Minimalist camping without a fixed blade

[Quiet]

He can answer the question directly but if I am correct, that pic is taken in the Whites of NH. They have some remote locations where the AMC (Appalachian Mtn Club) has set up platforms and the occasional shelter. They are typically a bit below the tree line and near water sources. They help minimize negative impact on the environment by offering a place for hikers / campers to drop a tent or improvise a shelter with minimal damage to the environment. I've always looked at them as "nice-to-haves" if my trips take me near them and they are empty. It means camp set up is easier and less impactful.

So essentially, it's showing up at a ready made shelter, pitching your tarp, and lighting up your little stove. Got it. Of course you don't need a fixed blade for any of that. That's virtually like showing up to car camp at a KOA "campground".

For those of us who are actually camping? Yeah, a fixed blade is a must have.

 

[BladeScout]

I don't camp without a fixed blade. Going light = Lionsteel M2 or CRK Nyala.
If I don't carry a fixed blade for a hike, I have my Southard AVO with me.

Mmmm, Southard AVO, yum.
I have the Spydie-Southard and have been eyeing the AVO..... but they want money for it!!

 

[Steve6387]

So essentially, it's showing up at a ready made shelter, pitching your tarp, and lighting up your little stove. Got it. Of course you don't need a fixed blade for any of that. That's virtually like showing up to car camp at a KOA "campground".

For those of us who are actually camping? Yeah, a fixed blade is a must have.

Look. I was just trying to provide some info. I'm not sure if I am even correct, but If I am, they are so deep in the mountains you have to be in good shape just to reach them in the first place. Next, only a fool would embark on a multi-day trip in that area assuming you'll get a platform. There are very few of them and everyone who does over-nighters in that area knows you can't count on them for any trip. There are so few and the odds are someone already got to one before you... and that assumes you are taking a route that brings you near one in the first place.
So whatever argument you have about the the size and style of your knife still holds true.

 

[Quiet]

Look. I was just trying to provide some info. i'm not sure I am correct, but If I am, they are so deep in the mountains you have to be in good shape just to reach them in the first place. Next, only a fool would embark on a multi-day trip in that area assuming you'll get a platform. There are very few of them and everyone who does over-nighters in that area knows you can't count on them for any trip. There are so few and the odds are someone already got to one before you... and that assumes you are taking a route that brings you near one one in the first place.
So whatever argument you have about the the size and style of your knife still holds true.

That's all fine, but it's still what it is: arriving at a location with amenities that are available. Many of my campouts tend to be in places where we hiked through woods for miles, found a clearing and said "This place will work" and we built an actual campsite. Ground cleared, tents set up, and a fire going* with dinner prep on the way. A fixed blade was absolutely necessary in the execution of those tasks, which to me, means that anyone attempting to posit their opinion that fixed blades aren't needed for camping are bloviating from their exit windhole. :thumbup:

Which is my point. At the end of the day, if the stance was "I find that I do not require a fixed blade for the sorts of outdoor adventures I tend to enjoy", then the tone of my responses would be different. I'd love to see someone move through some heavy Georgia kudzu in high summer with a small pocket knife. What a laugh that would be.




*Which I'm sure are all major affronts to people who carry stoves because they don't want to leave any impact on the outdoors amirite?

 

[GREENJACKET]

The thread title is "Minimalist camping without a fixed blade".

So Sports camping is one type of minimalist camping.
Another might be Bushcraft with a wool blanket.
Another Survival.
Any camping with the bare essentials.

Sports trekking camping can be done with a small knife. I'd be taking a quality folder, fits the brief..
Bushcraft with more knife. I'd like to take a couple, one small and one bigger. The bigger probably a Skrama, or my Ben Orford Iben parang. But for minimalist maybe only allowed a bushcraft knife styled folder.
Survival, just hope you have a knife on you. I'd pray I had a knife on me.

