-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
good (=cheap) fixed blade camping knife
- Thread starter zakaw
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
buck 119 special.
you can pick them up for around $33-39 even at walmart. good solid knife, timeless design. not a 'cheap' knife at all - rather a super affordable good knife.
if you want to spend an extra $10-15 or so, pick up a becker BK-7 or BK-9. both of these are excellent camp utility knives that can take one hell of a beating.
you can pick them up for around $33-39 even at walmart. good solid knife, timeless design. not a 'cheap' knife at all - rather a super affordable good knife.
if you want to spend an extra $10-15 or so, pick up a becker BK-7 or BK-9. both of these are excellent camp utility knives that can take one hell of a beating.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
btw - i have no idea what you mean by cheap - you didnt give a price range. but honestly in your shoes id pick up a becker. these are hard use knives that are dirt cheap compared to other knives of their caliber. you can get the BK-7 for around $45. unless you do something retarded with it like try to hammer it through a rock, itll probably last you a long time. so rather than buy a $15 mora every 6 months, get a knife that will last you a decade and doesnt look like a dollar store fruit knife with a nerf blue handle.
beckers are carbon steel blades, so they take and hold an excellent edge and perform very well, however they are not stainless so they will rust. that might make you cringe at first, but if you start to collect knives and handle different steels youll grow very fond of carbon steels, and start to seek them out over SS for their qualities.
if you want to spend a bit more still, you can get a becker brute (pic below). its a beast of a bushcraft knife, i absolutely love mine. if i had to recommend something affordable blind to someone looking for a camp knife, it would be a becker, or possibly the buck 119 i mentioned. a buck 119 is a fine knife but i wouldnt put it to hard use. beckers, unless you do something totally crazy with them, are virtually indestructible during sane use.
cheers,
-gabriel
beckers are carbon steel blades, so they take and hold an excellent edge and perform very well, however they are not stainless so they will rust. that might make you cringe at first, but if you start to collect knives and handle different steels youll grow very fond of carbon steels, and start to seek them out over SS for their qualities.
if you want to spend a bit more still, you can get a becker brute (pic below). its a beast of a bushcraft knife, i absolutely love mine. if i had to recommend something affordable blind to someone looking for a camp knife, it would be a becker, or possibly the buck 119 i mentioned. a buck 119 is a fine knife but i wouldnt put it to hard use. beckers, unless you do something totally crazy with them, are virtually indestructible during sane use.
cheers,
-gabriel
Man, these are politically engaged answers 
So, I think good things about the BKs, but I'll have a word to defend the Moras...
Mora is up to 61 RC steel. You do not need to buy one every 6 months. BTW, Moras are the favorites among BOSS survival instructors for their own use.
Then you have to make a distinction between the intended uses. Mora are all-around utility blades, and are particularly gifted for carving/shaving/etc... Beckers are stouter blades, much less efficient than Moras on the above tasks, but with which you can begin to do light chopping. But, personnaly, although I own several bigger or thicker knives : SR Camp Tramp, Fallkniven F1 among others ; let me tell you, for two weeks in the wild I take a small utility knife and a folding saw, point.
At last, the looks If you need a knife to look sexy, then this is really not my problem. If you need a knife to work and help on the camp, then I already gave my advice.
Cheers,
Mathias
Below is the Eriksson #746 ; for sure, it is not a knife which will seduce fellow female campers when in sheath, but be sure, it will when at work
Contoured and textured rubber grip, 59hRC scandi ground 12c27 four inches blade.
So, I think good things about the BKs, but I'll have a word to defend the Moras...
Mora is up to 61 RC steel. You do not need to buy one every 6 months. BTW, Moras are the favorites among BOSS survival instructors for their own use.
Then you have to make a distinction between the intended uses. Mora are all-around utility blades, and are particularly gifted for carving/shaving/etc... Beckers are stouter blades, much less efficient than Moras on the above tasks, but with which you can begin to do light chopping. But, personnaly, although I own several bigger or thicker knives : SR Camp Tramp, Fallkniven F1 among others ; let me tell you, for two weeks in the wild I take a small utility knife and a folding saw, point.
