machete vs large knife???

[mariobab]

I usually take 12" machete,hatchet,6" knife,SAK in my vest,but the most of work I do with the machete.The last time I used hatchet was on one big hawthorn-it blunted machete instantly.SAK is for food and that kind of job,and knife is not much of use,but I used to have it always on me.
So except when it is freezing cold outside,or on very hard/dried wood machete is up to all my needs.
But funny,I can have a felling axe,and no one seems to care,but with even small machete there are funny looks.

 

[Gossman Knives]

Most of us that camp close to a road or our vehicles can get by with very little. I think deciding on what to carry is very important when you are flown into a remote area and dropped off. A big game hunt, or some other trip where you won't see the bush pilot for a week. This is where tool and gear selection is extremely important.
Dan Shechtman went on an Alaskan float trip for 10 days. He was flown in by a bush plane and dropped off in a remote area. It was very interesting what worked and what didn't work.
These types of trips can turn into survival situations real fast. I don't want my gear to fail because I picked the wrong tool for the job.
Scott

 

[bladefrienzy]

Very well said Scott. I also think it that kind of situation that redundant tools save lives.

 

[HikingMano]

Hope you got big hands.

Just above average I think, don't worry, the regular chitlangi is on my list first

 

[James 61]

That's not a knoyfe, this is a knoyfe:

If you like that try this on for size.

The blade is 18 1/2 inches. It's not really a knife or a machette. It is kind of both. It's light and fast like a machette but has a spine thickness of .20 inches like a knife.

 

[koyote]

it's not a knife or a machete.... because it's a sword

 

[Joezilla]

I one am here on a machete. At least here in the south, there are alot of things that I have done with one. Axes have their place too, but when I hit the woods, I've really learned to use my machete the most.

 

[Joezilla]

Both of the edge rolling incidents mentions where Ontario's. I am interested to see what another carbon machete would do. I'll bet trying that out later as soon as my leg heals

 

[Cpl Punishment]

If you like that try this on for size.
. . .

The blade is 18 1/2 inches. It's not really a knife or a machette. It is kind of both. It's light and fast like a machette but has a spine thickness of .20 inches like a knife.

Sort of like this:

21" blade length, 29" OAL, .230" thick.

 

[Morablades]

I usually just carry this (SOG Seal Team Elite) and a Multitool. The SOG is Very well worn. I took the serrations off and broadened the angle where the serrations used to be and use that part of the blade to baton/splitting. The upperpart of the blade is used for chopping, skinning, fileting. Most of the time I don't need to chop. Whatever wood I need is usually found by foraging on the forest floor and can be broken over trees or in between two trees.

 

[Wildone39]

I live in Mississippi and a Machete has always worked best for me. It maybe because of the Warmer climate. I can see were a axe would be best for up North.

 

[udtjim]

Mora!! I like that modification. I may have to try that on mine.

 

[Morablades]

Thanks! It's really easy. I did it with a dremel and a bucket of cold water. It works great for batonning, but if I could do it over I would put a chisel grind on the modified part of the blade.

 

[HikingMano]

Not trying to bust on anyone (well to be honest I guess I am...), but maybe we should just admit that the reason we carry those large 'camp knives' and all our other gear is because we just plain ENJOY it....

We enjoy hacking at stuff...
We enjoy sharpening stuff...
We enjoy feeling like we are prepared for the end of the world even though there's a supermarket 20 minutes away.

There is nothing wrong with appreciating, carrying, and using, a fine blade no matter what size it is, but rarely does it fall into the 'need' category in *my* opinion.

I gotta agree with Mongrel on this one. I usually carry a 4-5' fixed, leatherman wave, and pocket chainsaw. I like machetes, you can beat on em without feeling bad about it, used em often back home in Hawaii. Recently I bought a HI khukuri. Why? I'm in california (now); I don't really need a chopper to survive, but I do like to hack at stuff with a big knife sometimes. If you're up north where you gotta get that fire going or shelter up, and get it done quickly, then I can definitely see an axe/large knife being a necessity. But it's not a necessity for the california landscape. I CAN survive with my 4" fixed and leatherman...but I'm young, so I don't mind carrying a little extra weight to have fun, save a little time, and get funny looks from others

 

[savagesicslayer]

I carry a Kukri.I find it works well for al the types of vegitation I come across.It's an 18" WW2 HI beast with a half an inch thick spine.I have an ontario for times when I need lighter stuff taken care of.The Kukri can have a crazy followthrough.

 

[udtjim]

Mora, Thanks for that tip. It looks much more useful than the serrated edge that so many knives have. I love this place for the good idea's people post here. I like serrated edges but I don't need them on every knife. I hardly ever have to cut nets any more.

 

[tabeeb762]

I think of big knives as jack of all trades tool. I prefer the chopping power of a 12" machete.
To compesate for the machete's lack of splitting power I carry a Gerber back paxe. Its basically a wedge with a handle. Splitting wood is all I use it for.

 

[MrCoffee]

I tend not to carry Big blades much anymore, except for my Ranger RD-9, the only really big chopper I own. But I have a friend on another forum that swears by the Ontario SP8. He uses it for everything from makin fuzzy sticks to choppin trees for the log cabin he was building. Looks to be a interesting solution to the Machete/BigBlade question. And the KaBar Cutlass has some good reviews on it too.

For me, since I have gotten older, I found I just don't have the wrist control/Strengthen anymore for wackin away with a big blade or machete. Prefer a Axe or saw.

 

[HikingMano]

I carry a Kukri.I find it works well for al the types of vegitation I come across.It's an 18" WW2 HI beast with a half an inch thick spine.I have an ontario for times when I need lighter stuff taken care of.The Kukri can have a crazy followthrough.

Yeah, i have a 16.5" WWII, it's scary on followthrough I'm always paranoid i might lose a limb.

 

[HornyToad]

To compesate for the machete's lack of splitting power I carry a Gerber back paxe. Its basically a wedge with a handle. Splitting wood is all I use it for.

I have a paxe and wondered why I bought it as it did not seem to have any use. Seems like you have to have a pretty heavy batton to drive that wedge but I'll give it try.