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- Aug 1, 2008
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Spending some quality time in the woods is something that most of us enjoy including myself. Cool winter days just beg to have a good fire going, so for this review, I decided to do just that and build one with the beautiful Wisconsin River and the north woods as a backdrop.
I seemed to recall building a fire ring over Memorial Day last year and after a little digging, I cleared it out in preparation. There was also a pile of Red and White Oak from the Fourth of July sitting under the snow that remained unused, so I decided to dislodge the frozen pile from the ground and use this wood for my review.
The FT Kephart is a very nimble knife with an excellent grip and feel to it. It feels lighter than it actually is given the balance which is is slightly to the rear and just between the first and second finger on the gorgeous green and gold elder burl scales. Carrying the knife on my belt was easy and comfortable in the Sharpshooter Bushcraft "A" sheath and even with all the movement and bending over, I never even knew it was there. I could really tell from the start that I was going to enjoy using this knife.
After I had loosened up the pile of frozen wood, it was time to start getting some small kindling and progressively larger pieces cut to get this fire going. Now, keep in mind, this is some very tough wood (Red and White Oak as mentioned) and frozen to boot. I went in the woods and found a fairly green limb to use as a baton and started to have at it. I first started by getting to the center of the wood so I could find the dry inside to get some smaller kindling going. The Kephart felt easily controlled with each hit of the baton. There was no back talk, no vibration or hand torquing, just solid hits and the edge drove through that oak with authority and purpose. The spine is .148" thick so it took the abuse well and the edge retention of the fully convexed A2 steel was nothing short of exceptional. The handle, being as smooth as it was, never felt anything but grounded in my hand, even with the cold and dry winter air. The small contoured guard helped to make a very good reference for my hand while wearing gloves as well. Overall, I had high hopes when I put this knife in my hand and I was not disappointed in the least. The way the Kephart chewed through that wood was just incredible.
Now that I have my wood prepped, it is time to get the fire started. What you folks are not seeing is the initial attempt at the fire with dry wood fuzz and tiny splintered fragments that I tried to get going with a firesteel in the 25 MPH winds. I really could have used a brick wall at that time to get the fire started to shield me. After having all of my fuzz scattered to the forest like chaff, I decided to cheat and get a small piece of fatwood and a Bic lighter. I was starting to get cold and since I ain't Jeremiah Johnson in survival mode, it seemed like a viable alternative at the time.
After setting up some wood to make a small wind shield, the fire came to life and started to do it's job...keeping me warm. All in all, a very fun and pleasant experience.
Spending some quality time in the woods is something that most of us enjoy including myself. Cool winter days just beg to have a good fire going, so for this review, I decided to do just that and build one with the beautiful Wisconsin River and the north woods as a backdrop.
I seemed to recall building a fire ring over Memorial Day last year and after a little digging, I cleared it out in preparation. There was also a pile of Red and White Oak from the Fourth of July sitting under the snow that remained unused, so I decided to dislodge the frozen pile from the ground and use this wood for my review.
The FT Kephart is a very nimble knife with an excellent grip and feel to it. It feels lighter than it actually is given the balance which is is slightly to the rear and just between the first and second finger on the gorgeous green and gold elder burl scales. Carrying the knife on my belt was easy and comfortable in the Sharpshooter Bushcraft "A" sheath and even with all the movement and bending over, I never even knew it was there. I could really tell from the start that I was going to enjoy using this knife.
After I had loosened up the pile of frozen wood, it was time to start getting some small kindling and progressively larger pieces cut to get this fire going. Now, keep in mind, this is some very tough wood (Red and White Oak as mentioned) and frozen to boot. I went in the woods and found a fairly green limb to use as a baton and started to have at it. I first started by getting to the center of the wood so I could find the dry inside to get some smaller kindling going. The Kephart felt easily controlled with each hit of the baton. There was no back talk, no vibration or hand torquing, just solid hits and the edge drove through that oak with authority and purpose. The spine is .148" thick so it took the abuse well and the edge retention of the fully convexed A2 steel was nothing short of exceptional. The handle, being as smooth as it was, never felt anything but grounded in my hand, even with the cold and dry winter air. The small contoured guard helped to make a very good reference for my hand while wearing gloves as well. Overall, I had high hopes when I put this knife in my hand and I was not disappointed in the least. The way the Kephart chewed through that wood was just incredible.
Now that I have my wood prepped, it is time to get the fire started. What you folks are not seeing is the initial attempt at the fire with dry wood fuzz and tiny splintered fragments that I tried to get going with a firesteel in the 25 MPH winds. I really could have used a brick wall at that time to get the fire started to shield me. After having all of my fuzz scattered to the forest like chaff, I decided to cheat and get a small piece of fatwood and a Bic lighter. I was starting to get cold and since I ain't Jeremiah Johnson in survival mode, it seemed like a viable alternative at the time.
After setting up some wood to make a small wind shield, the fire came to life and started to do it's job...keeping me warm. All in all, a very fun and pleasant experience.
:thumbup:
