Inexpensive light chopper for camping..

C

C_1

Joined
Aug 14, 2009
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Well, my buddies and I are planning a lil camping trip, and I need a knife for some camp chores and what not.

I will have a Frost Mora knife on me, and the small and delicate tasks will be delegated to it, so I need something else to do what the Mora cant.

The main task of the "big knife" is mostly for chopping branches for firewood and what not; camp chores..

I did some research, and came up with some of these inexpensive choices:

-Cold Steel Bushman
-Cold Steel Barong Machete 12in
-Cold Steel Kukri

Or maybe an axe or hatchet is better?

I also need something that digs so maybe a shovel with a sharp edge which doubles as a branch chopper?

What would you guys recommend? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 
C_1 said:
I also need something that digs so maybe a shovel with a sharp edge which doubles as a branch chopper?
Click to expand...

If you don't want to lug extra gear, you could get by with the CS Special Forces Shovel. They require a LOT of sharpening though, but are quite handy once sharp. Otherwise, it sound's like any decent machete would fit the bill.
 
C_1 said:
Well, my buddies and I are planning a lil camping trip, and I need a knife for some camp chores and what not.

I will have a Frost Mora knife on me, and the small and delicate tasks will be delegated to it, so I need something else to do what the Mora cant.

The main task of the "big knife" is mostly for chopping branches for firewood and what not; camp chores..

I did some research, and came up with some of these inexpensive choices:

-Cold Steel Bushman
-Cold Steel Barong Machete 12in
-Cold Steel Kukri

Or maybe an axe or hatchet is better?

I also need something that digs so maybe a shovel with a sharp edge which doubles as a branch chopper?

What would you guys recommend? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

The Cold Steel Bushman is no chopper but a great camp knife.

The Cold Steel Barong machete is a great chopper and camp knife and will out chop any 9 or 10 inch camp knife.

The Cold Steel Kukri is an awesome chopper!

Also consider a Cold Steel Trail Hawk or Rifleman's Hawk tomahawk if you plan on a lot of wood chopping.
 
Yeah, I figured an axe would be best for chopping, but then again, its not like Im going to bring down a tree. Im just going to trim the branches off of fallen trees, and maybe chop some small trees, for the camp fire and what not.

With a folding saw it would just be used for sawing off branches and what not, and wouldnt have much versatility when compared to a knife. But I'll look more into folding saws. Its easily packable (is that a word? haha)

I originally wanted a BK7, and the BK9 seems a little big and clunky, but I was looking for something less expensive. Like $1-40 range or something like that. I opted for the Cold Steels because they had fairly decent reviews and are inexpensive.

We are driving into the camp site and then we're going hiking, so it would be nice if I can take the knife with me. But with a chopper, size and weight is a plus, and its vise versa when backpacking.

I havent heard much about the Ontario machetes but Im thinking its a lot like the Cold Steels. Great buy for the money.

So lots of sharpening of the Cold Steel shovel eh? well, I dont know how to sharpen nor do I have the tools to do so. So I guess this is not a possibility because I kinda need something that will do it out of the box.

I was orginally thinking:
Frost Mora
LM Wave
CS Barong Machete
Gerber folding shovel

But now, Im thinking:
Frost Mora
LM Wave
folding saw
Gerber folding shovel
 
If you can find one, the new Condor Rowden would be a great choice. At about 25.00 it is one tough SOB
 
spxtrader: Yeah, I know, but I was still confused, and now I kind of know what I want/need, so I thought I get some final thoughts. Sorry if I broke any rules.

Thanks for all the input everybody.

Im going to order a Gerber folding saw and folding shovel.

I already have a Frost Mora and LM Wave so I think I should be set for all camp duties :)

Thanks again.


*Summary of my journey for a camping/survival knife:

RAT, Fallkniven, Bark River, Busse are some of the best but a lil expensive. The BM CSK, CRKT M60 SOTFB, Gerber LMF II, SOG Seal Pup all have issues or something. Pretty much any Kabar and/or Becker is good. A lot of love for the Buck 119. And a few fans of Ontario Spec Plus & Ranger.

Learned I need a few tools instead of just 1 knife. Everybody needs a Leatherman multi-tool or Vic SAK. The Estwing Sportsman's hatchet seems to be the ticket for a chopper, or a Gerber folding saw may be more convenient.

