Knife of choice if you were stranded in the wilderness?

We used one of the Gerber hatchets down in the jungle last go-round and it performed well. I was especially impressed at the edge it would take and hold.

I must admit the RTAK out-performed it on chopping through some 10" diameter balsas we cut for a raft and anything that was under that diameter, but the Gerber blew everything away when we had to chop through larger trees blocking the boat path (over 12" - 20" dimater).

Our Indian point man in the boat definitley preferred the Gerber over anything when it came to large diameter cutting. Naturally he switched back to the RTAK and machetes for general clearing. We left the Gerber with him at his request.

The main reason for this was overall comfort of extended chopping through large material and the smaller blade surface taking a smaller, deeper bite than the 10" blade on the RTAK or the longer blades of machetes. Once a large blade begins to contact material full width, chopping efficiency decreases drastically, and with partially submerged logs it's hard to work around all sides of them. The smaller the cutting surface you can apply with equal force, the faster the chopping will go.

This is from first-hand experience. - Jeff


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Randall's Adventure & Training
jeff@jungletraining.com

 
Jeff which size Gerber are you talking about?
I assume it wasn't the tiny little pack axe.

phantom4

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who dares, wins


 
Thanks for the info on the axes, Cliff.

Joe, Not all of the khukuris are as heavy as the AK and they are still pretty durn tough. I prefer the longer models, like the 18" AK and 18" WWII; and for somewhere where I have lug it, the 18" WWII wins out.

Cliff -- what are your thoughts on the efficiency trade-offs of length (say 15"-18")vs thickness (WWII vs Ang Khola)?

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Clay Fleischer
clay_fleischer@yahoo.com
AKTI Member A000847

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." --Douglas Adams
 
I don't think a Project qualifies as a heavy chopper, even though it chops pretty well, but the reason I generaly prefer a big knife over a small hatchet is because of my hunting style and game. It can be hard to persuade our boar to go down for anything but deep damage to vital organs.

I don't trust my ability to run up alongside a big pig and clock him on the head with the hatchet and consistently split his skull, whereas I know I can pounce the bugger and stick him full of knives.

I should note that Australopithecus Africanus was smacking pretty big animals upside the head with a club a couple million years ago and was making a living at it. Because a hatchet does concentrate force on a small edge, it can split skulls. My concern is my ability, not the hatchet's.

If it weren't that there aren't any hatchets on the market that appeal to me, and that I can't think of a way, or even legitimate excuse, to carry a hatchet in an urban setting, I would own one.

I intend to comission a custom hatchet and machete when I break my Project and see which I like better.

One advantage the hatchet of big chopper knife has over a machete for me is that to erect a permanent shelt I need to chop down some trees to build a platform because sleeping on the ground doesn't work well in the Glades or 10,000 Islands.

 
Well, I recently made just this choice, and the winner was the Black Cloud Knives Y2K Camp Knife. It is basically a 9.5" variation on his 4th generation fighting bowie with a shorter clip, and more belly in the primary edge. Plenty of spine for pounding, plenty of mass for light chopping, plenty of quickness for fighting the elements.

I'm having mine made out of A-2. It is time tested, tough, holds an edge well, and sharpens easily. A coat of bear grease will keep the rust off adequately.

Survival with an attitude. I love it.
wink.gif


Harv
 
Black Cloud makes a camp bowie? Whoda thunk it! Ernie's gotta get that on the website.

Steve, as soon as you take possession of that thing, I declare it's time for another bay area knife & beer get together.

Joe
 
Kevin Mclung has been building some stretched ATAKs in the 10" range known as the "SAS". Definately a contender...the 7" ATAK-variant I own (WSP1) is a superb "little" critter.

I think the SAS is really what the TUSK should have been all along, the TUSK to me just "felt like a pig", the only "bad feeling" Mad Dog I've ever handled.

Ditto on that Bay Area get-together. HEY, the Bay Area Knife Collectors show is coming next weekend, see also my post in Community. That would make a great gathering spot?

Jim March
 
CRK One Piece Sable with a 12" blade.

Should I bring that little critter to the get together this weekend?

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James
 
Sebenza, if natives are friendly. If not, AFCK.

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"Walk softly and carry a big stick"...TR

 
I know there will always be the "big knife versus little knife" arguments, and now there is the "big heavy blade versus big thinner blade". I like the Battle Mistress because I think it's a great knife. I don't find myself chopping down trees or hunting big game with it. In the Sierras where I usually backpack, there isn't any bushwhacking either. I just prefer the big blade for most chores, but I also carry a small blade for other things. I say go with what works for you, not what everyone tells you to use. The best bet is to try several different blades, and pick the best you can afford.
 
Jim --

Any idea what the price is on the big ATAK? I love Kevin's stuff, but if it's in his usual price range for large fixed blades ($800-$1000), it's more than I'd like to spend.

