Affordable Hunting/Backpacking Knife

[Sam Cade]

Now that there is one handsome knife! Can you give me some more info such as approximate cost, size of the blade, and a way to contact him?

Other Sam, Sam Owens is one of the Mods here on THR.
Hit him with a PM and he will respond right away.
http://www.thehighroad.org/member.php?u=54752

The Camp Defender is a bespoke item so specs will vary slightly and it exists in a couple broad revisions.
They are nominally 9" blades of 5160.



http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=616563

The last time we discussed it I think Sam O said that CD2s were around $200.

 

[rodwha]

Cool! Thanks!

 

[Esoxchaser]

http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8628-...TF8&qid=1387388683&sr=8-6&keywords=becker+bk9

 

[rodwha]

PM sent!

 

[theotherwaldo]

I prefer using the right knife for the right job. My pack holds a couple of Finn utility knives and a Green River skinner. A Cold Steel kukri machete gets strapped on between the pack and frame. The whole combo cost me less than $30 and does anything that I need.

 

[rodwha]

When backpacking I feel compromises sometimes need to be made. I've finally got my pack down to about 45 lbs, which many call heavy, before a descent knife. So I'm opting for a somewhat universal knife.

 

[Sam Cade]

So I'm opting for a somewhat universal knife.

I'm crazy for big knives, but do yourself a favor and toss a Mora in your pack.
A 511 is less than 3 oz and 10 American fiat exchange units.

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Craf...=UTF8&qid=1387394774&sr=8-1&keywords=mora+511

 

[rodwha]

Why this knife?

 

[lobo9er]

Yes everyone should have a Mora. There is no better knife bargain than the mora's. I like the companion in stainless. You can keep in your pack or truck and it isn't going to rust. They use an excel ant sandvik stainless. The companion is a bit more robust and is also called the robust I think. Well your checking out sam1911's knives check out the "shiver" I think he called it. not what your looking for but pretty rad looking.

 

[Sam Cade]

Why this knife?

Why a Mora?

The combination of a Scandinavian grind, relatively thin blade stock, perfect heat treat and quality steels noted for taking an aggressive edge come together to make a knife that cuts like a veritable lightsaber and is easy to maintain at optimum sharpness.
The ultra-durable plastic (most models have rubber overmolding, the cheaper 511 that linked to does not) grips are ergonomically excellent and comfortable for long term use.

...and they are light.
...and they are affordable. Extremely affordable.

 

[Sam Cade]

The companion is a bit more robust and is also called the robust I think.

The Companion is 2.5mm thick with a two part grip.

The "Heavy Duty" is slightly thicker at 3.2mm and is also sold as the "Craftline HighQ Robust" with a slightly different sheath.

I'm out in the shop with a HD Companion on my belt at this very moment.

 

[Nighteyes]

I went through much of the same decision process, back in the mid-1980s when we were backpacking and bushwhacking through the forests and swamps of the central Gulf Coast. I tried many different knives, machetes and etc., both singly and in combination.

My final choice, which still works for me today, is a 10-inch kukuri-styled bush knife that I partner with a Swiss Army Tinker, or sometimes a multi-tool.

My bush knife is a Jim Sargeant copy of a Mike Stewart design. The original sheath came apart pretty quickly, but this one won't. Though you can't tell from the pics, the sheath is made to be used three ways..





You can still find blades of this same general configuration, from China. Some of them are of good quality. Some are not.

 

[rodwha]

Isn't the kukuri designed as just a chopping implement? I do really like the style and see it as a possibly better tool than a machete for chopping through stuff as the one I've seen was fairly heavy.

 

[Sam Cade]

I do really like the style and see it as a possibly better tool than a machete for chopping through stuff as the one I've seen was fairly heavy.

It depends on what kind of stuff we are talking about.

"Khukuri" traditionally contains a pretty broad typology of choppers, most (but not all) of them optimized for dealing with tough woody vegetation.

Machetes OTOH are generally much much thinner and are more effective on green vegetation and wood no thicker than a couple inches.

While either tool can be used outside of its design envelope, efficiency and user comfort is going to start falling off rapidly.

Isn't the kukuri designed as just a chopping implement?

Traditionally khukuri wielders carried a smaller knife called a "karda" for general knife use.

Big Chopper/Little Knife combos are smart.

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/khuk1.html

 

[Nighteyes]

Note: My knife is not a Kukuri, but a kukuri-like bush knife. I primarily used it as a chopping and heavy cutting instrument. It replaced an 18-inch USGI machete AND a sheath knife. Because I know the tricks & techniques involved, it also did a fair amount of 'hatchet-work', though I don't recommend it as a replacement. Recall that I was in the woods, marshes and swamps of the central Gulf Coast, not in the deep North Woods or etc.

I have used the bush knife like a draw-knife to smooth and shape wood, and also found it surprisingly capable of being used in a number of general cutting/shaping applications; just not for fine or precise work. For that I used one of the blades on the Swiss Army Tinker, or the blade on the multi-tool (whichever one I was carrying at the time).

