Wilderness & Survival Skills Extreme Build Off

[Mike Fennessy]

WooHoo! I'm In

[dialton]

Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you makers take on and enjoy the challenge. It's part of the fun of W/S and gives us something to watch for.

[tknife]

I was totally joking, tongue in cheek and all that Though I do always have my little keychain knife on me

[Rick Marchand]

I was totally joking, tongue in cheek and all that Though I do always have my little keychain knife on me

yup.... me too... Leatherman Squirt. I must say the major downside to a large knife is that it is inconvenient to carry, day to day.

Rick

[Big Chris]

I am glad a decision was finally made!!! I am so ready to get this going. I have been brainstorming ideas and patterns ever since the other thread started. I think some size parameters should be set.
I was thinking maybe we could try and hold to the competition chopper dimensions set by Bladesports. A 15" OAL can go many ways, 8" to 10" blades with long or short handles.
Just my thoughts on this.

Chris

[Rick Marchand]

I am glad a decision was finally made!!!

I don't think a decision has been made about the W&SS challenge thread yet, looks like EDC is winning.

Brian started this one up all on his own... which is fine by me.

I am also cool with the 15" OA limit. Everything else should be open, though.... no limits on width or thickness.

[pitdog]

I think I'm looking forward to this one more than I was any of the previous challenges !!!

[AA Forge]

I am also cool with the 15" OA limit. Everything else should be open, though.... no limits on width or thickness.

Agreed!

[Rick Marchand]

There should be points for creativity in design as well. It encourages makers to step away from the chisel ground length of barstock temptation. Not that a plain design wouldn't work... it would just be boring to see a line-up of Ontario SP8 clones.

[1066vik]

got plenty of popcorn - this sounds fun - subscribed.

[grunt soldier]

this is a challenge I'm looking forward to. some might say I have a fetish for the big blades lol. really looking forward to seeing what all the makers could come up with.

[IA Woodsman]

Boooooo... hisssssssssss..... you are not welcome in our thread, tknife..... Ha! Besides, I beg to differ about the "...all you could possibly need." line. You may have been messing around(hard to tell) but there are many who say that and mean it. That is too absolute for my taste. Just a short example...

Lets say we take IAwoodsman(just because he is someone I think is adept with whatever tools he has) and give him the task of building a complete camp out of natural materials. Open faced lean-to, raised bed, windbreak/reflector, longfire, etc... We present him with a 6" campknife and 10" heavy chopper. He may choose either, depending on his mood and do just fine. Did he need the big blade? Not really... he may not have needed a blade at all.

A week later,(he needs a rest... poor, Terry) we take IAW and give him the same task, only this time we underdress him for the weather(cold and rainy) and don't let him start until 1hr before Sunset. Which tool do you think Terry will grab for if given the choice? We won't know for sure unless IA chimes in but I know which one I would take.

There seems to be a stigma that you are less skilled if you used big blades. I don't understand it. We "get" that you can do just fine without a Junglas... all we are saying is that we can do all those things, too........ just a bit faster and with less work..... Ha! Oh yeah... it's ON like Donkey Kong.

But seriously, there is no excuse not to be able to make due with whatever tool you are given(even none at all) so quit worrying about what the other guy is carrying and have fun!

First off, thank you for the compliment Rick. Your not as bad as Ken says you are. If you put me in the second scenario I would take the 10" chopper, hands down. Despite what some people think I am a big fan of large choppers. I just don't use them a bunch. When I taught foe the military we were required to carry either a Bolo type knife or an axe. If we had wet cold students an axe or Bolo were the best tools to get large amounts of wood for fires fast. I will be keeping my eye on this thread. Like Rick said, have fun.

[TheGame]

There should be points for creativity in design as well. It encourages makers to step away from the chisel ground length of barstock temptation. Not that a plain design wouldn't work... it would just be boring to see a line-up of Ontario SP8 clones.

I agree. I would love to see some new designs that aren't the same thing repeated.

[Joe Calton]

15" max OAL and no other restrictions are fine with me. This is my first one of these and Im really excited to have someone test one of my blades who knows how to test a blade {more than "holy cow, I dressed out a deer and its still sharp"}

For choppers, shoulnt they be classed the same as sidearms? Clint Smith says that a defensive handgun should be comforting, not comfortable. Dont you carry a big blade in the same mindset, as in I sure hope I dont get into something so deep I need this, but if I get there, this will get me out?

Is there anything else we should build it to do besides what is on Rick's list?

[RickJ]

We need to brainstorm a list of tasks for these bad boys to take on. I don't want it to include vices, hammers or "shop" related equipment. I can see smashing cinder blocks with a spine or pommel but hacking at it with the edge seems kinda stupid. Lets think of creative extreme survival type scenarios. First test on more delicate common tasks then let it evolve into far out stuff

- harvest grasses
- fire prep
- bowdrill set
- trap making
- open boxes
- cut up cloth sheets
- chop 2x4, 3/4"plywood, drywall.
- open coconuts, chop frozen meat...
- pry apart wood, stumps
- chop through a telephone pole
- entry tool(door, trunk, etc...)
- escape tool (cinderblocks, window glass, chainlink fence, etc...)
- digging
- break a padlock, cut a chain.

This could go on and on. I am not against seeing the blades pushed to destruction as long as there is purpose to the tests(however far fetched it is)

I say let the makers go freestyle on this one.... make what you feel best suits the proposed tasks.

Rick

Cool I have this exact knife, it is called a Busse NMFBM! But I never put the words to it like you did Rick! Thanks!

[gunknifenut]

Whats with all the "parameters" ?? How about, we ask makers to make a knife to complete "X,Y, Z" and then see what they come up with. If someone thinks a 4 inch blade can compete, I say we let them. If they want to make a 24" sword...I say let them.
Do the tasks...let the chips fall were they may.
I would love this "OPEN" idea to a competition, we would get to see what the MAKERS are thinking, and HOW they look at different tasks.

I will say again, the point system MUST equal the number of makers entered into the competition.

I will let you all know...but things are not looking very good for me to enter....I will try though.

[Rick Marchand]

Even better... Open Class Extreme!!

I'm game for that.

What about hawks and hatches?

[pitdog]

Even better... Open Class Extreme!!

I'm game for that.

What about hawks and hatches?

Hatches sound cool....see who can make the biggest hatch.....maybe even one my mother-in-law could fit through !!!

[TheGame]

Hatches sound cool....see who can make the biggest hatch.....maybe even one my mother-in-law could fit through !!!

lol

I was going to quote that until I saw you said something. A hatch contest... wonder what the designs on that would be.

[pitdog]

lol

I was going to quote that until I saw you said something. A hatch contest... wonder what the designs on that would be.

Here is a nice Survival Hatch !