Tree planting.. help

[Willmill1616]

If you were going to spend 4 months living in a tend in British Columbia, what would you bring?

I’ve been following the forums for a long tome now. Never went through the hassle of setting up and posting a thread of my own but i have a
Problem. I usually have a few knives to chose from in my drawer in the mornings ,if I know what I’ll be cutting, I’ll chose based on what I’m cutting.

I hate the idea of only having one folding knife but I’m forcing myself to take a chief because it’s my favourite design.


I tend to carry my S30v pm2 or my benchmade superfreek at work, I have two variations of the Spyderco native chief. I like the design much better than the pm2 so I figured I’d take only two knives with me


A: native chief s90v/cf
B: native chief rex45

+ a mora garberg on my hip.


There will be tones of rain and I know Rex 45 is non stainless. How much do I need to worry?


Is s90v as fragile as I’ve heard?

I have no issues sharpening either in the field so that’s no problem.

[sal]

Hi Willmill,

Welcome to our forum.

I'm on Island and I just shipped my K390 knives back to the mainland as maintenance was a PITA. Sp you might reconsider the Rex 45 for something more stainless. S90 should be OK. If you are working around trees,you might consider teeth? A Pacific Salt with teeth ( H1 or LC ) might prove useful. Serrations are easily sharpened in the field with a Golden Stone or a Double Stuff 2.

sal

[vivi]

for four months living in a tent my first spyderco choice would be an aqua salt. rust proof, bomb proof, cuts very well and easy to field sharpen.

if it has to be a folder, PE Pacific Salt 2.

Out of your two Chiefs the S90V one sounds more practical.

[Airlsee]

*I'm assuming you're not looking for other suggestions and are concerned with your immediate choice of S90V vs Rex45*

If there are going to be days of just being soaked repeatedly, then yeah, I would definitely take the S90V for the corrosion resistance. Four months of being wet is a lot of corrosion surprise and disappointment with Rex45...

I'll also be really curious to hear if you have any problems with the S90V. Obviously, you know not to abuse the thinness of the Chief and being paired with the Garberg to take the abuse, you should be good to go.

Come back and keep us posted.

[Doc Dan]

Since you have the Garberg, I'm thinking a Native Salt for smaller tasks. Of course, a Pac Salt is good, too.

[Wandering_About]

I'd go S90V. Living with non-stainless long term in a true outdoors lifestyle is... trying. I personally do not enjoy the constant maintenance required.

The suggestion of a salt series knife is a sound choice. Choose serrated or plain edge based on your own preference, I like LC200N with a plain edge myself. Would probably pair the S90V Chief with a Native 5 Salt, if you can find one.

[Cheddarnut]

Good for you for staying true to your roots and not swaying towards the Tree Brand. Maybe pick up a Leafstorm before you go

[Evil D]

I would have to go with the S90V based on corrosion alone, but I would absolutely choose MagnaCut/LC200N/H1 over either choice if I had the option. This would be an excellent situation for the MagnaCut mule.

[jwbnyc]

Besides your Personal knives, whatever you decide to take, might I suggest picking up some knives you just don’t care about?

You can get a Three pack of Morakniv Basic 511 fixed blades for under $30.00.. Carbon steel will corrode, but would be pretty good for the sort of work you are going to be doing. For a little more - $45-50.00 - you could pick up Three Sandvic Morakniv Companions if you want stainless.

I’d also suggest a couple of Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpeners for maintenance. They’ll cost around $50.00 for a Two pack on Amazon right now.

Just a thought.

[Eli Chaps]

I'd go with a fixed blade. Maybe the Bill Moran in VG10. Not because of strength but because of comfort. When you really start bearing down on knives you start finding hot spots you don't normally notice. Pocket knives tend to be thin for carrying comfort and while they can handle hard tasks for sure, those duties tend to be less frequent.

For a pocket knife, I'd have to give a base Shaman serious consideration.

[araneae]

As someone who actively plants trees and shrubs for work, I'd recommend a Salt series with SE. Typically I carry a SE Salt 2 or Dfly hawkbill. Handy for cutting burlap, trimming branches, loosening up root balls, etc. Pair that with a stainless PE blade, sounds like the Chief is your pick, I wouldn't take the rex45. In addition I use a Mora for beater duty when I want something bigger than my Salt knives. Bring a small ceramic for touch up and you're good.

