• Happy International Mermaid Day! 🧜🏼‍♀️

Christmas Wish List

Here we go again Brad. You just can't help your self can you. You might consider a sensitivity training.

Vacuum cleaners. Ouch. That's a touchy subject. She chose our current model. I objected. I preferred a more portable one, but she insisted on this one. I do use them, I'm no Neanderthal.

Ouch is right! I happen to be a Neanderthal and I also vacuum, but I'm still human, sort of, and It might surprise you to know that we Neanderthals have feelings too. I am who I am and I'm not ashamed.
 
Here we go again Brad. You just can't help your self can you. You might consider a sensitivity training.



Ouch is right! I happen to be a Neanderthal and I also vacuum, but I'm still human, sort of, and It might surprise you to know that we Neanderthals have feelings too. I am who I am and I'm not ashamed.

Well, my little unibrow friend, I had no idea your digits were so dextrous as to permit pushing a Hoover. Imagine that! One moment in time we're all swimming around in a primordial soup together, and the next you're pushing a vacuum cleaner around your cave. I bet the Mrs appreciates you putting on the apron and pitching in around the place. But perhaps you're right, I may need sensitivity training. But don't be so hasty, or too touchy. I might be climbing a little higher up the homo sapien family tree, but we're still in this together, eh? I mean my sloped foreheaded friend, we're both two average males just trying to figure out this complex and changing world, trying to keep one step ahead of our predators and still find enough time in our evolving busy lives to push the ol' Hoover around the fire ring before our better halves get home. (Would sensitivity training be listed in the Yellow Pages under S, or T? I might give them a ring.)
I seriously thought about the fixed blade on belt thing before, but I do appreciate your comment. The PFD would make a belted blade awkward, so perhaps it might be safely fastened on a pack as you say. Something for me to think about. What do other people do? I'm more nervous of losing a blade than having it drop out and bite me. But, you never know.
 
Last edited:
Just to elaborate on the knife thing. When you said you found a nice little Birch handled fixed blade for the mrs my thoughts went to a pointy Nordic style knife like a Finish Puku. My bird and trout knife design is pointy (and very sharp) and if you are not careful you can stick it right through the side of the sheath when inserting it crooked and forcing it in. Several customers have done this in the past and needed new sheaths made. I would not want to be wearing it on my hip when it went through the side of the sheath. In canoe country I am concerned also about slipping and falling on it.
 
I value your thoughts and experience, especially since my thoughts are incomplete and my experience is nil. It's funny you mentioned that blade, cause we'd looked at that one. But picking a blade is such a personal thing. I must admit to not using one often, but even I have a bias towards certain blades. She doesn't care for too fine a blade, in case she needs to chop with it, and find her knuckles getting in the way. Here's what I was considering for her :
http://www.workwearcanada.com/produc...m?product=1589
Small for small hands. M has insisted she doesn't want too big a blade. What do you think?

ps Slips and falls. That's my # 1 concern out there.
 
Last edited:
In less you're stabbing something, for average tasks a large knife is always a hindrance in my book. If M has small hands it looks like it would be a fine knife. The drop point design is very functional and handy. I love a drop point for gutting and skinning deer. Mine has a 3 3/4" blade and I would use it on larger game yet if I had the chance. I have carried a smaller 3" drop point at times. 12C27 is a Sandvik knife steel with good toughness for a stainless steel. It has just enough chromium to make it stainless but not so much that it would be brittle. Although it would be plenty tough, toughness is not really a concern with such a small handle as it won't be used for any heavy chores. But it should hold a decent edge. The sheath is solid looking with a welt to prevent the blade from slicing the stitching. Glad to see a wood handle. Although I have made many knives with Micarta handles (a tough synthetic material) I prefer wood handles for my own knives. It just feels warmer and more natural in my hand. The synthetic materials feel lifeless to me. To sum it up, while it looks very simple it is designed to be very functional and is made out of respectable materials. You will know this the first time you pick it up and use it. In fact I think you might be surprised.

Never store a knife in a leather sheath for any length of time. Take it out and lay it on a shelf next to the sheath. Even stainless knives will corrode in time if left in the sheath. It looks like fly specks that won't come off.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your advice, it's invaluable. Dave, you should have your own blade blog, really you should.
We went to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this afternoon. http://www.royalfair.org There we saw all things agricultural (naturally), like cows, horses, goats, fencing, feed, farm products, and even cooking demonstrations. I almost bought a cowboy hat, a pair of boots...and almost, just almost, a kid (baby goat). The thing was so darn cute I found myself murmuring "Wrap it up, I'll take it." It wasn't for sale. What's this all got to do with canoe tripping you say? Nothing. Except...we were ogling the antiques for sale, like old butter boxes, gothic windows, and harvest tables, when what do I see when I look up? An old birch bark canoe, from Golden Lake Ontario. I didn't catch the date. I also didn't have the money. $6,500. Later on I ambled by a booth with Grans B axes and Helle knives. Very nice things at not bad prices, but I decided to play it coy with my wife. I merely pointed at them and hoarsely whispered "Those would make perfect gifts for the special man in your life." I hope I wasn't being too subtle.
 
Yellowcanoe, I wish you the best possible news after surgery.

Odyssey, I think the lists great fun.

My husband is really picky and being sometimes frugal I hate wasting money on stuff that goes unused. Finally he started (because of my nagging) making a list each year and I really appreciate it. My daughter caught on and she does it too. Of course they don't get all the stuff they write down, but it gives me something to go on. And I get a kick out of my daughter's lists because I find lists in kid writing to be pretty cute. I save them.

My husband keeps asking for camping, hiking, and canoe gear - I know we're going to have fun for years to come!
 
