Monday Camping must have - a penknife
Every camper needs a penknife. A good penknife is a knife of course, fun for whittling sticks and making them sharp to use for skewering marshmallows or sausages to toast over an open fire, but a Swiss army style penknife is so much more.
Many is the time my penknife has sliced cheese when I forgot to take a decent sharp knife, or has been used to slice open a tough plastic packet.
But much more importantly my knife has a beer bottle opener, and a corkscrew so alcohol is never denied me when I have finally pitched up. No longer am I rummaging about for a tin opener either as while basic, my penknife has that too.
Tweezers are in a secret compartment at one end, excellent for splinter removal and then there are screwdrivers, and spikes to make clean holes in tarpaulin or wood.
A file for when you break a nail....or possibly for more rugged uses such as smoothing rough edges on pole repairs or fishing rods you have constructed from willow branches might be included, and scissors of course, it really is amazing all the tiny and useful gadgets that can be squeezed into a pocket sized knife.
I have not yet used the mysterious tool for removing stones from horses hooves, but there is a serrated knife/saw type attachment which is good for cutting fresh green wood.
So this week's 'must have' is a penknife. A nice gift for a child too and a good way to learn knife safety. Remember that a safe penknife has a sharp blade, but one under 3 inches long. I attach a lanyard to mine so that it's easy to carry and hard to lose.
Read last week's 'must have' post here
Links are Amazon affiliate links, they will not cost you extra to use, but I will make a few pence form any purchases you make via them. Thanks
Image Copyright: steveallenuk / 123RF Stock Photo
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Many is the time my penknife has sliced cheese when I forgot to take a decent sharp knife, or has been used to slice open a tough plastic packet.
But much more importantly my knife has a beer bottle opener, and a corkscrew so alcohol is never denied me when I have finally pitched up. No longer am I rummaging about for a tin opener either as while basic, my penknife has that too.
Tweezers are in a secret compartment at one end, excellent for splinter removal and then there are screwdrivers, and spikes to make clean holes in tarpaulin or wood.
A file for when you break a nail....or possibly for more rugged uses such as smoothing rough edges on pole repairs or fishing rods you have constructed from willow branches might be included, and scissors of course, it really is amazing all the tiny and useful gadgets that can be squeezed into a pocket sized knife.
I have not yet used the mysterious tool for removing stones from horses hooves, but there is a serrated knife/saw type attachment which is good for cutting fresh green wood.
So this week's 'must have' is a penknife. A nice gift for a child too and a good way to learn knife safety. Remember that a safe penknife has a sharp blade, but one under 3 inches long. I attach a lanyard to mine so that it's easy to carry and hard to lose.
Read last week's 'must have' post here
Links are Amazon affiliate links, they will not cost you extra to use, but I will make a few pence form any purchases you make via them. Thanks
Image Copyright: steveallenuk / 123RF Stock Photo
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