Backpacking/Camping <$100 Hard Use Fixed Blade Reccomendations?

A

Appalachia

Joined
May 28, 2012
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Hey guys, I'm new to the forum so take it easy on me :D



I'm looking for a fixed blade to take backpacking and camping. It will be paired with my Sawvivor Folding Saw, Mora and whichever folder I decide to take for the event (Delica 4, Griptilian, Skyline, Stretch, etc.) My criteria are:

-Has to be tough enough to handle splitting and chopping
-Has to have a good sheath (Kydex preferably)
-Has to be fairly lightweight
-Has to be under $100 (75 or less would be nice).
-Should be around 5-7 inches I suppose.


Some things I've considered are: Cold Steel SRK, Cold Steel Leatherneck, Kabar/Becker BK2, Kabar/Becker Bk7, Gerber LMK, Gerber Prodigy, and the Ontario Rat 7.



All reccomendations will be much appreciated.


Thanks,

Appalachia
 
The BK7 might be a good choice. It's ok for light chopping, I cut a few pieces of oak with mine about as big as my thumb and it did ok but anything much bigger than that I would grab a hatchet. The BK2 would also be a good choice. My pick would be the Scrapyard 511.
 
Whatever you do, don't take the leatherneck. It's a slicer, not a chopper/splitter. It has too much weight in the handle and not enough in the blade, and the full flat grind leaves the edge too thin for chopping work (I've seen people bend and chip it when trying to baton it through logs.) It's a terrific combat knife, but that's about it.
 
I considered the BK2, but the sheath, or the lack there of, as well as the weight were turnoffs. Also, I ruled out the Leaterneck for the reasons above.
 
A used ESEE6 found can be found for that price and I wager you will not find a knife you like better under $100 .I used to have a BK7 and a BK2 and now I use the ESEE6 or a much smaller or much larger knife.
 
If you're thinking more along the lines of it being under 75 bucks you might take a look at some of Condor's offerings. The Rodan and Hudson Bay would prove to be more than serviceable for a "camp knife" also Ka-Bar imports a knife called simply the heavy Bowie made from 1080 carbon that's around 50 bucks. But it's really hard to beat the Becker BK2 IMO for a production camp knife in the sub-100 dollar range.
 
Lots of folks (including me!) replaced the webbing portion of the BK2 sheath with a Tek-Lok system. The rivets on the sheath line right up. Still way under $100.

Can't help you with the weight.
 
Check out a Buck 119 'Special' - available for <$40 at most WallyWorlds with either a nylon or leather sheath. The basic model has a black phenolic handle and aluminum butt and finger guard and weighs about 8 oz. It has a 6" clip style blade of Buck's 420HC steel that is .175" thick at the spine and has a hollow grind to it's long bevel, making it a great slicer. Les Stroud, Discovery Channel's 'Survivorman', used one on several of his episodes. It's a lot of knife - US-made knife at that - for $40. Check the usual outdoors discount stores, too.

If you want to maximize your chopping/splitting capabilities - and can get by with a 5" x .25" 1095 carbon steel full pound of knife, the Becker BK-2 is hard to beat. Shop a web-oriented book, etc, store and you can find one for <$70 shipped. You'll almost have enough of your c-note left to get a 119 from W-W!

Stainz
 
Condor Rodan or Varan would be good economy choppers that you wouldn't worry about using and abusing. However, they come with leather sheaths.

BK 2 and 7 are awesome knives, but sheaths aren't the greatest. I also like the Ka-Bar Johnson adventure Potbelly for a chopper.

ESEE 6 is really nice and comes with micarta and kydex but also a higher price tag. The Ontario Rat 7 is similar to the ESEE and costs <$100, but doesn't come with Kydex.

The Gerber LMF II is a solid knife for the price as well. Comes with a nice rattle free sheath with a built in sharpener and molle attachments. It isn't lightweight and has kind of a weird balance for a chopper due to the heavy pommel. Also a pretty big portion of the blade has serrations on it if that is an issue.

Cold Steel considers batoning abuse, the SRK is a good knife, but a little small for chopping.

