“If you want something done well, do it yourself. This is why most people laugh at their own jokes” (Bob Edwards)
You can spend a lot of time (and money) looking for the ‘ideal’ piece of kit when all that is needed is to modify an ‘off-the-shelf’ product instead.
If you have a well equipped workshop and a sewing machine there isn’t much camping equipment that you can’t improve on or customize to your particular requirements.
However, not everyone has the tools that are needed and to go out and buy them specifically for a single project can make any cost saving quickly disappear.
Last year OGM (Outdoor Gear Malaysia) opened up a workshop at their retail outlet in Subang so that their customers could modify equipment for themselves. I think this is a great idea as it means that anyone now has access to the tools and machines needed for customization projects and can get advice and guidance from the staff at OGM if they run into problems.
I decided to test out the concept with an old parang I had lying around: I wanted to put a wood handle on and make a sheath for the parang.
The first stage was to get the handle made. Stem, an Orang Asli living in Bera, is a craftsmen whose carving abilities far exceed my own so I decided to get him to do the handle. Alternatively you can simply buy an ‘off-the-shelf’ wooden handle for around RM10 but the advantages of having one made are that 1) it will fit the tang of your parang correctly and 2) you can specify how you want the handle shaped. If you want a customized handle made by Stem the cost is around RM30 and OGM can arrange for this (it will take about a month or so).
The next stage was to fit retaining pins – this can be quite tricky with the narrow, rat-tail tang of most Malaysian parangs and a bench drill is a huge help (vs trying to use a handheld drill). Keong, at OGM, has fitted retaining pins so often it is second nature to him and a task that can be difficult and time consuming was completed in less than 20 minutes. Once the pins are made and holes drilled you can epoxy the whole lot together at your leisure.
I also wanted to try out a Kydex sheath for this parang. Kydex is expensive stuff RM 80 (for black) – RM 180 (for cammo) for a 2 by 1 foot sheet but the end result is a sheath that looks as good as a commercially made injection moulded sheath. Kydex is very easy stuff to work with and you could simply buy a sheet, take it home, and do-it-yourself. If you’d rather have OGM make if for you they can do this (for a fee of around RM45).
All in all the cost of this parang project was (roughly): parang (RM 25), handle (RM 30), Kydex, eyelets, screws (RM 100), OGM fee (RM45) = RM 190 (= approx USD 60).
So, if you live in Malaysia and have an old and trusted parang that you want to rehandle and make a sheath for then this is an great way of doing it (and a fun project to do!)
Hi Paul,
Nice timing, I was questionning Keong last week about this!
As you know, I’m coming soon to Malaysia.
For the authenticity of the experience, I won’t bring my old trusted machete with me, instead, I wanna buy a local blade, and then work on it to improve it to my needs and preferences.
I’m definitely using this video:D
Thanks a lot!!
Hi Wawa,
Glad you liked the project video and it was a lot of fun to make it. Kydex is a bit expensive but the end result is very nice and it’s relatively quick to do (vs. carving a wooden sheath).
Cheers!
Paul
Just watched your vid on the Parang rebuild. Excellent stuff. Keep up the great work.
Hi Phil,
Many thanks for the comment – much appreciated.
Cheers!
Paul
Love your vids, nice project.
Hi Trailtraveller,
Many thanks for the support and glad you liked the parang project (I’m sure there will be more in the future!)
Cheers!
Paul
hi
i want to come to malaysia end buy an parang but i dont want to make all those modifications to it. wen you buy it in a store doess it have a sheath and do i need to put a thikker pin in it??
Hi Wouter,
Thanks for the comment and good to hear you’re coming over to Malaysia. The parangs in the video don’t come with sheaths although it is very easy to make one by using a piece of PVC pipe (just melt it over a fire and flatten it). There is another brand of parang sold here that does comes with a sheath but I don’t like those parangs much – they are a different shape and not so hardy or easy to use.
The plastic handled parangs in the video do have a retaining pin already inserted. This pin is fine and I’ve never had one fail on me so you don’t have to put in a thicker pin. The only problem I’ve encountered with the plastic handled parangs is that the tang can sometimes get loose within the handle so that the parang gets the ‘shakes’. You can still use it but it feels weird. A thicker pin (or a second pin) supports the tang better but is not an absolute necessity.
