Reasonably Priced Functional Camping Blade and hatchet

T

timbit

Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
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Hey All,

I have been lurking on the site for a while (finally signed up for an account after a couple of months), and have really enjoyed this forum!

I have a couple of questions about a good camping knife, under $50.

I would like to get myself a inexpensive fixed blade knife that I can beat up a bit during camping.

I would like to do the following activities with it

  • Batonning (limbing light trees, kindling, fire prep)
  • Draw Knife (Bushcraft bow)
  • Fire Starting (feather sticks and fire-steel)
  • Carving
  • Prying

Ideally, I would like a scandi edge and tanto tip, about 3-5 inches long, made of a good carbon steel that is easy to sharpen and holds an edge well.

I don't know if such a knife exists at the price point I am looking at. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I also need a hatchet. Is the condor Greenland or woodworker any good? I like a hatchet with a handle 15-18 inches long, I'd like to be able to take power swings as well as do some nice shaving or roughing out (i,e bush-craft bow construction).

Thanks!

Tim
 
Hm, thats a nice looking knife! It is a drop point though, I would prefer a razor (flat) or tanto over a drop point for ease of field sharpening though.
 
Will the mora's hold up to batonning? I've never had one in my hand, I know the price is very attractive, and they seem to have a huge following. I have been tempted to grab one, as I love the scandi edge. How does a Mora compare to something like a condor Rodan? I know the Rodan is quite thick. Which can I abuse more, in terms of batonning and prying?
 
timbit said:
Hm, thats a nice looking knife! It is a drop point though, I would prefer a razor (flat) or tanto over a drop point for ease of field sharpening though.
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I guess there's the Cold Steel GI tanto, then? It's not really a camp knife, though. The BK2 is an uncommonly tough knife. The blade is 1/4 inch thick, so even though you aren't supposed to pry with knives, if you were to use a knife to pry, the BK2 would be your best bet. And it's a great value; it's main competitor, the ESEE 5, costs 3x as much. Most people think drop points are easier to sharpen than tanto's, though, what's the difficulty you have with them?
 
To be honest, I am just going off of what I have read. I've never had a tanto blade, I just understood that they had great tip strength. I don't have troubles sharpening a drop point, i'm just thinking having a straight blade with no rocker would be easiest :) I was thinking that the tanto tip itself wouldn't be sharpened, just the belly side of the knife.

I don't generally pry with my knives, as I often have a better tool on hand for that. I was just hoping to get a very versatile knife to go along with a nice hatchet. I would like to get away with just carrying a fixed blade, a folder and a hatchet for camping.

Also, I was hoping for something a bit shorter than 5.5 inches. That just seems like too much blade to do smaller carving tasks. Mind you, I can peel a carrot with a 12" chef knife.
 
Tantos are kind of specialized. The idea behind them is that they're good for thrust penetration, but there's a significant amount of debate over how useful that blade shape really is. For camping, though, a drop point would definitely be better. The BK2 is the main do-everything value camp knife I can think of. Could you do the smaller tasks with your folder? Or you could just get a Mora and a machete. A lot of wilderness instructors advocate this choice, and it doesn't cost much at all.
 
frankly, I think, unless you are going to be splitting wood, a big old FB would work better than an axe. even better, a machete. look at the condor parang. that should work good.
 
You might try the Mora Triflex Bushcraft and a 22 oz. craftsman hatchet. The handle on the craftsman hatchet is shorter than you are looking for but together they will cost around $50.
 
Tsujigiri said:
A lot of wilderness instructors advocate this choice, and it doesn't cost much at all.
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Interesting. Why do they recommend a mora and a machete over a hatchet? I've never heard this. Living in BC, (the pacific north west) I would have thought that a hatchet would be more useful. I am not being argumentative, I am legitimately curious about this recommendation.

also, I don't mind spending 50 bucks on EACH item, not total :) If I can spend less though, then that is cool too.
 
A mora plus hatchet/axe would serve you well.
 
thegeek574 said:
frankly, I think, unless you are going to be splitting wood, a big old FB would work better than an axe. even better, a machete. look at the condor parang. that should work good.
Click to expand...

