Hunter’s scalpel - thin, light, and ready to clean and process your next kill. Magnacut stainless dressed in GripX
Saw a post today about "have you ever had someone dissapear from your life and what happened" kind of post and it made me think about something I've done most of my life since the Aaron Ralston (might have the name mixed up but dude who cut off his arm) incident. An easy way to let people know how to find you whether backpacking, camping, or hunting.
Communication is KEY! I put all of this information out via text and on a notecard that goes on the dashboard of my car.
You are singlehandedly your own best chance at getting found. Don't make it harder for a search party to find you and protect yourself as much as possible.
If you have any other advice, include them in the comments and if you have any personal experiences that you believe are worth mentioning, please let others know so that maybe we have fewer people becoming just a statistic or another missing person.
Edit** not too proud to admit that I'm a white dude with very little concern about letting random people know who I am and where I am. In addition I generally go to very rural areas where people aren't likely to break in. I also drive old POS vehicles and I don't leave valuables in them. Don't do things you're not comfortable with, and you definitely don't have to do exactly what my advice is to a letter. Be safe, have a plan, and let someone know where you are. YMMV
I picked up four pounds of paraffin wax at a yard sale for pennies. i am now looking for small fun projects to use wax to start with. I may try to make tarp if I have success with smaller projects.
I have some old leather boots that could use some waterproofing. Does anyone have a good recipe and techniques to waterproof leather boots with paraffin wax?
Suggestions, for projects with recipes of wax mixture are very welcome.
Edit. I am coming to the realization that free wax is kinda like a free puppy.
Hello!
I have started building a little hut in one of my spots in local forest.
its mainly as a fun project and to create a cozy little space where i can hang out.
I`ve built the main frame in wood. Idea was to wrap it in green tarpaulin and then attach some moss, dirt, leaves to make it look more natural. Any ideas how to attach the moss etc? Someone suggested chicken wire. Or perhaps other good ideas? There are some really sharp angles on the roof im a bit worried about and also i should add that its quite rainy out here (in Norway).
hence why im asking what possibilities i got here without getting too fancy or expensive.
This is a fun project!
Atb, peace n love :--))))
I've been eyeballing an oilskin poncho but I'm also considering the price point and wondering if there are any advantages of oilskin over something like Frogg Toggs.
I want one...two, three or maybe four because Rough Ryder make tiny, small, medium (standard) and large Stockman models...and then there are the funky Sowbelly too. they're cheap, but are they functional and trustworthy? you can get two or three for the price of one from Buck. or do you prefer Case models or ones from more niche / Gucci brands?
Not an exact Nessmuk, mind you, but rather my own answer to the same question.
Hawk for heavy work
Puukko for carving and lighter tasks
A larger blade (my take on a Hudson Bay knife) for meat and food prep
What's your Nessmuk Trio ?
Which one would be a better choice? Trying to decide whether I should swap my adventurer for a beta.
My tool belt is constantly upgraded and things changed around. Wanted to share to things I've recently made for it.
A sheath for my Robens saw made from scratch and a thrift store find upgraded to belt satchel.
These how-to's was orignally posted on my blog Rosentjorn.
Recently I had to cut a lot of wood in the forest, and several times I missed my small folding saw. That was a bit annoying, so I decided to make a quick sheath for my Robens folding saw.
I am really happy with the saw, and it has held up for a long time. In fact, I have never owned anything from Robens that has disappointed me. The saw costs around 810 Euro. The design looks like the cheap 5 euro saws from hardware store.
If it dies one day, I will buy one from Bahco or Silky. But for now it has lived for several years. The cheap ones tend to bend at the blade or break in the locking mechanism, but the Robens just works.
The sheath took a single evening on the sofa to make, so that is not too bad. Even if I switch to another saw one day that does not fit it.
I traced around the saw and cut the shape out. Then I placed it on a new piece of paper that was folded. I cut out template number two and checked that it could actually wrap around the saw – which it could.
I transferred the sketch to the leather and cut it out. Then I punched holes on one side, folded the sheath, and marked the holes through with a pencil. After that I punched holes on the other side so they lined up.
I rarely use an awl, and I do not have a sewing machine for leather. So the hole punch works fine, and it is also easier to sew through the slightly oversized holes. Before stitching, I ran an edge beveler along the entire sheath.
The sheath is stitched with a saddle stitch and has been sewn twice, so it is nice and strong. Before stitching it together, I slightly dampened the leather to help it take shape around the saw.
I have never tried drawing in leather before, but I drew an eagle on baking paper, dampened the leather, and traced over the sketch. That left a faint mark in the leather. I pressed the eagle shape with a knitting needle and then scratched/dotted it using an awl.
I really like dangler sheaths. Especially on a work belt, it is nice that things can move freely. When I move around, sit down, and so on, there is no tool suddenly digging into my side or anything like that.
So I simply riveted a small strap with a D-ring onto the sheath. In the D-ring hangs a small strap. On my dagger the dangler can be unbuttoned, but I do not mind having to remove other parts of the belt to rearrange things properly.
The good thing about riveting the strap is that I will not accidentally pull the buttons open.