Last weekend I was in the jungle with an Orang Asli (a real jungle expert) and what parang was he using? A basic, unmodified plastic handled parang with a sheath made from a PVC pipe.
Cheers!
Paul
hi paul
I think I am not going to put another pin in the handle just because I dont get excess to a drill but I am surtainly going to make a sheath out of PVC pipe!
thanks for your reaction on my comment! 🙂
I am wouter frome the Netherlands and I am thirteen years old. and I love your videos!
cheers
wouter
Hi Wouter,
Glad to be of help and good luck with your parang project.
Cheers!
Paul
excellent timing! when you posted this, i already had a real Malaysian Parang with genuine blue plastic handles 🙂 & some kydex in the post. my new toys are here, but i have one question: which thickness kydex did you use? it seems the most common thicknesses are .06″ (1.5mm) & .093″ (2.36mm).
thanks as always for you excellent, informative & BS free videos!
cheers!
Hi Ick,
Glad the video was timely and Kydex is fun stuff to work with so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your parang sheath project! I just went down to the check the thickness of Kydex and it looked like about 2mm to me (my eyes are not so good, so I could be slightly out there)….I bought it from OGM Malaysia so you could check with them to see what thickness they stock.
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi ! Very impressed and pleased by the way you’re teaching. So far the best in my humble opinion, and i have seen a lot of videos about bushcrafting this winter, and i thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.
I live in Canada and i’ve only been sleeping on the ground when camping. I’m just wondering about “sleeping” in an hammock. I’m a side sleeper and when i’m sleeping on my back it’s causing apnea most of the time. What’s your say about side sleeping in a hammock ?
Hi Danny,
Many thanks for the comment and kind words and very glad that some of the videos are proving useful to you over there in Canada.
Interesting question you ask about side sleeping as I too am a side sleeper most of the time and find that this is possible in a hammock (as long as you don’t use one that is too narrow)….you do sort of end up a bit ‘crumpled’ and it isn’t the same as being in a bed…but it’s okay. As always, with hammocks, you want at be positioned at an angle across the hammock. In fact if you sleep on your back and angle your body diagonally across the hammock it is possible to get almost completely flat
I love hammocks and find them extremely comfortable but I know a few people (including my wife) who simply can’t seem to get comfortable in them. The best thing to do is to get/borrow a cheap one first and try it out in your backyard to see if it is for you or not. The other thing I have discovered is the enormous difference an underquilt makes (particularly when it is cooler) – somehow having that ‘heat pad’ beneath your back stops all the aches in the morning and I would strongly recommend using one.
I bought a book called the ‘Ultimate Hang” which is full of extremely useful advice for hammock campers – I got it for about USD 3 on Kindle and it was well worth the price.
Hope that helps and thanks again for the comment.
Cheers!
Paul
I hope to travel to Malaysia one day to climb some mountains and check out the Jungle. On a recent stop over in Brunei I saw a Malaysian parang for the first time ever at a market, the lady was chopping coconuts. From what I’ve seen on your vids and at Brunei, parangs seem to be better made than the Filipino bolos I come across. Not sure why but the filipinos always put a sharp pointy end on their machetes, I reckon this just adds an unnecessary danger and the parang style machete looks safer.
HI Grayson,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for my slow reply (been away for a couple of weeks). Interesting point you make about bolos and although I’m familiar with the design I’ve never used one so can’t really add much. However, it is interesting that they seem to prefer the pointed tip whereas most parings are snub nosed. Saying that there are Malaysian parang designs that have a point at the end too so perhaps it is to do with the purpose the parang/bolo is being used for?
One day I must get a bolo and give a try for myself!
Anway, thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
My plastic handle parang is loosing the handle. Is it ok to glue the blade to the same plastic handle using epoxy. I really don’t like to use fire because I am afraid to affect the blade temper. I want to use epoxy also because I have experience with this. Thank you very much!
Hi Dani,
Thanks for the comment and ‘yes’ it’s fine to use epoxy (many people use exactly that). If you want you can carry in a small tube of epoxy with you so that, in the event the handle comes loose in the field, you can stick it back in. I tend to leave epoxy joints over night to let then set properly so that is something to consider as well.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul