Hot Tent Batoning Knife

[schwaf]

Which BRK would you suggest for my application? Thanks.

Depends what you're looking for it to excel at, but my main belt knife is a Fox River ext-1 in CPM 3V. It's a DLT exclusive and currently out of stock (Bark River makes small batches). For me the perfect size for a compact do everything knife, and is also my game processing knife. It's a little small for a full on camp knife, but it'll do very well in a survival situation.

In your case, if batonning is a task you expect to use it often, a 4.5-5" knife would be great. I carry multiple knives in the back country. A 5" Fallkniven S1 pro stays in my camp to do heavy woods tasks, and destroys any logs I've put under it. I would go with a Fox River EXT-2, Bravo 1.25 lt, Bushcrafter, Gunny, or whatever piques your interest. The EXT series is my top pick for all around, but the Bravo and Bushcrafter series will split wood better.

And yeah, they are expensive. I don't buy them often new. Join 'Forging Commons ' on Facebook to connect with collectors who sell and trade often at much more reasonable prices.

Bark River Fox River EXT-2 Cru-Wear Knives - DLT Trading

www.dlttrading.com

Bark River Bravo 1.25 LT 3V Knives for Sale - DLT Trading

Shop for Bark River Bravo 1.25 LT 3V knives at DLT Trading. They are handmade in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and backed by a lifetime warranty.

www.dlttrading.com

 

[schwaf]

Lt wright outback or jessmuk C or genesis is what I normally carry. I’d highly reccomend the LT for the price, better finish and design over Bark river and the closest thing to a custom your going to get.

If I’m needing to process a lot a hatchet and saw.

Been screwed too many times with wet wood not to have an option to split. I agree with your thinking.

A plastic felling wedge will not work.

Bark river is not worth the money,
Esse is okay but will rust, and is pretty crude for the price, especially the handles, which your going to want If your going to process a bunch.

I’ll also say I don’t baton a lot, but it’s a good option to have. If I’m splitting a lot it’s with a hatchet.

And forget this lifetime knife sharpening bullshit. Every outdoorsman should learn and be proficient at sharpening a knife. Life skill that’s being forgotten for no reason.

Bark Rivers are absolutely worth the money. I own many, and they are all performers.

 

[schwaf]

Batoning is a glorified Youtube survival thing. Try Hacking away for awhile….and you will realize the futility.

That little Gerber hatchet splits wood like its nothing…its got to be close to the same weight of those big batoning knives or lighter….And way better.


FWIW, Ive been backpacking a tipi with stove into the backcountry for 15 years….a lightweight saw is all I need.

.

That Gerber hatchet weighs the same as my saw, belt knife, and pack knife combined. I've used that Gerber hatchet, and it splits nowhere near as good as my Fallkniven. It's also far more cumbersome and dangerous swinging around axes, especially at night or while you're tired.

 

[Lawnboi]

Bark Rivers are absolutely worth the money. I own many, and they are all performers.

I have a drawer full of bark rivers and respectfully disagree. They make a couple I think are worth it but in the realm the OP is talking I feel like there is better to be had for less money.

 

[Az wildcat]

Very happy with my condor bushlore as a cheaper quality knife. Made in El salavdor so not from China which is a plus. Great for batoning but also makes a great kitchen knife. Mine comes on all camping trips and even road trips when I assume airbnbs will have crappy knives.

Condor Tool & Knife, Bushlore Camp Knife, 4-5/16in Blade, Hardwood Handle with Sheath https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B002CC6BPM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_3QRMNP9MCV0AFWG93W6F

 

[Beendare]

That Gerber hatchet weighs the same as my saw, belt knife, and pack knife combined. I've used that Gerber hatchet, and it splits nowhere near as good as my Fallkniven. It's also far more cumbersome and dangerous swinging around axes, especially at night or while you're tired.View attachment 330171View attachment 330172

Oh man…why do I bother commenting on topics like this? I should just let guys pack all this unnecessary stuff around. The poster above saying you can just break off dead sticks is right on….

First, I stated I only pack a small saw when using my tipi with stove…I wouldnt bother with the hatchet and for sure wouldnt pack a dedicated Batoning knife. I have a hatchet at base camp, its handy.

Second, claiming your knife splits better than that teflon hatchet is hogwash.

Heck, I don’t spend enough time around my tent on these pack in hunts to bother with all of this stuff.

.

 

[schwaf]

Oh man…why do I bother commenting on topics like this? I should just let guys pack all this unnecessary stuff around. The poster above saying you can just break off dead sticks is right on….

