How to Buy an Outdoor Knife By George

"Made with infinite care by our most expert old craftsmen, 

and 'actually made far better than is necessary.” 

It is a well known fact [ a favorite Herter-ism ] that 'How to Buy an Outdoor Knife' is one of the most searched for tips amongst outdoorsman, bloggers, gear junkies and kit tarts. With nearly every outdoor commentator or writer chipping in their opinion - usually with a view to selling you one, and that legend of outdoor self promotion, and mail order sales, George Herter was no exception. He dished out all kinds of advice over the years, usually in the 'self published' vein. All delivered in a writing style best described as 'Barking'. Classic stuff.

How to Buy an Outdoor Knife by George Leonard Herter

An outdoor knife must be made for service--not show. Your life may depend on it. Real outdoor people realize that so-called sportsmen or outdoor knives have long been made for sale, not for use. The movies and television show their characters wearing fancy sheath knives. Knife makers advertised them and drugstore outdoorsmen bought them. Nothing marks a man to be a tenderfoot more than these showy useless knives.

Here are some of the duties a true woodsman knife must perform:

1. The knife must stay sharp for long periods of time without sharpening. The steel should combine the best characteristics of electric furnace quality high carbon 1095 steel and high carbon 440 B stainless steel. The blade hardness, known among steel experts as 56 Rockwell C, should not be affected by atmospheric moisture, salt spray, fruit acids or blood. It should withstand extreme temperatures without becoming brittle, no matter how cold it may be. A good steel knife blade will "blue" or darken itself with use, making it pratically rustproof. If knife blade steel is really good, it will cut through nails without bending over the edge.

SBW 56 Rockwell is a bit soft if you're wanting a knife that 'must stay sharp for long periods of time without sharpening'.  440 isn't that good by today's standards

2. The knife must be shaped so it is ideal for cleaning and skinning game of all kinds, from rabbits to moose. The best shape for this is the improved Bowie.

SBW Apparently you had to have one of these to be a "real" outdoorsman. Other knives were just for novices and often as not “like they were made by indifferent schoolgirls.”

3. The knife must have a handle long enough so that it fits a man's hand so pressure can be put on the blade when desired. On nearly all outdoor knives the handles are much too short. The handle of the knife must be made to last a lifetime. Leather handles rot and mildew, stag handles crack, plastic handles crack and are highly flammable. African mineral-type woods are best, and they will stand all kinds of weather for a lifetime and more. 

SBW I guess plastics have moved on a bit

4. The blade of the knife must not be hollow ground. Hollow grinding weakens a blade so that the edge will bend or break under heavy usage. A wedge edge is the strongest and most durable ever designed. 

SBW No George that would be the convex edge. More metal behind the cutting edge init.

5. The blade of the knife must be hand forged in order to give the steel maximum strength and hardness.

SBW I guess steels have moved on a bit too

6. The blade of the knife must not have a blood groove. A blood groove is strictly advertising and badly weakens the blade. Professional butchers do not use them.

SBW I make you right.

7. The knife must be easy to carry and light in weight. The blade length must be 4 inches long. Four inches is the length established for a woodsman knife by over 200 years of experience. Blades shorter are all right for Boy Scouts, but not for serious woodsmen, Longer than 4 inches is unnecessary and adds weight. 

SBW apart from the one you're selling eh George!

8. The knife should have no hilt as it only adds weight. If the knife blade is properly designed, that is slightly indented, you cannot cut your finger no matter how hard you thrust. You need only thrust in a hand to hand combat with a man or a wounded animal. 

SBW But it's ok if the fight doesn't work out, because as george has reasured us

"Most people don't realize that being eaten by a hyena doesn't hurt very much".

From The Truth About Hunting in Today's Africa (1963)


9. The knife must be capable of slicing bacon and cutting bread. It must be a comfortable knife for eating and cutting cooked meat.

SBW If you've run out of cash for new knives, not to worry Mr Herter also published
“Milking Scorpions Brings You $150 or More a Week.” Please post a video of your attempts!


More soonish
SBW

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/Collins-t.html?_r=1

http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/cache/articles/articles.htm

http://thedossiers.net/george-leonard-herter/

Aim Low

Bored and tired SBW entered the 'Silly Pictures' period of his blog in early 2011, results have been 'mixed' to say the least.

SBW

Blogs Of Note And Adult Onset Hunting

Tovar has helpfully outlined a list of my symptoms and come to a diagnosis. You can read the whole post here.

Adult Onset Hunting Know The Signs

When fully developed, the primary symptoms of Adult Onset Hunting are unmistakable: an otherwise normal, heretofore-non-hunting adult repeatedly goes to woods, fields, or marshes with a deadly implement in hand, intent on killing a wild animal.

