Smallish bramble cutter / trail clearing knife wanted

[herisson]

That's the one !
Now, if you are really set on having something foldable, there are foldable machetes (yes !). Case (WWII pilot folding machete) and Gerber (Double Down) come to mind. I wouldn't trust something foldable for hacking at brush but you shorten the tool's length by 5" for carry. So, if this counts for you... The Case, Camillus, Cattaraugus (all similar) are not currently produced (as far as I know) so you get the thrill of sporting a vintage tool. The butterfly knife concept of the Double Down seems basically the most secure option in the foldable department. But, hey, 7" blade for brambles ? Add a pair of sturdy leather gloves to your kit.

 

[Bob Denman]

Busse Mountain Duty.
Great ergos, and a wicked sharp blade.

 

[bikerector]

My hikes often lead me through trails that are quite overgrown with brambles and other thorny brushes.

I am looking for a knife that's up to the task of clearing these trails for me...

However, here's the kicker: I don't want a full blown machete, but something smaller that still is packing a bit of oomph to get those brambles in a single strike.

The blade should be no longer than 5.5" but the thickness is secondary. I think if it's thin behind the edge, the cut will be easier, so it does not need to be overbuilt, like many of my other knives..

I'm partial to a good ergonomic handle, and for this task I'd prefer something stainless or at least less prone to rust.

Any recommendations?

Because of the short length, I would out a preference towards a straight edge or even a hawkbill/billhook. Maybe something like the fiskars billhook.

My preference would be to find or have a billhook made. The forward curve gathers the material into thd edge so it doesn't slide off and with that short of a blade a lot of belly will push the brambles away from the edge.

A short skrama or seax style would be my 2nd choice. The skrama 200 is 2.5" longer than you're after still, but they don't have one in your size request. A leuku might do the trick since while it does have belly, much of the blade is still straight. They are pretty lightweight and packable. I would opt for another inch blade length to compensate for the belly.

Another option is to go with something more cleaver-like, suchas the esee expat cleaver or a shorter nata (tops or silky but both are longer).

Nothing I've recommended is stainless as I don't really know of many off the shelf stainless options. I'm sure there are some leuku options though, I just didn't look hard enough to find them.

 

[bikerector]

First of all thanks for your  good thoughts and respones.

It is mostly the one or two year old green blackberry growth that's snagging on my trousers and you need to cut it hanging in the air as you walk by.
The trail below is fairly typical, as we prefer to use the smaller, less traveled ways

View attachment 1927653

I have a quite good Becker collection and the 14 + the 16 or 17 are in my pocket while I hike.
Amazing knives and a very comfortable handle, fit for prolonged hotspot free working. The 16/17 do an OK job, but they just lack the last inch and stain easily, even when I wipe them on my trousers before the are packed away.

I can use my BK7 and BK9 or any other largish knife to get the job done without any issues, but as it was mentioned before they do react quite quickly to the sap of these young brambles.

I always carry a 7" plus knife in my backpack, and if it's a tough trail, with thicker, already barkier stuff this comes out and gets used.

AEB-L is a great suggestion, and the LT Wright Traveler looks just quite capable.

I did not think about a folder, but, as is don't need the strength of a fixed blade for this task, I may get something in that range, especially something with a recurve to get that extra cutting power.

One quick snark: Not a troll, but a German and my English may sound a bit off, as it's still a second language to me...

edit2: The knife laws in Germany allow me to carry and use large knives on a hike, but I'd like to not scare away people that just happen to walk there as well.

As a folding option, I've used a cold steel rajah II (6" blade) pretty hard and it does pretty well. If you're up to thinning the edge a little it will slice through green stuff pretty well. It's okay as new but good once thinned some.

Another good treatment is to run sandpaper along the underside, inside of scales to remove sharp edges from the plastic scales. It helps a lot to reduce pinch points and hot spots when working the knife hard. Pretty much all of the cold steel grivory folders can use a little sanding treatment on the underside, IMO.

 

[Wasty]

bikerector : I do have the Skrama 200 and absolutely love it. It chops, batons, whittles great and it is very sturdy.
I also have the Terävä jääkäripuukkos 80, 110, 140 - and If the 140 would be available in stainless, I'd just grind it a bit thinner and be happy for this task...

Let me check the CS Folders, especially the rajah II looks like a small kukri - That may be a great option. THX for that

 

[bikerector]

bikerector : I do have the Skrama 200 and absolutely love it. It chops, batons, whittles great and it is very sturdy.
I also have the Terävä jääkäripuukkos 80, 110, 140 - and If the 140 would be available in stainless, I'd just grind it a bit thinner and be happy for this task...

Let me check the CS Folders, especially the rajah II looks like a small kukri - That may be a great option. THX for that

The rajah is exactly a folding kuhkri. Not super thin but thin enough, I think.

A thinner, stainless knife like the jaakaripuukko 140 is exactly what I was thinking with the leuku recommendation. Some will have a wider blade so you can still have some weight behind them while getting a thinnish edge. I've played around with a few lauri blanks and I know they had something in stainless, which makes me think maybe wood jewel or someone else making knives from lauri blanks would have a stainless option.