At last, the looks
If you need a knife to look sexy, then this is really not my problem. If you need a knife to work and help on the camp, then I already gave my advice.Cheers,
Mathias
Below is the Eriksson #746 ; for sure, it is not a knife which will seduce fellow female campers when in sheath, but be sure, it will when at work
Contoured and textured rubber grip, 59hRC scandi ground 12c27 four inches blade.
Here is a good inexpensive camping knife that is the most useful knife I have ever used while camping.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=75
and another that will stand out if you drop it in the snow while hunting.
https://www.kabar.com/product_detai...&categoryId=2,7&categoryName=Hunting/Sporting
Bring a small bow saw and filet knife (if doing any fishing) and you should be set.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=75
and another that will stand out if you drop it in the snow while hunting.
https://www.kabar.com/product_detai...&categoryId=2,7&categoryName=Hunting/Sporting
Bring a small bow saw and filet knife (if doing any fishing) and you should be set.
A word about carbon vs SS.
Yeah, I like carbon too. And I do not mind if the side of the bevels do rust. But in the wild, as soon as you have some heavy rain, the edge rusts also, and this is a concern, because you loose sharpness quickly.
I like carbon, you're right when you say that it is well sharpenable ; but there are also some non-fashion stainless steels which do cut very well, much more than the common "razor sharpness" which you always hear about.
Yeah, I like carbon too. And I do not mind if the side of the bevels do rust. But in the wild, as soon as you have some heavy rain, the edge rusts also, and this is a concern, because you loose sharpness quickly.
I like carbon, you're right when you say that it is well sharpenable ; but there are also some non-fashion stainless steels which do cut very well, much more than the common "razor sharpness" which you always hear about.
Read this if you need to be convinced about Moras.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361643&highlight=$10
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361643&highlight=$10
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
perhaps we have different ideas about what a 'camp' knife should be.
if i want something like a mora - small, thin, good for carving/shaving/etc, i can grab one of dozens of henckels paring/fruit/kitchen knives that litter my kitchen and throw it in my pack as well. of course they perform well, how can a knife of this type *not* perform well at these tasks?
for me, a 'camp knife' is something i expect to use to cut down trees and split firewood (batoning), shave kindling, dig things out of the ground (if absolutely necessary - i try not to abuse my knives if there is something else around i can adapt to the purpose), cut/delimb/sharpen stakes, cut/carve/sharpen tent pegs, and defend my life if necessary (from both four and two-legged creatures). i actually do quite a lot of chopping over a camping weekend, usually enough to make my shoulder sore on mondays.
and a becker can 'begin to do light chopping'? umm.. light? i cut down trees with my brute and BK-9, and routinely split seasoned oak logs for my campfire. recently i had to take out a wall in my basement to renovate, and actually found the brute the easiest way to take out some of the 2x4s - a few hard chops and youre through them like butter. it would have taken me longer (and would have been much less fun, hehe) to use a reciprocating saw with the all purpose blades i had on hand.
im not bashing moras. if i were going on a day canoe trip, id take one with me. theyre light, stainless, and perfectly suitable for a day trip. theyre dirt cheap too, so if i were to lose it i wouldnt lose any sleep. i might even take one along on a camping trip because it is definitely more suited to small tasks such as preparing food, whittling, etc. however, on a camping trip i would not be without a larger knife that can soak up abuse like a becker, busse, swamp rat, etc. since he was interested in *affordable* knives, the beckers beat out all others in this category by far (unless you wish to consider khukris - which can be aquired for as much as a mora, however the quality level on those fluctuates and theyre not exactly what most people have in mind for 'camping', heh).
again, like just about every other threads of this type, the original posted has not given us enough information. 'i need a cheap knife for camping' isnt enough to go on.
-define cheap. cheap for one person could be <$100, for another it might have to be <$10.