Other potential symptoms include (1) a feeling of connection to nature, to one’s food, and to one’s hunter-gatherer ancestors, and (2) a re-calibration of one’s beliefs about hunting. Previous beliefs may suffer from atrophy, seizures, and even death, especially when an anti-hunter contracts AOH.

Knowing the early warning signs may protect you or a loved one from the worst effects. These early signs include:

• Excessive reading about the production of industrial food, especially factory meat. 
• Esophageal spasms upon learning that the average pound of supermarket ground chuck contains meat from several dozen animals slaughtered in five different states. 
• Sudden bouts of wondering why the local food co-op—with its cooler full of local, organic, free-range meats—doesn’t sell hunting licenses. 
• Compulsive eating of “real food” purchased directly from farmers. 
• Recurrent realizations that farmers are killing deer and woodchucks to keep organic greens on your plate. 
• Impaired ability to find meaning in chicken nuggets or tofu dogs. 
• Insistence on a literal reading of Woody Allen’s dictum “Nature is like an enormous restaurant.” 
• An uncharacteristic compulsion to initiate dinner conversation about firearms. 
• Impaired ability to see humans as separate from the rest of nature. 
• Repeated contact with real, live hunters (experts suspect that AOH is highly contagious, though transmission mechanisms are not yet fully understood). 

My Name's SBW And I Have AOH - I've recorded some of the outbreaks to help other sufferers 

My best friend kills himself, his brother and I hunt a deer, and I start writing a blog

RGN “ I know you spoke about this with Stuart, and I’d be honoured if you allow me to take you both deer hunting”

Mrs RGN “ No! This is your obsession! They don’t want to hunt!”

TNM and SBW “We’d love to!”

SBW “I’m not sure we’ve got the right gear though”

TNM “won’t we need camouflage clothes?”

RGN “you wont need anything special, this is gentleman’s hunting, dress warm I’ll pick you up in the morning”

A Nice Chap Who Writes A Hunting Magazine Teaches Me About Hunting Rabbits With Ferrets

Sunday morning dawned cold and transport-less, so I dressed up in a base layer of nylon sportswear, hoping the static generated would act as on-board central heating, with a layer of cotton work wear on top to keep out the thorns. I chose a bag that I'd be able to hose down if I needed to and said goodbye to the kids. As I was leaving the house I could hear Mrs SBW sniggering and singing Simon and Garfunkel's well known ode to successful rabbit hunting
'Bright eyes, Burning like fire. Bright eyes,How can you close the pain. How can the light that burned so brightly Suddenly burn so pale? Bright eyes.'
After three changes of train due to engineering works I was finally on my way to meet James for a spot of old-school rabbit hunting. With Ferrets.

The Deer Take US By Surprise!

We crept into the woods and were rewarded with a sighting almost strait away, cunningly the deer had silhouetted themselves against someone's farmhouse. No safe backstop - no shot. We stalked on, creeping down the pathways between the trees, after a long slow walk

BB - "think of it as armed rambling" we had worked our way around our half of the wood and met up with the others - they'd seen a highly shootable buck, but it had given them the slip. We split up again and with the chaps walking up into the part of the woods we'd just left. Then We Were Bushwhacked!

In Search Of Tree Rabbits (AKA Squirrels)

A flicker of movement ahead and to the right revealed our quarry, munching on a nut at the base of an Oak. I twisted so my body would obscure my hand signal to TNM. The squirrel froze, and did a very good job of disappearing into the leaf litter. I shouldered the air rifle and realized just in time that the scope was set on too higher level of magnification. Finding a grey camouflaged thing against a backdrop of leaf and shadow wasn’t that easy. The cross hairs danced over his shoulder and as I should have been at my stillest my squeeze of the trigger must have pulled the muzzle to the right. The squirrel jumped four of five feet to the left; I worked the bolt back and forward and sent a perfectly aimed puff of air towards him. Sadly the puff of air wasn’t pushing a pellet.

It appears I'm not the only one exhibiting symptoms. 

Here recent dad Will Stitch gives us an insighnt into the experimental stage of AOH

Our last armed hike at the Geysers almost lead to some kills, but the kills would have been due to hypothermia and would have been us, not pigs. It was on that windy rainy near-death experience that we realized how tricky these animals are. We found a fresh pig hoof-print that day. In the middle of a huge muddy puddle. There were no other prints nearby. None. How is that even possible?! The pigs were taunting us.

We decided we needed to step up our game. If the pigs are going to use ninjitsu on us – flying around magically and leaping huge distances – we need to study their craft and train to be ninjas ourselves. Bingels and I aren’t exactly ninja material, but we have an ex-Marine on our team who was gifted a compound bow from his dad. Plus he has a boat! Everyone knows that ninjas use bows and travel by boat. Oh it was on. 

You can read the whole story here

Further news of the outbreak has reached us from The Bumbling Bushman

Warren is elected to take the shot, for which the rest of us should all be thankful for. As we pull up, Mr. X hands Warren his favorite 30-06 and points to the porker - 200 yards out in the field. Video cameras are deployed for posterity and there stands sleep-deprived Warren, with a bloodthirsty audience breathing down his neck, an unfamiliar rifle, two cups of coffee coursing through his veins and the prospect of the furthest shot he's ever attempted. It doesn't go well. There is a problem with the gun. Warren can't figure out how to chamber a round into the chute. He looks back at the crowd for guidance, gets it, and pushes the receiver button. "SCHWANNNNG" The pig looks up for the first time, sees his would-be executioners and decides life might be better somewhere over in Nassau County. I have never seen a pig run so fast.  It is the only pig we see all morning.
Part 1 and Part 2

More soon

Your pal

The Suburban Bushwacker

Bagpipes - Cooler Than You Thought

I ask you:
Who amongst us hasn't looked upon a goat and thought
"I know I'm gonna make me some Bagpipes!"?
Genius!

More news as it comes in

Your pal

SBW

PS I found them here

WTF? WTF!

A while ago I wrote a post called 'Travails with Laptop Rod and Rifle' it started with a silly pun and was a light hearted look at the simple fact that I'm still way more suburban than bushwacker. A few of you were kind enough to chip in with comments.

Since then blogger has been filtering spam from my comments moderation page, this evening i used the translate function to see what they were all about - frankly I'm none the wiser.

Maybe you can shed a little light?

How about spending the night with them intense burning indecent frustration they've spent every day in meeting the community site for lonely widow?

The photo is taken and whatever erotic uncensored video! Can get a lot of famous AV uncensored video free ass amateur super super cute girl in all genres ranging from only actress on this site! !

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One Piece anime became one of the representatives that everyone knows. Do I care how much or if he will reward you a pirate? Pirate King class and knows, or even whether Choppakurasu? You can enjoy regardless of gender. Me become the Pirate King

The question remains WTF?

More soon-ish

Your pal

The bemused SBW

Picture credit

Book Review: A Year In The Woods

Sorry about the dearth of posts lately - sometimes work stops play. In the meantime a spot of commuting has enabled me to catch up on some reading.

Colin Elford's 'A Year in the Woods'

I was lent this one by E of Stoke Newington, herself a woodland management aficionado, and the owner of that cool hut The Northern Monkey and myself use as a base for our Tree Rabbit hunting.

The book is pretty blog-ish it reads like someone's diary that's been edited by someone else, which is what it is. The premiss is a simple one - a chap works in woodland management and spends a lot of time alone in the woods with his rifle stalking Roe and Fallow deer. It's such a fulfilling job that at one point he reveals that he actually has a permission where he leaves his employers rifle at home and takes his own to sit in a high seat for shits and giggles outside of work time. That's it in a nutshell; he REALLY loves his job and as he's been doing it a while has a hooj knowledge of the flora and fauna of the woodlands he 'works' in. Lucky fella.

"I work with nature and I appreciate that every forest block is different. When considering a cull, I'll often look at the brambles in the rides because they are of use to butterflies and dormice. When the weather is hard, deer can eat all the brambles, and this is an instance when they have to be controlled.

Personally, if it was me putting the book together, I would have interviewed him to gain a bit more detail about some of the things that happen over the year. I always got the sense I was reading someone's diary, rather than being told a story. Which in fairness I was, shame though, as I think he has more to tell.

As usual with the actual pros there's none of the rifle fetish of the bloggers and weekend woodsman, I don't think he ever mentioned the brand of rifle or calibre he uses once, but he is very keen on a pair of boots he has. After all dead is dead, but dry feet are really something to be exited by.

Along with his forestry, and deer management duties he also has to take the odd paying client out stalking, and here the book give us an amusing insight into a mind of a calm solitary man having his peaceful day invaded by a German loudmouth with a trophy fixation.

"Today I have a German client with me who has come for a few days stalking......After a little episode in the woods I have to reign him in. In Germany and elsewhere on the continent it seems, there are numerous traditions involved in stalking and hunting. one of them is new to me. Basically if you are older than the resident stalker or guide, apparently you the visitor know the ground better than your guide within a day.I'm also informed that deer don't like to come out in the rain and other such nonsense. It amazes me how some people manage to get older without getting any wiser. Everything I have learned has been given to me by the forest and if the lesson is a good working practice I use it............


German man sulking


The next day: German man still sulking


Today I am god. The client even attempts to kiss me............For the next twenty minutes my ears hurt with the bragging of what a great hunter he is. It seems to slip his mind that the poor old buck was standing twenty meters away from him. I almost say, but hold back, that shooting a medal buck is no different from shooting a doe, and it certainly doesn't make you a better stalker."

In short I liked it and would defiantly like to read his next book

There's a short interview with the man himself click here

More of the usual silliness, outdoor incompetence and kit tart-ness very soon
Your pal
SBW

Unboxing: Kifaru Long Hunter G2 Review

I’ve needed a new pack in the 70+ litre class for a while now, the last one, a Berghaus,  having lasted well over twenty years, was looking a bit tired and it’s adjusters had succumbed to plastic fatigue and I was being mocked by The Northern Monkey (jealousy init).

In pack design there are two schools of thought; light but flimsy for ultralight hiking and tough-as-old-boots but heavy for hauling. At both extremes there are a couple of manufactures that really have it going on and a host of ‘me too’ outfits some good, some good-ish and loads where you’d have more fun burning the cash and roasting marshmallows over the flames. The fit of your rucksack is so important and no off the shelf pack can fit all people, so adjustability is the difference that makes the difference, but all that adjustability comes at a premium. One that personally I think is worth paying for. After ‘boots and bed’ the pack is the most important thing you’ll buy, for most bushcrafters not as covetousness inducing as another new knife, but a huge influence on your comfort levels and when actually afield a bigger influence on morale than that (now scratched) custom knife.

For the kind of the money the really good ones cost these days, a new pack has to be one that’ll last a long, long time.  I wanted a big-ish pack that would do double duty as a pack frame for manoeuvring heavy loads: be that carrying tanks of butane and water to the hut in the woods, collecting wood, lugging a dead deer across the fields (or even that as yet elusive bow-hunted Elk), or if history were to repeat itself in Italy it would be a lot more use than a stretcher getting someone off the hillside. When buying that last pack as a teenager I'd had a choice between tall and thin or squat and square-er with an extra five litres and if I've learned anything from carrying the same pack all those years it's a pack that's long and narrow not only gets in the way less but it also lets you keep the load closer to your spine making for a much less fatiguing carry.

Which gave me this list of criteria:
Very fit-able
Super long-lasting
Big-ish
Frame and pack separate-able
Tall-Narrow load

Kifaru have an amazing reputation and from what I'd read a credible design philosophy. Handmade in Colorado, Kifaru are the brain child of Patrick Smith (who founded Mountainsmith in the 70's), developing packs made to a standard not a price in very small production runs. My kind of company and the closest thing to a 'bespoke' handmade pack.

Kifaru now do three ranges of pack: lightweight, military and hunting; with the military being the coolest and most expensive, I've never seen lightweight, and hunting being the best value. Be warned, set against a backdrop of cheap Chinese manufacturing, anything handmade will look expensive - with Kifaru that means anything bigger than a day pack and you're at famous-maker custom knife money. I’ve bid on a few second hand Kifaru military packs on ebay but they seem to go for most of (or even more than) the new price.  I had been seriously considered buying just a frame from another maker and cutting the straps off my old pack and lashing it to the new frame. Then the LongHunter came along - I told myself; it was my birthday soon, crimbo too, I could live without food if I really had to, and if it lasted as well as the last pack I’d be nearly seventy by the time it would be due for replacement. The second hand price clinched it.

The last time I bought a big pack, soft packs with semi-frames were the new thing, and while they are lighter, they don’t support the big loads like the framed packs do. The idea is to carry all the weight on your hips, with the shoulder straps just stopping the pack falling over backwards. Kifaru’s aim is to achieve this by darts, and adjustable straps sewn into the pack, shaping it to your spine and directing the weight onto your hips. At 85 litres (5,200 cubic in) the G2 Long Hunter was a bit bigger than I'd been looking for but I've tried travelling with a full pack and it's neither convenient nor comfortable. Briefly transported to a dream world where I find a horde of treasure in the woods or on the beach and am delighted by the extra carrying capacity I pressed 'send' and the new-to-me LongHunter was on it's way.

The LongHunter makes the base of a custom set up you get:
The 5200 c3 pack frame
The sack in 500D Cordura (a lighter grade than the military packs)
The belt with 'power pulls'
The compressible wedged-shaped hood that removes to become a shoulder bag or lumber pouch.

I've also got a couple of extras coming in the post so I'll show you my customisation as and when they arrive.

