The best bush tool

W

Wabajack

Joined
Jan 16, 2007
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Axe, Large Knife or Saw, So what’s better when paired with a smaller blade (3-4“)? Chopping, cutting, splitting, shelter making and ease of carry, you know… bush stuff!

Specifically 10” knives (Ontario RTAK, SYKW Dog Father, etc.) , Half axes (GB Small forest axe, etc) Hatchets (GB wildlife hatchet, etc) and a folding saw with and edge of roughly 8” (Laplander, etc) so what really is the better bush tool?

I’m giving my vote to the half axe, I find them easy to carry and will out chop and split any knife. The only real draw back is the weight (around 1.5 - 2 lbs). However if weight is a real issue I would choose the saw because of ease of carry and relatively little energy to use effectively.

This is a question I ask myself all the time trying to figure out the best bush-combo possible, and although there really ins't a wrong answer (since they all work) I want to know the most efficient one.

So what do you preffer when paired with a 3-4" knife? :)
 
This is one of those "which came first, the chicken of the egg?" or "if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?" kind of questions. Nobody will ever know the real answer.

OK, not really, but it is kinda like religion or politics, amongst us "bush people", you'll get every answer back and in reality, they are all right for different reasons, everyone will have their preferances and good, solid reasons for them.
 
shotgunner11 said:
This is one of those "which came first, the chicken of the egg?" or "if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?" kind of questions. Nobody will ever know the real answer.
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It also depends on where you are. What environment you're camping in. For me in the North West, a small axe is the way to go IMHO. I have carried a small hatchet or axe for years, and find them to be the best way to go.

Currently I carry either a GB SFA, or my Wetterlings Small hunter.

However you would do just fine with a Khukri, machete, or large chopper. Really depends on what you're comfortable with.
 
Im in Northern Cal, deep in the sierras. For me its a gerber hatchet and a RAT 7 in D2. I also just got the RTAK 2, and it chopps very well but you still need a smaller knife for fine work. Most of the things Im chopping are hard woods so the hatchet gets used alot. I also carry a Saber flex saw, made by ultimate survival, which works well but you better be in shape if you plan on doing a lot of cutting.
 
I'm goin with a Tomahawk, SAK Farmer, and a small fixed blade. You can cover about everything you can think of with those three. From food, to skinning, to splitting wood, to making a shelter, to defense. All your bases are covered, and throwing a hawk around is good entertainment! :D
 
typically I use a 12 inch ontario machete...it chops "wrist thick wood with ease" and can easily be batoned through larger wood. and it's cheap..It does what I need it to do just fine since I'm primarily a "fair weather woodsman" in that I do most of my extended stays in the bush over the warmer months. sometimes I'll bring a saw as back up.
 
Like it's been said, depends on where you are, and what your comfortable with. I've used a BK7 and a saw and that works fine. However, with a wetterling large hunter, Im much more efficent, because im more skillled with an axe.
Try what you think you like more, and if it works, it works, if it doesn't move on to try something else.
 
I have a Bolo knife that I picked up while going through a survival coarse in the Philippines 27 years ago. This knife is 3/8" thick at the thickest point, the blade is 13" long And 19" over all. A big heavy knife. I have carried this knife in 13 different country's. I have used it to dig for water in Australia, billed shelters in the tropics, cut through jungle in Costa Rica, make shooting lanes on an archery range in California, build a raft in Argentina, and make a igloo in Alaska. That and much more, and of coarse I cut lots and lots of fire wood. I have used this knife as a draw knife to make Bows and shave down arrows. I have pounded nails with it, drove tent stakes and cleaned game with it. In my hand it cuts wood better than an hatchet of the same weight. I have tried other tools, machetes and axes, but none of them have had the versatility of this knife. If you want to cut a cord of fire wood then of coarse get a felling Axe and a chainsaw. If your just cutting through tall grasses a long bladed machete, but if you want one woodsman's tool that can cover every situation from the Attic to the equator then heres the short list. A HEAVY Bolo, a Khukuri, or a Goloks.
 
The Sibert Particle Accelerator. I'm working with him to give it an axe grind on the spine so you get two blades in one. If you have enough heft behind a big blade you basically have a small hatchet.
 
I find for the variety of places I get into that all that old earth technology is a bit out moded.

batlethzl1.gif


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I know, some of you are going to start carping about how the Dktagh isn't exactly a "fixed" blade, but one swipe of the batleth will end that discussion.

Here's my technique. Enter a forest of saplings and make two full 360 swings, one low, one high. This gives ample poles and brush for a lean-to and clears the ground in one motion. That is not an actual Klingon technique, they are more prone to sit in the rain and growl.

If you do go the Batleth route do us all a favor and spend the money for one from the homeworld. Please pass on the Fehrengi knock-offs or at least don't carp about bent tips. Mac
 
Specifically 10” knives (Ontario RTAK, SYKW Dog Father, etc.) , Half axes (GB Small forest axe, etc) Hatchets (GB wildlife hatchet, etc) and a folding saw with and edge of roughly 8” (Laplander, etc) so what really is the better bush tool?
Click to expand...

I agree with some of the others that it depends upon where you're at.

Soft springy vines and thickets require something like a machete or cane knife...a hatchet or saw would be nearly useless against such vegetation.

But in your average hardwoods forest, I think the saw (when coupled with the 4" knife) would be the best combo.
It's safer to use in general, and it's easier to use if you get injured or happen to be weak from fatigue and hunger and cold.
 
For me it is usualy a saw because weight is the deciding factor.

This isn't really an issue for general outdoor use, but the saw is the safest and easiest to use when physically comprimised.
 
For when weight is an issue I carry my Mora and a Gerber saw. When weight is not an issue I'll carry my Rd-4 and a Mid-weight ax.
 
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