Knives for forest bathing

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I use to do A LOT of "forest bathing" in the past but I called it hiking and backpacking. I always hiked/backpacked alone and had a lot of time to myself while "bathing" myself in "nature."

The type of knife you need to carry (if any) depends largely on the length of the "bath" and the other type of gear you are carrying but, if you're planning to walk nekid in the forest, I'd suggest carrying a Spyderco Jumpmaster (1 or 2, your choice) in a sheath (that Spyderco also sells) strapped to your calf. ;)

Otherwise, what I'd probably carry would just be a SAK in my pocket, a wire saw in my pack (w/a firestarter &/or some matches) in case my butane stove becomes unuseable)atand a Spyderco Magnacut Mule on my belt.
 
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killgar said:
No, I refuse to refer to hiking/camping as "forest bathing". Just like I refuse to refer to women as "birthing persons".

I wonder if the "forest therapy guides" provide safe spaces for those who feel triggered by all the toxic-masculinity of outdoor activities?


Anyway, in my hiking/camping days I carried a Buck 110, a Marine Kabar, and a US "DEMO" knife.

And I'm sure I inflicted emotional trauma on some trees, for which I thoroughly expect to be cancelled.

Whoops, I said "trees" instead of "leafy beings". Now I'll be cancelled for sure.

😁
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You, sir, and your dirty, greasy, motorcycle riding, switchblade carrying, inconsiderate ass are officially uninvited to the San Fran leafy beings weenie roast!

I bet you do shower with those sweet modded switches. Prolly sleep with em too…
 
AntDog said:
You, sir, and your dirty, greasy, motorcycle riding, switchblade carrying, inconsiderate ass are officially uninvited to the San Fran leafy beings weenie roast!

I bet you do shower with those sweet modded switches. Prolly sleep with em too…
Click to expand...

Hey, those weenies better be vegan fella! And they better be roasted over an environmentally friendly, zero-carbon emitting renewable fuel source. Don't make me report you.


Sleep with my switchblades? Uh, er, well, I wouldn't exactly call what we do together "sleep".

Ooooo baby. Give me some of that sweet, sweet switch lovin'.


TMI?


😁
 
killgar said:
Whoops, I said "trees" instead of "leafy beings". Now I'll be cancelled for sure.

😁
Click to expand...
What I’ve seen, you really have to work hard to offend leafy beings (or “needly beings”, in the case of conifers). I have not only called them “trees” all my life, like my ancestors before me, but we have a longstanding tradition of cutting them down, shearing their fibers asunder, and building permanent shelters from the fibers so sheared. To add insult to injury, we afterward heated said shelters with the remaining fibers not installed as framing, siding or trim.

Never, not even once, has a tree offered any resistance, or uttered so much as a cross word (much less a profanity. We, on the other hand, have uttered not just profanity but blasphemy, vulgarity, obscenity and probably a couple other “-ity”s during the course of the aforementioned activities).

I guess my point is, I highly doubt the “leafy beings” are going to cancel you. They just don’t do much of that. The “goofy beings” claiming to act on their behalf, whole different story.

However, I would observe that as you have knives and they do not, their cancellation might lose some steam when something needs cut, and they can’t cut it, and you can. Savor that moment, when and if it arrives. Don’t cut anything for them right away, make them grovel a bit. And don’t neglect to mention to the males among them (if you can identify any) that a man isn’t really much of a man without his tools.

Meanwhile, I’ll be bathing in a fiberglass enclosure, installed in a shelter constructed of sheared wood fibers, and I’ll have my honed steel close at hand.

Carry on.

Parker

PS: I was completely unaware you had modded switches. Also unaware your carcass was greasy (which is really none of my business one way or the other). Dirty? Yeah, probably. Aren’t we all?
 
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You’d be holding it with wrinkly pruned up fingers after a multi-day bath…

Parker
 
A nice puukko. I put the smallest little microbevel on it and it cuts n slices like a demon.

Re1h3OIh.jpg
 
You step out of your house, your Backpack comfortably strapped to your shoulders, the walked in hiking boots are fitting like a glove and you are satisfied with your relaxed clothes.

After ten minutes you reach the edge of the forest, the trees are shading you from the a bit too hot sun. The gravel path gives way to a trail that is soft and springy and last year's leaves cushion your steps.

You start walking uphill, your breath is deep but steady, the exertion is bringing a bit of sweat on your forehead

The mossy smell permeates your nostrils as a breeze cools you and making you feel good.

After an hour, you come across an old hut with a bench and a fireplace outside, a small clearing let's light through the canopy.

You take out your BK7 and admire the high grind and the ergonomic grip of the knife.

There are some broken trees in the area and with some swift chops you make the wood small enough to fit the fireplace. Now you take your BK17 and shave some feathersticks, to get the fire going.

As soon as the fire has burned to a low level, you take your old and trusty steelcup and level it onto the embers, so that the water you're heating is hot enough for the instant coffee you had in your bag.