Stuff that comes with the LongHunter that I didn't get:
Camo/Blaze orange cover - supposed to make the pack quieter
Internal pouch - I would upgrade this to the lined pouch
Gun Bearer - an excellent idea puts the weight of your rifle on your hips not your shoulder
Shoulder strap for the hood/lumber pouch - I'm using one off an old tool bag

In summation:

Very clever design

Handmade in the USA

Lifetime guarantee

Bombproof construction

The cognoscenti’s choice

More to come in part 2

Your pal

SBW

Appy Crimbo Peeps

So another year almost done,the rug rats are tearing round full of suger and me and the Ex have had a row.Just gotta fight our way through a mound of turkey an trimmings and it'll be time for the Xmas Dr Who!

I'd just like to wish you all a very happy Crimbo and thank you for reading and commenting on your humble scribes ramblings. Next year I'll be growing the business and throwing more cash at blogworthy activities, so stay tuned for some hunting stories, many of which will just be the usual record of mishaps, misjudgments and good old incompetence - you never know I may even break the mold and actually end up inviting some of the wildlife to dinner - but on past form I wouldn't hold yer breath. I've been buying and trading for kit over the last few weeks so I'll be doing lots more kit reviews, I've seen a new 'camp' sized knife that I'll be ordering, I'll be catching up with the regular characters that you've already met, some of the regular co-conspirators and I will be returning to Italy  to increase the range of our scouting and maybe, just maybe bow hunt some hawgz and some commenters may even be in danger of a visit.

Thanks again for your input, help and encouragement, the comments and the emails. Through-out the trials and tribulations of this suburban life, it's your  involvement that keeps my dream alive.


All the best
Your pal
SBW

Framed: Old School Pack Design

While we're on the subject of packs, I saw this recreation of the pack frames worn by climbers on the early alpine expeditions in a shop window display. It can't have been too comfortable but it did allow one clever innovation (not included here) where the addition of a drain valve and a fill point (available from any plumbing store) meant that the tubes served double duty as a tank for the liquid fuel of a cooking stove.

More soon
SBW

UnBoxing: The Duluth Pack Pathfinder Review

A short while back the lovely Molly of the Duluth Pack Co. must have been feverish as she came into her office one morning and thought "I need a plumber - to review one of our packs" the winds of fate and the mighty power of Google led her to my door. Ever a fan of free swag I waited all of a tenth of a second before biting her arm off and accepting her generous offer of a review pack. Hoping against hope that she wouldn't come to her senses and say 'sorry I was trying to email a proper outdoor writer'.

I knew the sum total of not-a-lot about the Duluth Pack Co, but as you may have noticed I have questions about everything. All I knew was that they are a heritage brand (not just marketing BS - they've been trading for over a hundred years - 99 of them from the same premises) and their packs are much favoured by the ‘trad’ bushcrafters.

It turns out that when the company started proofed leather and waxed cotton were the cutting edge of outdoor technology and to be fair, while neither of them is going to win any prizes for lightness, they are still about as good as it gets functionally, and have a user experience and smell that Cordura and Goretex will never match.

A French-Canadian named Camille Poirer, made his way west to Duluth in 1870 with his "little stock of leather and tools", he set up a shoe store and as living in a booming frontier town is hard on the feet, found favour as one of the towns shoemakers

Records show that by December 12, 1882, Camille was sufficiently well-heeled himself [ber-bom] to file a patent for a new type of pack. A canvas sack, closed with a buckled flap, with new-fangled shoulder straps, and the first known use of a then revolutionary sternum strap. Wisely he included an umbrella holder (if you need to ask why - best not stray too far from the car).

In 1911, Camille sold his pack business to the new Duluth Tent and Awning Company. Who opened for business on 1610 West Superior Street. 99 years later that's still where you find the company. The company’s facility with heavy weight canvas made them the natural choice of awning maker for the areas stores. If it could be made from canvas they were making and selling them. In the 20's the company made the 'auto pack' a forerunner of today's rooftop boxes, so gear could be stowed on the outside of the a car and a clip-on tent giving birth to car camping. Companies only get to become heritage brands by making what the punters want for good times and what they need for the hard times, the same stout waxed canvas and leather was deployed to make working clothes and packs for the people who made their living outdoors and needed affordable kit that would stand up to hard use.

Pathfinder Pack

I chose The Pathfinder, a pack designed by TV bushcrafter and survival dude Dave Canterbury of the Pathfinder School.  I wanted a pack that would cart a fair bit of kit around, but not one big enough for The Littlest Bushwacker to ride in. For reasons that will be obvious to any parent of lazy offspring young children

Although the design is new the pack screams old school:

Tough 15-ounce canvas construction.

Very tough, you can have any of nine colours, but I went for the waxed natural canvass edition which is actually a far nicer colour than in my pictures or as depicted on the website. I’m thinking the pack will be ideal for fishing trips to the pebble beaches of the south of England where although not soaking everything that sits on the ground ends up getting damp.

Riveted premium leather flap straps.

