Tools for bushwhacking in the Gabes?
I've been hiking and bushwhacking for a few years now in the San Gabriel Mountains. When off trail, most often I just do my best to push through the brush in the direction I want to go. As anyone who's done this knows, this can be really time consuming and difficult in chaparral. Would a machete be a good tool to take on yucca, manzanita, etc., or would I be better off with some clippers, or something else?
I've used Fiskars loppers...
The knock on machetes is the risk of hitting a rock and sparking a fire. But I don't know what the likelihood is nor do I know if they are effective. @Taco (for one) has mentioned a machete before - maybe he'll chime in.
The knock on machetes is the risk of hitting a rock and sparking a fire. But I don't know what the likelihood is nor do I know if they are effective. @Taco (for one) has mentioned a machete before - maybe he'll chime in.
Yeah, those loppers are good, but they're kinda slow. You need to cut each branch individually, which takes time. I use these if clearing a trail I know I'll be coming back to. If it's a one-time bushwhack, though, I generally just push through. Taco uses a machete of some sort.
I could write a book on this.
OK, so the tool I've used the most over the years is an Ontario 18" Machete. Here's a link to the regular one:
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Ontario-O ... ete--16911
Plastic sheath:
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON18PO ... rd-plastic
Mine has a sawback, which I've found unnecessary. I've sharpened the sawback and used it to slowly saw through some limbs, but this is rarely a task I need to do, so I would buy the plain version if I was in the market. I would also buy a plastic sheath. I'm ordering one soon, so I can comment on that later. I had a nylon sheath that got torn up by the sawback and threw it away a long time ago. I just strapped the machete against my pack and it never caused any issues, despite being carried since I was a teenager and down many canyons, up to many crags, everywhere for years. I would definitely get the sheath, however, and fix it to my pack. I typically require someone's help to retrieve it unless I remove my ruck/pack.
So lemme go on what may be a tangent about machetes. Now machetes are real popular in jungles and stuff, areas that have lots of rainfall and tons of quick growing foliage. We don't have much rain here, and the stuff we gotta chop through is harder to chop through, as the wood is harder. A spring-steel thin machete goes through lush foliage like a laser, but often lacks the mass to be driven through our tough dry stuff here in the San Gabes. This means there are times where you gotta whack something a buncha times to make it through, and unless you carry another tool with you on multiday trips for processing firewood or making stronger shelters, you're a bit SOL with a machete.
I finally had the $$$ and an opportunity to get one of my dream tools last year or so, an ESEE Junglas. Designed by ESEE for use in South America (yeah, in jungles), and named after the Jungla counter-narcotic unit working in Columbia. This is thicker 1095 carbon steel, and shorter, basically halfway between a machete and a large knife. It cuts through thicker foliage such as Buckthorn, branches on downed trees, and processes wood/Yucca really well for fire and shelter.
Junglas: https://www.eseeknives.com/product/junglas
MSRP is $300 something, but I got lucky and got it on sale for $170 with sheath. The Ontario RTAK 10.25" is very similar, with a different steel and a cheaper sheath. The handles and fit and finish are also a bit different, so it's like a budget Junglas. $93.50 is a good price, though I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you don't want that, as most would tell me that's too much.
RTAK II: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON8669 ... lon-sheath
Downside of the Junglas is it's nicer so I don't swing at stuff low to the ground, cause I don't wanna jack the blade up. My machete has hit so many rocks that I've stopped sharpening the tip to where the edge straightens, using it as a sort of short trekking pole instead.
So, I would suggest the Ontario 18" machete with plastic sheath, a lanyard loop of paracord or whatever for your wrist, and probably some hockey tape around the handle for better grip, as the plastic grips get a bit slippery when you're soaking wet with sweat and dead stinky ants and blood from blackberry vines and crawling under tons of shit and swimming through canyons and all that real fun shit we love and need on a primal level. It's dirt cheap and they keep going forever. I sharpen mine with a mill bastard file with a flat profile from Home Depot that I probably paid $6 for. Again, I always say how I've had the same machete since I was 14 or so and needed something for bushwhacking where I grew up near Chino Hills in ditches, so it's received regular hard use for 22 years or so. A small part of the handle broke off, but it doesn't effect performance, and I had my buddy wrap the handle with hockey tape so it's still chuggin'.
The Fiskars clippers are cool and handy, but I wouldn't use one as a primary tool. I like it when someone on my team has one, as they can easily chop the thick branches the machete can't really reach or cut without lots of effort. If you're on a trail that's a little overgrown, the clippers might be all you need, but if you're off trail there's tons of thin shit growing all over everywhere so swinging a long blade clears things much more quickly than precise cuts with loppers.
Dima brought those clippers on a recent bushwhack and they broke where I figured they would, at the joint close to the head/jaws. If I wanted a pair, I would look for a set with replaceable wooden handles, or perhaps tubular steel ones, or something that can survive our conditions here. Fiskars is solid stuff, but it's not enough for here. Again, probably just the ticket for trail work, but not off trail.
