This is a very sturdy spoon. In fact, I think it may be the sturdiest I've ever carved. As always, I just follow the natural lines of the wood with my knife. This one had several knots and I was able to position them in the "crank" of the spoon, which is where the handle turns up from the bowl. That makes this one crazy tough! So, I decided to make the ultimate backpacker's spoon. You could toss this one into a pack or even shove it into your pocket with little worry. Obviously, no spoon is indestructible, but I believe it would take some serious effort to damage this one...