Camping kit

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Peak_Oil

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Nov 6, 2005
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I've picked up a few knives over the last year or two, and they add up to a fairly respectable bunch for a city guy. Lucky me though, I'm moving to a much more rural area soon and can't wait to go camping much more often than I've been able to over the last ten years or so. I'd appreciate it if you guys could look over the list and suggest what I should get rid of and what I should add.

It's going to be a wet environment. If I'm going to carry carbon steel, I know I'll have to take good care of it and that's OK, but I could use some tips on how to do so.

Here's what I've got.

Kabar 7" plain edge
Kershaw JYDII combo blade
Sarko $20 khukri with the goat leather and wood sheath
Leatherman Wave, the old one w/o titanium
Another larger Leatherman, can't recall the name
Kitchen shears
Chef's knife, cleaver, paring knife, peeler
Cork screw, bottle cap remover, small blade device

I haven't taken the Kabar out yet, not much use for it in the city. But just in handling it a little I think maybe I made a mistake and should have gotten the 4" version. If I needed to whittle a tent stake I think I'd rather have the shorter blade.

I don't have a hatchet or a saw, I'd like any suggestions you guys have. I've heard that there are hatchet heads that are meant to be packed just as the head, and you cut a handle for it onsite. That sounds interesting, I might like that.

Size and weight are considerations for me, money not so much. I don't need to stick with cheaper than dirt, but I don't really have the money for $250 pieces. I'd be packing in on a motorcycle or a canoe, and probably not hiking very far from where I park my bike or canoe. Still, bikes can't carry all that much.

I would like to be able to make tent stakes, whittle some tinder, chop firewood, prepare meals, cut rope, just normal daily camping tasks. I suppose in some rambo fantasy world I could lash the kabar to a staff and make a pigsticking spear out of it... but I have a glock if I needed a ranged weapon for something.

While the khukri is a nice compromise between a knife and a hatchet, I don't really like it much for either one of those tasks. I could toss it and not miss it much.

I can pack a sharpmaker for maintenance on most of the blades, but what should I use for a saw and a hatchet?

Thanks for any feedback.
 
There is way too many different approaches to answer your question. And many more questions to make before giving a right one.

Arround here the famous trio (SAK/multitool, 4-5" fixed blade and a saw/hatchet) works well for many of us. Even if you are going to carry it on your person, that shouldn't weight you down much.

I would say that now that you have a fixed blade (the Ka-Bar) and a multitool (Leatherman) you just need something to make firewood. When I say "something" I mean that you need to consider ir you are going to be chopping or sawing and if you will need to split wood to reach the dry core. If you live in a dry area you won't be in need of splitting much wood (and even if the need arises, battoning with your 7" Ka-Bar will do), then get a folding saw. Silkies are well known here in W&S but you will probably be fine with any found in a hardware store. On the other hand, if you plan on splitting A LOT then ditch the saw and get a hatchet (or carry both). But don't carry just the head, carry the whole thing. Or better, find one of those that are made out of a single piece of steel and a rubber coated handle... Can't remember the name but they seem boomproof!

As far as sharpenning goes... I don't think the Sharpmaker is the way to go when hiking (big, clumsy and you may break the rods if you drop it). Go find a two sided DMT stone (fine/coarse) and it will work fine for anything with an edge. They have some folding models that pack small and carry lightly.

I hope this helps a little bit.
Mikel
 
Gransfors Bruks are renowned as the best hatchets but there are a bunch of other contenders such as Wetterlings.

“I've heard that there are hatchet heads that are meant to be packed just as the head, and you cut a handle for it onsite. That sounds interesting, I might like that.”

I'm sure that would be fun but also a bit of a task. I don't doubt I could do it but it would take me a while to fashion something I had any confidence in. It doesn't strike me as very efficient, especially if it is temporary just to get the thing going to build a fire / shelter. And if you make a good one you'll probably want to keep it 'cos of the effort, kinda bringing you back to where you started. Hatchet handles aren't heavy. I'd take a whole one. In your case, on a budget, I'd go with a Fiskars [it's a Gerber] http://www.nextag.com/fiskars-axes/search-html . Chances of you breaking it are slim, and they get good reviews here.

I expect that over time you'll simplify your knife choices. I won't knock the Kabar, there's a lot of joy to be had using them. The fact is though they aren't especially suited as field knives. Over time you'll probably find something you like that has more versatility and can do all your food prep in addition to whatever else you want too. It'll be lighter both physically and financially to focus your $s on one good one than distributing between Kabar, chefs, paring and peeler. Your Fiskars should be able to do whatever you want the cleaver for. Kitchen shears, mmm. I often carry a light pair of pruning shears that I use for taking the hands off things too. They make short work of building nests. I'd bin the Sarko off and stick with the Fiskars. Mikel_24 is probably right about the Silky saws. I don't have one, but there are professional tree wranglers here that use them for a living.

You'll probably not need to sharpen your knife on a short trip. A small DMT or a bit of wet n dry will get you through even steels that some people report having problems with sharpening. A file will work the Fiskars if you really ding it.

I'd slim down to one multi-tool. My own preference is for the SAK Outrider but options abound.
 
