"Woodcraft and Camping" by George "Nessmuk" Sears Part/Chapter 2

Chapter II KNAPSACK, HATCHET, KNIVES, TINWARE, RODS, FISHING TACKLE, DITTY-BAG

"Don't be induced to carry a pack basket."

Having never heard of these before I read this, I agree. They look awful. It's like carrying a clothes hamper on your back.

Next is probably the most famous section of Nessmuk's writings, the description of his cutlery. (He actually writes more about the axe than the knives, but no one cares as much. Folding saws have come a long way since then.)

To getting up one limber-go-shiftless pocket-axe:	Dr.
Cost of blade	$3.00
Fare on boat	1.00
Expenses for 3 days	3.00
Three days lost time at $1.25 per day	3.75
Two days making model, handle and sheath, say	2.00
Total	$12.75
Per contra, by actual value of axe	2.00
Balance	$10.75

Nessmuk brings the receipts for his "pocket axe" (which we'd probably just call an hatchet today). It's hard to find an inflation calculator back into the 1800s, but I also learned that up until ~1930 there just wasn't much of it. (I am not an economist/statistician, this is not an econ/stat blog.) One dollar back then comes out to just under thirty-three dollars today (2025). So:

Nessmuk's self reported daily wage: ~$40 (but less on the days where he makes the handle and sheath?)

"Actual Value" of the axe: ~$65 (A nice mass production single blade hatchet seems to run ~$40 today, so that feels reasonable for a two blader.)

Total: ~$420
Net: ~$350

On the one hand, that's a very expensive hand axe. On the other, I guess if I was depending on it for my work, leisure, and day to day survival, I'd probably be willing to pay up. He does say he kept it for over 30 years (it was upset twice, which I'm guessing means damaged? Probably just needed a new handle, which is normal wear and tear for an axe) and only stopped using it because it was lost. Hard to argue with 10-15 bucks a year for a 30+ year piece of gear.

Before we get into the knife, one more note on the axe: "I want one thick, stunt edge for knots, deers' bones, etc., and a fine, keen edge for cutting clear timber."

One clean edge for cutting down trees, and one beater edge for chopping up knots, dressing deer, etc.

Onto the knives:

A word as to knife, or knives. These are of prime necessity, and should be of the best, both as to shape and temper. The "bowies" and "hunting knives" usually kept on sale, are thick, clumsy affairs, with a sort of ridge along the middle of the blade, murderous-looking, but of little use; rather fitted to adorn a dime novel or the belt of "Billy the Kid," than the outfit of the hunter. The one shown in the cut is thin in the blade, and handy for skinning, cutting meat, or eating with. The strong double-bladed pocket knife is the best model I have yet found, and, in connection with the sheath knife, is all sufficient for camp use.

That's it, that's the whole thing. The words knife and knives only show up about 20 times in the whole book, including headings, captions, etc. But, unlike a lot of other famous knives from the period (like a Bowie knife or Sears's fellow woodsman Kephart) no examples of his knife survive. Which means people have spent a lot of time, energy, etc. debating what a "real" Nessmuk pattern knife should look like.

A big part of the debate probably comes from the fact that Nessmuk's knife isn't what we think of as a modern field/bushcraft/survival knife (all of which are slightly different, but generally more alike each other than to Nessmuk's). "The one shown in the cut is thin in the blade, and handy for skinning, cutting meat, or eating with." It's a skinning knife, that he also uses for food prep. Most modern "camping" knives are beaters. They're thick and heavy and designed to do things like break down wood (if only you had a fine double bit pocket axe) and be abused. Nessmuk prefers a lighter, more precise, instrument. We don't get a size, but that drawing looks to scaleish. A good "strong" pocket knife was probably around 4 inches, and is about the same size as the blade on the fixed blade, again, a reasonable (even a bit long) size for a skinner, but on the short side for a modern bushcraft knife.

Also, no forks and spoons in the woods, gotta whittle and use seashells.

His dishware sounds pretty similar to a modern mess kit. Five pieces (he usually doesn't bring them all, of course) that next and form lids for each other.

On the contents of his "ditty bag": "three darning needles and a few common sewing needles; a dozen buttons; sewing silk; thread, and a small ball of strong yarn for darning socks;"

Nessmuk clearly knows how to sew better than I do. I can just about stitch up the end of a blanket, if you don't mind it looking ugly. Maybe I'll put that on my list of things to learn.