First, I stated I only pack a small saw when using my tipi with stove…I wouldnt bother with the hatchet and for sure wouldnt pack a dedicated Batoning knife. I have a hatchet at base camp, its handy.

Second, claiming your knife splits better than that teflon hatchet is hogwash.

Heck, I don’t spend enough time around my tent on these pack in hunts to bother with all of this stuff.

.

Yes, breaking sticks is a good way to make a fire... if the wood is dry. I don't often go right to splitting, but if it's been raining and everything is soaked I'm not wasting my time trying to find little sticks that are dry. You're not starting a fire with wet wood unless you know something that I don't.

I never said my camp knife is a "dedicated batoning knife". It's a knife, that can baton well. It also cuts things. In fact, it mainly cuts things. I do that a lot when I'm outdoors. It's also a back up in case I lose my belt knife (never have, but anything can happen). It does some things better than my belt knife. My belt knife does some things better than my camp knife. They're both capable when paired with a saw. The difference between our gear? I have 2 knives in the back country and a full sized axe at base camp. You have zero hatchets in the back country and one in base camp.

Hatchet aside, when was the last time you tried batoning with a knife? Which knife did you use? Obviously anyone with such strong opinions ought to have at least TRIED the thing they are vehemently against, right? Like I said, I have used hatchets and axes extensively. I have a gransfors bruks small forest axe that I've packed in, and now leave at the truck. You would quickly change your tune if you saw what the right knives are capable of. Knives are absolutely capable splitters.

 

[cburgin72]

I don't know if you have bought anything yet but I would recommend an ESEE. This is based on the company and the people that run/own it. Simply put, they stand behind their product 100%. Find a way to break one of their knives and they will replace it.

 

[*zap*]

My 1# (490 grams), $30 fiskers brush axe will out perform any one of the knives mentioned for batoning and will gather kindling, clear trail, cleave a predators skull, etc......batoning @ 0:45. I keep my knives razor sharp and there is no way I am beating one thru wood...

 

[treillw]

The poster above saying you can just break off dead sticks is right on….

That exactly what I was doing when it was 20 below and three feet of fresh snow. Took FOREVER to get the fire going with only a grill ignitor. In the ~25 years that I've been playing with fire for, I've barely ever started one with anything but some pine kindling and a normal lighter. Never can remember much of an issue with anything but this stove.

I want to get the fire raging and go to bed asap with the least fuss possible. It was 20 below in the morning on multiple days, and we didn't even start the fire to warm up because it was too much of a hassle.

Since then, I have invested in hexamine firestarters which will make things a lot better.

I'm not looking to baton the whole forest. Two or three sticks - whatever it takes if I can't get things going again. A 8oz way to do that seems worth the weight penalty.

To tell you how much I use a knife around camp, I carry a Havalon. The only time it leaves my kill kit is when there is something dead that needs to be cut up.

I'm open to any other ideas you've got on how to get things rolling.

Thanks

 

[schwaf]

My 1# (490 grams), $30 fiskers brush axe will out perform any one of the knives mentioned for batoning and will gather kindling, clear trail, cleave a predators skull, etc......batoning @ 0:45. I keep my knives razor sharp and there is no way I am beating one thru wood...

That brush axe actually looks pretty legit. I'll have to pick one up. I can see it having a lot of utility that smaller survival knives do not, though it does still weigh a little more and take more pack room. I keep my knives razor sharp too, but with the right grind the wood will split in front of, not on the primary grind once the blade goes in a short depth. Batoning does little to dull the edge if its a convex or scandi.

 

[*zap*]

Brush axe is very legit. Very useful tool, got a blood trail to follow thru thick stuff or have to pack thru thick stuff? Many other uses. Look at home depot or similar because fiskers is sold out.

 

[treillw]

convex or scandi.

Do all these crazy grinds require any special technique or equipment to sharpen?

 

[schwaf]

That exactly what I was doing when it was 20 below and three feet of fresh snow. Took FOREVER to get the fire going with only a grill ignitor. In the ~25 years that I've been playing with fire for, I've barely ever started one with anything but some pine kindling and a normal lighter. Never can remember much of an issue with anything but this stove.

I want to get the fire raging and go to bed asap with the least fuss possible. It was 20 below in the morning on multiple days, and we didn't even start the fire to warm up because it was too much of a hassle.

Since then, I have invested in hexamine firestarters which will make things a lot better.

I'm not looking to baton the whole forest. Two or three sticks - whatever it takes if I can't get things going again. A 8oz way to do that seems worth the weight penalty.

