opinions wanted on a backpacking / camping / hunting knife

jbs121s said:
IMO the Infidu and Batac CG (.18 thick) are the closest thing to a bushcraft knife that Busse makes as far as all around Bushcraft tasks. There are better skinners and the Scabs is a contender, but I prefer either of these for a do all.
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SOB LE? I think that would be a decent bushcraft knife

When is your nephew picking the blade he wants?
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
SOB LE? I think that would be a decent bushcraft knife

When is your nephew picking the blade he wants?
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I great bushcraft choice that i completely forgot about along with the thin Basic 4 which is a great woods knife.

My nephew will be coming by this evening to grab a knife, he is camping this weekend and pretty excited about it.
 
I can see the Bushcraft potential in them. My only issue is the blade is a bit too heavy for me personally as a bushcraft. Over the years I have gotten accustomed to the thinner blades from Blind Horse. Before them, I used many different blades but could never find one that was "just right". I have been handling a BATAC for the last week or so trying to get the feel for it. I chuckled when I read this because it was something on my coffee table. I have already put some marks on the pristine black canvas handles lol. Its just the darkening that occurs from handling a canvas handle, nothing fret over lol. There is just something about the BATAC that keeps pulling me back to it. I have a pretty big collection of knives. I always find myself going back to my old Bushcraft knives when I go to the woods. That has been changing recently since OP2W. My first Busse and my main Busse love is my Team Gemini LB but I find the blade just too long and the knife too big for a day backpacking. When I do carry it, I will get some looks like am some kind of serial killer or something. California is full of peace loving hippies that faint at the sight of a weapon. I digress though. The TGLB is my one knife if I had to grab only one. I am leaning toward the newly released Team Gemini M model. The handle on the TG fits my hand like they made it for me. Plus it has the smaller blade. Now here is where the story get good. I have been experimenting. I have copied several Busse blades in my work shop. Almost to a perfect T. I am reshaping the ones that I made to get the perfect feel for me. I don't have the heart to do that to a $500 blade. So I spend some time making a 1095 version and then chop away. I have utterly ruined several until they can no longer be identified as a Busse anymore. The BATAC is one that I keep going back to the original shape. I am thinking about thinning the blade a bit and calling it a day. I picked up and anorexic ASH and it was almost a perfect blade for me. Feels like a tactical kitchen knife. I am with you on the INFIDU, It is the perfect all around knife, hunting, skinning and even combat shape is there. It could be used for bushcraft without issue. Personally I carried bowie style for many years until I found the Kephart blade style to suit me best. The BATAC is sort of an overweight, large Kephart style if you look at it a bit. Now here is analogy for my knives. If knifes were vehicles my Blind Horse knives would be a nice mountain bike, they get me where I want to go and some places I shouldn't be in the first place. My Busse Knives are like a Cadillac Escalades or the Big Mercedes SUV. Big, Bold and well made. Tough as nails and can run over or cut through said previously mentioned mountain bike but too heavy to lug around. I can throw my mountain bike on my shoulder if need be, I can barely push an Escalade. When it comes to making feather sticks or just poking around the camp, I find the thinner Kephart blade style to suit me best. Suit me to emphasize that. If you look up the perfect bushcraft blade you will see all styles, shapes, sizes and even an axe or two. The perfect blade is one that suits the user perfectly. Now if I was going back into the Army and deploying, the BATAC would be my choice hands down with no second thoughts at all.

jbs121s said:
IMO the Infidu and Batac CG (.18 thick) are the closest thing to a bushcraft knife that Busse makes as far as all around Bushcraft tasks. There are better skinners and the Scabs is a contender, but I prefer either of these for a do all.
Click to expand...
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
SOB LE? I think that would be a decent bushcraft knife
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I hope so! I have one coming in the mail, and I'm hoping it's a contender. It'll have to compete with high alloy stainless for the job. I'm interested to see how infi's tradeoffs work in smaller blades, especially used mostly for wood and utility tasks. I'm excited to test it out.
 
