,000 map card features 1, 2.5, and 10 acre squares, a 1/2 mile map rule, and UTM grid with 10 meter hash marks. The 1:25,000/1:250:000 card features a 3 mile map rule for the 1:250,000 scale and UTM corners for both scales. The 1:50,000/1:100,000 card features a 1/2 mile map rule for the 1:50,000 scale, a 1 mile map rule for the 1:100,000 map rule, and UTM corners for both.

The inner strand of a piece of para-cord can help you determine an azimuth.

The Izula Gear Nav Card Set information cards contain enough informationt to refresh you on the basics of map and compass work.

I took the whole kit to the orienteering course. However, the only maps that I had access to were 1:24,000 scale. The compass rose allowed for very good precision. I used the awl from a multi-tool to puncture the center of the card and then attached a short piece of inner strand from para-cord. This works as a pointer for finding the azimuth between two points. It was very easy to take precise azimuths using this method.

The UTM grid on the Izula Gear Nav Card Set 1:24,000 card works exactly the same as the one on the Map Card 1:24,000 Scale above. The hash marks really make this grid stand out from other UTM grids.

The best thing about this kit are the information cards. They aren’t going to teach someone with no experience how to navigate but they will very effectively refresh someone’s memory. Skills like navigation can be somewhat perishable. If you don’t use the skills often, you will lose them. These information cards offer just enough information to bring someone who already knows the basics back up to speed.

Izula Gear Nav Card Set 1:24K

Izula Gear Nav Card Set 1:25K/1:250K

Izula Gear Nav Card Set 1:50K/1:100K

Conclusion

All three of these items are extremely well thought out and functional tools in trained hands. There are similar tools available but these offer the ease of carry that comes with their credit card size. The Emergency Navigation/Survival Card is perfect for your wallet or E&E/survival kit. The Izula Gear Nav Card Set and Map Card 1:24,000 Scale are right at home with your dedicated navigation gear or in a bug out bag.

Available from ESEE:

Available from the ESEE Dealer Network:

Izula Gear Nav Card Set

Jute Twine – Para-Cord’s Old School, All Natural Cousin

By Matt on January 29, 2011 in Survival, Tactical Handyman

Cordage is an important part of any Tactical Handyman’s EDC (every day carry) or survival kit. The cordage of choice in these types of kits is often para-cord due to its compact size, decent tensile strength, multiple uses, and relatively low price. I carry para-cord whenever I am in the woods just because it has come in handy so many times, but, recently, I have found myself using jute twine just as often.

Jute twine can be used for many of the same survival applications as para-cord.

Jute Twine is useful for many of the same tasks that you would typically use para-cord like lashing branches when building shelter, or stringing up a tarp or poncho. In fact, I have found that it stretches less than para-cord under load. I actually prefer it for keeping the lines on a tarp shelter taught even though I might have to double up the lines to keep them from breaking on windy days. It weighs less than para-cord and costs less too.

Jute Twine’s versatility comes from the fact that is an excellent fire making aid. It can be shredded easily with a knife or sharp rock. Once the jute twine is sufficiently frayed it can be lightly folded into a bundle that will readily catch fire when it catches a spark. You can also add small wood chips, twigs, fatwood, pine resin, shredded bark, or other tinder to the jute twine to make a tinder bundle. A few feet of jute twine and a ferro rod make an excellent fire starting combination.

Cut a short section of jute twine.

Shred the twine by mincing, scraping, and slicing with your knife.

Roll the shredded twine into a bundle. You can add other tinder to the bundle if you wish. This bundle will readily catch a spark like those from a ferro rod.

Sadly, jute twine is not perfect. It is not as strong as para-cord and it can begin to rot in just a few days, especially if it gets wet. The ends can also fray very easily and can not be melted to control the fraying like para-card. However, given its versatility as both cordage and a very efficient fire making aid, there is definitely room for several feet of jute twine in anyone’s kit.

EXOTAC nanoSTRIKER

By Matt on January 22, 2011 in Survival, Tactical Gear

Ferrocerium fire starters, or ferro rods, are nothing new. I have been using them for years as a reliable source of hot sparks to use for fire starting. Recently, a friend sent me information on a relatively new ferro rod made by a company called EXOTAC called the nanoSTRIKER.

