What, really, do you need to chop in the wilderness?
If you are in a cold climate and it is absolutely critical to have shelter and fire, then it would be foolish to rely on a knife alone. An axe or big saw is pretty much essential.
For wilderness trips in more temperate climates your chopping needs might be of less importance. Perhaps you want to make the odd camp gadget, make kindling, and maybe cut some brush for bedding.
My own chopping needs are fairly modest. When setting a trap line I might want to cut away a few twigs that interfere with my set, cut the odd small-diameter pole, and maybe make a few triggers etc. Occasionally I might want to cut through a sapling that has fallen across a track, or maybe clear a few blackberry vines.
I've tried carrying a variety of choppers. Tomahawk, hatchets, golok, several khukuris and machetes.
Currently my chopper is a 10" Tramontina machete. The tomahawk wasn't enough of a chopper, the hatchets are fairly heavy and a pig to carry, and the khukuris were relatively heavy and a bit bulky with their own scabbards.
But even the 10" Tramontina is a bit inconvenient to carry, and I don't always need that much of a chopper.
My treasured Bark River Gameskeeper can chop well enough for most of my casual needs, even if it does take a bit longer to cut through a decent sapling. But it is convenient to carry and it can be used for a wide variety of chores. And if something decent does need to be cut, I can use a baton to drive the blade like a chisel. But it isn't quite big enough. I think I'd like to try a knife with maybe a 7 or 8 inch blade that has plenty of weight in the blade while still having a relatively sharp point. So I'm looking for a general purpose hunting knife that is also fairly good for light chopping. And I prefer straight knives.... I never did get used to the khukuri 'kink'.
I like knives that have the majority of the weight forward. These chop nicely. When I agonized over this topic in the past, Esav suggested that a Leuku might be a good choice for me. I certainly like the look of them. And I also like one or two of the parang-style knives I've seen. Often both these types of knife have a rat-tail tang. These tangs make it simpler to fit a handle in primitive conditions, but I'm concerned that a handle could come loose when I'm some distance back in the bush with no time assigned for knife-fixing.
So.... I'd like your opinions and thoughts please.
What experiences have you had with working knives that have rat-tail tangs? What other relatively small 'chopper' knives have worked well for you?
Thanks in advance... Best wishes.... Coote.
If you are in a cold climate and it is absolutely critical to have shelter and fire, then it would be foolish to rely on a knife alone. An axe or big saw is pretty much essential.
For wilderness trips in more temperate climates your chopping needs might be of less importance. Perhaps you want to make the odd camp gadget, make kindling, and maybe cut some brush for bedding.
My own chopping needs are fairly modest. When setting a trap line I might want to cut away a few twigs that interfere with my set, cut the odd small-diameter pole, and maybe make a few triggers etc. Occasionally I might want to cut through a sapling that has fallen across a track, or maybe clear a few blackberry vines.
I've tried carrying a variety of choppers. Tomahawk, hatchets, golok, several khukuris and machetes.
Currently my chopper is a 10" Tramontina machete. The tomahawk wasn't enough of a chopper, the hatchets are fairly heavy and a pig to carry, and the khukuris were relatively heavy and a bit bulky with their own scabbards.
But even the 10" Tramontina is a bit inconvenient to carry, and I don't always need that much of a chopper.
My treasured Bark River Gameskeeper can chop well enough for most of my casual needs, even if it does take a bit longer to cut through a decent sapling. But it is convenient to carry and it can be used for a wide variety of chores. And if something decent does need to be cut, I can use a baton to drive the blade like a chisel. But it isn't quite big enough. I think I'd like to try a knife with maybe a 7 or 8 inch blade that has plenty of weight in the blade while still having a relatively sharp point. So I'm looking for a general purpose hunting knife that is also fairly good for light chopping. And I prefer straight knives.... I never did get used to the khukuri 'kink'.
I like knives that have the majority of the weight forward. These chop nicely. When I agonized over this topic in the past, Esav suggested that a Leuku might be a good choice for me. I certainly like the look of them. And I also like one or two of the parang-style knives I've seen. Often both these types of knife have a rat-tail tang. These tangs make it simpler to fit a handle in primitive conditions, but I'm concerned that a handle could come loose when I'm some distance back in the bush with no time assigned for knife-fixing.
So.... I'd like your opinions and thoughts please.
What experiences have you had with working knives that have rat-tail tangs? What other relatively small 'chopper' knives have worked well for you?
Thanks in advance... Best wishes.... Coote.
and great for a whole lot more. It's a very strange beast! Also, the Svord machete is quite nice, and has a more forward mass to it.
