Wilderness knife combo

wildmanh

wildmanh

Part time Leather Bender/Sheath maker
Joined
Jul 9, 2000
Messages
7,764
We talk about our ideal cutlery combo here on Bladeforums and I've been thinking about it a lot. Also about Wilderness and Survival Skills. So here is the combo I came up with that I plan to practice with next spring:

Tramontina 14" Bolo Machete, SOG Seal Revolver, Izula and SOG PowerLock:
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Now that you've seen the pictures, here's why I picked what I did. I've found that a machete can be a great tool here in Utah, any thing from Brush clearing to chopping wood. Will either wear it on my right hip or lashed to my pack.

The SOG Revolver is a great slicer with a 1/8" thick 4.75" long main blade that revolvers around a pivot pin to become a very effective wood saw. Great for food prep, wood working, bushcraft, game processing and general cutting. Worn on the left sholder strap of my pack or lashed to the bottom. Sometimes worn on my belt. - Have made many a camp meal with this knife, skinned fish with it and sawn walking sticks and other camp crafts with the saw.

The Izula is a great small blade, not my ideal size for a main blade for IMO great as a backup or when you want something smaller. Great for fire starting with a Ferro rod. Worn strong side or cross draw on my belt.

And the SOG Powerlock is my favorite multi-tool. It has very good pliers, can opener, blade, file, al and other tools. The file and al also work well as a Ferro rod striker. Great as a fishing aid. Always worn behind my right hip or on my packs waist strap.

Figure I have all my bases covered as far as blades are concerned. What do you guys think? What Wilderness combo's do you like and why did you choose what you did? Thanks,

Heber
 

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I recently bought a couple Tramontinas and a few other well known brand machetes. The Tramontina is a must have for outdoor activities, solid blade, durable & for less than $7, its a no brainer. I like the Tram better than an Imacasa, for the $, just my opinion.
 
cotmurp1 said:
Nice combo. very well thought out. I want to pick up one of those SOG multi tools.
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The SOG Multi-tools are Great IMO. Have had mine for two and a half years and am still very impressed with it. Very heavy compared to my old Leatherman Mini and Gerber 400 but IMO better pliers and easy to change tools. Opening and closing the main tool is really easy and fun too.

texastonydobbs said:
Cool set up , never used a SOG Revolver ,is it solid ?
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It's stronger then a folder but not as strong as a standard Fixed blade. 1/8" thick stock so definantly not a blade for prying. It's handled all my normal camp cutting chores for years. Plus it's sawn it's fair share of 1x1, 2x2, 2x4's, dowels and tree limbs. Not a chopper or for prying. Keep those in mind and it will hold up great.

onado2000 said:
I recently bought a couple Tramontinas and a few other well known brand machetes. The Tramontina is a must have for outdoor activities, solid blade, durable & for less than $7, its a no brainer. I like the Tram better than an Imacasa, for the $, just my opinion.
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68Charlie said:
I carried that same Tramontina for ten years. No complaints here.
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Tramontinas can be had from between $6 and $12 plus shipping depending on where you get them and their size. Definantly a great value. Have not used my 18" tram yet but am sure the 14" Bolo will still be my favorite. ;) Good blade.

So lets see some pictures/hear about your combos.

Heber
 
What is that sheath you have for the Izula. I carry mine in my front pocket and and searching for the lowest profile/lightest sheath I can find (the factory sheath is pretty small, but I would like the smallest possible). I wouldnt want a belt loop, just a simple leather sheath with a small snap like the one you have pictured...
 
Hi Herber and nice setup.
I love the bolo Tram too and is probably my favorite size machete so far. Mine has recently developed some loose rivets on the handle so I need to figure out how to replace them.
 
merrytime said:
What is that sheath you have for the Izula. I carry mine in my front pocket and and searching for the lowest profile/lightest sheath I can find (the factory sheath is pretty small, but I would like the smallest possible). I wouldnt want a belt loop, just a simple leather sheath with a small snap like the one you have pictured...
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Merrytime, I do leather working as a side job. If your interested in something like that email me. My address is at the bottom of my post. The sheath is about as thick as the factory one, but it has a smaller foot print so would ride nicer in your pocket. I've been know to pocket carry mine. :thumbup:

milani74 said:
Hi Herber and nice setup.
I love the bolo Tram too and is probably my favorite size machete so far. Mine has recently developed some loose rivets on the handle so I need to figure out how to replace them.
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Glad you like it. Am betting you could replace the rivets with bolts of some kind. Definantly worth fixing if you have a good edge on it. ;) Got pictures?

Heber
 
Here is my old 1980's swamp combo. Soon as my new Hoonglahs gets here, I'll post a new and improved one.
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Not very good ones. The rivets arent loose enough to come off, but loose enough so the handle slabs are seperating from the tang. I'm honestly debating on just getting a new one. They only cost $5.99!
 
milani74 said:
Not very good ones. The rivets arent loose enough to come off, but loose enough so the handle slabs are seperating from the tang. I'm honestly debating on just getting a new one. They only cost $5.99!
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I bet if you pounded on those rivets they would tighten up. Worth a try.
 
You definitely have everything covered. It seems like the fixed SOG and Izula will work for the same tasks, though. If you want to lighten the load I dunno if they're both necessary; of course your wilderness tasks are probably different than mine.

Btw that's an awesome Izula sheath. Did you make it?
 
My only whine about SOG multi tools is the 1/4" tool adapter and the partially
serrated blade.other then that they are top notch.



sorry didn,t mean to hijack just came to me


Tyrantblade
 
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