Backpacking Beater Blade?

Hombre Secreto said:
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.
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I think some are available in the store now. Great all rounder.
 
any of the Beckers are great and good prices. I have a BK2 but way to heavy for back packing. the ESEE RC-6 is really light for that size knife, Fallkniven's are also very light for how tough they are also. The RMD is a great knife too. lots of choices huh? lol
 
I just contacted Swamp Rat -- you guys seem to be really into them so it spiked my curiosity. Where can I confirm that it's a lifetime warranty? And can you give me one last breakdown to why Swamp Rat is such a great company and why this particular knife is so special?

Also, that Parang video was really pretty amazing, I'll have to give it some further "creative" usage. I abused mine last weekend but not nearly to that extent, and to be perfectly honest my machete skills are extremely... new. The fact that it's only like 3/32" wide made me a little nervous for things like batoning, considering my SpyderCo's are 1/8" wide. But seeing what that guy did to his, I think It deserves to be beaten up more :)

And so it seems like the Parang and Junglas are neck and neck until I break the Parang. The Junglas is just such a beautiful knife... but it's the same weight as the Parang and costs 5x as much.

I also want to give some more thought to your guys' posts and reply later. They have been very thoughtful and I appreciate it. I just... need some breakfast before I pass out.
 
Mora low cost and low weight. The Mora Clipper is the one I use the most, because of the lite weight. The Force, 2000, 2010 also look nice but are more $. Mora Clipper $16 shipped. :thumbup:

I also use the Becker BK11 from time to time. $34 shipped.
The Buck Paklite 143 is also a nice size and is only $17 at WM. The Paklite 140 is smaller yet.
The Gerber Yari is as heavy as I would go. Esee RC4 is the same size but weighs much more.
Stay away from the 2 + pound knives.
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maskedbacon said:
Could you link me, please? I only see an OUT OF STOCK thing.
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My bad. They had the image of them up which usually means they have them.

Great company, that is for life warranty against any type of abuse you can cook up! The handle, balance and feel is often called perfect on the RMD...
 
The RMD is my favorite all-around fixed blade--Swamp Rat must have recently run out of them.

If you want a cheap beater, I'd look at the Condor line.

I recently bought a Condor Hudson Bay and it's stood up to some early pounding and chopping quite well. It's "medium large"--I think it's an 8 and 1/2" blade, with the weight forward which makes it a good chopper for the size.

I was impressed enough to get the Condor Bushlore--the newer 1/8" thick version. Arrived Monday. Not a chopper, but it's reasonably light and would likely handle most of your needs. Might be a better bet for backpacking (weighs less). It's full tang and more robust than a Mora.
 
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I carry a folding saw for wood processing so lean towards the four inch bushcraft/survival knives for backpacking. The Fallkniven F1, Bark River Bravo-1, or ESEE-4 would serve you well and take a beating. If you want a less expensive alternative, the Buck 119, Moras, or BK2 are great choices.
 
Lots of good replies so not much to add but if you want cheap, try a Tramontina 12" machete. For 6 bucks you can beat the hell out of it and not worry if it breaks. :D I'd steer clear of all the big knives unless you know they'll work for you. There weight to usefulness ratio stinks. There's a reason a lot of experienced hikers carry small knives. You have to carry it.

And visit the great outdoors sub-forum. Lots of good reading for a beginner.http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/864-The-Great-Outdoors
 
I've said this a million times before, but a good puukko can do pretty much anything besides batoning or chopping. Try Woodsknife, Marttiini, Iisakki-Järvenpää or customs.
 
For ordering the RMD, just keep watching the store, or the Swamp Rat sub-forum here, as Eric Isaacson usually posts when new stock comes in.

Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard are sub-divisions of Busse Combat, so they get the same level of product support.

As for the RMD itself... it's a great overall design. Very comfortable, good blade to handle ratio, well balanced, not too heavy, and a very good steel.

The only thing to watch out for when ordering one is that sometimes the knife comes with a thicker edge profile, depending on who finished the blade. If you're concerned about that, just contact Swamp Rat, and Eric will take care of you. Or you can re-profile it yourself, but it might take a while. My RMD was like that, but the other Swamp Rats that I have weren't.
 
Thicker edge profile = larger angle at blade?

I contacted Eric, he said he'd have one for me in two weeks. So that's pretty cool :)

I also got impatient and ordered a Mora Triflex and a BK11 Becker Necker to give a whirl. Now to sit on my steps and wait for the postman...

Anyhow, thanks a bunch guys. You've given me a lot to think about and three knives to order (unless my BG Parang splits in two the next time I'm out). I'll also check out the outdoors / survival forums. Looks like a lot of fun.

So the winners are:

Cheap and Light Medium-Beaters:

- BK11 Becker Necker
- Mora ... anything around 4-6" ?

