Exploring the Nessmuk "Trio"

[Johnnythefox]

This is a Johnson woolen mills, I did my research and it seemed to be a better value.
Sadly JWM and Filson only go up to 24oz wool though.
Bemidji woolen mills uses a 30oz wool, but their offerings and options are currently more limited.

Nessmuk probably would have worn a much more traditional double Mackinaw coat, likely handmade from a HB co blanket and I wouldn't be surprised if the wool was up to 35oz.

It's a shame that Americas wool industry has fallen so far the best you can get is a 30oz 85/15 blend.

Darn I have been looking for this chat about wool in the wrong place that is a walk in nature

I have been watching a few videos Filson it says are itchy but last a lifetime,I am liking those wool rich coats but they are expensive if not top quality.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Darn I have been looking for this chat about wool in the wrong place that is a walk in nature

I have been watching a few videos Filson it says are itchy but last a lifetime,I am liking those wool rich coats but they are expensive if not top quality.

New Woolrich is worthless.
Imported junk with overly inflated domestic prices.
They are using their name to sell junk to hipsters who just want the fashion and don't know the quality.
Filson prices are inflated a bit too high, but at least their stuff is still domestic.

JWM wool does pill a bit but so does my 1960's woolrich, I don't know about Filson, and have yet to try bemidji woolen mills but have heard great things.

Theres also a company called Lester River who makes their coats out of 100% wool GI surplus blankets, they look nice but I know nothing about the wool weight so I'm not going to gamble on one at the high price.

 

[screened porch]

Theres also a company called Lester River who makes their coats out of 100% wool GI surplus blankets, they look nice but I know nothing about the wool weight so I'm not going to gamble on one at the high price.

Nice idea, anyway.

 

[Arathol]

New Woolrich is worthless.
Imported junk with overly inflated domestic prices.
They are using their name to sell junk to hipsters who just want the fashion and don't know the quality.

JWM wool does pill a bit but so does my 1960's woolrich, I don't know about Filson, and have yet to try bemidji woolen mills but have heard great things.

The biggest difference between Johnson and Filson is the wool itself. Filson uses a long staple wool that looks almost felted, and it doesn't let a lot of wind through. My Johnson Woolen Mills jacket is a more open weave using wool thread, and is pretty much open to the smallest breeze.
If you want a bullet proof warm wool jacket, Filson is at the top of the list. You can get 26oz in green and charcoal, or at least thats the way it used to be. For a heavy wool jacket, the double Mackinaw can't be beat - two 24oz layers on the sleeves and body of the coat. They are heavy though, as in several pounds....but you can put one on over a T shirt and be warm in below freezing temps.
I've also had a Lester River wool Boreal Shirt for some time now, since they were first being made by Empire Wool and Canvas. They are hand made one at a time. Very well made, very warm, but expensive and it takes time to order one. Otherwise, its a very good piece of outerwear and quite popular with the outdoor bushcraft crowd.
Asbell Wool is also a viable alternative. Not as expensive, but still good quality. My SIL has a wool hoodie from Asbell. Its nicely made, warm, and the wool weave is pretty dense. Problem is they are popular, and sometimes hard to get.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The biggest difference between Johnson and Filson is the wool itself. Filson used a long staple wool that looks almost felted, and it doesn't let a lot of wind through. My Johnson Woolen Mills jacket is a more open weave using wool thread, and is pretty much open to the smallest breeze.
If you want a bullet proof warm wool jacket, Filson is at the top of the list. You can get 26oz in green and charcoal, or at least thats the way it used to be. For a heavy wool jacket, the double Mackinaw can't be beat - two 24oz layers on the sleeves and body of the coat. They are heavy though, as in several pounds....but you can put one on over a T shirt and be warm in below freezing temps.
I've also had a Lester River wool Boreal Shirt for some time now, since they were first being made by Empire Wool and Canvas. They are hand made one at a time. Very well made, very warm, but expensive and it takes time to order one. Otherwise, its a very good piece of outerwear and quite popular with the outdoor bushcraft crowd.
Asbell Wool is also a viable alternative. Not as expensive, but still good quality. My SIL has a wool hoodie from Asbell. Its nicely made, warm, and the wool weave is pretty dense. Problem is they are popular, and sometimes hard to get.

My JWM is caped with the double 24oz layers and it doesn't let too much wind through , but honestly if I'm concerned about a lot of wind I wear one of my leather jackets my vintage Wranglers sherpa or I'll add a wool vest under my jacket.

I'm not going to trash filson because I have no doubt about the quality, I just don't think they can really be a couple hundred dollars better today.
If they hadn't raised their prices so much I'd own one I'm sure.

