I was underknifed!

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Alternate thread title: "Now I get the usefulness of a big knife!"

I just got back from a multi-day motorcycle camping trip down to West Virginia and back. The only knives I take on these trips are a Spirit multitool and a Bark River Mini Canadian. These modest knives or ones like them have always been perfectly adequate, since the camping is usually not too rigorous. Usually I also take a hatchet, but not this time . . . :grumpy::thumbdn:

Last night I stayed in a State Park in PA. I got there just before dark. I had experienced a 40 degree temerature drop during that day's travel, from 90's to 50's, and it had rained substantially too. I wanted a fire. I had a bundle of dry firewood that I got at a store near the park entrance, but no small pieces. The small wood around the campsite was soaked. As I squatted there shaving pieces off a stick of wood with the Mini C, I remembered how, as I was packing up, I thought about whether or not to take my Becker Crewman or hatchet and decided not to, even though I had room. The Mini C is a great knife, but not at batoning firewood in useful sizes.

In the end, I gave up on trying to keep it burning and sat in the dark, thinking about my error in equipping myself. What if I had been alone somewhere really remote and fire were a matter of survival rather than a mere luxury? I did have a motorcycle with about four gallons of gas, a butane cartridge stove, as well as various pieces of flammable but dispensable gear, so I could have made that wood burn in an emergency.

From now on, I'm packing a big knife along if I am not bringing a hatchet.
 
My son-in-law used his Mini-Canadian to baton park firewood into kindling and tinder recently.

Maybe you had some tough wood.......
 
he just didn't want it bad enough. he'd have done it if he was facing more than discomfort.

cold, dark, and wet is pretty crummy though.
 
Amen. Lesson learned. Knives are specialized tools. If you don't have a specific function available, you're shit out of luck.
 
Hey, isn't this where someone smugly says, "The more you know the less you need?" :rolleyes:

.
 
I recently returned from an outing where it had rained everyday for at least 7-10 days. Trying to get a campfire started was interesting. Of course, I could've cheated, but I wanted to try my skills, try new ones, etc.

I found quite quickly that batonning thru logs was a very quick method of reaching dry wood. I also discovered that shorter knives could do it, but not with the same "comfort" of a larger knife.

I used a Sven saw to cut downed trees to length, then batonned thru the logs. Seemed to work pretty well.

.
 
David E said:
I recently returned from an outing where it had rained everyday for at least 7-10 days. Trying to get a campfire started was interesting. Of course, I could've cheated, but I wanted to try my skills, try new ones, etc.

I found quite quickly that batonning thru logs was a very quick method of reaching dry wood. I also discovered that shorter knives could do it, but not with the same "comfort" of a larger knife.

I used a Sven saw to cut downed trees to length, then batonned thru the logs. Seemed to work pretty well.

.
Click to expand...


With a 2" blade, mabye if I had to, but not willingly.

Yeah, should have taken a hard use tool. Just goes to show its nice to have the right tool for the job, or one close to it.
 
Reads like the trip was successful, aside from lacking a fire that night.

One of the things that I've practiced here at home, is the what ifs with my gear. Especially my knives and I'm pretty sure that if you whittled yourself some wedges with that mini and grabbed yourself a batan, that the mini is more than up for being driven into the side of a 2-4" diameter piece of wood and as it splits, drive the wedges in until the job is done. Yep, I get the feeling, that little knife of yours is more than worthy.
 
or keep a few sticks of fat wood in with your gear just in case. it will burn long enough and hot enough to get some under-pine sticks dry and going.

or you could bring along a can of gas...but that gets heavy, and is prone to random spills and combustion...
 
The crewman or a hatchet certainly would have helped. A piece of road flare, a trioxene bar, or like you said good ole gasoline would have saved you against the threat of serious hypothermia (it sounds like you wern't desperate, just miserable). I've spent many a wet/cold miserable day in PA and I've only ever needed to scrape wood to get a fire going. I only neeeed to split it here (Brazil) during rainy season.

I had two round the world bikers stay here once and they had done all of Africa with just a pair of Leatherman's and a cheap Chinese hatchet. I sharpened their hatchet and gave them a 14 inch Tramontina. A hard use blade is a good thing to have, no doubt about it. They made it to the US last I heard. Mac
 
I wasn't even all that uncomfortable, the fire was mostly for fun/ambience. You are correct that I didn't "want" it badly enough to persist. Hell, I could have found some other campers and borrowed wood or a hatchet and didn't bother with that either!

The Mini Canadian would baton, but it was too short to deal with the large pieces of split cordwood I had. All I could get was fairly small pieces. I have never batoned a knife before, so perhaps there is some secret technique to split logs with a 2" blade? I had tinder, very small kindling and logs, but nothing in between.

The Becker would have made things easy - I had put it up for trade in the exchange, but maybe I'll keep it.
 
longbow50 said:
Reads like the trip was successful, aside from lacking a fire that night.

One of the things that I've practiced here at home, is the what ifs with my gear. Especially my knives and I'm pretty sure that if you whittled yourself some wedges with that mini and grabbed yourself a batan, that the mini is more than up for being driven into the side of a 2-4" diameter piece of wood and as it splits, drive the wedges in until the job is done. Yep, I get the feeling, that little knife of yours is more than worthy.
Click to expand...


Ah, here is the "secret technique!" I should read more carefully before I post. This sounds like a lot of extra work for a recreational fire, but it's good to know in case of an emergency.
 
Long live the big blade. :D I never head to the woods without one. :thumbup:
Scott
 
I'm on the list for a Tusker from Mr. Gossman for just such occasions.:thumbup:
 
Maybe the title should have been "I forgot my hatchet". It seems it would have been better yet than a big knife.
 
I have a cheaper Ka-bar Bowie that I keep for batan work. I don't mind giving it abuse. It's my general campsite knife.
 
The question is how much of a larger knife would have made the trip more comfortable?

Would a 4.5" or 5"-6" blade worked for you for short overnight stay?

I was thinking my CS master hunter would have batoned up the wood just fine. It has a substantial 4.5" blade on it. But I understand having the right tool for the job makes it easier i.e. less energy at the end of the day.
 
Yep Troutfisher, I reckon that a hatchet is the answer too. Doesn't need to be an expensive one either. I've played with some 'cheap Chinese' hatchets like Pict mentioned, and they work just fine. A while back there were some nice small Chinese hatchets available...about a one pound hatchet I think....for NZ$6.50. I grabbed a couple and sharpened them up and was very pleased with them.
 
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