I would be splitting some wood, but you can do that with a bush craft knife as well though right? What on earth is an FB?

Tsujigiri said:
Tantos are kind of specialized. The idea behind them is that they're good for thrust penetration, but there's a significant amount of debate over how useful that blade shape really is. For camping, though, a drop point would definitely be better. The BK2 is the main do-everything value camp knife I can think of. Could you do the smaller tasks with your folder? Or you could just get a Mora and a machete. A lot of wilderness instructors advocate this choice, and it doesn't cost much at all.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I do keep on looking at that BK2.

It seems its a mora triflex and a machete or hatchet. As an aside, is it possible to get a triflex without a handle and just the tang? I'd like to make my own potentially, as I do'nt like the look of those plastic jobbies.

OR
a BK2 and a hatchet.

I want to get the smallest amount of kit that will give me the most options in terms of functional use. I am very much open to suggestions. Please don't think that my questions are meant to disprove your suggestions, I just like to know the reasoning behind it. I am trained in sciences and working on a trade, so I do have a very inquiring mind.

Thank you all for your help so far!
Tim
 
a condor rodan and a folding saw like a bahco laplander should be able to process all the wood you need, throw in a mora for everything else. all three can be had for around $80.
 
If you are clever enough, a bk11 or bk14 should take care of most, if not all of your bushcraft needs for under $35. A hatchet seems bulky to me, but it is a good option for heavy wood processing though the BK2 is definitely the most functional and versatile option in my optinion.
timbit said:
I would be splitting some wood, but you can do that with a bush craft knife as well though right? What on earth is an FB?


Interesting, I do keep on looking at that BK2.

It seems its a mora triflex and a machete or hatchet. As an aside, is it possible to get a triflex without a handle and just the tang? I'd like to make my own potentially, as I do'nt like the look of those plastic jobbies.

OR
a BK2 and a hatchet.

I want to get the smallest amount of kit that will give me the most options in terms of functional use. I am very much open to suggestions. Please don't think that my questions are meant to disprove your suggestions, I just like to know the reasoning behind it. I am trained in sciences and working on a trade, so I do have a very inquiring mind.

Thank you all for your help so far!
Tim
Click to expand...
 
you can buy mora blanks on various sites.

maybe this answers some questions on prying?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOBot1-lTtw&feature=related

he does the same with an enzo trapper o1 which can be had at around 50 dollars for the blank.

I think batoning is the safer way to split wood. You do not need to swing the edge, so there is a lot more control. Also, using an axe to safely split pieces of wood that don't stand up right on their own is more complicated
 
A Mora and an Estwing leather sportsman's axe. If you want to baton with a Mora, first use it to cut yourself a couple of hardwood wedges. Tap the knife into the log and follow it up by pounding in a wedge. You can then easily remove the knife.
 
timbit said:
Interesting. Why do they recommend a mora and a machete over a hatchet? I've never heard this. Living in BC, (the pacific north west) I would have thought that a hatchet would be more useful. I am not being argumentative, I am legitimately curious about this recommendation.

also, I don't mind spending 50 bucks on EACH item, not total :) If I can spend less though, then that is cool too.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, a lot of machete fans use them in more tropical regions. But you can use them to chop wood, too. And they're very inexpensive; a lot of good ones are under $20 or even under $10. Take a look at some of the offerings from Tramontina, Hansa, and Imacasa. For higher end machetes Martindale and especially Condor are good. Keep in mind though that all of them except Condor will come pretty dull.

BTW, FB=fixed blade.
 
For the hatchet, Fiskars makes some really light and indestructable ones. I love the shorter one, super sharp (shave hair sharp!) and a pretty good heat treat so the edge stays sharp. I love mine!
 
The bk2 can do what your asking. A Mora is nice, and cheap, but id prefer something a bit stronger especially when process wood or other camp chores. You could chop and baton with the bk2 and use the Mora for smaller tasks. I personally carry a bk2 and a b14 when traveling light. Ill add a bk9 for heavy stuff bcuz it chops like a monster. A hatchet or ax can be cumbersome at times and really the deadfall stuff you find will easily be processed with the 2. Even small saplings cut down for a shelter can be processed by a 2. Its really the end all be all blade
 
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