Get Ready, Stay Ready

Esse knives are outstanding—a perfect blend of quality and value—and the Esse-5 is no exception. When I make a purchase, I’m not looking for the cheapest or the most expensive, but something that delivers reliability and long-term worth. This Esse-5 is a knife I’ll own for life, and then pass down.

As a serious survival knife, the Esse-5 is among the best. It inspires confidence as a tool you could stake your life on. This is a heavy-duty beast of a cutting tool—sharp, rugged, and built like a Russian tank. With a ¼-inch blade, its durability is no joke. I think breaking it would take extraordinary effort, which in a survival situation would give you peace of mind when you need it most.

Despite its toughness, the Esse-5 is also refined. I found the fit and finish excellent, and the ergonomics top-notch. At 16 ounces, it has a hefty weight with great balance, making it a pleasure to handle. After speaking with Charles, the owner of Stay Ready Outdoors, I went with the canvas Micarta handle. It provides superior grip in wet environments and feels great in my hand.

This knife is an American-made workhorse. If John Rambo ever decided to downsize from his signature blades, the Esse-5 would be a top contender.

As an outdoorsman and retired USMC, I highly recommend it. It maintains its edge after a brutal punishment. Great for hunting and survival.

I'm a proud owner of the Gibson axe, the curve of the blade is great for skinning any animal, it's also great for chopping ribs and other bone for backpacking your harvest out of the wilderness. It's not heavy, it's well balanced to chop wood and the metal alloy makes it keep it's sharp edge, it's a must have.

I found this AET (Auto Escape Tool) to be of excellent quality, not made of cheap material or plastic. It is made of durable stainless steel with a carbide tipped glass breaker, and is an essential tool to have in your vehicle. It fit snugly in its case, and attached easily to the sun visor with its elastic strap in both of our vehicles, a Honda Accord and an Acura TL– ensuring accessibility in time of need.

I would really like to give a shout out to Charles, the owner of Stay Ready Outdoors. I initially contacted him regarding knives, and emergency preparedness. With regards to extricating oneself from being trapped inside a vehicle, I had thought that a sturdy knife with a glass breaking pommel, kept in the glove box or center console would suffice, but Charles, with his years of experience in law enforcement as a first responder gave me some additional valuable insight. Two key points…

First and foremost is ensuring accessibility to your escape tool in the event of an accident! Charles spoke of situations encountering drivers trapped inside their vehicles, WHO HAD ESCAPE TOOLS, but could not access them.

Depending on the severity of the accident (rollover, etc.), if for any reason you’re trapped, pinned in the driver’s seat, or the seat belt won't release, you need that tool within reach. If that escape tool ended up out of your grasp– whether in the back seat, under the seat, or even in sight within inches, it is of no use to you. With this AET attached to the visor, it will be within reach.

The second point being, encountering an emergency situation as a first responder. In this instance you may be dealing with people who may be panicking, and flailing around trying to escape a vehicle. While a good quality knife is an indispensable part of an emergency kit, in a situation like this, a sharp tipped knife would not be the best option, whereas the AET is a much safer tool, minimizing the risk of injury.

In regards to national statistics on vehicle fatalities, being “trapped inside” is not listed as an actual cause of death. However, it would be the primary factor in numerous fire and drowning related vehicle fatalities each year. With many of today’s vehicles having much more complex window and door operation, I consider having this AET offered by Stay Ready Outdoors to be an absolute necessity. I provided this essential emergency tool to all of my family members.

I endorse Stay Ready Outdoors for providing products of great quality and value, as well as it being a great knowledge base.

I purchased this knife as a daily carry and I’m so glad I did. It looks great, the grip is very comfortable and non-slip and it’s made in the USA. There’s a glass breaking bit on the pommel and an attachment so you can wear it scout-style which is what I prefer. I’m very happy with the knife and very happy with Stay Ready!

I have searched for a reputable compact tourniquet for quite some time and came across the ETQ. This checks all the boxes. Rated for use on kids, compact to easily fit in a diaper bag, works with Snakeskin Pro sleeve that can be clipped to belt or pocket for every day carry, and has the chem light feature which is pretty awesome. I hope to never have to use the ETQ but, I have a little more peace of mind knowing I have this at the ready incase anything were to happen to my son. Standard TQ's are great but oversized for the little ones, the ETQ bridges that gap.

I would also give another 5 star rating to Charles Quarto, the founder and my main point of contact when inquiring about this product. He is very helpful, responsive and, answered all of my questions before purchasing. Keep up the great work and I look forward to doing business with you again in the future!

Stay safe!

Flavor is really good for a bag, coffe has great roasted flavors, highly recommended.

I was very surprised with how well this product works. Super strong magnet, and it’s great how it folds flat, very easy to store for your over landing trips. Much better than the magnetic dish’s from harbor freight.

This is an excellent knife, the perfect size. Very well built and very light. Couldn’t be happier with this purchase and would recommend for any camper.

This axe chops through birch wood with the greatest of ease. The materials and quality of this Gibson Axe is top notch and I extremely happy with this purchase!

Great customer service.
The t-shirt fits true to size, and the material is excellent and supple
The notion of being ready for anything outdoors is aptly captured by the shirt's design. Perfect t-shirt to wear when embarking on your own journey.

Great fire starting tool, works perfect every time!