Backpacking Beater Blade?

M

maskedbacon

Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
52
(I like that title)

Anyhow, I'm looking for a fixed blade knife to beat around backpacking. Doing the more painful chores, like batoning or whatever wood processing is at hand. I have a nice collection of Spyderco's that I like to use for every other task (Tenacious, Pacific Salt, Endura FRN), but the thought of batoning with them makes me cringe.

I'm just getting back into backpacking after a long hiatus (since childhood, pretty-much), and I was "that guy" last time carrying a Bear Grylls Parang. Because why not, it's cheap and looked like a lot of fun :)

Anyhow, it was kind of a useless idea for the most part. Not totally useless, but it got me thinking. Next time I want to try a pocket chain saw + med/large fixed blade, and I've been going around the web for hours today trying to pick which one to get. The problem is, no one seems to agree about anything :)

So here are what I've settled on, and I'd love to have some suggestions from you guys.

Tanks:
Becker BK2
Ka-Bar Heavy Bowie
ESEE-5

Big blades:
ESEE Junglas
ESEE-6
Ontario RTAK II
Ontario SP50

Cheap Blades:
Gerber Big Rock
Gerber Profile

Part of me would love to just settle with a cheap blade that could take a pounding. But another part of me looks at the Junglas and says "holy crap, I want this". ESEE blades all look amazing and the BK2 is something else, but between cost and weight I'm just confused.

I'm also tempted to try batoning with the Parang. If that's a real bad idea please stop me before my next outing :)

Thanks for the input guys.
 
I don't much about the list you've got there, but my Kershaw Outcast has worked well. Sorry I can't be of anymore help.
 
There are some incredible Swamp Rat Ratmandu's up for sale right now on the Swamp Rat website. IMO their SR-101 steel maintains the best edge after taking a major beating of any steel on the market. Ergo's are beyond perfect on this blade, can use it all day long with no hot spots, rubbing, or fatigue. The $138 price tag is well worth it, as even if you do hurt this thing (nearly impossible) they back their product and will replace it. I've relied heavily on mine in the backcountry for many-o-extended backpacking trips. Do yourself a favor and knab one of these before they are gone in my opinion.
 
i use a BK11 (becker necker) for my beater blade. Small and light as to not add weight to my pack but strong as an ox and always ready to open that first beer when i get back to the nearest town.
 
You have the smaller blade needs covered, leaving the big wood processing as the gaping hole to fill. Three on your list would work for me to fit that bill: Ka-Bar heavy bowie, RTAK II and Junglas. I would ask why the Becker BK9 is not on the list? It should be. The following on your list would not be my choice in this case due to size limitations for heavy wood processing (BK2, ESEE-5, ESEE-6). I'm not a Gerber fan and am not familiar with the Ontario SP50. Another I've had great success with is the standard Ka-Bar fighting knife with Kraton handle (I like it better in wet weather than the leather handle). If it comes down to Junglas vs BK9 the Junglas comes with a far superior sheath but the main difference will be personal choice on grip fit.
Challenge: Test the pocket chain saw vs. the Sawvivor and share your findings.
 
Moras are great cheap blades, I would get a Becker BK-9 and some micarta for it if I were you, or the Junglas, your choice. They both are great.
 
I think that the RatManDu is still open for pre-order, which means that you can contact Swamp Rat and order the color combo that you want. They'll notify/bill you when the knife is made and ready to ship.
 
So RatManDu vs Junglas? They don't seem to be in the same category, eh? Or would you argue otherwise?

I like ESEE because if you break the knife they are happy to replace it. Swamp Rat does the same, eh? I have a hard time using and abusing something that expensive otherwise.

As for Sawvivor vs Chain Saw... haha, I'll let you know what I find. I don't expect it to work as well as a proper saw, but the fact that it's like 6 oz and fits in a small pocket is pretty great. So the test is more "is this thing actually usable" rather than "is it better than a saw"? :)
 
maskedbacon said:
As for Sawvivor vs Chain Saw... haha, I'll let you know what I find. I don't expect it to work as well as a proper saw, but the fact that it's like 6 oz and fits in a small pocket is pretty great. So the test is more "is this thing actually usable" rather than "is it better than a saw"? :)
Click to expand...

Exactly - no sense wasting 6 oz if it isn't effective, and worth taking a look at if it impresses. I know what the Sawvivor can do but it is a bit heavier and takes up more space in my pack.
 
HikingIsLife said:
There are some incredible Swamp Rat Ratmandu's up for sale right now on the Swamp Rat website. IMO their SR-101 steel maintains the best edge after taking a major beating of any steel on the market. Ergo's are beyond perfect on this blade, can use it all day long with no hot spots, rubbing, or fatigue. The $138 price tag is well worth it, as even if you do hurt this thing (nearly impossible) they back their product and will replace it. I've relied heavily on mine in the backcountry for many-o-extended backpacking trips. Do yourself a favor and knab one of these before they are gone in my opinion.
Click to expand...


could not agree more
 
If I ever go packing again, my BK2 will almost certainly go with me. Having said that, it's not the lightest knife out there. A more sensible choice (for packing) might well be a BK11 or BK14. You can still baton kindling with these, they are also tough as nails and they are nice and light.

---

Beckerhead #42
 
I found a beat up looking Buck 119 at a pawn shop for $30. That's what goes with me.
 
