Sharp Things Part 2: Adventure Sharps

Most people would agree that a cutting tool is essential for the wilderness.  There are many theories on what people should take.  I have seen as little as a razor blade and as big as a full sized South American machete toted as essential cutting tools for the wilderness.  I remember my Ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch telling our group that only 1 pocket knife was needed for 12 people.  She obviously didn't know Boy Scouts very well!  What I carry into the wilderness varies for the type of trip, time of year and intended activities on the trip.  What I carry for a paddling trip is sometimes different for a hiking trip.  Weight matters less when paddling compared to hiking. 

SAK Swiss Champ and Survival Kit

I always have some sort of multi tool.  A SAK Swiss Champ with the double pouch survival kit was my first multi tool and it was a Christmas present from my parents when I was in my teens.  The total package was standard equipment for every campout in Scouting and it was kept in my car for years.  The knife went with me on my NOLS Yukon course and also to Philmont Scout Ranch.  When I want a lighter and slimmer package I go for the Gerber MP 400.  However, I have been reevaluating the survival kit I carry separately in my pack.  The SAK with survival pouch contains everything I need and it rides on my belt.  If I get separated from my pack I still have a lot of stuff to help me survive.  So for the time being I am ditching the survival kit in my pack and only going with the SAK kit for hiking trips.  Paddling trips are different so both kits are carried.  I will list the SAK survival pouch contents below.

KaBar Dozier folder

Mora Classic #2

I also carry a larger blade for basic cutting tasks.  On paddling trips I like to have as little in my pockets and on my belt as possible.  This makes it easier and quicker to facilitate swimming breaks.  The less I have to remove from my belt and pockets the quicker I can get into the water!  With less on my belt it makes it easier to move about the canoe to access the cooler for a frosty beverage or snack.  I have carried my Ka-Bar folder clipped in my pocket and a Blackie Collins Buddy knife around my neck.  Both are stainless steel and are easily attached or removed from my person.  Recently on paddling and hiking trips, I have been carrying a Mora Classic #2 around my neck with the sheath modified to carry a few basic survival items.  I did some work on the handle as you can see from the pic.  I removed the red paint and stained the handle with homemade black walnut dye.  The contents of the Mora sheath are listed below.

Western W49 Bowie

I also take a long a chopping tool.  This has taken many forms over the years.  My love affair of big blades began with a Western W49 Bowie Knife.  This knife accompanied me on most Scouting campouts as my Scoutmaster was cool with sheath knives.  It also went along on an infamous AuSable canoe trip just after high school.  My bowie knife helped us flip burgers and prepare fire wood to help warm up a friend suffering from hypothermia.  My high school friends still speak of The Big Knife whenever we reminisce about the trip! 

Another big knife that I fell in love with was the parang from Malaysia.  My wife introduced me to the indigenous big knife of her country.  Parangs are designed as a multi-purpose tool with different parts of the blade suited for specific tasks.  The front portion is used for skinning game.  The area just after the curve is for chopping and the long straight section of the blade is used for batoning/splitting and like a draw knife.  The geometry of the blade makes for efficient chopping of woody plant material.  The jungle in Malaysia is more of a woody jungle compared to jungles of south america.  I had the opportunity to test a parang in the Malaysian jungle and was instantly sold on its effectiveness at chopping and batoning wood.  The parang in the picture is the first one I bought.  I have several others all much bigger than this one but all are effective chopping tools.

My first parang

Gerber Hatchet with paracord wrap

  Occasionally I will take a small hatchet instead of the parang to practice using a different type of chopping tool.  I have had a Gerber sport axe since I was in Scouts.  It survived the abuse of a young scout and went with me when I lead wilderness trips for the YMCA.  I keep my hatchet very sharp and it excels at chopping and splitting small logs.  I have a fear of splitting logs with a hatchet as I missed my mark once and almost chopped off my finger.  I have a cool scar on my index finger to remember the event.  That is why I prefer batoning with large blades over splitting with a hatchet.

On almost all paddling trips and sometimes hiking trips I take along some sort of saw.  Lately it has been a cheap bow saw I picked up at a gas station in rural Maine.  The blade was crap so I replaced it with a good quality one that cost more than the saw!  Having a saw allows me to process larger logs to more manageable sizes for batoning or splitting. 

There you have it folks!  To summarize, I carry a multi-tool, larger knife, chopping tool and saw on most paddling and hiking trips.  Some would argue that this is too much.  I like to have options in the wilderness and tools give you options.  Below is a list of contents for the SAK survival kit and Mora knife sheath kit.

