SHELTER BUILDING & TINDER COLLECTION

Not the most glamorous of jobs, however an important one. If you can't process tinder, cordage, or firewood, you also can't build an effective shelter. What does that mean? You need the right tools for the job, and Mission 20 has brought that to your doorstep.

ELK RIDGE HATCHET:- This is a great little tool we thought the BASIC subscribers would love, as they tend to miss some of the great tools from the higher tiers each month. This little guy is sharp, multi-use, and does a great job processing wood, as a compact little hatchet. The sheath leaves a little to be desired, and the grip on the handle can become a little slick if your palm starts to sweat. However, for the price, it can't be beat. Tip: It isn't hard to take off the wood handles, and add a sweet paracord wrap, which will ultimately enhance this little blade and give it more grip. Find a place online that an make a cheap kydex sheath, and you may find this hatchet to be your favorite!

POCKET CHAINSAW: - These compact little devices are quite possibly the best in the whole box at cutting down large diameter trees. A 10" oak is no match for this tool, which cuts through like butta' in about 60 seconds flat. Check out Currin's video on our What's In The Box page to see this thing in action.

SMITH'S TINDER MAKER:- No lie, I have wanted to include this awesome tool ever since I saw it for the first time at the summer Outdoor Retailer tradeshow in Salt Lake City in 2015. It is the perfect item for this box, and Smith's Products hit a homerun with this item. It seems so simple of a concept, but applying a regular household item's functionality, such as a cheese-grater, to a need for an outdoor wood processor, is a brilliant idea. Again, if you watch our video, you'll see just how well this thing works. Side note: We do edit our videos to make them more polished and cut the time, but there is nothing in them that is fake or edited when it comes to the way the product works. You'll notice Brandon got his shavings lit with one spark from the included ferro rod, and that was on the first take. In other words, this thing friggin' works! 25% OFF COUPON INCLUDED! www.smithsproducts.com

READYMAN CAMPER'S CLEATS: - Designed by our good friend and 28 year US ARMY Special Forces/CIA Veteran, Jeff Kirkham, this neat little tool may seem like a useless tool, but when you need something a little more sturdy, or long term than a standard knot, these things work wonders. Throw some in your pack, since they are tough, lightweight aluminum, and you will certainly find a use for the ReadyMan Camper Cleats. Keep your gear off the ground, or tie up your tarp or hammock, either way, these things get the job done, and quickly. http://readymanstore.com/products/readyman-paracord-cleat

EASYKLIP/GORILLA CLIP TARP CLIPS: - So, this company went through a branding change during our shipment, hence the 2 different names. Gorilla Clips, as they are now known, are an amazing little piece of plastic that "bites" down on your tarp with a vengeance and won't let go. Even when you want it to release, it can be tricky. See Brandon's tip on using a piece of paracord to help get a better purchase on the clip with one hand while releasing the ratchet style push-button with the other. The best thing about these clips is that if your tarp grommet breaks, typically it is useless. With the invention of these clips, you can revive that old tarp and keep using it. Well, unless it has rips and tears, these aren't going to fix that!

WICKED TREE GEAR; WICKED TOUGH HAND SAW W/ SHEATH:From their website, "TOUGHEST SAWS ON EARTH. The longest-lasting, fastest cutting, toughest tree trimming equipment you have ever used." BOLD statement, and we believe it. We feel lucky to have teamed up with the guys at Wicked Tree Gear, Todd and John. Both avid hunters located in Iowa, these are two great guys with a clear vision on making "the toughest saws on Earth." The blades ARE replaceable,so be sure to pick some up at their website www.wickedtreegear.com. These blades really make light work of limbing and other chores around camp. Their bone saw blade does an awesome job as well, when you need to do other types of "limbing" after a successful hunt! 10% OFF COUPON INCLUDED!

