Nessmuk Knife: Nessmuk was the pen name of George Washington Sears, a diminutive man who canoed the Adirondacks and wrote about it in the 1880s. Sears was probably the first outdoor writer to pay serious attention to the development of light gear, and the tools he carried reflected it: a small, double-bitted hatchet, a two-blade jackknife, and a fixed blade of his own design that has forever taken his name. It's a thin 5-inch blade with a pronounced skinning curve and a dropped point, no hilt, and an antler or wood handle. If you're looking for a good one, the Bark River Lil' Nessy (shown), available through A.G. Russell Knives, is a splendid example of Nessmukery.