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- Jan 28, 2006
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Sitting around on the mend, I decided to inventory my outdoorsy stuff, particularly my cutlery.
Looking over all my axes, hatchets, kukris, SAKs, high end knives, low end knives, etc, I had an epiphany I wish I didn't have.
At the end of it all, I saw the kit that started my outdoor fascination. Bear with me as I go through a bit of the story. . .
It really started when I got enrolled as a Cub Scout by my parents. I don't remember the stuff we learned. Or maybe I do, and just don't remember where I learned it. But I remember the little slipjoint "Official Cub Scout" knife. It's kind of yellowish, fake ivory plastic handle. I remember thinking I was on my way to being a mountain man (A dream I haven't entirely given up on, although I have to have some ties to civilization to get the medication I need). I wish I could find that knife. Probably isn't worth much, but it's yet another tie to an earlier life that I no longer have.
Then I moved on to the ones I still have. First, my official Boy Scout knife. You know the one, the Camillus slipjoint with the knife, bottle opener, can opener/screwdriver and awl. Oh yes. For some reason this brings back memories of getting my knot merit badge (probably because I suck at it and it was a real trial). I also carried this knife in my pocket at all times, even in school (remember the days when you could have a pocket knife in school without the SWAT team being called?). I was a real, honest-to-goodness Boy Scout when I got that knife.
Then I come to IT. The Buck Knife. We all know it as the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. To us back then it was simply The Buck Knife. Every boy lusted for one. When you got one, you were There. You were a Man when you had a Buck Knife. It was the Holy Grail, it was Excalibur, it was. . .well, by God it was THE BUCK KNIFE! I shouldn't have to explain!!
I also have the little oilstone wrapped in a rage and small bottle of oil in a pouch that my dad gave me. He never participated much in my outdoors activities, but it meant a lot to me when he bought me my knives.
And of course, no woods runner was complete without a hatchet. Mine, of course was the ubiquitous Estwing Sportsman's hatchet. Oh yes, all our Boy Scout hatchet work was learned on one. Any chopping that didn't require an axe, got it with the hatchet. In fact I remember going scouting on summer two-week long excursions. Out of the whole troop, we only carried two axes and two shovels. But everyone had a knife and a hatchet. You got made fun of if you had anything but an Estwing.
We were dirt poor at the time. Even having to go two years at one time with no electricity (big adventure for me, living the mountain man dream for real as far as I was concerned!). So it was a big deal for my parents to buy an Estwing and a Buck knife. My scoutmaster bought me the official knife. My parents bought the basic uniform, and friends of the family hand sewed ot handmade most of the accoutrements. It was a small town, so it was understood that not everyone could afford to be 100% up to spec on the uniform, in fact I think only two of us actually were.
Where am I going with this?
Looking at my collection of several thousand dollars. I think back and look now, and I really could still get along fine with my BS knife, the Buck 110 (much easier to skin and dress game than with the slipjoint -- must be something behind that "folding hunter" name), and that Estwing hatchet.
So, the epiphany being, even today, you could go out and get a SAK (more versatile than the basic BS knife), a Buck 110, and an Estwing hatchet (depending on the model SAK, you might be able to throw in a GI machete) for right around $100, and have everything you really could need for camping and other outdoor adventures.
I guess the upside is, with the economy being tight like it is, you can still get your kids outfitted without breaking the bank (don't get me started on how I made it hiking and camping with a medium ALICE pack for over two decades, then I'll really cry). Or, like in my case, I helped some poor kids at our church out by giving them some surplus gear and a new SAK/Buck/Estwing cutlery set so they could go on a summer camp/survival course that one of our deacons runs. Spread the love, my friends, spread the love.
Looking over all my axes, hatchets, kukris, SAKs, high end knives, low end knives, etc, I had an epiphany I wish I didn't have.
At the end of it all, I saw the kit that started my outdoor fascination. Bear with me as I go through a bit of the story. . .
It really started when I got enrolled as a Cub Scout by my parents. I don't remember the stuff we learned. Or maybe I do, and just don't remember where I learned it. But I remember the little slipjoint "Official Cub Scout" knife. It's kind of yellowish, fake ivory plastic handle. I remember thinking I was on my way to being a mountain man (A dream I haven't entirely given up on, although I have to have some ties to civilization to get the medication I need). I wish I could find that knife. Probably isn't worth much, but it's yet another tie to an earlier life that I no longer have.
Then I moved on to the ones I still have. First, my official Boy Scout knife. You know the one, the Camillus slipjoint with the knife, bottle opener, can opener/screwdriver and awl. Oh yes. For some reason this brings back memories of getting my knot merit badge (probably because I suck at it and it was a real trial). I also carried this knife in my pocket at all times, even in school (remember the days when you could have a pocket knife in school without the SWAT team being called?). I was a real, honest-to-goodness Boy Scout when I got that knife.
Then I come to IT. The Buck Knife. We all know it as the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. To us back then it was simply The Buck Knife. Every boy lusted for one. When you got one, you were There. You were a Man when you had a Buck Knife. It was the Holy Grail, it was Excalibur, it was. . .well, by God it was THE BUCK KNIFE! I shouldn't have to explain!!
I also have the little oilstone wrapped in a rage and small bottle of oil in a pouch that my dad gave me. He never participated much in my outdoors activities, but it meant a lot to me when he bought me my knives.And of course, no woods runner was complete without a hatchet. Mine, of course was the ubiquitous Estwing Sportsman's hatchet. Oh yes, all our Boy Scout hatchet work was learned on one. Any chopping that didn't require an axe, got it with the hatchet. In fact I remember going scouting on summer two-week long excursions. Out of the whole troop, we only carried two axes and two shovels. But everyone had a knife and a hatchet. You got made fun of if you had anything but an Estwing.
We were dirt poor at the time. Even having to go two years at one time with no electricity (big adventure for me, living the mountain man dream for real as far as I was concerned!). So it was a big deal for my parents to buy an Estwing and a Buck knife. My scoutmaster bought me the official knife. My parents bought the basic uniform, and friends of the family hand sewed ot handmade most of the accoutrements. It was a small town, so it was understood that not everyone could afford to be 100% up to spec on the uniform, in fact I think only two of us actually were.
Where am I going with this?
Looking at my collection of several thousand dollars. I think back and look now, and I really could still get along fine with my BS knife, the Buck 110 (much easier to skin and dress game than with the slipjoint -- must be something behind that "folding hunter" name), and that Estwing hatchet.
So, the epiphany being, even today, you could go out and get a SAK (more versatile than the basic BS knife), a Buck 110, and an Estwing hatchet (depending on the model SAK, you might be able to throw in a GI machete) for right around $100, and have everything you really could need for camping and other outdoor adventures.
I guess the upside is, with the economy being tight like it is, you can still get your kids outfitted without breaking the bank (don't get me started on how I made it hiking and camping with a medium ALICE pack for over two decades, then I'll really cry). Or, like in my case, I helped some poor kids at our church out by giving them some surplus gear and a new SAK/Buck/Estwing cutlery set so they could go on a summer camp/survival course that one of our deacons runs. Spread the love, my friends, spread the love.
:thumbup: