American Bushman

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing." —Benjamin Franklin

Friday, March 18, 2011

Burnout

It seems like knives and gear have been coming in the door at a break-neck pace lately.

Despite that, it seems like I'm having a very difficult time finding the knife I want to drop into my pocket for the day or the gear I want to load into my pack for a day hike. It's like being very hungry in the grocery store but not finding anything you want to eat...

I'm frustrated.

If the Victorinox Pioneer does everything I need in a knife then why do I have so many much more expensive alternatives? If the Tramontina machete I just started working on will do everything I need in a chopper, why are there so many big choppers? Does the Snowpeak Mini-Solo do more than the Swedish Army Trangia or the White Box stove do more than the brass Trangia burner?

I'm burned out on knives and gear...

I think what precipitated this was an influx of new stuff combined with a lack of adventure and the recent discovery that a little superglue and a little sandpaper could really help me to fix or modify gear to better suit my needs. Heck, I fixed the torn Thermorun handle on my old F1 yesterday using this trick and now it looks better than it has in months.

I hiked last weekend, I hiked the weekend before that, but these little hops through the woods aren't getting it done. I need something more.

Maybe this weekend I'll get out somewhere and stare into a campfire for a while and see if I can sort this out.

Thanks for reading,


B

6 Comments:

At 9:54 AM, Blogger Dustin Tarditi said...

The more you know, the less you need...

Let's harken back to the days when the only outfitters were the occasional army/navy surplus stores - we didn't have much of this specialized gear, and the outdoor experience was somehow more pure.

There are certainly design and material improvements made over the years, but we simply don't need all that stuff to enjoy ourselves.

 
At 7:56 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

You can send some of that excessive gear my way bro.

 
At 5:21 AM, Anonymous Chris said...

Swing by waterbury dr, pick me up and let's go stealth camp along the canals! I'll bring potatoes for you!

 
At 1:09 PM, Blogger Perkunas said...

I see a lot of similar action here,or should i say lack of action. Guys concentrate on hoarding stuff that gets almost none REAL use and some of my buddies have burned out,sort of,like you too,as they only get gear,study it,sharpen it,play with it but they forget to hike :)

good post,man !

 
At 3:59 AM, Blogger EcoRover said...

Good blog. I've carried a Case Stockman (basic 3-blade folding pocket knife) for 45+ years and am pretty happy with it. Hard to find 'em in carbon steel anymore, though. I do stash a bigger knife in my pack for elk & moose--I've boned a few with just the pocketknife but it's easier with a bigger knife.

 
At 6:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In this blog post you mention repairing your F1 knife.

I was wondering what method (equipment and technique) that you use to sharpen this knife?

I have an F1 that I purchased a few years ago. I have watched/read about a few methods for sharpening it. The most commonly recommended one uses sandpaper and a mousepad. I have tried this technique and others and I feel the knife is not as sharp as it first was/could be.

It would be great if you could post a blog posting about your greatest success with sharpening an F1.
Cheers.

 

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