-define what you would consider ordinary camp use during one of your outings. some people go camping and like to rough it with just a small pack and construct their own shelters. others go to a campground in a motor-home, park beside a public bathroom/shower and grill, plug themselves into the convenient electrical outlet and consider themselves 'camping'. the uses of each different person could vary greatly - obviously if all you want to do is cut up some food, whittle a bit and cut rope you wont need a 2lb chopping monster. but if you want to cut down/delimb/sharpen stakes, baton trees/logs then i could think of more efficient choices than a mora.
also no reason why you cant take *both*. i usually have a small knife clipped to my pack strap in easy reach. currently its a CRKT ryan plan B with the blade ground down much thinner than it was from the factory. i use it for tasks for which the larger knife strapped to my hip would prove unwieldy.
so first decide what you need it to do - then give a price range that you wish to spend, and the people in this forum can give more appropriate suggestions.
cheers,
-gabriel
if i want something like a mora - small, thin, good for carving/shaving/etc, i can grab one of dozens of henckels paring/fruit/kitchen knives that litter my kitchen and throw it in my pack as well. of course they perform well, how can a knife of this type *not* perform well at these tasks?
for me, a 'camp knife' is something i expect to use to cut down trees and split firewood (batoning), shave kindling, dig things out of the ground (if absolutely necessary - i try not to abuse my knives if there is something else around i can adapt to the purpose), cut/delimb/sharpen stakes, cut/carve/sharpen tent pegs, and defend my life if necessary (from both four and two-legged creatures). i actually do quite a lot of chopping over a camping weekend, usually enough to make my shoulder sore on mondays.
and a becker can 'begin to do light chopping'? umm.. light? i cut down trees with my brute and BK-9, and routinely split seasoned oak logs for my campfire. recently i had to take out a wall in my basement to renovate, and actually found the brute the easiest way to take out some of the 2x4s - a few hard chops and youre through them like butter. it would have taken me longer (and would have been much less fun, hehe) to use a reciprocating saw with the all purpose blades i had on hand.
im not bashing moras. if i were going on a day canoe trip, id take one with me. theyre light, stainless, and perfectly suitable for a day trip. theyre dirt cheap too, so if i were to lose it i wouldnt lose any sleep. i might even take one along on a camping trip because it is definitely more suited to small tasks such as preparing food, whittling, etc. however, on a camping trip i would not be without a larger knife that can soak up abuse like a becker, busse, swamp rat, etc. since he was interested in *affordable* knives, the beckers beat out all others in this category by far (unless you wish to consider khukris - which can be aquired for as much as a mora, however the quality level on those fluctuates and theyre not exactly what most people have in mind for 'camping', heh).
again, like just about every other threads of this type, the original posted has not given us enough information. 'i need a cheap knife for camping' isnt enough to go on.
-define cheap. cheap for one person could be <$100, for another it might have to be <$10.
-define what you would consider ordinary camp use during one of your outings. some people go camping and like to rough it with just a small pack and construct their own shelters. others go to a campground in a motor-home, park beside a public bathroom/shower and grill, plug themselves into the convenient electrical outlet and consider themselves 'camping'. the uses of each different person could vary greatly - obviously if all you want to do is cut up some food, whittle a bit and cut rope you wont need a 2lb chopping monster. but if you want to cut down/delimb/sharpen stakes, baton trees/logs then i could think of more efficient choices than a mora.
also no reason why you cant take *both*. i usually have a small knife clipped to my pack strap in easy reach. currently its a CRKT ryan plan B with the blade ground down much thinner than it was from the factory. i use it for tasks for which the larger knife strapped to my hip would prove unwieldy.
so first decide what you need it to do - then give a price range that you wish to spend, and the people in this forum can give more appropriate suggestions.
cheers,
-gabriel
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
poussin said:
i read much of that thread just now. honestly if i wanted something around the $10 price range, i would much rather pick a cold steel bushman (for an extra $5) instead. perhaps this just goes to show how needs can differ.
