Overlanding and Fiddlebacks. I’d like your opinion!

Phillip,
Given your list of knives you want to take I would grab a bushcraft Karda very filling handle, I would add a woodsman to you list as well!
 
The Shank makes an excellent paring knife for the kitchen (guardless) and is a completely different shape than the others you have along. Mine excels at slicing vegetables, makes a great table knife for tough meat, and is very lightweight for a day hike. Don't know if you have one, but you did say you were willing to buy others...;) :D
 
Those roof top tents are rockin!

Our Truck Tent set up. Love it! Not that I'm above primitive camping .. but this thing makes everyone happier.

camp2014.jpg
 
M4Super90 said:
My intent was to keep this to Fiddleback options, but as far as a small prep knife I have a Krein microchef in 3v that I have been using when backpacking for a long time. I wish Andy had something like this in his line. There's a few that are close. A 1/8 minimuk might work.
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I really want to give a 1/8 Gaucho a go in this role...but they always go faster than I can get to them...
 
Kirkwood said:
For whatever it's worth, here's my list off the top of my head.

1. 12" Machete
2. Woodsman
3. Terrasaur (I just got this, but I love the way it feels and am excited to use it).
4. Patch Knife*
5. BCK

*Think I could be happy substituting a Hiking Buddy or (probably) BC Jr. here.
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You and I think a LOT alike, other than I am getting old and could narrow it down a little further :)

1-12" machete
2- Bushcrafter*
3- EDK
4&5...two of the ones I left at home :)

* Honestly I could be happy with any of the models in the 4-inch blade range here I think... but I just got a new Bushcrafter I am itching to try, so it would go unless I managed to snag a BC Jr. before leaving :)
 
bonafide said:
Those roof top tents are rockin!

Our Truck Tent set up. Love it! Not that I'm above primitive camping .. but this thing makes everyone happier.
Click to expand...

Ours has been awesome. 3" memory foam and its amazing how protective the heavy canvas is. We normally go pretty stripped down when the weather is nice, but we a have a full fly for bad weather and a lower vestibule when in the more populated areas of the parks. We were amazed the first time we were in sub freezing weather. Our body heat kept the inside warm and humid enough we had to crack the window vents. I would guess it was 25+ degrees warmer inside. The fly I'm messing with can also be staked out as an awning.

IMG_0129.JPG
 
mistwalker said:
I really want to give a 1/8 Gaucho a go in this role...but they always go faster than I can get to them...
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Got one, and I think I'll add that to the list. The more I think about your comment of ditching one of the BCs for something more along the lines of a KEB, well.. that makes me go hmmm. I know you like pointy. Other than preference, can you elaborate on what you do that makes pointy preferable? I tend to not go pointy, and I just wonder if there is something I'm missing. Even with drilling, the less pointy seems like less stress on the thinner part of the blade. Yes, you get a bigger hole than with a pointy tip. Is it just a precision thing for you?
 
M4Super90 said:
Got one, and I think I'll add that to the list. The more I think about your comment of ditching one of the BCs for something more along the lines of a KEB, well.. that makes me go hmmm. I know you like pointy. Other than preference, can you elaborate on what you do that makes pointy preferable? I tend to not go pointy, and I just wonder if there is something I'm missing. Even with drilling, the less pointy seems like less stress on the thinner part of the blade. Yes, you get a bigger hole than with a pointy tip. Is it just a precision thing for you?
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I suppose it is a precision thing for me. It stems from spending so much time out away from things...on river banks in the middle of nowhere, or miles up the river when fishing and trapping, or exploring the south Florida swamps. I find that having a small pointy blade handy is nice for processing smaller fish and game or fowl. I have had times when it made improvising a repair on a pack easier. I have used them for lancing blisters, as well as abscesses on infected wounds, and have had times when I had to perform sort of field expedient surgeries on myself to remove a large brier or splinter broken off below the skin, and it was done with less pain and less trauma with a pointier blade that was very sharp. Then I have also used them to fabricate improvised water filters and the finer point made holes small enough to let the water seep through but not the sand. Over time I have just gotten to where one of the knives on me at any given time is fairly pointy...
 
M4Super90 said:
Ours has been awesome. 3" memory foam and its amazing how protective the heavy canvas is. We normally go pretty stripped down when the weather is nice, but we a have a full fly for bad weather and a lower vestibule when in the more populated areas of the parks. We were amazed the first time we were in sub freezing weather. Our body heat kept the inside warm and humid enough we had to crack the window vents. I would guess it was 25+ degrees warmer inside. The fly I'm messing with can also be staked out as an awning.
Click to expand...

