Scary People with lots of Sharps

[Corfe]

I'm off to a 'Stag' weekend (four days in all) soon, in a beautiful part of the Peak District, and there will be 13 guys there in all. I'll be the oldest, by a decade (my brother, the groom, is 12 years younger than me.) But there will also be a few of my cousins there. Now this little Irish pack have all pretty much grown up together with me, and most of the more notable get-togethers of the last fifteen years have entailed us all camping out in a forest, having a few (OK a lot) of beers, and lighting campfires, whittling wood, and basically having a good time. I hasten to add, that while a couple of the group are non-bushy, most of them are of the Mears state of mind. We leave our campsites spotless, love carving meaninglessly on wood, and pretty much respect the forest to a degree which leaves most people scratching their head. A discarded beer-can produces red-faced fury. So they're not hooligans.

An aside: A few years ago we we encamped thus by the river Bann, all eight of us, and I was in those days enamoured of the old British Army Machete, which I used to chop (dead) wood. I was chopping away happily in the edge of the forest, right on the bank of the river, while a bunch of guys rode a motorboat up and down, up and down at full speed past me. Again. And again.
There are otters there. And voles. The wake these guys were producing was about two foot high. It really ticked me off, so I straightened and politely raised my voice a little and asked them to desist. (All right - I bellowed at them to **** the hell off) Their response was immediate; the engine slowed to a mutter, and they began cruising sedately towards me, shouting that they were going to introduce me to their fists, a crowbar, and then the river.
I straightened, a wild grin on my face and the machete in my fist. Behind me, seven other guys with similar happy looks on their faces came piling out of the trees. They didn't make a sound; they just smiled. The motorboat did a midriver u-turn and took off upstream at top speed. Once the wake had subsided, the otters and voles were undisturbed for the rest of the night.

That was quite a digression. Anyway for the stag night we're staying in a big farmhouse in the Peak District with a wood burning stove, and all the wood laid on by the owner. But I've been told in no uncertain terms to leave my axe at home. (The guy organising the stag is a truly excellent bloke, but he is truly urban). In fact we've been all told: no sharps of any kind. I can kind of see where he's coming from, but something in me rebels all the same. Any thoughts welcome, because I am kind of torn in two over this myself. It's all very well carrying sharps when you know the people you are with, but with strangers (it'll be be 50/50 for most of the guys there) maybe the guy has a point.

 

[salad]

To be honest I think its better to bring beer on a stag weekend
Happy to keep my knives at home where they wont get lost once the stag weekend gets into full swing

 

[Corfe]

You may have a point. It's four days, and it's the axe I would be more worried about to be honest. Outside of bushcrafty types, few people really believe that an axe can be razor sharp.

 

[ReamviThantos]

Those guys in the motor boat really otter be more carevole in future.... sorry. As for your stag do all the best and have fun. Perhaps leaving the sharps at home would save you a load of trouble- a mob of irishmen on the p*** and weaponary is not a good mix.

 

[Corfe]

Those guys in the motor boat really otter be more carevole in future.... sorry. As for your stag do all the best and have fun. Perhaps leaving the sharps at home would save you a load of trouble- a mob of irishmen on the p*** and weaponary is not a good mix.

Stereotypes aside, we have been known to beat the hell out of one another on occasion....

 

[santaman2000]

Stereotypes aside, we have been known to beat the hell out of one another on occasion....

Sounds like my family when we were teens. LOL. Always makes for an interesting wedding when the groom has a black eye.

 

[Stringmaker]

I've got this mental picture which is kind of a mixture of "Deliverance" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

Have a great time either way!

 

[santaman2000]

I gotta ask, Who's setting the no sharps rule? The person arranging the party? Or the Farm owner? I can more than understand if it's the farm owner (who presumably doesn't know any of you) He'd have concerns about damges to property obviously.

I also assume it's to be more of a party than a bushcrafting experience anyway. In any case, a rule is a rule. There'll be other opportunities.

 

[HillBill]

I'd be inclined to take them and educate the others as to exactly what knives and axes are generally used for. Are there kitchen knives in the farmhouse....i'd expect so... so... are they to be removed aswell?
Highly unlikely.

