SAK's to machete's.

[cbl51]

I love camping, and most of my life I've used any excuse to go out in the woods and stay there for a weekend. MOst of the time I take my pocket knife, which is always a SAK, and usually it's enough. But sometimes you need more, and I've had a lot of fixed blades over the years. Most came and went, not being that useful for me. Ive come to think of anything between 4 inches and 10 inches as being too big for somethings, too small for others.

I like the humble machete.

Maybe it's the time I spent in the army, or maybe it's the couple of co-workers and friends who were from central America who went fishing with us. I've come to really love and appreciate the small 12 inch bladed machete. Tramontina, Ontario, Condor. The small machete seems very aboe to take up where the pocket knife starts to fail. Quick cutting back brush from a campsite? The machete works better than anything I've ever tried. Even food service the machete is great. My better half and I have gone out camping with fresh food supplies, including a loaf of fresh Italian bread. A 12 inch machete makes a good bread knife, long enough for slicng a thick loaf well. It also makes a good ham slicer.

I don't think I've used a fixed blade belt knife for a decade now. My SAK in the pocket has handled most everything I've needed a knife for. The better half and I did a round the country trip when the last kid left home. Being empty nesters we had the time when I retired, so the camping gear got packed in the car and we did a counter clockwise trip around the nation. HIt the Badlands, Custer National Park, Yellowstone, Bryce, Grand Canyon (stayed in the Bright Angel lodge that one, so we were cheating,) Canyonlands and Arches National parks in Utah, and Mesa Verde in Colorado. Camped out most of the time in the National park campgrounds.

The SAK, my camper, was used in Mesa Verde to saw of some brush that was intruding on where the car had to be parked. Did a lot of slicing and dicing of fresh food from the cooler for salads, and meat grilled over charcoal. The 12 inch Tramontina made a great large chefs knife.

I know it's a case of extremes, but the SAK in the pocket and a small machete seems to cover all the bases well.

[Gareth]

Just went looking at how much a Tramontina machete costs; they're practically free!   Great story mate, you've even got me thinking about a machete, and I'm an axe man through-and-through.

[cbl51]

Just went looking at how much a Tramontina machete costs; they're practically free!   Great story mate, you've even got me thinking about a machete, and I'm an axe man through-and-through.

An axe is a great piece of gear, and is capable of building great shelter. This country (the U.S.) was settled by pioneers with axes clearing land and building cabins. I saw an old video that showed a log cabin being built with just the ace. Pretty neat. But it's a pretty heavy piece of kitto lug around if I'm not building a cabin.

The machete is capable of cutting heavier wood than you would think, not just vines. Hardwood up to 3 inches in diameter can be chopped in half in just a few swings if the machete is good and sharp. And kindling can be cut with one swipe. And battening damp wood is a snap with the 12 inch blade. Since a machete is not tempered like a knife, lower RC hardness, it will flex and absorb more impact than a long knife. It sharpens up in a very short while with a file, and has versatility that an axe does not have.  And like you said, they practically give them away. For what the charge for a 12 inch Tramontina, you can have one stashed in the emergency kit of each car in the family.

Combine a 12 inch machete with a good folding saw, and you can deal with any emergency. Folding saws are my other enthusiasm.

[Sparky415]

Do you have any pictures of your machete in use please Cbl 

(or other kit?)

[cbl51]

Do you have any pictures of your machete in use please Cbl 

(or other kit?)

I'll have to get some up. I have a small collection of short 12 inch machete's. Ontario, Martindale, Tramontina.

[jekostas]

I was hoping there'd be a Swiss Army Machete involved.  Kinda disappointed, now.

[Sparky415]

Do you have any pictures of your machete in use please Cbl 

(or other kit?)

I'll have to get some up. I have a small collection of short 12 inch machete's. Ontario, Martindale, Tramontina.

Looking forward to seeing them 

I was hoping there'd be a Swiss Army Machete involved.  Kinda disappointed, now.

Gareth has the BAK version of one if I remember correctly 

[Gareth]

Good point Tony.  Here's my one and only machete; a British and American issue from WWII I'm told.

[MultiMat]

I have watched a couple episodes of the excellent documentary series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea". As a non American I just did not relise how much wonderful wild life/wilderness there is in America  .
Great to hear you have been enjoying it mate & yep keen to see photos of your gear  Including your folding saws 

[enki_ck]

@ Gareth

   That thing looks awesome.   Does it have a sheath too?

And yes, Tramontinas are very good piece of kit.   I've had a full sized one for over ten years now (bought it for $4 or $5 at a local farming goods store) and it's still going strong. I didn't know they made the smaller ones, I'll have to look around for one of those.

[Gareth]

@ Gareth

   That thing looks awesome.   Does it have a sheath too?

And yes, Tramontinas are very good piece of kit.   I've had a full sized one for over ten years now (bought it for $4 or $5 at a local farming goods store) and it's still going strong. I didn't know they made the smaller ones, I'll have to look around for one of those.

