NyfFyrLyt™ 3

The other two versions worked, but I still wasn’t entirely happy with them.

Sooo....back to the drawing board. Main thing I didn’t like about the second go around was the zippered top opening. Thought a flap might work better. Wanted to carry all the stuff that went into the original two versions, but I also wanted to carry some more stuff. Redundant perhaps, but I wanted to carry my Leatherman Wave as well as the Victorinox Huntsman. The bits that accompany the LM. A PocketWrench 2. A pen. A lighter. Having the battery die in the flashlight is annoying, so wanted to have a way to carry extra batteries as well.

I’d seen the Skinths, and thought they had some cool features. But while Eric is a good guy, buying one from him would deprive me of the fun of making my own thing, and there were a bunch of my own features I wanted to add. 

I could have gone narrow and thick, and instead opted to go with wide and thin.

Like Soviet weaponry, it’s not pretty, but it’s effective.

First component for the four main tools. The two white bits at the bottom...

....are Spectra cord that I used to hold the pen in place.

The back/flap component for the four flat tools/items.

The two side by side.

The third front and sides component. Decided to add a SliverGripper to the side as well.

All three components combined. I added an H&K hook to it to hang keys on.

The size of the whole thing is about 180 cm (7") by 120 cm (5") by 50 cm (2"). The main pouch is about 110 cm (4.5") by 105 cm (4") by 30 cm (1.25"). And the weight of it is a heavy 1 kg (2.2 lbs.).

The back side. One change I made to the whole set up was to have straps that I could detach at the bottom. This way I can either have it high up on the belt, or drop it down low so that when I’m wearing a backpack with a waist belt, it hangs down below that waist belt. Having that lump of stuff under a belt is really uncomfortable. Yet I still wanted to have this on my belt, on my person, so that if I ditch the pack I would still have it. This attachment system is known as BALLS - Belt Attachment Lowerable Loop System.

Viewed from above.

The front side, with a pouch for a lighter. It’ll hold a Bic, and any other similar sized disposable or refillable lighter. Hemmed and hawed about whether I should put the lighter on the inside, or maybe the flashlight or the SAK on the outside pouch. The lighter ended up on the outside. Maybe if I tackle version 4, it might not be there. 

The back side, with a pouch for two AA batteries. I found that 1" tubular webbing is the perfect size to house the batteries. Made it so that it flips down to release them. One drawback to this approach is that I already knew that the tube would push loose from side to side, so I added some shock cord and a cord lock to help hold it in place. I put the batteries in facing a different direction and also put a circle of plastic between the two batteries to make sure they didn’t drain.

The contents. 
Top row: Fisher Trekker Space Pen, Silva Matchcase, Leatherman Wave 2004, Victorinox Huntsman, Whistle, Fenix L1D, Bic Lighter 
Bottom row: Sliver Grippers, PocketWrench 2, Leatherman Bit Kit, Brass Calipers, AA batteries

And here you can see it worn normally on the belt, and worn low on the belt.

The BALLS straps on the back also allow me to mount it on PALS webbing, like here on the Messenge’mups.

Oh yeah, and I sewed the whole thing by hand.

I suspect that like the other ones, I may find some flaws with this one after living with it for a while and tackle version 4. But for now, I’m happy with it.

The humble Bic lighter

As my pal Thad put it a few years ago:

“The humble Bic lighter is in fact the pinnacle of human technical achievement and fairly close to a techno–religious talisman. In a completely integrated package, every significant detail of human evolution (the opposable thumb, mastery of fire, and control of various materials) is embodied. Plus it fits nicely in the pocket and comes in a rainbow of pretty colors.”

The humble Bic lighter really is an amazing thing, yet I wonder how few ever really stop to consider what a great little item it really is.

Most never even give them a second thought. And yet up until a relatively short time ago, and to be honest there are still heaps of places in the world where this is so, if you walk into a village with a Bic lighter in your hand, and flick it, people would fall to their knees and worship you like a god. “He has magic, fire appears from his hand!” And yet spoiled westerners don’t even realize what a superb little object it really is. The ability to have fire appear at, well the flick of a Bic, is a truly awesome thing. Think about that next time you hold one in your hand. They truly are a techno–religious talisman.

I usually brought along lots of Bic lighters when travelling in really isolated and remote parts of the world. They made great trade items, and were also just a good way to make friends. They took up very little room, didn’t weigh a whole lot, and were genuinely useful to the people you gave them to. Plus until the supply ran out, I always knew I had one or two somewhere to back up the one in my pocket.

And even when the butane runs out, the striker will still continue to spark. Even without the actual flame it can still start a fire.

The one thing that drives me batty about Bic are the various child proof safety features. (At least here in politically correct Canada.) My attitude is that when you buy a lighter you’re buying into an adult level of responsibility. The worst are the little doodads you have to push in and up. Bics here have a little metal strip that fortunately the screw drivers and pliers on a Leatherman make short work of. But speaking of an adult level of responsibility, make sure you wear safety glasses or point it well away from you, and be aware of who and what is around you when you do take it off. That little sucker has a tendency to fly quite a ways. The first time I did I wasn’t thinking, and almost got it in my eye. D’oh!