How Many Of You Carry A Large Blade and A Small Blade When Going into the Bush?

P

Peter La

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Mar 26, 2005
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When I say large I mean about 10 inches in blade length and by small I mean under 5. Do you think this is a good method or does the big one do most of the work?
 
I definitely do this! In fact I usually have more than that, but I'll carry something like a Busse or CRK fixed blade on my thigh, and one of my larger Spyderco folders in my pocket. Then somewhere in my pack is a small whittling knife and a backup folder. I end up using them all! :D
 
Do yoou find the Busse does all (majority of) the work? Did you really need to take along the other small ones?
 
I can see what you're getting at. Yeah, the large one does a lot of the work just bc I like to see what it's capable of, but there's things that it's too big or too thick for: cutting food, making kindling, cutting fishing wire, things like that. You could make the large fixed blade do those things, but it's just impractical. If i need to cut a 1 inch piece of fishing wire off a hook I'd rather whip out my Endura than a big, clumsy camp knife.
 
I usually carry 2 blades, 1 small, 1 large. It's a funny thing, but when you actually live in the "bush", your carry preferences usually shrink. I have carried a Busse Battle Mistress (POS), a Cold Steel Bowie with stag handle (that could really cut!) a something from Chris Reeve, a Randall, Puma White Hunter, a machette, and, of course, a K-Bar. I also still have a Firestone Belt Axe (really like it for hatchet work around camp).

All did a lot of work--making shelters. In fact, once you establish camp, or merely just want to camp, a big knife is an anchor. It stays around camp to make fires.

If I were to go hiking, big knife would stay at home. If I were to go camping, big knife stays in camp, usually. If I were in the Military, that would be another story.

For general "bush" work, though the big knife is a shelter and fire maker. If you can make fires with enough available wood, or with a stove, then there is no need for it, IMHO. Shelter, if you don;t carry it with you, is the big chore that only a big knife, or hatchet would accomplish.

Your small knife (sub-5") accomplishes most tasks. I have carried a Russell Belt Knife for years and it had performed so many small chores I can't remember them all. The Russell Belt knife is very useful indeed. Along with that I carry a SAK because it has some useful tools for small simple chores.
 
Usually a big Busse, Swamp Rat, or CRK plus my Al Mar SERE 2K or Spyderco Police.

I don't always need the big knife, but I love finding out what I can do with it.
 
i carry 2 in the field, one folder (right now a spyderco Ti ATR) and a fixed blade, either a greco recon or my old gerber mark 11, mostly the recon though.
 
Planterz said:
Can we move this to W&C? :D :D
Click to expand...
Why Planterz, because someone mentioned bush work? :D
Seriously Peter La, I think two is always better then one. One thing to remember is a big knife can do the jobs of a small one but a small knife cannot do the job of a big one. For me, yes a large and a small would be the ticket. ;) (good grief, this does sound like W&C material :D )
Scott
 
I usually carry a Buck 110, a VicSAK Champ and my Blackjack 1-7 in the brush. Even though the 1-7 has only a 7" blade it is heavy enough for misc chopping chores. I also just feel better with a large blade at my side. We have had occasional stand-offs with javelina and wild boar where sticks and rocks eventually did the trick, but I like the feel of steel. I used to tote a Gil Hibben Highlander Bowie but it was just too much. I am thinking about eliminating an axe and carrying a khukri for brush busting trails though they are pretty heavy also.
 
I always bring a classic 1960's boy scout 4" Western carbon steel fixed blade with stacked leather handle and a 1970's swiss army knife (two blades, scissors, awl, corkscrew and canopener). If my companions don't bring one, I'll pack a boy scout hatchet.

Do you boys carry all this steel on your person along with pack, tent, bag, etc. or in the ATV? :)
 
I carry a USMC Fighting Knife and a Schrade "Old Timer" 12OT. Both are carbon steel and cost less than $20.00, for both, 30 years ago and are still in use today!
 
Nope. I've lived and worked extensively in the outdoors, in varying environments, for years. Twelve years working outdoors as a professional archaeologist. Ten years on staff at Philmont. Months/years of recreational camping, backpacking, and hiking. For all of that, my only carry knife has been a mid-size Opinel and it's easily achieved every cutting task encountered.

I've recently switched to an AG Russell Hunter's Scalpel to save weight.

For two years I lived and worked on a small cattle farm in the Ozarks. In addition to the Opinel, I was never far from my machete, small axe, large axe...

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
I could easily get by with a SAK with woodsaw and a small hatchet. You can keep your "big" blades. :D

Paul
 
I usually wear two or three blades for bush work: a tomahawk, a big blade like shiva ki or strider knives, and small one: a big pocket folder (spyderco chinook, strider, or old sog tomcat) or a small fixed blade (between 2 and 4"). Something like murray carter or wilson combat knives. It's all I need! sometimes I take a smatchet or a kukhri!
 
that is my current setup:

ubejanehak030aj.jpg
 
I like having a strong knife and a smaller one (usually with a thinner blade) for food prep and fine carving.

My "big" knife tends to be actually a medium one. I never really got into huge knives with 10" blades. The longest blades I carry are around 7". Axes are just too heavy, I tend to walk long distances in rugged terrain and set camp for maybe one or two nights, then get moving again. I do use very strong, full tang knives that I know I can batton and abuse if needed.

Lately I've been using a medium fixed blade, a SAK with a saw, smaller knife (sometimes a folder, sometimes a small Scandi). I've been thinking about adding a good folding saw.
 
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