Leather Sheaths

A few sheath designs I have been trying to work up:

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Bocote Ring

Having a small excess of bocote wood, these were the products of last night's time in the shop. Still need to do some research and experimentation on coatings... polyurethane?

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Survival Adventure Network - Video

One of the productions that Canterbury's Pathfinder School has created, is a project called the Survival Adventure Network. The episode below, entitled Deer Camp, is a documentary video of a group of everyday people placed in a pretty realistic wilderness survival scenario - "Real People engaged in True Survival Training Scenarios." With a minimum of provided supplies, the participants are given freedom to create their own shelters, explore their surroundings, and utilize whatever they can find.

The project has the potential to be both entertaining and an information gold mine, I think. Seeing other folks suffer, guess at, and either fail or succeed - to a student, this is revealing to see what physical and mental reactions you can expect in a similar situation. The cold and the wet, it translates very well from this video into the viewer's imagination!

It is a long video, and Dave provides occasional commentary on what his observations are for the group and their strategies. Very good stuff...

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Dadley and Bocote

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Digging A Seep Well

As one of the most critical aspects of wilderness survival, having a variety of methods to filter and purify water can come in handy. Easy methods such as boiling, purification tablets, pump filters, and UV filters are great. They are fairly easy, reliable, and pretty well remove the guesswork in transitioning water from questionable to drinkable. I've commented on it before, but one of the things that gets me on the show Dual Survival is the risks they take with water. In more than one episode, Dave will drink water that is, in my mind, more than questionable. I get his logic that being hydrated and able to function for a few extra days before getting sick is preferable to abstaining from risky water and dehydrating sooner, but here is where primitive techniques like the seep well can come in handy!

Seep wells are best dug near a water source where the ground is already fairly saturated. Mud, lake shore, and river bank or sand bar are all good locations. It can also be dug where a water source is not visible but where plant life indicates a water source may be just below the surface of the ground.

There is a difference between filtering water and purifying water in outdoor terminology. Filtering involves removing particulates from the water. This would be removing things like leaves, dirt, bugs, and algae. An exceptional filter would also remove bacteria and other microorganism. After being filtered water is generally safe-er to drink, but not by definition, safe. Purifying is specifically used to describe water that has been cleansed to the point where it is safe to drink. A seep well is a method of filtration, not purification. It improves the quality of risky water and reduces the likelihood of ingesting something that will make you sick.

The technique for digging a seep well is very simple and can often be done by hand. A shovel just makes the job easier. Choose a spot approximately 6-10 feet from the edge of the water source. Dig a hole roughly twelve inches across and as deep and you can reach. If you have the material available, it is helpful to line the walls of the hole with rocks or even wood. This reinforces the sides of the well and helps keep dirt from slipping from the well walls into the water itself. Depending on the consistency of the soil, the time it takes for water to seep through the ground and fill the hole you have dug may vary. The process of the water seeping from the source, through the soil, and filling the hole you dug serves as a filtration method of it's own. Don't drink the first batch of water that seeps in to fill the well. Go ahead and let the hole fill, then scoop out the water. This first batch of water is generally murky because you have loosed the soil by digging and constructing your well. This first bit of water brings loose soil with it and needs to be discarded. It can be helpful to dump the water a couple of times if you can wait. It will get clearer each time you do this.

As I said, the water you gather using this method is filtered. It is cleaner that drinking straight from a pond or stream, but it is still safer to boil this before drinking it.

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Survival Schools!

Hey guys, one of the projects I try to keep up to date is US Survival School Directory. Since I have only attended two survival schools in my life and my funds are unfortunately limited for such pursuits, I could really use a hand developing a "reputation" source for any survival schools you have attended. If you've been to a wilderness school here in the US (or really wherever you may be) and are up for doing some writing, please consider writing up a short article on your experience and sending it to me at survivalogic@gmail.com. I'll try to share those write-ups here on the site and then provide a permanent link to your review on the directory page. It will help a lot in making the directory as informative as it can be!

A few points to cover as a guideline:

• What school you attended
• When
• Location
• Duration of the course
• Skills learned
• Any photos you have

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Gray Wolf

Knife by Aaron Gray at Gray Wolf Knives - handle and sheath by me.

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"Wilderness" Movies

When it is too rainy, or too cold, or too hot, or too something, sometimes a good outdoor movie will tide me over until my next excursion. Granted, none of my trips are really anything like the six movies below, which is good because I probably would have died in the first half hour of each of them, but these make up my top picks for great wilderness survival oriented films.

The Way Back - the story of a group of escaped prisoners and their trek by foot from a Siberian prison camp across wildly varied terrain all the way to India. This was probably my favorite movie of last year. It was an incredible story of a seemingly impossible feat - over 4,000 miles crossed by foot across forest, desert, mountains and ice.

The Hunted - about an ex-solder living in the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. The wilderness isn't necessarily the focus of this film, but is certainly a large part. This movie has an epic knife fight scene with handmade knives.

Jeremiah Johnson - classic, older wilderness movie. Bears, mountain men, Indians, it's all there.

Into the Wild - if you have to choose, read the book over the movie. The actual story occurred recently and is based on real events of a young man heading out and living as an intentionally homeless wanderer across North America.

Last of the Mohicans - this one I admit I enjoyed the movie more than the book. Set during French and Indian War times, back when the east coast had almost as much wilderness as the west.

Defiance - an excellent WWII era movie about refugee Jewish folks living in the Belorussian forests. It's actually a good depiction of some of the difficulties a large group trying to survive hidden in the wilderness could face.








Ok now, which of your favorite outdoor movies have I missed?

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Green River Dadley Knife

I know I've been posting a lot of knife work lately. Just been finding myself with a bit more time for that than anything else recently.

This is a modified Green River Dadley with mahogany scales and compressed leather liners. This knife has been my personal user for a few months now and is up there with the BK14 as my favorite.

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Green River Belt Knife

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Skinner

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A Self-Sustaining Hobby

I have had several kind folks suggest that I make the knives that I customize available for sale somehow. I am certainly aware of my status as a hobbyist, not a professional, but my collection of knives I enjoy customizing is exceeding the space I have to store them, as well as my budget to keep trying new designs. Plus, it's a shame for a knife to spend so much of it's time in a drawer!

So I have opened an Etsy store here. I'll probably not have very many listings up at once. My main intent is to have my hobby help support itself somewhat and to get these knives out of my drawer and into someone's hand.

Thanks for looking!
-Corey

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Fur - Fish - Game

I've subscribed to numerous magazines in the past, but have taken a break from subscriptions for several years. In September 2011, I subscribed to Fur - Fish - Game at the recommendation of a friend. Since then, I have read cover to cover the 3 issues released. It's an excellent, informative magazine covering, well... fur, fish, and game. Trapping, fishing, and hunting is their focus, and they stick to it. You can take a look at the most recent list of topics here.

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The Grey

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