SAK Sheath Kit:
Flashlight
Sharpening Stone
Compass with thermometer, ruler, level, and magnifying glass
signal mirror
bandaids
whistle
bic ligher and BSA Hotspark fire steel
Fishing Kit
safety pin and sewing kit

Mora Sheath Kit
BSA Hotspark fire steel
small ziplock with magnesium shavings
sewing kit and safety pin
rubber bike inner tube: holds contents to sheath and used as tinder
bank line 
paracord neck lanyard

Sharp Things Part 1: EDC

I love things that are sharp.  A cutting tool is probably the most important item to have on a hike or a paddle and cutting tools are very useful on a daily basis in civilization.  This is the first post of two about some of my favorite sharps that I EDC and/or carry on my adventures.  There is no one perfect tool for all situations, so that is why I carry several cutting implements.  Also, someone in my group always either forgets their knife or it is buried in their pack when we need it.  Everyone knows Nate always has one or two knives on him all the time!

First we will start with EDC.  EDC is every day carry.  I have flip flopped between three main types of tools.  These are Swiss Army Knives (SAK), multi tools, and locking folders.  I have carried combinations of these tools since I was old enough to carry a knife.  I even *gasp* carried my SAK to school in high school and college!  What would happen to me now in this day and age if I was caught carrying a blade in those places?

First lets start with SAK's.  I have the most experience with these as I have carried one since I got my first knife at 10 years old.  When I earned my Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts, mom and dad gave me a Boy Scout version of an SAK made by Imperial.  After a few years, they gave me a Victorinox Huntsman.  I carried this knife until I lost it my senior year of high school at a Lutheran youth convention in New Orleans.  Mom and Dad gave me another one just like it when I left for college.  The Huntsman has the best configuration of tools in a pocketable  package of all the Victorinox SAK's.  It features:  Large Blade, Small Blade, Scissors, Saw, Bottle opener, can opener, awl, corkscrew, and hook.  It also has the usual toothpick and tweezers.  Recently I have been carrying an SAK climber which has all of these tools except for the saw.  This has a little slimmer profile than the huntsman and it is a little easier to carry in my pocket.

For a few years, my SAK lived in my sock drawer while I carried a Gerber MP 400.  This tool was great and I could always find a use for the pliers.  All of the tools lock open which is very handy.  The blade is ok, but I am not a fan or serrated blades.  The scissors are excellent and the bottle opener, can opener and screwdrivers are all top notch.  Since I found the blade to be less than ideal, I started looking for a locking folder.

After much research, I settled on the Ka-Bar 4071.  This knife is very large and fits my hand well.  It has a slim profile and the pocket clip allows a small amount of the handle to show when clipped into a pocket.  The clip is very solid.  The blade shape is efficient, sharp and the spine is squared off allowing the use of a firesteel.  I have even batoned with this knife though care must be taken when doing so.  Sometimes the lock will fail when doing heavy batoning, causing the knife to close.  This knife was not designed for this kind of abuse, but it is good to know I can do it if I have to.  I carried this combination of tools for quite awhile.

However, I missed the extreme utility of an SAK and the multi tool went back to the sock drawer and the SAK huntsman returned to my pocket.  After not carrying a knife in the bottom of my pocket for awhile, the Huntsman felt bulky.  I decided that I did not use the saw that much and replaced it with a SAK Climber.  I have found, however, that I do not use the locking folder as much and now I carry the Climber only.  It is tough to beat the utility of an SAK!

But Wait!!!!  Didn't Nate say that he always has 2 knives on him??  That is true and I do.  On my keychain I carry a Victorinox Mini Champ.  I could almost solely carry this knife but the blade is a little small for most tasks.  The scissors are sufficient for most of what I use them for.  I have also used the pen many times!  Yes it has a ball point pen.  So that is a run down of sharp things I EDC.  Some of these tools have carried over to my hiking and paddling adventures.  I have taken the Gerber MP on many trips as well as the SAK's.  However, for most cutting chores in the wild I prefer larger and stouter blades.  Stay tuned for Sharp Things Part 2: Adventure Sharps!

Deam Wilderness Sycamore Loop

In May of 2012 Mary and I took our son on his first "real" hike.  We were visiting some close friends in Indiana and decided to visit a very special place.  Mary and I have many fond memories of the Deam Wilderness just south of Bloomington, Indiana.  We deciced to day hike a popular loop trail called the Sycamore Loop.  PDF on the Deam Wilderness  The loop is about 6 miles and makes a nice, but short over night backpack if one wishes.  I have done it several times.

We arrived at the trail head, which has an old fire tower.  You can climb the fire tower but we chose not to since we both have done it before and with the baby it wasn't a good idea.  We decided to let Liam play in the grass while we checked our gear for the hike.  Liam was amazed by the different textures of the grass, sticks and rocks.  We hiked for an hour or so and decided to take a break near a stream for lunch.  We found a campsite right on the edge of the stream and sat down on a nice log for some sandwiches and cheez-its.  After we ate we thought Liam would like a cool dip in the stream as the weather was warm.  This would be his first time playing in a stream.  We are pretty sure he loved it!

After lunch we completed the rest of the loop.  At one point during the hike, Liam managed to get in a nap.  I wish I would fall asleep like him!  Mary, Liam and I had a great time and we are looking forward to future adventures in the wilderness as a family.