**edit**
which reminds me, thats another recommendation for a 'cheap camp knife'. the cold steel bushman is around $15, and can take a lot of abuse. believe me, just because its only $15 i have done things with mine i would never subject a more expensive knife to and i havent destroyed it yet. it has a hollow handle which can be attachhed to a handle to form a spear, or as many people (including myself) have done modified and plugged to store some firestarting supplies/minimal survival gear.
another suggestion is to pick up a cheap khukri (a link to an affordable source can be found on this site), and do the modification this gentleman recommends. this could also be a potentially cheap, effective bush knife - and you could also bring along a light cutter like a mora (or even get creative and make one sheath for both).
http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Ghurka/Khukri Modification.htm
cheers,
-gabriel
Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
Blackhearted said:
Joe was one of, if not the first, to advocate Deerhunter sized camp knives on the internet based on his experience of what was done. Camping means different things to different people. Most of the guys I know tend to build roaring bonfires (rural area) and thus lean towards heavy chopping blades or an axe, they always have folders on them anyway so a Mora would be redundant. For a lot of people though, especially if camping on official camp grounds, you often don't (or can't legally) just whack down a few trees.
-Cliff
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2000
- Messages
- 21,269
Save up your money if you have to, 'till you can buy a Spyderco Bill Moran or a Spyderco Temperance. Both have VG-10 steel and a very comfortable handle.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
yeah, environment will also be a huge factor. im in the boonies right now, so if someone sees me walking up the road with a 15" brute strapped to my thigh they wont even raise an eyebrow.
im moving south to windsor in a week, and this will change. the campgrounds around there (point pelee ntl park, etc) are pretty controlled/tame so ill leave the brute at home and just bring a decent folder (which i always have anyways, even up here). in fact all my large fixed blades are probably going to just be oiled and stored
if youre going in the bush - i mean a wild area where theres no civilization for dozens of miles at least - then id bring something bigger. on a tame campground where you cant do much other than burn pre-bought pre-cut firewood in a designated fire pit, a mora will suit you perfectly.
personally, i wouldnt be caught dead in one of those 'nerfed' campgrounds, so this didnt even occur to me
..thanks for pointing it out cliff.
cheers,
-gabriel
im moving south to windsor in a week, and this will change. the campgrounds around there (point pelee ntl park, etc) are pretty controlled/tame so ill leave the brute at home and just bring a decent folder (which i always have anyways, even up here). in fact all my large fixed blades are probably going to just be oiled and stored
if youre going in the bush - i mean a wild area where theres no civilization for dozens of miles at least - then id bring something bigger. on a tame campground where you cant do much other than burn pre-bought pre-cut firewood in a designated fire pit, a mora will suit you perfectly.
personally, i wouldnt be caught dead in one of those 'nerfed' campgrounds, so this didnt even occur to me
..thanks for pointing it out cliff.cheers,
-gabriel
Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
Blackhearted said:
For a lot of people this actually defines camping, in urban areas, most forest is either private land or public park / camp grounds, being able to walk in the woods and lop down a tree is a pretty foreign idea to most. Camping to a lot of people often requires little to no wood work. Plus there are often legal issues with large blades, even when not strictly against the law they can be problematic to carry.
-Cliff
Hi
I agree with you on the fact that not enough detail is given, but having read this, maybe zakaw will add some detail.
I will not react on the whole thing, cause I agree on the major line. I just want to react about the chopping things.
I have no Becker, but I base my speech upon experience with the Camp Tramp, which I think is anyway a quicker chopper than the 7" BKs. Yes, I can chop trees with the tramp (though my philosophy is not to kill a tree where I camp ; I chop dead wood only ; anyway, chopping green trees is an easy task for any big knife as long as the tree is not too big).
But I have also yet cut down to small wood a whole dead tree which must have been about 4 meters tall and bowl shaped, batoning with a... Fallkniven F1, so being able to chop down a tree with your big knife is really no argument.
Man, you'll say, OK, everybody can do it, but it's faster with the big knife, this is why a "camp knife" has to be big. Right. But then I can answer it's faster with a quality saw than with a big knife... and such a saw is half the weight in the backpack, not to speak about the price.
