Another Knife Question !

[pitdog]

In the recent thread about defining a ' Camp knife ', quite a few people mentioned a Camp knife not being the same as a ' Survival knife ' !

What differences do you consider might exist that seperates the two ?

Please don't say a Survival knife is the one ya have on you, I'm assuming that when you venture out you plan well enough that the knife is one you would feel competant having in a survival situation. Obviously in an urban survival disaster this might be different but lets assume both knives are to be used in the great outdoors !!!!

 

[XMP]

I think the difference is that a survival knife has to be able to do every job necessary in the wilderness without a fear of failure on the knife's part and still be portable enough that there is no question that you wouldn't always have it with you. On the other hand, a camp knife can be bigger because it is used for camp chores when one is car-camping, canoe-camping or are traveling with stock to transport additional gear. That is the basic distinction I have in my own mind anyway when I think of or use these terms.

 

[kgd]

I noticed the same thing reading that thread Pitdog. Personally, I don't consider a camp knife and survival knife to be the same. I generally view a survival knife as the 'one knife' you carry with you to meet all tasks. So any blade that fits the 'one knife to do anything' I would classify as a survival knife. For me, this generally corresponds to a 4" - 5" blade for ease of carry but with enough length to get the job done. When I consider a camp knife, then the knife specs are really more optimized for camp chores that were well defined by the earlier thread. Here I usually think of a mid-sized blade of 6" - 7.5" or so that excels at food prep, cutting melons, splitting firwood, hacking at tent pegs etc. Its the knife I prefer to have hanging around at the base camp but also not a knife that I prefer as the sole blade. With my camp knife, I usually have a little cutter that stays on the belt and gets used for most of the fine slicing and carving chores.

So when I think camp knife the description leaves it open to a larger knife which can be nicely paired with a smaller blade. When I think of survival knife I'm usually thinking of a blade that would be carried alone.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

both of the above answers are EXCELLENT!!!!!!

 

[PayetteRucker]

Two different purposes-the general consensus in the last thread about particulars of design were a large wide blade with a thin slicing grind for hacking and slicing performance. I personally like thick blades with full (scandi/vex) thin grinds (15 degrees or so is GREAT) and think it makes an ideal survival knife as well. A survival knife, I'd say, I'd be more particular about a usable, durable point and would tend to opt for durability and maintenance convenience (micarta) over sentimental handle materials such as a beautiful hardwood. Similar design aspects (by preference) but a greater focus on practicality over old school rustic woodsman sentimentality...

 

[pitdog]

Wouldn't camp tasks pretty much cover the tasks you might need in a survival situation ?

I can clearly envisage why a Bushcraft knife might differ from a Camp or Survival knife as a Bushcraft knife is quite a specialised tool with a pretty defined function.
I am still struggling, however, to see why a Camp Knife would differ from a Survival knife ?

 

[mymindisamob]

I noticed the same thing reading that thread Pitdog. Personally, I don't consider a camp knife and survival knife to be the same. I generally view a survival knife as the 'one knife' you carry with you to meet all tasks. So any blade that fits the 'one knife to do anything' I would classify as a survival knife. For me, this generally corresponds to a 4" - 5" blade for ease of carry but with enough length to get the job done. When I consider a camp knife, then the knife specs are really more optimized for camp chores that were well defined by the earlier thread. Here I usually think of a mid-sized blade of 6" - 7.5" or so that excels at food prep, cutting melons, splitting firwood, hacking at tent pegs etc. Its the knife I prefer to have hanging around at the base camp but also not a knife that I prefer as the sole blade. With my camp knife, I usually have a little cutter that stays on the belt and gets used for most of the fine slicing and carving chores.

So when I think camp knife the description leaves it open to a larger knife which can be nicely paired with a smaller blade. When I think of survival knife I'm usually thinking of a blade that would be carried alone.

This is what I would post if I were smart and stuff.

 

[pitdog]

Here is a new knife that Mark Wohlwend has just made. What are ya seeing, Camp Knife, Bushcraft knife or Survival knife ?

5 inch blade of 1095, thickness 3/16th....

 

[pitdog]

I noticed the same thing reading that thread Pitdog. Personally, I don't consider a camp knife and survival knife to be the same. I generally view a survival knife as the 'one knife' you carry with you to meet all tasks. So any blade that fits the 'one knife to do anything' I would classify as a survival knife. For me, this generally corresponds to a 4" - 5" blade for ease of carry but with enough length to get the job done. When I consider a camp knife, then the knife specs are really more optimized for camp chores that were well defined by the earlier thread. Here I usually think of a mid-sized blade of 6" - 7.5" or so that excels at food prep, cutting melons, splitting firwood, hacking at tent pegs etc. Its the knife I prefer to have hanging around at the base camp but also not a knife that I prefer as the sole blade. With my camp knife, I usually have a little cutter that stays on the belt and gets used for most of the fine slicing and carving chores.

So when I think camp knife the description leaves it open to a larger knife which can be nicely paired with a smaller blade. When I think of survival knife I'm usually thinking of a blade that would be carried alone.

Thanks for the well thought out reply buddy. Would you then see my 7" bladed Chopweiler as a Camp Knife ? I see it more as a Survival knife.

 

[mymindisamob]

I will have a Busse Desert Storm Stealth Fighter soon and that is going to be my new camp knife. My Busse Badger Attack TAC is my "Survival" or knife of choice in general. In actuality my ZT350 sees more action than anything, including Chuck Norris.

 

[PayetteRucker]

Here is a new knife that Mark Wohlwend has just made. What are ya seeing, Camp Knife, Bushcraft knife or Survival knife ?