ARBORIST THROW BAG:First time I ever saw one of these, a guy came to my house to help me cut down some trees about 12 years ago. He tied some nylon rope to it, placed it in his rather large slingshot, aimed, and boom, he hit his mark right between two big limbs on a pine tree I wanted removed. Ever since then, I've carried one with me on occasion, to keep my things off the ground, or to help me bring trees down in the right direction. Pushing a tree down from the bottom to get it to fall, isn't very effective. But if you can grab it from the top and pull on it, you can make it land right where you want every time. When building a long term shelter, large diameter trees make for a sturdier, longer lasting stronghold, and with this throw bag, you can bring them down a little bit easier.

OUTDOOR EDGE SABERBACK BOWIE: Oh man, this thing is my FAVORITE blade to carry with me in the woods. I have tried pretty hard to break this thing during our field tests, and it just won't do it. Again, the first time I laid eyes on this puppy at Outdoor Retailer, and I felt the teeth on the spine, I was absolutely amazed. Most "serrated" teeth I've ever used on the back of a knife SUCK, but not with this knife and it's triple ground saw blade. If anything, my only critique is that they don't run a little longer down the spine to get more length added to your "saw-draw." I just made that word up, but you know what I mean. The 65Mn carbon spring steel, seems like the perfect choice, and certainly holds up to a TON of abuse. The quintessential Jerry Hossom design lends itself perfectly to this type of blade. The thermoplastic rubber (TPR) coating on the handle is uber grippy, flexible, and comfortable. The finger choil allows you to really choke up on the blade, and work on some fine detail work, and actually makes pretty good feather sticks. The forward swept re-curve belly, reminiscent of a kukri style blade of Nepal, makes machete-type work a breeze. I am still amazed at the amount of the material this SaberBack Bowie throws with every chop. The guards on both the front and back of the handle both protect your fingers, but also keep the blade from flying out of your hands when you are chopping, and trust me, once you start using this thing, you'll just want to keep cutting! 35% OFF COUPON INCLUDED! www.outdooredge.com

BATTLBOX TAN 9.5' X 12' RIPSTOP TARP W/ WATERPROOF COATING:I have carried this tarp in the bottom of my bag alongside my sleeping bag for about a year now. When people see me pull it out, they are quite amazed that I have a 12' tarp inside my bag. Not only is it great for standard use such as building a shelter, covering your gear, or making a hammock, but I've found at times my OCD kicks in and I use it to lay out my gear, on the otherwise dirty ground, and take a quick inventory. This helps me see everything and make sure I don't lose anything at the same time. It does have a DuPont waterproof coating for an added layer of protection against the elements, when you need it the most. Reinforced grommets, and stitching make this a pretty awesome pack-able tarp, that in fact, is quite large.

ZIPPO 4-IN-1 WOODSMAN TOOL:As you now know, Zippo doesn't just make fantastic lighters. Mission 13 contained a great little fire starter puck from Zippo, and now, we see they have brought us this cool multi-use axe. As I stated in the mission card, this axe will not replace your Estwing. It isn't designed to. But it will get the job done, when you need a hammer because you forgot one, and the ground is too hard to drive stakes (been there a hundred times), if you need a badass saw to cut down those larger limbs, or if you need to do some light cutting and chopping. Disregard the stake puller, if you need that, you're probably a p....(lumber). Yeah plumber is what I was gonna say there. Anyhow, what would a well rounded shelter building box be without a good axe? Zippo came through for us on this one and we thought it made a great addition. Is it a normal "Knife of the Month?" Probably not, but again, it's a friggin' axe. In a box. On your doorstep. How cool is that!? Pretty damn cool if I must say.

Well guys and gals, that's an in-depth breakdown of the items in Mission 20. If you like these longer, in-depth articles, make sure you let us know, and when time allows, I'll make sure to post some more. In the meantime, Stay Safe, Be Prepared.....and Mission 21 might make you yawn a bit, but I think you'll love it! HINT, HINT!