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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")
- Thread starter jackknife
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The Tatou is assembled by disabled persons and very practical with an ingenious system to lock fork and spoon. It comes with a sheath but it lacks a corkscrew, but they sell a very clever and unexpensive one that slips into the sheath.I’m not sure where to post about camp cutlery, so I will put this here.
I had a camp cutlery set many years ago, and I think it was one of these, but in olive drab:
I didn’t remember the brand name, but I remembered the fork and spoon with the rings on them, and where I purchased it. I only used it on a couple of outings, then either gave it away or maybe left it at a friends house.
When I saw the Bivouac come up at Knife Center, I thought it was pretty much the same thing, and ordered one:
Right after ordering it I saw this video, which jogged my memory about the awkward method of releasing the fork and spoon on the one I had, and gave me the brand name Tatou to research. I don’t recall mine having a sheath.
The video is 6 years old, so hopefully some of the quality issues he describes with the Bivouac have been fixed. It should arrive tomorrow, so I guess I will find out.
The Bivouac is made by Tarrieras-Bonjean, an old Thiers company purveyor of the army. I has been replaced in this official purpose by the Baroudeur, but the hollowed out blade looked curious in a country where pâté is more than often on the table... (it has been replaced on later version by a more conventional blade)
Since 2017 there's a new pattern, but this is clearly belongs to modern threads.
I had both, I used them for MCycle rallies and trips, both are good (prices have risen since!) and solid, I gave the bivouac to my son, prefering the tatoo.
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So my pops last knife arrived today
Color me shocked, I had no idea he had this
Apparently he used it for opening his mail and as a chair knife
It appears to still have the factory edge but it needs some loving. Based on the corrosion and junk it seems he had it for several years even if he didn't use it much or very hard
Attachments
Wait, what do I do if there is no need for utensils??Enjoy (after sunset)and give us a report.
I guess a full review will have to wait.
Overall quality is low, and it will take up more space in my camping bag than the full sized knife, fork, and spoon I have already (stolen from our kitchen drawer). I have no use for the corkscrew, or the wire hanger for a webbing belt. The can opener is hard to open, and the back lock is hard to disengage. Regardless of all that, I like it and will definitely take it on my next camping trip.
screened porch
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I bought something very similar for me and everybody on my Christmas list a couple years ago. My chief peeve is the ridiculous dinkiness of the spoon on mine, which is a very common fault in such things.Wait, what do I do if there is no need for utensils??
I guess a full review will have to wait.
Overall quality is low, and it will take up more space in my camping bag than the full sized knife, fork, and spoon I have already (stolen from our kitchen drawer). I have no use for the corkscrew, or the wire hanger for a webbing belt. The can opener is hard to open, and the back lock is hard to disengage. Regardless of all that, I like it and will definitely take it on my next camping trip.
I always go back to my Swedish Army nesting flatware with a full size soup spoon.
r8shell
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New toys and good food, I love it!Wait, what do I do if there is no need for utensils??
I guess a full review will have to wait.
Overall quality is low, and it will take up more space in my camping bag than the full sized knife, fork, and spoon I have already (stolen from our kitchen drawer). I have no use for the corkscrew, or the wire hanger for a webbing belt. The can opener is hard to open, and the back lock is hard to disengage. Regardless of all that, I like it and will definitely take it on my next camping trip.
You haven't heard of the "tiny utensil diet"?
It makes you eat slower and your portions look huge!
5K Qs
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I suppose this doesn't really count as "tiny utensils", but I definitely lost weight just by switching to using a salad plate (or saucer or whatever the smaller plate is called) instead of a dinner plate for my meals.New toys and good food, I love it!
You haven't heard of the "tiny utensil diet"?
- GT
r8shell
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I read somewhere that it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it's full. If you eat slower, or you have to get up to serve yourself another helping on a small plate, that might give the brain time to receive the message.
5K Qs
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That makes some sense. I haven't had too much problem keeping my weight fairly constant through most of my adult life. And I have a reputation in almost any group with whom I eat frequently (my family, my siblings, my in-laws, church groups, work colleagues, softball teams) of being a slow eater.
