I'd seen pictures, and hefted the unfinished version, but I finally picked up my completed Camp Defender, version 2 Monday night before a couple of days of camping with my girlfriend before our deployments.
The Camp Defender was beautiful, and feels great in the hand, though not as choppy as I'd expected. It really feels more like a large fighter, which does have some advantages. The G10 scales feel very nice, and look amazing, but being thinner, don't have the incredible 3-D feel of the thicker micarta scales. The sheath fits snugly, yet draws smoothly, which must have been a bit of a challenge with an unconventionally shaped knife like this. Changing from a vertical carry to a horizontal carry took about two minutes. I don't like horizontal carry for concealing knives, but it works on a large knife like this. At about the 10 o'clock position, edge down, the Defender can be easily accessed and drawn overhand with the right, or underhand with the left.
I discovered at the camp site that my cooking utensils were not in my girlfriend's bins of camping materials- because I used them grilling on the patio and never put them back.
The Defender was about to get a more extensive workout than I'd planned!
The Camp Defender was used to
o shovel ashes
o move logs and sticks in the fire
o slice meat
o turn and press pancakes, bacon, venison steaks, eggs and even hash browns
It did most of these things surprisingly well, with the wide front making it a natural as an improvised spatula. The only thing it had a problem with, was the little potato bits in the hash browns. That really needed an extra utensil, or a dedicated spatula. Slicing meat with the Camp Defender was incredible- I have never used a more effective meat slicer. Ever. We'll get back to this. It also zipped through some cardboard *easier than a utility knife*!
Last night, I chopped some smaller pieces off some sap-heavy pine, to use as kindling in the morning, when it was supposed to be wet. This was tough stuff, the next best thing to a rock! I'm not a big fan of batoning, but I batoned the CD through a few pieces. The blade was noticeably duller afterward, but still cut hair. I then carefully examined the edge. There was a teeny-tiny nick missing. I conclude that Sam put too fine an edge on the Defender, which led to that incredible slicing performance on the venison steaks, but which also is easier to damage. I've already talked to Sam about this. Easy enough fix. I'm sure the nick will come out in a single sharpening- it may be as thick as a hair- it's next to the "dot" in the dime.
The GunKote held up pretty well. It does show a little wear on the spine where it was repeatedly beaten through the pine log, and that secure sheath of Sam's can also cause scratches if debris is caught between the knife and the sheath. If someone wants this knife as a display piece, this won't be an issue: they can put it in a stand, and it will stay pristine forever. If someone wants a user, I don't think they'll have a problem with honest wear. For my part, I know I've already used this knife more than some other knives I've paid 2-3x as much for. It would be hard to be much happier with it.
The Camp Defender was beautiful, and feels great in the hand, though not as choppy as I'd expected. It really feels more like a large fighter, which does have some advantages. The G10 scales feel very nice, and look amazing, but being thinner, don't have the incredible 3-D feel of the thicker micarta scales. The sheath fits snugly, yet draws smoothly, which must have been a bit of a challenge with an unconventionally shaped knife like this. Changing from a vertical carry to a horizontal carry took about two minutes. I don't like horizontal carry for concealing knives, but it works on a large knife like this. At about the 10 o'clock position, edge down, the Defender can be easily accessed and drawn overhand with the right, or underhand with the left.
I discovered at the camp site that my cooking utensils were not in my girlfriend's bins of camping materials- because I used them grilling on the patio and never put them back.
The Defender was about to get a more extensive workout than I'd planned! The Camp Defender was used to
o shovel ashes
o move logs and sticks in the fire
o slice meat
o turn and press pancakes, bacon, venison steaks, eggs and even hash browns
It did most of these things surprisingly well, with the wide front making it a natural as an improvised spatula. The only thing it had a problem with, was the little potato bits in the hash browns. That really needed an extra utensil, or a dedicated spatula. Slicing meat with the Camp Defender was incredible- I have never used a more effective meat slicer. Ever. We'll get back to this.
It also zipped through some cardboard *easier than a utility knife*!Last night, I chopped some smaller pieces off some sap-heavy pine, to use as kindling in the morning, when it was supposed to be wet. This was tough stuff, the next best thing to a rock! I'm not a big fan of batoning, but I batoned the CD through a few pieces. The blade was noticeably duller afterward, but still cut hair. I then carefully examined the edge. There was a teeny-tiny nick missing. I conclude that Sam put too fine an edge on the Defender, which led to that incredible slicing performance on the venison steaks, but which also is easier to damage. I've already talked to Sam about this. Easy enough fix. I'm sure the nick will come out in a single sharpening- it may be as thick as a hair- it's next to the "dot" in the dime.
The GunKote held up pretty well. It does show a little wear on the spine where it was repeatedly beaten through the pine log, and that secure sheath of Sam's can also cause scratches if debris is caught between the knife and the sheath. If someone wants this knife as a display piece, this won't be an issue: they can put it in a stand, and it will stay pristine forever. If someone wants a user, I don't think they'll have a problem with honest wear. For my part, I know I've already used this knife more than some other knives I've paid 2-3x as much for. It would be hard to be much happier with it.
