Why don't you Baton?

[Jim Malone]

The same reason i don't use a Ferrari to plow the field. Tools where designed to do soecific things. Pocket knives are designed to be used as light duty cutting tools. I would use a knife in a life or death situation as a baton tool, but i wouldn't test a knife to see how long it will last doing stuff it's not designed for.
So i use an axe or a steel wedge to split wood.

[vivi]

Batoning is good to know about as yet another technique to file away in your bag of tricks. And for sure, doing it with care using a mule is entirely reasonable.

Done with pieces of wood that don't require twisting or prying action to make the split would seem like good guidelines.

Another thought I had is that it is worth distinguishing between strict utility and amusement. In my case my camping activities really boil down to amusement in virtually all cases, and playing with my toys (i.e. knives) can certainly fit right in. I plan car camping trips with the main intention being to fool around with my dutch ovens and experiment cooking with them. At one time in history this was necessity and a way of life, but for me it is entertainment and fun (and in general good eating).

agreed.

[ykspydiefan]

I have not been able to find the Spyderco web image advertising the Aeb-l mule. It definitively showed a picture of a person baton-ing an Aeb-l mule. If any other Mule Teamers are more web savvy than myself, I sure would like that pic to appear here.

Anyway, I would like to forward that picture in defense of baton-ing, especially with the Aeb-l mule. I am dead sure, 100% truth in media, this mules' intended purpose is to baton wood for crackly little fires. Or, baton for forum pics, or youtube, or back yard boredom buster, or anything really.

Lots of good discussion so far about baton-ing a knife. And, I am not going to try with any of my other mules, maybe Magnacut but I do not care to break a blade for silly fun. And I am not going to break one in the bush and be stuck with no blade either.

I had previously been in the no baton camp. Aeb-l changed my mind.

[Skidoosh]

I camp via leave no trace ethic. I've never found a need to baton. I use fuel smaller than my thumb that is dead. I may need to shave down wet wood but I've never been out in the woods or backpacking and thought, wow, I need to baton wood. I did a ton a wilderness travel with a SAK, never felt I lacked anything.

[vivi]

I have not been able to find the Spyderco web image advertising the Aeb-l mule. It definitively showed a picture of a person baton-ing an Aeb-l mule. If any other Mule Teamers are more web savvy than myself, I sure would like that pic to appear here.

Anyway, I would like to forward that picture in defense of baton-ing, especially with the Aeb-l mule. I am dead sure, 100% truth in media, this mules' intended purpose is to baton wood for crackly little fires. Or, baton for forum pics, or youtube, or back yard boredom buster, or anything really.

Lots of good discussion so far about baton-ing a knife. And, I am not going to try with any of my other mules, maybe Magnacut but I do not care to break a blade for silly fun. And I am not going to break one in the bush and be stuck with no blade either.

I had previously been in the no baton camp. Aeb-l changed my mind.

couldn't find the image but I did find out those aebl mules are still for sale. Might grab one.

[vivi]

I camp via leave no trace ethic. I've never found a need to baton. I use fuel smaller than my thumb that is dead. I may need to shave down wet wood but I've never been out in the woods or backpacking and thought, wow, I need to baton wood. I did a ton a wilderness travel with a SAK, never felt I lacked anything.

it can be convenient to find one nice sized chunk of wood, and use batoning to split it into all the different sizes I'll need to start a fire and keep it going.

I'm not super gung ho about batoning and don't think it's a critical outdoors skill, but it's another way to process wood that has many uses. Quicker trap construction, good for getting nice long straight pieces of wood to form tools from, and fire building.

Again it's funny to me how controversial it is. I have knives I've been batoning since well before most folks in this thread joined the forum, and you'd never be able to tell based on their condition.

And not all batoning is splitting massive 12"+ diameter logs. I carry 2"x2" fatwood sticks with me when I camp and hike, and even folders are robust enough to baton little sections off to start a fire. Mules laugh at such use.

[ykspydiefan]

Remember, the anachronym Aeb-l stands for Always Everything Baton Life.

[Slicespice]

Well, because my future mule will be made of ceramic...

[sal]

Hi Slicespice,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[Slicespice]

Hi Slicespice,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

Hello Sir, thank you for the welcome!