Which seem like they’ll out live the first couple of owners, although the sturdy metal buckles do make a bit of noise while walking. It should be pretty easy to make some quieters.  

Two side pockets with buckling flaps.

The pockets are a little over ‘nalgene’ sized,  take a hammock and tarp.

The left side pocket has a slide pocket behind it to slide a knife behind the pocket.

I like the idea of a handy yet unobtrusive way to carry another knife when out in public places.

The right pocket has a slide pocket to hold an axe, which secures with the leather cinch strap above the pocket.

This is actually a great idea, as nothing says ‘dangerous axe-wielding maniac’ to the public like an axe on the outside of your pack, but where else would you want your axe to be? I would have put the cinch strap at an angle so it holds the head of the axe rather than the shaft, but only dirt-time will tell if I’m right about this.

Zippered pocket on the front of pack and underneath pack flap.
Maps, Licences, and bars of chocolate all need to be kept to hand.

Leather drawstring attached to the left side of the pack, as well as on the bottom with D-rings to hold extra gear.

Leather looks totally fitting for the pack, but isn’t really as good for this role as elastic.

Cotton web shoulder straps that are comfortable from day one.

They’re wide, they’re cotton, they’re comfy. Yep.

Made with the Pathfinder Leather Logo and a Duluth Pack tag sewn on the front pocket.

Will be removed as soon as I get round to it – No Logo – it’s the way I roll. Other kit-tarts will already know it’s a Duluth and like most snobs I just don’t care what the uninitiated think :-)

  

In the interests of a proper test how’s this? 11 litres (2.9 US gallons) per minute, even if only for two minutes or so, is quite some downpour……

I left it on the wet bathroom floor and went to get dry and changed.It did pretty well at keeping stuff dry

 With only a slight bit of wetness on the paper stored in the outside pocket.

Interestingly the only water to get in came through the seem at the bottom, where the pack had sat on the soaking wet floor. Pretty good. If you like 'Trad' style gear you'll like it.

So that's the unboxing, let the dirt time commence.

More soon

Your Pal

SBW

Unboxing: Hestra's Lars Falt Guide Gloves Review

Inside the package was a pair of the legendary Lars Falt Guide Gloves from Hestra. I've wanted a pair for ages as they are widely used by those who 'do' rather than just rated by the armchair heroes of the internet. Hestra started out making gloves for Swedish lumberjacks and progressed by way of military supply to skiers. Lars Falt (aka Lars Svält) is an absolute legend himself, having taught survival skills to the scandawegen special forces for the last 40+ years, and several of the current generation of survival teachers (Gary Wale, Ray Mears, ect.) learned their chops around his campfire. As for the gloves themselves; think of a pair of unlined motorcycle/work gloves, with removable woollen liners. During our recent cold snap I've warn them every day and yep they are as promised the warmest toughest gloves I've ever seen.

It's worth a mention that if you (like me) fancy making the trek to his campfire, Gary from Nordmarken Canoe is the organiser for the WIESS course (The Wilderness Experience International Survival School, est. 1963) where Lars Falt still teaches. This one isn't for the faint hearted, it's in two parts, ten students at a time, one in the summer and one in the winter. As a clue to what's expected of you, no kit list is provided. Men in one pile, boys in another.

More soon
SBW

For Me!

I had a birthday the other day, and a lovely package arrived. Thanks guys.
SBW

Meanwhile.........

'View from my room in India. Big mountain is Kanchen Junga'

Sorry about the dearth of posts the last few days, work is on-top for a crimbo finish.

This morning I received an email from G who is about to go into retreat for six months. Yep that's six months sitting in a room on his own. A very different kind of adventure!

More very soon 

SBW

Snow Shoe Shuffle

It's snowing here, and the gasps of wonder are already giving way to tales of impassable roads, and it's yet to actually settle. My son's school closed early. Anyone would think England was in northern Europe! Like so many of my fellow countrymen I love the idea of snow, well at least visiting somewhere with snow. Like I love the idea of Biathlon; skis and rifles! Sounds good, but then again I'm sure I'd look terrible in one of those Lycra suits they all seem to wear. So I was delighted when I learned that there's a special biathlon for old gits where I'd be able to pass myself off as a young person and wouldn't have to dress like a member of Aerosmith!

Smugglers Notch? Wear The Fox Hat?

In Smugglers Notch preparations are under way for the annual Primitive Biathlon.
How cool is this? Dress up in fur hats and old time gear, arm yourself with a smoke-pole, and go for an invigorating jog. Although I am yet to distinguish myself either with a muzzle loader or at jogging, and I've never even worn a pair of snow shoes I'm totally up for it. The rules sound fair:

Overall prize eligibility is limited to entrants who observe the following restrictions:

• Single-barrel traditional style muzzleloaders(excludes in-line firing mechanisms). 
• No optical sights. 
• Traditional wood-framed snowshoes. 