By the way, if there's room, tossing a Mora into your pack isn't a bad idea. They weigh next-to-nothing, cost next-to-nothing and, as previously stated, are extremely useful blades.

 

[rodwha]

I'm thinking more in the line of mountainous timberlands and the possibility of not making back to base camp quickly enough and getting caught in a nasty mountain storm. So for me I'm thinking wood for a fire and possibly a shelter to last a few hours or overnight. Spruce or some type of evergreens most likely I'd suppose.

Not knowing where I'll be going or what I'll be finding myself in I've been figuring I'd possibly be doing some back country backpack hunting, not to mention backpacking trails if they are around with SWMBO, and possibly our little girl if the terrain isn't too terrible.

I have a nice hatchet, but it seems I could possibly get away from needing two tools. I would have a small knife for cooking purposes. I have a very small folder.

 

[rodwha]

I'm considering ditching the small folder for the Mora suggested. The folder is a cheap very small knife that's been mostly used to cut cheese and summer sausage and whatnot, nothing serious.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I like to use one knife for eating and food preparation and one for fishing or hunting jobs that you want to sterilize after - usually Moras fill the bill for this. Then there's the general-purpose knife, then there's the chopper. Finally, there's the ever-present pocket folder that I usually don't consider as part of the load-out.
The pack ranges between 22 and 28 pounds, depending on where I'm going, when I'm going there, and how long I'm staying.

 

[50 Shooter]

Sam,
How about one of the ESEE knives, say a 5 or 6 maybe even the Junglee?

 

[rodwha]

I'm still working on lightening my load. Spent some coin on the tent, and will eventually get a lighter sleeping back and backpack. I like big packs as I carry some of my daughters stuff and would like extra room in case resupplying is an issue. I do tend to carry an extra set of clothes that I've never needed. I doubt my pack would drop more than another 5 lbs.

Are you carrying 3 or 4 knives?

 

[Sam Cade]

Sam,
How about one of the ESEE knives, say a 5 or 6 maybe even the Junglas?

OK, now the ESEE/Rowen knives are built to an extremely high standard with quality materials, but there are some things about them that I'm not crazy about.

I don't care much for the ESEE handle shape or ratio of blade to handle. While they are better than their OKC cousins, the big belly doesn't work for me and I think that they are ill balanced and over-heavy. That is a matter of personal preference of course.
The Izula is the exception to this, they are a gem of a little knife.

To put things in perspective, a 4" Mora Companion is about half the weight of an ESEE-3. Half!

 

[hardluk1]

Your going to be carry'n somekind of general use knife right?? be it a larger lock black or small straightblade. Why not get a durable bad country tool that can chop cut brush branch or bear if need be. Check out this sight -

http://www.knife-depot.com/machetes...&attributes[3][type]=4&attributes[3][val1]=-1

Ontario sp8 and the woodsmans pal or condor bursh knife. Take a good file for quick edges and good to go with some very lite weight blades.

 

[Nighteyes]

I'm thinking more in the line of mountainous timberlands and the possibility of not making back to base camp quickly enough and getting caught in a nasty mountain storm. So for me I'm thinking wood for a fire and possibly a shelter to last a few hours or overnight. Spruce or some type of evergreens most likely I'd suppose.

[<SNIP!>]

I have a nice hatchet, but it seems I could possibly get away from needing two tools.

If spruce or some type of evergreens is your most likely "target" and you're only planning to build a fire & some sort of temporary shelter (read as: only cutting small stuff -- less than 2 inches thick), I think you might be able to get by with only a bush-knife of some kind.

To be entirely clear, this is based on my assumption that the wood of the evergreens you're likely to be chopping is relatively soft and resinous, like the ones I know. If this isn't true, or if you are to be in deciduous-hardwood territory, keep the hatchet by all means.

 

[Sam Cade]

Are you carrying 3 or 4 knives?

If I'm camping by myself in the local area I will have a 3-5" fixed blade of some kind, a big chopper or hand axe plus whatever knife I'm currently playing with stowed in the pack.

I've got in the habit of wearing a neck knife so I'll have that too.

If I plan on doing any trail or campsite maintenance I'll have a 18-24" machete along as well.

 

[GLOOB]

For clearing brush, I might be tempted by something like a Svord Kiwi machete. It has a really thin blade, keeping the weight under 10oz.

More weight = better chopping, but more sharp also = better chopping, and the really thin carbon steel blade on this guy should be pretty easy to keep sharp.

For harvesting fire wood, I would also consider a folding saw. The shark-tooth Japanese saws are impressively fast and efficient for cutting large branches of even dead and dried wood. I do a little woodworking and pruning here and there, and these things are really good. http://www.amazon.com/Shark-10-2337-Folding-CutsAll-Saw/dp/B000078ONP

Regarding Moras, there is a lot of hype about these knives. IMO, there is only one exceptional thing about a Mora. They are light (esp when you add the weight of the sheath). They are cheap. And the most notable thing is they come razor sharp. Lots of other knives are cheap and light. IMO, the factory sharpness is the single biggest reason that Moras are so popular. Most knife manufacturers leave the final sharpening up to the end user.