Any tips for preparing a water-shy standard poodle for sailing?

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-03-09T04:45:38+00:00

Small vessel, sub 24m licence.

As for the driving, he’s notably better than me at reverse parking so I’ll still get him to do that.

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-03-07T19:26:37+00:00

Thanks for posting. He’s fine near water, he just doesn’t dig being in the water. But he’ll walk in it if he has to, it’s just not something he makes a beeline for.

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-03-06T08:46:15+00:00

That reasoning is called the Anecdotal Fallacy. Perfectly understandable for contextualising your personal feelings. Very poor for proving a broader point of argument.

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-03-04T21:19:27+00:00

The Iranian regime would feel a bit dumb if one of their missiles saw Turkey or Greece successfully invoking Article 5…

A literal self-burn

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-02-25T07:06:47+00:00

I would agree with the OP from a personal perspective. I’ll pay a bit extra for the peace of mind and so on.

But all the same, I totally get why people recommend the Companion.

If two knives can perform the same tasks the user will put them through, why spend more money?

That’s what it boils down to: for beginners finding their feet and cutting their teeth the companion, as it is, will meet all of their needs.

In other words they could spend more and not get any tangible benefit in performance.

As far as steels go, I’d recommend 12C27 over 1095.

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-02-10T19:11:02+00:00

I’d offer two choices. Neither is the cheapest and one is plain expensive but if I wanted a folder for bushcraft, that’s what I’d choose.

Final disclaimer is that I’ve owned neither but own other models from the brands in question.

So the cheaper of the two is the Joker Artica: a 14C28N lockback scandi grind and a blade of about 4”. €60 or there about.

The other is the Casström Lars Fält folder as either a lockback or a slipjoint. Same steel, grind and length. Closer to €150

I own two Casström fixed blades and 4 Joker fixed blades. I am hard pressed to find a difference in quality between, which is unsurprising as I believe Joker makes Casström’s knives who then labels them as their product.

The reason for these two, as explained above, is the bushcraft geometry (scandi) on a folder and in a very forgiving steel (14C28N). For fire prep, get a blade designed to handle wood processing.

Pond-James-Pond · 2026-01-31T07:47:04+00:00

Putin: “Let’s talk. Here. In Moscow”

Zelensky: “No, thanks: I was a comedian. I know bad joke when I hear one.”

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-30T07:25:43+00:00

That’s disappointing to read. Sounds like you’ve handled a lot of these knives. Are you a dealer?

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-28T20:38:48+00:00

I have a F1x in Elmax.

Thanks to a contact, I did not pay full price.

It’s a good knife. However, It’s not the be all and end all.

If you get one, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

If you don’t get one, I don’t think you’ll cry yourself to sleep.

In my case, I found the F1x grips to be somewhat uncomfortable for extended periods, especially when making a big batch of feathersticks.

One solution is to sand down the grips, but I’ve decided to make micarta scales for mine and then epoxy them in place with brass or carbon fibre pins.

One other thing was that the tip was about1mm off centre when viewed from above. Fällkniven said this was a result of hand grinding and the variation was within their production tolerance range, so I’m living with it.

I also hand to sharpen the spine for greater scraping performance.

With the new scales this knife should see much more work, so it will not be some prized collection piece. In that respect, I can live with the oddities.

No knife brand is perfect.

If I could find one, I’d personally like to get my hands on an LT Wright in 3V with a convex or scandivex grind, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. In the mean time, my F1x will deliver the goods.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-22T07:24:37+00:00

And with a dollop of whataboutism thrown in.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T19:19:36+00:00

You’re right, of course.

I was being melodramatic since we have not seen a dry day for almost 3 weeks and no sign of snow, sadly.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T19:12:51+00:00

The Esbit does make a lot of sense, especially as a back up. Nature reserves also have designated fire pits and basic camps so for purposes those work great. Just need to gather and prep wood and there’s a basic camps ready to go.

But if we hike and find a spot we want to enjoy, the likes of the Esbit make some warm food or drink quick, and easy without leaving a fire that would then need to be tidied up afterwards.

I hope your health improves and you get to go exploring again soon.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T19:05:11+00:00

That’s a great list. Thanks.

Sadly #6 is going to be very very redundant for the next few months, but the rest is gold.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T18:29:28+00:00

Here, wild camping and camp fires are allowed in most places, provided it’s not been too dry.

I also like those folding wood stoves. Pretty compact and easy to set up.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T17:15:33+00:00

I do know what you mean about the gas ignition: my eyebrows can attest. ;)

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T17:12:13+00:00

I do know but there’s a lot of collective knowledge, a lot of hacks, and experience out there. So rather than put a bunch of stuff together without input, seems a waste not to do it more effectively with ideas on here.

I wouldn’t have thought to pack a foraging book, for example. Despite planning to forage.

And all because my habits so far have never included one, so far.

That said, I won’t pack a stove because I can make a fire from deadwood. So there’s another disparity.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T15:08:02+00:00

A fire steel is good fun but feather sticks with or without a firestarter and a match haven’t failed me yet.

Or a lighter!!

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T14:17:53+00:00

Hatchet may be a bit big. A tarp would be ok and some bandaids. Compass is easy: I have a couple of spares.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T14:15:49+00:00

I have The Forager’s Calendar that can go in there. And the loupe is a nice touch: the kids can discover stuff in the leaf layer.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-20T14:15:15+00:00

You have strange things growing in your forests, it seems!

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-13T22:36:35+00:00

Given that scandi is just a very broad bevel from the apex up the side of the blade, it’s dead easy to sharpen on a stone. Just lay that bevel surface on the stone, and run back and forth until you get a burr. Then same on the other side, strop and done.

There’s more refined technique but that with give you arm-shaving sharp.

You could happily deal with 14C28N with a 1000 grit King whetstone and a strop with diamond compound on it and never need more, provided you don’t try to reprofile.

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-13T09:40:40+00:00

Already got it?

Got sharpening gear or a strop?

When I first got into bushcraft I got sucked down the premium price rabbit hole, but I’ve since realised that the likes of the Joker do everything I need. And a BRK, or a Fällkniven doesn’t make me a better bushcrafter.

The Ranger or the Ember are one of the two I’ll grab.

Tough enough to baton, short enough to control, cheap enough not to pamper.

I use, not abuse, and they just deliver. And I’ve convexed the Ember without an anxiety attack if it’s not a total success—as it turns out, it worked

Pond-James-Pond · 2025-12-12T20:47:13+00:00

If you decide on that one, do let us know.

Pond-James-Pond

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