Fiddleback User Weekend May 5-7, Hiawassee, GA - Schedule Posted

[Luca917]

The fact that Orion can remember every name in that group is the most impressive thing of the entire weekend. Hell, I can't even remember the name of that kid sitting next to me in the picture!

 

[Odaon]

I like how you didn't elaborate on what the stated purpose was or the example given...

And nice photo.

Done purposefully. Haha! They'll just have to take a class from Kevin to learn the specificities. Thanks!

 

[Odaon]

The fact that Orion can remember every name in that group is the most impressive thing of the entire weekend. Hell, I can't even remember the name of that kid sitting next to me in the picture!

Hah! I think I just happened to be present for all of the 'name refreshers' so I got them down!

 

[Tim the Wizard]

The fact that Orion can remember every name in that group is the most impressive thing of the entire weekend. Hell, I can't even remember the name of that kid sitting next to me in the picture!

Pretty sure that kid is Nikolay, meaning "victory of the people."

 

[Mish_Mike]

Done purposefully. Haha! They'll just have to take a class from Kevin to learn the specificities. Thanks!

Unfortunately, this gentleman isn't all that available for classes. I've looked into it.

Looks like y'all had a blast. Please, continue to share pics, stories, etc. This is great.

 

[Odaon]

Unfortunately, this gentleman isn't all that available for classes. I've looked into it.

Looks like y'all had a blast. Please, continue to share pics, stories, etc. This is great.

He's definitely a busy guy! He does have a full time job in addition to his survival and outdoor education courses and writing.

The Prusik is a knot that everyone should know. It's a very effective friction knot and can be used in many applications, from hanging a tarp on a ridge line to ascending another rope to restraining someone.

 

[k_estela]

Hey everyone,

We've all had a few sleep cycles to process this information and the many experiences we shared. I can't stress how great it was to meet everyone and see you all out in the field. It reminded me very much of the early days of PWYP and it was really a pleasure to share some of my skill sets with you. As hinted, you can imagine what we can do on Fiddleback User Weekend part II or another gathering. BTW, you need not wait until we all get together to develop skills. It's always a good day to train.

Thank you again to Andy for creating great cutlery for all of us to prepare ourselves with. Thanks also to Justen for setting this weekend up and arranging for my travel to GA. Thanks to all of you who were willing to train and came out in the rain. Remember, you are only ready if you have awareness, preparedness and willingness. If you've earned a patch, you're well on your way.

BTW, the prussik knot and the Russian variation with three wraps can be used for: Rope ascension, hauling/rescue, locking snare loops, ridge line adjustable tie offs, handcuff knots (remember to frap the loose ends) and some other applications you have to earn the knowledge through the deed of being at an event like this. Thoughts, words, deeds, habits.

Thanks again everyone!

Kev

 

[pertinux]

Okay, that's it.

you have to earn the knowledge through the deed of by being at an event like this.

I want to earn a

Knowledge Through The Deed of By Being

patch.

(And somehow, I think @varga49 would meet me there....)

