Woodsman Journal Vol. 1: Camping with Knives by Nuge

Written by Nick Italiano

What happens when a knife maker hosts a camping trip at an old Boy Scout camp and invites some “Doers” from the outdoor and EDC industries? Great ideas, education opportunities, and a whole lot of laughs! A few weeks back I attended one such trip hosted by my friend Tom Nugent of Knives by Nuge along with some other awesome industry folks and content creators and it was one of the best “work trips” I’ve been on in a long time. I left the trip with fresh ideas for content creation and marketing strategies, I had the opportunity to learn and improve upon my outdoor skillset, and of course, a lot of great memories! I wanted to talk a little about the trip and the tremendous value that getting out there with friends and industry colleagues can have for you as a person or your business.

For me the trip started with a trip to Newark Airport to pick up Rikki Hernandez, a professional videographer who works in the EDC industry. After that we headed back to the mountains where Tom has his home and workshop. We spent the evening discussing strategy for the video that Rikki was going to be creating for Tom over the next few days. We started the next day in the Knives by Nuge Shop, the small garage that Tom produces all his handmade knives. Tom was kind enough to walk Rikki and I through the process of making a handmade knife. This is a very valuable experience for someone who spends time reviewing knives, most of us see the finished product but have little understanding of the process that goes into making that product. Seeing the high level of skill, expensive equipment, the large amount of disposable materials, and the manual labor that goes into making one hand made knife really put the price tag of custom and handmade knives into perspective.

Later on in the afternoon some of the other guys started showing up at Tom’s place including Mike, aka Lt Mike who has probably taken every survival course known to man and Marc, an instructor at the Appalachian Bushman School. As I have said many times in the past, when it comes to outdoor skills, I’m no expert. I’m good at a great many things, but there is always value in learning new skills and new perspectives from others, and these guys are absolute titans when it comes to skillset! We hung out for a bit and looked at some of Tom’s new models and prototypes for future models, finished packing up the truck, and drove to Camp Glen Gray in the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains.

We arrived at camp just in time for the driving rain to start, Tom got us all checked in with the Camp Master, and spent a good deal of time reminiscing about his time as a boy scout. Mike from Barkeater Outdoors met us there, and  we all hauled our gear to the rustic cabin we were staying in. Marc started working on his rendition of camp chicken and dumplings, a hot meal that really hit the spot on a cold rainy night. We all picked out our bunks, which consisted of a simple cot and a pad that sounded like a Doritos bag every time you made the slightest move. We spent the rest of the night eating and talking about assorted outdoor related topics and a bunch of other nonsense, it was a great bit of camaraderie and a great learning experience for RIkki who has the least outdoor experience in the group.

I woke just before sunrise the following morning. Everyone else was still sleeping, so I opted to explore the camp property a bit and watch the sunrise over the lake. When I returned to the cabin, Tom was preparing breakfast consisting of eggs and the New Jersey delicacy, Taylor Ham. Marc had to pack up and leave early to go do more cool outdoor stuff somewhere else!The rest of us set out to work for the day; Tom and Rikki began shooting more footage for the video they were producing and we had a lot of laughs while Tom screwed up his lines, Lt Mike came in during one scene clapping pieces of cedar logs together, and we all attended the Church of Nuge.

After the speaking parts for the video were done, we started working on some skills related activities using all the knives Tom made us to play with. LT Mike and Barkeater Mike helped Rikki identify some natural materials that can be used to make fire, especially those that could be used on a cold rainy day. I did my typically nerdy science stuff and started pointing out all the edible and medicinal plants I could find as well as some of the more toxic varieties out there as well lecturing on interconnectedness of things in an ecosystem. We finished up with an awesome feather stick lesson and fire starting exercise from LT Mike, where I finally learned how to not be terrible at making feather sticks. It was very cool to try out a bunch of different KBN knives in various sizes and grinds for assorted tasks. We used them hard and some harder than we should have; but it was all for the good cause of research and development! Most of the knives survived, and the prototypes that didn’t provided Tom with some valuable feedback before bringing them to market. It wouldn’t be a camping trip if someone didn’t bleed, and Tom opened his finger up on an ax that was probably a little too sharp. Between the bunch of us, we had more than enough first aid gear and eventually got the bleeding under control.  

After a while, the rain and wind picked up and we collectively got tired of being wet and cold, so  we gathered all the feather sticks we made in my PNWBUSHCRAFT ground cloth and headed back to the cabin to start a fire in the wood burning stove and eat some dinner. Tom made steak fajitas with some seasoning I made before the trip. We had an excellent meal, imbibed in a couple of wobble pops (look it up if you don’t know), and had a great night of conversation and camaraderie.

The following morning, I was up early again, did a little exploring, and enjoyed the increasingly rare sunshine that had emerged! We had steak and fresh eggs for breakfast courtesy of Barkeater Mike and set out to shoot some final footage and enjoy the pleasant weather. We packed up our gear, and Tom cleaned up the cabin like the dutiful Eagle Scout he is, and we hung out for a bit longer while the Camp Master did his inspection of the cabin before we left. We stopped by a local fishing spot to enjoy some cigars and reflect on the weekend, and after that, I was on my way back to Connecticut.

Overall it was a fun and relaxing, yet productive weekend! I got to see some friends that I rarely get to see in person and make a few new ones! Interacting with fellow woodsman and knife enthusiasts online is great, but it doesn’t even come close to the value of time spent together in the place we love the most, the great outdoors! It is always great to learn from others, see their skills first hand, and learn from their experiences. Storytelling has long been a way for humans to bond with and learn from one another; there was no shortage of that around the fire during the weekend!  Even more gratifying than personally learning new things, is watching someone like RIkki who is newer to the outdoor life to soak up information like a sponge and be so eager to practice some new found skills.

Working in the outdoor industry has had a profound impact on my life, and experiences like this  remind me of how fortunate I am. I get to spend most of my time outdoors, I have made great friends who have enriched my life, and I can take the skills I’ve learned from years of working in corporate jobs I hated and help my friends and colleagues in outdoor land build successful businesses. 

My message to you, no matter if you are an outdoor industry professional or just a lover of the great outdoors, is find your people. Surround yourself with the people who bolster you, support you, and share your passion for the outdoors and get out there with them and do cool stuff! The bonds created, the experiences shared, and the good times had are what makes this great community of outdoors people worth being a part of!