Horace Kephart published (1916 & 1917) two volumes of "Camping and Woodcaft" a compendium of the state of the art at that time. I ran across a republished copy of both volumes, thinking it would be an interesting read. It is.

Some things have changed very little, some a lot. The book has an eastern woodlands bias, not surprising since that is where the author spent most of his time. Clearly Kephart was not a mountaineer, nor a back packer in the contemporary scene. You went into the woods to hunt and fish, and occasionally to smoke a pipe.

He says very little about knives, although he is a real fan of hatchets. On page 151, 1st volume - "Many hunters do not carry sheath knives, saying (and it is quite true) that a common jacknife will skin anything from a squirrel to a bear." His preferable sheath knife has a 4 1/2" blade. No mention of premium steels whatever.

There are a lot of changes in the first aid section. Strychnine is administered in several situations. You say, "But strychnine is poison!!" You are correct, but then it was considered a stimulant, a bit stronger than coffee, and it was available in pill form. Whiskey is given a snake bite victim "as a stimulant for the murderously attacked heart and lungs, and as a bracer for the victim's nerves....some pretty stiff drinks may be needed, if strychnine is not to be had."

A fascinating chapter on cave exploration shows that caving hasn't changed a whole lot, except for modern technical rope techniques. Caves are as dark and confusing as ever. He advocates carbide lamps (which remained in common use through the 1980s), although there is no mention of hard hats or any kind of head protection.

One thing hasn't changed in a century. Wild places are still fascinating and alluring.

Thanks for the reminder. That title looked familiar so ...
Camping and Woodcraft: A Handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilderness
I got it from Amazon in 10 years ago - it’s still available.

Stainless steel was invented in 1913. So likely everything was high carbon steel.

I've never understood many folks' fascination with very large fixed blade knives for chopping and splitting wood. I do see the advantage of a fixed blade knife for many tasks. I find 3-1/2" to 4-1/2" long blades to be best for outdoor use. My two favorite outdoor knives right now are the Mora Robust (3-5/8" blade) and Doug's RSK Mk3 (4-1/2" blade).

Since I was a kid in Boy Scouts I was raised to carry a folding knife in my pocket (I prefer a locking blade, carrying Doug's RSK Mk1 when in the field, RSK Mk1 Mini EDC), a multitool (Leatherman) and a fixed blade in my daypack, and an long handled axe and bow saw in my camping gear.

When I was a kid I bought my first fixed blade knife - a Buck Special - and tried to carry it on my belt, but found it too often in the way and awkward. I even found my beloved BSA Swiss-army-knife-like knife somewhat bulky in my pocket and DID have it fold on my hand and bite me a few times.

I still have that Buck Special. It never took a good edge - not sure why. Now I look at that clip point blade as not being a preferred shape for outdoor use - I much prefer a drop point blade.

The reality is that most of my outdoor knife use (95%+) is best handled by the folder. The fixed blade's primary use is for food prep since it is easier to clean. Most of my firewood prep involves a saw, though the axe is useful for making smaller starting sized pieces for starting the fire. I almost never split large logs.

Clearly we've come a VERY long way in both first aid and camp lighting. LED headlights are AMAZING!!

I should say that I EDC an ARC AAA LED light, and a few months back I was at a restaurant in downtown Chicago - sitting outside with a group of people at night - in the dark. One of the women lost an earring post back and needed to look under the table. I pulled out my ARC AAA LED light to help look for it. Then one of the other guys turned on his cell phone light ... which made my little AAA LED look like a dim candle. While I suppose my AAA LED light would last a LOT longer than the cell phone light, for the situation it sure looked wimpy compared to the cell phone light.

I think the large knife “thing” came from an intellectual exercise along the lines of, “If you only had one knife, what would you choose?” SO the large knife that could chop, but with a tip that could do fine chores. A large knife can replace a small knife, but not vice versa.

For a belt knife I prefer a fixed blade 3.5” to 4.5”. More than that and it becomes cumbersome. The large knife I carry ( I have a few) are carried in my backpack — no backpack, no large blade.

There area few hatches and axes available here also. They may not be the first choice for a survival situation, but they can be great tools in the right hands.

I can't begin to imagine carrying an axe as a survival tool, though I seem to recall reading that an axe is required gear in Alaskan flight gear.

When in the field (not wandering around in/near the city or near home) folks could ALWAY carry a "survival kit". After many years of building & playing with kit contents I now feel that I wasted a TON of money doing so. I've said this here before, but now I strongly believe that the best thing to do is to buy two of Doug Ritter's Personal Survival Paks. Use PSP #1 to gear up as recommended in the Doug's PSP Bonus Survival Information and carry that with you at ALL times - ALL TIMES, plus bring additional clothing and gear suitable to spend one or two nights outdoors. Then use PSP #2 to create a hands-on kit with the same items to practise using the gear so that if the worst happens you are indeed prepared.

Even if the worst happens, if you have a Personal Locator Beacon, then you are simply surviving - possibly very uncomfortably - just long enough for help to arrive.

I don't feel comfortable with the notion of a sequestered survival pack sitting unopened, all sealed up ready for the emergency. When I have been in a tight, critical situation, I have been very happy and comforted to be using familiar gear that I know from experience to be dependable. Now one doesn't use a signal mirror routinely, so that is something to play with beforehand, but the items you carry should be well used with their capabilities, advantages, and limitations clear to you.

When I light a stove or a fire, I like to be using techniques and tools that are familiar, as are the backups.

Even when activation of a PLB is warranted, do every thing in your power to deal with the situation. Outside assistance is never guaranteed..

Strychnine and whiskey.
Got it.
For recreational use and snakebite treatment.

On the positive side, I probably wont need a PLB after I imbibe those supplements :-)