Along the wooded route will be three target shooting areas. At each target stage, participants will load and fire two shots at designated targets. At the finish will be a fourth, open shooting range at which participants will take three additional shots. All nine shots, including the finish line stage, will be 'on-the-clock'. All shooting will be from a standing position, unaided by 'shooting sticks' or other external aids. As in the past, we will be using steel 'gong'-type targets - either a hit or a miss. A misfire will be considered a miss. 

This event will be held regardless of the weather - Remember the concept of Primitive!!! In the event that there is insufficient snow for snowshoes, please bring good walking boots. 

The Entry Form Is Here

Did you hear that? Will be held regardless of the weather! Unlike England.

More soon

your pal

SBW

Unboxing: Kupilka Kuksa Review

 Outdoor kit comes from two schools trad and tech; the earthy charm of wood and leather versus the inert robustness of carbon and thermoplastics. Both have their appeal and advantages. I tried Axes and knife handles, boots, rucksacks and now Kuksa

Lighter, cheaper, and more hygienic than the traditional hand carved wooden Kuksas, but with a smaller carbon footprint than solid plastic, my new friends at Kupilka have developed this interesting hybrid of natural fibres and plastic for their range of outdoor tableware (or should that be log-ware?).

Although they’ll never have the bushcrafty appeal of the hand carved Kuksa, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how nice they are to drink from. They make a credible, and cost conscious, alternative to the machined wooden Kuksa and are way nicer than the pure plastic versions. Nice.

More soon

Your pal

SBW

Unboxing: Agion Base Layer Review

I received an email the other day offering me the a free shirt and as buying stuff to review takes up a large part [a ‘large part’ called ‘all’] of the blog budget and I wear a shirt most days I of course accepted.

The company claims the shirt has innate odour reducing properties, not being currently engaged in any adventure sports, I tested it with a couple of days on a building site carrying sanitary ware and plasterboard (dry lining) up many many flights of stairs. Which amounts to the same thing. Just without the fresh air and photo opportunities.

Did it work?

I really don’t know for sure, but it probably smells less than a cotton shirt

Was it warm?

Yes it was. So much so that I’m wearing it as I write.

Would I buy one?

Only if was available without the hideous promotional message.

What would make buying one a no-brainer?

Being able to choose the hideous promotional message myself.

What can we learn from all this?

The slogans on outdoor-wear are crap.

The ‘add your own slogan’ companies don’t offer base-layer shirts.

SBW loves free stuff even more than he loves cheap stuff.

More soon

Your pal

SBW

PS the lovely Traci has just written in to ask me to tell you that the shirts are currently just to demonstrate the efficacy of the anti odour treatment and will soon be branded with the name of a well-know hunting apparel manufacturer. Go on Traci. Seeing as its you. Normally I'd just have laughed and moved on to the next email but as coincidence would have it - It actually works. Really I've been wearing it for days and it doesn't smell as bad as my other work clothes.

Pack It In: Well-Travelled Becomes Clapped-Out

You know how it is: an old friend, been around a long time, starred in more than a few tales, been a faithful companion, I thought we’d roll on forever. But there comes a day when the gap between old's-cool and clapped-out suddenly closes. When even The Northern Monkey laughs at your kit you know you’ve sunk to a new low.

TNM: That’s your rucksack! Sheesh I thought you’d have a better one than that!

SBW: What do you mean? [Indignantly] It was state of the art when I got it

TNM: When exactly was that?

SBW: When I was fourteen

TNM: [begrudgingly] I suppose that’s not bad value

SBW: Hell yes! I’ve dated women younger than my rucksack

TNM: I bet you’ve been looking for another one.

SBW: I was but….

TNM: A rucksack

SBW: That would be Kifaru

TBC

More soon

Your pal

SBW

Mr Sling Shot

We've looked at Trebuchet , Old School Catapults, Mini Cannon (and part two), and Repeating Crossbows but surely there's more?

A while back during one of my periods of 'research' I found the Slingshot Channel and it's creator Jörg who very kindly agreed to be bombarded with daft questions on your behalf. Enjoy.

SBW: How did you get so interested in catapults?

Well, I loved them as a boy already. My father taught me how make a slingshot with car tyre inner tubing and natural forks, and soon afterwards I started to sell them in school - until the headmaster stopped my little business...

When I grew up, my interests shifted to motorcycles and then cars, so I forgot about slingshots for the most part. A few years ago, I read a few threads about slingshots in a German gun forum, and had the basic idea for my "V" design. I decided to make a prototype, and it worked. People loved it, and although by now I have far more effective models, the "V" is still popular - maybe because it looks so cool.

