View Full Version : light weight saving kit
bushwacker bob
09-01-2004, 00:08
I once saw an episode of blue peter which involved an expedition to everest base camp.The Sherpas carried as little personal kit as they had to as they had the laborious task of carrying the B.P crews kit up the mountains! They were shown shaving with half a cup of water and a traditional razor blade(the rectangular type used before disposibles) The blade was made into a usable razor simply by pushing the index finger through the slot in the middle.Never tried it myself but food for thought for those who wish to travel very light. :o\:
:yikes: if i want to go that light, i'll just not bother shaving :lol:
cheers, and.
Maybe it was one of the crew's razor :-D :-D
:yikes: if i want to go that light, i'll just not bother shaving :lol:
cheers, and.
I bet getting your finger out afterwards was a bit hairy, what with it being all slippy with the soap n stuff. :yikes:
bushwacker bob
09-01-2004, 01:31
Sod the hairy finger! I opt for the hairy chin. :lol:
much ligher than that and good for a month of shaving (and far safer) is the Avid4 shaving system
they were trialed for the british army i still have some around there great
I think Jack is getting them in soon for www.woodlandorganics.com
Modern Gent have the Avid4 at £2.99 a pop
http://www.moderngent.com/site/avid.php :shock:
Bagheera
15-01-2004, 10:41
Hi guys (and girls?),
If somebody is going to order the Avid4 from moderngent perhaps he/she could order 5 of them for 2.50 BP a piece and send 2 to me in the Netherlands and I'll send over 6 BP (or 7 BP if postage is higher then 1 BP).
Looks like a nice solution.
I have been searching for ages for a small razor that was housed in a little tube, the size of a lipbalm stick and by just turning at the bottom rim the razor turned out and got up into the right position.
But the Avid4 looks real nice AND holds 4 blades as opposed to only one for the tube thingy I mentioned above.
Best Scouting wishes from Holland,
Bagheera
Great Pebble
15-01-2004, 13:38
While I appreciate the need to keep weight to a minimum, don't you think there's a danger here of becoming obsessive?
I'm as much of a gadget freak as the next bloke (and believe me, the next bloke loves gadgets) but I feel that if you can't find room/weight allowance for a couple of Bic disposables you might want to reconsider some of the other gear your carrying. It reminds me rather of reading about some ultra lightweight types who sawed the handles off their toothbrushes... Just a tad OTT. Anyhow, being truthful the ultimate bushcraft/survival solution has to be the old fashioned open razor, does it not? No waste, keep it in trim with the same kit as you use for your knife.
Nick in Belfast
Bagheera
15-01-2004, 14:04
Great Pebble,
Good question, I wouldn't even carry a shaving kit in my Survival kit, I have a beard but need to clean up 'the lines' when I'm out on business trips.
I always try to use the smallest (cary on) suitcase and when I start packing my travel kit which is a small bag with mesh front I get confronted with large heavy glass aftershave bottle, deodorant, super dooper big razor etc.
So I develloped a small nessecities travel kit using small plastic containers for soap, hairwash, mouthwater, body/hand cream, I use a crystal deodorant.
I also use a small bottle with shaving oil that works extremely nice with just 3 drops and I would love a small razor which holds spare heads without them lying loose in the kit bag but protected and one that isn't taking up a lot of space.
I confess I also carry an foldable toothbrush and have a small tube of toothpaste.
I'm talking business travel survival here not a Survival kit.
But what I wrote also applies to a truckload of other devices we carry/use, why would we otherwise have mobile phones that are so tiny that I almost need a pencil to press the buttons, so I use pre-programmed voice commands. Photo camera's, shortwave travel radios, video camera's, mp3 players etc. is the same thing.
Everything gets smaller and people buy smaller not bigger
Cheers,
Bagheera
Great Pebble
15-01-2004, 14:09
:oops: Just realised that I too have a folding toothbrush, a tiny tube of paste and use "sportsmans soap" for shaving and washing.....
Nick in Belfast
the benift of the AVID4 system is not that it is lighter than a bic just that it is a far more convenient shape
it is totally flat and unnoticable in a shirt pocket
and because the blade is packed away it does not pick up fluff etc or get snapped off
Just had a look on the Modern Gent website and found this:
The smallest toothbrush! (http://www.moderngent.com/site/fuzzy.php)
gurushaun
16-01-2004, 11:19
Stew
I've tried those, the brush is great but the powdered toothpaste that they use tastes vile :yikes: so wash 'em before you use 'em, then suck a mint after for *That fresh breath feeling* :-D .
