The knife that will do everything?
- Thread starter Pilsner
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I would take a Kephart, just personal preference. I have used cable saws, chainsaws and axes/hatchets while camping with the conclusion that all I really need is a knife(not the bag of toys, kukri, hatchet, western bowie). In reality swiss army knife would be the most useful choice especially based on weight.
The hard part would be what rifle to take. 22 caliber just not sure if in 22 long rifle or in nato 5.56... One could have fresh squirrel or squirrel hamburger...
The hard part would be what rifle to take. 22 caliber just not sure if in 22 long rifle or in nato 5.56... One could have fresh squirrel or squirrel hamburger...
For a one knife to do it all, I like the Becker BK-5. Big enough to chop with, if needed, it's light and fast, with decent geometry. Cutting technique becomes more important, because it is relatively thin, but it's a very effective all-around design. Even makes a more than passable camp chef's knife, I use mine in the kitchen quite a bit.
If I think I might be needing more mass, I have a Livesay RTAK, 10" clip point camp knife. It's a very passable chopper. Almost a small machete, it was actually designed for woody vegetation, as in Central/South American jungle/rain forest, but it still works well for my needs. The Ontario RTAK II blade geometry was changed to be more appropriate for the primarily N. American target audience, and typical N. American vegetation. Oh, and the typical N. American knife-knut fascination with chopping stuff with knives even if a different tool might actually be better. Still a good knife, but not the same.
Regardless, even if I only take one knife into the boonies, I will also take exactly one tomahawk, as well. Especially if I plan on staying for more than a day or two. Or a chainsaw, if it seems that I might be forced to engage in some actual work!
If we're talking about a SHTF scenario, I'd likely only have my edc 4-1/2" White River Sendero Classic, and whatever folder I am carrying that day. The Sendero is a good knife to have on my side, but I'd still hope to have some serious luck over there, as well....
If I think I might be needing more mass, I have a Livesay RTAK, 10" clip point camp knife. It's a very passable chopper. Almost a small machete, it was actually designed for woody vegetation, as in Central/South American jungle/rain forest, but it still works well for my needs. The Ontario RTAK II blade geometry was changed to be more appropriate for the primarily N. American target audience, and typical N. American vegetation. Oh, and the typical N. American knife-knut fascination with chopping stuff with knives even if a different tool might actually be better. Still a good knife, but not the same.
Regardless, even if I only take one knife into the boonies, I will also take exactly one tomahawk, as well. Especially if I plan on staying for more than a day or two. Or a chainsaw, if it seems that I might be forced to engage in some actual work!
If we're talking about a SHTF scenario, I'd likely only have my edc 4-1/2" White River Sendero Classic, and whatever folder I am carrying that day. The Sendero is a good knife to have on my side, but I'd still hope to have some serious luck over there, as well....
Thanks for the info.
I checked out both hatchets online. They look very functional, I was impressed with their low weight, and I've read good things about the quality of both companies.
I've loosened or broken wood axe and hatchet handles before and now prefer all metal handles, such as on my Estwings. An Estwing is too heavy to pack, for me at least, and a big knife (with a finger choil) that can chop wood is easier for me to use, for more delicate tasks, than a hatchet. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just what works best for me for my situation and the environment I am in.
That's my kind of thinking... For what I do, planning arround woodcraft is silly. If something happens when I am out there, I better carry a bivy bag / space blanket and a stove than any kind of cutting tool...
My cutting tools of choice now are a Spyderco Stretch (the FRN version) for outings that do not require ropes and Spyderco Rescue Wave for when ropes are involved. Freeze-dried packages couldn't care less whether I open them with a plain or serrated knife. Cheese and sausage aren't picky either.
May have a look into the smallish multitools for those outings that involve hardware (be it a multifuel stove that love to crap on you when are needed the most or the random loose screw in a randonee ski binding that your partner forgot to check at home). But I would like to have pliers not scissors. Any suggestions?
Mikel
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Leatherman Squirt P4? If you can live with pliers and scissors? Otherwise, you could look at dedicated pliers, ultra-light and small - Knipex Cobra XS.
Nice tool. Will probably get one anytime soon. And scissors don't bother me although I would happily trade them for a PH or PZ screwdriver! Thanks a lot for the suggestion.
Mikel
How long were you there and what did you use, there is not 1 tree left standingThere is an old joke on BF concerning the treeline and those two items!But you are dead right. No fire, no stove, just a jet boiler or similar. Into the tent at dusk and have fun going out for a slash before dawn..! This one was breezy - it freaked my son out a bit at first.
afishhunter
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In the same book he says he always has two knives, plus his custom made double bit belt axe/hatchet, when afield: His famous fixed blade, and (if my memory is working) a "strong folding knife", which in the cut/picture looks like a moose pattern.
