All you big knife fans, sell me on why I should carry a big knife (RD9, BM size).

Noshtero

Noshtero

Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
1,551
I'm debating. Here's my scenario

I want to do some camping/hiking/backpacking. I don't intend to be lost in the wilderness for years. I don't even intend to be there a week. My longest trip will probably be 5 days. I will be starting off going to established camping/hiking places, but hope to someday do a backpacking trip where I carry my tent with me on a frame pack and the whole nine yards. I don't intend to live completely off the fat of the land, i.e. I won't be chasing down deer and gutting them in the field, but I may need to prepare food like fish or something. I plan to be decently prepared, i.e. I don't intend to fashion a spoon from a tree limb...I'll just carry a spoon. I guess you could say I'm a psuedo-yuppy outdoorsman wannabe who is trying to get more outdoorsman-y as I go.

Here's my questions.
1) What is the advantage of a big 9" blade over a 6" one?
2) Will I have any use for said advantages if I'm only planning short camping/hiking trips?
3) Will I have use of the advantages if I ever do a 5 day backpacking trip?

I'm pretty well decided to go with a Ranger knife due to Justin being extremely helpful. So it's looking like this will be an RD6/RD7/RD9 discussion.

Thanks much. I hope I don't offend any true survivalists here, but everyone has to start somewhere right?
 
You definitely will not be underknifed without a large chopper. A fixed blade with a 3-6" blade paired with a swiss army knife should have you covered. Check out the Ranger knives site for his new RD4 model, looks like an excellent size for backpacking.
 
I'm afraid I cannot come up with any reasons to advise you carry anything with a blade larger than 4-5" !!!!
 
I'd get a 5" fixed blade knife which can be carried on my belt and be there when I need it most, a fillet knife and a SAK. You'll find that all of these three items will weight less than a 9" long chopper.
 
There's no need to carry anything larger than a normal sized blade - here in Finland that's anything between 3 to 5 inches. Of course, a large blade has advantages in some fields - if you just have to chop things up, then a large blade always wins a small one. And if you just want an exercise, carry all the heavy large blades you can, maybe even a sword. They do weigh a notable amount. ;)

So:
1) The bigger blade is a better chopper, if you want to cut down a couple of bushes or free a couple of trees from the burden of their branches. If you want to abuse your knife for amusement, like use it for prying randomly selected things or digging holes in the ground, then a big knife is better. Also, if you encounter a hostile swordsman, a bigger blade is superior to a small one. But otherwise, it's nothing more than dead weight, in my experience.

2) Whether or not you will have any use for the advantages depends entirely on whether you absolutely want to use them, even if it's not necessary or even useful. Some people like chopping things down, even if it's in no way required. People have managed to live in the wild without 9 inch knives well enough. As long as you're doing camping and not living in the woods, you'll be unlikely to run into any situations where a bigger blade will be more useful than a normally sized one.

3) As above. Even if you planned to live in the wilds a humongous 9-incher wouldn't be necessary in any way. Actually, if I was planning to live in the woods, I'd rather take a good axe than a 9" knife.
 
I have an RD9. Love it. Fits me perfect. Not too heavy for me. Fantastic chopper. It's the only BIG knife I have(everyone should have at least one). Will it work for you? Can't say... but it's cool! Being practical though... go with a RD4 or 6.
 
If you want to carry only a single edged device then, by all means get a big knife that can chop, slice and dice and all that. It will be too big to do delicate tasks well and not quite big enough to do the big jobs like a purpose-built tool (i.e., an axe)

I use more tools than one so each is more function oriented. Unless you plan to chop firewood or dress out an elk or moose, something four inches or less will probably be just fine for about every normal knife use.
 
Big blades are fun, but none of my extended widerness trips (longest 12 days) had I brough a big knife. If you go camping in places that freeze over in the winter, a big chopper or an axe is a must since you'll need to process a substantial amounts of wood.

In the summer, a folder and a hachet should cover most of your needs.

I usually carry big knifes for car camping because I don't have to lug it around all day.
 
I think the RD6 will definitely do the trick for you. Honestly, if you are carrying your tent and a stove and fuel, its unlikely you'll actually "need" a knife at all. (Sorry if that sounds heretical). However, it's fun and comforting to have a fire and the knife will help. You can use it to prepare kindling and to baton larger pieces of wood into smaller pieces. Even here, most of the time you can make a fire just with deadfall. BUT if anything goes wrong -- maybe your stove breaks -- you'll be glad you've got a reliable knife. Justin and the Ranger line won't let you down.

P.S. I'd still want a good locking folder or a small fixed blade, like a RAT3, along too.
 
Editted to move axe and fillet to "if needed"

Alright so how's this for a sharps outfit:

RD6
SAK Rucksack

Is the SAK Rucksack the way to go?
I do have a Buck X-Tract but I think in the woods I'd be better off with the wood saw instead of the pliers.
I also own a Benchmade 710 locking folder in D2.

If needed.
Wetterlings Wildlife Axe (if nothing else, I need to drive tent stakes, though I could probably get this done with a rock or the pommel of the RD6).
Some sort of Fillet knife (fishing will be big on all my trips)
 
Fishing are big on my trips, and just regular weekend day trips as well. A good pocket knife can fillet reasonably well that I don't carry a fillet knife anywhere.