Cheers
Shaun
RAPPLEBY2000
16-01-2004, 17:34
hey why not go "desparate dan" and blowtorch off your stubble! :f:
i heard than native american indians used to shave by plucking the hairs with clam shells tweezer fashion :shock: !
there is a US army idea i have come across! i shall try to find the link:
in US army rations they get a plastic spoon, the idea being on the handle end you would have a brush for teeth, and some plastic shapes molded to hold a disposable razor blade the other side of the brush!
only an idea but a damn good one if you ask me! :biggthump
RAPPLEBY2000
16-01-2004, 17:47
here is the link
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/2116/spork.htm
very american with music too if yoiu turn your speakers on!
if you take the time to look down the page you will see a couple more ideas as well.
our thoughts are lowering our weight so we can be more self sufficient for longer periods thier thinking is lower weight/bulk equals more space for ammo!
yee har!!!! :AR15firin :o):
bagheera countrystore in Epe, in The Netherlands sells the avid 4 razor as well, you can order from there site: http://www.shopsolution.nl/shop/home.asp?shopid=countrystore&prodid=AVIDrazor or pay them a visit, but don't blame me, wenn you get home broke ! :-P
front page of there website is: http://www.countrystore.nl/
Anyone use a straight razor (http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acatalog/blade-razor.html#a65)?
The Gent
20-10-2005, 16:14
That's a nice little piece of kit, if you look around on eBay you can find disposable straights there also.
Carcajou Garou
20-10-2005, 16:28
I also bring along a straight razor, sharpen with my honing stone, strop it on my boot. Don't need to shave that often every second day or so, my French grandfather was quite hairy in the face :lmao:
Also would be good to preform surgery if needed :(
The Gent
20-10-2005, 16:32
I also bring along a straight razor, sharpen with my honing stone, strop it on my boot. Don't need to shave that often every second day or so, my French grandfather was quite hairy in the face :lmao:
Also would be good to preform surgery if needed :(
Ah yes, maybe take along an extra boot for use as a strop :)
Ehhh.....I use one of those old rectangular "double-edge" razors for shaving, too. I picked it up at an antique store for $10 dollars. It's solid gold plated, and I had it dated circa: 1955, the year my Father was born. I started shaving with the DE in lieu of the modern cartridge types, Mach 3, Sensor Excel, etc... because they made my face look like raw hamburger meat with stubble on it.
So yeah, I admit, I've got a fetish for old-fasioned materials......
1) Ventile
2) Mechanical watches
3) Double Edge razors
4) Zippo lighters
5) Brushless shavecream and/or shave soap with a mug and a brush
:D
gregorach
20-10-2005, 16:52
I'd totally recommend going down the shaving oil route - much lighter, more compact, all natural and less packaging. Works good too - although I may be a bad test case, as I used to shave with just water for years before I discovered shaving oil.
As for shaving when out and about - I never do it. In fact, I tend to stop shaving (the very limited area of my face that I do shave, that is - goatee and sideburns cuts down on effort ;)) a few days before I head out. I find the additional weatherproofing offered by even a three-day stubble worthwhile.
Like gregorach I'm keen to consume less resources and years ago switched from shaving-foam-in-an-aerosal can :( to shaving brush and a stick of soap :) .
I tried oil but couldn't get along with it. Compared to foam the shaving brush plus soap will save you money as well as being a bit more earth friendly - I find a tiny stick of shaving soap lasts about 9 months.
Of course not shaving at all may be greener still.......
jamesoconnor
20-10-2005, 18:56
Anyone use a straight razor (http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acatalog/blade-razor.html#a65)?
i use these all the time. im a barber to trade and in theses modern times( hiv, aids, higeine) clients sometimes prefer the knowledge that we constantly use a new clean blade on them. it gives them the sensation of a traditional hot towel shave but with a new blade all the time. an excellent bit of kit. i also have the traditional open razors too. theyre great too!! all this from a guy who has a beard at the minute!!! :D
regards
james
James, you're a barber? And you do barbershop shaves? :You_Rock_
That's one thing I'll probably never end up having done; no-one around here bothers with it anymore. I've heard it's a great experience, and that some people actually fall asleep in the chairs while being shaved.
jamesoconnor
20-10-2005, 21:39
James, you're a barber? And you do barbershop shaves? :You_Rock_
That's one thing I'll probably never end up having done; no-one around here bothers with it anymore. I've heard it's a great experience, and that some people actually fall asleep in the chairs while being shaved.
you wouldn't believe the amount of people who fall asleep in the chair!! :D
theyre still really popular with us too!! this jobs still a far cry from what i studied at uni to do, civil and structural engineering. got the degree, worked a bit at it, hated it, work for the family company!! ;)
regards
james