His use of "knife" (singular) must have been meant plural.
Mr. Nessmuk, and Mr. Kephart, are worth listening to.
The materials used may have changed over the years; Gore Tex instead of Wool, and improvements in sleeping bags, (neither man recommended the sleeping bags -- or tents -- for that matter, that were available during his time/era) for example, may have changed, but the techniques used remain the same.
Both suggested a 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe/hatchet. Larger knives "suitable for chopping" were available then, but both men found them inferior to a semi-flexible 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe (Nessmuk a double bit, Kephart a single bit) or hatchet, had less than zero use for a large stiff "Bowie"/"fighting knife" ("chopper") popularized in the dime novels.
As Mr. Nessmuk said: "We don't go to the woods to "Rough It"; We go to "Smooth It". Life in the city is rough enough."
IMHO using the wrong tools for any job/task is "roughing it". You can use pliers to turn/hold a nut or bolt, however, a wrench is the proper tool for the job, and works better.
His use of "knife" (singular) must have been meant plural.
Mr. Nessmuk, and Mr. Kephart, are worth listening to.
The materials used may have changed over the years; Gore Tex instead of Wool, and improvements in sleeping bags, (neither man recommended the sleeping bags -- or tents -- for that matter, that were available during his time/era) for example, may have changed, but the techniques used remain the same.
Both suggested a 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe/hatchet. Larger knives "suitable for chopping" were available then, but both men found them inferior to a semi-flexible 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe (Nessmuk a double bit, Kephart a single bit) or hatchet, had less than zero use for a large stiff "Bowie"/"fighting knife" ("chopper") popularized in the dime novels.
As Mr. Nessmuk said: "We don't go to the woods to "Rough It"; We go to "Smooth It". Life in the city is rough enough."
IMHO using the wrong tools for any job/task is "roughing it". You can use pliers to turn/hold a nut or bolt, however, a wrench is the proper tool for the job, and works better.
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Absolutely. The illustration in the book, an engraving I think, shows his distinctive fixed blade knife on the right, the double bit 'pocket hatchet'* in the centre, and a two-bladed folding knife on the left - clip point and wharncliffe, I think?In the same book he says he always has two knives, plus his custom made double bit belt axe/hatchet, when afield: His famous fixed blade, and (if my memory is working) a "strong folding knife", which in the cut/picture looks like a moose pattern.
His use of "knife" (singular) must have been meant plural.
Mr. Nessmuk, and Mr. Kephart, are worth listening to.
The materials used may have changed over the years; Gore Tex instead of Wool, and improvements in sleeping bags, (neither man recommended the sleeping bags -- or tents -- for that matter, that were available during his time/era) for example, may have changed, but the techniques used remain the same.
Both suggested a 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe/hatchet. Larger knives "suitable for chopping" were available then, but both men found them inferior to a semi-flexible 4 to 5 inch fixed blade, and a belt axe (Nessmuk a double bit, Kephart a single bit) or hatchet, had less than zero use for a large stiff "Bowie"/"fighting knife" ("chopper") popularized in the dime novels.
As Mr. Nessmuk said: "We don't go to the woods to "Rough It"; We go to "Smooth It". Life in the city is rough enough."
IMHO using the wrong tools for any job/task is "roughing it". You can use pliers to turn/hold a nut or bolt, however, a wrench is the proper tool for the job, and works better.
In his list of equipment for the Michigan trek, I assumed that the pocket knife was simply missed out of the list as negligible weight, along with flint and tinder etc.
*That double bit pocket hatchet is the source of some amusing passages in the book, isn't it? From its first mention, to when it comes in useful in the event that a previously cached long-axe has been consumed by icy waters...
afishhunter
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Clip Point and Spear Point ... possibly a long Spey. One on each end.Absolutely. The illustration in the book, an engraving I think, shows his distinctive fixed blade knife on the right, the double bit 'pocket hatchet'* in the centre, and a two-bladed folding knife on the left - clip point and wharncliffe, I think?
In his list of equipment for the Michigan trek, I assumed that the pocket knife was simply missed out of the list as negligible weight, along with flint and tinder etc.
*That double bit pocket hatchet is the source of some amusing passages in the book, isn't it? From its first mention, to when it comes in useful in the event that a previously cached long-axe has been consumed by icy waters...
His "friends" sure did give him a ribbing over that axe/hatchet, didn't they? I liked the cost breakdown. Of course today, you couldn't get a custom made one lie that for 10x what he paid ....
