Frequently Asked Questions

Provided your order has not been packed, it can be changed or cancelled. Please call the store in order to catch our highly efficient packing team before they get to your order. We will reply to emails, but due to the high volumes of emails we receive, we may not see your message in time. Calling us gives us the best chance of changing your order. Leave a message if you are unable to talk to a staff member, and include your name and Order ID#.

Orders are processed and shipped Monday-Friday within 1-3 business days of being placed, provided there are no issues with payment or inventory. You will be contacted should an issue arise. Upon shipment, you will receive a tracking number by email (check your spam folder if you were expecting one and have not received it). Generation and email of a tracking number indicates order has shipped, and is en route.

Order processing day count begins on the next business day after the order is placed: i.e. Orders placed Tuesday, will ship by Friday. Orders placed Friday will ship by Wednesday.

Certain payment methods (PayPal eCheck) require payments to clear before our receipt of funds, and can take up to 10 business days to do so.

ALL-PURPOSE / GREEN WOOD: This medium toothed blade has a double pointed raker between sets of cutting teeth, which clears the cutting notch of wood chips and fiber. This popular style cuts green wood but is right at home cutting dry hard and soft woods. Rust protective coating and hardened points make this versatile blade the best choice for most uses and situations.

AGGRESSIVE SIDNEY RANCHER II: The Sidney Rancher II is custom designed and favoured by those seeking an extremely aggressive and long lasting blade. Long sharp edges in a unique pattern of large teeth provide aggressive cutting. This heavy gauge blade will plow through wood. Locally made by craftsmen the Sidney Rancher II features hardened points and push/ pull cutting action.

HUNTERS BLADE: The Hunter's Blade is ideal for cutting through bone or meats. The serrated high quality stainless steel blade stands up to the elements and is easy to clean. This blade is the perfect choice for field dressing of game.

Yes - Fenix products fall into one of 3 warranty categories:

Category 1 - Flashlights, headlamps, and bike lights (includes all lights which ship without rechargeable batteries and lights which ship with rechargeable batteries which can be removed from the light): 5 Years on the light, and 1 year on the included rechargeable battery if there is one.

Category 2 - Flashlights, headlamps, and bike lights which ship with a sealed battery pack which cannot be accessed by the customer : 2 years on both the light and battery pack. 6 months of extended warranty are available to Category 1 and 2 users who register their product on the manufacturer's website.

Category 3 - Rechargeable batteries, battery chargers, bike mounts, and remote pressure switch: 1 Year (no extended warranty offered).

Warranty issues with Fenix lights are very rare. If your light is not working, try the following:
1) Ensure the black plastic battery terminal shield has been removed before operating (all lights ship with this to prevent accidental battery drainage).
2) Ensure that both the flashlight head and bottom are screwed on tightly.
3) Ensure battery is charged, and try light with a different battery to ascertain if issue is with light, or battery.
4) Ensure USB cable used for charging directly into flashlight is not compromised or faulty, and is inserted correctly (try a different cord to verify).
5) Clean the battery contacts in the head and tail of the light with rubbing alcohol to remove any buildup of oxides.
If your light is still not working after doing all of the above, contact us to assist with initiating a warranty claim.

We have very little control over the smith initials that come with our Gransfors shipments. Generally, smiths will do one or two models of axes only, so our inventory of any particular axe model (Small Forest, Scandinavian, etc..) generally has only one or two smith's initials associated with it each shipment. Unfortunately, we do not have the time nor manpower to sort through our inventory to search out particular smith names for customers.

LP (Lennart Pettersson - famed master smith at Gransfors) is now retired, and has not worked at Gransfors for many years, so there are no more LP stamped axes to be had.

Maybe - this is dependent on the size and shape of the eye (hole that handle inserts into). There is no standardization with axe eyes - some are round, some oval, some teardrop shaped. If the Gransfors handle is larger than your eye, it can be shaved down to fit, but handles that are smaller, or a different shape than the eye cannot be secured properly to the axe head.

Check out our Gransfors Bruk Replacement Handle Interoperability Guide to determine if a Gransfors Bruk handle will work with your non-Gransfors axe.

Scandinavian grind consists of a single bevel with no secondary edge or bevel (zero grind) usually from 15 - 30 degrees. Most of the knives COEC sells have Scandinavian grinds at around 22 degrees. Developed over a thousand years in Scandinavia (hence it's name) Scandinavian ground knives can take a very keen edge, are useful for a variety of uses (carving, whittling, skinning, game prep, utility use, etc..) and are easy to sharpen due to it's single angle.

A flat grind consists of an initial bevel that extends down the whole blade face, and a secondary bevel on the blade edge. Due to it's thinner profile, flat grinds excel at slicing and are useful for hunting, skinning or food prep purposes , but are not well suited to wood working applications.

Some of Helle's knives (Temagami, Wabakimi) have a full-length tang that is only visible on the spine side of the handle. Wood covers the blade towards the finger. This is especially good in bitter cold climates and conditions to help keep fingers away from cold steel, while providing the strength of a full tang blade.