Non of which you are doing. What you are doing is heavy camping with all the tools. You might think they are the minimum you require but its not "minimalist", well not by my definition.
If thats the type of camping you like then great. Anyone can take any tools they like, its a free world. Some here are just highlighting their preferences.
Next time you go on one of your trips try minimalist, which is take as few items, that you can get away with without compromising your safety or comfort.
For some, minimalist might be this, well it would be for my wife:
http://www.sabisabi.com/lodges/

Its a discusion, no one is right or wrong. Though think "minimalist". Sometimes minimalist isn't actually clever or desirable because not enough might put you in jeopardy. Not enough water, or not enough thermal clothing could be two.

 

[Quiet]

The thread title is "Minimalist camping without a fixed blade".

So Sports camping is one type of minimalist camping.
Another might be Bushcraft with a wool blanket.
Another Survival.
Any camping with the bare essentials.

Sports trekking camping can be done with a small knife. I'd be taking a quality folder.
Bushcraft with more knife. I'd be taking a couple, one probably a Skrama, my Ben Orford Iben parang.
Survival, just hope you have a knife on you. I'd pray I had a knife on me.

Non of which you are doing. What you are doing is heavy camping with all the tools. You might think they are the minimum you require but its not "minimalist", well not by my definition.
If thats the type of camping you like then great. Anyone can take any tools they like, its a free world. Some here are just highlighting their preferences.
Next time you go on one of your trips try minimalist, which is take as few items that you can get away with without compromising your safety or comfort.
For some, minimalist might be this, well it would be for my wife:
http://www.sabisabi.com/lodges/

Its a discusion, no one is right or wrong. Though think "minimalist".

On this, especially when discussing opinions*, I agree. :thumbup:

For me, minimalist is "not car camping". Car camping is quite a different animal, and let's just say the beer cooler alone is not something I'd want to carry for any length of time!



*which aren't facts.

 

[stabman]

From our different paths and experiences we have all three ended up with very similar styled tools. Funny that
Maybe because we use the stuff

Yep, never used mine.

Found these cinderblocks, busted pots and bark piled up a couple hundred yards from where I made my site; gotta love what nature contains in an area with a few hundred years of civilization surrounding it.

Not too heavy to whittle things with:

Morning comes:

Years later:

And just what is minimalist camping? Well...

For example, REI defines a minimalist camper as someone who carries a pack weight of 12 pounds or less, and someone who carries between 12 and 20 pounds as an “ultralight camper”.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/05/26/guide-to-minimalist-camping/

So I guess I'm not minimalist, but turns out I am an "ultra-light" camper, even with all my knives.
Hah!

 

[GREENJACKET]

Bit minimalist with your shelter covering, you'd need triple that around my patch.
Nice work, fun isn't it?

Tip: once you have your base frame, weaving springy stuff strengthens the whole thing.

I only wear gloves when its cold or thorny. Is it something preferred in USA? Genuine question.

 

[stabman]

Bit minimalist with your shelter covering, you'd need triple that around my patch.
Nice work, fun isn't it?

I only wear gloves when its cold or thorny. Is it something preferred in USA? Genuine question.

I had tested the Junglas out on the porch with a 2x2 a week prior to going out.
Chopped really, realty well...but it also managed to catch the callous on the inside of my right hand at the base of the little finger in the opening for the Allen bolts. Ripped it in such a way that it got far deeper towards the finger. Bled a whole bunch.

So I grabbed the only gloves I had at the time, some old winter ones, for when I headed out.
Worked well for grabbing stuff from the fire too, so that was a bonus.

Then, when I took the gloves off while foraging for wood at night, a huge spider bit my thumb.
Actually, that became a tradition for a couple of years, a huge spider biting my thumb sometime during the night; one time I felt it swiveling on the end of my thumb by its fangs while I shook my hand.

I might fill the Allen head holes at some point with epoxy, for use without gloves. So far, I've just used gloves in the woods.
For one thing, it has cut down on splinters and scratches from thorns. :thumbup:


The shelter covering was a touch thin due to that fact that I deliberately learned nothing before going out there.
It was for the ESEE Knives Mega-Contest (which I lost), and I wanted it to be a test of me at the point I signed up.
So I learned nothing about shelters, or anything else.