Big Blade Beaters

- ESEE Junglas
- ESEE R6

All Around Champ

- Swamp Rat RatManDu

Surprise Entry: Cheap Big Ass Beater

- BG Parang

:)
 
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BK2 is alright...it isnt as light as some other knife but it is a lot of knife in small package. The length is short enough to stash into most packs in areas where you cant wear them on belt. I guess I am used to hauling the big Khukuris and Parangs, everything else is just light.
 
Are you backpacking or camping. If just backpacking and choosing from your list I would go Esee 6 and add a small SAK. With this set up you could handle the majority of everything encountered in a backpacking scenario while keeping weight down. All of your suggestions for tank knives are good but you will quickly wear down if you plan on a blade from all three categories. As far as Gerber some like them, I don't so I would not choose any of the Gerbers. Not saying they aren't good knives Gerber's style just does not appeal to me.
 
Hi Jamal,

I'm backpacking. I'm still figuring out my configuration exactly... I brought the BG Parang last time and it was no biggie. I wouldn't bring one from each category, it'd be more like Parang + (BK11 or Mora) + Tenacious. Once I get the RatManDu it'd probably replace the Parang (unless you guys think batoning with it is a dumb idea).

I'm not much of a Gerber fan either. I love Spyderco's but the idea of wrecking one makes me sad. From all the research I've done so far, Swamp Rat, Mora, the Becker Series and ESEE all seem great.
 
I do a lot more hiking than backpacking these days. But I know that weight is key with backpacking, which I used to do a lot of. However, fire is important. If you are backpacking with fuel, stove and tent, you don't really need a large knife or hatchet or axe. Down is cheaper and lighter than campfires.

However, if you are not carrying fuel and you need fire or if you don't have a tent, then you need something to process firewood and build shelter.

My setup is a Bush Whacker Busse, which is a quick and light Battle Mistress in Infi steel. I like Infi steel better then the 1095 in a Junglas. In the Bush Whacker sheath, I can carry a Silky folding saw and fire steels. And I always carry my EDC, which is a Military M4 Ti. There is not much I can't do with that combination.
 
>>> Thicker edge profile = larger angle at blade?

Yeah, mine came in at about 50 deg. inclusive. It was paper slicing sharp, but wouldn't shave. I've been re-profiling the knife on a Norton economy stone that I picked up at Home Depot, then I'll move to Sharpmaker stones. The other Swamp Rats that I bought all came shaving sharp.
 
So I went backpacking last weekend (http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/30939) with the BG Parang, Endura, and Pocket Chain Saw, and I have to say, the Parang really shined. Since my technique has improved, cutting through pretty thick wood (4+ inches) has become really quick and easy. There was hardly any wear or damage on the blade after doing a dozen or so thick branches and batoning through a few thicker logs. I'm definitely taking this guy along for another trip. Although... do note that it did not come very sharp and I've reshaped the entire blade to make it convex shaving sharp.

The pocket chain saw was able to cut through a 10" -ish log, but it took me like 10 minutes as well. Total thumbs down. It was so tiring I had to take breaks before I could finish. Is the favorite saw here the Sawvivor? What makes it worth its size and weight?

I made an impulse purchase and will be receiving the Gerber Sportsman's Wood Saw pretty soon. People on Amazon seem to really like it, it's 3.4 ounces, and for $10 I can't see how it could go wrong. Although... my pocket chain saw (http://www.amazon.com/Chainmate-24-...OS60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304985476&sr=8-1) was $20 and it completely let me down. :(
 
maskedbacon said:
So I went backpacking last weekend (http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/30939) with the BG Parang, Endura, and Pocket Chain Saw...

The pocket chain saw was able to cut through a 10" -ish log, but it took me like 10 minutes as well. Total thumbs down. It was so tiring I had to take breaks before I could finish. Is the favorite saw here the Sawvivor? What makes it worth its size and weight?

I made an impulse purchase and will be receiving the Gerber Sportsman's Wood Saw pretty soon. People on Amazon seem to really like it, it's 3.4 ounces, and for $10 I can't see how it could go wrong. Although... my pocket chain saw (http://www.amazon.com/Chainmate-24-...OS60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304985476&sr=8-1) was $20 and it completely let me down. :(
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I'm glad that the trip went well and that the BG Parang exceeded your expectations! As to the saw, I did say...
chiral.grolim said:
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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.
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I repeat the recommendation for a Bahco Folding Saw - high quality tempered steel with long sharp teeth designed to cut on both the push and the pull stroke...
I have no experience with the slide-action Gerber saw, but i am hesitant about a saw which opens and closes with the same motion as the draw/stroke of saw-action: the lock is more likely to fail during use. I think you'd have been better off with a folding saw... but that does not mean that this saw won't satisfy your needs. Happy trails, and keep enjoying yourself out there!
 
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