 

[Johnnythefox]

New Woolrich is worthless.
Imported junk with overly inflated domestic prices.
They are using their name to sell junk to hipsters who just want the fashion and don't know the quality.
Filson prices are inflated a bit too high, but at least their stuff is still domestic.

JWM wool does pill a bit but so does my 1960's woolrich, I don't know about Filson, and have yet to try bemidji woolen mills but have heard great things.

Theres also a company called Lester River who makes their coats out of 100% wool GI surplus blankets, they look nice but I know nothing about the wool weight so I'm not going to gamble on one at the high price.

I got mixed up yet again,I mean this one,his girl friend is very easy on the eye which is a bonus
She whacks him over the head,then fire and water she is having fun.

 

[Arathol]

MSRP on this Weatherwool, a competitor to the Filson Cruiser, is $885.......thats a lose right there......not to mention that its, well, been hit with the ugly stick a few times.....

That Filson looked pretty cheesy...... You shouldn't be able to see any light through that wool holding it up to the sun. None of my older Filsons are "scratchy" either.
I did that light test with my double mackinaw by holding a 1050 lumen flashlight against the inside of the fabric. All that was visible was a small red glow......no white light........and that only when the light was pressed against the fabric. Filson has really gone downhill it seems lately. No wonder vintage Filsons have been steadily increasing in price.

 

[screened porch]

I have to put a handle on this. I've used it only for mixing epoxy.

It balances in the middle of the eye.

Due to the thinness of the bit.

Pretty thin, but the real Colonial era tomahawks I've seen are thin and tiny. This lathing hatchet would cut. It weighs one pound.
Looks like it's been used:

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

I have to put a handle on this. I've used it only for mixing epoxy.

It balances in the middle of the eye.

Due to the thinness of the bit.

Pretty thin, but the real Colonial era tomahawks I've seen are thin and tiny. This lathing hatchet would cut. It weighs one pound.
Looks like it's been used:

Pretty neat old tool head, I'd keep the poll but modify it by cutting it along this line. Give it more of a tomahawk feel. Although that would affect the balance.

 

[screened porch]

View attachment 1724564
Pretty neat old tool head, I'd keep the poll but modify it by cutting it along this line. Give it more of a tomahawk feel. Although that would affect the balance.

That would be cool, but it would also be work.

 

[afishhunter]

I couldn't work out what a wire snell was? google says snell is a knot which I reckon is similar to a lashing knot no mention of wire?

A snelled hook has knot over/on the hook shank.


View attachment 1724574

 

[Arathol]

I got mixed up yet again,I mean this one,his girl friend is very easy on the eye which is a bonus
She whacks him over the head,then fire and water she is having fun.

LOL....I just thought I'd look this Weatherwool Anorak up......and saw it was $625........Thats a bit on the ridiculous side. The Lester River Boreal shirt is just as good for half that.....

 

[A.L.]

Filson prices are inflated a bit too high

A bit. I have been drooling over their green smokey bear bandana but they cost 80usd here. Bandana. 80usd.

 

[Arathol]

A bit. I have been drooling over their green smokey bear bandana but they cost 80usd here. Bandana. 80usd.

Yeah, ever since they got bought out the prices have risen in inverse proportion to the drop in quality. Its ridiculous....Right now they are getting by on name recognition. Most of their $100+ shirts and other miscellaneous bits of boutique clothing are made for pennies on the dollar in China, Pakistan, Thailand and other foreign countries where labor is cheap and quality is dubious.

 

[Johnnythefox]

I have said it before I watch a lot of these videos,theres a lot of people doing this stuff its quite surprising.

But this chap really seems to me to do it in a manner Nessmuk would approve of,

What I get from his book is doing it correct and with minimal effort relative to the results.

Watch for instance how he uses a small axe he's both very skilled and very safe,his knife skills are also top notch no big flashy Rambo type knife here.

But mostly like Nessmuk he has the knowledge necessary to make his life comfortable in the wild.

I think of the section in his book where the youngsters are burning everything in the fire and sleeping poorly,Nessmuk observes and calmly sits back and relaxes with his pipe.


A terrific bit at 20 minutes in he is sharpening his axe at night when he hears wolves calling very close buy,quite a moment.