To sum up, I think that a big knife can chop and give you wood to burn, but it is second choice tool regarding to a saw or a quality hatchet (Gransfors Brucks etc...), hence "light" chopping. I am among those who think that big knives are mostly used because of their neat effect. Some say : "you can do big AND small things with a big knife, that's why they're interesting". Yes, but one fine saw and one fine small knife will do the same big AND small for half the weight and half the price.
Like I said, I own a Tramp, and my outdoor activities are mostly in remote areas, where you are your only support. Perfect conditions for the Tramp... but I simply do not use it. The only task for which I long for it sometimes is splitting the wood, task for which the saw is really unadapted, even with adequate techniques. But it is not worth carrying 700g one or two weeks long on my back just for some particular splitting chores !
For your "2x4s" (I'm no native english speaker, so I suppose these are bricks), any blunt garden tool would have had the same effect.
Cheers,
Mathias
I agree with you on the fact that not enough detail is given, but having read this, maybe zakaw will add some detail.
I will not react on the whole thing, cause I agree on the major line. I just want to react about the chopping things.
I have no Becker, but I base my speech upon experience with the Camp Tramp, which I think is anyway a quicker chopper than the 7" BKs. Yes, I can chop trees with the tramp (though my philosophy is not to kill a tree where I camp ; I chop dead wood only ; anyway, chopping green trees is an easy task for any big knife as long as the tree is not too big).
But I have also yet cut down to small wood a whole dead tree which must have been about 4 meters tall and bowl shaped, batoning with a... Fallkniven F1, so being able to chop down a tree with your big knife is really no argument.
Man, you'll say, OK, everybody can do it, but it's faster with the big knife, this is why a "camp knife" has to be big. Right. But then I can answer it's faster with a quality saw than with a big knife... and such a saw is half the weight in the backpack, not to speak about the price.
To sum up, I think that a big knife can chop and give you wood to burn, but it is second choice tool regarding to a saw or a quality hatchet (Gransfors Brucks etc...), hence "light" chopping. I am among those who think that big knives are mostly used because of their neat effect. Some say : "you can do big AND small things with a big knife, that's why they're interesting". Yes, but one fine saw and one fine small knife will do the same big AND small for half the weight and half the price.
Like I said, I own a Tramp, and my outdoor activities are mostly in remote areas, where you are your only support. Perfect conditions for the Tramp... but I simply do not use it. The only task for which I long for it sometimes is splitting the wood, task for which the saw is really unadapted, even with adequate techniques. But it is not worth carrying 700g one or two weeks long on my back just for some particular splitting chores !
For your "2x4s" (I'm no native english speaker, so I suppose these are bricks), any blunt garden tool would have had the same effect.
Cheers,
Mathias
Cliff Stamp said:
Absolutely right, so the choice of blades depends on what you want to do, plus allowing a little leeway for unexpected situations. I camp in public campgrounds, and I also camp, backpack, and canoe in wilderness areas, and what I carry is a function of where I am.
But another thing to consider is this. A few weeks ago I spent 5 days backpacking in the Sierra Nevada. I had a SAK Tinker, mini Ritter grip, and a Bark River Highland (I was going light and cut back on the knives). The entire trip, the only one I used was the SAK. Sure, I could have used the others, I could have cut up some wood for a shelter or a fire, but I didn't need to. In the future I think I could improve the setup by carrying a small folding saw (my brother's saw was used for firewood), and perhaps leaving the mid sized knife at home. I would have the bases covered for my typical, plus atypical, needs.
I agree with Poussin here, the weight in the pack is important to me, so the most efficient setup is what I would go for. That probably means a small blade plus a folding saw plus a fixed blade (not too large) for larger cutting chores plus baton work to split wood.
A camp knife should not be asked to chop down trees IMHO. A light-weight bow saw or camping axe or hatchet will do a much better job and a machete for small brushy stuff works better than a knife because it has the additional reach and leverage.
Most of your knife use at camp will be associated with cooking, hopefully followed by gutting,skinning,caping, and quartering of large game or fish. For these tasks a couple of good knives are very nice to have. That way when one dulls you can immediately fall back on the other one without having to stop and sharpen.
