"Nessmuk Trio" suggestions?

[afishhunter]

I am in the process of deciding what to get for my trio.

For informational purposes, I've pretty much decided on the Condor double bit axe. I know this is the wrong forum to discuss that portion of the trio.

For the fixed blade, in no particular order, I'm looking at the Russell Green River "Buffalo Skinner" and "sheep skinner", and the Condor "Nessmuk" pattern, and the Condor Kephart pattern. I think there might be a couple other Green River knives that would fit the bill, as well as a couple Old Hickory blades.

Which fixed blade would you choose? Battoning is not going to happen. (Nessmuk and Kephart never resorted to that either, based on their writings. However, who knows? Maybe they did but never admitted it to anyone?)

I know the drop point favored by Mr. Nessmuk has advantages and disadvantages over the spear point, favored by Mr. Kephart, just as a spear point has advantages and disadvantages over a prop point.

Decisions... decisions ...

For the folding knife, I'm thinking either a two blade canoe, Barlow, or Sunfish.

 

[Hammer67]

I guess it depends on how historically accurate you want to be, vs. coming up with the 'trio' that works best for your uses and context.

If you're going for accuracy, then I would suggest a Moose pattern for the folding knife. And frankly, if I was putting together a woods trio of a folding knife, fixed blade and axe, regardless of Nessmuk's preferences, a good-sized Moose would probably still be high on my list of choices.

The Nessmuk knife, being derived from a skinner, is a very good game knife, not surprisingly. I find that many interpretations of the Nessmuk however, are made too thick to maximize the functionality of this application. From the little we can glean from his writings, it seems that Nessmuk preferred his fixed blade to be on the thin side as well, as were most fixed-blade knives of the time. The thick-spined, modern interpretations of the 'Muk are generally the result of knife makers catering to the bushcraft crowd, who tend to use the knife for a broader range of tasks (such as battonning) than was normal for a medium-sized knife 100 years ago. I also think that many folks today who get into bushcraft are often coming from having owned more modern types of fixed blade knives that can best be characterized as "sharpened pry-bars" and so are used to knives with quite thick spines, and have come to believe that anything thinner isn't "strong enough" to be a real woods knife. AOf course, this isn't really true - it's just a matter of skills and the proper tool for the job, the latter of which is the whole idea behind having a 'trio' to begin with, vs. the "one blade for everything" approach.

Personally, I like the 'Muk for skinning and food prep. But I don't find that it's the best choice for much beyond that, but then again, I don't believe it was it ever intended to be.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I like the concept of just three tools, paired with a small caliber rifle these days, like a .22. I would say that my set up, consists of my Case Tribal Spear, I have been able to keep an edge on the 154CM blade and found out that I prefer a fixed blade when I put it to work at Kevin Estelas training seminar last March 2014. I much prefer my Gossman Kephart, and my Snow and Nealy Hudson Bay axe. These are what I would use for my Nessmuk trio, and have several times.