I have read some great posts with pictures and watched several machete vids.
I have no sense of when you really NEED a machete, for Trail Clearing.
Every picture that I have seen, you do not need a machete to clear a trail.
Though I have read stories that the machete clearing was needed, I did not come
away with an understanding of the specifics of vegetation and alternative paths.
Since I use a number of examples, you could address one or more OR: links to
any articles, threads, youtubes, or magic google words, would be appreciated.
Example 1:
Do you have thick 6 feet tall grass, that you cannot walk though?
Would a Corn knife work for this? Do local stores sell something like this?
Example 2:
Do you have tough vines and/or scrub with insects or thorns that you cannot
maneuver though.
Example 3:
Can you use sticks or other tools to gather vegetation to assist machete usage?
Can you use sticks to push vegetation out of the way altogether?
Example 4:
How often could you walk around the thick vegetation, but decide it is
marginally easier to cut though?
There are a myriad of machete designs to answer your question. Just like axes that split, double bitted axes, and guns of different calibers, each one of these machete designs has a better placement than the other. For North America and the average machete user, an 18" machete is the cat's meow for all purpose usage. If you are a bigger gentlman or have more pasture like areas to process, you may venture out to longer lengths. For myself, as a general rule, the farther up north I go, the shorter and stockier my machete will get.
Example 1:
Do you have thick 6 feet tall grass, that you cannot walk though?
Would a Corn knife work for this? Do local stores sell something like this?
Corn knives work very well in grass situations, and with their longer width they can cut larger soft vegetation well provided you cut near the bottom. 22" latin machetes and other various styles work very well too, and normally a helper stick is used, but good technique is important rather than bludgeoning plants.. I personally use this
http://www.machetespecialists.com/immoma.html
Example 2:
Do you have tough vines and/or scrub with insects or thorns that you cannot
maneuver though.
A good and nimble 16 -18 inch Latin style machete has been the tried and true swamp machete for years and years, especially with Ontario. The ESEE Lite machete, The condor eco-survivor ($10-$15) and other condor machetes would work well for this.
Example 3:
Can you use sticks or other tools to gather vegetation to assist machete usage?
Can you use sticks to push vegetation out of the way altogether?
Many Latin Americans use a helper stick to move brush out of the way. Before Spanish conquistadors came to Latin and South America, I reckon they either used sticks to beat vegetation out of the way (some may have been sharpened to help expedite the process) or just went around the thick stuff. The natives saw the swords for extremely useful tools, not just for combat, and traded with for them, one way or another.
here is a video from my personal files:
Example 4:
JOE RANT MODE:
Some people are lazy, and don't want to go into thick vegetation. Sometimes it may be a thicket one could get around, other times it may not be so lucky. Rhododendron Hells are a good example of a thicket that would wear a machete user out. It takes a while to get through them, and many a times I have said "forget it" and sheathed the machete, got on all fours and sped through them quadruped style. You probably wouldn't want to do that in some places like Peru where everything has thorns. Other times, You may have an indirect path of walking, and you may zig zag left and right before getting to your final destination, but the time put in ziggyzagging is less than macheteing through a spot. vid to follow
).
