Khuk for camp knife - are there better than BAS or AK15?

M

Mindz_I

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Nov 6, 2002
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As often happens, one gets a fancy for a new khukuri, especially ogelling all the deals that pop up here.

I presently own a BAS villager and an Ang Khola 15", both of which nestle nicely in different locations around my house.

I'm planning on buying a friend a WWII of undecided length, for a mate who's a bit down at the moment, so figured I'd tag something else onto the order for myself.

Aside from being wall hangers, pretty much all my khuks are used for is chopping wood and general camp craft. However, whilst I'm 6 foot 1, I'm quite a skinny guy, so I'm not sure if some of the bigger khuks would be easy to control?

I guess what I'm asking is, is there a better camp chopper than the two khuks I already own, that's not going to be too hard to control for someone with rather puny arms?

Cheers
 
I love the BAS as a carry khuk. Just at the max comfortable on a belt.

But for a stationary camp, I'd like something BIG to play with.
 
As you've been using your AK and BAS knives, you've likely developed enough technique to use an 18" khuk. I like my 18" AK, and find it hits with a fair sight more "authority" than my 16 1/2" WWII. People have said the same for similar sized Gangas.

It will tire you sooner, so you'll need to keep a mental finger on your pulse to stay safe. Stop before you start to make tiredness-induced mistakes. You're not chopping with a "knife" anymore, the inertia and the effective hit is more like a small axe.
 
Carrying a kuk has to be balanced with the chopping power of that kuk. An 18" AK is indeed a great chopper, and if I, at a whopping 66" can handle one, I'm pretty sure you can, too.

OTOH, if you're planning on hiking with one in your belt, I wouldn't go bigger than the 15" AK you have, or perhaps a 17" BGRS.

John
 
I don't get to do nearly as much camping as I would like to do, but I actually pack a few khuks for various chores. A light one for brush work, a heavy one if i need to cut logs, and a smaller one as a camp knife.
The brush khuk and the big ol khuk tend to stay in the truck as back ups. However, I have found the a 15" khuk is perfect for camp chores. If I know I'm going to stick around the camp site, then the AK or BAS gets the nod. If I'm hiking a lot where weight is a factor, then I stick with Pen Knife. If I think I might be doing a bit of both, I split the difference and pack this sweet little 14" villager Siru with a sharp point.
All that being said, if there could be only one for an extended period of time, then I would go 18". Either the WWII or YCS (without the tools to cut down on weight).

Jake
edit to add, the M-43 would be pretty awesome too once you get used to the curve and handle;)
 
I have a coupleof the BAS knives. They, as other folks have said, are just about right for ease of carry and versatility.

The AK bowies aren't bad either, and now that the kardas are being upsized, they may not be a bad choice, either. I think even the D1 knives would be good choices, potentially.

Andy
 
I think the 17" BGRS is ideal although I like the 15 a lot of times because it's easier to carry and not as bulky.
 
An easy rule of thumb to remember: if its under 25", it's not big enough. :D

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One of these days I'll have to do a little foot work to rig up a carry system for more. I'm pretty sure I could do a 2" nylon webbing vest that could hold 6 on the chest, and 6 on the back reletively comfortably....

(knives present = falcata, 30" ang khola, himalayan sword (and then 2 busse fixed blades permanently affixed to each hip))



To be honestly, if i needed a generally knife for machete work with some light chopping, my 18" kobra is perfect. very light for its size, but still versatile. The thing feels like nothing in the hand, but it can still chop.

If I needed it to really chop, but still be packable, my favorite blade has always been the 20" siru. Not quite as much weight as the 18" ang khola, but it seems to wear down my arm much slower. Whenever I was doing extended wood work and was switching between blades, I found that anything smaller then 18" in an ang khola felt to light, and anything below 20" in a siru was the same. The productiveness vs. energy expenditure wasn't where I wanted it to be when I went smaller.
 
I do a lot of trekking and bushcraft, much of it in the Sonora desert. Especially in the Sonora I usually use an HI khukuri either a 15" Ang Khola or a 16.5" WWII. It's a tossup which is the best. One of my 16.5" WWII's is made by Kumar and is slender, and almost a Sirupati, and I think my next khuk will be a Sirupati. Lately I've been leaning towards the WWII.

Usually what I do to make the khuk bushcraft ready is I will reprofile and convex the edge, rebuild the sheath, make a new frog, put a pouch on the frog, and replace the karda and the chakma. I usually make my own chakma out of a Nicholson file and I developed my own style that I prefer. For a karda, I'll remove the loop for the karda and usually replace it with a Finnish style puukko or with a 6" Rapala filet knife from Walmart that I have cut down to 4" and made into a really good, razor sharp utility knife. A Mora would also work good.

People talk about a khuk being a chopper, but it's also a good draw knife, awesome for 'batoning' firewood, and it's good for butchering a large animal in conjunction with a decent karda. They also make a decent weapon. A properly rigged khuk is one of the few knives that I feel truly comfortable with out at the corner of no and where.
 
Return of the J.D. said:
MRostov had some great pics in connection with this post:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3682664&postcount=26

BTW, MRostov, I found your suggestions really helpful, and have taken to making some of your items (braided line, Horseshoe Mountain firesteel) parts of several of my own and my wife's and kids' survival kits. Thanks! Out of curiosity, just where in this Sonoran Desert of ours do you hang out?
Click to expand...

Sorry, didn't see any pics.

Andy
 
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