What if?

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WinchesteRalox

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Mar 26, 2018
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What if you were a fur trapper taking your 10 foot canoe to stay in a small cabin/shack and trap through winter(2-3 months) your cabin has a cot, small wood burning stove for heat and cooking already in it and table and chairs, what traditional gear do you bring with you besides your trapping supplies? Oh and you can bring three knives fixed or folding.
 
First off, I'd bring a bigger canoe. A 10 footer is not going to hold much, and will be more unstable, and in rough water more likely to be swamped. Back in the day, trappers used canoes that were up to 24 foot.

As for knives, I'd probably bring a Mora No. 1 or 2 for the fixed blade, and either a large (4 inch plus) Stockman, or a large moose or trapper pattern, and a Buck 110.
 
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My kayak is about ten feet. Every canoe I ever had was 15-17 feet. A ten foot kayak won’t carry much gear, and it won’t pack many furs out. Ideally, I would be rockin’ a Reelfoot Lake boat with an 8hp Honda powerplant, and some double-jointed oars, but more likely a 15-foot canoe.

For knives, a Muskrat, natch. An alox Farmer and a puukko. A Swede saw and an ax. Snowshoes. Filson double Mac and pants. Sorel boots.

A Sierra cup, some books and lotsa rubbers. A flashlight. Cigars.
 
Well... I do a bit of trapping here where I live. Day trip stuff. If these knives have to do everything, I guess this is what I would bring.

An Old Hickory 7" butchers blade. This would be used largely for food preparation but the nice upsweep at the tip would be great for skinning and fleshing beaver. Not to mention butchering any big game that may be taken. Nice size handle for ease of use both in the cold and in the warmth of my cabin. A quick touch up with a file or easy yo get razor sharp with a stone,I am well impressed with mine. And when I drop it in the snow and never see it again, it doesn't break the bank or the heart.

A full sized stockman. 4-4.25". This would handle most of my pelting duties along with general use. Carbon steel easy to get sharp and keeps an edge for when the line is good to me. 3 blades gives versatility for when different shapes make some cuts easier, both pelting and whittling.

Some sort of scout style knife with a bail. A blade for utility, awl for bush repairs, saw for bush repairs and a can opener for my beans. Dummy corded to me because you can let it hang while working on the line.

As for other traditional gear,I would suggest, in no order of importance, snowshoes, a billy can, rope, full sized axe along with a rigging hatchet, fire kit, pliers, hand drill, tin cup, cast iron dutch oven, appropriate outer wear, wire, various sized oil cloth sacks, saw, shovel, bucket... I could go on. Pack that canoe full!
 
Good point on the bigger canoe, and good knife choices. Been thinking mine would be a case m3 Finn and a sodbuster jr. Or large stockman And an alox sak/scout, rifle Winchester 94 and 60-70 rounds, and a 22. Pistol for the trap line I really like The old Boy Scout mess kits so I would bring one of them and probably 9-10 inch cast-iron skillet for cooking duty some canned food and a jar or two of peanut butter, staying in the cabin so long I would probably prefer having Wool or fleece blankets over a sleeping bag, couple good books and definitely hip waders. And an axe and small hatchet.
 
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Will avoid "piling on" regarding the size of the canoe and instead point out any canoe is pretty useless in the wintertime where ice is the norm where the furbearing targets of most trappers normally reside.

As for the hardware, a full size axe, a decent bow saw, and a fixed blade drop point hunter style knife would be the minimum I would take. That should cover 90% or more of my daily needs, from wood collection to skinning to food prep.
 
Folding pocket knife like a scout knife or multiple bladed knife. A small-medium sized fixed blade i.e. kephart style with a 4-5 inch blade and a small hatchet is about all a man would ever need...oh and a rifle....need a rifle....but this is a knife thread.
 
jmarston said:
Love that Vaughn rigging axe setup Hickory n steel Hickory n steel !I have been scouring my local haunts for a head to do the exact same thing!
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Thanks.
Mine is 20" and my exact cost total was $20.
I always thought it would be a great package and it definitely is.
I thought about how the GB forest axe is so popular but too expensive imo and could be better.
This would do everything a GB will do and then some, but should do it better and was a fraction of the cost.
Perfect balance bit to poll, better cheek to eye transition, and an actual hammer so you can pound on anything that needs pounding worry free.
 
Spending decades year round in the Alaskan wilderness Richard Louis "Dick" Proenneke offers real insight into what can be accomplished with a modicum of tools in the hands of a skilled bushman. Although he wasn't trapping he could just as easily have been doing it. He also documented the first couple of years by filming himself as he set about his adventure. "Alone in the wilderness" is the title. A fascinating film.
 
Dan of Bazz Clazz said:
Will avoid "piling on" regarding the size of the canoe and instead point out any canoe is pretty useless in the wintertime where ice is the norm where the furbearing targets of most trappers normally reside.

As for the hardware, a full size axe, a decent bow saw, and a fixed blade drop point hunter style knife would be the minimum I would take. That should cover 90% or more of my daily needs, from wood collection to skinning to food prep.
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A lot of the time around where I live early/late winter there’s not much ice over the water, I guess if I would’ve thought about it more I would’ve went with a snowmobile and a sled but let’s just stick with a canoe for now.

leghog said:
Won't be bringing much. A ten foot canoe is tiny.
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I figured that 10 footer despite being a small canoe would be easier for one person to handle alone. Liking the knife/gear choices everybody.
 
I Thought about it but figured as long as there is traditional knife content it was good for here, unless the mods want to move it.
 
WinchesteRalox said:
I Thought about it but figured as long as there is traditional knife content it was good for here, unless the mods want to move it.
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So I guess, as long as I placed a traditional Case Seahorse Whittler on a picture of Stormy Daniels at work on her back, I could post it here instead of the Pirates Cove.
 
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