Frost Mora's are the best bang for the buck. Never heard of a forced patina, or even patina, until I came here. Cold Steel Bushman, Kukri and Barong machete are good and inexpensive.


*Since I came to this forum, I have bought/ordering:
-Kabar Dozier folder
-Frost Mora knife
-Gerber folding saw
-Gerber folding shovel

And on the list:
-Kabar/Becker knife
-Cold Steel SRK
-Cold Steel Barong machete
-Vic SAK
-RAT RC?
 
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I actually prefer the BK7 to the 9, but there's no doubt the 9 is a better chopper.

Make sure when you get a RAT, it's a Rat Cutlery, not an ontario rat.
 
The Cold Steel Bushman (bowie) surpased my expectations and impressed me after hard use...

It is a decent choper for its size and weight IMO.

The sheath it comes with is good enough to use.

Most of all... It can bend through wood like a vegas stripper when you are batoning. I have seen my Bushman form the shape of an "S" as it was going through knotted wood. I thought for sure the blade would be bent after the log was split. To my amazement it was not bent at all -the blade was still straight and flat! It has been through all sorts of bends and it comes back straight every-time.

All of your other considerations are good too, just dont underestimate this one.
 
The Government said:
The Cold Steel Bushman (bowie) surpased my expectations and impressed me after hard use...

It is a decent choper for its size and weight IMO.

The sheath it comes with is good enough to use.

Most of all... It can bend through wood like a vegas stripper when you are batoning. I have seen my Bushman form the shape of an "S" as it was going through knotted wood. I thought for sure the blade would be bent after the log was split. To my amazement it was not bent at all -the blade was still straight and flat! It has been through all sorts of bends and it comes back straight every-time.

All of your other considerations are good too, just dont underestimate this one.
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you LIKED the sheath that came with the bushman??

really??

I hated it

granted i MAKE sheaths so I cant be unbiased, but mine didnt fit very right well at all....The knife is pretty cool for the cash IMHO and has taken a beating

once I made a sheath for it!..jhehehahaahaaaaaaaa
 
Personally, I always found that a good cheap cold steel machete (i use the latin 18") works more than adequate for the chores you are describing. Also, go to any store with tools, and get a 6 or 8 inch bastard file. They are about 5 bucks, and will make you feel a lot better knowing if you ever have a "worst case scenario," and nick the blade, you can very easily smooth it out within a few seconds. IMHO, a lot easier than worrying about a blade that might get dull anyway, especially if you aren't familiar with sharpening. Hope this helps, it works perfect for me. Of course, these other answers more than fit the bill, but i figured its more to your original ideas. Good luck!
 
Take a look at the bolos from Reflections of Asia. They're hand forged village grade users for under $30. One of the best overlooked deals out there.

Frank
 
So many knives and so little time/money. I wish I could have it all but I have to be realistic. Im on a limited budget so my choices are restricted.

I was checking out the Bolo knife and it is out of stock from Reflections of Asia.

Most Cold Steel cordura sheaths suck, but I dont think Im going to be carrying it, so it shouldnt matter too much. However, a nice kydex sheath would be nice, but that just means I have to spend more money.

The next step is sharpening and learning how to do it. Slowly but surely. I suppose bringing a file would be a good idea. Thanks!

A few days ago, I came to the conclusion that all I needed was a saw for gathering fire wood, but I figured WTH, chopping with a big knife is more fun.

I really like the BK7 and BK9 but its $70 a pop. The Cold Steel machetes, at $20, and with good reviews, is very inticing. So I think Im going to go with a CS Kukri or CS Barong machete. But which one? And what size?

choices:
Barong machete, 12in blade
Barong machete, 18in blade
Kukri, 13in blade
Kukri Magnum, 17in blade

Would the Barong be better for 'chopping' since its thicker?
 
all of those are great machetes. its more of a preference thing i guess. I like the kukri style because of the blade-cuts through stuff like hell, but the other style will take a great edge too. I like the cold steel machetes because whenever i need to sharpen it, a couple swipes with the file on both sides to even out the edge gets it sharp as hell again. I don't know, but that steel does take a great edge very quickly and easily with that cheapo file. good luck. you won't be let down.
 
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