Woods Carry ~ Whats Your Favorite?

Skinny ASH for me...most of the time
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Look, Murray has his own ity bitty fixed blade.... what is that a Variant Game Warden or something??? ;)

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RobStanley said:
CGASH1 for me! And Murray. :) But @ 200-ish pounds, I don't carry him.
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If I had a dog that big and took him into the woods, I would make sure he had his own back-pack and I would let him carry a "bunch" of my gear and his own food and water.

With a PACK-HORSE like that, I wouldn't have to worry too much about weight of my gear and/or leaving much behind. :thumbup:

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For me the choice varies on how I carry the knife....if it is on webbing with the extra benefit of shoulder weight bearing ability....I use either a FSH or NMSFNO...but for civi use these are a bit heavy for just a belt and the more distance you walk the more you get irritated at hitching your belt...or I do...but I often do 20 miles+ and you do notice stuff like that when you are doing long distances.

For Civi belt use I like my 3B2/Jackhammer/SJTAC/Skinny Ash or RMD....chopping is not easy but you can baton it laterally at an angle through tree limbs if need be. My favourite of this bunch is the RMD. It is about "ideal" on weight and size for long distance comfort.
 
PeterPHWS said:
For Civi belt use I like my 3B2/Jackhammer/SJTAC/Skinny Ash or RMD....chopping is not easy but you can baton it laterally at an angle through tree limbs if need be. My favourite of this bunch is the RMD. It is about "ideal" on weight and size for long distance comfort.
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Quite honestly, I am with you on this. I generally contend that chopping with a knife is a yard/property "chore" or done primarily for "Fun" and entertainment.

For my uses, I find an axe or machete still a better choice for chopping and slashing. As much as I am a knife fanatic, I don't get to go hike and camp as much as I like and I tend to put my focus on enjoying the camping and hiking for the actual hiking, scenary, relaxation and such.

I grew up hunting and camping with my dad where fire and food prep was a significant part of camping. I still enjoy a good camp fire, but find I don't really need to chop much to create and maintain a good fire.

I miss my fathers camp cooking. It was a treat. But, I just don't spend the effort and time in that area. I like simple and fast. Again, just prioritizing time and efforts on my part.

So, in the end, I just need a reliable field knife for occassional chore type cutting tasks. I also find that the RMD is VERY capable at batoning at angles through limbs to accomplish most any task I need on the trail and or around camp.
I generally consider "survival" as more of a theoretical practice - that while VERY worthy to be knowledgable about ranks up there with knowing all possible escape routes out of a diving airplane.

But, I DO like to be prepared. And for me, there is a certain fun value in having the proper and BEST knowledge and gear in the field.

However, in practice, for me, I am VERY confident in my RMD or any Busse and kin blade to handle my needs without fail. If my life depends on a knife, I will "Try" to NOT break my knife because I value it's continued use and I will be happy knowing a Busse and kin knife can handle a LOT of punishment.

I can justify larger knives many different ways, but in the end the RMD and even certain smaller knives just get everything I need done. And larger knives tend to not justify their weight for me when I am in the woods and hiking.

BUT, I can appreciate that others have different priorities and preferences. Some people like to chop stuff enough to carry heavy blades into the woods. Or, my guess is more often people "feel" more prepared and more capable with a more substantial blade. (?????)

The SJTAC is actually reasonably light, but it's length still doesn't carry as well as an RMD. And the reality is, as much as I like my SJTAC and consider the Skinny ASH very capable as well, NEITHER knife is good at chopping. Both knives and most knives of similar size sort of fall in no-man's-land IMO in many ways. They are too short and light to make decent choppers and a bit larger than ideal for many other tasks. Therefore, IMO, their size and weight is extra for no real added gains. The RMD hits the sweet spot on size and weight better - IMO. So, personally, I would love to see more 4.5" - 5.5" bladed knives around the 10 - 11 ounce range. :thumbup:

Arguably, the Satin Jack and Desert Jack make GREAT options as well. But, I prefer slightly taller handles and blades which the RMD offers. Even if the RMD is a bit shorter, it's length is sufficient.

Another VERY worthy option for me is the SAR5. Once I reduce the handle size and weight, it will be very comparable to the RMD. As is, the blades are VERY similar with the SAR5 having just about 1/4" more blade edge and the RMD have a bit more reach and multiple grip options with the choil.