How are people justifying a weight difference between a ~5 oz "bushcrafting" knife and a ~15 oz. medium Busse as "major"? Are there a bunch of true ultralight backpackers on here, or are you guys really humping 100lb+ rucks that you just can't squeeze another 3/4lb into your loadout? I mean, I'm doing 5-15 mile trail runs with a NMSFNO and those are 20 oz+sheath...can't say I really notice a pound of knife or not.
 
Dr. Lecter said:
How are people justifying a weight difference between a ~5 oz "bushcrafting" knife and a ~15 oz. medium Busse as "major"? Are there a bunch of true ultralight backpackers on here, or are you guys really humping 100lb+ rucks that you just can't squeeze another 3/4lb into your loadout? I mean, I'm doing 5-15 mile trail runs with a NMSFNO and those are 20 oz+sheath...can't say I really notice a pound of knife or not.
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I agree, for the most part I carry what I want to have and often pack multiple mid size blades if I am trying a couple against each other. My go to is a SFNO LE that weighs just over a pound and I really don't notice it anymore than an Esee 6 when it's strapped to my belt. If I was EDC carrying a fixed blade it wouldn't be the SFNO, but for my short excursions into the woods a few ounces are not a big deal.
 
I've been a hunter for about 27 years now, and I've always been the type to carry more gear than I need regardless of weight. Granted, I'm probably only hiking 3-5 miles a day, but it's pretty steep and rocky where we go. Anyway, I'd rather have the extra gear in case I roll an ankle or whatever and have to spend the night out or something. So I accept the weight as the price I pay for the gear I want and I don't think too much about it.
That being said, I like the SAR4.
 
jbs121s said:
My nephew will be coming by this evening to grab a knife, he is camping this weekend and pretty excited about it.
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Which blade did your nephew pick then?

Ladams19 said:
Over the years I have gotten accustomed to the thinner blades from Blind Horse.
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Which models do you use from Blind Horse? I've eyed them from time to time myself but haven't tried any yet.
 
I have the Work Horse, Bushcrafter is several models and handles, several neck knives of various types and a few EDC. Blind Horse split though into Battle Horse and LT Wright. They make good knives. They are good starter knives and are users although I have several that have never left the box. After they split I kind of lost a bit of interest in them and really turned up the heat on my Busse purchases. I love their Bushcrafters though. I got the newest ones from both the new companies.

xxwarderxx said:
Which blade did your nephew pick then?



Which models do you use from Blind Horse? I've eyed them from time to time myself but haven't tried any yet.
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jbs121s said:
My nephew is turning 17 and is an active outdoorsman and loves my Busse knives. He is currently working with an Izula II / Esee 4 combo I gave him several years ago but I am going to upgrade him. I am going to gift him a user and was looking for a few opinions. Keep in mind he has the Izzy to complement his new Busse, but it will replace the 4. He often does 3 day hiking/camping trips so he has to carry whatever I give him. These are the 6 blades I am considering.

Ash 1 SE - .22, FFG
Hell Razor
Sar 4
BAE2
Batac CG - .18 thick (sweet Norcal satin and hand smoothed micarta)
Infidu

2AuyAIR.jpg


I had to put the RMD in there because it is extremely popular and proven, but if I had to pick it or the BATAC I would go with the Badger which is very similar knife is a slightly larger package. I am leaning towards one of the heavier knives so he could do a little chopping as needed. My favorite of the heavier half would be the Sar 4 or Ash 1.

Anyways, looking for opinions, which would you choose as a larger blade to go with an Izula II? I will ultimately let him choose, but thought he might enjoy checking out this post and opinions from those that have used the knives for years.
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Why not lay them all out and let him pick out his favorite. Sorry I didn't read down far enough before I opened my mouth and started typing. I bet you are his favorite uncle. Please let us know which one he chooses.
 
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I used to go backpacking at least once every summer, sometimes twice, three times if I was lucky, all over the Sierra Nevada's. Our trips would be anywhere from 20-40 miles. My two blades were always a Swiss Army knife and an old Ka-Bar. This was before I knew about Busse's. (And before I could afford them.) If I were planning a trip now, based on your selection, I'd pick the Hell Razor or Ash for the big knife tasks.

Your nephew is a lucky guy to get such an awesome gift. Let me know if you want to adopt a nephew, looks like you have a few left over gifts there :)
 
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