Best heavy trail user?

Maybe I've been watching "Lost" too much?
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Exactly what I was thinking. :)

Good luck in your shopping decision. You know, you can buy multiple knives, use them all in 'practice' situations, and make a final decision based on your own experiences.

Personally, in all my years of outdoor experience, I've never once needed to chop wood. Except in seasonal camps where we had axes, saws, and hatchets that are much better suited for the task.

I've also never had a time when I wished for a SAK. The tweezers and scissors in my first aid kit are better quality; there aren't many things in the forest with slotted screw heads; and have never once found anything that required a corkscrew, magnifying glass, golf tee cleaner, or any of the other gadgets.

Very Best Wishes,
Bob
 
If you're going to chop wood, take a folding saw. Knives weren't built to chop wood, they can, but you might as well take something that was meant to cut wood like that.
 
Kershaw Outcast in D2 should be out soon, right? That should be the winner right there (especially for the price tag).
KS1079LARGE.jpg

Grab a Smith's Diamond pen (or something of the like) and you would be good to go all for under $70 if you shop around.
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-KC
 
z537z said:
Great stuff, everybody.
I've looked at the SAK knife road, but I find myself needing something besides just a knife very rarely. I'll carry my leatherman (had it for years) on my belt, then want a knife that'll do what I need.
I have considered that the large knives are less than necessary in most situations. But if I'm chopping a large piece of wood, I'd rather have a heavy blade vs. a 4-6" slicer to get the job done without my arm falling off after back-cutting for half an hour.

I'd rather have it and not need it, you know?

Maybe I've been watching "Lost" too much? That guy with the knives is the MAN there.

_z
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I guess the question would be, why are you chopping the large piece of wood?

I bought a Swamp Rat CT because I thought I NEEDED a big outdoor knife. I never use it. Too big for food prep, too heavy (an big) to hike with comfortably (for me) and I rarely need to chop anything. Around my yard clippers work better and easier. Arounf the woods, dead wood is abundant for fires.

I could see using it around the campsite a bit, but that would be a campsite I drove to - not hiked to. For me the Fox River is just fine. Good at food prep/woodwork, tough and cuts like a laser. Lighter, smaller, better looking and easy to maintain are all nice too!
 
You guys are making a lot of sense. I'll probably settle on something smaller, like the CS SRK size kind of thing. Fallkniven's a good bet at this point. I'd still like to make my own handle.

What grit is that Smith's Diamond Pen? It's pretty cool.

True, a saw is more functional. I found this gem, now that's REALLY cool!

http://home.earthlink.net/~rmedise/id8.html

But mostly fantasy, I can't see using it all that much either.

Thanks for all the input, and for putting up with my "kid in a candy store" look at this...:P

_z

EDIT: Sere Operator was my original favorite... Anybody used this one?
 
I just received a Roger Linger knife based on Rons Hurricane Knife. The sheath was made by Jamie and all I can say it that I think I have found the knife that will do everything I want.

I am with the better to have it and not need it crowd. No disrespect to others that have posted but taking a bigger knife when you are going out into the boonies is surely a better idea than not. Of course if you are on a trail that has plumbed toilets and water fountains every two hundered meters then don't bother but a big, well designed knife can do a lot of jobs.
 
Hi,

Another plug for Busse...

I'm very pleased with my Meaner Street (4 inch blade, 0.22 inch thick), although some may prefer the thinner Leaner Meaner Street (0.15 inches thick)

For me, the 4 inch blade is just right for bushcraft type use.

They can be found at the Busse Company Store

Regards,

W
 
Try this...
Spend around $10 on a Frosts (of Sweden) Swedish Army Knife.
It is a 4" fixed blade, stainless steel, plastic handle and sheath, weighs mere ounces and cuts like no tomorrow. The scandi grind is great for making fuzz sticks to start your fire too.
If you find that lacking in any way, then spend the big bucks on a big heavy hard use survival knife.
You'd only be out $10 if I'm wrong. And the SwAK will still make a good kitchen knife.

