Thanks for the Picture, Ben. Guess I do not know how to do the Randall lanyard trick properly. Course I never had frostbite on my thumb after I cut off circulation to that appendage using your method either.

Everyone has their own little tricks on what works for them. My set-up just happens to work for me with the knife I use, winter or summer, woods or desert.

I can find a lot of smaller dead wood sticks that I can break by hand for my fire, using less energy, vs using a small knife to chop tree branches with.

I might use the small knife to make kindling or fuzz sticks but would not waste my energy on chopping a single stick with a small knife.

JMO

Tom Vaught