Broke my Ka-Bar... need a replacement camp knife.

Did you see this http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776029 ? I would also look here http://www.siteground136.com/~knifetes/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=1 . A lot of expensive customs and productions will not hold up to regular batoning even as well as some cheap knives. I personally would look for something with a resiprene handle from the Swamp so that I would have super toughness and edgeholding and be able to sharpen it without diamonds with a very comfortable handle but there are less expensive options if necessary that will at least hold up to more than occasional battoning.
 
I broke my Ka-Bar and then discovered Busse. If you want a Ka-Bar on steroids check out the Team Gemini.
 
They may go a bit over what you want to pay, but you can often find a Scrapyard (Busse-kin) SOD (Son of Dogfather), or a Swamp Rat (another Busse-kin) Ratweiler or Chopweiler on the exchange.

Read Pitdog's "A REAL survival knife" thread on the Chopweiler, and you may discover it's worth the premium price and you can beat the snot out of it.
 
Becker BK7, great replacement for that role. Good enough grind to slice, enough forward balance to chop, long enough to baton, controllable enough to get fuzzies going.

BeckerBK7021.jpg


BeckerBK7018.jpg
 
I was going to suggest another Ka-Bar, in the BK-7. It seems to be nothing less than an upgrade to the "Ka-Bar" you had.
 
I gotta go with spooky on this one. 1) I'm a Beckerhead 2) They're as tough as woodpecker lips. The BK7 is the Combat/Utility design for the Becker line up. Its light and quick in the hands, and will do ANY chore you have around the camp. IMHO, the only thing better is the BK2, but that is a different discussion. The best part? You can get one delivered to your door for less than $70. While your at it, get a BK11 or ESKABAR to pair it up with and your set. Just sayin'. Moose
 
Lots of custom makers on here to check out. Scott Gossman, NWA, Fiddleback, LR Harner, Blind Horse Knives, David Farmer, Dozier, Bill Siegle, Muskrat Man (just rattling off the ones I own).

I don't have many production fixed blades anymore, but I really like my Chris Reeve Nyala, Spyderco bushcraft and Fallkniven F1. You might look at Spydercos Woodlander series, and Fallkniven's larger blades.
 
I would say ESEE RC-6 but that road has already been traveled.

So, +1 for BK&T-7 - hard to beat for the money!
 
Becket BK7 would be the perfect upgrade, in my opinion. That or an ESEE 6 would do well.
 
hung-solo said:
knife for a spliter? why dont you just use a small ax? use the knives for what knives are supposed to be used for. gerber makes great small and very light axes. cheap too
Click to expand...

I own more axes than I do knives :cool: A 19" half axe is my preferred wilderness tool, and the one I'm most experienced with. I carry it whenever I can.

However, I carry a knife and saw combo when I go hiking at high altitudes (I was about 6300 feet up when I broke that Ka-Bar, in fact). Often times I find myself above or on the tree line, where there simply isn't any wood thick enough to justify carrying the additional weight of an axe. At the same time, the wood that is around is always soaked because I live in one of the wettest areas in North America. So I gotta be able to get inside wood to start my fires, right? The knife and saw combo does it for me.

Thanks for all these suggestions, guys. Right now I'm really looking at something from Fallkniven, but I'm unsure about their steel. I wish it was carbon. Blah, decisions decisions...

Edit: I'm also thinking that a Becker might be the best way to go as far as price/performance... never really looked at those knives until now, and I'm very quickly starting to like them!
 
Look for a Busse with the blade shape and length you want. You won't break it, ever. (And you could probably use it for ten years, then sell it for more than you paid for it!)

The Skinny ASH and SARsquatch make great camp knives, IMO.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Try a Ranger RD6 or RD7. They are full tang and tough 5160. Or just get a Busse. The Rangers are plenty tough and can stand up to a lot of hard use.
OldRD7010.jpg

Tutorial028.jpg
 
I say you can't beat the Fallkniven A1 for the money. I've put mine through some serious work and it always amazes me how well it holds up.;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top