Which meant I burned all the great covering material that would have been handy, and wasted energy clearing off all the leafy limbs, when leaving them on would have sped things up.
Plus, I tied off so many parts, when far less cordage would have sufficed.
And I made it big enough for a family of four, when there were only two of us.

I entitled my entry post as City Boy Survival, and I brought all the misconceptions of city folks out there with me.

 

[ocnLogan]

From our different paths and experiences we have all three ended up with very similar styled tools. Funny that
Maybe because we use the stuff

.

Although I'm certain I have substantially less dirt time/experience than either of you, and most in this thread. I just do my best to learn more quickly from those that already know, with varying degrees of success.

I only wear gloves when its cold or thorny. Is it something preferred in USA? Genuine question.

Speaking only for me, I only use gloves with my knives when its cold. I do see that a fair number of people seem to like them. It seems like many people use them to prevent blisters, protect from accidental cuts, or to help with comfort.

In my opinion, a knife (or any tool) shouldn't require gloves to be used for any duration of time to be comfortable. If so, I'd personally say that the handle needs a redesign if that is the case. Same thing with blisters (at least with short duration of useage). As for preventing accidental cuts? In other areas, I've seen ways that basic safeguards actually made people more careless, and get hurt more seriously. In the case of gloves with knives, sure, they'll help with small cuts and knicks, but I worry I'd get more careless and accidentally get a more serious slice that makes its way through the glove. That last bit is probably irrational though, as I try to be overly cautious with knives :/.

I do wear gloves if doing any real outdoors work for any length of time though, particularly around thorns, or a lot of split firewood (splinters can be nasty).

 

[Quiet]

Bit minimalist with your shelter covering, you'd need triple that around my patch.
Nice work, fun isn't it?

Tip: once you have your base frame, weaving springy stuff strengthens the whole thing.

I only wear gloves when its cold or thorny. Is it something preferred in USA? Genuine question.

I would say that when setting up camp, or working with wood, I generally use gloves myself. While we may all have our ideas of what constitutes a danger in the woods, high up on my list is damaging my hands so I always make sure I protect 'em with some leather gloves. Plus, added bonus as Stabman mentions, I'm able to work with the fire, move things around, put my hands near it to adjust logs and that sort of thing much more easily.

 

[trevitrace]

Can't stand wearing gloves. Much prefer my dexterity not being limited over picking up the occasional sliver/cut/burn.

I'm such a minimalist.

 

[Steve6387]

That's all fine, but it's still what it is: arriving at a location with amenities that are available. Many of my campouts tend to be in places where we hiked through woods for miles, found a clearing and said "This place will work" and we built an actual campsite. Ground cleared, tents set up, and a fire going* with dinner prep on the way. A fixed blade was absolutely necessary in the execution of those tasks, which to me, means that anyone attempting to posit their opinion that fixed blades aren't needed for camping are bloviating from their exit windhole. [emoji106]

Which is my point. At the end of the day, if the stance was "I find that I do not require a fixed blade for the sorts of outdoor adventures I tend to enjoy", then the tone of my responses would be different. I'd love to see someone move through some heavy Georgia kudzu in high summer with a small pocket knife. What a laugh that would be.




*Which I'm sure are all major affronts to people who carry stoves because they don't want to leave any impact on the outdoors amirite?

I guess I'm not following you. I simply wanted to give context for what I thought that pic may be about. I don't care, nor did I try to convince you to do anything different on your trips.

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk

 

[stabman]

And on the subject of using a folder, the year after the Junglas shelter build, I did this:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/874842-EDC-Shelter

 

[Quiet]

I guess I'm not following you. I simply wanted to give context for what I thought that pic may be about. I don't care, nor did I try to convince you to do anything different on your trips.

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk

Well hey, you do your thing, others will do their thing, I'll do mine, and we can continue to enjoy the outdoors as we see fit. I'm camping later this month AND at least once next month. I'll be doing so a fixed blade at my side instead of thinking I'm enough of a super subject matter expert that I can deign to tell others what they do or do not need. :thumbup:

Life is good.

