A special article from our gear guru Robert I., who enjoys searching for and testing all sorts of fun and unique gear!

A snake on the trail, branches to cut, tents to erect, and food to prepare – Cold Steel products to the rescue!

Although Cold Steel, Inc. is known for producing great knives, we decided to include some alternative hiking gear from Cold Steel on a recent hike. When I showed up to start our hike, several fellow hikers asked why I brought a whip! The Cold Steel Sjambok, can be used as a cattle prod, a whip, as well as other uses – including protecting the group from the slithery rattlers that often cross the trails here in the coastal mountains of California.

While I haven’t had a chance to remove a snake from the trail yet using the whip, I’ll be on the lookout and keep my hand on the comfortable grip…ready to flip a snake or two back into the brush!

Since a walking stick is an essential item for a hiker, I took the Cold Steel Blackthorn Walking Stick with us (I had to strap it to my backpack when I was holding the Sjambok!). Since it is made of polypropylene, it won’t warp, crack, swell up, or splinter; it looks great and is a handy 37” long.

Hikes can be a lot of fun when you have the right equipment for the task ahead, and I found the Bushman machete ideal for clearing brush from our path. Even though I was just a few miles from the crowded metropolis of Los Angeles, I felt like I was in the Amazon jungle with the Cold Steel machete in hand. Or at least it made me dream of far off adventures! The Bushman machete is made very well. It is constructed of a solid piece of steel and comes with a sheath that makes it easy to carry and offers protection from the very sharp blade.

When it was time for dinner, I was called upon to use both the Mini Tac Tanto and the Pendleton Lite Hunter (a great grip on each of these Cold Steel products) that sliced through everything needed for dinner by the hungry hikers. Each knife has its own sheath for easy carry on the trail. The Lite Hunter won the 2010 Field & Stream best of the Best Hunting Knife award that proves to be an excellent utility knife.

I saved my favorite item of the non-conventional gear for last — the Rajah III folder which, when it opens, looks more like a strong fixed blade knife than a folding knife. This tool has wide, mostly serrated blade with ¾” of the tip being straight edge, for fine work. We used the Rajah for many projects – from cutting wood, small branches to preparing stakes for the tents. If you are willing to carry 4.4oz either in your pocket or backpack, this knife really is fun to use.

I had a great time experimenting with all this unique gear! And it was definitely fun to get strange looks from other groups on the trail when I was carrying the Sjambok Snake Whip!