Drinking the coffee, you take your SAK out of your pocket and start to prepare the bread and cheese sandwich, cut some pepperoni and enjoy it together with the coffee.

No one is around you, but a plethora of birds, singing their songs.

The smoke of the birch bark fire smells amazing as you sit there and just relax.

You head back into the real world and your batteries are completely full....

That's forest bathing for me
 
Wasty said:
You step out of your house, your Backpack comfortably strapped to your shoulders, the walked in hiking boots are fitting like a glove and you are satisfied with your relaxed clothes.

After ten minutes you reach the edge of the forest, the trees are shading you from the a bit too hot sun. The gravel path gives way to a trail that is soft and springy and last year's leaves cushion your steps.

You start walking uphill, your breath is deep but steady, the exertion is bringing a bit of sweat on your forehead

The mossy smell permeates your nostrils as a breeze cools you and making you feel good.

After an hour, you come across an old hut with a bench and a fireplace outside, a small clearing let's light through the canopy.

You take out your BK7 and admire the high grind and the ergonomic grip of the knife.

There are some broken trees in the area and with some swift chops you make the wood small enough to fit the fireplace. Now you take your BK17 and shave some feathersticks, to get the fire going.

As soon as the fire has burned to a low level, you take your old and trusty steelcup and level it onto the embers, so that the water you're heating is hot enough for the instant coffee you had in your bag.

Drinking the coffee, you take your SAK out of your pocket and start to prepare the bread and cheese sandwich, cut some pepperoni and enjoy it together with the coffee.

No one is around you, but a plethora of birds, singing their songs.

The smoke of the birch bark fire smells amazing as you sit there and just relax.

You head back into the real world and your batteries are completely full....

That's forest bathing for me
Click to expand...


Beautiful...and perfect.


Amen, Brother...Amen...







EDIT- Here in South Texas, I'd make that, "The smoke of the MESQUITE bark fire..."
 
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Forest bathing doesn’t surprise me, we have an MD in our area who has his patients walk outside barefooted the get “grounded” ( electrically speaking). 😳
 
Forest Bathing?
I prefer Redheads, and a bar of soap!
No loofah: I'll use my hands...

Why are we trying to call something as simple as a walk in the woods: something that it clearly isn't?
If you want to know what folks carry for a walk in the woods: just ask...
 
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catspa said:
What I’ve seen, you really have to work hard to offend leafy beings (or “needly beings”, in the case of conifers). I have not only called them “trees” all my life, like my ancestors before me, but we have a longstanding tradition of cutting them down, shearing their fibers asunder, and building permanent shelters from the fibers so sheared. To add insult to injury, we afterward heated said shelters with the remaining fibers not installed as framing, siding or trim.

Never, not even once, has a tree offered any resistance, or uttered so much as a cross word (much less a profanity. We, on the other hand, have uttered not just profanity but blasphemy, vulgarity, obscenity and probably a couple other “-ity”s during the course of the aforementioned activities).

I guess my point is, I highly doubt the “leafy beings” are going to cancel you. They just don’t do much of that. The “goofy beings” claiming to act on their behalf, whole different story.

However, I would observe that as you have knives and they do not, their cancellation might lose some steam when something needs cut, and they can’t cut it, and you can. Savor that moment, when and if it arrives. Don’t cut anything for them right away, make them grovel a bit. And don’t neglect to mention to the males among them (if you can identify any) that a man isn’t really much of a man without his tools.

Meanwhile, I’ll be bathing in a fiberglass enclosure, installed in a shelter constructed of sheared wood fibers, and I’ll have my honed steel close at hand.

Carry on.

Parker

PS: I was completely unaware you had modded switches. Also unaware your carcass was greasy (which is really none of my business one way or the other). Dirty? Yeah, probably. Aren’t we all?
Click to expand...
Needly beings? Sounds like they must be a bunch of pricks.

Anyway, I live in a heavily wooded area about 45 minutes from Wisconsin. Grew up doing outdoors stuff with my dad and family. We went camping multiple times every summer, in-between baseball and football season.

Until 2002 there was 5-7 acres of forest and scrubland across the street from my house. Until 98 the lot next door was a marsh.

My Wenger Nomad was all I carried Until I was 17. I bought a Sog Pentagon elite liner lock in 96 as my new edc, paired with the Wenger.

In my late 20's I got into hiking the local forest preserve trails, and bought myself a Sog Seal pup fixed blade to carry on my belt, or in a cargo pocket. That knife saw a ton of use on camping/canoeing trips i went on 3 times a year on the Kishwaukee river.

Now, there are a whole bunch of trails near my house, but I've gone back to just a folder as I now carry a gun.

If I was going camping now I'd bring my BK-5.
 
The types that call it forest bathing....mostly the only kind of bathing they ever do. (And drum circles.)
 
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