5 inch blade of 1095, thickness 3/16th....

Appears to be a pretty amazing compromise of all three!

 

[TheGame]

A camp knife I would consider close to a 'survival' knife, however I don't believe them to be the same. For a survival knife, I would want something at least 3/16. For a camp knife, 1/8 is preferred as it will slice food better.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Thanks for the well thought out reply buddy. Would you then see my 7" bladed Chopweiler as a Camp Knife ? I see it more as a Survival knife.

Send it to me---I test it and get back to you in a year or so

You don't need to rush these things

and your new knife is very SWEET!!!!

 

[kgd]

Thanks for the well thought out reply buddy. Would you then see my 7" bladed Chopweiler as a Camp Knife ? I see it more as a Survival knife.

I would think of it more as a camp based on size and length, but that is just because we each have different interpretations of the terms and characteristics of each. The Mark Wohlwend looks like a great survival knife to my eye, but I'd probably still prefer it in 1/8" thickness or stretching it at 5/32". Again, those are just my personal preferences.

I've admittedly kind of shied away from really thick steel the last year. The scrapyard SOD I have is the only 1/4" chunk of steel I have left and it rarely gets used but I still like it enough to keep it around. Yet, the SOD having absolute characteristics of toughness to it, is in my opinion a really crappy survival blade. Yeah, its tough, but its balance is designed mostly for chopping which throws off its utility for many of those actual knife-type chores. If push came to shove, I'd be much happier with that Wohlwend on my hip...even happier still (well my hip would be anyhow) if it were in 1/8" thickness!

 

[Franciscomv]

There's such a large variety of knife designs out there that one must allow for some overlapping when trying to fit them into different categories.

Some knives straddle one or two categories and can do everything a camp knife or survival knife needs to do.

There are also some personal considerations to take into account. I never carry knives with blades larger than 5" on my belt (4" being the most common length). So my "survival" knife will be limited to that size. Something larger, like my BK-9, will stay strapped to my pack or in my tent.

However a good friend of mine happily carries his BK-9 on his hip all the time, so for him it would be more of a survival knife than a camp knife.

 

[jimh0220]

Wouldn't camp tasks pretty much cover the tasks you might need in a survival situation ?

I can clearly envisage why a Bushcraft knife might differ from a Camp or Survival knife as a Bushcraft knife is quite a specialised tool with a pretty defined function.
I am still struggling, however, to see why a Camp Knife would differ from a Survival knife ?

I was once like you Pitdog. I asked these types of questios, hoping for simple clarifications to the various defined types of knives you mentioned and more. I have since been imprisoned and required to repeat phrases such as: "Bushcraft knives are not just fancy Moras", "Busse knives are obviously the best choppers", and "you can only survive with a SAK, a Bushcraft, and a Busse. If I am missing any of the 3, I will die...".

The truth, Pitdog, is that they can and are the same. What decides which it is? Simply how you use it. A knife is merely a tool. What is important is what you do with it. That's why every 'expert' under the sun uses their own 'survival' knife, and all are here to talk about it.

Well, back I go to my mantras...........

 

[pitdog]

Another factor to take into account is the type of grind.
When I designed my Booshway I was thinking of a knife small enough for it not to be a burden on my hikes yet big and sturdy enough to take the roll of a survival knife should the worst happen.
As it has such a wide 3/16" blade with a full flat grind the actual edge is pretty much as thin as many 1/8" stock bushcraft type blades. I find this slices as well as most of my 1/8" knives !

So what would this be, Survival or Camp ?

I realise there are no definitive answers, I just find it interesting to hear different peoples opinions on such topics !

 

[Rotte]

The distinction is artificial.

Take the machete: camp knife or survival tool? Both.

The Randall Bird & Trout? Carried by Northwoods fishermen as a camp tool, carried by Gary Powers as a survival knife.

What was Ozti's little flint knife?

Why then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. -- Hamlet

 

[Ramm9]

I think camp knife has become another generic term like bushcraft knife and tactical knife.

As Scott wrote in the other thread, it's become a generic term for a heavy utility knife. Just like "Bushcraft Knife" the term "Survival Knife" has become a catch all marketing phrase as an excuse to selll big heavy knives for those that don't know any better.

A "survival knife" as just that. Something you only need when you need it under dire circumstances. To me a survival knife is what you store in your bush plane or life raft. Carrying it on your back because you might need it in lieu of the knowledge to make do with what you have seems foolish unless of course you want to play with it and then it's a toy and that's fine.

Carrying most of these things "just in case" is like wearing a life jacket hiking along a river because falling in is a possibility. Myself, there's very little I'm going to carry on the chance I maybe, possibly, might need it. I get by just fine with a 3.5 blade and a 6oz hand saw so adding 10" of steel is pointless.

Anyhow, here's two of my "camp knives" that don't look like the generic terminology but work well for hunting or canoe camp since most of it is food or game prep although the cleaver is an outstanding wood chopper and splitter.

started using a sheath so the knife wouldn't be misplaced or laying around as an injury hazzard

made the sheath flap so it can flip over for pack storage

 

[B Griffin]

What differences do you consider might exist that seperates the two ?

Very seldom do I see lateral strength and a stout tip as being primary factors in a "camp" knife, and...never do I see fine, chef quality, slicing ability as a primary factor in a "survival" knife.

In "camp" stew you slice and dice the meat and veggies as you chit chat merrily around the fire. In "survival" stew you chunk some stuff....cut, torn, broken, or pounded... into whatever pot you have and get it cooking