Axe AND a chopper? I would just bring one, unless you are going with another person, than you can split the weight up.
 
I have a normark folding filet knife that I have had for years and years that works really well for me. 99.9 percent of all trips in the woods a 4" fixed blade and a leatherman wave takes care of everything I do including cleaning fish, small game and deer. I have taken a deer from the hoof to the freezer with one knife with about a 3" blade. Don't forget a folding saw, a lot of times handier than a chopper. Chris
 
I like a small slight blade(like bird & trout or caper) & either a solid 6" knife OR a hatchet depending on the trip.

2Door
 
Noshtero said:
...camping/hiking/backpacking....longest trip will probably be 5 days...established camping/hiking places, but hope to someday do a backpacking trip where I carry my tent with me on a frame pack...I plan to be decently prepared
Click to expand...
No reason for taking a big chopper **IF** in saying "decently prepared" you mean using a tent and propane/gas hiking stove for your camping.

The usual reasons for bringing along a larger 9"+ bladed knife is in case you need a chopper to fabricate a shelter (tent has you covered in that category) or to retrieve dry wood from the interior of sodden wood for a fire (stove takes care of that aspect).

So far, you've described what I call "camping" (car camping or daytrip/one-night stays in a campground or established site) as opposed to "backpacking" (longer term, multi-day carrying all needed kit on your back as you cover beaucoup miles and pick your own campsite at the end of each day). For your "camping" you'll be cutting, not chopping. A smaller knife with 3.5" to 5" blade made of thin stock (1/16"-~3/32" thick) should handle your cutting chores, which would typically be food prep. For that you could use a $10-$15 Mora to cover your needs well.

In "backpacking" the likelihood for needing the larger knife's capabilities goes up. But in that scenario its heavier carry weight becomes a liability. When every ounce counts, moving from a small Mora'ish knife at a few ounces total weight including sheath to a 1-pound+ big chopper package needs some serious justifying.

RokJok's $0.02 tip: "Pay as much attention to the comfort and fit of the handle to your hand as to the blade. Blisters and hotspots on your hands are bad in the boonies. So is a cut caused by awkward gyrations induced by a handle that doesn't work for your hand. Make sure your knife fits your hand and methods of work."

Here's my questions.
1) What is the advantage of a big 9" blade over a 6" one?
2) Will I have any use for said advantages if I'm only planning short camping/hiking trips?
3) Will I have use of the advantages if I ever do a 5 day backpacking trip?
Click to expand...
1. chopping
2. not likely, but it really depends on when/where/how your trips take place
3. yes, when you strike out on you own beyond car camping range the possibility and importance of emergency shelter and firemaking go way up.

Bottom line: With all that said, I am a huge fan of a three-piece cutting kit because I live in a place where all wood is soggy for months at a time (NW Pacific Coast of USA). My preferred trifecta for the woods hereabouts is:
1. folding pruning saw for sectioning rounds. (Tashiro Pocket Saw)
2. big chopping knife for opening the rounds up to get at dry interior wood. Busse Battle Mistress -- Ergo or Fusion model
3. small light thin-bladed knife for cutting tasks. Busse or Swamp Rat fixed blade or the Okuden Sharp Thing II along with a SAK or folder
 
Three reasons. Portability. Concealability. Backup.

If you can take a smaller 5" to 7" fixed blade and a sizable axe, you're pretty much set, as long as those tools hold up. In fact, that is the optimal set-up IMO.

However, a full sized axe can be more difficult to carry on a small daypack, and I'm not comfortable carrying an axe everywhere I hike.

I can fit a decent chopper inside my day pack (out of sight). For me, it chops better than a similarly sized hatchet, and it can function as a backup in case my small knife is lost or damaged.
 
RokJok, good points. Speaking of handle comfort, what is that knife in your avatar? Looks like a smaller Busse, and the handle ergos look excellent on it.
 
I can carry a 7" seal on me in shorts and T easily eough if concealiblity is your concern.

I'm 5'8, and it's no problem at all.
 
sherlockbonez said:
I can carry a 7" seal on me in shorts and T easily eough if concealiblity is your concern.

I'm 5'8, and it's no problem at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but can you conceal a Small Forest Axe in those shorts? :D
 
A 9" blade, properly designed, can be about as handy as a 4" - 5" blade AND it can be used as a mini-machete, though it's a LOT more handy to carry around than a machete.

Sometimes the speed and leverage is vital. It saves you wasted effort and it has the strength to do things that a smaller knife cannot handle. The extra length is also vital in places like the Sonora desert where you have a huge amount of usable plant resources, but everything is covered with spines.

The best 9" blades have a substantial choil for choking up on the blade for smaller work, and will usually have only about 7" of the blade sharpened. BUT, you have the extra length for the leverage and reach.

They are also better for fighting. This doesn't mean just humans either, but in many places in the USA you can run into feral dogs intent upon doing you harm. The 10" blade of an HI WWII pattern khukuri can do vicious things when you smack a hostile dog in the head with it.
 
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