Which Kukri for all around camping/wilderness survival use

P

Preacher Man

Moderator
Joined
Jan 28, 2005
Messages
4,404
I love Kukris, but all the ones I have a "kukri machetes" from Cold Steel and Kabar. I want to get the real thing and I'm convinced the IM is the way to go. What I do not know is what is the best option for an all around camping / wilderness survival kukri. I don't have any experience to help me make an informed decision. I know that like with all knives, there is an element of personal preference with model recommendations, so please, explain why you recommend a particular model. I would like to know not only which model, but why.

What I'm looking for is an all around tool/chopper that will allow me to forgo having to carry a hatchet, hammer and small shovel when camping, hiking, or in a survival situation. I lean toward a Chiruwa Ang Khola, a WWII model, a British Army model, or a GRS in that order. I'm open to a different model, if it is a better choice.
 
Your first choice, the AK, is probably exactly what you want and need. It may be a little heavier than a WWII or British Army, but not too much so. Whichever you decide on, be careful of the sharp pointy thing on the end of the scabbard -- other forumites have posted ideas on what to do about this. Also, you may want to get a satin finished "villager" khukri if you'll be using it for chores rather than show. And, if you keep checking the DOTD for "blems" you can find a khukri with minor cosmetic imperfections for a fraction of the usual price.
 
These ARE blades, even though they have been and can be used for other purposes, like digging as you suggested. In a survival situation, you gotta do what you gotta do, HOWEVER, a knife is not a shovel nor a hammer and damage to the knife and/or you and/or others may occur if misused beyond a certain level of tolerance.

Since digging and hammering are possible uses for this one knife, I suggest going with a thicker blade and steel fittings.
 
DannyinJapan said:
These ARE blades, even though they have been and can be used for other purposes, like digging as you suggested. In a survival situation, you gotta do what you gotta do, HOWEVER, a knife is not a shovel nor a hammer and damage to the knife and/or you and/or others may occur if misused beyond a certain level of tolerance.
Click to expand...

Bolo machetes -- which are far flimsier (but also far less expensive, hence disposable if need be) are frequently misused in this manner.

The HI khukris are thicker, well tempered, and far more durable. There should be no problem with using the spine of a khukri to hammer tent stakes, and as long as the soil isn't too rocky you should be able to dig a few shallow holes with it to dispose of waste or trash (although digging will rapidly dull the blade). Just be extra careful digging or hammering with a tool that is designed for other uses so you don't accidentally grab the blade or slice off an ear on a backswing. It's primary function is brush clearing and light chopping, and it's not designed to be held backwards or sideways.
 
Preacher Man said:
What I'm looking for is an all around tool/chopper that will allow me to forgo having to carry a hatchet, hammer and small shovel when camping, hiking, or in a survival situation. I lean toward a Chiruwa Ang Khola, a WWII model, a British Army model, or a GRS in that order. I'm open to a different model, if it is a better choice.
Click to expand...

For your purposes, I'd definitely recommend and Ak with a Chiruwa handle. The standard Chiruwa model is 16.5", but if you look at the recent DOTD threads, there's been quite a few 18" CAKs.

Before I ever held a real kukri, I knew I wanted a heavy chopper with enough length to give a good tip speed to use as a machete (tropical climate, I have everything from hardwoods to softwoods to soft vegetation to hack through), and I ordered a 20" CAK. I've ordered several others, and while the 20" is perfect for my purposes, I'd say an 18" is definitely handier.

Unless you are chopping through logs more than 6" in diameter, I'd highly recommend an 18" CAK. If you're going to do heavier work, then go for a larger AK, but I'd make the 18" my first kukri.

While it CAN be used to hammer and dig, I'd carry a separate e-tool. The USGI e-tool works well for me both for digging (duh) and hammering tent stakes and such. I REALLY don't like the idea of the business end of a kukri coming up towards my face while I'm hammering with the spine. You need to repsect these things, you can lop off a piece of you as easily as what you're chopping. I just couldn't bring myself to dig with it.
 
I have just purchased a 15" Ang Khola Villager. I wanted a general purpose tool, and it exceeded my expectations. Unless you have to chop a lot of thicker wood (say branches over 2" diameter, I think the 15" Ang Khola is more than adequate for chopping and cutting needs.