- GT
Rookie82
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We had a storm roll through Saturday afternoon. Most of the whole county was/is without power. Ours came back on early this morning, just in time for work 
Good news is the massive pressure change caused the maple trees to drip like crazy, and so we'll be collecting sap and boiling syrup again. I'll post a few more photos once we get caught up.
Good news is the massive pressure change caused the maple trees to drip like crazy, and so we'll be collecting sap and boiling syrup again. I'll post a few more photos once we get caught up.
screened porch
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We had a storm roll through Saturday afternoon. Most of the whole county was/is without power. Ours came back on early this morning, just in time for work
Good news is the massive pressure change caused the maple trees to drip like crazy, and so we'll be collecting sap and boiling syrup again. I'll post a few more photos once we get caught up.
Rookie82
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Monday was a busy day gathering sap in the rain. Afterwards we were pretty soaked and tired, so decided to wait until Tuesday to boil all the sap into maple syrup. Plus, the steam lifts off better on clear sunny days instead of overcast days. Here are some photos of our adventure.
Collecting sap from the pails on the tree, dumping into larger buckets so we can carry it back to the wagon to dump it in.
(photos removed)
My little nephew who is 2 1/2 loves drinking the sap straight out of the tree.
(photos removed)
My wife and I in front of the sugarhouse. Looks like it is on fire with all the steam pouring out.
(photos removed)
Here is me getting wood ready, and my wife throws it in.
(photos removed)
Here is a photo of the sap boiling. My wife checking it to draw off when it is ready. And a photo of around 30 gallons of hot syrup, ready to be filtered and jugged.
(photos removed)
Collecting sap from the pails on the tree, dumping into larger buckets so we can carry it back to the wagon to dump it in.
(photos removed)
My little nephew who is 2 1/2 loves drinking the sap straight out of the tree.
(photos removed)
My wife and I in front of the sugarhouse. Looks like it is on fire with all the steam pouring out.
(photos removed)
Here is me getting wood ready, and my wife throws it in.
(photos removed)
Here is a photo of the sap boiling. My wife checking it to draw off when it is ready. And a photo of around 30 gallons of hot syrup, ready to be filtered and jugged.
(photos removed)
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Awesome operation your family has, Carl!
I was at my son's home over the weekend to help my grandson and his cub scout buddies work on their Pinewood Derby cars ( I won 1st place in the derby in 1959
) .As I mentioned earlier in this thread, my son and DIL tap a few of their maple trees for sap, and syrup making. Nothing on the scale you have, just a hobby, but a lot of fun with some tasty results.
I think they tapped a half dozen trees this year.
They boil this for hours, adding sap as the water boils off. I think they end up with about 5 cups of syrup from one boil, that takes most of the day. Just added some sap to the pot.
Not a lot of syrup, but a lot of fun!
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Great pics gents 
mitch13
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Thanks for sharing I find it real interesting. As it's not something we really have here.
Cheers
Mitch
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My mother had a saying " Always Leave The Table With Room For More ". The Japanese use the same technique only eating till about 85% full, great weight management tool.
Rookie82
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No matter the size of the operation, it's always fun! There is a large outfit near us that taps 30,000 trees and has a full crew of people employed to work 7 days a week. He runs a set of twin evaporators 6 ft. wide x 20 ft. long, steam heated, and makes around 120 gallons of syrup per hour!Awesome operation your family has, Carl!
I was at my son's home over the weekend to help my grandson and his cub scout buddies work on their Pinewood Derby cars ( I won 1st place in the derby in 1959
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, my son and DIL tap a few of their maple trees for sap, and syrup making. Nothing on the scale you have, just a hobby, but a lot of fun with some tasty results.
I think they tapped a half dozen trees this year.
They boil this for hours, adding sap as the water boils off. I think they end up with about 5 cups of syrup from one boil, that takes most of the day. Just added some sap to the pot.
Not a lot of syrup, but a lot of fun!
And there are many around who tap 1-2 trees and boil it in sauce pans on their stove. It's just fun to make something for yourself. If you are able to do it along with family and make some memories, all the better.
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Would this practice be an old family tradition and way of life ???