Torn between to lovers

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I have 4 possible combos to choose from with hunting this year (chopper, large slicer and small FB/folder)- I know the dilemma as I rarely get out as often as I like so choosing what to bring is sometimes perplexing. Day to day I carry an Executive Whittler, and when I can carry a folder my 4 year old daughter chooses it for me most days. So I came up with this to make fun of myself:

 

[LMT66]

Here's my current choices. No matter what sets I have or have had, it's hard to pick and choose what to take. I'm trying to keep just a few woods sets and curb my knife spending.
Some days I load up everything I have (Busses and all my woods blades) and cut and chop all day.

I'm quite fond of the first two sets.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Only with the big cutters. My SAK and primary knife remain constant. They are so predictable to me and I'm at that point at which just thinking about it triggers a very detailed mental map of what it is to have it in my hand. I can pretty much feel it in any orientation without it being there. I know exactly what it will feel like to cut pretty much anything I cut with it. I value that kind of rehearsal very highly. It's as natural has having a favorite pen and paper type.

The big cutters are often a wrestle. The golok is in the middle in terms of weight. I begrudge carrying that when a knife of similar length but half the weight was all I needed. That is often the case with brambles and other soft stuff. Then there's the hatchet which is double the weight. I need to be fairly sure that's going to make life a lot easier on a trip before I pack that. Given all the workarounds there are and that I have a saw, none of them are really necessary, so I have to think carefully on the basis of convenience. If any of them were necessary I wouldn't have the dilemma.

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

I can relate to the origional post. I'm sure I do not have the scope of selection that most on this forum do, but it still requires some extra time to make my selection.

 

[RescueRiley]

Great posts guys.. Sory I haven't been checking in... internets been out because of a Tornado here last week...

Rick... Great ideas and good posts..Thanks.

 

[hollowdweller]

Yeah for sure.

This Thursday Ratamahatta, Ms Hollowdweller and I are meeting up to go backpacking from Thurs evening to Sunday in the Roaring Plains Wilderness.

I keep going back and forth between these 3.

The one JRE sheath has a firesteel loop, paracord on the sheath and under the paracord is a ziplock with tinder.

The other one in the Koyote expedition Sheath is nearly entirely protected also but easy to get out and the loop allows the sheath to hang below the pack belt.

The third has a sheath that offers total protection but I think the weather is going to be OK.

I really think I may take the Skookum- however it is the heaviest. On the other hand the bevel is similar to the others but the blade is thinner = deeper cutter and better slicer.

The skookum is in the middle and you can see the blade is thinner than the 1/8" O1 Koster or the other Gen 1 thick 3V Koster

The fatter handle on the Skookum is not quite as nimble as either Koster but the thin blade makes it handle pretty well.

The Gen 1 Koster is 3v so rust isn't so much of an issue and it's really wear resistant. I've used it a lot and it's great but does yeild to the other 2 on camp cooking cause it's thicker.

The 01 Koster (not sure what generation) is WAY lighter than the other 2. It's nearly as thin as the skookum and maybe more nimble than the koster or the skookum but the handle top to bottom is narrower than the Gen 1 Koster which was my favorite Koster Bushcraft design.

I'd like to take the Skookum since the other 2 have been out this year already but I may end up with the 01 Koster once I've filled my pack up because the birch handle and thin blade makes it much lighter with very little loss in performance over the Skookum or Gen 1 Koster.

 

[RescueRiley]

Those are some nice blades there brother...... FWIW I'd take the skookum

 

[riz_aaroni]

whew...am i glad i know aaron went home before night fell during our hiking trip a few days ago that title is a bit mis-leading...

Some how I missed your post, but that could have been bad lol.

CUTS LIKE A KRIS, I have that mentality lol. Bring a bunch of stuff, just so you can mess around. If I were doing a lot more hiking and spent multiple nights, it'd be a different story.