Joe
 
Joe,

It's a TUSK sized piece. I would expect a similar price of about $905 with an ATAK style sheath. Oh yeah, I'm thinking about one too!
 
OK we have Cliff in Canada, and Jeff in Central America. Khukuri/machete. But don't forget that in Nepal, where the khuks come from, you can go from, if I remember, 200 feet above sea level jungle complete with monsoons, to Mt Everest. There's a correspondingly large difference in the khukuris of each area. From 20" overall length Ang Khola weighing 4+ lbs ( >64 oz ) to 20" length Chainpuri weighing less than 1& 1/4 lbs (<20 oz ). That's a factor of 3 times the difference in weight for the same length. I have one 17" khukuri weighing only 14 ozs. But you have to keep an eye open for the few light ones HI brings in, and jump on them right away.
 
:
Joe:
I have done a little changing on my Kuhkuri rig.The whole thing weighs around 3 Lbs.Just a litte more than the little axe Jeff mentions at 2.3 Lbs. and without the 2 smaller knives.

This one actually came with some usable small tools,but I found that I could go quite a bit longer on both of them.

The little knife (karda) is now made from a Red River CS Carbon V blade and is 8 3/4" oal with a cutting edge of 5 1/2" and 15/16" wide.
Nice and thin,yet strong with a proven steel.

The steel,fire striker (chakma) is made from an old pruning shear and is sharp with a 3/16" thick blade 5 3/8" long with a cutting edge 4 1/8" long.
The oal is about 8 1/2" and averages 3/4" wide.

I think this is a good outfit for this area and for the Ozarks further east.I live in Oklahoma.

There are some softwoods,but most is either hardwood forest or scrub land with scrub oak being the most abundant there.Fire wood is usually handy,but how much just laying around depends on where you are.If on the plains you may be using cow chips for fuel.

Along the rivers and creeks is where most of the soft stuff grows,but the hardwoods are there also.
Then there are the plains where digging will probably come into play.
Also there would be some digging long the waterways for other plant foods that grow here.

Stranded for how long would also be a factor.
This outfit would allow a person to be as comfortable as they were willing to work for and to provide other weapons and traps for getting food.
I have found in my experiences that I can make a large knife do things a small one would be better for,but not the other way around.

The only way I would want to possibly change aything would be the substitution of the 18" AK for the 18" WW II to save a little weight.


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&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;---¥vsa----&gt;®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.

 
since i'm a well prepared guy . i would bring a nice randall # 11 and my choice of axe..i wouldn't expect a knife to do the job of an axe ...would you???
 
since i'm a well prepared guy . i would bring a nice randall # 11 and my choice of axe..i wouldn't expect a knife to do the job of an axe ...would you???
 
TKnife: You're right about the Sierras, if ever there was a "modest size backcountry knife" needed it'd be there. In which case, the ATAK variant I've got know would be close to perfect.

Joe, I can only assume the 10" mega-ATAK is in the $900 range. I keep wondering if that new vertical-hang oven he's working on might reduce the warping problem and make his bigger pieces price-competitive with the higher-grade Busse BMs. Impossible to say of course, and the price will STILL be higher due to the extra hand-grinding needed...but still.

In case nobody knows what I'm talking about, Kevin's bigger blades suffer some "infant mortality" in the heat-treat. He's working right at the bleeding edge of what 01 can do, and he won't ship even the slightest flaws. That's the biggest factor in his prices on pieces bigger than 7".

Jim March
 
TKnife: You're right about the Sierras, if ever there was a "modest size backcountry knife" needed it'd be there. In which case, the ATAK variant I've got know would be close to perfect.

Joe, I can only assume the 10" mega-ATAK is in the $900 range. I keep wondering if that new vertical-hang oven he's working on might reduce the warping problem and make his bigger pieces price-competitive with the higher-grade Busse BMs. Impossible to say of course, and the price will STILL be higher due to the extra hand-grinding needed...but still.

In case nobody knows what I'm talking about, Kevin's bigger blades suffer some "infant mortality" in the heat-treat. He's working right at the bleeding edge of what 01 can do, and he won't ship even the slightest flaws. That's the biggest factor in his prices on pieces bigger than 7".

Jim March
 
I like the idea of carrying several cutting implements.

Small fixed blade, or Sebenza if I was too heart broken to leave it.

Machete

Ax

I think that would pretty much cover my needs.

But I am playing with a one knife does it all idea in the form of a Barong, 12-18 inches long blade. i am going to forge it out of 5160 with the help of a local maker.

Jeff, any worries about the handle of the Gerber coming off and leaving you sans useable tool?

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Marion David Poff aka Eye, one can msg me at mdpoff@hotmail.com If I fail to check back with this thread and you want some info, email me.

Check out my review of the Kasper AFCK, thougths on the AFCK and interview of Bob Kasper. http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/1770/kasperafck.html

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/1770/index.html


 
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