Thor,
I am a registered nurse so consider the source.
A big knife if it slips is going to hurt you. You will be sorry.
Any firewood worth burning can be burned long and slowly shoved into the fire.
Gas and motor oil make great kindling.
A good weapon is bear spray thrown in your boxes if animals are an issue. Only the Canadians know what it is.
Don't dig holes when you travel.
Cook in a pot.
Or on your grill.

I admit that...
I carry 3 knives.
A Leatherman original because it has a file and is a needle nose.
A Swiss army knife for it's can opener and corkscrew.
And a french Opinel knife because it is great for food preparation and consumption.
No. 9VRN
FWIW.
bill.

I use the folding shovel approach... folds up nice and small.. makes life easy when it comes to digging the latrine, and doubles up as a good small axe (the one i bought came with one edge sharp and one edge serrated) it also has a pick that can be folded out. Thing is it also looks quite innocent, especially with my camping stuff... euro officials have so far ignored it.

m

the leatherman is great because its more tool than knife, and has plenty of heft as a club even without getting a blade out. i have a mk1 wave and that serrated knife will halve a deer very easily.

opinel knives are good, the smaller ones never used to have enough steel in them to set off most metal detectors until recently, now the eyelets in you shoes get you shot at the airport. the stainless steel ones are prettier than the high carbon blades and better for food prep, but dont hold nearly as good an edge

I like the low carbon.
You can sharpen it on a rock.
b.

"-- A good weapon is bear spray thrown in your boxes if animals are an issue. Only the Canadians know what it is.--"


Ah yes ,that's the stuff that bears use to "season" their roadside snacks .

I can see why you would want to carry a machete, i did when camping in the 60's. BUt these days i carry a leatherman surge. it has a smooth and a serrated blade plus I carry a jigsaw blade in the multi tool holder. That will cut wood up to 1-1/2" easily. It also has a scissors which is the most important bit to me. There is not much need for cutting firewood. just make a foot or so contact between two long lengths and push them in to feed your fire as they burn. Cutting and trying to burn green wood is a very unsatisfactory pastime, all you will do is attract attention for miles around. If you need to roast a piglet the fire is suggested will work fine. For making hot drinks, consider a kelly kettle. They also work on external fires and stoves.
In europe i live the high life with my little £5 gaz stove :)
If you do take your machete, pack it so it is not immediatly available, that way it will more likely be perceived as being a camping tool rather than a weapon.
It is worth thinking about the type of cuisine you want. When camping slow pot roasts are less than convenient, but stir fry only needs a fierce 10 minute burn of twigs.

well, im no weapon wielding maniac but ill definateley be taking a cheap machete with me to South America.

People have a preference in to what they like to use as a tool. I am lucky to have a 1/2 acre of woodland as a garden and spend many hours working in it.

To me, my machete is like my right arm.

If your travelling by road and stayin in hotels then there is no need. If your camping or going off road then a good sturdy blade is very handy (if you know how to use it of course)

May I suggest a small hatchet instead though ?? Less threatening and maybe more useful depending on what your doing.

Take It
 

I would be inclined to take but not overtly concel it. If it is taken by a custom, so what. These things cost $5 in the US. Being a poor farmers tool, they are inexpensive everywhere. You coud buy and lose one in each country and not be out any money.

Ah! at last - another Opinel fan....great knives.

I've used the chains saw (Ultimate Blast) and a folding saw (Kershaw), I carried a buck axe with a parring knife in the handle. I have a Chris Reeve "Jerboam" which I think is great (but expensive).
But. My favorite carry for trips over the last 20+ years is the Glock78 with the saw back for wood/bone cutting. It has a good weight for chopping, it holds an edge, has a rust resistant coating. It has a good clip holster which the knife will never fall out of. It is left/right handed, the handle has a good feel/grip even when wet. The handle is hollow so that in an emengency it can be added to a stick to spear fish. Handle can hold hooks and small line. I wrapped the handle with paracord and that always comes in useful. Also they are not that expensive and can be got over the internet.
I also carry a Leatherman Supertool. I perfered the PST but the don't make it any more. I always pack the knife under the saddle before going through a border. To many border guards are of the "magpie" variety if they see a good knife. I usually carry a cheap shiney thow away for that purpose.
Just my 10p worth, everyone has there own favorite.
I hope that helps.