Mule Team as a small outdoor knife?

[phobiarg]

Im trying to get a decent small fixed blade that can be a backup blade for my KA-BAR for camping. Im thinking of buying a Mule Team for the job. Would the CTS-BD1 steel be a good steel for the job? I know nothing about it or the G2 steel its similar to.

[tanrichguy]

I suppose it would depend on the tasks you have in mind. I have a mule in BD-1 that I recently finished with a stabilized blue birch Burl handle. Came out really nice *pats own back*.
I like it for cooking, cutting open boxes, plastic packages, etc. It is a great slicer.
The steel seems to be more than adequate for these tasks. I have stropped it back to shaving sharp a couple of times now. Haven't really tried it in a camping situation to test rust resistance but it has not yet stained from doing food prep.
Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Aaron

[Joe Internet]

You might consider an Aqua Salt, but since they've been discontinued, they're getting harder to come by.

[skunk_2]

why not a moran? i have the orange drop point, its a simple smallish FB, its a good outdoor knife

[Joe Internet]

The tang on the Moran is kind of small.

[Samwise]

How about a Caspian? The ergos are great, it's H1 (so it won't rust), and it's only 7 and a bit inches long in total.

[unit]

I have used my BD-1 Mule in the yard/woods for various yard work related duties. It is really easy to sharpen and like VG-10 it holds a nice edge as long as you do not contact hard stuff (stones etc.) I cut down numerous saplings using a method a bushcrafter taught me and the knife performed incredibly well. I would presume that it would be great for reducing wood for fire starting also based on this.

If you own the knife and want to try it as back up....I think it is a no-lose proposition. The geometry (FFG with a thin tip) of the knife will excel at cutting tasks, and suffer at non-cutting tasks...as long as the knife is backup and this is understood, you and it should be in great shape.

Edit: I see you do not yet own the Mule. I guess the real question is do you want to test a new steel, and learn anything regarding sheath making, and handle making? Unless you want to do some or all of those things, the Mule is not really an economical choice for your needs IMO. I enjoyed every aspect of the experience, but I bought a project and not a knife!

[Blerv]

I would prob grab a Moran. They are solid.

Vg10 is great, it's sheathed and handled plus costs about as much as a mule (just the blank). There are even a few orange FB02's still around.

[ChapmanPreferred]

The Mule Team design is a very nice design and would function very well as a cutting tool in the woods. They are fun to finish the handles if you like that sort of thing, and sheathing them is also interesting.

I have the Bill Moran Featherweight and Drop Point models which are also very capable in the outdoors.

[gaj999]

With a cord-wrap handle, a Mule makes a dandy lightweight back up. Low volume, too. I made a minimal kydex neck/belt sheath and the whole package is tiny. That's nice when packing it as a spare. Not as nice if you end up using it for hours. Your trade off. Putting a handle on makes them much heavier and more comfortable to use, but like someone else said, it's probably not a good deal unless you're looking for a project.

Gordon