Trying to get to that point but as you said it yourself, the solution is experience and knowledge. Being 19 years of age, growing up in the suburbs and having parents that consider using a motor home camping make it a bit difficult. That being said I have been in the scouting program for around 13 years and work at an outdoors store so I do know a lot about proper clothing, layering systems, stove work, shelters and the list goes on. But it does take lots of hands on experience to do so. And until I get there I rather have to much then to little. Thank you for the tip about the book though, I had someone recommend it to me in the past and i'm sure it was for good reason as you recommended it as well. I'll have to pick it up at the next chance I get.
But anyways, this conversation is really starting to stray away from the knives although I know that it is still all connected. Thanks for your opinion once again and the insight that comes from experience.
:thumbup:
Backyards and kitchens offer lots of opportunities to gain experience. The former is good for tarps and stoves (make tea every day this summer) and both are good places to play with knives.
On knives, I find all knives are a compromise. No one knife is great at everything so I'm constantly balancing one need against another. Blade shape, grind and thickness all matter.
Here are the outdoor tasks as I see them: chopping, splitting, cleaning game, working wood and food prep. My thoughts...
Chopping - I chop wood on my property but not in the woods. When I'm on public lands (in the north east, your location may be different), I generally avoid chopping. The closest I'll come is on winter ski trips where I use an Emberlit wood stove because I'm in a place with lots of dead fall for fuel. But for the stove, I'm more likely to need a small saw like a Silky Pocket Boy. On my property, I use both a machete and several axe/hatchets. So, I get choppers. Just don't carry them in the woods.
Splitting - I split wood for home use and split wood car camping (purchased locally). The only time I split wood in the woods is to feed my Emberlit stoves. I'm not going to split anything bigger than 3" across, so a knife with a blade in the 4" to 5" is fine. I prefer 5" but can live with 4".
I find that grind is the #1 concern for battoning. I won't use a hollow ground knife to split. They just hang up too much. I don't care for flat ground blades either. It's possible and better than hollow grinds but they jam. I really prefer a convexed scandi/sabre grind for the wedging affect. Here is a video of a guy comparing a Bark River and a convexed Mora Companion HD. I convexed my Companion HD and the splitting performance I get from mine is similar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLlxWbce4iE&index=7&list=FLByelOYNpINNJtbaLpAfh0Q
I also have an older Schrade fixed blade with a thinner blade and a higher convexed sabre grind. It splits well - not as well as the Mora HD but still better than any flat or hollow grind knife I've used.
Schrade H-15 Modified by
Pinnah, on Flickr
Game cleaning - Honestly, I can clean fish or game with about anything. I like hollow grinds and for fish, I prefer a pointier tip. But I do this so rarely these days, I don't even consider it when selecting a knife. If I did it more often, I would be more particular.
Wood Working - Most of the time, this means making wood shaving. As with battoning, I like a convexed scandi grind. My Mora Companion HD is the best wood working knife I've used, which isn't surprising since its roots are as a carpentry tool.
image by
Pinnah, on Flickr
Food Prep - I keep my fixed blades in the kitchen drawer and cycle through them for food preparation. We take 1 or 2 on family car camping trips. I prefer a thinner blade. To be honest, for food prep, I prefer a flat ground blade. It's one reason I like the Opinel as an EDC pocket knife or backpacking knife. It's an excellent food knife. My fatter Mora Companion HD is just horrible with food. It slices horribly due to the thickness. Yes, you can hack apart a potato or onion, but I'd rather slice it.
As I noted, every knife is a compromise. If I had to pick one out of the knives I've used and owned for doing all of the above (except chopping), it would be Schrade H-15. For me, the grind is perfect for all around use. Thin enough to slice adequately, thick and sabre enough to split wood, long enough to baton well and stout enough work wood well. It's a jack of all trades.
If I had to replace the old Schrade with something new, I'd consider the thinner standard Mora Companion. I'd convex out the scandi grind. The HD may be better at splitting wood, but I'd rather have the better slicing of a thinner blade. I'd also go with the Sandvik 12C27 blade.
BTW, you may find more perspective to consider over in the Outdoors sub forum.