You could certainly get by quite well enough with what you have, but recommendations are fun!
A trio of tools is usually plenty. Specifically, something to gather wood (hatchet, chopper, or saw), something for food-prep (fixed or folder; ones easier to clean, the other is more packable), and something for wood-work (preferably fixed, if you plan to split/baton, otherwise a folder is okay for whittling).
Specialized tools excel in their area of expertise, but don't discount tools that can handle a variety of tasks (i.e. multi-tool, particularly plier-centric, as a second blade may not cut as well, but provides increased capability, as well as redundancy in the form of blade, saw, etc). Similarly, if you take a saw inplace of a chopper, you may consider familiarizing yourself with batoning with your fixed blade; whereas a chopper or hatchet would handle both chopping & splitting.

For example, your kukri (I know you said you're not fond of it, but it should be able to handle chopping and splitting), KaBar/Kershaw, and Wave should cover your bases, as one possibility, without having to change anything.
If size & weight are your major concerns, and you're looking for some new gear, I would suggest considering a folding saw, a 4" fixed blade that could take some batoning, and a pocket folder.
That leaves you with lots of options; my current favorite are a Silky Pocketboy 130 or 170/Gerber Retractable (saw), Koster Bushcraft/Mora 510 (4" fixed blade), Victorinox One-Hand Trekker/Farmer (folder/knife-centric multi-tool). Listed as first option being the stouter, larger, and more expensive of the two; all generally about 3-8ounces, roughly.
If Scandi-grind blades aren't your thing, then maybe try the convex grinds of Fallkniven or Bark River.

You mentioned chopping firewood, so maybe a hatchet or chopper would be your preferance. Size & weight go up, but arguably so does function & redundancy. Hatchet or chopper is an endless debate in itself, not to mention the saw variable; axes are generally recommended for the hardwood forests fo the North, and machetes are generally recommended for the jungles of the South, if that helps any. Go with your preferance suited to your environment; one, the other, or both!

The removable hatchet head sounds like a tomahawk, which is easily re-handled in the field by sliding a new handle through the round eyelet, with the thick side just above the eye. The Cold Steel Trailhawk is popular for modification, and commonly available for inexpensive. They tend not to chop as well as a dedicated hatchet, but tend to weigh less, and can also be done up real nice and folksy looking.
In terms of hatchet recommendations, I really like my Fiskars 14", since it sharpens up real easy, lightweight, supposedly indestructible handle (lifetime warranty 'guaranteed not to loosen or separate'), inexpensive, and commonly available. I wish it had a better sheath, since it takes up a bit of extra space, but it does seem to do its job. Handle grip is painted orange, and I find it too slick when wet, so I'm thinking of trying tennis tape; if that fails, then hockey grip. Estwing is solid metal, with either a rubber or stacked-leather handle; a bit heavy, but tough. Wetterlings & Gransfors Bruks get a lot of press, and I wish I could say I've used one.
If you're looking to make your knife into a spear, then check out the Cold Steel Bushman; no lashing needed! Probably more useful for harvesting fruit than hurling your knife with added mass against a rock

Maintenance should consist of wiping down/removing large foreign particulate after use (any buildup of anything, basically), and storing clean. If it's really humid, consider something like mineral oil or renaissance wax, although I've never had any real problems without in my uses and area, and have pretty much removed it from my necessary-care list. When I get home, I give my tools a good rinse, particularly the saw-teeth, and sometimes dish-soap if I feel like it, and dry.
To sharpen the hatchet, I use (a mousepad &) sandpaper, but diamond stones in various sizes are popular, as well as puck sharpeners; convex edge should help stability/wear. The saw, I just keep clean, since the teeth are impulse-hardened; if they weren't, you might be able to use a small diamond file, or maybe try your local chainsaw shop. Otherwise, replacement blades are often available.
 
Go slow, guy. Camping may not work exactly the way you're envisioning it. You may want to spend your first few trips at a campsite you can drive to with your bike to sort of get your sea legs.

I think you may be right that your k-bar may be too akward for camp chores. You may want to develope knife skills with a Mora. It's inexpensive, light and easy to use. You may want to move on to bigger and better things later, but it's a good place to start.

You usually don't split wood when you're camping (unless it's wet, but that's a skill for later on) because you're usually not working with anything that big. To find firewood, you're probably going to be limbing deadfall. What I mean is you're going to try to find a tree that's fallen over and been that way for about a year (no live leaves and looks seasoned). Then you're going to take off the branches and drag them to camp. I use a Gransfors Bruks small forest ax for limbing like this. It works great, and I find it pretty relaxing. I can usually limb a winter weekend's worth of firewood in less than a morning. Once I drag this stuff to camp, I lop off the kindling with a GB hatchet. Occasionally, I may cut up the resulting staves a little, but usually I just let the fire burn them through. Although a folding saw lives in my knapsak, I don't think I've ever used it.

Remember, ther are no minor injuries with an ax. if you decide to go this way, read up on how to use one, practice in small bites to begin with, and never swing one when you're tired.

Along with a knife, multitool, ax, and a hatchet (or comparable toys) you may want to look in to a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, water bottle, pot, and pan. Camp cooking can be a lot of fun and also requires a certain amount of practice.

Have fun!
 
Peak_Oil said:
I don't have a hatchet or a saw, I'd like any suggestions you guys have.
Click to expand...

Get a Silky for the saw. What size Silky will depend on what you want to pack around.

Gransfors Bruks for the hatchet if you can afford it. Wetterlings if you can't and have the time to profile it yourself.

As far as knives, I'd recommend a SAK Farmer for your pocket and get a good quality stainless scandi for your belt. Ragweedforge is a good place to shop for scandi's - with a scandi blade it'll be easy to maintain your edge in the field.

Congrats on moving out of the city! I'm headed the same direction myself :thumbup:
 
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