- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
So I have a confession to make....On most of our camping trips, my knife use is pretty limited and restricted. Mind you, I do like to carve something once in awhile, like that time I lost my spork on day 2 and got teased from my camp mates the rest of the week about the spoon-ish thingabob I hacked out of striped maple. I also love practicing bow drill, but I'm far more apt to that kind of thing on day hikes and walks more so than while I'm actually tripping.
What about feathersticks? They sure are pretty and fun to make, but I almost never use them to make a functional fire. You know the type you make without thinking about (or trying to make a shmancy fancy video for) to keep you warm, cook food and sit by. More often, its just foraging for nearby birch bark and and a plenitude of twigs afforded by white, red or jack pines. I rarely if ever bring an axe either so the knife is used to baton
eek when I need to split wood. Except, truth be told, its a real rarity that I actually have to do that...even in heavy rain, dry twigs are so easy to find in a protected pine forest. (I know, I'm blessed in the places I go).
My most used knife, when tripping, is a fillet knife (if I'm lucky...blessed is the fact that I usually am). So often, that fancy bushcrafter, ready to take on nature herself, if need be, sits in the barrel stowed in a large ziplock bag along with the tent repair kit and other miscellaneous do dads. I had my wife sew on belt loops to my Patagonia alpine pants so I could wear my belt and knife (why the hell did that company make $170 pants and forget to put belt loops on them??). But half the time I forget and the belt plus knife stays in the barrel. Fortunately, my middle age muffin top keeps the pants around my waste rather than falling to my ankles.
A buck saw and pocket boy, now that is something I really use daily. Pocket boy and plain old hands for the twig stove. Buck saw for the nights fire. When you select the right size and piece there is rarely need to split it. Just get the fire stoked and with smaller to medium twigs until the coals are primed for the bigger wood.
Of course, I have my OH trekker, with its handy screwdriver...Not that a screwdriver is really useful in the woods, but I always feel a bit better when I have a tool design specifically to unscrew things that have been screwed up. Finally, my trusty ESEE-3, Ratpack #118, stays fixed to my life jacket ready to loosen my hypothetically line tangled body in the rapids should I find myself there. But mostly its pulled to trim the knot on my fishing lure.
Still, I'm glad I have the tools with me and I'm not writing this thread to suggest leaving them behind. Its just a reality of life in camp. Where you do what needs doing but rarely think about it. Almost, like a good first aid kit, a smooth trip rarely sees the blades actually come into play.
Anyone else in this same boat? I know, this is a sacrilegous post on BF
What about feathersticks? They sure are pretty and fun to make, but I almost never use them to make a functional fire. You know the type you make without thinking about (or trying to make a shmancy fancy video for) to keep you warm, cook food and sit by. More often, its just foraging for nearby birch bark and and a plenitude of twigs afforded by white, red or jack pines. I rarely if ever bring an axe either so the knife is used to baton
eek when I need to split wood. Except, truth be told, its a real rarity that I actually have to do that...even in heavy rain, dry twigs are so easy to find in a protected pine forest. (I know, I'm blessed in the places I go).My most used knife, when tripping, is a fillet knife (if I'm lucky...blessed is the fact that I usually am). So often, that fancy bushcrafter, ready to take on nature herself, if need be, sits in the barrel stowed in a large ziplock bag along with the tent repair kit and other miscellaneous do dads. I had my wife sew on belt loops to my Patagonia alpine pants so I could wear my belt and knife (why the hell did that company make $170 pants and forget to put belt loops on them??). But half the time I forget and the belt plus knife stays in the barrel. Fortunately, my middle age muffin top keeps the pants around my waste rather than falling to my ankles.
A buck saw and pocket boy, now that is something I really use daily. Pocket boy and plain old hands for the twig stove. Buck saw for the nights fire. When you select the right size and piece there is rarely need to split it. Just get the fire stoked and with smaller to medium twigs until the coals are primed for the bigger wood.
Of course, I have my OH trekker, with its handy screwdriver...Not that a screwdriver is really useful in the woods, but I always feel a bit better when I have a tool design specifically to unscrew things that have been screwed up. Finally, my trusty ESEE-3, Ratpack #118, stays fixed to my life jacket ready to loosen my hypothetically line tangled body in the rapids should I find myself there. But mostly its pulled to trim the knot on my fishing lure.
Still, I'm glad I have the tools with me and I'm not writing this thread to suggest leaving them behind. Its just a reality of life in camp. Where you do what needs doing but rarely think about it. Almost, like a good first aid kit, a smooth trip rarely sees the blades actually come into play.
Anyone else in this same boat? I know, this is a sacrilegous post on BF