Most ferro rods consist of a ferrocerium bar attached to a handle and a separate scraper/striker. This configuration works, but it has some downsides. First, a ferro rod will degrade and oxidize once it has been scraped. Any exposure to moisture can accelerate this process. This reduces the performance of the rod and can actually weaken it. Second, the separate striker is often poorly made and easily lost so many in the know woodsmen just use the spine of their knife to scrape the ferro rod. The spine of a knife works great as long as it is very square which is not true of all knives.

The nanoSTRIKER is obviously the result of some critical thought being applied to how something as simple as a ferro rod could be improved. It addresses the two issues with traditional ferro rods that I mentioned above through its modular design. The entire ferro rod component can be enclosed in the aluminum handle of the nanoSTRIKER. This effectively protects the ferro rod from the environmental factors that can degrade it. The striker is actually threaded to the handle and is made from hardened 440C. This makes it hard to misplace and extremely effective at scraping. This is the only ferro rod that I know of that comes standard with a striker made from actual cutlery grade steel and can be resharpened to ensure top performance.

The modular design also means that every component of the nanoSTRIKER can be replaced in the event of loss of breakage. The parts are available directly from EXOTAC. Most ferro rods are considered consumables. When you wear it out, you just throw away the handle and buy a new one. The nanoSTRIKER actually lets you just thread on a new ferrocerium bar which is considerably less expensive than a whole new striker.

The modular design also makes for a very compact tool to carry but a full size tool to use. Smaller tools are easy to carry. That is common sense. However, smaller tools can also be frustrating to use and hard on your hands, especially in the cold. The nanoSTRIKER is compact enough to carry on a keychain when it is collapsed but large enough to offer a decent grip when it is in the opened position. This means that you will have it when you need it and that you will be more likely to be physically able to use it regardless of conditions.

This is one very clever ferro rod. I think I am going to have to order one to try in person. When I do, I will be sure to post a full review.

Check the nanoSTRIKER out for youself on EXOTAC’s website.

Pictures courtesy of EXOTAC.

ESEE SHOT Show News

By Matt on January 21, 2011 in Knives, Survival

ESEE has several new items at the SHOT Show this year including a bolt-on MOLLE webbing panel for the Junglas and the ESEE-3. However, it is two fixed blades that have stolen the show so far.

The first is the Laser Strike. This is a re-issue of a early RAT design that was made by TOPS Knives. The new version will be made by Rowen MFG like other current ESEE knives. The Laser Strike is a designed to be a full size, general use woods knife with some interesting fire making features. There is a bow drill divot milled into the micarta handle scales and a slot under the handle scales that will store a magnesium fire starter.

A prototype of the ESEE-4 Stainless was also on hand. It is made from 440C with a really attractive stonewash finish. 440C is the perfect choice for a knife like the ESEE-4 since it takes a great edge, it is relatively tough, and it is relatively easy to resharpen in the field. I think that there will be stainless versions of many of the ESEE knives eventually.

Join the discussion about ESEE’s new products on BladeForums or check out the ESEE website.

Photos provided by Katie Beckett of ESEE Knives.

Map Rulers from MapTools.com

By Matt on January 6, 2011 in Other, Survival

MapTools.com is my go to source for map tools. It seems like every time I browse their site I turn up something new to try. I am also a big fan of the Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer (A&G) map booklets but I have always wished that I had the tools needed to really make the A&G maps work well with my GPS.

The UTM Coordinate System makes syncing maps and a GPS very easy but the A&G maps are not labeled for use with UTM so I needed to find an alternate way. I found that way with the latitude longitude coordinate system and the extensive selection of map rulers at MapTools.com. Delorme makes the A&G in a variety of different scales (15 in all) and MapTools.com makes a map ruler for each one of those scales.

These rulers allow you to, with some basic knowledge of the latitude longitude coordinate system and some practice, transfer points between your map and GPS unit with precision. The rulers also have distance scales in meter and mile scales. They are available individually or as a set of all 15 different scales used in the A&G series. These are some very handy tools to have in your navigation kit.

Check out the MapTools.com site for more information on the map rulers and other great navigation aids.

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