There are so many cheaper options that would perform just as well, and most likely better than the Contego for woods use, that I just can't really recommend it.....
If you want a solid fixed blade, look at ESEE, Ontario, Becker. Even a cold steel like the SRK or recon scout would be a good choice.
For a woods blade, you ideally want carbon steel (Or a really tough stainless), so the contego's s30v kinda limits it's capabilities a little. For instance, I would be more hesitant to baton with s30v than I would be with something like 5160 or 1095. And you seem to be looking for a larger, more "hard-use" oriented blade rather than a small, light duty camp knife, so the s30v is kind of a negative here. If it were a smaller camp knife you were looking for, I would say s30v would actually be preferred (because of the edge retention and corrosion resistance)
Personally, for what you described, I would recommend ESEE above all others. Pick any one you like. They're all just really good knives. But some tend to be a little on the pricey side.
If you want something that won't break the bank, I would advise getting anything in the Ontario's Spec Plus line. I have an SP 48 as my larger chopper, and so far I love it. The 5160 doesn't have any problems batoning and chopping. Depending on your exact size requirements, there are many options in that line of knives that are all really great choices for woods blades, and all are more budget friendly than the Contego. The only thing that I can say bad about them (or at least the one I have) is that the edge retention isn't the best. They run the steel pretty soft to encourage toughness, but this also kinda makes the edge retention suck. So I guess that's one place the Contego wins..... But if you brought a little ceramic rod with you, it would only take a couple seconds to touch up the edge whenever it got a little dull, so I don't really see it as a problem
Overall, Ontario's, beckers, and ESEE's are all great options that will perform just as well as, if not better than the Contego, but also represent a better value, IMO:thumbup:
OR
....... Since you have the time, you could always just save up for a nice busse
Then you would never need another fixed blade again.....Hell, even a Ratmandu would be an awesome choice. It's only like one step down from a true busse, and the steel is supposed to be incredible (SR-101). Plus, the price isn't too bad either
