New!!!Help me make my bushcraft/camping set plz

B

brian4696

Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Messages
40
Im am new to the forums and to bushcraft and camping in general. My wife is letting me spend only about 500 dollars on this since i am just starting out and i need some help putting together a set of tools that will cover all my needs. I have been on these forums looking for over a month so i know u guys are going to ask " what are my needs?" Well i dont know for sure. Like i said i am new to bushcraft and not sure what all it involves. I can tell u this I am from western Pa and i will mostly be camping backpacking in pa, ohio, new york, and west virginia. I am not a big hunter but i love to fish so it should be able to process fish as well as other bushcraft stuff like making traps for small game, bow drills and spoons n stuff while i am bored at camp. Here is what i was looking at so far.
GB small forest axe + (one of these knifes) barkie aurora, liten bror, or bravo 1.
or
cheaper axe like eastwing or fisker and a combination of those knifes or others.

Thanks for those who finished reading this post i know it was al over the place and i am sorry for that i just really didnt know what all to say besides help lol.
 
brian4696 said:
Im am new to the forums and to bushcraft and camping in general. My wife is letting me spend only about 500 dollars on this since i am just starting out and i need some help putting together a set of tools that will cover all my needs. I have been on these forums looking for over a month so i know u guys are going to ask " what are my needs?" Well i dont know for sure. Like i said i am new to bushcraft and not sure what all it involves. I can tell u this I am from western Pa and i will mostly be camping backpacking in pa, ohio, new york, and west virginia. I am not a big hunter but i love to fish so it should be able to process fish as well as other bushcraft stuff like making traps for small game, bow drills and spoons n stuff while i am bored at camp. Here is what i was looking at so far.
GB small forest axe + (one of these knifes) barkie aurora, liten bror, or bravo 1.
or
cheaper axe like eastwing or fisker and a combination of those knifes or others.

Thanks for those who finished reading this post i know it was al over the place and i am sorry for that i just really didnt know what all to say besides help lol.
Click to expand...

Welcome! :)

If the $500 is intended to address all of your gear... cutting tools, cooking gear, shelter, fire-making, water filtration... you may need to be quite frugal in your purchases. This doesn't mean you can't get nice stuff, however.

A Mora or an ESEE-4 (or 5) would be a very good and affordable blades.

GB are great tools, but I have read here of less expensive alternative to get the job done (Wetterlings?).

A small folding saw is extremely useful in the bush (eg. Fiskars or the more expensive Silky Pocketboy)

I know that others will add more info... there are lots of very knowledgeable people here :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I am sorry for the confusion on the price but ill fix that right here :). The 500 dollars is for edge tools. i have already spent about a 1000 and got shelter, sleeping bag, boots and all that other good stuff you mentioned. Thank you again for ur quick reply and advice.
 
Here are some options that would fall under your budget:

Wetterlings 19" axe...$65.00
Bahco Laplander Folding Saw...$30.00

Bark River Bravo 1...$185.00
or
Gossman Backwoods Companion...$200.00
or
Fallkniven F1...$106.00
or
ESEE 4...$100.00
(The list is endless)

ESEE Izula (neck knife)...$50.00
ESEE Lite-Machete...$60.00

Totals ranges from $305-405 depending on fixed belt knife.
 
The GB axe is fantastic. Pricey, but worth it IMO. The BRKT Aurora is an awesome Bushcraft knife. The Liten Bror is a smaller version, if you have smaller hands. An alternate would be something like this:
100_0188.jpg
It's a GB Hunter's Axe (small forest axe is the same size, but doesn't have the polished poll), Jarvenpaa puukko and Leuku. Ragweed Forge often has them, but he's out of stock on those particular models. But he has many others. Kellam knives does have them in stock. Ragweed has a good filet knife from Jarvenpaa, as well, if you're into fishing. A lot of people will recommend a saw. I don't like them, so I can't recommend a good one.
 
One of the best parts of bushcraft, and just getting out there in general is you don't have to spend a lot of money. You will get tons of excellent recommendations here to help start your search. As far as cutting tools, everyone's needs will vary. A mid sized fixed blade like a Fallkniven F1 or ESSE 3 or 4, a folding saw and a SAK should cover most of your needs.
 
All I'll add is try and support our local makers for your knife rather than going to the manufacturers.
And make sure to post pics when ya get it !!!!
 
Are you looking for all things related to camping that you'll need?

If so I highly recommend a water filter system. First Need XL is what I'd get. Cost is $112 but it removes ALL bacteria and KILLS viruses. This is the only filter on the market that can kill viruses without use of tablets. Besides the water filter, MSR makes a bunch of affordable stoves ($30 - $60) along with pot sets that start off at $30. A good sleeping bag is gonna cost around $100-$200 depending on how warm you need to stay. For lighting, Black Diamond Apollo Lantern is the only way to go. Cost is $49 but is super compact perfect for your backpack and you will literally light up a 30ft radius with this bad boy. Oh and I definitely suggest you get a sleeping bag pad. This will save your back for sure! Cost starts at about $20. As for knives go... I'd go with the unbelievable saw. This thing is awesome. Cost $24 but is totally worth it. check it out: http://www.unbelievable-saw.com/ and for knives... since you have to pinch some pennies go with with the Becker bk-7 for splitting your wood ($64) and a nice ESEE IZULA ($41) for your fine dining needs. They also clean trout very well:). I suggest checking out www.REI.com and their camping section. You will find everything except for your knife tools here. Good luck and happy camping!
 
I think he's just looking for blade recommendations for now. I could be wrong though.
 
Thank you all for your advice and help i need it lol. Iboschi is correct because i have already been to REI (live 30 mins from it) and got all my camping backpacking gear.
 
brian4696 said:
Thank you all for your advice and help i need it lol. Iboschi is correct because i have already been to REI (live 30 mins from it) and got all my camping backpacking gear.
Click to expand...

B,

Think in terms of general tasks - camp food prep, tinder/firewood processing, traps/notching/carving, general cutting (rope, cordage, bandages) animal processing (filleting/field dressing), etc.

Also think of some cutting tool redundancy, which is one reason why some members are recommending a SAK or multi-tool, which also provides some field tools as well (i.e. can openers, tweezers, hot pot grabber, file, saw, etc).

Some combination of small axe/chopper/saw, a slicing knife, and a sak/multi should provide the functional spectrum and redundancy you need.

Now the selection fun begins. :)

B
 
Thanks Brians. At first i glanced over your post bc i thought i wrote it lol (my name is brian too). I already have a leatherman charge. I agree with you 100% im just having problems picking combination. I have a hard time making decisions lol. It took me a month to decide on a axe instead of a large knife for a chopper.
 
Consider a tomahawk as well, instead of a hatchet or field axe. You can get some top notch tomahawks for anywhere from 20 to 40 dollars. Check out the HB Forge Shawnee hawk and the Cold Steel Frontier or Norse Hawks. Pick up a GI mess kit for 5 bucks at the local surplus store. I'd recommend a Condor Bolo or El Salvador machete in the 20 dollar range, a Leatherman Kick multitool (20 dollars) and a good knife-check out the offerings from Condor, Kabar Becker, RAT Cutlery, Fallkniven or some of the less expensive customs in the Maker's section. Watch ebay for deals on North Face, Eureka, Kelty or other quality name brand tents-usually you can pick up a 1-2 person packable tent for 90-100 bucks. The same goes for packs-brands I'd look at are Kelty, Mountainsmith, and The North Face. I paid 75 dollars for my Mountainsmith Maverick. I like the 3500 cubic inch range, it will offer sufficient room for anything from overnighters to weeklong trips without being too drastically big or small. Get a decent 20 dollar headlamp and/or flashlight, a reliable lighter and ferro rod with striker, and a small water tight tin for tinder. For shorter trips where I know clear water sources will be available, I bring an Aquamira filtered water bottle (15 bucks) that has reliably prevented giardia, cryptosporidium and other waterborne ailments that you will likely get from drinking from natural water sources-if a majority of your water is standing and very dirty I'd get something more hefty. You'll need water storage containers-you can re-use gatorade and water bottles for free, or get a water bladder that fits your pack. Many people here like the Guyot bottles as well, if you have the money to spend that much. Get some good chordage, 550 chord is ideal. A bastard file, even a cheap one, is a great tool to have on hand for sharpening and woodcraft. A good folding saw like the Fiskars Woodzig (20 dollars) is also real handy for processing large amounts of wood. As far as sleeping bags go, I spent 35 dollars on a Slumberjack Solara that comes with a great compression bag for packing- it's very warm, breathable and comfy-it's size, weight, insulation value and construction mimmick that of many 1-200 dollar bags. Hopefully that will get you started on building a solid reasonably priced kit for basic woodsbumming.
 
Welcome to the woods. It's a great journey. You'll be looking for the perfect combination of tools for years. Experimenting is part of the fun.

I use a GB Scandinavian Forest Ax, Mora knife (high carbon, I don't like the laminated ones), SAK Trekker (I think a locking blade is important), shovel (small plastic one for backpacking and an edged Cold Steel thing for camping - it can double as a machette), and a folding prunning saw (I carry it, but I've never used it).

Have fun!
 
what i normally carry on day hikes is a fixed blade and a folding saw.

for longer times spent out in the woods i'll take my gb small forest axe or a bark river golok.


i think if you go with some sort of trio you should be able to take on any tasks in the woods.

personally i'd go with a gb small forest axe, brkt aurora and a bacho or silky brand folding saw.

those three tools should be able to tackle anything you have to take care of in the woods.
 
A Gransfors Small Forest Axe (handy size) and a Fallkniven or any other knife from a reputable manufacturer and youll be set. Other than Fallkniven there is ESSE, Becker and many more.

You could get a larger knife (6 inches plus) for chopping/shelter building and a smaller one (Izula, WM1, etc,) for fine work/cleaning fish and game/etc.

A SAK or light multittool will be a handy addition too, but you've already got the Charge which is perfectly fine too.

Remember to post pics of your purchases!
 
IMO - you need to have a pretty good reason to carry even a medium sized axe on your back along with all your other gear due to the weight. I would get the following then do a few trips and see how things work for you:

Mora clipper - $15 - carving, fine work, let you see if you like scandi blades.
Kabar Short Bowie -$50 - batoning and other general trail abuse.
Laplander Saw - $30 - fire prep, site clearing.

That will cover everything you need to start for less then $100 total. Of course that's assuming you don't want to spend the full $500, which you might. I get how the budgeting of money works sometimes. You might want to spend the full $500 while you have the approval from the wife, I'm not here to judge. If that's the case, let me know and I'll give you some recommendations that will take the full $500 :D
 
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