Most of your knife use at camp will be associated with cooking, hopefully followed by gutting,skinning,caping, and quartering of large game or fish. For these tasks a couple of good knives are very nice to have. That way when one dulls you can immediately fall back on the other one without having to stop and sharpen.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Messages
- 307
i usually carry a saw as well, however im quite the opposite - id rather just hack something down/apart with a chopper than saw at it. in a survival situation, where energy expenditure becomes a very serious consideration, i would try to do the opposite. however, getting into one of these situations is rare. most of the time i relish the bit of extra workout.
that said, for an ideal survival setup where weight was a huge issue i would carry a gerber folding gator saw and an extra blade - cheap, light, cuts like crazy. an SAK, and a light sharp knife with dimensions like the mora. in my survival kit amongst the other things i have a good quality wire saw which would handle anything too thick for the gerber.
however, for camping i dont mind carrying the extra 18-22 ounces of a becker BK-9 or a brute. even for a survival situation i would feel a lot more comfortable with it strapped to my thigh or pack strap than without it. if the weight becomes such a horrible issue i can always choose to leave it at the shelter. but its there if i need it.
a big, sturdy knife like the BK-9 or brute (these are made of 1/4" thick carbon steel) makes a very versatile, durable tool. it can be adapted to many different uses that come up with less fear of damaging it - if you bring only a mora and break it you are in big trouble, there are many things you can do with a large knife that you just cannnot do with a small flexible knife like a mora.
so yeah, if i am carrying something like the brute and find myself in a survival situation, the last thing id say to myself is 'damn, why did i bring this bulky thing, i should have left it at home'. in a normal non-survival camping setting an extra 10-12 ounces over the mora isnt going to break you - if it does then you need to eat some more big macs
in ultralight camping, you might say that something like the brute is too heavy. ironically, many ultralight campers carry only a small tarp and construct their own shelters, in which case something that can chop/delimb/sharpen stakes efficiently is a must. many carry folding saws, tomahawks/hatchets and mid-large sized fixed blades.
in short, id always rather have a large knife with me and have the option of using it. if necessary, i can always leave it at camp, in the trunk, etc but its there if i need it. a mora is only $12-15, no reason why you cant pick up something light like that as well.
cheers,
-gabriel
that said, for an ideal survival setup where weight was a huge issue i would carry a gerber folding gator saw and an extra blade - cheap, light, cuts like crazy. an SAK, and a light sharp knife with dimensions like the mora. in my survival kit amongst the other things i have a good quality wire saw which would handle anything too thick for the gerber.
however, for camping i dont mind carrying the extra 18-22 ounces of a becker BK-9 or a brute. even for a survival situation i would feel a lot more comfortable with it strapped to my thigh or pack strap than without it. if the weight becomes such a horrible issue i can always choose to leave it at the shelter. but its there if i need it.
a big, sturdy knife like the BK-9 or brute (these are made of 1/4" thick carbon steel) makes a very versatile, durable tool. it can be adapted to many different uses that come up with less fear of damaging it - if you bring only a mora and break it you are in big trouble, there are many things you can do with a large knife that you just cannnot do with a small flexible knife like a mora.
so yeah, if i am carrying something like the brute and find myself in a survival situation, the last thing id say to myself is 'damn, why did i bring this bulky thing, i should have left it at home'. in a normal non-survival camping setting an extra 10-12 ounces over the mora isnt going to break you - if it does then you need to eat some more big macs
in ultralight camping, you might say that something like the brute is too heavy. ironically, many ultralight campers carry only a small tarp and construct their own shelters, in which case something that can chop/delimb/sharpen stakes efficiently is a must. many carry folding saws, tomahawks/hatchets and mid-large sized fixed blades.
in short, id always rather have a large knife with me and have the option of using it. if necessary, i can always leave it at camp, in the trunk, etc but its there if i need it. a mora is only $12-15, no reason why you cant pick up something light like that as well.
cheers,
-gabriel
Whoa.