With the new week things are much better..thanks for all your kind thoughts! But my "Christmas List" dares not include any more camera or camp gear. He goes canoeing because I go. His ideal list would be a shop extension for all the tools he would like to buy at Rockler. His druthers would be to spend time in the shop making furniture and I am the one planning the canoe trips.

Odyssey I went to a Christmas craft fair and wound up with 1 .snowman centerpiece 2. Christmas cards handmade 3. a canoe whirly gig. Of course that was the most expensive and involved the least thought. Usually I orbit and mull over any prospective purchases.. I made three passes in front of the first two items and bought the whirly gig on the spot.

Do I really NEED a lawn whirly gig.. well I could mount it on a snowbank for a reminder of spring.

I do wish Santa would drop a Fine Pix S1 out of the sleigh.. Otherwise I will have to wait for the death of my AW100.
 
Last edited:
Just to set the record straight, our kids don't walk around dressed in seed sacks and sandals. They're fashion conscience...more or less, kinda. I roll my eyes at one daughter's pickiness. They'll just have to trust my taste in clothing. I dunno, maybe my jeans and plaid shirts make them nervous. Whatever. Sizes I need help with, especially with my wife. (Rookie mistake #1 guys : Don't buy one size up thinking they'll grow into it, or appreciate the roominess and freedom of movement. Wives in undergarments and dresses don't equate to husbands in coveralls going commando. You might have to get sneaky. Walk up behind her, wrap your arms around her and give her a squeeze and a kiss on the neck. While you're there, take a peek at the garment tag. Oh, and this only works till you're caught. DON'T say the size out loud. I was good at this, but I' need a new move cause whenever I try the romantic peck on the neck, she blurts out "medium".)
At the Royal Fair we started Christmas shopping way early (for me). Some cute clothing for grandkids. No whirly gigs. I made the mistake of showing my lady the slabs of wood turned into tables and cutting boards. I thought they were cool. She thought they were handy. It took me awhile to catch on. She kept holding up a cutting board and saying "Sugar Maple, what do you think?" I'd ask who it's for, wondering how she knew one of our kids needed a cutting board. She kept saying "Me. I like this one." Eventually I caught on. She's getting one cut from elm. It won't be a surprise. Unless I wrap it, put it at the back of the closet and we both forget about it till next year. Won't be the first time.
 
So,,, now you got a problem with seed sacks and sandals and going commando? I just can't please you.
 
M has finally started putting pen to paper and making a wish list. None of the items are related to canoeing. Poor dear, she isn't trying hard enough. I have noticed that she, like me, loves books. But unlike me, she likes to bring one along on trips. I've seen an e-reader that's water proof, and am fairly certain I'll get it for her. I think she'll love it for canoe trips. Anyone else loves to take a book along? Anyone who takes e-readers on canoe trips? Are you happy with them?
 
E-readers are awesome on canoe trips. Only problem is, you have to get the kind that will hold a battery charge for a long lime. My really cheap kobo mini, or whatever it is called, will hold a charge for about 3 weeks. And it is very small, easily fits in my camera box. My wife bought me a fancy kobo last year, it has a colour screen , backlight, and a bunch of other bells and whistles……battery only lasts 3 hours. So in this case, cheaper is better. Think I got the cheap kobo for fifty bucks. I have thousands of books on it. Brad, you should get her one of those, and preload a bunch of books on it that she wants to read. That would be an awesome present.
 
We took E readers for 12 days on Lake Superior this summer. Way less space needed than our usual 10 liter dry bag devoted only to books. We have Kindle Paperwhites which have backlighting. This meant that we never did use our headlamps at all. We took along a charger because my husband reads four hours a day. The Kindles seem to last about a month ( they are advertised to last eight weeks for 30 minutes a day and seem to hold to that)for someone that reads an hour a day but he is super reader. There are a number of inexpensive non bulky battery storage units. The Kindles we have are just like paperbacks. No color. To preserve battery life we turn the wifi off. That also allows us to take out e library books and they do not go poof till we hook back up to Internet at the end of the trip when we have finished the books. Otherwise they are linked on a timer to expire after a set time. We are quite pleased with the e readers. During the day they sit in the barrel..dry.. They are not advertised as waterproof but have sat out in a light drizzle by accident with no harm. If you pack in dry bags or barrels, I see no need for waterproofness.

I thought I would miss real paper books, for the reasons Mihun cited. I don't.
 
Any more I read my nook e-reader over any number of printed books. Once you start checking out what's available for the e-readers and how dirt cheap the old classics are it's just great. Plus when your eyes get tired you can crank up the size of the print to work for old eyes.

As far as the batteries lasting: each reader has it's own requirements to power it, my smaller nook is really frugal in use. For a back up I bought a thing from "New Trent" , it's a black plastic box, about the size of a small sandwich, that you charge up from the wall socket. Then you connect the reader using that cord that came with the reader and charge it up from the New Trent thing out in the field.

I have no idea how any of these things work but I'd bet serious money getting them wet wouldn't be good. But that's not so different than a book with paper (except for the lack of sparks) you need to keep them dry also.

When they tell you what your reader will hold, they talk in terms of MB and KB, which is dandy for the computer set, but for me it seems that mine are holding somewhere around two to three hundred volumes. More or less. Anyways...that's enough to see me through the longest camping trip.

Best Wishes, Rob
 
Reading about the reader that Mihun gave the link to; they gave out that it's waterproof to a depth of one meter for thirty minutes. I can understand the depth limitation, the lower you go the more pressure builds up but why do they give a time limitation? I'd think that it either was or wasn't waterproof, how does time figure into it? To me it seems that once you start limiting how long it will remain waterproof, your not all that confident in it.
It's kinda like me saying "I'm an honest guy, but you better not tempt me with the chance to run off with a million."

Best Wishes, Rob
 
Back
Top