How "BIG" of a knife, before I revert to "NEWBIE" status.......?

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Spoken like a man with some experience in "Alder HELL".

Yeah, I don't know what the world is going to do when I die. Sometimes I think I am the only thing standing between them and global domination!

[Sourdough]

Yeah, I don't know what the world is going to do when I die. Sometimes I think I am the only thing standing between them and global domination!

For those who don't know Alaskan Alders.........they interweave with stalks 1" to 4" with most about 1 3/4" they run horizontal & vertical and every interwoven angle in between. A man with a pack on often finds himself swinging with his feet off the ground.

But the Moose and Bears love them for cover. On the Alaska Peninsula where winds of 115 MPH are a weekly event, we hack our way into Alders and make a safe wind proof camp.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I can tell you one NOT TO GET! I saw a ninja sword advertised as a brush cutter. What a waste of 35 dollars. I think it would work good for ninja stuff but was crap for cutting brush.

[Sourdough]

I can tell you one NOT TO GET! I saw a ninja sword advertised as a brush cutter. What a waste of 35 dollars. I think it would work good for ninja stuff but was crap for cutting brush.

This is ONE of the ones I am considering:
http://www.ontarioknife.com/catalog/item/38

[Alaskan Survivalist]

This is ONE of the ones I am considering:
http://www.ontarioknife.com/catalog/item/38

I have this one

http://www.ontarioknife.com/catalog/item/37

I like the construction of Ontario knives. I use fighting knives for survival because when things get bad they will get violent too. I would rather use a fighting knife for camp chores and skining than use a skining knife in a fight. It is a matter of worst case senario. My favorite is the Navy SEALS MK 3.

[BENESSE]

AS and SD,
sitting in a tree.
k i s s i n g.
(sorry, just couldn't resist with all this knife luv fest)

[Rick]

Sourdough, if you want to use it on alders then you might think about a Seymour corn knife. I'll bet you used one when you were a kid. Full tang, carbon blades, cheap as dirt.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...24-103044039-2

Look down on that page and you'll see a Truper Corn Knife as well.

Another version. A bit more expensive.

http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop...mour/2c_99.htm

[klickitat]

Spend 100 full days in the field and what ever you choose to use is the best for your situation.

A person will find needs, likes, dislikes and what works in his/her area.

BTW: After 100 full days in the field you could care less what they call you.

[welderguy]

Since I bought the cold steel bushman that seems to be my knife for dang near everything I do when im out and about or camping. and thats a 7 inch blade

[kyratshooter]

To me a general camp knife needs to be able to make a camp and handle camp duties Ie shelter, fire and food. Ever butchered a hog with a swiss army knife? The knives I use are not stressed by the task at hand nor am I.

I want an axe then. If the knife is big enough not to be stressed by that kind of work it is wasted metal.

I prefer my Old hickory 6" buther knives for hog dressing, which has nothing to do with camping. Unless I am hog hunting, and the last time I did that I dressed it out with a Mora and hauled it home in the truck for processing.

[Sourdough]

Spend 100 full days in the field and what ever you choose to use is the best for your situation.

A person will find needs, likes, dislikes and what works in his/her area.

BTW: After 100 full days in the field you could care less what they call you.

Best I ever did was 84 days straight on the Alaska Peninsula guiding Alaskan Brown Bear Hunters.

[klickitat]

Best I ever did was 84 days straight on the Alaska Peninsula guiding Alaskan Brown Bear Hunters.

Nice, I am envious. I meant total, but hell you can carry anything you want and I don't think anyone's opinion would mean a whole lot to you.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Being a prospector and whiskey drinker it was all I could do to keep up with the change of seasons.

[klickitat]

Being a prospector and whiskey drinker it was all I could do to keep up with the change of seasons.

Sounds like a great working vacation.

[FVR]

Ya'll can carry those itty bitty teeny weeny knives if ya want. For me it's a Bowie or a Kabar.

I will also be strapping on a WWII short machete this hunting season as it just makes me feel good.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Sounds like a great working vacation.

More like a lost decade. I finally pulled 70 ounces out of one paystreak and never looked back.

[klickitat]

More like a lost decade. I finally pulled 70 ounces out of one paystreak and never looked back.

Decade......

[Rick]

AS - Do you dredge or pan?

[beetlejuicex3]

Since I bought the cold steel bushman that seems to be my knife for dang near everything I do when im out and about or camping. and thats a 7 inch blade

Agreed and it's hard to beat the price, frankly. A very versatile survival knife.

To the topic, other posters are right. A quality folding blade will do the trick around a typical camp site. One feels a little more 'secure' with a fixed blade, but more than 6" gets unwieldy for the small tasks. Now, if you're talking about a straight up long term survival set up: fixed blade + multitool.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

AS - Do you dredge or pan?

I prefer highbanking, sniping and trapping, but done it every way there is to do it.