Unless chopping is a big part of your outdoor experience, you might find that anything bigger than this will be a bit of a nuisance to tote about.

And I would be very reluctant to use my khukri for digging. It would dig well....but after that it would not be so good for cutting.

I have a blunt-ended golok which I have used carefully for a bit of digging. This is the only cutting tool that I am aware of which can be used for digging without bluntening too much of the edge.

With your 12" or 15" Ang Khola khukri you could make a digging stick for the occasional job. If you need to dig a lot of small holes, a sturdy garden trowel might suffice. A short grubber or mattock is a versatile digging tool also.
 
First of all, WELCOME:D!

One thing to consider is your hand size. I do not have very big hands (standard large size gloves..average), and I find the chiruwa handles to be a tad thick for me to comfortably hold on to. With a standard 15" AK with a wooden handle, you are going to get almost the same amount of khuk, but you will be able to mod the handle by sanding. The 15" khuks, IMHO, are jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none blades. A 15" AK will get you through just about anything that you encounter in the wild. However, most folks get bitten by the khuk bug pretty hard and start picking up khuks for specialized purposes. For me, if it's a light hike and camping trip (99% of my adventures), a standard 12" khuk of some sort would be perfect. If for some reason I got turned around in the woods and HAD to make it on my own for a day or two...well, I could build a pretty fine shelter and fire with "just" a 12" AK;)

Likewise, if you are going to clear brush and saplings, then a lighter thinner khuk is in order. Personally, if I had to pick just one khuk for chopping, digging, splitting, machete duty, I would go with the 18" WWII. Plenty of blade, plenty of weight, plenty of handle to choke back on to whip through lighter vegetation.

I would start with a 15" AK and go from there, if i were you. It really is a great first khuk to introduce yourself to such a wonderful cutting tool:thumbup: Once again, Welcome:)
 
I'm going to have to disagree with everyone on this... Well, most people
For all around camping survival, i'm going to take the vibe that that means lots of backpacking in the back of beyond. That said, write off anything over 15".... 16.5" is pushing it but doable if you want a WWII. But a 18" is going to be far too heavy to lug around for an extended period of time. Not only will it be heavy, it will be awkward to wear on a belt, and a pain to fit into a pack. And if it is in the pack, it sorta defeats the point of having it at hand. When i was going through the jungles, a 18" Machete was getting in the way all over the place when i wasn't holding it in my hand. And it was light and alot thiner and less bulky than the khuks are.

I had a similar idea in mind with my first khuk, i wanted a be-all-end-all khuk, so i wouldn't need another. I settled on a 15"BAS. the 15" AK is a little heavier, but a fair bit tougher as well. My two cents would be to go with one of these knives. They'll be touch enough to hammer a few things, dig small holes if needed, pry wood apart, and if you chop with them well, they aren't that bad. I don't know what is up with everyone else's technique, but i've chopped with the grain through a 7" in diameter log, splitting it halfway down then just prying it apart. Going cross-wise it will take a while, but you can fell a tree if you need to. The chances of you needing to fell a big, thick tree are slim at best, so i don't really see the point carrying a 18" khuk incase the possibility comes up. If it does, you can make do with a 15", and in the mean time it will be far better day to day for everything else.

Khukuri sizing is relative. Even a 15" is still a really fricken big knife! Small by Khuk standards, but i don't know about you, but i don't see many people with 12" knives, let alone 15", let alone 18" when i go camping. A 15" will let you do everything you could possibly need to do in a survival situation, without being so big and awkward that it gets annoying.

Everyone has their own preferences. I'm a relatively small guy, so a 18" for everyday carry is out of the question. A 15" is perfect. I love the BAS, but i understand if you want something a little heavier. A little heavier is the 15" AK. A little more than that, maybe the 16.5" CAK. I would stop there. The trade off to go bigger is for something heavier, longer, more awkward, and designed for tasks you aren't likely to put it to.

Just my two cents. You'll be happy with whatever you get, so good luck!
 
15"-16" WWII by Bura or Sher. I did put a bit of a thinner convex on my WWII though. My belt axes and golok don't get used much any more.
 
