What are you buying yourself for Christmas?

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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
My great uncle gut a rescue jrt. The poor dog took a long wait to get it home because it was the victim in a cruelty case. The criminal got serious time for it too. Not just a slap on the wrist but serious jail time and lifetime ban on owning animals.

That didn't help the poor brain damaged dog. It took the best part of an hour before it would come to me. I was a teenager but very persistent and patient. The brain damage manifested in many ways but the most obvious was that it walked and run into door frames. It saw the world but shifted to one side from where it really was. However, once stuck into undergrowth where sight isn't any use it was a lethal hunter. The massive bramble patch at the boat yards near us had plenty of rats and/or rabbits but not after that dog found the tunnels. Hearing the squeals of the prey then silence meant another animal dispatched. Quickly followed on by the dog carrying on the hunt.

Dogs are amazing. No matter what they suffer they just carry on.
 
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dogs are amazing. No matter what they suffer they just carry on.

you can definitely say that about the second last dog my friends picked up: just skin and bones, skin problems, scars which might be the result of machete cuts on his face, old and badly healed broken bones (he often walks just three-legged) -- his Christmas arrived early when my friends grabbed him and took him to their place...

to get back towards the subject of this thread :p : the only gift someone gets from me this year will be a cast-iron frying pan for a good friend (==they're as common as hens teeth around here), hopefully it will arrive in time...
2008 i treated myself to a zebra billy at the "" NT General Store" in Darwin which has seen lots of action since then...
 
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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,981
7,757
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
It's reached that time of year when I can't buy myself anything in case someone picked up on my need/desire and has ordered it. But, I do need a new pair of chainsaw gloves and I don't think I've told anybody about that. There's very little kit that I would change or replace - I am quite prepared to suffer minor compromises rather than just change it for the sake of it.

However, if I won the lottery (doubtful, I don't enter it :)) I would buy the land surrounding my wood so I could generate fringe habitats and, at the bottom of the valley create a small lake - that would be cool. You'd all be very welcome to come and experience it of course :)
 

grumit

Settler
Nov 5, 2003
816
11
guernsey
Thinks I’m going to buy some new thermals for winter

and if I win lottery a nice field to plant some woods
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Well I'm casually looking for the xmas present staple that is socks. I need them but I've never been happy with the socks I've bought.

I have some nice bridgedale winter weight thick socks. I am now wearing them on rotation not because it's cold but because they don't hole out as quickly as anything else I've owned in the last 20 years.

If anyone knows of durable socks that aren't designed for feet like flippers I'd be grateful. Seriously, bought a cheap pair of work socks and can't wear them out. Trouble is they are square like socks for flippers. Not even close to foot shaped but if I'm careful with where the folds in the sock goes then they're comfortable and don't hole out.

So I've seen a brand called "darn tough socks" on UOG website. Expensive but I'm tempted. Basically need work ones for in boots and home use ones for everything else. If anyone knows a good source of tough socks I'm in the market for something. Narrow from behind my in step to heel. I buy smaller size because of this. I'm a straight 9 or 9.5 but 6 to 8 or 8.5 in socks. Can't find anything good that's not costing too much. Who can afford £15 for each pair of socks?
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
My lottery winnings if big enough will be used to buy into a manufacturer of socks then I'll get them to make socks that fit me. I'll change the size range options so they don't run say from 6 to 8.5 then 9 upwards. That half size gap annoys me imo it should be up to 9 then from 9 without that non existent gap.

Irrational annoyance I know. Besides size 9 is the most commonly bought men's shoe size I reckon so I'd have thought that 9 should be in the middle of a size range not end. Doesn't make sense to have people with the most common shoe size to effectively be between sizes because let's face it sock label sizing isn't as accurate as even shoe sizes which vary from brand to brand anyway.
 

oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,185
1,801
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
My lottery winnings if big enough will be used to buy into a manufacturer of socks then I'll get them to make socks that fit me. I'll change the size range options so they don't run say from 6 to 8.5 then 9 upwards. That half size gap annoys me imo it should be up to 9 then from 9 without that non existent gap.

