With the first cold winds of winter whistling down from the Arctic I decided to take a trip out to thue woods for a little fix of green and some well earned R+R.
So imagine my surprize when I found a old 432 in the woods ............. yep haven't seen on of these since the early 90's when I was out in Bosnia as a UN PEACEKEEPER with UNPROFOR.
Anyway that small excitement aside I soon settled down to enjoying my hike and the frosty forest floor.
It was early in the morning and after a cold night one thing I did find was the large amount of fallow deer crowding around the forest edge sun worshipping!
Another reason for my trip was to "trial" my new Grohmanns #3 and my very sexy new little hatchet.
Those of you who read the previous review will remember the Horn model had a belt sheath I turned into a necker - well for the rosewood scales I decided i'd opt for the flat sheath - making the Jump knife just like the one I remember from way back when!!
One interesting feature of the jump knife is the fact that every Canadian I ever knew who had one had wrapped sniper tape around the sheath - so true to the spirit of the knife I did like wise although I also wrapped the sheath with paracord first ..................
Another new tool to trial is my hatchet, this was sent to me by a good friend in Finland and is excellent - its a hand made tool (I cant remember the makers name) and is very "finnish" with some unique features for example the shape of the handle, the plate steel guard which extends from the bit down the handle and the holes cut into the bit to reduce weight and add a little "style" to the tool.
The only two negatives I can find with the hatchet at present are the lay is off to the left but a little more dirt time and I'll have grown used to it and the almost flat profile of the cutting edge, I'd have preferred a more crescent shaped bit but so far I haven't found the almost flat edge a problem either so maybe Im just griping for the sake of it?
I'll do a more in depth review of the hatchet once I have had more hands on time but suffice to say its a beauty and very light with a cracking little sheath.
Another newbie is my possibles bag.
This is a Yugoslavian gas mask bag (according to the sales pitch) and it comes in a waterproof cordura with a Velcro closing flap and a inner divider int he main compartment.
For those not familiar with the concept of a possibles bag the idea in the most basic terms is that the bag replaces your pockets - and contains the items you deem to be those that make life possible.
For me the idea was part grab bag part possibles bag and the Yugo bag has proven to be excellent - big enough for my needs and yet not as big or bulky as the Finnish bag which is now popular - and its water proof as a bonus!