A 15-16" kukri would be good for your needs. An AK is good, but I find for the weight that a BGRS has better chopping power.
 
For camping/hiking, three come to mind: WWII, BAS, or Pen.

I wouldn't get anything over 15-16", personally. The villager models are great bargains, and not too pretty to bang up doing things with them.

Andy
 
I think Radrunner is on to something. Last camping trip I brought the 18.5" WWII. But it was car camping and I didn't have to carry it. If I had to pack one in the field I'd bring my 15" AK, or maybe even my 12" siru. Only here is a pound and a half knife with a 10" long, 3/8" thick blade considered "little". The 12" khuks still make my old Camillus USMC look flimsy. And the Cam isn't exactly a toy. If you have a lot of thick wood on the agenda but still need to have it on your belt the AK might be the ticket. If you're going to carry it much but use it little a BAS, 15" siru, or even a 12" AK might suffice. That being said, there is a reason the 15" AK is HI's #1 best seller. Oh, and welcome.

Frank
 
Not knowing how much chopping or digging you're doing or how far you plan to carry your load, my opinion is that you'd probably be better off carrying a lighter khukri, like a 15" Sirupati, possibly even a 12" AK, but to also pack a light garden mattock/cultivator. I bought a couple at Big Lots with wooden handles that the head slides on and off of; they work great for digging up weed roots in the yard. A light mattock would be better for digging a fire pit, leveling a spot to lie on, or digging a hole to bury waste, and you'd avoid possibly damaging your blade on rocks. You could sharpen out any damage, but it's better to avoid having to do so in the field.
 
Thanks for the responses and warm welcome.

You all have been very helpful. I understand some things better, but now I have some new questions. I know that once I get my first HM Kukri, it will, be difficult to stop, but since I'm on a tight budget, I want my first kukri to be as versatile as possible. I don't plan to do much digging or hammering with it. Actually, I haven't needed to do any hammering when camping, and only occasionally use the shovel (Gerber folding shovel) to cover or uncover campfire ambers. I just want to make sure that the first model I pick can take care of these tasks effectively, if I need to do them. The primary task for the Kukri will be to replace my hatchet; cutting branches, chopping wood, and splitting firewood. Even then, I don't think I'll do that much chopping. I may also use it to clean the campsite. So I guess it will also replace my machete.

Here are my new questions:

I like the Pen. Eventually I want to get one, but I'm not sure it is large or heavy enough to replace my hatchet. Am I correct in assuming this?

On the CAK, I assume the full tang would make it easier to replace the handle on the field if necessary (I'm thinking survival situation). Is this the case?

I have no experience with hidden tang knives. How easy (or difficult) is it for the handle to come off from a hidden tang kukri? What kind of activity/event could make the handle come off?

The WWII and BAS models seem to be more versatile than the AK. Is this true? Would the WWII or BAS make a better machete substitute than the AK?

How much difference is there in the chopping capacity/ability of the 15" AK, CAK, WWII, and BAS models?
 
Preacher Man said:
Here are my new questions:

I like the Pen. Eventually I want to get one, but I'm not sure it is large or heavy enough to replace my hatchet. Am I correct in assuming this?
Click to expand...
The Pen knife is ~ 12inches, which means approximately a 7" blade. Good camp knife, will not replace a hatchet.

Preacher Man said:
On the CAK, I assume the full tang would make it easier to replace the handle on the field if necessary (I'm thinking survival situation). Is this the case?
Click to expand...
If you have a hammer and pins to pin on a new handle. The real benefit of the CAK is that the handle is more secure to begin with. Someone mentioned that it's easier to trim down a regular handle on a belt sander. A belt sand will trim down the metal portion of the CAK handle just fine. In fact the work that needed to be done on mine I did with a file (both metal and wood) in about 10 minutes.

Preacher Man said:
I have no experience with hidden tang knives. How easy (or difficult) is it for the handle to come off from a hidden tang kukri? What kind of activity/event could make the handle come off?
Click to expand...
I don't know if HI fixed it or not, but I don't recall the handle falling off being a problem, just that it can work itself loose.