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I always keep an eye out in thrift stores — especially for leather belts and small leather bags. Often the belts are too short or the bags too worn, but it’s a very cheap way to get leather cords (from braided belts), buckles, D-rings, and clasps — far cheaper than buying new.
This bag cost 2 EUR. It’s made from thick, dark leather of excellent quality. Inside, there are five compartments, three of them with zippers — absolutely perfect.
Upgrading the bag was simple. I cut a few small straps from an old belt, riveted them together with carabiners. The carabiners are always useful — even if the bag isn’t on the belt, something else can hang from them instead.
The straps got a quick coat of brown leather dye, which really improved the look.
Just for fun, I tried overloading the new pouch — it holds far more than I expected.
In one zippered pocket: tins with plasters, pills, and my car key (always nice to have that zipped in).
In another zippered pocket: fire-starting gear — tinder tin, lighter, matches, and still room to spare.
In the last zippered pocket: a Fällkniven sharpening stone and an Opinel No. 7.
In the open compartments: tins with coffee, tea, sugar, and milk; a spoon; and my Hultafors axe sharpening stone.
That’s more than enough gear. The axe stone rarely comes along (the axe is maintained at home), and the coffee setup usually lives with the small cook kit in the shoulder bag. The point is — there’s a lot of space.
so me and my two buddies were all 15 built this like fort with machetes and axes, took us 2 full days but two of us want to sleep here the other one probably won’t be with us and we are only concern is black bears because they’re really prone to this area and upstate New York like especially around my spot so you don’t really know what is optimal. We have bear mace and maybe arms but still not positive. EDIT. THIS IS MY PURCHASED PROPERTY MY FAMILY OWNED.
Budget is around £30-£40... as it's my first time getting into bushcraft - so I've had to spend A LOT already 😬 and I've already had to find a decent Scandi knife that I like - that doesn't come with a leather sheath (decided on the Cold Steel FinnHawk) ... But in terms of Hatchets - only decent ones I've found so far - are the Schrade Bedrock series.... anyone have recommendations? 🙏
Hello all,
I am currently in the process of designing a tent to be made with some kind of waterproofed canvas, but I am unsure which method specifically to use for waterproofing the fabric. I plan to make the canvas into an oilskin or oilcloth material with linseed oil, but I am also curious about waxing the canvas. Would it be possible, do you think, for me to wax the fabric after applying the oil and allowing it to dry/solidify? Also, how long should I wait before waxing the oilskin, in order to ensure that it won't still be wet when the wax is applied?
Thanks!
Delighted with how this one turned out! I adore working with midnight lace. This one has been set into some stunning African Padauk and tipped with Burl.
I have a lovely Kaltoff axe for spoon carving but I like to keep it for best and not use it when roughing out. While I was waiting for it to come I got a second hand Kent pattern axe of eBay. Apparently these are great for carving due to the shape but the one I got had been poorly sharpened so the cutting edge is not in a straight line/constant plane and it’s proving tricky to fix.
While waiting for the Kaltoff to arrive, and finding my small forest axe too heavy for carving, I spent about £10 in Screwfix (or possibly tool station) on a rough neck axe. I needed some serious re profiling but it did take a lovely edge. Which promptly cut through the crappy fabric mask it came with. A bit of leatherwork later it’s a respectable rouging axe come camp axe.
So I picked this cheap Ozark trail, saw up on the web, mainly because it looked nice with the Hickory handles, which I finished and boiled linseed oil after sanding. I have to say I’m extremely impressed by it. I’ve been using it now for a bit and it does a fantastic job. I doubt it’ll ever replace my bahco Laplander but it’s not garbage by any means
I saw someone a while back here make cordage from yucca leaves and decided to try it out myself. I know it gets a little messy where i added more fibers to extend the length, any tips on how to improve that and make the transition a little cleaner?
This tarp was $36 New to this, looking for budget options for this hobby/skill.
Purchased this and wondering if it'll be worth the money or if I should return?
I'm not able to spend a lot on these items and I'm not interested in the hobby for the clout of having $500 knives and $200 tarps.
Looking to advanced my skills in the wilderness while appreciating nature with my son.
Thank you.
Hi, new here.
Most popular knife I heard about is the Morakniv Garberg, but also heard it isn't great for cutting food, but is it still the best all rounder knife for wood & food? There is also the TOPS BOB Fieldcraft but doesn't seem worth it for over double the price and also having Carbon Steel instead of the better Sandvik 14C28N steel of the Garberg. Anyone here use hatchets like the 300g Gränsfors Bruk Small?
Any advice appreciated.
UPDATE:
Wow, thank you everyone, didn't expect to see 40+ comments, I've read through all of them and really appreciate all the help, there are too many replies for me to reply to everyone directly.
@ShiftNStabilize has suggested the Peltonen Ranger M07 if budget isn't an issue, and I think the Ranger M07 Full Tang version in the Curly Birch wood handle looks really attractive & has a traditional appeal while still having great performance, good cutting, good for food & wood.
No doubt the classics like Mora or ESEE, etc are amazing knives but the Birch wood handle on the Ranger M07 Full Tang looks too good.
