Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 75,049
Everybody who's posted in any of the forums on this site in the last month is eligible and has an equal chance to win. The pick a number thread is just part of the process used to pick a random winner. The numbers you get from a computer "random number generator" are not truly random (randomness is a complicated and fascinating subject, but that discussion belongs on another forum) -- you have to have some input from outside to give the random number generator a seed to start from. Mike and Spark came up with a rather ingenious way to do that which is more entertaining for the members than just drawing a seed number out of a hat.
The Uluchet is designed for big game hunters and from the looks of it I think it would be just the thing to dress and skin a moose, or even an elephant, but I have another purpose in mind for it (which is a good thing since it's a long time to hunting season and I'm sure you don't want to wait that long for a review. Besides, moose are rare here in Massachusetts, to say nothing of elephants ....)
My idea is ... when I go camping or even for a long hike I usually carry two knives: the same pocketknife I always carry and a bigger knife for heavier duty -- things like cutting saplings and branches. Not that I make a habit of wreaking havoc in the forest wherever I go, but from time to time I need to cut a staff or tent poles or something like that, and I always have it in the back of my mind I could get lost or a sudden storm could come up (let us say nothing of twisted ankles or broken legs) -- for one reason or another I might need to construct a bivouac shelter and I might need to do it in a hurry. The trouble is a slightly bigger belt knife isn't really much better for heavy duty than my usual pocketknife, and something like a bolo or a khukuri not only makes you look like Conan the Barbarian -- the durn things are heavy and awkward to carry around with you. My idea is the Uluchet looks much more convenient to carry than my bolo or a regular hatchet, yet much better for chopping wood than anything else of similar size and weight. That's what I'll be testing -- I'll chop wood with it. Not giant redwoods, just chopping saplings and branches and splitting cordwood. There are plenty of places in the woods in my area where I can do that without wreaking ecological havoc.
I'll compare it to a bolo, a regular hatchet, a folding saw, and a medium-size knife. I suppose it's a foregone conclusion what order they'll rank in for chopping, but I want to find out how much faster and easier it'll cut down saplings than an ordinary knife of similar size and weight, and how much slower and harder it is than heavier and bulkier and less versatile tools.
I also want to try using it as a knife. I suspect however good a knife it is I'll probably still carry my usual pocket sheath knife -- just out of habit, whether it makes any sense or not -- but it'll be interesting to see how well the Uluchet would serve if it were the only sharp thing you had in the woods.
Any other suggestions for things to try with it are welcome. If you want an elephant or crocodile skinned please supply the elephant or crocodile -- I'll send you my snailmail address on request....
-Cougar Allen :{)
[This message has been edited by Cougar Allen (edited 02 June 1999).]
The Uluchet is designed for big game hunters and from the looks of it I think it would be just the thing to dress and skin a moose, or even an elephant, but I have another purpose in mind for it (which is a good thing since it's a long time to hunting season and I'm sure you don't want to wait that long for a review. Besides, moose are rare here in Massachusetts, to say nothing of elephants ....)
My idea is ... when I go camping or even for a long hike I usually carry two knives: the same pocketknife I always carry and a bigger knife for heavier duty -- things like cutting saplings and branches. Not that I make a habit of wreaking havoc in the forest wherever I go, but from time to time I need to cut a staff or tent poles or something like that, and I always have it in the back of my mind I could get lost or a sudden storm could come up (let us say nothing of twisted ankles or broken legs) -- for one reason or another I might need to construct a bivouac shelter and I might need to do it in a hurry. The trouble is a slightly bigger belt knife isn't really much better for heavy duty than my usual pocketknife, and something like a bolo or a khukuri not only makes you look like Conan the Barbarian -- the durn things are heavy and awkward to carry around with you. My idea is the Uluchet looks much more convenient to carry than my bolo or a regular hatchet, yet much better for chopping wood than anything else of similar size and weight. That's what I'll be testing -- I'll chop wood with it. Not giant redwoods, just chopping saplings and branches and splitting cordwood. There are plenty of places in the woods in my area where I can do that without wreaking ecological havoc.
I'll compare it to a bolo, a regular hatchet, a folding saw, and a medium-size knife. I suppose it's a foregone conclusion what order they'll rank in for chopping, but I want to find out how much faster and easier it'll cut down saplings than an ordinary knife of similar size and weight, and how much slower and harder it is than heavier and bulkier and less versatile tools.
I also want to try using it as a knife. I suspect however good a knife it is I'll probably still carry my usual pocket sheath knife -- just out of habit, whether it makes any sense or not -- but it'll be interesting to see how well the Uluchet would serve if it were the only sharp thing you had in the woods.
Any other suggestions for things to try with it are welcome. If you want an elephant or crocodile skinned please supply the elephant or crocodile -- I'll send you my snailmail address on request....
-Cougar Allen :{)
[This message has been edited by Cougar Allen (edited 02 June 1999).]
