- Joined
- Nov 13, 2001
- Messages
- 234
I'm singin' the Happy Boy song today. My Camp Tramp arrived. Thank God everybody was out of the office, because there was no way I was waiting to open the box.
First impressions: Hello, Nurse! I like it
.
The crinkle coat is smoother than I expected it to be. I really like the feel of it. More like an Ironstone pan than the somewhat stucco-like texture I was imagining.
The handle is thinner than I'd expected, too. This is a good thing. I don't care for palm swells or "ergonomic" designs. They always seem designed for some six-fingered alien rather than my medium sized hands. The thinner grip on the CT is just perfect.
The resoprene C of the handle is also harder than I'd thought it would be. After all the reports of its shock absorbing properties, I'd kind of expected it to be a little spongy, but it's not. Nice 'n grippy without any give. But it does feel like it'd soak up a lot more impact than micarta or G-10. Another thumbs up.
The grind lines are gorgeous and contrast nicely with the black coating. I was expecting a more obviously convex edge like my Sebenza, but it must be smaller than I can make out in the bad light of my office. Should be very easy to touch up and keep sharp (unlike the Sebenza, which I reground). Nice grabby edge. Not hair popping sharp like I keep my pocket knives, but a really good working edge (shaves, but with tugging and skin irritation). It should blast through the plague of pampas grass adorning my house. The "penetrator" tip is groovy. Nice touch.
Good, blade-heavy feel. I like blade-heavy designs, even in kitchen knives. This should be a hell of a chopper. I was considering the Battle Rat just because of it's greater length and weight, but I think the Camp Tramp will be just about perfect. Not too big, but with enough heft to really cut through the stuff I need to whack. And nimble enough for kitchen chores, should that be necessary. Hmmm, I'm trying to come up with dishes that require quartering a chicken just so I can see how the CT does. I'm gonna need a thicker cutting board
.
The sheath: What did they do, hot-mold the sheath to the knife just before they stuck it in the box?
I know the Swamp Rat folks are trying to get them out the door as fast as possible, but damn, it was hard to get out the first time. It's loosening up a little as I play with it, but I thought I was going to have to stand on the bottom of the sheath and yank (thus flipping over backwards and impaling myself like some Toby Hooper meets the Three Stooges kinda thing ). I really like the Nylon over Kydex concept. And the accessory pocket on the front of the sheath is great. Looks like it might be big enough for an Altoids tin. Certainly plenty of room for a sharpener, parachute cord or whatever sundries you might want to stick in it.
In short, I'm thrilled. This is a very, very cool knife. I can't wait to get out and abuse it some. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
Chad
Edited to add: I forgot to mention that this is a hefty, heavy-duty chunk of steel. It looks like you could back a cement mixer over it without even scratching the coating. Hell, it feels like you could cut your way through a cement mixer with it.
First impressions: Hello, Nurse! I like it
.The crinkle coat is smoother than I expected it to be. I really like the feel of it. More like an Ironstone pan than the somewhat stucco-like texture I was imagining.
The handle is thinner than I'd expected, too. This is a good thing. I don't care for palm swells or "ergonomic" designs. They always seem designed for some six-fingered alien rather than my medium sized hands. The thinner grip on the CT is just perfect.
The resoprene C of the handle is also harder than I'd thought it would be. After all the reports of its shock absorbing properties, I'd kind of expected it to be a little spongy, but it's not. Nice 'n grippy without any give. But it does feel like it'd soak up a lot more impact than micarta or G-10. Another thumbs up.
The grind lines are gorgeous and contrast nicely with the black coating. I was expecting a more obviously convex edge like my Sebenza, but it must be smaller than I can make out in the bad light of my office. Should be very easy to touch up and keep sharp (unlike the Sebenza, which I reground). Nice grabby edge. Not hair popping sharp like I keep my pocket knives, but a really good working edge (shaves, but with tugging and skin irritation). It should blast through the plague of pampas grass adorning my house. The "penetrator" tip is groovy. Nice touch.
Good, blade-heavy feel. I like blade-heavy designs, even in kitchen knives. This should be a hell of a chopper. I was considering the Battle Rat just because of it's greater length and weight, but I think the Camp Tramp will be just about perfect. Not too big, but with enough heft to really cut through the stuff I need to whack. And nimble enough for kitchen chores, should that be necessary. Hmmm, I'm trying to come up with dishes that require quartering a chicken just so I can see how the CT does. I'm gonna need a thicker cutting board
.The sheath: What did they do, hot-mold the sheath to the knife just before they stuck it in the box?
I know the Swamp Rat folks are trying to get them out the door as fast as possible, but damn, it was hard to get out the first time. It's loosening up a little as I play with it, but I thought I was going to have to stand on the bottom of the sheath and yank (thus flipping over backwards and impaling myself like some Toby Hooper meets the Three Stooges kinda thing ). I really like the Nylon over Kydex concept. And the accessory pocket on the front of the sheath is great. Looks like it might be big enough for an Altoids tin. Certainly plenty of room for a sharpener, parachute cord or whatever sundries you might want to stick in it.In short, I'm thrilled. This is a very, very cool knife. I can't wait to get out and abuse it some. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
Chad
Edited to add: I forgot to mention that this is a hefty, heavy-duty chunk of steel. It looks like you could back a cement mixer over it without even scratching the coating. Hell, it feels like you could cut your way through a cement mixer with it.