That thing is awesome! :thumbup:
 
I have some questions for you to think about. 1 are you going to have fire if so do you have an axe or saw?
2 do you have a pointier knife to help remove splinters? (maybe a bushfinger)
3 are you going to have to clear a camp site if so you may want a machete (I would take one any way)

my list would go like
1 Bushfinger
2 Bushcrafter
3 Camp
4 Machete I like 18s the most
5 any thing you like to use for food prep.
 
Hey Phillip,

I just got home from a three day hospital stay fighting the worst Flu virus that I have had in my life. I share that info just in case you wonder if if I have lost my BC loving mind to the high fever.

Since you conveniently posted my collection in the photo also, I'll tell you which five of mine I would choose for this expedition to give you some different ideas to think about. I think that this is valid input because you have held all of these knives.

My five would be:
1) Camp Knife in convex 3/16" O-1 SFT
2) Leuku in convex 5/32" O-1 tapered
3) Terrasaur in scandi 1/8" O-1 SFT
4) Gaucho in convex 3/32" CPM 154 SFT
5) Patch in convex 1/8" O-1 SFT

Right now you are questioning what happened to my favorite Bushcrafter and the Monarch which has proven to be a real game changer for me. Both are still favorites, but I am already most familiar their capabilities. It would be hard to leave them behind for sentimental reasons, but I want to learn new things as part of this adventure.

I think my group represents an interesting mix with a core group (Camp Knife, Leuku, & Patch) plus a couple of more specialized choices (Terrasaur & Gaucho.) I could explain further, but I don't want be verbose. :p

I am just trying to get you to look beyond the obvious. I think that "Beyond the BC - Overlanding Edition" sounds like a worthy storyline.

Phil
 
I don't have any recommendations on knives as I have zero experience with high end ones like the Fiddleback. My own personal opinion is that 5 is too many only because bringing five knives turns into bringing a lot of frivolous extras of everything. Every trip I take I wind up carrying too much crap and have to get creative packing it every morning.

I replied mainly to tell you about BLM land. We don't have much of it in the south but Utah has quite a bit. I am sure Arizona does as well and you may already be familiar with it. When we got to Zion last fall it was packed and there was no camping available. I had read that there was free dispersed camping on BLM land south of the park on Smithsonian Butte Backcountry Byway. We were not disappointed. Once we climbed a washed out hill we had the place to ourselves. Best campsite of the month long trip. So keep BLM dispersed camping in mind.

The campsite and view; EDIT

Evidently I cant post photos to this forum via Tapatalk. Oh well, take my word for it that it is amazing!
 
bronyblacksmith said:
I have some questions for you to think about. 1 are you going to have fire if so do you have an axe or saw?
2 do you have a pointier knife to help remove splinters? (maybe a bushfinger)
3 are you going to have to clear a camp site if so you may want a machete (I would take one any way)

my list would go like
1 Bushfinger
2 Bushcrafter
3 Camp
4 Machete I like 18s the most
5 any thing you like to use for food prep.
Click to expand...

We move around a lot. We don't normally eat/cook in the same place we sleep so we don't clear much. But I am prepared - I have a Gransfors and a Silky.

Comprehensivist said:
Hey Phillip,

I just got home from a three day hospital stay fighting the worst Flu virus that I have had in my life. I share that info just in case you wonder if if I have lost my BC loving mind to the high fever.

Since you conveniently posted my collection in the photo also, I'll tell you which five of mine I would choose for this expedition to give you some different ideas to think about. I think that this is valid input because you have held all of these knives.

My five would be:
1) Camp Knife in convex 3/16" O-1 SFT
2) Leuku in convex 5/32" O-1 tapered
3) Terrasaur in scandi 1/8" O-1 SFT
4) Gaucho in convex 3/32" CPM 154 SFT
5) Patch in convex 1/8" O-1 SFT

Right now you are questioning what happened to my favorite Bushcrafter and the Monarch which has proven to be a real game changer for me. Both are still favorites, but I am already most familiar their capabilities. It would be hard to leave them behind for sentimental reasons, but I want to learn new things as part of this adventure.

I think my group represents an interesting mix with a core group (Camp Knife, Leuku, & Patch) plus a couple of more specialized choices (Terrasaur & Gaucho.) I could explain further, but I don't want be verbose. :p

I am just trying to get you to look beyond the obvious. I think that "Beyond the BC - Overlanding Edition" sounds like a worthy storyline.

Phil
Click to expand...

That sounds awful. Be well brother - I hope you didn't get valley fever while you were out here. Meredith has been using a Leuku, a Gaucho and a Big Paw BC in the kitchen this week. She included the Terrasaur at first, and then swapped it out for the Lueku with the longer blade. If I had your scandi, I might take that just becasue I don'y have a scandi. So far she has ditched the BPBC and is sticking with the Gaucho, but wishes it had another inch of blade. Sound familiar? ;) I think the patch is a good candidate to.
 
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