I made my first videos for youtube, to show my invention to others. Soon my channel became quite popular, and now I think I am totally addicted to slingshots! It is a great hobby, you can make them easily at home and shooting is possible anywhere. Slingshots are one of the few weapon types that aren't heavily regulated, unlike firearms. That is a great advantage, and probably one reason why they have gained so much popularity over the last years.

SBW: Do you hunt with them?

I don't. That would be illegal (= poaching) in Germany. But anyway, I grew too soft for killing cute animals. As a kid, I killed lots of birds, rats and even a rabbit with the puny slingshots I had back then - but now, I just shoot at dead things.

SBW: Do you sell the catapults you make?

No. I have a great job, and my contract prevents me from any sort of side business. That is not so bad, as I have no deadlines, taxes or insurance issues to worry about! Also, I think my credibility in the forums would decrease much if I would have commercial interests. But I have given away many slingshots for free and I traded a few of them against other home made gadgets. Also, I have given a design to a Chinese slingshot manufacturer, and they plan to bring out that model soon. here's the link

SBW: You've made quite a few videos, which is your favourite ?

I like "Slingshot vs. Ballistical Gelatine" the 1200 pictures per second super slomos in the sun are nice and the AC/DC song is very appropriate!


SBW: What is your idea of the perfect catapult?

One that also solves the world starvation problem? No, seriously, there is no such thing as the perfect slingshot. There are just too many trade-offs. Fast, super thin flat bands are incredibly powerful, but they don't last nearly as long as thick, sturdy tubes - which are much slower. It's the same with cars - there is no "best car in the world", there are just good compromises, that's all. Every shooter has to find the best individual compromise. From all my designs, the fourth generation "W" slingshot with the rotating grip, equipped with ball bearings, is my favorite model. Powerful, precise, foolproof - and nice to handle. Beautiful, too!

SBW: What's the perfect size of lead ball?

Depends. I don't like lead balls smaller than .44, because they are too hard to grip through a leather pouch. .44 and .45 lead balls are very good for hunting, they fly fast even when a medium strength band set is used. I personally prefer the .75 musket balls, they deliver an incredible amount of energy (80 Joules), many times the power of a good air rifle.

SBW: I'd like to embed a video in the piece, which do you think are your best?

I like this one: Three interesting slingshots in one video, and I like the snow outside.


Fun huh?
SBW

Bushcraft? That's So last Year Darling!

This one needs to be read in the voice of Elisabeth Hurley

Well darlings what can I say?  Dear SBW has finally seen a glimpse of the error of his ways and sent a long overdue request for some fashion advice from yours truly. The poor foolish man has committed some terrible fashion faux-pas; the silly boy really does have the fashion sense of a cockney builder. That terrible hat, shocking!

I mean culottes! Really! And after dear Hubert pleaded with him to dress in a more appropriate way, one just never knows whom one may meet on Hackney Marshes.

It’s not as though he is without the improving influence of AIR. Here seen stylishly foraging in a charming linen suit. Quite the artist-afield.

But enough of others failed attempts to sartorialise SBW: I thought if I were to spell out the horrible truth in words even a chubby plumber could understand I simply must start with the basics:

BUSHCRAFT is just SO last year, darling! 

This year it’s all about Tactical!

Fortunately I do have certain contacts in the world of men’s haberdashery, so my first call was to that complete darling Alber[t], the visionary behind that well-known emporium of manly style Albertus Afganus.

Always the hero of the hour he’s currently embarked on a daring fashion rescue in Afghanistan – wonderfully sense of colour those people, but the women’s wear! Dreadful! Just dreadful, the poor dears look like they’re wearing tents! The men! Dont get me started, Kyber Pass AK47's [tsk] I ask you? Not an accessory rail in sight, dont they read `Vogue or Guns and Ammo?

Being a card carrying sweetie Albert dropped everything and rushed to my aid. We asked poor SBW what size he takes and he replied,  “I’m so fat the only thing that still fits me is the sofa”.

Sofa King Tacti-cool

Fortunately he is now in the hands of the professionals and Albert was of course able to size accordingly; kiting SBW out with a technical rain jacket, shirt and pants, all perfectly colour co-ordinated for whatever it is SBW does in that field or by that dreary canal. Now that we've modernised him I must drop a few hints about accessories. This season I suggest accessorising with that perennial classic (the Little Black Dress of Tacticool) an AR15, or if the event is 'dress-to-impress' the Stealth Recon Scout in .308 is this season's 'must have'.

Albert immediately popped an aid parcel in the post, and due to the wonders of a modern international postal service SBW was soon kitted out in the latest trends, and to be fair, looking rather dashing.

Now if only we could only do something about that dreadful hat.........

Cheerio dah-lings