The bigger HI blades

wildmanh

wildmanh

Part time Leather Bender/Sheath maker
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Messages
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All summer I've been trying to go camping and was only able to go pn one BBQ deep in the canyon back in May. Was supposed to be an over nighter but didn't turn out that way. Back in college I would go every other weekend with the colleges Outdoor Club. Great fun we would have. I'd bring along all sorts of knives ranging from Folders, Fixed blades and a few Khukuri's.

This summer has been a little harder since I have not gone on a true campout since January of 2005. Since moving to Provo 3 years ago I've gotten a nice tent, another nice sleeping bag (got two mummy bags now, both Expencive ones) 2 pads (Thermarest, One Self inflating and one foam pad) a new Backpacking tent, new Day packs and plenty of hunting knives and bowies. Can't forget about the Cast Iron, new Charcoal grill and Camp Table I got this summer. I probably have enough cooking gear to handle 15 to 20 people a meal. Just got to replace a 12 year old Coleman stove someone borrowed, left out in the rain so it turned to rust. Loved that stove.... Will get another soon. ;)

So I've been thinking lots of camping, hiking and backpacking all year. And the couple of short excursions up the canyon though fun have not satisfied me. Every day I think of heading up the canyon with my stuff for a trip. But I have to work at 7am the next morning. Stupid scedule, 7am to 3pm working all weekends and only getting either Monday, Tuesday or Maybe Thursday off each week.

Well, I've finally gotten time off, This is the last day of a 4 day weekend. Then I have all of next week off. So I'll be leaving for a few days. Visiting family, working on my car and camping. I've known this is coming for the last 2 weeks so I've been getting ready. Everything but the food and cooking equipment is already packed in the back of my car just waiting to leave.

So now I'm thinking to which blades I should bring. Going to have a SOG folder on me (either X-42 Autoclip or Flash II) , one Hunter on my belt at all times, some at the kitchen in camp, a Bowie or two and a few KHukuris. I have lots of hunters so I've been rotating threw them, which is lots of fun, I have a Big knives (Becker BK-9, SK5 Tigershark, HI Bolo, 12" AK, 15" Sirupati) . trying to deside between them all can be hard so I normally bring a good assortment and sometimes all the big blades to try out. KHukuri's are easy to deside, typicly I haul the 16.5"WWII and 20" Sirupati along for most trips. They are 24oz and 23oz respectivly.

Now I got to thinking the other day. Come October 13th and 14th, I'll be camping up Mount Nebo. I get off work Thursday the 12th at 3pm and might head to the mountain then since I have a 3 day weekend. If so I'll do lots of wood gathering. Sure the WWII/Sirupati combo is wonderfull, does most everything I want. But! and this is a big but, they are a little slow at harvesting trees above 9" thick. Something bigger might be nice. Now where I mostly camp here in Central Utah, there are lots of Maple, Quacking Aspen, Ponderosa Pines and other evergreens along with some Rambling Oak also refered to as scrub oak. Aspen is easy to cut when green, so is the Oak, but the oak when dry is HARD!! So is the Ceder and Juniper, along with some others. Just remembered the Elm we have around here too at lower elivations. Though maybe it's not Elm, sure is hard and I mean REALLY hard when dry. Then again it could be my blown out elbow isn't so strong like it used to be. LOL!!

Anyways, it got me thinking about Bigger Khukuri's and what would be good to take on longer trips for harvesting branches and trees over 8 inches thick. The biggest KHukuri I've handled is Godzilla and he cut threw anything and everything with no problem. Since I parted with him in 2002, he isn't an option. an 18" Movie model I had a few years ago was pretty nice at chopping. But I want something a little more atune to it.... There are 18" and bigger WWII's, AK's and Ganga Rams. Price being no object, I'm trying to deside which I should try out. Or is that Try out First? ;)

Would those with experience in such things weigh in on the bigger end of things? Please keep in mind that I have cronic Popeye elbow which means I have to take it slow. Something I can point at wood and let it do the work would be nice. Or something I give a gentle swing at and it does the rest would also be fine. Thats Godzilla, point him in the dirrection and hold on for the ride. Dang I miss that beast. Thanks in advance, I'll be patiently be waiting for your replys. :)
 
I know it is tempting to bring a brace of knives on a camping trip, but a folder / multi, hunter/Bowie and a kukri/axe are more than enough for most jobs. Maybe a filet knife or a skinner if you are fishing or hunting.
I like the 18" WW2 and the M43, they are good choppers without being too heavy. AKs and GRS and 21" blades are great choppers, but they are usually more blade than you need for camping. I still miss my 21" Gelbu. When a wooden handled one pops up, my shark fin goes back on.
Then again, my 25" Sirupati chopped like a buzzsaw :D
 
I agree. I always take a khuk camping - currently, my 16 1/2" WWII - and a fixed blade (KPH/Sarge, or a pukko), and a Swiss Army Knife. That's always been more than enough. Before I got the khuk, I'd use either a decent hatchet, or a small ax.

