Whisky, Water & Wilderness Axe Skills – Kevin Callan Interviews Me About My Axe Book
As part of Kevin Callan’s Whisky Fireside Chat series of interviews, I joined Kevin to talk about my book, Wilderness Axe Skills and Campcraft.
After seeing an advance copy of the book, Kevin commented “It’s an amazingly detailed book on using and maintaining an axe, saw and knife on wilderness trips – and the cool camp craft you can make with the same tools.”
Kevin, also known as “The Happy Camper”, is a best-selling outdoors writer, so for him to make comments such as these about my first book means a lot to me.
In the video chat, a recording of which is embedded above, we pull out a bunch of axes and talk about different types of axe, their various uses and what works for different jobs and scenarios, such as a wilderness canoe trip or a winter camping trip in a hot-tent. We also talk about other tools, such as saws. We share lots of tips on tool selection and use during this part of the conversation.
The conversation was extensive, including tool safety, tool care and maintenance, the etiquette of borrowing other people’s tools and the ethics of using larger cutting tools in the bush.
It was great to talk about all this with Kevin as he graduated in forestry, and subsequently worked in forestry, before becoming more involved with outdoor education and writing. He’s an experienced outdoorsman, guide and teacher. Kevin and I have canoe tripped together and we’ve had a number of great online conversations before (see the links below for more).
In the video recording at the top of this post, in addition to our recorded conversation, Kevin has edited additional elements into the recording, including illustrative photos as well as clips from my videos, which also illustrate what we are discussing at the time.
The conversation as a whole makes for a very good overview of the contents of Wilderness Axe Skills and Campcraft, as well as adding detail and context to some of the subject headings.
To find out more about the book, and to purchase a signed copy, please visit wildernessaxeskills.com
Additional Resources Mentioned
Small Wood Splitting With Axe: Reliable In Camp & On The Trail
Related Material on Paul Kirtley’s Website
Optimising A General Purpose Axe And Saw Combo For Wilderness Travel
PK Podcast 46: Kevin Callan, The Nicest Man On The Meanest Journey
PK Podcast 026: Kevin Callan On The Joys Of Winter Camping
Canoeing The River Spey With Kevin Callan, Ray Goodwin and Justine Curgenven – part 1
6 thoughts on “Whisky, Water & Wilderness Axe Skills – Kevin Callan Interviews Me About My Axe Book”
Great video and great book. Got my copy through Amazon. Highly recommended for anyone looking to upgrade their bush/camp craft skills. Waiting eagerly for vol 2 – LOL
Haha, cheers Carlan 🙂
An excellent interview/chat, really enjoyed it Paul. I’ve been canoe tripping since my Boy Scout days, I’m now in my seventies and I want to compliment you on your bush ethic and teaching technique. Anyone interested in spending time in the outdoors would do well reading your book, watching your videos and if lucky enough, take a course with you. They will be sure to pick up plenty of useful knowledge and skills which are sure to safely enhance their outdoor experiences. I have a great respect for you sir, keep up the good work!
Warm regards,
Tim
Just got my copy today and paging through it looks excellent! Thanks again for all you do.
What a fantastic book, Paul! My son’s eyes just about popped out of his head when he read your note to him and signature on the title page. Hope this is the first of many books written by you!
Best wishes,
Gav and Calum
This was really informative. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of your book come payday.
Can I just say thank you for all the content you put out. I know it must take up a tremendous amount of time, but has been incredibly useful for a beginner in outdoor camp skills such as myself.