looking for 5ish inch camp knife - some odd choices

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foofie

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Sep 25, 2011
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Looking for a 5-6 inch fixed blade, mostly for "camp duty" - food prep, maybe occasional light wood prep as well. The odd thing is the blades I am looking at are really different from each other. I have a budget of about $200, including some $$ for a nice sheath as well.

Option 1 - Becker BK15. It fits my hands really well. Once I add micarta and custom kydex, we are looking at about $170.

Option 2 - Scrapyard safety mutt - again, a touch under $200 with nice pants. A mud mutt might have been perfect, but I am a little late to that party.

Option 3 - Spyderco Southfork. A touch over $200, but it would need no updating. Not ideal for wood prep, but I can easily look past it. C'mon, Phil Wilson...

Option 4 - ???

Anyone have a couple of these, or offer any words of wisdom? Or offer alternatives? I do prefer lighter, and nothing over 3/16 inch stock please.

thank you.
 
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R6 from swamp rat. Also comes in 5. Both are in your budget unless you go wild in the custom shop.
Sr101 steel is borderline magical in its edge holding and extreme durability. I've put it through a large Christmas tree trunk, then sliced paper, didn't even need a touch up! If something goes wrong tho you have an UNCONDITIONAL lifetime warranty!
I will probably never buy another fixed blade in this size my rodent 6 will be with me for life! It amazes me every time I use it!
There's a lot of great sheath makers on here but if you go kydex I recommend Jared at paw paws knife shop, awesome sheaths and over the top customer service!
At any rate consider the Rodent line from swamp rat. I don't think you will be disappointed ;-)
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Edit... Lol oops it's over your thickness requirements by a tick. Just saw that
 
thanks. Swamp Rat looks better and better.
Another option - Fallkniven s1?
looking into the rock now. Talk about odd comparisons - rock vs southfork...
 
I got a southfork a few months ago and love it. Its amazing and s90v is super aggressive. Crazy performance, I highly recommend it. I would not hesitate to use it on wood.Ergonomics and fit/finish are great too. Plus a great boltoron sheath.
 
I think the BK-15 is a great all around camp knife especially when considering food prep. It might not excell splitting firewood, but I suspect it would do just fine. I don't have experience with the other ones.
 
I have/have had a few camp knives. Started with a SOG Seal Pup, beat the living (insert expletive) out of it. Have a Schempp Rock, haven't used it much, but so far is really nice. I had a Benchmade 162, nice knife, traded it for a ESEE 5 (sitting in my mailbox now). I definitely recommend the Schempp, its really nice if you need a multipurpose camp knife that won't weigh you down.
 
K.O.D. said:
I have/have had a few camp knives. Started with a SOG Seal Pup, beat the living (insert expletive) out of it. Have a Schempp Rock, haven't used it much, but so far is really nice. I had a Benchmade 162, nice knife, traded it for a ESEE 5 (sitting in my mailbox now). I definitely recommend the Schempp, its really nice if you need a multipurpose camp knife that won't weigh you down.
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I'm curious as to how the Esee5 works out for you. Most would consider it a bit bulky, ignoring that it does fit a nice size niche in between the 4 and 6.
 
The rock is my hiking/backpacking knife, and the Esee will be my camp knife.
 
foofie said:
Lance,
Does this mean you decided not to get a Southfork? If so, I am curious why not.
Thanks.
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No no, my southfork is sitting in the USA waiting on me! I chose the southfork because I will be using the knife almost exclusively for fishing and fish cleaning. When I saw your op said "odd choices" and "camp knife" I just thought of the rock. I think I would own one if I was more into camping. Looks like it would be lightweight and perform well. And aside from being completely corrosion proof, H1 is a very tough steel.
 
Swamprat Ratmandu. SR101 steel. Blade length 5-1/4, thickness 3/16. Feels great in hand. You can "choke up" using the choil for the finer tasks. I believe the RMD has a following all its own.

Comes with the best guarantee there is!
 
kenash said:
Swamprat Ratmandu. SR101 steel. Blade length 5-1/4, thickness 3/16. Feels great in hand. You can "choke up" using the choil for the finer tasks. I believe the RMD has a following all its own.

Comes with the best guarantee there is!
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This is what got me thinking about the mud mutt - poor man's RMD?
 
foofie said:
This is what got me thinking about the mud mutt - poor man's RMD?
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I prefer the RMD's blade profile but the Mud Mutt/Safety Mutt's handle (which is close to perfect). Not sure I would pick either for food prep though. I reckon the BK-15 is your choice there (or a Mora), but it's not a wood knife in my mind so maybe something a little bigger for that purpose like the RMD or Rodent series.
 
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