[Wartstein]

I'd go S90V. Living with non-stainless long term in a true outdoors lifestyle is... trying. I personally do not enjoy the constant maintenance required.
...

I know that for whatever reason I have different experiences than many concerning corrosion!!

That said: As long as one is not bothered with slight discolorations or at most some tiny spots, REX 45 does not require any maintenance at all, even in a "true outdoors lifestyle..."in my own personal, but extended experience.

I've always been using my REX 45 Manix LW for all kinds of tasks, but for some month now I use it deliberately on all kinds of food (tomatoes, apples, paprika, meat...) and don't whipe of the blade till next day often,and a lot in the outdoors where it lives in soaken wet and/or sweaty pockets sometimes for days, cuts wet wood, does not get dried afterwards... no (functional) problems whatsoever, just some slight discolorations, perfect, tough outdoor-steel for me.

I wonder if some people (not talking directly bout you, Wandering!!) just see a nonly "cosmetic" "problem" as a real one... Can't tell, as said, folders almost can't rust in my use whatever I do to them...

[Manixguy@1994]

Just my two cents , the only folder I would consider would be the Pacific Salt H1 in blade preference that appeals to you . I don’t think you could go wrong after describing the task you about to do for four months . There is quite a bit of information about this knife that may be of interest . MG2

[vivi]

I'd go S90V. Living with non-stainless long term in a true outdoors lifestyle is... trying. I personally do not enjoy the constant maintenance required.
...

I know that for whatever reason I have different experiences than many concerning corrosion!!

The other day I went for an hour run while carrying my M4 Chief IWB. When I checked it after the run it was already starting to turn orange on the parts that were exposed to sweat:





That's before and after wiping it down.

I don't have as much of an issue with foods or rain, but it'd still be nice to have at least stainless, if not stain proof, during 4 months living out of a tent. The Chief still works just fine of course, but it's one less thing to worry about.

[Wartstein]

...

The other day I went for an hour run while carrying my M4 Chief IWB. When I checked it after the run it was already starting to turn orange on the parts that were exposed to sweat:



[/img]

That's before and after wiping it down.

I don't have as much of an issue with foods or rain, but it'd still be nice to have at least stainless, if not stain proof, during 4 months living out of a tent. The Chief still works just fine of course, but it's one less thing to worry about.

This is so strange..

I happen to carry my REX 45 Manix right now - here is a quick shot of the blade and how it looks like after all I've put it through - see my previous post, cutting fruits, tomatoes etc and not cleaning the blade and also having carried it iwb at at least 20 sweaty runs and not drying the blade afterwards... you can see some subtle discoloration and tiny black spots. That's it...

[Danke]

I live in the British Columbia interior surrounded by working forest and we get a lot of rain here too. I have a lot of tool steel knives and about the only time they pick up rust is if I try to force a patina. Rex 45 has turned out to be very non-reactive for me compared to M4 or Hap40 or V-Toku2.

There's a wide range of weather here from the damp seaside to interior desert to alpine so I'm not sure where you'll be. If you are on the Island or anywhere coastal with salt air that Salt models would be good to look at.

Part of what you take is going to depend on you. I think a Native Chief has a bit too fine of a point for me to want to have in a work camp. If I was at all going to loan it out or do work tasks then one of the FRN/SE versions would be my pick. If I wanted a nice backup for after hours as a secondary it would be hard to beat a Spidiechef. It's light and flat so carries well and has a robust tip.

And from what I know about tree planting not carrying a bunch of extra weight is going to be a big positive.

[MyelinSheath&Borborygmi]

I'd take with me Caribbean and/or Pacific Salt (with or without the teeth, depending on your preferences).

[Wartstein]

I personally prefer SE over PE anyway for almost any task,but if you plan on cutting branches or similar tasks I'd strongly recommend SE in any case!
And the H1 Pac Salt would be a great choice for this indeed (for things like cutting branches I'd prefer the sabre hollow grind and stronger tip the H1 model comes with over the ffg of the LC version. Both I'd take in SE as said.)

[Danke]

There are no branches to cut when you're planting trees here. This is is what it looks like.



They can pile up the slash piles and burn them so the ground is a bit clearer but there's noting left trim off in your block. You dig a hole, you put the new tree in and you repeat till you run out of trees. Then you get more trees and repeat.

[Danke]