Irrational annoyance I know. Besides size 9 is the most commonly bought men's shoe size I reckon so I'd have thought that 9 should be in the middle of a size range not end. Doesn't make sense to have people with the most common shoe size to effectively be between sizes because let's face it sock label sizing isn't as accurate as even shoe sizes which vary from brand to brand anyway.
Yeah- Sock it to 'em!
 
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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Wholeheartedly agree, from the other end of the scale. I wear 3's and 4's in shoes and boots....socks for kids go up to 3 and for adults from 4 to 7.

Why can't they just make a size 4 ?

It's just typical of modern clothing; no size fits anybody very well, at best it's an 'it'll do' kind of fit.

M
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
I once saw a brand that made unusual size ranges. Men's size up to 7 then 7 to 10 for example. Not the usual up to 8.5, 9 to rather quite big. I'm a 9 but the smaller size usually stretches enough for me. Might make them slightly stretched out and thinner but not that it matters much. 9 to 14 or whatever they are would end up with the heel cup above my ankle joint!!
 

rich d2

Tenderfoot
Jan 10, 2019
90
52
51
Nottingham
I’ve warn the darn tough socks for skiing albeit one of their thin versions and they’re good and hard wearing - expensive though for a pair of socks.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
2 sizes larger than they are to snuggle in whilst invoking kalsarikännit.
I like it, lockdown layabout to responsible stay at home adult in one simple move. :)

Apart from maybe getting some more Arctic army socks (madam doesn’t understand they don’t tumble dry unless she just wants all mine in her size ;)), I don’t really have anything I’m after. It’s usually a knife, something pleasing for the pocket, but I haven’t seen anything that really gets my wick alight for a while. The Lionsteel Bestman almost had me, but no.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
I’ve warn the darn tough socks for skiing albeit one of their thin versions and they’re good and hard wearing - expensive though for a pair of socks.
seen the price on compression socks? ... great fit for new liners and they stay put, but the price!! Mind, no more achy calves apres ski.

Re. DarnTough, fwiw - you can get the plain and popular patterns (there's a light micro crew for instance and a no show, both merino, both great) in five packs which throw in an extra pair gratis. More, these packs do show up on sale on Amazon. For socks that usually go at 27CAD and 20CAD respectively, it makes a dent in the cost, and they perform for a fair old while.
 
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Suffolkrafter

Settler
Dec 25, 2019
525
464
Suffolk
In my lottery fantasies I'd buy as much farmland as I could afford and rewild the whole lot and practice bushcraft in peace. I don't enjoy bending rules and knowing I shouldn't 'quite' be doing something or shouldn't really be somewhere puts a damper on things for me personally. Which is why I don't really stealth camp.

In the mean time I will settle for a new pot. Actually I'd also buy a 45-50 L osprey pack AND a savotta jaakari pack AND a wisport racoon... just because I could.

In fact scrap all that, I'd like to go one one of Will Lords courses on bow making and hide tanning. Knowledge is king.
 
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Kernow wayne

New Member
Dec 6, 2020
1
0
43
Cornwall
I know TLM, but we are talking fantasy here.
I do know of some log cabins in Sweden that are hundreds of years old. They do need yearly maintenance or they rot, as anything wooden will naturally do. But in my dreams........:)
I've also been looking at log cabins in Sweden, they look stunning
 

MikeE

Full Member
Sep 12, 2005
1,057
54
66
Essex
Arbortech ball gouge! £20 off at present so finally affordable!
Now just need to give it a try!
 

Scottieoutdoors

Settler
Oct 22, 2020
852
608
Devon
2 sizes larger than they are to snuggle in whilst invoking kalsarikännit.

.........Oh my! Wouldn't work for me!!! My second name is a colour, or rather a "shade"....
 

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