Thanks for all the insight guys. Camping this time is going to be a drive, park, hike a small distance. I'm bringing a small axe (hatchet?) for the firewood and what not. In the past I've always taken my parents' fixed blade stainless that has about 5" blade. I dont want to borrow it anymore, so I want a good knife.
I mainly expect to use for cooking and what not, although I expect that ocassional stake sharpening and other misc. uses are not out of the question. Perhaps I should look at a folder? I've been camping with that particular knife for so long, that it didn't even occur to me to look at one.
Buck 119 and the BK-7/9 look super cool, but realistically I have no need for such a large knife. I'm not going hunting, and I will have a hatched to deal with firefood.
So far, I really dig the bushman cold steel. I googled for it, and apparently it comes in the 9 1/8" size. I dig it. It looks nifty, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and won't scare the locals. One concern though, above some of you guys mention that carbon steel rusts. What kind of things will I need to do to prevent it?
Thanks again for all of your answers!
PS: Here's a link for mini-bushman for those that haven't seen it: http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades-bushman.html
Thanks for all the insight guys. Camping this time is going to be a drive, park, hike a small distance. I'm bringing a small axe (hatchet?) for the firewood and what not. In the past I've always taken my parents' fixed blade stainless that has about 5" blade. I dont want to borrow it anymore, so I want a good knife.
I mainly expect to use for cooking and what not, although I expect that ocassional stake sharpening and other misc. uses are not out of the question. Perhaps I should look at a folder? I've been camping with that particular knife for so long, that it didn't even occur to me to look at one.
Buck 119 and the BK-7/9 look super cool, but realistically I have no need for such a large knife. I'm not going hunting, and I will have a hatched to deal with firefood.
So far, I really dig the bushman cold steel. I googled for it, and apparently it comes in the 9 1/8" size. I dig it. It looks nifty, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and won't scare the locals
. One concern though, above some of you guys mention that carbon steel rusts. What kind of things will I need to do to prevent it?Thanks again for all of your answers!
PS: Here's a link for mini-bushman for those that haven't seen it: http://www.coldsteel.com/fixed-blades-bushman.html
zakaw,
I have a mini-bushman which has not yet gone camping, but has seen kitchen and yard duty. For the price, you can't beat it. Seems to stay sharp a long time, and is heavy-duty without being heavy. The non-black part (i.e. sharp part) of the blade does rust easily if you don't wipe it down after you're done, but if you're aware of it, that's not a problem.
To improve the grip over just plain steel, I put black hockey tape around the handle, and after many washings, it still works well.
For considerably more money, a Spyderco Moran also fits the bill well - I love mine (it's a drop point). But one can buy several mini-bushmans and lose them before spending what you'll pay for a Spyderco Moran...
Just re-read your previous post. A versatile folder I've used for camping is a Spyderco Endura, combo edge. Because it's a 4 inch blade, there's enough blade to have the plain edge and the serrated edge sections both be "long enough" to do what I want to do. I doubt that would be as true with a 3 inch Delica combo edge, but it is (to me) for the Endura.
I have a mini-bushman which has not yet gone camping, but has seen kitchen and yard duty. For the price, you can't beat it. Seems to stay sharp a long time, and is heavy-duty without being heavy. The non-black part (i.e. sharp part) of the blade does rust easily if you don't wipe it down after you're done, but if you're aware of it, that's not a problem.
To improve the grip over just plain steel, I put black hockey tape around the handle, and after many washings, it still works well.
For considerably more money, a Spyderco Moran also fits the bill well - I love mine (it's a drop point). But one can buy several mini-bushmans and lose them before spending what you'll pay for a Spyderco Moran...
Just re-read your previous post. A versatile folder I've used for camping is a Spyderco Endura, combo edge. Because it's a 4 inch blade, there's enough blade to have the plain edge and the serrated edge sections both be "long enough" to do what I want to do. I doubt that would be as true with a 3 inch Delica combo edge, but it is (to me) for the Endura.