While my kids will each bring their own SAKs and pukkos, I can't really say that they're needed. In my case, bringing additional big blades would reduce my ability to really supervise the kids as they're learning khuk technique ... not good.
 
M43 is just the thing to protect you on those excusions to Timpanoga's cave (I lived for 12 years just north of Happy Valley in SLC until recently).

Seriously, the 17" M43 or GRS is just the ticket for me. Each runs close to if not more than 30oz on average, and each is born to chop, IMHO. 17" means they're a tad more packable and wearable for me. Large AKs are nice, but I find myself fighting some larger blades.
 
9 inch dry oak?

er...at the risk of being considered a heretic, you might consider a Svea saw.:o


Be careful, have fun.
 
There's a heavier than usual Chiruwa AK for sale today that would be good.
But you already have some decent blades. I don't think it matters all that much. Seems like individual model variation matters more than type. Depending upon edge profile and weight forward and all that happy nonsense we like to bat around.

If you are going to buck that 9" diameter hard oak into fire sized chunks you have a real job ahead. Depending upon how many people are helping if any, and how much time you got. Frankly, I'd have fun, fell a tree or divide a downer, and then buck it with a chainsaw as the day wore on and night was coming.

You can get another Coleman stove cheap at almost any thrift store. Least in Ca where I used to live you can. People use them, store them in garages, and finally just turn them in to a rummage item or garage sale or thriftstore. You can replace the o rings if cracked too.

You always have the best campouts. One of these years my boys and I will make one. Too late this year- school is starting tomorow.


munk
 
A 17-18" BGRS at 28oz or so would likely be enough to handle the 9" oak without being excessively tiring. There's a reason that the Gangas at this size and weight are very popular with Cantinistas.

Bob
 
What Kismet said. A nice folding buck-saw makes quick work of bucking-up firewood. As the name implies. I find that there are better things to do at the end of the day on a camping trip than whacking away at a dead tree with a tool that wasn't designed for the job. But...that's just me;)
 
Bigger than about 21" Chitlangi or 17" BGRS is too much for me. I've cut a ton with a 19" Chit, and a good bit with a 16.5" WWII, but both those suffered a bit on larger pieces.

Full size GRS was just too unwieldy for me.

I second the saw suggestion.

J
 
The full size GRS is perfect for others and more than up to the stated test.

Nasty...from Yvsa's place.

Yeah...ya never know where the stealth moderator might show up.
 
Heber,
While I admire your enthusiasm, after doing a large knife test a year or two back for a project that involved rendering a dead scrub oak about three inches thick into several foot-long pieces, the only way I'd do that again would be if it was a dire survival situation & I had nothing else to use. :thumbdn:
For camping, assuming you'll be fairly near your car, where you know in advance what you'll be doing, I'd highly recommend the aforementioned saw in any number of foldable, packable, portable forms for woodwork of the type you're describing.
I'll be four-wheeling in the back woods of Idaho next week with my brother, trying to take an old overgrown road to a long-deserted mining area that defeated us last year because we only had a Swamp Rat Battle Rat along. Several deadfall pines across the road were about 8 inches in diameter, and the BR could have handled them, but not without the expenditure of lots of time & energy, and it just wasn't worth it. This time we'll be taking along a chainsaw. Not as romantic as hacking through the woods with a good blade, but a whole bunch easier, and us old people with clocks that are slowing down would rather spend our time in traveling, not chopping. :) I offered to bring a good saw, he said no need, we'll use MORE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D
I'll have a big blade along for emergencies, as usual, but it won't be a primary choice for trail clearing or wood runs.
Might give some thought to an effective khukri size for cats, though. Nebo used to be well known for cougar hunting, don't know what the current population is.
Denis
 
Guys, thanks for the posts about the bigger blades! Please keep them coming.