Mine doesn't, but originally it would of come with an edge cover.

An example of the edge cover:

[Sparky415]

Thats the monster 

[Sazabi]

@ Gareth

   That thing looks awesome.   Does it have a sheath too?

And yes, Tramontinas are very good piece of kit.   I've had a full sized one for over ten years now (bought it for $4 or $5 at a local farming goods store) and it's still going strong. I didn't know they made the smaller ones, I'll have to look around for one of those.

Where the frack are you guys finding them online?  The one I saw is $50... maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing?

[enki_ck]

@ Gareth

   That thing looks awesome.   Does it have a sheath too?

And yes, Tramontinas are very good piece of kit.   I've had a full sized one for over ten years now (bought it for $4 or $5 at a local farming goods store) and it's still going strong. I didn't know they made the smaller ones, I'll have to look around for one of those.

Where the frack are you guys finding them online?  The one I saw is $50... maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing?

Rex, I bought mine locally, but this is the first result I get when I google it.

http://www.machetespeSmurfpillsts.com/trmabr.html

The 12" is $7,49

http://www.machetespeSmurfpillsts.com/tr12bumawiha.html

[Sazabi]

@ Gareth

   That thing looks awesome.   Does it have a sheath too?

And yes, Tramontinas are very good piece of kit.   I've had a full sized one for over ten years now (bought it for $4 or $5 at a local farming goods store) and it's still going strong. I didn't know they made the smaller ones, I'll have to look around for one of those.

Where the frack are you guys finding them online?  The one I saw is $50... maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing?

Rex, I bought mine locally, but this is the first result I get when I google it.

http://www.machetespeSmurfpillsts.com/trmabr.html

The 12" is $7,49

http://www.machetespeSmurfpillsts.com/tr12bumawiha.html

I was definitely looking at the wrong item, then.

Cool beans; it is almost free... cheaper than some lunches I've had. 

[zoidberg]

I've grown up using machetes, most of which were Tramontinas. I took a few quick pics of a couple I have handy as reference for those looking for info or whatever.

These are 21" and 23" I think. The 21" is okay and a good size for practise but if I was heading bush I would take the 23" or bigger.


I recommend the squared handle up the top, the rounded one not so much, forget plastic ones altogether. Hard to see but the first 5" of blade edge from the handle has been rounded off. You'll see why in a second.


In thirds from the right. The rounded off section. Then in the middle I've put a very sharp edge on the factory grind which is there for when you need it but it doesn't get used alot. And on the left side is where my convex/custom grind starts from, not too sharp that is wears quickly and not too blunt that it doesn't cut. It is from this area up to the last 2" of tip that does most of the work. On the 21" this section is about 5", on the 23" it is about 7".


Generally the tip isn't used for chopping stuff, it will chip break bend wear quickly etc. On the 21" I've rounded it off for digging with. On the 23" it is razor sharp for stabbing or kill cuts etc.


This is the grip you should probably start with. It is okay with the 21" but not great with the 23". Technique is better than force so relax your grip. If you feel like it will slip out of your hand then you are swinging it wrong.


This is my grip for good hard hacking at whatever with the 23". The index finger placement gives great point control.


I use the two finger choke mostly when cutting with the sharp middle section, not a lot of force is needed but balance and control is.


When using the tip section for fine acurate cutting I like to have even more balance and control.


The mid blade choke. Often used when cutting back towards yourself or when skinning or whittling. The fingers face downwards but was hard to hold and get a pic that showed the grip.


When moving around I carry in this grip, the back of the blade running along my arm with the tip exiting just inside my elbow which is bent to ninety degrees. Depending on the terrain or need for an extra hand I may move it up to my armpit and pinch it there. Also if you use this grip on the handle itself you can conceal the blade easily, by straightening your arm and walking normally most people will never see it.


This is my other moving grip. Used when I am the person at the front of the group or when I want others to see I'm ready. Last but not least it is the best for when you carry fire (a burning branch) to the next camp site.


Hmmmm, I've probably gone on too much so I'll wrap it up. I don't really like the smaller machetes, they lack things like reach, and weight. I suggest trying longer ones, you'll be amazed at how much more they can do.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nice tutorial mate

[Sparky415]

Nice tutorial mate

+1 Interesting 

[cbl51]

Hmmmm, I've probably gone on too much so I'll wrap it up. I don't really like the smaller machetes, they lack things like reach, and weight. I suggest trying longer ones, you'll be amazed at how much more they can do.

My love of the small machete comes from a trip we took several years ago. Our oldest son went to Costa Rica for 6 months on business. He got an apartment in San Jose, and he arranged for the better half and I to come down for a visit. Since we had been nature nuts all our lives, John had arranged for us to take a rain forest eco nature viewing trip. The trip lasted for 4 days, and we hiked along trails and camped out at night. It was a very guided tour, and the tour guides were wonderful folks. Each night we arrive at a campsite and the guides had tents and fire ging, and they did all the camp cooking. Being a knife nut, I of course payed attention to what they were using.