I have about a 7" blade made of AEB-L that was a prototype of mine that I carry a lot for such uses. It works pretty well and packs small enough. The suretouch grips give it a nice texture. The design never made it into my lineup, but I like it for my uses on the bicycle.

 

[bikerector]

The rajah is exactly a folding kuhkri. Not super thin but thin enough, I think.

A thinner, stainless knife like the jaakaripuukko 140 is exactly what I was thinking with the leuku recommendation. Some will have a wider blade so you can still have some weight behind them while getting a thinnish edge. I've played around with a few lauri blanks and I know they had something in stainless, which makes me think maybe wood jewel or someone else making knives from lauri blanks would have a stainless option.

I have about a 7" blade made of AEB-L that was a prototype of mine that I carry a lot for such uses. It works pretty well and packs small enough. The suretouch grips give it a nice texture. The design never made it into my lineup, but I like it for my uses on the bicycle.

Finally grabbed a pic of the skinny slasher/leuku style knife I carry on the bicycle a lot. Works nice for taking out the errant vine, branch, or other nuisance that has creaped into the trail. It's does fine on saplings as well. Very packable, like a traditional leuku, but lacks meat in blade to do heavier chopping/slashing since the blade width and thickness are a bit small for most folks. I consider it a very specialized tool where packing into a very small hydration pack or bike jersey pocket is part of the requirement. I slip it in with the hydration bladder in my minimalist camelbak.

 

[Wasty]

I just saw the picture right now: That knife is exactly what I am looking for.

Are your books open?

 

[bikerector]

I just saw the picture right now: That knife is exactly what I am looking for.

Are your books open?

They are, but let's talk over PM or email (goodknifeco@gmail.com) to keep the thread clean.

 

[LittleAugieMo]

First of all thanks for your  good thoughts and respones.

It is mostly the one or two year old green blackberry growth that's snagging on my trousers and you need to cut it hanging in the air as you walk by.
The trail below is fairly typical, as we prefer to use the smaller, less traveled ways

View attachment 1927653

I have a quite good Becker collection and the 14 + the 16 or 17 are in my pocket while I hike.
Amazing knives and a very comfortable handle, fit for prolonged hotspot free working. The 16/17 do an OK job, but they just lack the last inch and stain easily, even when I wipe them on my trousers before the are packed away.

I can use my BK7 and BK9 or any other largish knife to get the job done without any issues, but as it was mentioned before they do react quite quickly to the sap of these young brambles.

I always carry a 7" plus knife in my backpack, and if it's a tough trail, with thicker, already barkier stuff this comes out and gets used.

AEB-L is a great suggestion, and the LT Wright Traveler looks just quite capable.

I did not think about a folder, but, as is don't need the strength of a fixed blade for this task, I may get something in that range, especially something with a recurve to get that extra cutting power.

One quick snark: Not a troll, but a German and my English may sound a bit off, as it's still a second language to me...

edit2: The knife laws in Germany allow me to carry and use large knives on a hike, but I'd like to not scare away people that just happen to walk there as well.

Realize it would be "something extra" to carry,but have you considered hand clippers like used on rose bushes by gardeners? Also how about a kukri style fixed blade? Good luck w/ your search!

 

[Just Tom.]

green blackberry growth that's snagging on my trousers

Not a knife-based solution, but I knew a guy who bought a pair of snakebite-proof chaps to wear over his pants when clearing blackberry and briars and such. With those on, you could just push on through without tearing up your legs.

 

[Wasty]

Not a knife-based solution, but I knew a guy who bought a pair of snakebite-proof chaps to wear over his pants when clearing blackberry and briars and such. With those on, you could just push on through without tearing up your legs.

I do agree that there are indeed good solutions that don't require a knife, but well... I do like knives very much and if you look at the knife that Bikrector has, that's a great tool to do exactly this.

I normally wear sturdy outdoor/working pants when hiking and high boots, so most problems below knee level are not a big thing.

Over the last couple of years, we had way more trees cut down than usual, as the dryness of the last summers had an huge impact on the health of the trees.

Brambles take over quite quickly with enough light and they just grow so fast that being able to clear a trail is just nice

 

[not2sharp]

I may be out of place, but I would suggest a typical machete. It can do the job more effectively, with less bending, less exposure to the hands, and that's a big deal with brambles. An 18" blade will give you plenty of reach and velocity, and it would still set you back less than $20.

n2s

 

[Wasty]

I may be out of place, but I would suggest a typical machete. It can do the job more effectively, with less bending, less exposure to the hands, and that's a big deal with brambles. An 18" blade will give you plenty of reach and velocity, and it would still set you back less than $20.

n2s

Indeed, a Machete is the right tool, and I have two of them that are used regularly in my garden.

On a weekend hike where I could encounter families with children or other people in general, that would most likely raise some eyebrows...

I now have a great solution, that I will show you as soon as I have it.

 

[dirc]

I use a 4.5" blade, in 14c28n on the ruike jaeger

perfect for hiking/light clearing or food prep, anything really

please share when you have pics : )