:D
 
Got a SERE Operator, but it doesn't get to go out to play all that often.

It is more of a fighter (light and fast) than a camp knife, and I think you would be better off with the Fallkniven S1 or A1.
 
z537z said:
On the other hand, steel so hard that you can't sharpen it with a rock
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Rocks are harder than even the harder commercial steels in knives. Dropping the hardness on a steel so you can sharpen it on a rock is like cutting your hair to save weight on the trail. You won't notice the difference either way.

Dropping the hardness of steels in general to make them easier to sharpen is mainly nonsense. Even hard to machine stainless steels at 60 HRC are soft as butter compared to decent abrasives.

Which ever knife you do get, make sure you actually practice using it before you take it out and have to depend on it.

-Cliff
 
Good to know, thanks Cliff.

I figure carrying a diafold in red/green or something will add maybe 2 oz. to a 60lb. pack and help hone in a S30V knife even in the boonies.

I've read a lot of stuff that says carrying a sharpener is stupid in a survival setting, but you guys (and my own sharpening gear) have swayed me the other way.

_z
 
I always carry a file and a coarse/fine hone even when I take my axe into the woods for the afternoon. I don't do it because it is going to get dull, but everynow and again you will hit something you wish you didn't and I am not going all the way back to the house to fix the edge. If you really have to depend on your knife for any length of time then you better have a way to keep it useful.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Rocks are harder than even the harder commercial steels in knives. -Cliff
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Depends on the rock. For example marbles, limestones, shales, and schists are much softer than steel. Granites and gneisses are harder.

Will
 
Yes, you can find softer rocks, soapstone you can even carve with a knife, however it isn't difficult to find a harder one. You can also touch up the edge on softer materials like leather by stropping.

It would also take a massive amount of use to reduce a quality knife to such a point where a random rock will improve it, and dropping the hardness by a few points isn't going to help the issue any.

I have sharpened even steels like VG-10 on random rocks to the point where they would cut ropes and such, this was after extensive dulling from digging in rocky soil where the edge was visibly chipped out.

It really isn't something to design a knife around because if you can do it with one knife you can do it with pretty much any of them.

-Cliff
 
I think Z53 is like me. When I want a new knife I always try to find a logical reason for it when in reality I just want a new blade to enjoy. I think all of this SAK logic is getting in the way of helping him find a new knife to enjoy. :D
I have been eyeballing this little Blackjack beauty at New Graham.
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maximus otter said:
I've completed two ~100 mile hikes; also two 150+ mile cycling holidays. On all occasions I carried everything I needed, i.e. tent, mattress, sleeping bag, stove & utensils etc.

I never felt the need for anything other than a SAK.

Ask yourself why you'd ever need a large fixed blade on a hike. If you're realistic, you'll come up empty! It's surplus weight, and you'll find yourself cursing it. You'll reach a stage where you find yourself looking for pointless things to chop, just to justify having the damn thing with you. Then you'll realise that you want a pair of tweezers. Or a magnifying glass. Or a can opener. What do you have? 9" of dead weight gorilla-gutter...

Don't listen to the siren voices of the armchair explorers and keyboard commandos. Take a SAK.

maximus otter
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But what happens if you are out there and something unexpected happens???
A little backpack stove will not keep you warm if you get cold and WET from a spill in the river, or a sudden freezing ran/sleet.
Why carry a first aid kit... You are not going to use it...IF everything goes right...Why carry a spare tire in the car, if you always make sure that your tires are good.
Of course you can go overboard(I know I do!), but a good fixed blade knife is a BASIC piece of equipment in the wilderness(even) if just a Mora...
 
jamesraykenney said:
But what happens if you are out there and something unexpected happens???
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BAM!
I have the luck of being THAT GUY who's ALWAYS missing what he needs. Granted, the need for an emergency big honkin knife defense from Grizzly attacks is slim, but I'd rather lose a few more pounds carrying the thing than not have it if something comes up.

_z
 
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