If you are "truly" getting into backpacking, you will find weight of gear is BIG.. ounces add up to pounds real quick and weight is not fun when doing any length of long distance packing. I would suggest a good bushcraft knife. Many variants and makes (BRKT, EESE, etc). But since you are already looking at EESE, I would recommend the RC4. Big enought for about anything you will need on a hike. If you think you will need to chop, then don't and carry a lightweight folding hand saw (ligher than a machete or a small ax and much more efficient at cutting). If you get too big or too small you will end up carrying two knives (more weight) because usually neither is an "everything" knife. A good 4" fixed should be about perfect. I don't really get the big 2lb 8-14" knives.. just don't do anything well but chop (kind'a), but it's such an inefficient thing to do when you can saw. Use the right tools for the job and you'll be fine.
 
I can't tell anybody what to buy, but you may be leaving out lots of great options.
The Ka-Bar Cutlass machete or Kukri
BK-9
Ontario 12" Cutlass machete
Bark River Golok or Ontario Machete mod
there lots of other great blades out there!

Comes down to how much wood you have to process. Will you have a tent, stove, or wet wood to deal with?

The BK-2 is a much better chopper than you might imagine, and the Ka-Bar Cutlass is a great blade for the price, it really bites deep.
ESEE 6 and Junglas are both great for camp, where the ESEE5 really is not, IMO. The 5 is built very well, but too thick at the edge for camping.
Lots of Ontario offerings are good blades, if you sand the micarta scales a bit, improve the edge a little, and upgrade the sheaths, then you have a knife. On the other hand, an ESEE already has nice blades.

I also tend to agree with Hawk45, if you are taking a tent and a sleeping bag, a stove and fuel, then maybe you don't need a big knife. An ESEE 4 or 6 would be as big as you would need.
On the other hand, no tent, no sleeping bag, no stove, then you will be processing lots of wood, so take an axe, or saw, or big chopper.
 
maskedbacon said:
...I'm looking for a fixed blade knife to beat around backpacking. Doing the more painful chores, like batoning or whatever wood processing is at hand. I have a nice collection of Spyderco's that I like to use for every other task (Tenacious, Pacific Salt, Endura FRN), but the thought of batoning with them makes me cringe.

I'm just getting back into backpacking after a long hiatus (since childhood, pretty-much), and I was "that guy" last time carrying a Bear Grylls Parang. Because why not, it's cheap and looked like a lot of fun :)

Anyhow, it was kind of a useless idea for the most part. Not totally useless, but it got me thinking. Next time I want to try a pocket chain saw + med/large fixed blade, and I've been going around the web for hours today trying to pick which one to get. The problem is, no one seems to agree about anything :)

So here are what I've settled on, and I'd love to have some suggestions from you guys.

Tanks:
Becker BK2
Ka-Bar Heavy Bowie
ESEE-5

Big blades:
ESEE Junglas
ESEE-6
Ontario RTAK II
Ontario SP50

Cheap Blades:
Gerber Big Rock
Gerber Profile

Part of me would love to just settle with a cheap blade that could take a pounding. But another part of me looks at the Junglas and says "holy crap, I want this". ESEE blades all look amazing and the BK2 is something else, but between cost and weight I'm just confused.

I'm also tempted to try batoning with the Parang. If that's a real bad idea please stop me before my next outing :)

Thanks for the input guys.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you're getting into backpacking!

I can offer some experience regarding different tools and their usefulness on such ventures.
First off, a group of us went out a few days and carried both the Pocket Chainsaw and a Bahco Folding saw. The thin blade and longer/sharper teeth of the folding saw made it much more efficient at wood-processing than the chainsaw. The chain, while very light and compact, does not deploy/pack-away as quickly/easily as the Bahco, and it also requires two hands vs. only one for the Bahco. You could take both anyway (they are fairly light), but you'll only use the chainsaw if the folding saw breaks.

Onto knives/machetes/hatchets.
I use to carry a hatchet, but it was awkward and less versatile and no more efficient than a large knife+baton. I've carried a machete also, but find that I only really use it when clearing a trail through thick brush. That said, a light machete is a MAJOR boon under such circumstances - I've been without one and regretted it. For processing wood, I can use knife+baton on the big stuff and break the smaller stuff by hand - no need for machete chopping there. If you're out off the beaten path doing "survival" training of some sort, a >10" blade might come in handy or give you some psychological support, but if you didn't find the Gerber Parang useful, I doubt you'd find any long blade very useful.
Oh, as to the durability of the Gerber BG Parang, here is a video of a user (very amateur) putting one through the paces, including batonning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS6DNb1eQ6I&NR=1

In conclusion, my primary wood-processing tool is a large fixed blade - either the RatManDu of my Cattaraugus 225Q. I have a friend who carries the Gerber BigRock and finds it perfectly suitable to the tasks - if you are on a budget, Gerber's Big Rock or Prodigy will work great, also there is the Mora2000 and a number of other inexpensive knives which perform very well. I've steered clear of the BK2, ESEE-5, and similar knives due to excessive weight and lower efficiency (too thick) compared to lighter+thinner knives. You do NOT want a "tank" for backpacking.

If this tool may be used to baton-process thick wood, longer blades give more purchase to the baton, making them more efficient/easier to use. I once found it necessary to split fuel from a thick branch of cold, seasoned oak, and a BRKT Bravo1 and my Catt225Q happened to be the only tools available. I repeatedly tried using the BRKT, wanting very much to think it superior to the Catt, but its performance fell drastically short. I you are already carrying a folding knife for general cutting tasks, make your wood-processing tool longer.

So that's my contribution: get a fixed blade that is sturdy and light and longer than your folding knives. Carrying a BK11 or Izula or Swamp Warden, etc. as well as a folding knife is redundant. Not that you cannot be redundant, that's up to you. :thumbup:

Have a good time out there!
 
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