Field sharpening and whether you go into the field with a Convex edge or a V grind is just a matter of knowledge and skill....you don't need mouse pads or sand paper or diamond hones....or anything other than what you can find on the ground.

If you want to be prepared for field sharpening here is how I have done it and demonstrated it for a lot of years. Firstly...to save time in touching up an edge know the angle you sharpened it at...I have my blades either at 23 degrees V grind or Convexed. Then work with the knife as a tool to get the angle right.

If you have a 7 inch blade then use that as a measurement for the base stick on a fig 4 trap. It then needs to be lashed to the vertical stick you have hammered into the ground at a distance so that 7 inches...the blade length...sticks out from the centre of the plumb line stick...AND it needs to be at a distance from the tip of the plumb line stick so that when placing the angled stick to make the trap and lashing this together...the angle this stick makes to the centre plumb line stick is 23 degrees.

This is all about knowing "tangents"....the tangent for a 23 degree angle is 0.425...so what divided into 7 will give this figure...the answer 16.5...so if you have a 7 inch blade then measure off the total length and using the lanyard eye hole if need be add a paracord lanyard so that when pulled straight it gives a means of measuring off 16.5 inches.

Then you can use the edge of the blade near the choil to bite into the angular lashed stick on the Fig 4 so it is directly in line with the cetre of the stick and has the same angle of incidence to the vertical plumb line stick as the angular stick. i.e. 23 degrees.

Then look for two stones...ideally wet ones from a stream which have close to flat sides...rub them together in a flat on flat level till a "paste" emerges...once there is a paste use this and holding the stone vertically run it along the edge facing upwards on the blade a number of times...remove the knife and turn it round and place it again in the same cut in the stick to do the other side...

Use this method everytime you set up a Fig of 4 trap...that way you are doing two things with your time...you have a trap mechanism and a means of sharpening at the right angle. Field sharpening is all about getting consistancy to the original edge you created and topping it up...but you do need an aide to get the angle right and this method is the best one for me.

I have seen people try and free hand sharpen and restore an edge and they usually make it more blunt due to lack of consistancy and proper angle. This method works similar to a "Sharpmaker" and it is easy to hold the stone properly vertical rather than at an angle.

Use the lanyard as a plumb line to get the vertical stick properly vertical. Practise this method and it works well quite quickly. Those who think that this method will just give a flat V grind edge need to factor in the slight variations with each stroke...the edge does remain "convexed"...particularly when you are just "topping up" the edge each time you set a trap.

I have used this method for a lot of years now...it works well. If you have an 8 inch blade...the other distance is 18.5 inches...these are approximate figs but that is all you need.

This might be easier explained through photo's...but it should not be to hard to visualise if you think about it. 23 degrees is my preferred edge angle on a chopping/survival knife but you can choose another...the principal is the same.