On one of my first solo trips as a lad, I learned two important lessons when a shoulder strap became unfixed from my rucksack.
The first was “Do not buy cheap shoddy equipment” and the second was “Never underestimate the importance of a needle and thread.”
These days I always carry a few needles and a roll of dental floss in my equipment. I usually have an awl with me as well.
The dental floss is strong enough for most repairs, Can be split for fine work, is easy to remove for a proper repair later if needed and if the plastic case is removed, a very compact and neat way to carry a good quantity of thread.
I’ve been hankering for a while for one of these needle cases {Nallo Goahti} as used by the Saami people.
While not being of the standard that I have seen examples of, I did feel that this complemented the Northern European style of much of my equipment.
The idea is simple; a piece of bone, or in this case a section of hollowed out reindeer antler, slides over a small felt or woollen pad attached to a leather thong which hangs from the belt.
A toggle stops the pad from being pulled through and the needles then lie in the pad, safely contained in the case.
I decorated this one by carving into the antler and filling the groves with beeswax and crushed charcoal.
A more traditional method is to make a paste of alder bark and water or oil and that produces the result you can see on my Saami made knife sheath.
The kuksa was decorated with kolrosing.
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