need a good knife for hiking/camping.

H

hannism

Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
88
Hello all,

I went on an attempted geocache adventure this weekend. I couldn't quite get to where I needed because the underbrush was way too thick.

I've been thinking about getting more into hiking/geocaching, but I think I need a good blade.

I've got a couple of ideas on knives so far.

Cold Steel Machete of some kind. Cold Steel Laredo Bowie (SK5), Himalayan Imports British Service Model Khukuri.

I will probably be carrying a backpack, and I'll need to devise a way to attach them to Molle gear.

The other thought I had is if I go to a public hiking ground, would having a knife like that cause unwarranted attention?

Thanks.
 
When hiking and even when living outdoors for an extended period I carried a H.I. M-43 kukri and used a pilots survival knife which I had put a scandinavian edge on. Even when wearing the kukri on the belt I never recieved any negative attention..not even from law enforcement.

If the kukri is attached to the pack it will probably raise very few eybrows.

However what other folks think should honestly be your last consideration. The choice of a kukri as a chopper and a smaller blade as your fine work and backup blade is a good idea. For my small blade I usualy choose from several blade with a 5 inch blade. The R-10 from H.I. is one such knife and has serves me well. The RAT cutlery RC4 is another excellent choice as well.
 
Sounds like a nice lightweight machete might be right up your alley. Pair it up with a nice 3.5-4" blade (RC-4 springs to mind, or one of the many fine custom bushcraft knives you'll find around here), and you're pretty much set. Me, I'm planning on picking up one of Brian Andrews' modded 12" Ontario machetes. That is gonna fill a nice niche. You can check them out at http://offthemapoutfitters.com/main.sc. I hope linking to his site is OK, mods.
 
Im with raindog... I'd get a 12" dhandled ontario, cut off the knuckle guards and leave it inside my pack. You could use an 18" too, it'll chop a little better but won't fit inside your daypack. I also have a martindale 18" that I've reshaped the handles and it works really nicely on lighter stuff, but not as good as the ontario on heavier things.
 
I have a couple of Gerber machetes and they work great.
Some folks have used them enough to break the handles, I haven't yet.
I do think a machete strapped to your pack shouldn't draw too much attention, especially if you're out in the sticks...others may want to borrow it.
 
I'm a bit of a fan of HI kukris and the R-10 myself :D

20CAK01.jpg

R102.jpg

Quickdraw01.jpg
 
Check out the Tops Tom Brown Tracker. It is a knife, but you can chop off limbs with it. [Yeah, both kinds I imagine!] It also has a saw tooth edge. It is a serious knife. uhhhhh... massive cutting utensil?


I'm a dealer on this forum, and can be found in the Exchange/For Sale by Dealers/For Sale Production....dealers area....
 
for brush, a machete is good, as other have said, paring it up with a good field/utility knife is a great idea.

Depending on where you live (profile!) you might want to look into the shorter maehete type tools, I find a 9-14 inch blade plenty for most of north america.
 
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