Morakniv

 I just want to take a minute to discuss a few of the Mora line up. Basically the more popular models many woodcraft/bushcraft people like. The base models, the 511 and 546- which are the same knife but the 511 is a high carbon steel and the 546 is a stainless. The Garberg, the Companion, and the Classic #1. There are a large variety of other models, but these seem to be the most popular choice for outdoors enthusiast.

Most people will attribute the design of these knives to traditional Scandinavian designs. Which are the puuko and the leuku. But, Mora seems to sort of be hybrids of the two. Take the 511 for example. It's sized more like a puuko, but the blade profile leans heavily towards a leuku. As are the Gerberg, Kansbol, and even the little Eldris have more of a leuku blade profile. While the Classic, Companions, the Bushcraft, or even the All Around models lean more into that classic puuku profile.

See my example below:

The top is the Pro C, the middle a Companion, and the bottom a Garberg,

The Pro C, which is the same profile as the 511and 546 leans more towards a leuku profile, as does the Garberg, but the Companion in the middle is more of that classic puuku profile.

The definition of a puuku is a smaller thinner blade with a tapered belly and a mild angled drop point. The leuku is defines as a larger more rubust blade with a more obstruse belly and a much less angles point. Yet, the Mora Robust is this thicker blade, but it's by no means a large knife. Hmmm.... Hybrid?

I think Mora sort of took the traditional elements of those Scandi knives, and turned them on their ear a little. Does it matter though? If you are a purists, yes. If you just like to buy stuff and go use it, no.

The Essentials

 Yeah, this again.

So every site blogger, YT influencer, social media poster, and state agency has a list of suggested items. I am no exception. I do tend to be a little different, as I feel what you carry should depend on your skill level and experience for being in the woods. Does that mean an expert should carry only bare essentials and that a beginner should carry everything in the house? No. What it means is you should carry items you have tested and know to work for you personally. You will gain that experience by going out into the woods and learning. You will not learn or gain experience from reading. So stop reading and go outdoors!

Still here? OK, lets get the wagon rolling. Again...But a little different.. Maybe..Sort of... Look, if you're still reading then just keep reading. You might gain some insight.

The more time one spends in the woods the more you'll find items you need and do not need. Need here, not want. You need a way to make a fire, but you do not need to carry a flame thrower (you can but... I digress). You need a first aid kit, you do not need to bring three nurses and a doctor. You need a compass, you do not need to carry a satellite on your back. Leaning what you need can take years, or one trip. I'd lean towards a years....

I've covered this, but I want to show a different approach here. Lets a look at what our NYSDEC says on the topic of recommended items, as it's actually pretty universal:

NYDECs Hike Smart

Anyone with real experience will agree with this list. Or at least most of it. Would I suggest lugging all if this for a 5 mile trek through a town park? No. Would I suggest all of it for a day hiking the West Canada Lake Wilderness? Yes, or at least most of it.

Here's the things I would either swap, change, or leave at home. It's really only a couple of items.

For the Sun and Bug stuff, bug repellent is a must anywhere in bug season. But I would not bother much with the bug net, sunscreen (in wooded areas, if you're in the desert with blaring sun, have at it...) or the sunglasses. They are not on what I'd consider a needed list. Use that space to carry a little more water. Or, a few small candles- see below.

The shelter items. It might be a little bulky, but I'd opt for one of the tarps with the reflective side over just a tarp AND emergency blanket. As I said, it weights a tad more and will take up a little more space than a tarp and mylar blanket, but it will not tear like the space blankets tent too. Or, even one of those emergency tents that come in the shape of an a-frame tarp shelter already and have the reflective surface in the inside. In cold temps it might be a good idea to carry some candles, in case the need arises to make a Palmer Furnace.

One thing not on that list is cordage. Not everyone can whip up 50 feet of cordage like heating a can of soup. So I suggest carrying at least 50 feet of some sort of cordage. You'll need it to make a shelter from the tarp, you can use it in a pinch to make an emergency splint. Duct tape works great for that as well, but duct tape hurts like hell when removed from hairy body parts. Cordage of some sort should be in every kit.

I would also carry a knife besides just in the emergency kit. I prefer fixed blade belt knives, but at least a decent folding knife is a must.

I would also suggest appropriate clothing from the start. Those new age gym shorts and flip flops are great for pool parties, but I really suggest proper shoes, actual pants or shorts (not sweat pants or pajamas), and a tee shirt. But, I guess proper clothing is subjective in these times of not even actually getting dressed to go shopping. 

As you spend more time out wandering and exploring, you'll learn what works best for you in your area, or even what works best on this trail in this area and what works best for that trail in that area.

I personally know what I need, but often carry what I want as I make videos and I'm not a minimalists in most aspects. But, anyone who knows me or has seen some of the videos I have been known to carry only a bottle of water and a knife at times in warm weather.

Now, if you read all that. Load up some stuff and go practice learning what YOU need for the woods!

Dispelling The Mythos: Hunting/Fishing Implements

 I can't even count the times anymore where I have "debated" with others on budget bows and guns. More specifically, that a $300 bow dill kill a deer just as dead as a $3,000 bow. Or that a $500 rifle will kill a deer just as dead as a $5000 rifle, and a $100 shotgun will kill turkeys the same as a $1,000 shotgun. Or, that a $10 fishing rod reel combo will catch as many fish as a $500 rig (talking general fishing, not deep water ocean or lake). They will argue until they are blue in the face. Why? Just because some people love to argue, and no matter what facts you present to them, they will never admit to being wrong, or accept those facts openly.

It amazes me the amount of people who will argue that, as an example, a 180 GR 30/06 bullet fired from a SAKO isn't going to travel any faster or have any more FP or KE than the same bullet fired from a Savage Axis. 

Or another one, a #6 shotshell fired from a $200 12GA with a 24" barrel and a full choke will not be any better that a $2,000 shotgun shooting a #6 shotshell with a 24" barrel and full choke. They may pattern a bit differently, but should not be that far differed. Both will very effectively kill a turkey out to 30-35 yards.

Two bows set with the same draw weight and shooting the same exact arrow ( I do mean the same arrow), one that cost $250 and the other a high end bow that cost $2,500 will shoot the same. By the same I mean at 30 yards, both are going to kill the deer just as dead as the other.

Some people feel you need to spend a lot of money on your gear. But, the truth is, you don't. If you happen to be on a budget and don't have a lot of money, never let anyone shame you for what you have. If they persist, they are trolling or just being bass holes (see what I did there!).

This is just my point of view on the topic.

Dispelling The Mythos: Hammocks

 So, this will be the first in what I'm going to call Dispelling The Mythos. At some point, yes, edged tools will be discussed again. But, there are some other myths out there that may be taken as fact, and while not all myths are false, a good many are only true from one perspective. It's the "Look at this I'm doing over here!" while I do that over there thing.

If you talk to most die hard hammock campers, the top reasons they give in defense are they are lighter, set up faster, and I don't need to have flat ground to set it up. Let's take an honest look at these three declarations closer.

A Hammock Is Lighter:

This may have been true ages ago when canvas was the popular material for tents. But in the last 20 years? Nope. Even if you don't use a bug net, a hammock with all the tie outs and a tarp large enough to cover it is going to weigh in at around 3-4 pounds. That's if you make your own tie out stakes. If you carry stakes add about another at least 1/4 pound. If you use a bug net, we're up to 5.5 pounds. Which is pretty light. But, there are a lot of tents out there that weight the same or less. Your basic two person pup tent weighs in at around 3.5 pounds, including the poles, tie outs, and stakes. If you want to shave the weight a little, leave the poles and stakes at home and make them from sticks at camp and you're under 2 pounds, and it's more packable. So for less weight, you get a tent that keeps bugs out, doesn't need a separate tarp to keep the rain off, and affords a little privacy is you want to change your clothes.

Or, if you have the money, there are ultra light tents that weight under 5 pounds for up to a 4 person tent.

I Don't Need Flat Ground:

No, but you do need two trees that are right space apart. You'd be amazed at how the woods don't always agree with us being out there, and don't grow to accommodate us puny humans. For example, at the base camp for the ABB, there's areas to set up more tarp shelters or tents than there are spots to set up a hammock. Between the trees not cooperating, underbrush and growth, it's just not as easy as one would imagine. Even on a hill. So in reality, you don't need a flat spot, but you need a clear spot with the right trees to support the weight and be far enough apart to accommodate the shelter.

I found it rather funny some time ago when a guy using a hammock set up on a fairly steep little bank, and in the morning his gear and boots had rolled down the little hill. 

They Set Up Faster:

I have personally never been able to set up a hammock with tarp faster than I can my tents. I am not great at it, but I have watched guys who camp with me who have been using hammocks for decades. I can set up my tent including setting up the inside with my cot, get a fire going, and be relaxing before they have their hammock shelter set up. The 2024 Fall trip, I had my tent completely set up, coolers and so on at the table, and was getting the canopy up before the two guys using hammocks were done.

Every shelter type has it's pros and cons. From a simple cowboy roll, to a tarp shelter, a tent, or a hammock. It's all personal preference! I just felt I wanted to clarify a few myths that come up often.

This is just my personal opinion on the subject.

Try Stick

 The following pictures are a couple of years old, they are from a challenge I was involved in at that time. This is pretty much a text book example of a try stick. It covers the main notches one may have to carve for use in bushcraft camping.

A Wire Saw & Some Pine Tea

 I wanted to show how those budget wire saws can do, and I figured I might as well make a hot beverage while I was out in the cold. Packed up a haversack and hit the trail They had plowed a couple of other areas so there's a nice change of scenery.

Below is the pitch pine needles. Notice the group of three.

Eastern white pine. 5 needle groups.

A couple of ways to know if pine needles are edible are by how soft they are. If they are somewhat soft and flexible it's usually safe. Also, if you rub them so the oils come out they should smell just a bit resinous with a hint of citrus. But again, I still suggest the book on foraging.

I want to mention that in the following video I accidentally call the pitch pine ponderosa pine a few times. 

Belt Kit Outing

 

Happy New Year

 

Another Snow Shoe Trek

 

Out for another snowshoe trek. Some light survival kit musings.

MRE For Breakfast

 Embracing the suck I packed up and headed out with a real feel of 4*. My plan? To heat up and eat an MRE and make some coffee. The MRE heater didn't really work out this time, so I ate a cold beef and bean taco with rice and corn MRE. Surprisingly, this ne actually had some coffee in it. But as my wife reminded me, I cannot have caffeine, so I guess it was a good thing when I went out with the first one there wasn't any coffee.

Fingers are still a tiny bit frostbit, but not bad. hard to wear cloves to eat and make stuff to eat and drink.

Snowshoe Hike

 

Annual Virtual Bushcraft Meet

 I thought I'd mentioned this here, and I know I've discussed it in a few videos, but it's worth updating.

For 6 years I hosted an annual virtual meetup for camping and bushcraft. It was called Night Of 1,000 Blades. Due to a few factors, I made the decision that it was time to make changes to this event and host it through my forum starting in 2026.

The object of this event was/is for people to go out in their chosen area and camp for at least one night. I had also deemed that you can even camp in your yard, but you must camp for a night. Then share your trip report with everyone in an report thread. It was started to be a motivational event, but I did add a few requirements to the gathering for the past two years. It's designed to more or less be a bushcraft event, so three bushcraft related tasks should be done. It's pretty easy, your camping and part of camping is making a fire, and cooking a meal over that fire. Twig stoves are allowed for those who might be under a fire ban or not have an actual fire pit in their yard. So that's two of the tasks down by simply going camping. The third was participants choice, go as easy as you like or as difficult as you like. Each year the attendance grew less and less, so I decided that the Fall 2025 gathering would be the last NOATB. I had even swapped it one year from Fall to Spring because people said Fall was not acceptable, and that did not go any better or have any more participants. I had also been asked one year to set up a Google map and did so, but no one bothered to sue it. So I feel it was just time to move on. I feel strongly that 6 years was plenty of time for it to run. 

So for 2026 it got rebranded and is now called Night Of Smoke And Blades (NOSAS). It will also be hosted through Firepit Outdoors exclusively. The forum is free to join, all we ask is you follow the rules. Everything is the same. The date will be selected of early to mid September, after the bugs have dissipated a great deal from most areas and temps for most areas have come down and are more tolerable. One must still actually camp out for at least one night on the selected dates, and may still do so in their yard as long as they actually sleep out of doors. The three tasks will remain as well. Make a fire, cook a meal over a fire, and a third of their choosing.

This is a great way to have a virtual gathering and for participants to see what others cook, do in camp, and what other areas look like. Hopefully those who participated in past years will continue to do so from the different base camp. Maybe we will even get some new participants.

Axe Edges

 If you ask how to sharpen an axe or how sharp an axe should be on the internet, you're going to get a lot of varied replies or information. I'm going to add to the confusion, as well state a few things that will make a collector cringe.

You can sharpen a wall hanger any way you like. Make it hairsplitting sharp and use it to shave.

You should not make a user axe or hatchet shaving sharp! Yes, I just said that! The sharper and thinner the edge of an axe is, the easier and more prone it will be to chipping or possibly rolling. An axe should be sharp enough to cut paper, and that's all that's needed. It merely needs to be able to chop and cut through wood fibers. It does not need to help with manscaping.

Some people like to reshape the axe head. There's nothing wrong with that, but a user axe should be sort of wide at and behind the cheek. The theory to thinning the cheek is for felling and making the edge slice/cut into the wood better. To make chopping easier. But a thin axe head isn't always the best for splitting. A wider cheek and butt make it much easier to split wood. A wider cheek will cause the wood to septate (split) easier. Look at a splitting maul and you'll see exactly what I mean. So it's sort of a catch 22? No. Not really. I'll explain:

When we head off into the woods to camp, the odds of felling a tree are slim. Very slim. In fact, most states do not allow us to fell even dead standing trees on public land. So in reality, felling can be removed from the equation. This leaves us with possibly needing to buck and split laying and downed trees. Bucking is more or less the same as felling. You want to chop the log into reasonable size lengths to be able to split. But now you open a new conundrum- it's difficult to split small pieces of wood that do not have flat ends. The best way to fix this is to use a saw to buck and an axe for felling and splitting. But, we're not talking about saws here, are we?...

So what's the best options? Loaded question. No right or wrong answer, but I will suggest using something with a sort of thin bit, while the cheek widens a bit to force easier splitting. Something like a convex angle to the cheek with a fair amount of depth to the cheek area. Sharpened enough to cut a sheet of paper. This will offer a decent edge for both bucking and splitting.

Just my personal point of view from almost 5 decades of camping and using axes. Feel free to join the discussion over on the Firepit Outdoors Forum.

Some Light Snow

 

Fall Cabin Trip 2025

 We left last Monday for our Fall cabin trip. The weather forecast wasn't looking to good and it was pretty correct. We had more rain than we had dry weather. We just went with the flow and made the best of things. I did have to miss one day of hunting and the rain made me bail a couple hours early the next morning.

I usually do a bunch of bushcraft practice, but this year I just wasn't feeling it. I did get the wood stove going with a ferro rod one night and flint and steel another, and of course hunting is bushcraft, but that was it really.

We did some touring in the car over to Long Lake, Raquette Lake, and found out one area was sold and the new owners have blocked access on their land to one of the more popular state owned mountains in the area we go to. What can ya do? Things change I guess....

The only deer seen was a very small doe on my way to my hunting area one morning. 4 days of the early ML season and the regular season opener for the NZ.

That's really about it. Not a lot going on this year for that trip.

Last First

 I put the video for the last day of the archery season and the opener for the muzzleloader season together. So far it's not been a horrible season, having seen deer on 3 of the five hunts I've been able to get in.

Yesterday was part of the game on public land.

When I got to my chosen spot there were already two vehicles there. One smaller SUV and a pickup. The owner of the SUV was already gone (so to speak- see later), and the two guys in the truck were just finishing up getting ready. They asked where I was going to be (I wish everyone on public land did this), I told them and they said they were going to be in the second field. Which was fine as it did leave me a good area to watch.

They headed in and I threw my pack on and locked my own SUV and started in. I noticed a light coming back from the first field and figured one of the other guys forgot something. Nope. Upon my getting on the trail I was greeted by two dogs wearing orange vests with a third back with the owner. The light I saw was a pheasant hunter who was now leaving, in the dark. My best guess is he decided to give up the area to the deer hunters. At least I'm guessing for the benefit of the doubt here that's how it went. No night hunting allowed in any of the areas near home so....

I got to my blind and set up. After about 40 minutes I saw a doe trotting from the woodlot to the field and was out of my safe zone in less then a few seconds. She slowed and stopped for a second between me and the other field the other two guys here hunting. I didn't even get time to think about grabbing my ML/ I managed to get a little clip of her on video, but with the low light it's a little hard to see her.

So my morning consisted of seeing a good doe but not having a shot and hearing turkeys where I never heard a peep from a turkey all last May when I was hunting them.

Deer Hunt 2

 

First Deer Hunt Of 2025

 The archery opener was last Saturday, but I had stuff going on all weekend and most of yesterday. But I was finally able to get out this morning. It felt good to be back in the deer blind. Plenty of acorns were dropping in the woods so things should get interesting pretty soon. Providing those woods don't get over run with pressure. It seemed very strange to be using a crossbow instead of my compound bow. You get used to something for so long it can feel off to do something different.

I didn't see any deer on this hunt. I might head back out tomorrow or Thursday if I'm feeling up to it.

Some Light Hunting & A Discussion

 We set out this morning to go over to the camp because I wanted to do some light bear hunting, try and locate a coyote den, and state why going forward my annual virtual gathering as well as all ABB outings will be set up through my forum now. So te end chat for this one is very dry and direct.

So upon arriving in the area we got a call from my buddy he had to help his father with a goat. Due to some bad cell coverage we thought he had said they also needed our help so we said we'd meet at the goat pens. Once there there was no one else around so I did manage to get ahold of my buddy who then explained that there was a mix up due to the call breaking up, but since we were there the extra hands would be appreciated. Turns out his father had suffered a nasty gore cut by one of the goats horns. So we got things handled. His dad drove himself to the ER even though we all tried getting him to let us take him. So off to the camp we headed.

Upon getting back in we talked for a while and then my buddy and I set out to look for the den and see if there was any fresh bear sign around. We did a big zig zag and passed by two of my hunting blinds but did not find what we were in search of. Back at the camp we opted to pass on making fire due to it being 81* in the Adirondacks in late September. I made the closing clip for my video then we talked about deer hunting, reworking the firepit at the camp, and the upcoming cabin trip.

From there we headed back out loaded things back into my SUV and went to see how my buddy's father was.

As a side note, I won't be discussing guns much on this blog, but those Thordsens are a huge step up from the spur if you live in here in NY. The best option by far if you want to go featureless. The 10/30 Hexmags aren't horrible for the price either. 

While at the camp we saw a few of these caterpillars.

They are Hickory Tussack. We looked them up when we got home and while they are very cool looking they secrete a slightly toxic fluid from the hairs that causes a rash. Pretty interesting little critters if you ever feel like looking them up.

Walking The Long Bow

 I felt like stretching my legs a little this morning, so I grabbed the long bow and headed out for some squirrel hunting and then stopped to get my TRC picture.