I have finally contributed to YouTube

I went for a walk in the woods today and decided to test out my camera's video capability to record some of my bushcraft follies. I happened to have 2 knives for testing today, a Fallkniven F1 and an RTAK II. The RTAK II made quick work of chopping through a fallen log I came across. I did discover a couple of hotspots and decided that a large 10 inch chopper should be paired with some leather gloves. I made a mental note of the gloves and went back to the task at hand. The Fallkniven is a good little knife and has a convex grind. It has a thick 4mm spine which is fairly large for a 4 inch bushcraft knife but does a good job with carving tasks. Batoning is easy since the thick convex grind splits wood apart with little effort. The tip is stout and drills holes with ease and this is what I decided to test.

A nice cut stump acted as an impromptu tripod (note to self: buy tripod) and a second stump acted as a work station. I then proceeded to repeatedly stab the knife into the stump and exert a lateral force to the blade until the tip ripped out of the wood. I'd say this went on for about three and a half minutes until I got bored. I threw in a bit of drilling for good measure also.

The knife performed surprisingly well today. I expected some rolling of the edge at the tip or perhaps a bent tip but saw none of that. The tip looked just as it did before I started. The edge close to the tip was even able to shave hair despite my best efforts to accomplish otherwise.

Just as surprising as my knife's performance was the fact that I was able to figure out the editing process on my Mac's iMovie program. It's rather intuitive and I was able to add music, titles, and even fade in and out. I wouldn't say this is the worst video on YouTube so I'm ahead of the game! All in all it was a good day since I squeezed in a bit of bushcraft, played with knives, and made my first movie. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go attend to a blister on my hand.

Fallkniven F1 field test

Bushcraft Gathering

That's right folks the 1st annual Bushcraft USA Bushcrafters' Ball. Three whole days of bushcraft fun down in the southern part of Illinois. We will be concentrating on various skills such as fire, wild edibles, first aid, shelter building, and edged tool techniques. Everyone will bring their favorite gear allowing us all to give it a good once over and review. I already have some things on order that I'd like to evaluate in action. My skillset will be first aid and the plan is to teach everyone the principles of suturing and splinting. This meet is open to anyone with the means and motivation to show up so please try your best to come on down to Shawnee for a grand ol' time in the woods.

Koa

Why Koa?

In case you are all wondering I picked the name Koa based on the tree Acacia koa. It's a tree found in Hawaii and has one of the most amazing grain patterns I ever saw. Since I love nature and the outdoors it was only fitting that I named myself after a tree right? Well there you go... Koa. For those of you just dying to learn more about this amazing tree please refer to the internet's most trusted and reliable source explaining everything in the universe with 100% accuracy, well sometimes. Acacia koa

Koa

Bushcraft USA

Back in the fall of 2008 Faol and myself started talking about making a website dedicated to bushcraft and all things outdoors. There are plenty of great bushcraft sites already but most of them are based out of the UK. Searching for a US based bushcraft site yielded few results and the idea of Bushcraft USA was born. Now I am by no means an expert in bushcraft but I enjoy being outside and love to surround myself with nature, the fact that I have an affinity for sharp knives doesn't hurt either. A small investment and Faol's computer expertise was all we needed to get Bushcraft USA up and running. Just one year ago if you would have asked me if I would ever start a website dedicated to bushcraft I would have declared you insane on the spot and sent you away but here I am and loving every minute of it.

One thing that really strikes me about the site is the quality of the membership there. Some people are bushcraft novices and others are experts but there is a shared bond between us all. Never would I have thought to see a forum with such respect between members. No one's a "guru" and everyone has something to learn and something to teach, the trick is to realize which one you should be doing and when. If you are interested in bushcraft, the outdoors, or preparedness please come on over to Bushcraft USA and introduce yourself. We'll save a spot on the log for you!

Have a look at our mission statement:
The mission of Bushcraft USA is to provide a North American focused forum for bushcraft and related activities. There are differences between the North American continent and the rest of the world, both geographically and culturally. We intend to explore the differences and similarities between the two bushcraft philosophies.

Koa