George Washington Sears who is also known by his pen name
Nessmuk wrote a book in 1884, simply titled Woodcraft. This
book is available for free in either .pdf or e-book format from a variety of
sources including the Gutenberg Project.
The book itself is a short read which provides an interesting picture
and perspective of this man’s view of life in the outdoors during the late 1800’s. In many ways, the book reminds me of an 1884
version of YouTube in book form. Nessmuk
writes to chronicle some of his musings of wilderness outings and pokes fun of
those who are less experienced than he.
At the same time, however, he provides information and reviews on
important matters of woodcraft including details on the gear and equipment he
carries, the appropriate types of shelter, how to build a campfire and how
meals are to be prepared. It appears
that Nessmuk spent much of his adult life enjoying the outdoors, honing his
craft and building upon his knowledge and experience. Because of this, many consider Nessmuk the
father of bushcrafting. The book is an
interesting read, and because it has some valuable information and is somewhat
entertaining (and humorous), I would certainly recommend it.
In tribute to the man Nessmuk and his book, I purchased the
Condor Nessmuk. The Nessmuk knife is a
copy of the skinning knife which George W. Sears carried. It has an odd shape that is specifically
designed for skinning animals, however, I have found that the design is equally
capable of being used for light bushcrafting and camping tasks. I purchased this particular knife through
Amazon for a very reasonable price. The
Condor brand of knives has a reasonably good reputation although I have read
and experienced that their quality control is suspect, at times. Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the
quality of the knife as I received it.
The handle material which appears to be walnut was uneven and the finish
was rough. The blade was not very sharp, however, I was glad that the edge of the blade came close to the handle. Despite
its initial
shortcomings, this knife had tremendous potential. After a couple hours of work to get the
handle smooth and honing the blade razor sharp on my Japanese waterstones, my
new Nessmuk knife has become a very serviceable tool. The 1075 carbon steel blade is easy to
sharpen and holds an edge reasonably well.
I also applied several coats of boiled linseed oil on the walnut
handle. Overall, I am very pleased with
the results, and quite frankly enjoyed the time I spent getting the knife to its potential. There is no doubt this
knife makes a terrific skinner; but, it is also a great camp knife for food
preparation and for light processing of wood for fires. I have no hesitation in recommending this
blade and I plan to carry this knife with me in my pack. For those who may be interested in purchasing
this knife, I would recommend you looking at BaryonyxKnife.com; for a little
more than what I paid, you will receive a knife that has been inspected and have
an opportunity to choose their special grade option. By the way, the sheath that is supplied is excellent and compliments the knife very well. The
Condor Nessmuk, a very serviceable knife in tribute to a man and his
words. ~Keep it Sharp.