Without exception, all the guides had a small 10 to 12 inch machete onb his belt in a nice leather sheath. This machete was used for camp work, cooking, and chopping kindling for the campfire. The only large machete I saw, was the 20 something inch one carried by whoever was leading the trail hike. On the last day, they put on a good old fashioned pig roast, and the 12 inch machetes did great duty carving fresh roast pork.

Aside from the 12 inch machete's, all the guides had a black nylon and velcro pouch on the belt. In it, was a basic SAK, and a BIC lighter. While they used the small machete for any large cutting job, the SAK was used to small cutting jobs and gear repair. On evening, I saw a guide using his SAK screw driver to take apart and unclog a small camp stove burner.

After spending 4 days and three nights in the Costa Rica jungle, I became a true convert tot he SA and small machete team up.

[cbl51]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/people/23813842@N03/]

Finally got to take a pic of the small machete's I was talking about. The smaller one with the sheepfoot tip is just a tad over 9 inches, and makes a good ham slicer and chefs knife for the camp site. The D guard 12 inch Ontario is a very good all around bush knife.

I don't feel bad with just one of these and a pocket knife of some sort. I have no more use for a medium size fixed blade. An Opinel handles most of my camp cooking.

[Gareth]

Love the look of the top one.  A proper looking working tool.

[Sparky415]

Love the look of the top one.  A proper looking working tool.

+1 and the pirate blade looks good to me as well 

[Landrew]

Been looking for a good machete for awhile.  Dense understory is sometimes a problem when making transects across heavily forested areas while conducting environmental assessments.  There were lots of Gerber machetes at Bass Pro, but they were all jungle models, and one was recalled due to a dangerous defect.  Les Stroud is promoting a Camillus "north woods" machete which is specially designed for temperate forests, and is shorter and heavier. That's the one I'm leaning toward right now.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I've recently gotten a machete, and am still learning how to use it.  I have a Condor Golok, of which I posted a review in the reviews forum.  I like it a lot, and it's a true beast on just about anything that gets in its way.  The handle was a bit thick for my hands, and I've been working on sculpting the scales and now I can get a much better grip on it, with or without gloves.

As much as I like it, it's a bit big and heavy for pack carry.  Even when my adventure pack is fully loaded, and I've got it strapped in the ski slot on the right side, I can feel it pulling the pack to that side. 

So now I've got my eye on a Condor "Lochnessmuk", which is either an hyperthyroid Nessmuk knife, or a midget bolo machete, depending on how you look at it.  It looks like it'd be a good "one tool" knife for general camp chores, and still be small and light enough to put on a pack.

If I was looking for a machete just for wood processing though, I'd get Condor's Village Parang instead.

[Gareth]

That Lochnessmuk looks very nice.   I am always a touch worried about calling anything with a thick blade a machete though, I would still think of that as a big knife that can be pressed into the role of a machete.  Very tempting though.

[Santos]

googled it... boomslang is sexier and .2 pounds lighter 

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

That Lochnessmuk looks very nice.   I am always a touch worried about calling anything with a thick blade a machete though, I would still think of that as a big knife that can be pressed into the role of a machete.  Very tempting though.

Yeah, I agree... I'd say the Golok is a "machete" in name only... it's basically a big knife (shortsword perhaps?...  ) 

But, IMHO, the Lochnessmuk is more a big knife than a machete.  Looks to me like it'd make a decent chopper, plus be able to handle most other kinds of bushcrafty/utility stuff one might want to do around the campsite.  Not that a hatchet wouldn't do some of those things better, but I think the Lochnessmuk would be a good compromise to save weight and space. 

Combined with a good packable saw, like a Laplander, or a Sven, and a good SAK, most people's needs should be covered pretty well.

[sotto]

I recently dragged out a Cold Steel kukri machete I'd bought several years ago and freshened up the edge on it. For the price, it's an amazing tool, however at the low initial price it doesn't come with a completely sharpened edge. For me, I don't really form a solid attachment to a blade until I've put my own preferred edge on it. I used it over the weekend to cut some myrtle hiking sticks. I also realized I could put a sling on the sheath (paracord) and carry the machete conveniently on my back. This worked great. I won't go out into the woods without it anymore.

[Monrogue]

http://knives.budk.com/search?p=R&srid=S3-USWSD01&lbc=budk&w=colombian%20sawback%20machete&url=http%3a%2f%2fbudk.com%2fcatalog%2fproduct.jsp%3fproductId%3d157330&rk=1&uid=479183446&sid=2&ts=custom&rsc=QQM9QjKGirbMJfNe&method=and&isort=score&view=grid

That is what I have.  I can't post my own pics, so I figured this would do.  I haven't used it too much, but I like machetes and swords, so occasionally I pick one up. 

[Santos]

United Cutlery also make a 'Colombian Sawback Kukri'