About a year ago I was building a Tipi (or Wikiup) in the solo winter camping. It turned out a good bushcraft shelter. Build WIKIUP - Bushcraft Shelter - https://youtu.be/47svWQz4kyc And this winter I decided to go solo camping with an overnight stay in this bushcraft tipi. I took the stove with me because the weather forecast was cold. And so it was - the temperature at night dropped to - 25 ° C. But that didn't stop me because I love wild solo camping in the snow. The tipi was completely covered in snow. After closing small holes and heating the stove, it became noticeably warmer inside. After bushcraft cooking a juicy steak on a grill pan, I rested on the skins under the crackle of firewood in the oven. It seemed to me that my ax was dull and I decided to correct it a little with the help of a grindstone. And what happened at that moment? I won't answer, it's in the video The night was long and very cold. But I prepared firewood with a large margin, so I did not worry. In the morning I decided to brush my teeth with a spruce branch and ashes. It turned out surprisingly well! The resinous taste remained in the mouth. I washed it down tea from hot Сhaga, rosehip and hibiscus. It's breakfast time. The food was not frozen by the stove and I cooked a delicious scrambled eggs with bacon and red pepper. Having received a charge of vivacity, I packed my things and, closer to three o'clock, set off on my way back. Thanks for watching!

 

[dino]

Esee has a 4.875" Nessmuk style blade in 1095 steel. It's only around $115 retail and is great for hacking through vines and twigs. In Texas we get a lot of thorny vines and mesquite. It's been great for clearing a path to say some mustang grapes off the beaten path. It holds a decent edge and works for batoning and feather sticks also. It's not much of a poker due to the fat tip, but in general is pretty handy.
Plus, it's made in the U.S.A..

 

[screened porch]

I found my other tiny hatchet. 8 ounce Kentucky pattern, according to Carl P Russell, which he says was popular in the Northeast by the time of (or even before?) the French and Indian War. Also called Fort Meags, and maybe another fort as well. The poll can hammer, and again it balances the weight of the bit for ease of straight swinging.

It was under something.

 

[Pàdruig]

Esee has a 4.875" Nessmuk style blade in 1095 steel. It's only around $115 retail and is great for hacking through vines and twigs. In Texas we get a lot of thorny vines and mesquite. It's been great for clearing a path to say some mustang grapes off the beaten path. It holds a decent edge and works for batoning and feather sticks also. It's not much of a poker due to the fat tip, but in general is pretty handy.
Plus, it's made in the U.S.A..

I saw those recently - I plan on getting one. I like that Esee came out with this and it reminds me of Ka-bar and Becker when they released their Kephart - modern companies that have always been heavy on the survival/tactical end of things revisiting historical patterns is win, in my book. This Nessmuk has all the Esee flavor but the shape is good, it looks like a great knife.

I found my other tiny hatchet. 8 ounce Kentucky pattern, according to Carl P Russell, which he says was popular in the Northeast by the time of (or even before?) the French and Indian War. Also called Fort Meags, and maybe another fort as well. The poll can hammer, and again it balances the weight of the bit for ease of straight swinging.

It was under something.

I seem to recall some discussion in other parts of the net where folks were thinking Nessmuk might have been influenced by the so-called Fort Meigs axe when he came up with his design. I think it to be pure speculation, of course, but it is interesting to ponder whether he ever experienced a small axe like this.

It is a bit of a shame though that most of the Fort Meigs pattern axes that you can buy these days are mostly junk that is made in Pakistan - usually cast, rather than forged, and likely have dubious heat treatment, if any at all. I know a few smiths here in the states have made them in the past though - those would be the ones to look for.

 

[screened porch]

It is a bit of a shame though that most of the Fort Meigs pattern axes that you can buy these days are mostly junk that is made in Pakistan -

This one's from Pakistan, but it isn't junk, whether cast or forged.
In the old days they were individually hand forged, and you might get the work of a good smith or a bad one. I have a couple of Bowies downstairs that were supposed to be the same knife but are wildly different.
But yeah, you could get something that bent if you dropped it, or something that broke.

Nessmuk might have been influenced by the so-called Fort Meigs axe when he came up with his design. I think it to be pure speculation, of course, but it is interesting to ponder whether he ever experienced a small axe like this.

I would guess he'd been inspired by a double-bit falling axe, but as you say, who knows.

 

[Pàdruig]

This one's from Pakistan, but it isn't junk, whether cast or forged.
In the old days they were individually hand forged, and you might get the work of a good smith or a bad one. I have a couple of Bowies downstairs that were supposed to be the same knife but are wildly different.
But yeah, you could get something that bent if you dropped it, or something that broke.

For the record, I wasn't implying that your axe is junk. My comments are largely with regards to me seeking out a good example of a Fort Meigs style axe a number of years ago. Most of what was available on the market then didn't have a particularly good reputation so if you found a smith here in the states that could whip one up, that was generally the advice that was given.

If memory serves, there is a forge that takes in these imported axes and they tune them up, open up the eyes, fit them with larger handles, and then resell them. I read that those are worth getting as an inexpensive pack axe.