help me choose a camping knife

[Kniff]

Hi, New to this forum and would like opinions on camp knife for chopping and batoning small fire wood. I own an ESSE- 3 which is used as a hunting knife and a Mora for bush craft purposes, but would like a hardy larger knife (6'' or so) for camp tasks.
Have considered Ontario SP 53; Sharade SCHF 43 on the larger side ,and Ka-Bar 7 and Schrade 9 in the medium size class. Obviously, I would like the 'best for the money' choice. Also, opinions on best size for tasks mentioned.
Thanks for your input.
Kniff

 

[nighthawk7.ni]

any good strong blade mine is a santa fe made terzuola battleguard can use as defense type or bushcraft has kydex sheath if u can find one you cant go wrong promise

 

[Spyder59]

$49.00 and 1095 steel. It's a great chopper, splitter and makes a great heavy duty camp knife. It's the SCHF 9, Griffin design, 6.4" blade, just barely under 16oz. The SCHF 9N is cheaper, but it's 9cr18mov steel.

 

[22-rimfire]

Condor Hudson Bay or Moonshiner. The middle sized knives aren't great choppers, but are good for splitting kindling. The Kabar Becker BK-7 is always a good choice in this size range.

 

[Angus McGunnigle]

I would get a condor varan. Big sturdy chopper that will take a beating. Great sheath also.

 

[twl]

For approximately the same weight and size as a big camp chopper knife, you can get a Fiskars X7 hatchet for $25, and use that in addition to your Mora.
That is exactly what I do.
The Fiskars X7 is highly rated on the Bladeforums Axe Forum as a great buy for the money, and chops way above its weight.

Just another point of view.

 

[craytab]

Budget blades: condor. Great for the price: Beckers. The minimum that I personally use: Esee. My perfect Camp knife: Swamp Rat Ratmandu.

 

[Aias]

I'll second Craytab... Busse/ Swamp Rat/ Scrapyard are my favorites, but Becker and Esee makes fine camp knives. I had a BK-7 for a while; very versatile.

 

[TravisH]

WELCOME!

Hmmm ... you have an ESEE-3 so have you considered the ESEE-6?

The ESEE-6 is an excellent camp knife and light batoner. Add TKC G10 scales and it's just about perfect.

For something a bit larger and better chopper, hands-down the BK9.

For me, the BK7's long swedge is a 'negative' for bushcraft.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Condor Moonshiner seems up your alley

 

[Spyder59]

For approximately the same weight and size as a big camp chopper knife, you can get a Fiskars X7 hatchet for $25, and use that in addition to your Mora.
That is exactly what I do.
The Fiskars X7 is highly rated on the Bladeforums Axe Forum as a great buy for the money, and chops way above its weight.

Just another point of view.

^^^Unless you just wanted to keep a big knife on your hip all the time, this is what I would do, especially since you already have the Essee 3 and the Mora. Man, with an axe too, you can't beat that combo around the camp. I have a Fiskers saw and to me it is indispensable in a camping situation.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would get a condor varan. Big sturdy chopper that will take a beating. Great sheath also.

Never really looked much at the Varan. Need to handle one. The Condor Kumunga (10") might also be a consideration. Been playing around with this one and kind of like it for the woods. Still big. It is knife like enough that you can use it that way and it makes a pretty good chopper. Don't mean to nudge to to larger knives. Just giving you options that you might not have considered.

 

[DaveTheCityDweller]

a foldingsaw will make short work of any stump use less energy
consider one.

 

[craytab]

The problem with an axe or a saw is that it might not be as much fun to use if you are knife nut :thumbup:

 

[Spyder59]

The problem with an axe or a saw is that it might not be as much fun to use if you are knife nut :thumbup:

This is me^^^

 

[Jhansenak47]

a foldingsaw will make short work of any stump use less energy
consider one.

+1
They work great for cutting wood to length if you don't want to use feeder logs.
In my experience small dead free standing trees or branches are easier to cut down with a saw.

 

[MatthewSB]

If you like your ESEE-3, you'd probably like an ESEE-6 or Laserstrike. In my experience, the LS is more of a 'bushcraft' knife and the '6 is an incredible 'camp knife', but both work well for any chore I've come across. There's no way to know which is best for you without trying both

 

[Hacked]

The problem with an axe or a saw is that it might not be as much fun to use if you are knife nut :thumbup:

I'll give you the saw, but once you've used a sharp (think knife sharp) well made axe you'll realize just how much fun they are for a knife nut.

 

[craytab]

I'll give you the saw, but once you've used a sharp (think knife sharp) well made axe you'll realize just how much fun they are for a knife nut.

Why assume I haven't used a well made and sharp axe? You know what assuming does...

I am a knife nut and this is a knife forum and we are in general knife discussion. I like knives:thumbup:

 

[Hacked]

Why assume I haven't used a well made and sharp axe? You know what assuming does...

Post was ment in jest, obviously I don't know what tools you have or have not used. Most folks these days have not used a sharp axe, including myself up until a few years ago.

I am a knife nut and this is a knife forum and we are in general knife discussion. I like knives:thumbup:

Fair point, nothing wrong with knives, though I never said there was.