 

[hexenjager]

I had tested the Junglas out on the porch with a 2x2 a week prior to going out.
Chopped really, realty well...but it also managed to catch the callous on the inside of my right hand at the base of the little finger in the opening for the Allen bolts. Ripped it in such a way that it got far deeper towards the finger. Bled a whole bunch.

So I grabbed the only gloves I had at the time, some old winter ones, for when I headed out.
Worked well for grabbing stuff from the fire too, so that was a bonus.

Then, when I took the gloves off while foraging for wood at night, a huge spider bit my thumb.
Actually, that became a tradition for a couple of years, a huge spider biting my thumb sometime during the night; one time I felt it swiveling on the end of my thumb by its fangs while I shook my hand.

I might fill the Allen head holes at some point with epoxy, for use without gloves. So far, I've just used gloves in the woods.
For one thing, it has cut down on splinters and scratches from thorns. :thumbup:


The shelter covering was a touch thin due to that fact that I deliberately learned nothing before going out there.
It was for the ESEE Knives Mega-Contest (which I lost), and I wanted it to be a test of me at the point I signed up.
So I learned nothing about shelters, or anything else.

Which meant I burned all the great covering material that would have been handy, and wasted energy clearing off all the leafy limbs, when leaving them on would have sped things up.
Plus, I tied off so many parts, when far less cordage would have sufficed.
And I made it big enough for a family of four, when there were only two of us.

I entitled my entry post as City Boy Survival, and I brought all the misconceptions of city folks out there with me.

And I was going to guess that it was because hockey is so popular in Canada that not even the bears in the woods think you're serious about putting up a fight until you throw your gloves down.

 

[stabman]

And I was going to guess that it was because hockey is so popular in Canada that not even the bears in the woods think you're serious about putting up a fight until you throw your gloves down.

Well, that too.
I just didn't want to give away too many Canadian secrets.

 

[GREENJACKET]

And on the subject of using a folder, the year after the Junglas shelter build, I did this:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/874842-EDC-Shelter

I've seen and built a few in my time. The trick is get it finished, and that it works. Smaller the better, and loads of stuff on top. Double what you think. Double firewood too. whatever you think is enough.. then double it and then it might.
Practice because then you have an idea how long it takes and how "not" easy it is. My first few weren't very good. Sometimes they still aren't. The middle of the night isn't the time to find out you are sleeping under a sive.

Gloves, depends how soft your hands are, after a week or two they harden up and become pretty bullet proof. A poor handle on a knife will tear holes. Bite'y insects, few above the tree line... all about temperature. Did some military time in Arkansas and just loved your beasties. Some Beasties I like, some not so keen.

On the subject of folders, I'm not a fan of very large ones; have a fixed.

 

[billym]

We've played on similar playgrounds.

Our local big attraction.

I've done a few of the more pedestrian lines in the mid 30 range. The lip can get towards the mid 40s depending on how it sets up, as can Dodges drop, which is between Hillmans and Left Gully.

I've since traded alpine gear for making tele turns on "hippy-sticks" in the powder in the woods. Pinnah is to pinner as lobstah is to lobster. Still... bicycle turns are memorable in no-fall zones.

I was young once.

On topic, no need for fixed blade in the pack. Well, maybe for scraping off klister in the morning.

Skied all over that place, got my worst sunburn to date (in 1984) on Lunch Rocks. The first time over the Headwall is a mind blower (actually pretty easy once you commit) and I'm a Pinner too! I figured you were by you BF name and location/accent (in NE).When skiing I always carry a multitool like a Leatherman. Need new Tele skis and no idea what to buy, even though I am working in a ski shop these days!

 

[Park Swan]

Technically you are right.
The SAK is for personal admin, try cutting a broken toe nail with your whopper chopper. Toy saw bade, don't think so, but then its not for cutting down trees.
How useful are Multi-tools? They have their limitations for sure, but to me they are very useful. A huge subject.

A huge subject indeed! I would never try to to say the SAK isn't eternally useful, I just wouldn't consider it minimal under any circumstances.