Another Decision

H

hcrissman

Joined
Oct 12, 2001
Messages
4
OK, here it is. I need help. What to carry? I am shopping for a busse that is extremely versatile and can handle abuse (I know that is not much help). I will be using it for camping/hiking/outdoors uses. Specifically, I want it to be able to handle the following: A 7-30 day trip in which all I carry are, a knife (busse), a poncho, and a water bottle. Obviously, in this situation the knife would play a key role in survival, shelter preparation, food preparation, and possibly even personal protection. Anyway, what do you Busse experts think? Have any of you actually used them under survival circumstances?

Thanks,
Hugh
 
Sounds like you are looking for a Battle Mistress, Basic 9, or a Steel Heart. If all you will have is 1 knife I'd probably go with the BM. (you might want to bring a folder too though...)
 
I'd pretty much line up with Brother Antdog on this one, with the exception of adding the Basic #7 to the lineup of BM, SH, & Basic #9.

IMHO whether to carry a BM/#9 or a SH/#7 would be at least partially determined by your size & how important heavy chopping will be during your trip. If you are big enough to comfortably carry a 9+" blade or will be doing heavy chopping, the BM or #9 would get preference. If a 9+" blade will be oversized for carrying or the chopping involved will be less strenuous, the SH or #7 make good "one blade to do it all" knives.

Re: taking only three items for up to 30 day trip. I love the simple elegance of gear choices it forces. As Kipling phrased it, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din." :D :D

Take a Busse and enjoy your trip,
Greg
 
I'm with AntDog on this. The Battle Mistress is your best bet. I actually used mine in an untintentional survival scenario a few months ago. We had gone into the Linville Gorge wilderness area in NC and we disoriented, and a storm came in with hail that persuaded us to find cover for the evening. We were unable to make our way out of the gorge and had to settle in for the night. The BM was great for letting me cut saplings for building the shelter, and for chopping into dead logs for usable firewood. The storm had soaked everything, and we had to split open the logs to get dry material for the fire. It was just a dayhike, but we had enough supplies along to make it real comfy that night. I don't go anywhere (and I mean anywhere) without my BM.

I am surprised that you mentioned all that you were going to carry on a 30 day trip is a poncho, water bottle, and a knife. I like a good survival trip myself, but I usally take just a few other extras to make it manageable. What are you doing for food procurement? Are you not taking any fishing line, snare wire, or other cordage with you for this and for helping with the shelter building? What about water treatment? Are you going to be in an area that you can completely trust the water sources with no treatment? And firebuilding? Are you going completely primitive with setting that up for yourself as well.

I hope you have fun on the trip and that you do have the requisite skills to manage such an endeavor with only those three items. I've had a little experience in the woods, but I wouldn't want to try that long of a trip without just a few more essentials to ensure my safety and a bare minimum of comfort.

But, best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes!!
 
1) I am 6'2" about 200lbs
2) I would carry quite a few other things. The specific types of trips are provided by a company called Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS). http://www.boss-inc.com/00Front.html
3) They obviously carry other things. I was being very general. A friend of mine just got back from a weeklong course and he lost about 10lbs. They carry very little food (lentils). It is a minimalist school to say the least.

My only concern with the BM is the weight. During a hard day in the course, they hike between 15-20 miles in a day through the desert.

What do you guys think?

Hugh
 
Hugh--

If weight is a major concern, don't overlook the Basic series. The Basic #7 has been put through its paces big-time by Cliff Stamp and survived everything but his finally beating it into submission--significantly lighter than the combat grade knives, and with a little finer point, should spearing game, self defense, or finer pointwork be an issue. Same would be true of a Basic #9 compared with a Battle Mistress--significantly lighter.

I don't worry much about taking game or self defense issues with a knife, as I typically carry a firearm. But for your purposes, I'd think the Basics would be worth a look.

-Will
 
SH or BM. Lighter weight, Infi tough, sharper point. But if you are in the desert, how big of a knife do you need?
 
My vote goes with the Steel Heart E. It's big enough to chop with, yet it can handle smaller jobs by choking up on the choi. If you have smaller hands, the #7 would be a good alternative. In a survival situation you need tools that will not fail you. Any busse you choose will fullfill that mission. We guarantee it. The BM-E is a awesome knife, but I think you will find that the SH-E is easier to use in an all around situation. Just my 2 cents.:D
Andrew Pinchen
 
Darn you Andrew, if I were up at 0200 I could have said all the things you said!:D

Anyways, I would go with the Steel Heart or Basic 7 unless flora were tropical and/or pimarily chopping were to be the order of the day; in which case an argument could be made for the BM or B#9.

Once you get in to the BM/B#9 catagory of size, I feel as though you do lose some of compromise/combination capabilities of the knife in deferrence to chopping ablility.
 
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