James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Jungle King Bowie Hunting Knife by Trademark | Fixed Skinning Blade w/ Survival Kit, Nylon Sheath
1 min read
This heavy, fixed-blade Bowie knife from Trademark holds much more than a sharp edge with two different compartments of gear and even an extra skinning knife.
The 14-inch-long survival knife fits in an injection-molded plastic sheath with slots for the skeletonized skinner and a portion of the survival kit’s gear. The tang of the small high carbon stainless steel skinning knife doubles as a bottle opener, and a cord cutting notch is ground into the skinner’s spine. Nearly everything here has more than one use, including the main knife itself. Remove the butt cap from the handle and inside you’ll find a plastic waterproof tube — sealed with an O-ring — full of more interesting survival tools and first aid supplies.
Among the things you’ll find in this versatile kit are sewing and fishing kits, Band-Aids, tweezers, a signal mirror, can opener, slingshot, ten feet of paracord, and a compass. There’s actually more, but there’s a minimal amount of everything. If you buy the knife for serious use, take everything out and consider what you really need. Put more of that in the kit and throw the rest out.
The Jungle King qualifies as a fixed blade, but it’s not a full tang knife or even a rat-tail tang knife. The bolster and handle are one piece of cast metal, machined for a dependable grip. The base of the blade seats in the bolster, held in place by a metal pin. Ordinary chores shouldn’t overstress it, but it’s no pry bar.
For another version of the combination knife and survival kit, see the Ramster Survival Knife.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Designed by Doug Ritter of “Equipped to Survive,” the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak earned positive reviews from survival instructor Cody Lundin and...
Multi-purpose gear for hikers, backpackers, and other outdoorsmen gets better every year. If you make the Buck 731 X-Tract LED Multi-Tool part of your...
This heavy, fixed-blade Bowie knife from Trademark holds much more than a sharp edge with two different compartments of gear and even an extra skinning knife.