If I bought a different machete, I'd probably go with a Parang machete, maybe from Condor. The blade shape would likely carry more energy into the cut and allow you to easily deliver more powerful cuts into our foliage. Probably performs better than a standard profile central American machete. I wouldn't bother with a blade length under 12", nor one longer than 18", as less than 12" likely won't allow you to reach plenty of cuts and could be in large-knife territory instead, and longer would probably suck in brush tunnels, getting caught up on shit, which happens enough anyway.
Parang: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CN4231 ... ng-machete
This Cambodian machete with flat tip looks promising: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CN3929 ... her-sheath
I think that Cambodian one would probably work well. I drew up a design for a San Gabriels specific machete a long time ago, but don't know anyone who can heat treat a 26" or so length of steel yet. It's roughly similar to this Cambodian in shape, though there are differences.
I tried using a small axe for stuff for bushwhacking in 2013 and found it wasn't to be. I think the conclusion was use machete or Junglas type big knife, and hopefully also have someone in your crew with loppers.
As far as sparks flying off a machete after hitting a rock, I don't think that's an issue. I've hit tons of rocks, seen sparks at times, no luck with fire. It often takes a fair bit of effort to start a fire with sparks off a ferro rod into a tinder bundle here, despite our climate, so I wouldn't worry about it. Hitting rocks with a $20 something machete hurts a lot less than with a $160 really nice knife.
What did I forget?
OK, so the tool I've used the most over the years is an Ontario 18" Machete. Here's a link to the regular one:
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Ontario-O ... ete--16911
Plastic sheath:
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON18PO ... rd-plastic
Mine has a sawback, which I've found unnecessary. I've sharpened the sawback and used it to slowly saw through some limbs, but this is rarely a task I need to do, so I would buy the plain version if I was in the market. I would also buy a plastic sheath. I'm ordering one soon, so I can comment on that later. I had a nylon sheath that got torn up by the sawback and threw it away a long time ago. I just strapped the machete against my pack and it never caused any issues, despite being carried since I was a teenager and down many canyons, up to many crags, everywhere for years. I would definitely get the sheath, however, and fix it to my pack. I typically require someone's help to retrieve it unless I remove my ruck/pack.
So lemme go on what may be a tangent about machetes. Now machetes are real popular in jungles and stuff, areas that have lots of rainfall and tons of quick growing foliage. We don't have much rain here, and the stuff we gotta chop through is harder to chop through, as the wood is harder. A spring-steel thin machete goes through lush foliage like a laser, but often lacks the mass to be driven through our tough dry stuff here in the San Gabes. This means there are times where you gotta whack something a buncha times to make it through, and unless you carry another tool with you on multiday trips for processing firewood or making stronger shelters, you're a bit SOL with a machete.
I finally had the $$$ and an opportunity to get one of my dream tools last year or so, an ESEE Junglas. Designed by ESEE for use in South America (yeah, in jungles), and named after the Jungla counter-narcotic unit working in Columbia. This is thicker 1095 carbon steel, and shorter, basically halfway between a machete and a large knife. It cuts through thicker foliage such as Buckthorn, branches on downed trees, and processes wood/Yucca really well for fire and shelter.
Junglas: https://www.eseeknives.com/product/junglas
MSRP is $300 something, but I got lucky and got it on sale for $170 with sheath. The Ontario RTAK 10.25" is very similar, with a different steel and a cheaper sheath. The handles and fit and finish are also a bit different, so it's like a budget Junglas. $93.50 is a good price, though I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you don't want that, as most would tell me that's too much.
RTAK II: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON8669 ... lon-sheath
Downside of the Junglas is it's nicer so I don't swing at stuff low to the ground, cause I don't wanna jack the blade up. My machete has hit so many rocks that I've stopped sharpening the tip to where the edge straightens, using it as a sort of short trekking pole instead.
So, I would suggest the Ontario 18" machete with plastic sheath, a lanyard loop of paracord or whatever for your wrist, and probably some hockey tape around the handle for better grip, as the plastic grips get a bit slippery when you're soaking wet with sweat and dead stinky ants and blood from blackberry vines and crawling under tons of shit and swimming through canyons and all that real fun shit we love and need on a primal level. It's dirt cheap and they keep going forever. I sharpen mine with a mill bastard file with a flat profile from Home Depot that I probably paid $6 for. Again, I always say how I've had the same machete since I was 14 or so and needed something for bushwhacking where I grew up near Chino Hills in ditches, so it's received regular hard use for 22 years or so. A small part of the handle broke off, but it doesn't effect performance, and I had my buddy wrap the handle with hockey tape so it's still chuggin'.
The Fiskars clippers are cool and handy, but I wouldn't use one as a primary tool. I like it when someone on my team has one, as they can easily chop the thick branches the machete can't really reach or cut without lots of effort. If you're on a trail that's a little overgrown, the clippers might be all you need, but if you're off trail there's tons of thin shit growing all over everywhere so swinging a long blade clears things much more quickly than precise cuts with loppers.
