Adventure Gadgets - Deep Blue Dive Watch

Ok, I get it. Nobody wears watches anymore because everyone can get the time off their smart phone or their tablet, or whatever. Well guess what? Batteries go dead, smart phones fall out of your pocket when you are climbing up the side of a cliff and Apple's Gorilla glass face shatters like it was pimp smacked by Mike Tyson. The fighter at his prime, not the skinny-ass vegetarian who is currently on the road with his Spike Lee directed one-man show. And do you really think that zip-lock bag is going to save your phone from saltwater corrosion when diving in the Med? Maybe you don't live an adventure a day, but you should live like the next adventure is just around the corner. That's what this watch is all about. No batteries, no digital bullshit. This 220 grams of solid stainless steel. That's almost half a pound, to you and me. It has a sapphire crystal face, which means you can bash it into anything short of a diamond, and it won't scratch. I've smacked mine into steel banisters, and a few brick walls, not on purpose, but because I'm a klutz. Still no scratches. It has an internal automatic pendulum, so it's self-winding. I wound mine when I bought it four months ago, and I haven't had to wind it since. I haven't had to adjust the time either, so it's pretty damn accurate for a watch that relies on mechanical movement. Best of all, it's waterproof to 1000 meters. The unidirectional bezel means it won't screw up your dive times. It even has a helium release valve just like a Rolex Submariner. The Submariner will set you back between eight and ten grand. The Deep Blue is a mere three hundred bucks. It's not a knock off, and it's a real American company based in New York. I don't know if humans can even dive this deep, but if you want one, Deep Blue even makes a watch that will work down to 3000 meters. When WWIII electromagnetic pulses have cooked all the electronics on earth, this watch will still tell time. When the Zombie Apocalypse has you camped out in some water tower, and you are considering risking getting turned into zombie chow just to get to the Batteries  Plus across the street, this watch will still tell time. So sure, you don't need a watch. Maybe the watch is a relic of a bygone era, but by God, there are some relics worth hanging onto.

Adventure Gadget - Benchmade 9100 AutoStryker

Photo from Benchmade.com

There are few things with as much utility and value to the intrepid adventurer as a trusty pocket knife. It's possible to find good quality lock-blade knives for as little as $20.00. Coast Cutlery, for example, makes some excellent low cost, high quality pocket knives. But if you want the very best in one-handed utility, a high quality automatic knife is the way to go. If the idea of automatic knives brings up images of the flimsy Italian-made switch blades of the past, set your prejudice aside. The new generation of automatic knives are solidly build, durable, and just as reliable as an old fashioned folder.

Benchmade Knives, based in Oregon makes some of the best automatic knives in the world. My favorite, the Benchmade 9100 AutoStryker was designed for military and law enforcement use and features a 3.7 inch 154CM Stainless Steel blade with a unique tanto spear point designed for exceptional piercing power. The thick blade spine absorbs shock and enhances tip strength. I've seen this blade punch through half an inch of kevlar. This knife has no cheap parts. The safety lever and trigger button are stainless steel, and the scales are solid cast aluminum with a thick black anodized finish. You can get the knife with a regular blade, or partially serrated. It's also available with black BK1 non-reflective blade coating for tactical applications. The AutoStryker isn't cheap, but I have seen it available on some websites for under $200.00. That's a lot of money for a pocket knife, but if I'm cutting myself out of fallen rigging on the deck of my sailboat in a storm, or freeing myself from tangled para-cord after catching my parachute in a tree, the best is worth it.

For those of you who aren't military or law enforcement, and don't live in a place where automatic knives are legal, Benchmade makes a number of great thumb-open tactical folders.