Camping with city folk dillema.

S

Spongebobby

Joined
Oct 11, 2010
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They act like I'm batshit crazy because I have a hawk and a 6 inch bushblade strapped on the back of my pack and a small fixed blade for bushcraft on my left shoulder in addition to my pocket knife, which they claim is all you need. Sure a minimalist could do it, but I enjoy being prepared. Am I batshit crazy?
 
No, they just arn't as prepared as they should be. ask them to try splitting some wood for tinder with their pocket knife and see how that works out for them. Or cut a support pole for a tarp shelter, or any of a hundred things.

cricket
 
Nope, they just don't understand and aren't prepared for being in the wild. If the Sh!t hits the fan out there, guess who they'll be relying on? I say educate them. Show them what real tools can do in the woods. Ask them to clear some brush, and split wood with a pocket knife. They'll soon change their tune.
 
Very good points guys. I also have high calorie food snacks placed in pack and clothes. They have only raw hamburger and they call me crazy. Well I'm going on a fourday trip with them tomorrow so I'm gonna sit back and let them get firewood with heir Winchester pocket knives XD.
 
Hey, I'm a city folk :) but I'm on your side here. Being from the city doesn't seem to be an excuse for thinking you're crazy--even I get enough exposure about what camping is about just from TV--but I can also see why they think you're overkilling it. Maybe they're thinking of the camping where you're on designated campgrounds singing Kumbaya in front of the several log cabins. Certainly happens to me every time I invite someone to go to the wilderness with me.... . . .. .. .. . no one has agreed to go with me yet.
 
it does depend on the camping area, in a designated camping place with campsites and prepared wood yeah a pocket knife is pretty much all you need. in the woods however with no campsite you need alot more.

cricket
 
cricketdave said:
it does depend on the camping area, in a designated camping place with campsites and prepared wood yeah a pocket knife is pretty much all you need. in the woods however with no campsite you need alot more.

cricket
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Agree with this post. The OP didn't say where he was camping, nor what type of camping.

I used to backpack. Self contained for 3-4 days on a marked trail. An SAK did me fine.
These days I mostly car camp. A folder still does me fine.

However, I also used to hunt, and I carried more cutlery on those trips.
 
small fixed blade for bushcraft on my left shoulder
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How is this mounted?

Is it on the pack's strap, or affixed in some other way?

A visual would be most helpful.


As far as being "over-equipped" (if that's what batspit crazy means), I would say no, you're not.

If I'm gonna be out in the boonies for four days, I'm gonna have a light hatchet, a fixed blade, a decent folder, and a Leatherman. At least. Probably also something small, like a Peanut or Case's Pocket Hunter (same size), or maybe a medium stockman. Personally, I might skip the six-inch blade in favor of a four-inch all-round type blade. Depends on venue, flora, fauna, stuff like that. I'm not all that good with a big blade, and I can get most things done with four inches of sharpness. A change in the circumstances however might switch me from a light hatchet to a short survival machete (Ontario SP-8). Just depends. Certain kinds of undergrowth don't submit well to hatchets. Manzanita (common in California) comes to mind.

I'm over-equipped in my EDC anyway (five or six blades on me at most times), but that's mostly because I like to try out new stuff.

If I head into the woods and come back without ever having used half of my tools, that doesn't mean I'm disappointed.

If I head into the woods and need a tool I haven't brought, because I didn't wanna be criticized, then I'm gonna be more than just disappointed.

Choose your load-out to meet your needs according to your perception, not theirs.

 
you sir, are not crazy. I carry about the same when I go into the forest. a 21" machete, Ontario MKIII USN Knife, CRKT Stiff KISS, Benchmade 551 and my CRKT M60 SOTFB in my pack in case my Ontario fails. There's no need to feel crazy, let them suffer with their one knife while you can chop trees down and make great shelters.
 
I carry EDC 4 knives so I don't think you're crazy at all. When I'm out in the woods, I have those 4 with me plus a fixed blade or two. People used to call me crazy, but now when something unexpected happens I'm the one they ask "Hey, can you...???".
 
Batshit Crazy? Certainly not. Carrying too much crap? Yes, definitely.

Growing up, I generally brought a swiss army knife and small hatchet when camping, whether I was canoeing, backpacking, winter camping, whatever. For building shelters and whatnot in the winter I'd bring a small bowsaw. I still don't use fixed blades overmuch, and I haven't succumb to this 'batonning' fad. When you know what you're doing, you don't need to bring fifteen different sharp objects to get the job done.
 
A folder, a neck knife, a 6" knife, and a hawk/hatchet. Doesn't sound like overkill to me. Esp if you have to lend the bumpkins a knife.
 
One sentence seems to sum this up, "It's better to have it & not need it, than to need it & not have it."
 
A little over the top IMO. I don't think your crazy but if city folk are with ya my guess is it's easy camping :). Knowing your surrounding is important to being prepared and it seems you likely are going a bit over the top :)
 
cricketdave said:
it does depend on the camping area, in a designated camping place with campsites and prepared wood yeah a pocket knife is pretty much all you need. in the woods however with no campsite you need alot more.

cricket
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Yeah at those campsites most people could get by with a cheap paring knife..... Or plastic forks and knives.

Just being realistic.
 
best to have your stuff along. Don't want to end up like my friends trying to baton with a Byrd Meadowlark 1 in SS. Now that was fun.
 
I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared when I'm off hunting or woods bumming ( don't camp much) I will often have 3 or more knives on my person such as small fixed blade like ESEE Izula or Scrapyard Scrapivore along with an SAK and medium sized knife like my Swamp rat Ratmandue and some times I'll carry a chopper of some sort like my Devin Price Warbeast Tomahawk or a 28" Tramontina machete.
 
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