Dima brought those clippers on a recent bushwhack and they broke where I figured they would, at the joint close to the head/jaws. If I wanted a pair, I would look for a set with replaceable wooden handles, or perhaps tubular steel ones, or something that can survive our conditions here. Fiskars is solid stuff, but it's not enough for here. Again, probably just the ticket for trail work, but not off trail.
If I bought a different machete, I'd probably go with a Parang machete, maybe from Condor. The blade shape would likely carry more energy into the cut and allow you to easily deliver more powerful cuts into our foliage. Probably performs better than a standard profile central American machete. I wouldn't bother with a blade length under 12", nor one longer than 18", as less than 12" likely won't allow you to reach plenty of cuts and could be in large-knife territory instead, and longer would probably suck in brush tunnels, getting caught up on shit, which happens enough anyway.
Parang: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CN4231 ... ng-machete
This Cambodian machete with flat tip looks promising: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CN3929 ... her-sheath
I think that Cambodian one would probably work well. I drew up a design for a San Gabriels specific machete a long time ago, but don't know anyone who can heat treat a 26" or so length of steel yet. It's roughly similar to this Cambodian in shape, though there are differences.
I tried using a small axe for stuff for bushwhacking in 2013 and found it wasn't to be. I think the conclusion was use machete or Junglas type big knife, and hopefully also have someone in your crew with loppers.
As far as sparks flying off a machete after hitting a rock, I don't think that's an issue. I've hit tons of rocks, seen sparks at times, no luck with fire. It often takes a fair bit of effort to start a fire with sparks off a ferro rod into a tinder bundle here, despite our climate, so I wouldn't worry about it. Hitting rocks with a $20 something machete hurts a lot less than with a $160 really nice knife.
What did I forget?
That's lots of info. Thanks. I'll probably buy one of those tools you mentioned.
And since I've gone through several pairs of the fiskars loppers, I guess I can provide more detail. They're cheap and shockingly light and work really well. As Taco mentioned, they work much better with live plants than the dried out stuff. The anvil IS made of plastic, but it's much stronger than you expect. Eventually you get complacent, and start trying to cut branches that are too thick, and it breaks. It's user error 100% of the time, but I've now broken two of them like that, and probably will break more in the future. Still, they're very good for trail maintenance.
For dealing with yucca specifically, these take way too long, since you have to cut off each individual tip one by one. That takes forever, and hedge trimmers work much better.
And since I've gone through several pairs of the fiskars loppers, I guess I can provide more detail. They're cheap and shockingly light and work really well. As Taco mentioned, they work much better with live plants than the dried out stuff. The anvil IS made of plastic, but it's much stronger than you expect. Eventually you get complacent, and start trying to cut branches that are too thick, and it breaks. It's user error 100% of the time, but I've now broken two of them like that, and probably will break more in the future. Still, they're very good for trail maintenance.
For dealing with yucca specifically, these take way too long, since you have to cut off each individual tip one by one. That takes forever, and hedge trimmers work much better.
I doubt you'll have much luck with a machete versus manzanita and yucca. I use a machete for trimming back light brush like sage and buckwheat. For yucca you need a smaller blade or clippers to reach in between the leaves. Manzanita is a tough wood best cut with loppers or a small saw. But I believe it's illegal to cut manzanita without a permit, so be careful about doing that.
If you know what kind of vegetation you'll encounter, then you can take a specific tool. If not, I suggest carrying small loppers, small folding saw, a sharp knife and possibly leather gloves and clippers for thorny stuff. Taco needs a machete because he's a crazy canyoneer who needs to blast through jungle-like vegetation, but when you're on a ridge or mostly dry canyon, the folding saw can be used like a machete on light, dry brush.
If you know what kind of vegetation you'll encounter, then you can take a specific tool. If not, I suggest carrying small loppers, small folding saw, a sharp knife and possibly leather gloves and clippers for thorny stuff. Taco needs a machete because he's a crazy canyoneer who needs to blast through jungle-like vegetation, but when you're on a ridge or mostly dry canyon, the folding saw can be used like a machete on light, dry brush.
Didn't know that about Manzanita. Good thing I've never cut that amirite? Yeah usually you just hafta go around or walk on top of Manzanita. Haven't had to bushwhack through that very often except on Iron and other parts of the eastern SG's above however many thousand feet.
Also fire helps.
Also fire helps.
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Bill Bovard
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2021 11:21 am
The one tool that does it all for me is a $25-or-so pruning saw like this:
http://ws-na.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/cm?l=as1&f=ifr&o=1&t=tapatalk02-20&asins=B00004R9YE
Easy to keep in your hand while you hike and it can cut everything from grass to yucca to small trees, almost as fast as any more specialized tool.
http://ws-na.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/cm?l=as1&f=ifr&o=1&t=tapatalk02-20&asins=B00004R9YE
Easy to keep in your hand while you hike and it can cut everything from grass to yucca to small trees, almost as fast as any more specialized tool.