So what makes a kitchen knife ( the knife most responsible for knife crime) more acceptable than a good working knife of a type that probably hasn't been used in any?

I definitely take it as an opportunity to educate.

No one would tell me what i could and couldn't bring. Thats for sure. Though if its the owner saying no then fair enough. If it aint......

obviously common sense must apply, no sharp out with alcohol etc.

 

[TurboGirl]

The 'trouble' would likely come from overconfidence with one of the non-bushy types- folks see tools handled with the confidence of years of use and assume its as simple as emulating what they see as a gung-ho approach

You'd be absolutely gutted if it was your tool that wrecked a stag party, this way it won't be a worry for you or your stag. I think go with yer mans call outta respect for his wishes, neccesary or not- you'll have a right blast with your bunch of guys either way

 

[Angst]

yo....i'm with brother hillbill....

a

 

[Elen Sentier]

Hubby and I chuckling like crazy . Have a really good one. Dare say it's for the best leaving the sharps at home, as t'other guy is organising, but I can see your "point" (pun intended). Would have loved to see the motorboat crappers when your 7 mates appeared

 

[mrcharly]

If it's a stag do/party with lots of drinking, then maybe leave sharps at home. You might wake up to a hangover and find someone has tried whittling concrete with a GB hatchet. Or tried to chop wood when drunk and put the axe in their leg.


Back to the powerboat: If the river is on the inland waterways, then it's probably under the jurisdiction of British Waterways. Take a photo of the boat with wake, making sure you include the reg number. Last time I checked there was a £100 fine for excessive speed. I used to live on a river and 'dobbed in' a few persistent speeders. Most just got fines. One lost their boat and gained a lifetime ban (they were doing more than just speeding and came close to sinking their boat with a bunch of people on board).

 

[santaman2000]

.....obviously common sense must apply, no sharp out with alcohol etc.

I know what you're saying but I still have this funny picture of a group of guys chowing down on a steak and having to put away the forks and knives and eat it with their hands when they get their beer and wine. LOL. Come to think of it, that sounds like the way I've eaten at some stag parties.

 

[knifefan]

Sounds like a great weekend But leave your sharps at home - excessive alcohol and knives don't mix!!!! Take more beer!!

 

[Elen Sentier]

I know what you're saying but I still have this funny picture of a group of guys chowing down on a steak and having to put away the forks and knives and eat it with their hands when they get their beer and wine. LOL. Come to think of it, that sounds like the way I've eaten at some stag parties.

Yup! I agree about the kitchen and table knives - one of the major weapons in criminal cases as well as self defence. I suspect the teenage gangsters we hear about on the news have coloured the whole idea for the non-bushie folk. Education is good BUT perhaps not at the stag do - unless offered as part of the fun-n-games. Not all unbanites wish to be extracted from their boxes.

 

[Corfe]

As soon as alcohol comes in, the sharps disappear - that's always been our rule. I was thinking more about the full four days, when an axe might, God help us, come in handy for chopping actual wood. Also, me and my brother are congenital whittlers. We have sat over a campfire and shared a bottle of whiskey and cut up sticks more times than I'd care to count. The owner of the farmhouse has no problems. I think, if you dig deep down, I'm just irritated at being told what is safe and what is not by a couple of townies who have never held an axe or a good knife in their hands in their life. But c'est la vie folks.

 

[Macaroon]

What's safe for you & yer brother probably ain't for some of the others, and you say 50% will be strangers............alcohol and sharps can NEVER be a good mix, and in any case, what's wrong with four days off?
I wouldn't go near a drinking party if I thought ANYONE had sharps about them - just can't see the sense or the need......................have a good one, atb mac

 

[Paul_B]

What is the reason of your need to take sharps? Do you always take sharps when out on the lash? Bit risky for confiscations I think.

You've rented a place where the wood is provided? They'll have logs (chopped to use able size) and kindling too. Why would you need an axe if it's all laid on?

Leave them to times they're better suited for. Enjoy earning your hangover!

 

[Corfe]

Thanks folks. I appreciate the input. I believe I will err on the side of caution, though I will be bringing my edc (a Svord). Will update after the event to let you know how disgraceful it became!