Kind or hard to find exactly what you want in your price range. I would lean towards a Becker, you get a solid knife now and it gives you options to upgrade sheaths and handles as time and budget allow.

Good luck.

Dax
 
Go for the BK9...you won't regret it !
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Like the others have said...look into Condor Tool & Knife ....awsome knives for the money & great customer service ! The HudsonBay is a beast !
 
How about a Ranger RD7 Bush? With a little sanding of the scales you'll get a 7in blade of 1095 with great feel for about $70, which should leave you enough for a decent kydex sheath.

I got one on a whim about a year ago, and it's become my car knife. It's one tough tool. I've chopped, batoned, smashed and even used it to chip ice off of my frozen shut shed door. It's had good edge retention, no rolling or chipping at all.
 
If I wanted to do a lot of splitting and chopping, I'd bring along a hatchet and save my knife edge for cutting and slicing purposes.
 
If your looking for information I would check out Nuntfancy's Large Survival Knives playlist on Youtube. He uses a similiar setup and has a variety of large survival knives to choose from. If for some reason your not a fan may i suggest the RTAK II, CS Trailmaster, Kabar Heavy Bowie, RD 7, Ranger Assault Knife, CS GI Tanto, etc...

-MC
 
I am also in the process of purchasing a large fixed blade knife for camping/backpacking. Here are some things I am considering in my purchase, and maybe this will shed some light on your decision. When people look for a looking for a knife to bring into the wilderness they want one knife that can do it all, sometimes you can get by with that, but I think it is better to develop a system that you carry with you. Like having a saw for chopping down the wood, another knife to split the wood and a small pocket knife for smaller tasks like cutting rope and prepping food. I think the sawvivor is a great tool for your system, and it allows you to carry a knife that is designed for a more specific task. Having a saw eliminates the need for chopping wood. When chopping wood a heavier and thicker the blade will be better, but also means more weight to carry when you are backpacking. Although if you get a knife that is lighter and thinner, you will also have to use more energy to get the job done. I think it is worth it to use more energy from carrying a heavier blade, making your tasks easier to complete, than using more energy to complete your tasks with a smaller lighter blade. But if you are using the sawvivor none if this is an issue and now you can get a knife that is better at splitting wood, and not have to worry as much about its chopping capabilities. With that being said I would go with a bigger knife for splitting (batoning), because it allows you to split wider pieces of wood. From my experience a 5 inch blade is too small for that task, a 7 inch blade is just betting you by, but a 9 inch or a 10 inch blade makes a world of difference. I am currently using the Rat 7, which has 6.5 inch blade. This knife is great and it is good at splitting wood, not so good at chopping, but on the flip side because it is what I would consider to be a medium sized blade it is also very good at doing some smaller tasks. So it is a good all around knife. From your above choices I would highly recommend getting the Rat 7, but I do find myself wishing that I had a longer blade. There are times when I am limited to the wood I can split because of the length of my blade, which sometimes becomes an issue when backpacking. A big blade can always do the job of a small blade, but a small blade can never do the job of a big blade. The knives that I am currently considering are the Ontario Rtak II, Buck Hoodlum, Ontario SP50. If I were you I would check out some reviews on those knives I mentioned. Good Luck
 
BK2 is a beast but seriously heavy if you are going to be carrying it any distance. The BK7 is a great all-round knife, and as others have said, the BK-9 is just a handful of awesomeness. However, you might also want to look at the smaller BK16 which would seem to suit your purposes very well, and meets all your requirements except for the kydex sheath (and the stock one gets generally favourable comments).
 
ozgooner said:
BK2 is a beast but seriously heavy if you are going to be carrying it any distance. The BK7 is a great all-round knife, and as others have said, the BK-9 is just a handful of awesomeness. However, you might also want to look at the smaller BK16 which would seem to suit your purposes very well, and meets all your requirements except for the kydex sheath (and the stock one gets generally favourable comments).
Click to expand...

Do you think I would be able to baton wood above, say, four inches in diameter with the BK 16? It seems physically impossible with a sub-5-inch blade.
 
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