All kidding aside, thanks what you're doing, Kevin.

~~~

Great stuff, guys!

I know how hard it can be to recap a picnic, let alone a week end like this(!). Thanks for the pictures and thoughts, and for the captions to the picture(s).

It seems that (most? all?) of you took along an array of cutlery.

For each or any of you: this side of the week end's variety of specific applications, did any knife or knives rise to the fore for you? Are there any that you found yourself grabbing more than others from the selection on hand (yours or someone else's ), or just plain appreciating in a different way than you already did? What about distinctions within types, ie, scandi vs FFG, etc.?

~ P.

 

[Bmurray]

We did some knot tying while taking shelter from the rain. Here you see one example of the usefulness of a Prusik knot. The knife is one of Russell's that I happened to be trying out. Very nice.

the knife I bought

 

[Cohutta]

the knife I bought

I hope you didn't buy that one! If so you left it in my truck.....

 

[Bmurray]

I hope you didn't buy that one! If so you left it in my truck.....

well it looks like that one I bought from you. This thing is super sweet. going to do some carving with it when I get home

 

[Odaon]

The one in my picture is natural canvas over black.

 

[Bmurray]

The one in my picture is natural canvas over black.

I forgot, that was the user on the table. nice knife

 

[Fiddleback]

This weekend was amazing to me. Justin really hit it out of the park. I was honored by everyone there, and Kevin blew me away with his lessons. It took a lot of focus and dedication to get as much in as we did. I can't thank anyone who attended enough for coming. I can't wait for the next one.

 

[PolRoger]

I've had a busy start to this week but I wanted to chime in and say that I also had a very enjoyable time going up to the "Hiawassee FF Get-To-Gether".

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

It was great to gather with folks from different geographic areas as well as backgrounds who all share a common interest... Fiddlebacks.

Other things about the weekend that I liked:

-Hanging out around the campfire getting to know a little better Andy Roy as well as some of the crew: Both Phillip and Allen.

-Actually meeting and getting to know some of the other Blade Forum members in person. Getting to meet some other knife makers: Both Carl and Russell as well as meeting Robert G. from Fiddlback Outpost and Rob F. from Exotac. (As a side note... Rob F. showed us among other things a very cool machined anodized aluminum o-ring capped lighter that ran on zippo style fuel. It was actually in prototype form and he wasn't sure if the finished model would be ready in time for the Blade Show.)

-Spending time learning some wilderness skills from Kevin Estella who is very knowledgeable, personable and quite good humored. The individual sessions went by fast and I'm quite aware that there is still much more that I can learn as well as practice in this whole area.

- Getting to see lots of different knives!! From Fiddlebacks to W.A. Surls to Cohutta as well as seeing Carl (CREX) working at his (transportable) forge. I was impressed with Allen's personal (mini) Loveless style drop point hunter sporting Mammoth Ivory scales and was also pleased to finally check out in hand a CPK Light Chopper thanks to Jim (heat_treat).

It as already been mentioned but I also wanted to echo the others and give some "props"
to Justen (Southern Gent) for organizing this event!

 

[Odaon]

Okay, that's it.



I want to earn a

Knowledge Through The Deed of By Being

patch.

(And somehow, I think @varga49 would meet me there....)

All kidding aside, thanks what you're doing, Kevin.

~~~

Great stuff, guys!

I know how hard it can be to recap a picnic, let alone a week end like this(!). Thanks for the pictures and thoughts, and for the captions to the picture(s).

It seems that (most? all?) of you took along an array of cutlery.

For each or any of you: this side of the week end's variety of specific applications, did any knife or knives rise to the fore for you? Are there any that you found yourself grabbing more than others from the selection on hand (yours or someone else's ), or just plain appreciating in a different way than you already did? What about distinctions within types, ie, scandi vs FFG, etc.?

~ P.

To touch on your last point. I mostly used my Bushfinger for everything though I did borrow and try out a couple others. Overall I was pleased with the Bushfinger. However, something that stood out was how much better a scandi knife felt for the wood working tasks when we were working on various 'cuts' by making 'try sticks'. The scandi, as it's designed for, just seemed to catch that wood a bit better and I felt like I had a little more control than I did with the convex. It could also be related to the knife size. The Scandi I tried was a Hiking Buddy.

I plan on getting a scandi of my own at some point here.

 

[Bmurray]

The fact that Orion can remember every name in that group is the most impressive thing of the entire weekend. Hell, I can't even remember the name of that kid sitting next to me in the picture!

yea me too. who are you

 

[Southern Gent]

pertinux Hey P, talking about which knives I used is a much easier question for me to chime in on at the moment rather than talk about the experience of the weekend, what I learned and what I took away from the experience. So you know, I'm a solid medium glove with my hand being 18 cm from the base of my wrist to the tip of my middle finger and 9 cm across the widest part of my palm. So here is what I used.

FF Small Machete - We used this knife to harvest all of the bamboo for the weekend in combination with a Laplander and Gomboy 240. The machete is absolutely devastating in limbing and would slice through stalks 2" or less in diameter with a wall thickness of approximately 1/8". The machete is such a powerful all around tool you could get away with carrying it by itself in most situations with some experience working with it.

FF Shaman 3/32 - This was a knife I wanted the first time I saw the profile and as soon as I saw the handle material I liked I jumped on it. In comparison to any other Fiddleback, the Shaman's blocky appearance sets it apart and tends to visually give the look of utility. Well, I can tell you first hand this knife is the world's finest "utility" box cutting tool you could ever own. In 3/32 it is very "slicey" and the upsweep towards the tip accentuates the slicing ability. the commando, more blocky handle of the knife is very neutral in hand and amazingly comfortable in any grip you can put it in. this feature of the knife makes it great for all of the everyday tasks such as package opening, cutting rope and line, trimming materials and food prep. It's size IMO is also small enough for EDC and large enough for bigger tasks as well. the Shaman is not a tweener knife. the slim profile of the blade and handles allow the knife to slip into the pocket and carry much like a Runt or Esquire. I fashioned a pocket sheath with no loop or other attachment point and its great for carry in either the front or back pocket. With its price point at around $200 there is no reason why any Fiddleback collector should not have at least one in rotation and use the hell out of it.

