Great thread topic.. Speaking in practical, real world applications from a prior service point of view....... ALL of the able bodied men will be needed for the main conflict. Commanders will not be willing to give you their best men. If you recruit normally you will get the misfits, the decrepit, an...

I have to second the opinion on the Ranger Apprentice series. It really brings out the inner kid in me. Since the books are always late to be published here in Ireland I have taken to having them shipped straight from Australia. The price of shipping costs more than the book but it is well worth it....

im a big fan of Tom Brown Jr.'s field guides....] Doghsin, I can agree with your comment on Tom's books. There is a lot of inspiration there. I worked for him at his Tracker School in New Jersey. It is important to find a motivation and inspiration for these skills. But it is even more important an...

I am a big fan of 3riversarchery.com. I have ordered quite a bit from them including cedar arrows. It is a bit more expensive, but great quality.

You can save a bundle by making your own.

Ranger Down.

My thoughts are with Paul and his family.......

I think the best answer for creeping age and a heavier pack is simple: get an apprentice :D Great advice, I am now accepting applications.......Any takers? Rethinking the Long knife/ ax defense, I would imagine that the axe would quickly be out of commission. It has a wooden handle. That will not h...

I am pretty new to this but I have been trying to find some books and info. Ive started looking at the Field Guide to Edible plants and mushrooms... Willrett, I have always been taught to be extremely careful with mushrooms. Sure they have a protein content, but there are so many poisonous look-a-l...

If you want the best wool vest out there and don't mind being outside the ME style, I would suggest these two options. I have over 20 woolen garments and these outfitters are by far the best option. King of the Mountain http://shop.kingofthemountain.com/category.aspx?categoryID=15 Wool Camo http://w...

Ya, ranger school was so,so much fun!!!HA! Next to SERE school was one military school I would not have ever gone back 2 if I had not passed the 1st time... An thanks for the thoughtful comments. Oissene, Yeah, I would say that SERE was a close second. I lucked out and went during the fall harvest....

Having spent a LOT of time in the woods....I feel that any tool should be able to double as a weapon. Excellent point. You got me rethinking some things. I have always balked at the thought of a long blade banging into things while in the woods. I have tried it and never found a way to carry it eff...

We are looking forward to getting some horses. Since we live on 2 metres of bog, we have to get some machines in here to make fields capable of having livestock. If we got them now, they would sink up to their withers in the muck! There is a special breed of pony that is called the Kerry Bog Pony. T...

Historically Rangers have always been outside the box. They were a pivotal role in many wars and won entire battles by their abilities. Once they do their impossible missions, they fade back into the mists and do not claim the limelight nor the glory. Rangers can live in dank and dark places that mo...

The Turkish archers were known to draw all the way back to the ear. They had to wear head bands that covered their ears so they didn't get injured. http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~ajcd/archery/faq/asianbow.html#shooting This allowed them to get up to a 35 inch draw out of a very small bow. Imagine drawi...

Siani,

How do you like the thumbring?

Willrett, Glad to help. It is a great campcraft knife. Greg, You are correct. Taking this to a bench grinder would make it more ME. I lean more towards practical use over a strict ME influence. I am by no means a purist. There are some primitive skills folks who refuse to use anything made from meta...