Pen Knife warms cold campers.

philthygeezer

philthygeezer

Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
746
Hello everyone,

I went on a Geological field trip this weekend into Northern Ontario with a group of about 15 people. It rained hard the first day and everything was soaked. We tried to get some pine twigs burning with the old 'Soak everything in Naphtha and stand back' trick. :D No dice, too wet. Embers got started but extinguished quickly because the wood was too wet.

As luck would have it, no one brought an axe or a hatchet either. So I took my pen knife out and suggested I make some kindling. At first there were all the usual comments: "Wow, that looks mean/do you kill people with that/how far can you throw it/boy I better not make YOU mad..." I felt a little self-concious since everyone was watching me play with my toy, essentially. :) Then I started knocking big chips off a soaked log like a rabid beaver and the comments started to dwindle.

We had 3 handfuls in under 5 minutes. I was surprised at how well this thing was working! We didn't have any medium-sized stuff, so I figured I might as well try to chop a few logs. I simply tried to make the little khuk hit the log at maximum velocity. Well, there were gasps as this little tiger split 6-8 inch logs neatly in two!!:eek:

We added a little naptha again, but I'm not sure we even needed it. The Pen knife made short work of everything we needed to have a nice warm night for fifteen damp people around the fire.

Thanks Pen and Uncle for a good tool and a good design. It will always be in my backpack.
 
Good stuff Phil, I reckon folks who head out in the big woods with nothing but an SAK (because that's what some backpacking "expert" recommends)would find out the hard way about building a fire when the woods are wet.;)

Sarge
 
Good story. I usually forget that a 12" knife is looked upon as large with non khuk fans.

In general, how does the Pen knife chop compared to the 12" AK?
 
That answers a question in my mind. The penkife goes with us on the upcoming camping trip out west. I just finished a compact sheath for the traveling penknife, which I'll post pictures of in a separate thread.

I keep a few sticks of "fat-wood" in the pack for such events. Stuff burns like a blowtorch and weighs next to nothing. Safer than flamable liquids too.
B.
 
Chopping: Pen vs. 12in AK.

Personally, I prefer the AK. The weight seems more concentrated at the point of impact and is less likely to bind the blade. The wider Pen blade naturally has more surface to bind up. The two seem to weigh about the same, so it's weight distribution, I'd guess.

Again, personally, the sharper point of the AK works better for me in getting into areas to separate meat from bone. The wide front of the Pen blade prohibits digging out in bone crevices.

The brown leather sheath of the Pen is by far my favorite, though.

(This is not an authorized test. This is personal experience only. Your results may vary.)
 
I dunno, but Sarge probly does!
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True, true. The Pen Knife is a great knife. So is the 12" AK. Having had the opportunity to use both for a variety of tasks, under extended "field conditions", I'd have to give the AK a slight edge (my own personal preference, your results may vary;) ). Like Kis, I prefer the pointier blade profile of the AK. As Kis also noted, both chop very well for their relatively small size, but the AK just seems to stick less and chop more efficiently. The Pen Knife seems to be a slightly better cutter and slicer, but with both knives properly sharpened the difference is nearly negligible.

Both knives will fill the bill if you're looking for a good camp knife, as Geezer's exploits have pointed out. The main choice difference is in whether or not you feel you need the pointier profile of the AK. Personally, I've become totally enamored with my little 12.5" Villager AK. Berkley's had a chance to see it last time we got together, and he can tell you the blade's stained nearly black from constant use.:D

Sarge
 
Berkley's had a chance to see it last time we got together, and he can tell you the blade's stained nearly black from constant use.
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Yep, but it's one sharp little workhorse;)
 
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