FF Bush Hermit 1/8 - My all time favorite Fiddleback visually and to use. Everything about the BH is made for optimal performance. It is the Ford GT of the FF lineup. for my hands, the slightly taller profile of the BH over the Bushfinger gives the knife a wholly different feel and by going taller and not so much wider it provides for me added control and comfort, especially with use over a long period of time. the size is also perfect for heavier bushcrafting tasks and the fine tip of the blade is excellent for fine work and drilling, which requires optimal control. Where the BH really showed out was when we were making try sticks. I used all of the knives during this lesson and it felt more comfortable with more control over any other option. I could continue to go on and on about this knife, but if you are an outdoors person you absolutely need this knife.

FF Leuku 1/8 - If you are a fan of the Patch/Recluse/Leuku line you will really like this knife. Not produced in the same volume as the other two in the line, the Leuku is a very capable outdoors knife. Before I held this knife in my hand it was always my perception that the Leuku was more on par with either the Duke or Woodsman in size and weight, however, it is considerably less on both accounts. The simple elegance of the Leuku is very eye catching and once you have a chance to try one out and see it is likely smaller than you thought and you will realize how nimble and versatile it is at a number of tasks. I particularly like the blade to handle ratio of this knife.

Old Skool Muk 1/8 - My favorite pattern group of all Fiddlebacks is the Muks and this one just may be at the top of the list. the leaf shaped blade and sinuous curve along the back of the spine are both extraordinarily comfortable and pleasing to the eye. In hammer grip my thumb slides right up the back of the handle and settles delightfully into what I would call the "small of the back" of the blade where it allows for complete control. The tip of this knife is also perfectly aligned with the center line of the knife, which is something often overlooked or not mentioned nearly enough when people review knives and what makes them a good user in may instances. Not many better companions than a good Muk for a day in the woods.

Bush Crafter JR 1/8 - EDC excellence. this knife handles all the tasks of the bigger knives and crushes the tasks set before it that are typically designated for smaller blades. Amazing ergos, and a great belly are the hallmarks of this knife. I absolutely love it and will most often carry it whenever I can size up from either a Runt or Esquire. I especially like the BC JR for prepping materials and general EDC tasks. Definitely a top choice if you needed a knife to do both big and small tasks, but the element of concealment or overbearing laws force your hand in the amount of blade you can carry.

Now if any of you have looked into any of my older posts regarding the topic of "if you could have only one knife or tool what would it be", I still am of the opinion that I would have a 5/32 Duke or Woodsman on my person. However, with my kit I carry a Liam Hoffman bearded belt axe, a Silky Gomboy 240 and a Fiddleback. The first two stay consistent while the Fiddleback changes based on what I'm doing on that particular outing or believe it or not my mood. Any and all of these knives are more than capable either stand alone or paired up in a trio with other complimenting tools. I would also like to say that there are a number of other patterns (Asp comes immediately to mind) that has all the qualities of a great Fiddleback, but I did not happen to use either this past weekend or extensively on my own time. Guess that just means I need to spend more time outdoors and acquire a few new Fiddlebacks!!!

 

[ndmiller]

Loved using the perfectly good sharper than mine "return" Fiddlebacks that made the second half of my try stick 1000% easier. Going to featherstick my office desk and lay snares and traps around the office to see what I can catch over the next few weeks. Also kind of jittery I haven't been able to burn anything for a couple days.

Used 2/3 production models during my stay at Hiawassee Fall-In River Campground, Kephart and Duke. Enjoyed both, along with all the great company, Kevin's teachings (and stories), shooting a 0.0 on the archery course, and of course COSTCO Blueberry Muffins (that's what she said).

Camp coffee cooked 4 different ways and my leaking tent also were in competition for best memory of the event! And the fact that Kevin used a recently dug tunnel to jump out and grab my flyaway tent from going into the river. Wizardry........burn the witch.

Looking forward to practicing some skills in real life.....retied 4 pairs of shoes at 8 year old soccer practice with my daughter last evening and not 1 knot came undone. Woohoo!

 

[whitty]

Looks like an awesome trip. Look forward to seeing more photos when you guys have time to get them up!