bushcraft knives

[SkeeterPee]

I know most would say you don't need any more than a miniature pen knife, but I am wondering if a bushcraft type knife while not needed could be helpful. For instance, in fire starting a nice fixed blade knife would be better at creating kindling, splitting pieces of wood into small fast starting pieces via batoning.

So if you do carry a bush knife, what do you think of this one http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFI8TOA/...I3AEICRNQIJYGG

I have been looking at these as they seem to get good reviews and are fairly light.
Also, have you had any problem with rangers etc with such a knife?

Thanks.

[nsherry61]

Nice knife. I have one. It's a great tool. I quit taking it backpacking because I pretty much never use it, and never have to have it. It works better than a miniature pen knife for slicing cheese and meat and for spreading peanut butter, but pre-sliced cheese and pre-sliced meat is much easier and less messy and a stick or the handle of my spoon or my finger spread peanut butter pretty well. And, when I make fires I always find easier ways to start the fire than manufacturing kindling. So sadly, no matter how cool the tool is, I've ended up not using it.

[Secondmouse]

as far as a Bushcraft blade goes, that's a pretty nice one. the handle and sheath are nice, it's a good carbon steel with the right grind and thickness. the robust firesteel just sweetens the deal.

however, if you just want a fixed blade just for the trail, I wouldn't spend the money for it. I'd just as soon have the 4oz Mora Companion for $16.40...

[Sarcasm the elf]

Mora is the way to go, but if you are getting blade that you plan on beating up, may I suggest that you get one of their companion or companion HD versions instead? Less bells and whistles and much cheaper. This one below can be found on amazon for less than $20.

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Compa.../dp/B00EF2RX2C

I don't often hike with mine though I sometimes bring it in the winter for the same reasons you list. If I do then it stays inside my pack unless I'm using it. Knife laws are wierd and vary state to state, I'm not going to claim to have enough knowledge about them to make a specific comment in that regard..

[orthofingers]

You'll get lots of opinions on this but here's my two cents:

i too, like a bigger blade than those tiny Swiss Army knives with small blade, small scissors, toothpick and tweezers. If I were going to carry a fixed blade knife I'd carry a Mora "Light-My-Fire" knife with the hidden fire steel in the handle, orange for visibility. If I'm not mistaken, it's lighter than the knife you linked and cheaper too. Also, (and I know the bush crafters just love their carbon steel blades), the "Light my Fire" knife has a stainless blade which, in my opinion is better for hiking and camping and stabbing meat etc. especially if you don't have the optimum situation for caring for the blade due to rain, dirt, snow, etc.
I know some say stainless doesn't hold an edge as well as carbon steel but Mora has the stainless thing down and I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in a blindfold test. (Wow, that'd be interesting to see . . . blindfolded people using knives)

What I actually carry is a smallish Swiss Army knife. It's got a blade, file, can and bottle openers, screwdriver scissors, toothpick tweezers, and oh, corkscrew. (Very popular on the Camino del Santiago).

[GreenBlaze]

Just carry this. Not only can you craft bushes.. you can craft furniture, vehicles, and electronics.

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[The Solemates]

a big knife isnt needed for long distance hiking on the AT...or for much hiking in general in today's world for that matter. i dont take a knife for many trips. with that being said though I am somewhat into bushcraft as well and sometimes take knives on long weekend trips for various reasons. it depends on if it is a "hiking trip" or a "camping trip". I also enjoy making these knives myself. I've been known to take full hatchets for winter fire and/or shelter making. My opinion on your choice is that a bushcraft knife should have a handle made of natural material...not polymeric. deer antler, animal bone, wood (my favorite is teak), etc. but I'm old fashioned. The blade on your choice is unknown from the amazon description. "thick carbon steel" means nothing. Determine the actual alloy, and then research its properties, before making your choice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blade_materials

[peakbagger]

Its a judgment call, I did a very cold april hike one year and had fires most evenings. I didn't need anything more than swiss army knife and rarely did I need it as I would just pick up tinder as I hiked in the last mile or so as I approached camp. A big knife can be handy when the weather is wet and you need to start a fire as in that situation your only option is to cut down into the center of the wood and get some dry shavings from the center. I would normally ship the fire unless it was an emergency and carry a trioxane bar for an emergency fire if all else failed. Usually if you take a 5 minute walk down the trail on either side of shelter you can pick up more dead wood than you need. I use a nylon strap to bundle it up and drag it back to the campsite using a toggle made out of short stick to pull on the strap. If I cant snap it under my foot, there are inevitably trees around for a lever or a spot under a shelter support that works well for snapping bigger stuff.