Didn't one of his "friends" later borrow, and "loose" it?
With"friends" like that, who needs enemies?
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Hahaha - yeah, spot onClip Point and Spear Point ... possibly a long Spey. One on each end.
His "friends" sure did give him a ribbing over that axe/hatchet, didn't they? I liked the cost breakdown. Of course today, you couldn't get a custom made one lie that for 10x what he paid ....
Didn't one of his "friends" later borrow, and "loose" it?
With"friends" like that, who needs enemies?
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YES, those Knipex Cobra XS Water Pump Pliers are possibly the coolest tool I've added to my stable in awhile. So cool my oldest son now packs them around.
@Gary W. Graley made a post on them, and I fully blame him for foisting these on me. His thread is worth looking at...
KNIPEX - Cobra XS Water Pump Pliers | BladeForums.com
Yeah
Pilsner
, I think the Opinel/Squirt comment gets taken down a different road sometimes than the joke that I mean it...But hey, if it sparks knife discussion then it's all good.
And for the record, I think you are supposed to rub the LM and the Opinel together until the wood handle bursts into warming flame.
Wasty
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That is a very tough question for us Knife Nuts. I would feel underknifed all the time and complain to everyone around me about this stupid rule....
I even EDC more than one knife and if I go on a trip I have definitely more on me:
1. SAK or Multitool
2. My BK14
3. A bigger Knife in the 5-8" range
4. A folding saw
Even if I don't need them, as I am a knife enthusiast and not a ultra lightweight trekking enthusiast
I even EDC more than one knife and if I go on a trip I have definitely more on me:
1. SAK or Multitool
2. My BK14
3. A bigger Knife in the 5-8" range
4. A folding saw
Even if I don't need them, as I am a knife enthusiast and not a ultra lightweight trekking enthusiast
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Ultralight setups are easily under 20 pounds. Synthetics changed everything and the natural materials still used like down don't weigh anyone.... down?
Everything in my "permanent vacation" 4 season bag is less than 25 pounds- that's shelter, rain gear, cooking, first aid- everything except for firearms which you need to be careful what you carry when where I am. I won't offer any unsolicited advice on specifics, but micro stoves these days can burn literally any fuel and are a few ounces (good ones have shaker pins to clear soot from dirty fuels).
It's kind of fun to see which items you can use for multiple purposes (like a belt can be a strop among other things).
We have so many options in knives it's hard to find one that won't do everything a knife is intended to do. From experience, a pair of ratcheting EZ-Cut shears and a hatchet with hammer back I think cover more ground than a large blade. I just wouldn't want to have to resharpen 12+ inches of steel using packable gear.
The best experience I got on foraging was being involved in my state's mycology group (mushroom hunting) not so much for mushrooms as for the other wild edible plants that most groups talk about on "forays".
In the winter it's obviously a lot tougher, but if you stay put for a week or so acorns become a viable option (takes a while to leech tannins).
For a folder, my choice would be something in LC200n, dendritic cobalt, H1, or Nitro-V (I have a folder in SM-100 but that's not realistic). My fixed blade is more about being able to secure it to a pack strap handle down for quick release rather than getting it exactly right size or steel wise. Then the ratcheting shears and a small axe with a hammer back.
Everything in my "permanent vacation" 4 season bag is less than 25 pounds- that's shelter, rain gear, cooking, first aid- everything except for firearms which you need to be careful what you carry when where I am. I won't offer any unsolicited advice on specifics, but micro stoves these days can burn literally any fuel and are a few ounces (good ones have shaker pins to clear soot from dirty fuels).
It's kind of fun to see which items you can use for multiple purposes (like a belt can be a strop among other things).
We have so many options in knives it's hard to find one that won't do everything a knife is intended to do. From experience, a pair of ratcheting EZ-Cut shears and a hatchet with hammer back I think cover more ground than a large blade. I just wouldn't want to have to resharpen 12+ inches of steel using packable gear.
The best experience I got on foraging was being involved in my state's mycology group (mushroom hunting) not so much for mushrooms as for the other wild edible plants that most groups talk about on "forays".
In the winter it's obviously a lot tougher, but if you stay put for a week or so acorns become a viable option (takes a while to leech tannins).
For a folder, my choice would be something in LC200n, dendritic cobalt, H1, or Nitro-V (I have a folder in SM-100 but that's not realistic). My fixed blade is more about being able to secure it to a pack strap handle down for quick release rather than getting it exactly right size or steel wise. Then the ratcheting shears and a small axe with a hammer back.
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I'm thinking if I had to choose one knife to do it all? It would be the Ontario SP53. I've used mine enough that I know it'll handle any tasks fo my AO.