Kind of funny, I ask about bigger blades for bigger wood and people mention saws. And here is Munk talking about cutting down tree's with his bigger blades. Then HD Posts pics of the same type of carnage. What gives??? :confused:

Maybe I should not have said bigger then 9 inches cause truthfully I can't see me ever going after anything thicker then say 10 inches with a blade. Was having one of my Paul Bonion moments. LOL!!

Back in the Spring of 2004 I had a 3 day weekend so some friends and I went camping ontop of Mount Timanogus just north of Provo. Timp is a Start or National park so all camp sites are payed sites. But we were high enough up the canyon to be in National Forest service land and there were no fire restrictions. So we found an old Campsite that had been taken back by the forest. It was acrost a streem from the main sites. The park Rangers let us camp there but warned that it was so old an over grown that it wouldn't be useable with out lots of work.

We had 2 Khukuri's with us and a 25" Ontario Machete. We reclaimed the site with those three tools. It was lots of fun work. The trail acrost the stream was widened, brush removed along with three 8 to 10 inch thick Quakies. Now it's one of the best sites up the canyon. Thanks to a little hard work.

I love doing this kind of thing (Campsite/trail work) with large blades. Been doing it for the last 5 years. :D Have been eye'ing an 18" GRS for a long time, also been thinking of getting another M43.... Guess it's about time I started saving for one of them.

After carefull consideration, you guys are probably right. Anything over about 10 inches should probably be left to saws. I have some which I bring on trips, thought I hardly ever use them because I've always gone after things under 1 foot thick. :) The PAul Bonion in me would still love to see a BIG blade take on a BIG tree. LOL!! But I'll leave that to the chain saws. ;) LOL

Heber
 
Yvsa said:
The full size GRS is perfect for others and more than up to the stated test.

Nasty...from Yvsa's place.

Yeah...ya never know where the stealth moderator might show up.
Click to expand...

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Nasty, you're always stealth posting where ever you are. Almost like "Big brother" is watching! :eek:

GRS, GRS, GRS, seems to be the consenses. Now to save up some cash so I can try it out.

Heber
 
Heber, I give my vote to the full size GRS. I bought mine just for wood clearing. A couple of years ago, the trees around my mother's house were hit by a huge storm. There were sweet gum limbs and branches everywhere ranging from 3" to 10" in diameter. My 21.5" 3lb GRS did a very good job of cleaning up the area with very little fatigue ot my arm. Mine is by Bura and it has a nice thin edge that when thumped with ring out. I love my Uber Chopper. Such a great chopping blade that I gave up my quest for my own Godzilla. Maybe one day;)
Uber has been packed in the truck for every camping trip I've had since I got him back in '04 ('03?:confused: forget). He didn't see much use over the last one as we brought our own pre-split wood in the truck, and a little 14" Fiskers hatchet scared the camping neighbors a whole lot less;)

Sounds like you've got a fun trip coming:)

Jake
 
I have a folding saw. It would be pretty hard to saw through a Cougar's leg with it if he refused to sit still.

Probably a saw is more efficient for some tasks, (though I don't know what) though it seems to me foresters used both saw and axe. I can delimb a tree a lot faster, and I mean not even close, no comparison, out of the way and don't ruin the afternoon, with a good khuk than a saw.

The more I think about it, I just don't see bringing a saw at all.
They bind on big jobs, so you need a bigger saw, like Hollow has. A real saw.

Ah- I know; you need the little saw if you have to amputate a limb for any reason while in camp.

Besides all of which- A khuk is fun, and a saw has little to none.


munk
 
A saw with a motor on it can be handy. The area we went camping in in May was full of beetle kill and the Forest Service said cut as much as you want, it's no good for anything else. We musta burned 2 cords of wood over a 3 day weekend. Needed a welding helmet and mitts to toast a marshmallow on that fire...
 
Munk, you antisawism will be duly reported to ASPCTS!

Where people regularly get firewood to keep from freezing, you see saws at work. No cool. Just cut.
 
When people need wood for warmth, you see chainsaws at work, not a silly folder, handheld, or whatever. They gave up the two man logging saw for a chain saw.

for me, the khuk is superior to a handheld saw- unless I had a 12" diameter log down and had to section it. But I wouldn't reach for a hand saw then, I'd go to the truck and get the chainsaw.


munk
 
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