To tell you how much I use a knife around camp, I carry a Havalon. The only time it leaves my kill kit is when there is something dead that needs to be cut up.

I'm open to any other ideas you've got on how to get things rolling.

Thanks

You may be over thinking things. You need a tool to split wood. The other functions may be secondary, but still important. It's up to you on what you think will work best for you, and what size and weight is acceptable. Test it in the summer, and understand a cheap tool is much more likely to break in the winter (actually, test it in the winter too. You don't want your tools failing when you really need them). I've tested a lot of gear and put all mine through hell before it made it in my hunting kit. All my other gear is lightweight, I can afford to carry a couple extra ounces for high capability.

 

[schwaf]

Do all these crazy grinds require any special technique or equipment to sharpen?

Nope. Fun fact, before knives were sharpened by machines, ALL knives had a convex edge. It's what you naturally get when you sharpen by hand. A scandi is even easier. Lay the primary bevel on a flat stone and give it a smooth stroke.

How-to: sharpening convex edges: not complex at all!

Have you always wanted to know how to sharpen a convex edge? We will tell you how!

www.knivesandtools.com

 

[treillw]

Nope. Fun fact, before knives were sharpened by machines, ALL knives had a convex edge. It's what you naturally get when you sharpen by hand. A scandi is even easier. Lay the primary bevel on a flat stone and give it a smooth stroke.

How-to: sharpening convex edges: not complex at all!

Have you always wanted to know how to sharpen a convex edge? We will tell you how!

www.knivesandtools.com

I like the sound of the Scandi grind. Less for me to mess up! Seems easier.

 

[schwaf]

I like the sound of the Scandi grind. Less for me to mess up! Seems easier.

Scandi grinds are better for working with wood, but less durable overall and more prone to chipping. A convex is quite easy to maintain with a little practice.

 

[schwaf]

Also with scandi you need to sharpen the entire bevel whereas with convex you just touch the edge. A convex is much faster and less work, but again, the scandi is probably the easiest to find the actual edge angle. You’ll need to learn how to sharpen either way, but there’s lots of tutorials for any grind

 

[Beendare]

That exactly what I was doing when it was 20 below and three feet of fresh snow. …..

I had no business charging in to this thread and doing what amounts to criticizing whatever guys want to do in the woods, my bad.

Admittedly, I don’t spend much time dinking around at camp on these backcountry hunts, Im typically maximizing my time hunting And worry less about comfort. My thought process is; spending time dinking with my stove keeps me from being in the woods at prime time before light. If that stove was warm and toasty, it makes me want to hang out for another cup of coffee.

Thus I go as light and compact as possible…. different priorities.

FWIW, every forest that I’ve been in in the lower 48 has so much standing dead timber that wood is not a problem- even in freezing temps. The pitch chunks from those dead trees is the best natural firestarter there is.

The only time i’ve ever had a hard time finding dry wood ( and a dry spot to pitch my tipi!) was on a fly in drop camp on the Alaskan peninsula. Even then we would find dead standing willows and other standing dead- just more work to find it. Its fewer and far between compared to the lower 48.

The only real tip I have in those tough conditions with no standing dead timber is to have a little bit of fire starter ( cotton balls in vaseline or other equal ) and a constant pile of twigs drying for the next fire starting adventure.

.

.

 

[treillw]

I had no business charging in to this thread and doing what amounts to criticizing whatever guys want to do in the woods, my bad.

Admittedly, I don’t spend much time dinking around at camp on these backcountry hunts, Im typically maximizing my time hunting And worry less about comfort. My thought process is; spending time dinking with my stove keeps me from being in the woods at prime time before light. If that stove was warm and toasty, it makes me want to hang out for another cup of coffee.

Thus I go as light and compact as possible…. different priorities.

FWIW, every forest that I’ve been in in the lower 48 has so much standing dead timber that wood is not a problem- even in freezing temps. The pitch chunks from those dead trees is the best natural firestarter there is.

The only time i’ve ever had a hard time finding dry wood ( and a dry spot to pitch my tipi!) was on a fly in drop camp on the Alaskan peninsula. Even then we would find dead standing willows and other standing dead- just more work to find it. Its fewer and far between compared to the lower 48.

The only real tip I have in those tough conditions with no standing dead timber is to have a little bit of fire starter ( cotton balls in vaseline or other equal ) and a constant pile of twigs drying for the next fire starting adventure.

.

.

There was plenty of standing dead timber - everything I was using was standing dead. Nothing from the ground or green.

I still don't really get why it was such a pain to get going.