As an avid outdoorsman, prepper, survivalist, bushcrafter, or whatever one would like to refer to me as, I have long considered George Washington Sears a role model and idol.
George Washington Sears, also known by the pen name Nessmuk, is well known for the ideas and advice given in his books. His most widely known work is the book titled Woodcraft, which was written in 1884. When diagnosed with acute pulmonary tuberculosis in 1880 George Washington Sears thought that the best treatment for his condition would be the fresh air and exercise that he could only get by removing himself from the cities that had begun sprouting up around the country. He began walking, never concerning himself with how many miles he covered per day, instead focusing on setting up a comfortable camp each night and enjoying camp life. Some days he didn't even travel 4 miles from one campsite to the next, but simply being out there was what was important to him.
As most outdoorsmen very well know, the knife is one of, if not the most valuable tool that a person should carry into the bush. In his book Woodcraft, Sears gives his opinion on the ideal characteristics of bladed Bushcraft tools. His recommendation, now widely referred to as the Nessmuk trio, includes three different bladed tools that are able to handle a wide variety of bushcraft, camp chores, and nearly anything else one might encounter in the wilderness.
The Nessmuk trio includes a double bit axe, a medium sized fixed blade knife, and a small, three bladed, folding pocket knife. The axe was meant to handle all of the larger tasks that woodsmen encounter. From shelter building to fire prep, and anything else where cutting larger pieces of wood would be required, the axe proved useful. The belt knife mentioned in Woodcraft was a medium sized fixed blade knife, with a thin blade and a very distinct blade shape that Sears found to be very useful for general camp chores. This knife design is now affectionately called a Nessmuk style blade. I am sure that Nessmuk himself would have been proud to know that he would later have a style of knife named after him. The Nessmuk style blade along with the entire original Nessmuk trio is pictured below. The final item in George Washington Sears' Nessmuk trio is a small moose pattern pocket knife, which features two blades. The book recommends this style of knife for any camp chores that require a smaller blade for very detailed cuts. Food prep, whittling, cleaning fish and game, etc. are all tasks that allow the small folding knife to shine.
Pictured above are illustrations from the book Woodcraft. Drawing of the ideal blade shape according the Nessmuk is pictured above
These three tools, according to Nessmuk, give an outdoorsman the versatility to be able to handle virtually any task that Mother Nature throws his way. I, along with countless others, agree with that sentiment, which is why I carry my own Nessmuk trio with tools that suit my personal tastes and needs. While my Nessmuk trio is not a direct copy of the original, I have yet to find myself in a situation that would make me doubt my choice of tools.
Just like Sears, my trio also includes an axe and two knives. The axe that I carry is a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe. Gransfors Bruks is world renowned for producing some of the highest quality axes in the world. I chose the Small Forest Axe because of all of the axes offered by Gransfors Bruks this is the one that seemed to offer the best balance of size and chopping power. The 19 inch overall length means that the Small Forest Axe is small enough to be carried easily. I generally choose to strap my axe to the outside of my pack. The 2 pound head allows me to have enough weight behind my swing to have effective chopping power, while still being light enough that I sometimes forget that it is even there. The convex edge comes razor sharp from the factory and is easy to maintain in the field. The thick leather sheath protects the edge and gives the axe a beautiful, classic look that I believe Nessmuk himself would approve of.
The role of the belt knife in my Nessmuk trio is filled by the RAT 3, manufactured by Ontario Knife Company. I have owned this knife for several years, and it has done everything I have asked of it and more. If I were forced to choose only one knife to use for the rest of my life (which is a form of torture that I wouldn't wish on anyone) this knife would be my choice. The 3.9 inch blade is long enough to be useful for most camp tasks, while the 7.9 inch overall length makes the RAT 3 small enough to prevent it from being unwieldy. The 1095 steel that the blade is made from is easy to sharpen and holds an edge through plenty of use. The kydex sheath firmly secures the knife to my belt, ensuring that it is always on my person, while also holding around 10 feet of emergency 550 paracord. I chose orange paracord to make the sheath more visible when I do take it off of my belt.
The final tool in my Nessmuk trio also happens to be one of my favorite knives in my collection. It is affectionately known as my Squirrel and Rabbit knife, a play on the popular Bird and Trout style knife. It started life as an Old Hickory paring knife, gaining a beautiful patina over the years, which helps protect the knife from rust. My Squirrel and Rabbit knife features a 3.5 inch clip point blade. I added a secondary bevel when I first reprofiled and sharpened the Old Hickory paring knife. This makes for a razor sharp edge. The leather sheath is a creation of mine as well, being made from a decorative section of leather that came from an old boot. The sewing is a tad rough, seeing as how it was one of my first leather projects, but making the sheath taught me a lot about leather work and helped to raise my skill level. The blade is the perfect length, in my opinion, for small tasks such as whittling, food prep, etc. The clip point profile lends itself well to cleaning and skinning game, as I can attest to. This knife has accompanied me on countless trips into the wilderness. From hunting trips to long days exploring and fishing trout streams in the mountains, my Squirrel and Rabbit knife has never let me down.
My Nessmuk trio is made up of slightly different tools than the original. I carry a modern belt knife, a single bit axe instead of one with a double bit, and a small fixed blade knife instead of a folding knife. Despite these differences I have found these three tools to be invaluable. With the help of these tools I have built innumerable shelters, prepped many campfire dinners, and spent an untold number of hours entertaining myself by whittling. While my whittling skills still leave much to be desired, I know that my bushcraft skills have grown, thanks in large part to George Washington Sears and his Nessmuk Trio.
What kind of tools do you carry with you when your in the woods? Tell me all about your setup in the comments. Whether you carry a Nessmuk style trio, or something completely different, let me know what, how, and why you carry it!
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