Preacher Man said:
The WWII and BAS models seem to be more versatile than the AK. Is this true? Would the WWII or BAS make a better machete substitute than the AK?
Click to expand...
The Ak makes a better hatchet, the WWII/BAS makes a better machete.

Preacher Man said:
How much difference is there in the chopping capacity/ability of the 15" AK, CAK, WWII, and BAS models?
Click to expand...
I don't have an AK the same size as my WWII, but I think the difference wouldn't be shocking. You'd probably notice it more on harder woods.

AKs are optimized for chopping. The WWII has the slicing ability of a machete, and WAY more chopping ability than a machete. If you wantt o maximize your chopping, get an AK. If you want something a little more versatile (and lighter) go with a WWII.
My WWII is an 18" model with the Chiruwa handle. It has no trouble doing camp chores, including chopping ans splitting campfire sized wood. It's also lighter and has a longer handle than AKs. When I fell trees or chop larger logs, I use an AK.

Bottom line, though, if you want something to chop like a hatchet, you need it to have the weight and moment arm of a hatchet. Most small hatchets are ~14 inches long, so I'll stand by my recommendation of a 16.5 Chiruwa AK. If you don't need that much chopping, the same size WWII should serve you well.

And no, I don't find that size (actually 18") to be too heavy or awkward to have in the field all day.
 
PM, a 15-16" BGRS might be an idea. The profile is similar to the PK and it would have enough chopping power to replace the hatchet. Another idea might be to special order a 15" PK if you really like its profile. There have been 15" PKs in the past, but none recently that I know of.

Bob
 
Originally Posted by Cpl Punishment:

My WWII is an 18" model with the Chiruwa handle. It has no trouble doing camp chores, including chopping ans splitting campfire sized wood. It's also lighter and has a longer handle than AKs. When I fell trees or chop larger logs, I use an AK.
Click to expand...

Is this the M-43? It caught my eye. In fact, I find the design beautiful. To me it suggests grace and versatility. I wasn’t seriously considering it because HI web page doesn't say how heavy it is. About how much does the M-43 weights?

You mentioned the kind of chopping jobs for which you use your M-43 and the CAK. I believe in using the right tool for the right job. I also like to know the useful limits of a tool in a task it wasn't design for, in case that's the only tool at hand. I understand it would be stretching its usefulness, but could the M-43 handle larger/heavier chopping jobs if necessary, like felling a tree? I don’t think I’ll be copping down a tree any time soon, and for that I would probably use a pocket chainsaw, but like I mentioned earlier, I just like to know how much you can stretch the useful limits of a tool.
 
PM, I wouldn't worry about the handle coming off ANY HI khuk out in the field. The hidden tang of a khuk is fat like a croc or kangaroo tail, not thin like a rat tail, and is one continuous piece of steel with no welds or breaks. The tang continues through the entire handle and is peened over a keeper at the end. Basically, it's locked up tight. Furthermore, the handle hole is filled with laha a natural (and VERY tough) epoxy that basically glues the tang to the inside of the handle. Compound that with the peening, and you have a handle that pretty much has to be broken or burned off the tang without the use of tools. You'd have to be trapped on Gilligan's Island before you had worry about the handle coming off the tang;):thumbup:

The M43 is a great khuk. However, and this just my humble opinion, I don't think it makes a great first khuk for straight outdoor use. Here's why, the M43 has a much more "weapony" feel to it than a practical utility. Oh it'll chop like crazy, and is more than capable of anything you throw at it. It's just that the handle tends to be smaller and curved to lock your hand in place like a pistol grip for a shearing strike. One thing that I like about most other HI khuks is that they give you a lot of different ways to hold the khuk with their straighter handle. As I've said before, the M-43 is a beautiful khuk and VERY functional. I have one, and I love it. It's just not what I would call an ideal survival khuk;)
 
The hidden tangs are insanely tough. I've been beating on a big WWII for close to five years now without so much as a wiggle. Actually, all my khuks have been hidden tangs. I once received a 25" siru with a big crack in the horn handle. I decided to take a chance and give it a test. It hit a 4"x8" fence post like a ton of bricks and not only did the crack not get larger it didn't even develop any loosening. I wouldn't lose any sleep over the hidden tang.

Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top