I expect many big knives (and axes) get sent home or end up in hiker boxes.

[Leo L.]

While I'm some fan of knifes in general, I skipped carrying a "real" knife on hikes many years back. Its of no use and just a burden.
In my experience, the stronger a "real" knife is, the less practical it is for everyday use. Really good steel quality doesn't match with being stainless - but with the little care you may provide for your knife when you focus on hiking, being stainless is essential for a knife. Also, a strong knife has a thick blade and a blunt grinding, something thats bad for as simple a task as cutting an apple.
So, a bushcraft knife is for bushcraft, and anything like or smaller/simpler than a swiss army knife is for hiking.

I will always carry a swiss army knife and sometimes a multitool, the former one for everyday use (cutting food mostly), the latter one for repairing shoes (which came in handy at least 5 times now).
What I missed sometimes was a saw, when it came to destroy a really thick piece of dead wood.

[MuddyWaters]

If you like , carry it.
You can always give it away, abandon it at a shelter, or mail it home

Not like the actual knife matters, cause you arent going to use it.

[Slo-go'en]

I carry a good sized folding Buck Knife (3" blade and carbon fiber handle). The reason I do is that on occasion I like to brush trail as I go along. Nothing annoys me more then tree branches sticking into the trail at head height which brush against my face or comes close to poking my eye out. I can take out a branch up to 1/2" in diameter with little effort. Sometimes I use it to cut up my block of cheese too

As for fires, if the sticks aren't dry enough or small enough to easily break by hand or over a rock, then it's too green or too big. No knife or hatchet required.

[Sarcasm the elf]

If you like , carry it.
You can always give it away, abandon it at a shelter, or mail it home

Not like the actual knife matters, cause you arent going to use it.

People hike for different reasons.

Sometimes I hike light and fast, for those trips my morakniv doesn't come along. On the other hand I was out on the trail for a total of 7 days and 5 nights over the winter on more social trips that involved campfires and actual cooking, my mora was used every day.

[egilbe]

Bushcraft and LNT is at cross-purposes.

[RockDoc]

There's a reciprocal relationship between knife blade size and hiker's experience on the AT.
You don't need a knife to make kindling...

[Casey & Gina]

I know most would say you don't need any more than a miniature pen knife, but I am wondering if a bushcraft type knife while not needed could be helpful. For instance, in fire starting a nice fixed blade knife would be better at creating kindling, splitting pieces of wood into small fast starting pieces via batoning.

I carry a Benchmade Bushcrafter. Expensive but significantly better quality than the Mora with a nicer handle. I think the blade is thicker as well. 8oz so not as light. The Mora is a great balance between price, weight, and functionality. I carry a firesteel in it's sheath that has a place for it, and that is my primary means of starting fires or lighting my alcohol stove. There is certainly a lot that you can do with such a knife that you can't do without one. My primary means of cooking is via a wood stove, so being able to prepare wood for fast starting, etc. is nice. Also a nice to have a strong manner to cut with in general. It's certainly not needed and is a heavy luxury item, but I enjoy it!

[Gambit McCrae]

I enjoy both Backpacking, as well as Bush crafting, but I separate the two with different kits, obviously always keeping with me the 2 skill sets as they are very different. For AT trips, I have brought my tops bob knife on 1 AT trip and made a nice all natural fire with ferro rod and carbon steel, but it was a one time deal, just not needed to hike all day

[HDLV]

You should try a mora 2/0 or a mora 2. It's small light but still a fully functional fixed blade. I've always been of the school of thought that if someone has no skill in using knives for outdoors tasks they likely need nothing more than a tiny keychain knife. Now if you have some skills with one it may be worth carrying.
For me whittling has been one in the same with hiking/camping since I was about 5, I always bring a small fixed blade to do a little whittling after settling down.

It's like a cold beer after a hard days work for me. I also use a wood burning cook system so being able to split wrist sized pieces of wood to get enough of a fire going to burn small wet tiggs is important.

[Casey & Gina]

Currently a nice bargain is available on Massdrop for the Light My Fire:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/light-m...dish-fireknife

[Puddlefish]

My favorite. It even has pre-drilled holes.

[Secondmouse]

I carry a Swissbianco Bushcrafter (it's a Victorinox Farmer Swiss Army knife with the bottle and can opener removed). a knife, a saw, an awl - 63gr or 2 1/4oz



and this Leatherman Style CS. scissors, tweezers, fingernail file, and 1.5" scalpel sharp blade - 41gr or 1 3/8oz