SAR5…………………………. = 11.0 ounces; mine 0.200” (stated .1875”), 5.0” blade; 10.0” oal

Desert Jack (stripped).= 10.0 ounces; .175” thick; 6.0” blade; 11.25” oal

Ratmandu (G10).........= 11.0 ounces; .189" thick; 5.3125" blade; 10.5" oal
Ratmandu (micarta)....= 10.0 ounces; .189" thick; 5.3125" blade; 10.5" oal

SJTAC….(stripped)…. = 13.0 ounces; .187” thick; 6.375” blade; 11.875” oal

Hell Razor…………………= 14.75 ounces; .1875” thick; 6.625” blade; 12.75” oal (est.)

Skinny ASH (ASH1)..= 15.25 ounces; .1875” thick; 6.4” blade; 12.0” oal


I would still LOVE to have a SHBA without a choil and with a VERY small guard. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=656542

I think 0.1875" is an ideal thickness for an Anniversary SHBA without choil. :thumbup: ;) - I don't feel knives of this length need 0.25" thick blades. But, just my opinion.


In the end, I don't consider the 3 - 5 more ounces of the SJTAC or Skinny ASH to be too much for hiking. Both are very tolerable if in a good sheath. But, the difference is that knives at about the RMD's size or less, I almost don't notice carrying at all. And I just slightly notice carrying my SJTAC or Skinny ASH. I think the length is as noticable or more than even the weight in this case. And again, I don't really feel the larger SJTAC and Skinny ASH can really do much more (that I generally do) than the smaller RMD - again just my opinion.

Another worthy note though: The longer and larger the knife blade, the more sheath and sheath weight you carry as well.

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I thought your post very incisive DWRW....if you look at the people who know a thing or two about getting by in the woods such as Ray Mears over here and to a lesser extent Bear Gryllis ( who I am not a fan of but include him here as he does use a small bladed knife effectively ) they both like a 4-5 inch knife.

I agree that the larger knives in the 6 inch range seem to be in a no-man's land of too small to chop...and bigger than need be for other tasks.

My thoughts are that a proper chopping ability starts with a SFNO LE and for me ends at a FSH or a NMSFNO if I am carrying it. My NMFBM which is my most used Busse knife is carried in my Bergan...but it is only the most used Busse knife because I carry a SR RMD on my belt.

As a one knife carry though the RMD is my top choice for all uses....my NMFBM does my machete work....but it is not ideal for many due to weight. Personally I can use mine OK and it does many jobs quicker than a lighter machete would do so you accomplish the task quicker but if I had to get by with my belt kit and just had a RMD on it....it would'nt worry me at all that I had not got enough knife with me.
 
My last trip multiple night canoe trip was my Blue BAD (my edc), Skinny ASH, and a Sawvivor.

This combo worked GREAT, as long as I could find something to hammer into the cracks the ASH made while I was batonning particularly knotty logs.

I think I'm changing this to the BAD, Sawvivor, and a pair of the new TankBusters.

One TB with no swedge, no choil, and skullcrusher butt for ease in batonning into a log, then the second with a swedge, choil, and hammerbutt for hammering pointwise into the cracks made by the first one. Then with the two of them sticking out opposite sides of the log, I can pry them together pushing the log away with my foot to split it. (I was doing this with the skinny ash and a friend's estwing hatchet, which ended up bent somehow :-D)

"Lightweight" hiking trips I'll stick with the Skinny ASH, it's a nasty little brute.

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Thanks guys - I guess tan handles look much more red to me... And I need to get more blood and sweat into my muddy active duty to get it to look that nice ;)

Trying to figure out all the color combos...
 
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I'll get drummed out of this subforum but in all honesty the original RW still finds perfection-in-form for me.

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Might have to get me one of them...but I do like Res C...:confused:

Such a good looking blade!
 
RussMo said:
Yea Brother, send that RAZORBACK up here!!! I'll put it to good use...
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You gonna chase down a big ole Bar and tickle his ribs wit it?

:D

That is one hot lookin knife!!!! To be honest... I really don't think I have ever seen a better looking Knife!!
 
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