I've been looking for a lightweight, light-duty bushcraft kit for some time now. Up until now, I've been making do with my old Coleman hatchet, a machete I bought at Value Village, and various folding or fixed-blade knives.  It was time to get something lighter and not so rusty.  So this past month I spent a while reviewing several options on Amazon, (as one does these days) and settled on the Mossy Oak knife, hatchet, and machete set. Straightforward design, light, and all one-piece items.  

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Once they were delivered, it was time to take them out into the field and try them out.  (For those that prefer video reviews, you can check out my YouTube review here.)

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Let's start with some numbers.  

• Amazon cost: $39.99

• Knife: 9 1/4 inches 

• Hatchet: 10 1/2 inches

• Machete: 16 1/4 inches

• Paracord: 50 feet

• Flashlight: 6 inches,zooms (wide/narrow beam) 3 AAA included

• Sharpening stone: 2 3/8 inches

• Carabiners: 5 of them, 2 3/8 inches 60lbs limit

• Ferro rod: 4 1/4 inches

• Link: https://amzn.to/4iy2y4S 

(Note: as an Amazon Affiliate, I will earn a small financial compensation for qualified purchases.  Thank you.) 

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Review

Ferro Rod: I'll start with the one piece of gear that earns a 0/5, the Ferro rod.  I'm not sure what this rod is made of, but no sparks were coming off it. Zero. Zilch, Null, Nada. Little flecks of shiny silver metal scrapped off, but no sparks.  This was using the Mossy Oak knife that I subsequently used on a known good Ferro rod and there were sparks a-plenty.  Someone in the factory messed up and put a random piece of metal in the place of the Ferro rod that was supposed to be there. ​

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Knife: I like this knife.  For one thing, it's full tang, (obviously) and has a finger guard so you don't slip past the grip.  The grip itself is paracord wrapped with white paracord which I appreciate because if I drop it, the white paracord will make it easy to see on the dark forest floor. The blade has a short sawing segment and once sharpened with the sharpening stone, it's razor sharp and cuts paracord cleanly. 

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Hatchet: The hatchet handle is wrapped in blue paracord, again, easy to find if you drop it in the dark.  It too has a finger guard to prevent your grip from sliding forward too much.  I used this as a hammer with the flat side of the hatchet to hammer in stakes and found it split small logs easily.  The thin handle does tend to feel awkward after repeated use, but for lightweight work like I bought it for, this isn't an issue.  There are three hexagon holes (3/8", 1/2", and 5/6") so you can tighten any bolts or nuts you happen to find while backpacking in the woods.  Choking up on the grip and with the blade sharpened, I was able to create tinder by shaving a stick very easily. 

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Machete: Like the knife and hatchet, this is one single piece of metal and in this case, the handle is wrapped in red paracord.  The handle has a finger guard like the knife.  The back of the machete is a saw that while effective, there are saws out there which are specifically designed for sawing and do a better job.  Nonetheless, for the light-duty expectations I have for this toolset, I'm quite happy with the saw and was able to saw through 2-3 inch logs with no problem.  The blade itself is effective, chopping through branches easily and is slightly better at chopping through branches than the hatchet due to it's longer length giving your swing a little more depth on impact. 

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Flashlight/Torch: I didn't expect to find three batteries included with the flashlight ('torch' in the UK) so that was a pleasant surprise.  It's 250LM zoomable from wide to narrow and has three settings high, low, and strobe.  Note: DO NOT SHINE THIS IN SOMEONE'S FACE! Seriously, 250LM will give them blindness for several minutes.  I'm probably going to replace the wrist cord on the flashlight with some bright or reflective cord to make it easy to find in the dark. 

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Paracord: Well, you can't go wrong with paracord.  This is olive green which I'm not crazy about, I'd prefer something easy to see especially if I'm rigging up ridgelines, (hands up all who have had a friend walk into your green or black ridgeline).  50 feet is a generous length and I used it to set up a reflective tarp between two trees with the cord pulled extremely tight, no issues. 

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Carabiners: They are small and not intended for anything with 60 lbs or more of strain on them.  So for setting up rainflys, tarps, hanging stuff from lines or your backpack, perfect. These are black and I've already lost one in the leaves and forest floor debris so if the folks at Mossy Oak are reading this, could you make these orange or yellow? 

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Sharpening Stone: Small but effective. It fits into the little pouch of the machete sheath and does an excellent job of sharpening the blades.  I recommend wearing leather gloves when doing that. 

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Sheaths: I honestly expected the sheathes to be cheap and flimsy.  They are often the items that companies will cut corners on to save money.  Not this time.  The sheaths are made from thick nylon, double-stitched, and riveted for strength.  These are some of the best sheathes I've seen on any blades. 

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To reiterate, I wasn't looking for a full-on Rambo, I'm going to live in the forest for a month, kind of kit.  I just needed something that I could use to make stakes, cut some wood, make tinder and kindling, and do general light bush crafting.  My expectations were realistically set and this kit from Mossy Oaks fits them perfectly, except for that Ferro rod.  Oh, well. 

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