A full tang is when the tang portion extends the full length of the handle with nearly the same dimensions as the blade. The tang will be visible to the eye on both the spine and grip sides of the handle.

A stick tang knife features a tang that is a tapered, thinner steel piece going all the way to the end of the handle where it is locked in position. Helle uses a brass butt that is riveted in position by hand. Stick tangs (aka rat tail tags) are the traditional blade tangs of Scandinavian knives.

Partial tangs extend only part way through the length of the handle, and help to keep the weight of the knife to a minimum.

Leather sheaths can stretch over time, this is totally normal, and easy to fix at home.

Simply get a bucket of hot water (hand hot ,not boiling ) and dip your sheath in there for 15 seconds or so - just enough that it starts to feel a bit floppy but not drenched . It just needs to take in a bit of the hot water to be malleable.

Place your knife in the sheath, and sort of squish/mould the sheath around it, reforming the sheath to the knife, then take the knife out and place the sheath somewhere warm to dry (by a wood stove, a radiator, vent etc) and let it dry completely (usually overnight ) - be sure to dry your knife off too, and apply any oil as needed, especially if it's carbon steel.

Once the sheath is completely dry you need to moisturize the leather again to prevent cracking. We like to use Knife and Axe Sheath Cream.

It depends on the model and filter type. Please refer to Katadyn's user guides here:
Gravity Filters
Vario Filters
Pocket Filters

60L: 3 large sized barrel buckets.
30L: 3 barrel buckets
20L: 2 barrel buckets

External Barrel Pouches : 60L: 5 without a harness, 3 with. 30L: 3 with a harness. 20L: 2 with a harness

Extra Large Barrel Pouch: 60L: 3 without a harness, 2 with. 30L: 2 with a harness. 20L : 1 with a harness.

Tump lines are an ancient technology, but are still in use by various peoples and cultures all over the world to this day. Tumps are still used because they work well and are effective: shifting a load down through the spine of the wearer, onto the hips and legs, where heavy loads are able to be borne much more effectively and easily.

While frames in packs provide a similar function (transferring weight down the frame and onto the hips), tumps are ideal for when portaging packs or loads that are not as tall or don't run the length of the back. Most packs without frames (Frost River, RBW) allow for the use of tumps, and all framed RBW packs allow for use of either a frame, or tump, or both in conjunction.

For those unfamiliar with their use, the tump needs to be worn towards the top of the head when in use - not on the forehead - which puts the load onto the neck and neck muscles - not where it ought to be, and opening up the wearer to increased chances of strain and injury. Instead, having the tump situated at the top of the head distributes the weight down the back and spine and onto the hips. Leaning forward slightly and grabbing each tump line above the shoulders helps to create a balancing "sweet spot", where quite heavy loads can be carried without feeling like there's a ton of weight pulling back on shoulders or neck (especially after longer distances).

Using a tump can require an adjustment period, and should be done cautiously initially, so as not to injure oneself, but once you've had the chance to experience what a tump line can do, we suspect it will become part of your portage gear and routines.

Trangia's cooksets are divided into 2 main series: the 27 series, which are smaller and good for one to two people, and the 25 series, which are larger and good for 2 - 4 people. The other number (27-1, 25-2, etc..) refers to the specific model. Please note: even numbered models include kettles (-2, -4, etc..), whereas odd number models do not (-1, -3, etc..). Please refer to info graphic below:

Yes - while a hypothesis of a link between aluminum use and Alzheimers was suggested in the 1960's, almost 60 years later there has been no credible scientific evidence to support causation, or even a verified link between aluminum and Alzheimers: Is the Aluminum Hypthesis Dead?

Also, check out what the Alzheimer's Society of Canada has to say about it.

Woolpower is not itchy and can be worn directly against the skin. The threshold for rigidity of the wool fibres to start poking as opposed to bending against the skin happens at 28 microns or above. Fine merino wool fibres are between 17 and 23 microns.

For the vast majority of people, Woolpower products are not itchy - however, if you have extremely sensitive skin, you may find even merino wool too coarse to wear. If in the greater Toronto Area, please do stop by our shop to feel and try on the products for yourself.

Woolpower has general recommendations for their layers in certain climates/ activities, but it doesn't take into consideration how susceptible you are personally to the cold, your hydration levels, diet, etc..and therefore should only be used as a general rule of thumb.

Woolpower LITE has all the properties need to keep you warm in cool climates/ shoulder seasons, but also helps to regulate your body temperature in warmer climates by wicking away moisture. LITE can be warn as a base layer under thicker layers, or on its own during strenuous or aerobic activity.

Ullfrotte original 200g is a base layer that features terry knit loops, that help to trap the natural escaping heat from your body. Has the same functionality as LITE, but works better in colder conditions thanks to the terry knit loops.

400g - n excellent mid layer, that also features the terry knit loops. Pair it with a LITE or 200g base layer for extra warmth on the colder days, or wear it as an outer layer during mild/shoulder seasons.

600g - Ideal for extreme cold climates, or people who are stationary for long periods of time (sitting in a hunting blind, or ice fishing hut for example.)